Bam Bam

Dammit.

I had just made the comment to a couple people about how, you know, ever since Eddie’s passing, there really hasn’t been a major death in the ranks of professional wrestling. Given the unsettling frequency of folks passing away before then, having over a year without having to deal with such news was wonderful.

Then, today, word came out that Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow was found dead this morning.

Bigelow was one of those guys who never got the push his talent dictated he should get. For a man who was nearly 400 pounds and moved with the speed and skill of a cruiserweight, he was an amazing worker in an era where amazing workers were in short supply. I first knew of Bammer during his late 80’s WWF stint, where he was a major baby face whose push kinda stalled (some would argue because he was overshadowing headliner Hogan). When he returned to WWF in the mid-90’s, it was as a tremendous mid-to-upper-card heel, who had some great matches with a wide variety of talent. Heck, he even got a good match out of Lawrence Taylor in the main event of WrestleMania XI. Another face turn followed, once again stalled by questionable booking choices, before he left the company in late 1995.

It was during his ECW run, though, that Bigelow really got a chance to shine. Set free from booking constraints and allowed to be the big bad-*ss he could be, Bammer became a main event player for ECW, having great matches with guys like Rob Van Dam, Shane Douglas and Taz. He contributed some of the most memorable moments in ECW history (as when he and Taz crashed through the ring on the Living Dangerously PPV), and was a part of one of the most important heel groups in the company’s history (the Triple Threat, which with Bam Bam’s passing now has only one surviving member). He would leave the company in late 1998 for one last run with WCW, which was largely uneventful aside from a brief feud with Goldberg. Beyond some independent appearances, Bam Bam would not appear in connection with wrestling again.

I had the pleasure of seeing Bam Bam wrestle live on several occasions, and each time I was incredibly impressed with the ability, agility and power of the man from Asbury Park, NJ. He was a remarkable athlete, whose talent should have earned him far more rewards than the business ever gave him.

You will be missed, Bammer.