The 10 Best & Worst Giants In Wrestling History

This week’s episode of WWE Raw included the news that the imposing Omos, one-half of the current Raw Tag Team Champions with AJ Styles, will wrestle his in-ring singles debut next week. The monstrous athlete checks in at a whopping 7-ft 3 inches, making him legitimately one of the tallest performers in the history of professional wrestling. Omos has developed a daunting reputation in the months since his debut last year, thanks in large part to the work of veteran Styles, and WWE’s sensible approach to using the inexperienced newcomer sparingly. 

Omos – real name Jordan Omogbehin – did wrestle a couple of singles matches at NXT house shows in 2019 at the very start of his in-ring career. But his match with Erik of the Viking Raiders will be the first time he ever steps between the ropes as a singles competitor on the main roster, and it should be interesting to watch. Big things are expected of the big man in the future, the latest in a long line of wrestling giants that have been given the monster push over the years.

On that note, here are five of the best…and five of the worst, wrestling giants of all time.

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BEST: Andre the Giant

An obvious entry to start with, but for good reason. Andre the Giant was a true superstar, years before Vince McMahon ever thought about using the term to describe his larger-than-life performers. While he may not have been quite at the exaggerated 7-ft 4 inches that he was billed at throughout his career, Andre was truly a massive presence that made him stand out both in and out of the ring. His legacy has been chronicled in a series of biographies and a recent HBO documentary for any younger fans keen to learn more. Somewhat akin to the Undertaker in that he was booked as a special attraction that didn’t need world titles to build his mystique, Andre wrestled despite immense pain in later life and was a huge part of the WWF’s 1980s expansion. 

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WORST: Silo Sam

John Harris debuted in Jerry Jarrett’s Memphis promotion in 1984 and set tongues wagging immediately based off his size – it is believed that Harris stood at least 7-ft 6 inches, if not taller. Harris was snapped up by the AWA and debuted as Silo Sam, but it quickly became apparent that he was a lumbering presence in the ring and had none of Andre the Giant’s charisma. Interestingly, this did not stop Vince McMahon snapping him up in 1985 as part of the WWF’s mass talent acquisition from the territories. After one dark match, he was never seen again – but was kept on the payroll. Some have speculated McMahon did this on purpose to avoid another wrestling giant taking the focus away from Andre. Or maybe his performance in that dark match really was that terrible!

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BEST: Kane

Things could have turned out very differently for Mayor Glenn Jacobs of Knoxville, Tennessee. After forgettable runs as Dr Isaac Yankem the wrestling dentist, and Fake Diesel, as well as Doomsday and the Christmas Creature in USWA, Jacobs finally struck gold. When he debuted as the Undertaker’s vengeful, twisted younger brother in 1997, few would have guessed that Kane would have written himself into the company’s lore to such a degree. He did exactly that, utilising every inch of his massive frame to compete for two decades, winning a world title and participating in a variety of memorable feuds – none more so than the initial one with The Deadman.

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• BRAUN STROWMAN

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