Giant Haystacks is a huge name in British wrestling, but he never found as much success across the pond.
The giant grappler had an incredible career in the UK. He was one of the most feared wrestlers in the country, standing at nearly seven foot tall and 600lbs at his peak.
His battles against Big Daddy became stuff of legend. A reported 20 million people tuned in to see their titanic clashes, during the peak of British wrestling on TV.
It wasn’t until the end of his career when he was finally given a shot in a big American company and a shot at battling it out with Hulk Hogan.
Giant Haystacks Joined WCW In 1996
After years of battling Big Daddy on ITV every week, Giant Haystacks soon found opportunities limited.
Wrestling had been removed from TV in 1985 (except for Reslo on S4C), and the scene was dying a slow death.
Crowds dwindled, and the money soon ran out. It would not become a viable industry for three more decades in UK, sadly for the top wrestlers in the country.
For many, this signalled the end of their careers. However, Haystacks found himself a new role, wrestling for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the United States.
At the age of 50 and nearly 600lbs, he was well past his physical prime. Still, he jumped at the chance to continue his career abroad, and made the move to America.
It was 1996 that Giant Haystacks signed to WCW. He joined the “Dungeon of Doom”, a “monster of the week” faction aimed to take on Hulk Hogan during a particularly torrid time in his career.
He was featured fairly regularly. This was a company that also employed British stars like William Regal and Fit Finlay. They were keen on international stars, and Haystacks was just that.
And with that, we almost saw a dream match for fans of World of Sport and the WWF. Almost.
Giant Haystacks Almost Wrestled Hulk Hogan
Joining the Dungeon of Doom was supposed to lead to a match against Hogan. However, this match wouldn’t be Hogan vs Haystacks.
Instead, his name was changed as soon as he signed with WCW. According to Jim Cornette, nobody in the US knew who Haystacks or Big Daddy were. There was no name value in the name “Giant Haystacks”
It also helped to avoid confusing with “Haystacks Calhoun”, an American wrestler who died in 1989.
So, Giant Haystacks was out, and “Loch Ness” debuted in WCW in 1996. Named after the Scottish loch that was said to hold the mythical “Loch Ness Monster”, Haystacks became a star on International television for the first time.
The Englishman wrestled a handful of matches in WCW, and they were not good. Due to his size, weight and age, he was barely mobile.
Of his seven bouts, only two went over two-minutes (and barely), with Loch Ness only losing once – his final bout.
His time in the company coincided with Hogan’s feud with the Dungeon of Doom, although as soon as he saw him work, the potential match was nixed.
The Hulkster allegedly cancelled the match against Haystacks after watching him work. He was too big for Hogan to do anything with, and would only make him look bad.
If there’s anything Hogan hates, it’s others making him look bad.
Haystacks Wrestled Against The Giant Before Leaving America
Haystacks’ time in the Dungeon of Doom was short. After six matches, he was given one last pay per view match before leaving the company.
His last match in WCW was against The Giant – better known as The Big Show in WWE. This took place at WCW Uncensored 1996, with the winner earning a shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
This match was obviously awful. It evoked the feeling of his bouts with Big Daddy, lasting just over two minutes. The Giant nails Haystacks with a leg drop to seal the win and send him packing from WCW.
A cancer diagnosis ended Haystacks career, and he returned to the UK for treatment.
Giant Haystacks Died From Cancer In 1998
Sadly, Haystacks only lived two more years before passing away.
The cancer that cost him his wrestling career also took his life. He died on 29 November 1998 after suffering a two-year battle with Lymphoma.
He succumbed to the cancer in his home in Prestwich, near Manchester, and was surrounded by his wife and three children at the time of death.
While Giant Haystacks never wrestled against Big Daddy, his final match against the Giant does show a passing-of-the-torch, of sorts.
