Insane Insights From Dark Side Of The Ring Bam Bam Bigelow
If there was one person on my Mount Rushmore for the greatest big men wrestlers in professional wrestling, Bam Bam Bigelow would be on that list. For a guy his size to be that athletic in the ring is just amazing. There is a Dark Side to Bam Bam Bigelow due to his issues out of the ring. Vice's Dark Side Of The Ring crew did an episode on his life and career, and it gave us a lot of new information about him.
10. His Daughter's First Memory Of Him Is Depressing
Ricci Bigelow is Bigelow's daughter and one of the talking heads in the documentary. Immediately when the documentary begins, she talks about her first memory of her father, which is one of the most depressing memories she has ever had.
It was the last time she ever saw him when she was 2 or 3 years old. Both were on their way home and Bigelow was driving under the influence. While driving, Bigelow's head kept dropping and looked like he's going to pass out. This sent a young Ricci into panic mode and she asked to go to the bathroom so they could stop.
They stopped at a Diner so Ricci could go to the bathroom, and she stalled because she didn't want to get in the car with Bam Bam in the state he was in. This was a 2- or 3-year-old thinking that it would be safer in the bathroom than on the road with her dad. They got back on the road, but the police eventually pulled them over, and Bam Bam got arrested.
Once that happened, her mother had to pick Ricci up and tell her she wasn't going to see Dad anymore. It was unsafe to have Ricci be with her dad as Bam Bam was a full-blown addict. The fact Bigelow was willing to drive under the influence with Ricci in the car is sad.
9. Bam Bam Bigelow Was A Bounty Hunter
Scott Bigelow is Bam Bam's son and was introduced in the documentary. Scott talked about Bam Bam's previous career as a Bounty Hunter. Bigelow got started as a bounty hunter at 19 years old when he saw an ad. He decided to take the job and went to Mexico to get a person who kidnapped a little girl. It went wrong, as his partner got killed, and he ended up in a Mexican prison for 6 months.
The crazy part is that their cells could not contain him. It was easy for him to run through the cell as it was made of clay. The judge decided to cut a deal with Bigelow to lessen his jail sentence in exchange for protecting him in court.
7. Bigelow Got Married, Then 24 Hours Later Went Back On The Road
Bigelow's wife Dana was interviewed in this documentary and was one of the main talking heads. Dana gave insights about their wedding, and it was interesting. They got married on November 15th, 1987. 24 hours later, Bigelow went right back on the road. It was revealed that Dana would only see him around 10 times a year due to how brutal his travel schedule was. Bigelow was working 60 days in a row and did multiple shows on weekends to get more money. It's crazy how their schedules were back then, but Dana was committed to Bam Bam.
6. Andre The Giant Hated Bam Bam Bigelow
Bam Bam Bigelow joined the WWF in 1987, but he did not last long in the company. A big reason why is his beef with Andre the Giant. Both hated each other so much that they got into a legitimate fight in the middle of a match. Andre hit Bigelow and choked him with the top rope. Bigelow was terrified that he was going to get killed and pass out in front of everyone.
Dave Meltzer states that it was a bad night at the office for Bigelow, which is true but there were multiple bad nights. This wasn't mentioned in the documentary, but Andre wasn't the only one who was not a fan of him. Bigelow had a reputation for his bad attitude and rubbed many people the wrong way. Bret Hart who always speaks of the man in glowing terms, once said in an interview that Bam Bam, in 1992, had a much better attitude than he did in 1987.
Andre went after Bigelow to test him and to get him to understand that he needed to pay his dues. Once that occurred, Bigelow left WWF in favor of a lighter schedule in Japan. Something not mentioned in the documentary is that Bigelow had a serious knee injury at the time and had to undergo surgery.
5. Bigelow Constantly Hid Injuries
An obvious con of getting into pro wrestling is the injuries. Injuries are often hidden and keep getting worse. Bam Bam Bigelow is another example of this.
The big injury that Bam Bam hid, was to his back. Bigelow had stenosis of the spine, and his discs were crushed. His back injuries were so bad his back had to be fused multiple times. It's a miracle that Bigelow wasn't wheelchair-bound like the Dynamite Kid.
According to pro wrestler Taz, Bigelow hid the injuries well from promotors and medical staff. Bigelow even admitted in an interview that Vince hated it if people were hurt, so wrestlers tried to work through it. That was the mentality that he had with injuries and kept hiding them everywhere he went. This leads to a rundown of his injuries and surgeries.
What is scary is that Randy Orton recently said something similar in an interview. When Vince resigned in disgrace, Orton was blessed he was gone. Orton admitted to Vince that he had a back injury he asked for time off to heal. Vince didn't see it that way and forced Orton to wrestle injured. Orton's injury got worse and he needed back surgery.
4. Bam Bam Bigelow Was A Diabetic
The topic of pills got brought up with Bigelow and it was a tremendous problem. In that discussion, it was revealed that Bigelow needed some of those pills due to being a diabetic. This fact makes Bigelow's career more impressive. Doing all those crazy matches and movies in the ring with Diabetes is hard.
3. The Backstory Behind Taz vs Biglow ECW Match
The documentary goes into Bigelow's tenure in ECW. His most memorable match was against Taz. In that match, there was a crazy spot where Bigelow managed to put Taz through the ring. Taz reveals how the spot happened of them going in the ring.
In planning the match, Bigelow was nervous that Taz would hit his head on the frame of the ring. Bigelow was going to reach for the ropes, as there was a piece of white tape to mark the safe spot.
Taz gave credit to Bigelow as he ensured that both would be safe doing this. When both went through, Bigelow asked if he was okay. They were laughing at the huge pop they got from the stunt. Bigelow won the match and Taz got one of the most memorable moments in his career
A key quote Bigelow stated about ECW in an interview was "I am surprised nobody died in ECW.”. Looking at the history of ECW, Bigelow was right. The Dark Side of the Ring episode on The Sandman is proof enough. The joke that was used in the locker room was "If you could pass a piss test, you couldn't work for ECW". What a lovely and hilarious thing to joke about.
2. Bigelow Was Hooked On Oxycodone
Due to the numerous amount of injuries, Bigelow was depended on pills. Apparently in the WWF, Vince McMahon tested for Marijuana, Cocaine, and PEDs, but if you had a prescription, you're good. Bigelow was hooked on Oxycodone.
Bigelow's wife claimed he was never angry or aggressive until the pills took over. They would argue so much about it and the number of pills that he got kept growing. A doctor kept prescribing him a ton of pills illegally because he was a huge Bigelow fan. It got so bad, Dana called to tell the doctor to stop giving him prescriptions. What did this doctor do in response? He decided to rat her out to Bam Bam and keep giving the pills to him. This doctor was a total enabler and hopefully is not doing this type of malpractice ever again.
The saddest quote Dana said in this documentary was, "Scott sold his sole for OXY and would have stepped over us in the street to get them.”. That shows how hooked he was to the drugs, that he chose the drugs over his family. Dana believed that he was immediately hooked after finishing the first bottle.
Bigelow's addictions affected his work and he became unreliable. The only reason he got to WCW was thanks to Dimond Dallas Page. He helped get Bam Bam to the company and they both became tag champions. DDP in the documentary believes that Bigelow was sober in the ring, but pro wrestlers had a habit of forgetting how many pills they took.
Bigelow's drug habit made him more unreliable, and WCW had enough. They paid him to stay home and miss shows. This wasn't mentioned in the documentary but when WCW folded there was a buyout option in his contract, but he refused to take it. Bigelow allegedly got paid $400,000 a year until June 2002.
When his time in WCW was over, he was still hooked on pills. Bigelow's son revealed that Bigelow took around 15-20 Oxycodone pills a day. It's no surprise that Bigelow died in 2007 due to a drug overdose.
This wasn't mentioned in the documentary, but in his toxicology report, there was a tremendous number of drugs in his system. The two drugs that killed him were benzodiazepine and cocaine.
Dana believes that the words "accidental overdose" should not even go together. Her quote was, "You took one too many? You have been taking one too many for a long time.” Dana makes a great point as it's not an accident if they keep doing it for years.
All His Royalties Went To His Kids
When Bam Bam Bigelow died it didn't surprise Dana at all. She divorced him in 2000 due to his problems and expected it to happen.
If Dana could say something to Bam Bam today it would be, "You motherf*****! But through years of therapy, I know you had no control. It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you.”. Dana notes she signed all of Bigelow's rights and royalties over to the kids.
There's no love lost between her and Bam Bam, but that's awesome. This was not covered in the documentary, but in his final years, Bam Bam was broke. Bigelow was not on time with his child support payments and Dana had to sue him in court. Bam Bam also claimed that the divorce with Dana resulted in him losing his money. In the final years of his life was living off disability and social security.
My Thoughts On The Documentary
This was a good episode on one of the best big-man wrestlers in history. He was ahead of his time because he was so athletic for a guy his size. Bam Bam fell into addiction with the growing number of injuries he sustained. He was so hooked on the pills, that it surprised me that he managed to live to 45 years old.
The one person who should have been interviewed in this documentary is Bret Hart. Hart has always talked about the man with such respect. He always considered him one of the best big men in the business, which is such a strong endorsement. The King of the Ring match he and Bret Hart had in 1993 was amazing.
Another big event in Bigelow's life that wasn't mentioned was his motorcycle accident in 2005. What happened was he and his girlfriend were riding on a motorcycle and witnesses say that he almost tipped over due to being intoxicated. While changing lanes going 80-90 miles the bike crashed.
Neither he nor his girlfriend was wearing helmets on the Motorcycle. At the scene, Bigelow's girlfriend's face was all messed up to the point where witnesses thought she was dead. This almost became a homicide investigation due to how close to death she was, but luckily, she pulled through.
Bam Bam Bigelow was launched 50 feet up the road and also was injured. He had a broken nose and multiple lacerations across his body. Bigelow was charged with DUI, DUI with severe bodily injury in 3rd degree, not having a license to drive a motorcycle, and driving while his license was suspended. His blood alcohol at that time was a .208, 3 times the legal limit. They should have thrown him the book at him for what he did in this accident.
Besides those two missing things, this was a well-made documentary. Bigelow's family all came across well. Dana Bigelow came across as the most likable of the bunch and it was great to hear her speak about Bam Bam.
Bam Bam Bigelow was a great talent in the ring, but he could never escape his personal demons and drug addictions. It's a shame that he is no longer around as he could have been a great mind in the business and helped teach the future big men in pro wrestling. He has inspired a lot in the business today and the one that comes to mind is Bronson Reed. On NXT TakeOver XXX he wore Bam Bam Bigelow-inspired gear to pay tribute. One thing is for sure Bigelow will never be forgotten.