When most people who are not fans think of wrestling, they think of huge men with huge arms beating each other senseless, or two huge men trying to force each other out of a sumo circle.
In the 1990s, the World Wrestling Federation started pushing younger superstars, changing the perception of wrestling to many people. People went from thinking of wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior to Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Razor Ramon.
In that same decade, we had some of the largest wrestlers to ever enter the ring, like Mabel and Yokozuna who would be classified as Super Heavyweights.
When you think of the heaviest wrestler in WWF, you would probably name Yokozuna but there were heavier wrestlers in the past, much heavier.
Who Is The Heaviest Wrestler Ever?
The heaviest wrestler of all time is William Joseph Cobb. Known as Happy Humphrey. Cobb usually wrestled at a weight of 750 pounds (340 kg) and once weighed in at over 900 pounds (410 kg).
When he wrestled, he was called “The World’s largest wrestler.” While most of his time in the ring was during the 1950s, Humphrey still holds the title of the heaviest wrestler of all time.
Humphrey’s Career
While wrestling seems like a perfect fit for a man so large, Humphrey’s wrestling career didn’t start like many others. His first match took place in 1953 where he wrestled a bear (yes an actual bear) for almost a half-hour.
He would go on to have several classic matches with Haystacks Calhoun who was 600 lbs himself. Humphrey and Calhoun wrestled at Madison Square Garden for Vincent J. McMahon. At that time he was billed in at weighing over 800 lbs.
In 1960, Happy Humphrey would meet the future Hall of Famer, Harley Race. Harley Race was only 17 at the time but he would drive Humphrey around and sometimes he would wrestle Humphrey in the ring. Race also showered Humphrey after matches because Humphrey was too large to shower himself.
Harley Race credits Humphrey for teaching Race how to “take bumps.” Harley also claims Humphrey was a nice man and would sign autographs and spend time with fans. This was not normal back then so it was refreshing to see a wrestler who wanted to be with fans.
As you would expect, Humphrey’s weight gave him problems. There were times he required emergency help to be removed from phone booths and seats in the movie theater due to his weight. He did lose 100 lbs due to a medical operation but he ended up gaining that weight back.
His Life After Wrestling
In 1962, Happy Humphrey had to retire from the industry because of a heart condition. This ended up being detrimental to his weight which shot up to 900 lbs. Humphrey went to a clinic for two years to help get his weight under control.
The clinic was a massive success. Humphrey entered the clinic at 800 lbs and left the clinic at 232 lbs. Humphrey managed his way into the Guinness Book of Records for his amazing weight loss.
Humphrey got a normal job after leaving the clinic and never returned to the ring. Humphrey made an appearance in the movie “Moonrunners” and worked at a shop that repaired shoes.
Sadly, over time Humphrey would regain most of the weight he had lost and died from a heart attack in 1989.
But Happy Humphrey still to this day happens to be the heaviest professional wrestler of all time. A record that is not likely to be broken.
Other Heavy Wrestlers That Tipped The Scales
While it looks like Happy will be holding his title for a long time, there are a few others that came pretty close to him in size. Here are a few more of the biggest wrestlers of all time.
Billy and Benny McGuire
Believed to have maxed out at about 814 lbs, Benny McCrary was the larger half of the heaviest tag team ever. His partner and twin brother Billy walked around at a more modest 723 lbs.
Benny and Billy had a short but memorable run in the ‘70s, and the heaviest tag team is not their only claim to fame.
Benny and Billy also hold the Guinness World Record for heaviest twins to ever have lived weighing in at a combined 1,468 lbs confirmed. A record that will not likely be broken in our lifetime.
Yokozuna
While the other wrestlers on this list were a bit before my time, Yokozuna is a big man that I remember fondly. He was a powerhouse in the WWE throughout the ‘90s and would hold several of the sport’s highest accolades including the WWF championship, twice!
While he did not reach peak mass in the WWE. He was estimated to be about 760 lbs shortly after he left. 760 lbs and growing.
He was in fact trying to gain weight when he passed, with a goal of 900 lbs in hopes to take the title of the heaviest wrestler away from Happy Humphrey.
Giant Haystacks
Giant Haystacks had a long and interesting career in wrestling than spanned 4 decades. The London native spent the early years wrestling throughout Britain until he made the trip overseas to join Stampede Wrestling in Canada
Towering just an inch shy of 7 feet tall and 699 lbs at his heaviest, he was a natural heel that plowed through any superstar in his path. Taking on the alias “Loch Ness Monster” or “Loch Ness” he would continue to move around until he landed on the main roster in WCW in the late ‘90s.
Unfortunately, right when he was about to get a huge push he was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. He decided to give up his career and return home to England to spend the remainder of his days.