Big John Studd

Big John Studd was the ring name of John William Minton, an American professional wrestler and occasional film actor who lived from 1948 to 1995. Raised on a farm in Butler, Pennsylvania, he played basketball at Butler High School and served as a military police officer in the United States Army in Vietnam before Killer Kowalski and Charlie Moto trained him in Los Angeles. He debuted in 1972, wrestled under names such as Chuck O'Connor and Executioner #2, and took the name Studd from promoter Paul Boesch in 1977. He is best remembered for his work in the World Wide Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Federation, especially his long feud with Andre the Giant over who was wrestling's true giant, which reached the first WrestleMania in 1985. He won the 1989 Royal Rumble match, held titles in several NWA territories, and was inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame in 1995 and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.