The “big man” is, arguably, the foundation of professional wrestling. In generations past, if you were lucky enough to have matches that your dad (or mama) could take you to, it was the big man that most likely captured the young imaginations of the audience’s younger members. Like, all of these guys are big, because I’m seven, but THAT guy is HUGE. Barry Blaustein’s cut of Beyond the Mat depicted the scenario perfectly – standing on the aisle, gazing upward as the light is completely blocked out by a for-real monster. Growing up in eastern South Dakota, we had the opportunity to see the AWA, and their big man – the first big man I ever saw – was John Nord, who became The Viking/Berserker in WWE.
As I got older, professional wrestling started to evolve at a more rapid pace than it had, perhaps, in previous decades. Wrestling styles across the spectrum were picking up in intensity and athleticism, and I came to prefer and almost expect the higher paced competition. Remaining, however, was the natural, singular reaction that only a giant human can elicit.
To the extreme credit of the legends who saw fit to adapt, the big man was evolving out of the Haystacks Calhoun, humongous-yet-immobile “attraction era”. Now, big men were moving and could nullify the technique and speed advantages of seemingly more athletic opponents – men like Bam Bam Bigelow, One Man Gang, Earthquake, Big Van Vader, and Yokozuna.
PWE Unified Champion Bull Bronson, to severely understate, is a big man that can move. To be more specific, “The Mid South Monster” is precisely the kind of super-heavyweight that reminds us that this business was built on big men’s shoulders. He’s the natural evolution of the line and the prototype for the current generation.
Bronson, as expected, uses his immense stature to his full, psychologically compromising advantage. But, he also moves with textbook examples of “deceptive” agility, quickness, and athleticism. Pull the stopwatch out, NFL Draft Combine-style, for Bull’s scoop-slam-into-elbow-drop combination. Frightening. When he decides to relocate his 400-lb frame, the movement is sudden and violent, and within three strides, Bronson can be at full in-ring speed. The rest is just physics, and professional wrestling is a business where physics in your corner often guarantees championships.
Bull Bronson is not a traveling attraction. Bronson is a megalodon in a world of great whites. He currently dictates not only the championship lineages of the South and Midwest, but the lineage of big men going forward into Pro Wrestling Elite’s and professional wrestling’s future.
