Brian Damage
Today we look at the WWF’s introduction of ‘The Beast from the East’ Bam Bam Bigelow and how a storyline was crafted to try and make Bam Bam a red hot commodity for the promotion in what was known as ‘The Battle for Bam Bam.’
In 1987, the World Wrestling Federation brought in a young, extremely talented but green Bam Bam Bigelow. The WWF had a spot on the roster for a new babyface and Vince McMahon got in contact with Larry Sharpe…who was Bigelow’s trainer/manager/agent. During this era, the WWF and McMahon didn’t give out guaranteed contracts….so when Bigelow was brought in…McMahon offered him a a deal that Bigelow thought was too good to be true and indeed it was. Bigelow was offered a deal for what he thought was four hundred thousand dollars…but in reality was just 400 dollars a show.
Regardless, Bigelow was happy and excited for this new opportunity with a national company. To set him up as a huge star…the WWF had all the managers in the company vying for his services. This became known as “The Battle for Bam Bam.” Heel managers such as Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart, Johnny V, Slick and Mr. Fuji all battled it out with each other for the right to manage this new, young star. It was a storyline very similar to one they did a few years earlier with The Macho Man Randy Savage.
Week after week, Bam Bam eliminated managers one by one. It finally came down to Slick who was convinced he was the chosen one to lead the career of Bam Bam Bigelow. As Craig DeGeorge was interviewing Slick who was accompanied by Nikolai Volkoff, Slick began to boast how he had secured the contract of this hot, new prospect. A new face emerged that was unfamiliar with the WWF audience. Although, Jesse Ventura on commentary seemed to be the only person to recognize who he was. His name was Oliver Humperdink.
Bigelow then shocked Slick by turning him down much to the WWF fans delight. Bam Bam and WWF newcomer in Sir Oliver Humperdink were paired together. In reality, Humperdink was a veteran manager throughout various territories…usually working as a heel. In this case, Humperdink was portrayed as a babyface manager.
Why if Bam Bam Bigelow was a babyface, did he need a manager? According to the late Bam Bam…the WWF while they loved his look and ability, felt that Bigelow was still very green in front of the camera. Since the WWF didn’t want to turn any of their heel managers face to help Bigelow grow into a star…it was Pat Patterson’s idea to bring in the legendary Oliver Humperdink. Oliver Humperdink who at the time, had close to 30 years experience in the industry was chosen to help guide Bigelow both on TV and behind the scenes. While the duo got along quite well and became lifelong friends…Humperdink wasn’t very comfortable in that role. He said he hated being a babyface character citing it wasn’t him at all. With that said, Humperdink did not complain saying the “paychecks were very good.”
RIC CLEMAN
I remember him on the old Wrestling Classics board. He was a classic jazz buff, and he remembered my great-grandfather Johnny St.Cyr.
177613735
That’s so cool!
John Gianno
$400 a show with the number of shows they ran back then (let’s say 300/year), plus adjusting for inflation, that was around 350K.
Dave
Oliver Humperdink who at the time, had close to 30 years experience in the industry
Are you sure? he was born in 1949.
177613735
From what I gathered, Humperdink started out in the early 1960’s.
Kyle Prescott
Met him at a shopping mall in Tampa in the mid 80’s and as a fan he was great to me and perhaps ever surprised I knew who he was. Different time and place, no photos or social media posts but he did talk to us for a few minutes. This was before he ended up in WWF. Not that it matters but there were always rumors on his “lifestyle” choices but you’ll never hear any negative stories about his actions, unlike the Phillips and Patterson’s of that era.