Jorge Gonzales
Encyclopedia
Jorge González was an Argentinian
basketball
player and professional wrestler
. He was best known for his appearances in World Championship Wrestling
under the ring name
El Gigante between 1989 and 1992 and in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Giant González in 1993.
, then coach of the Argentine national team
, recommended the board of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata to sign the player for the team's Argentine second division roster. During 1986, González helped Gimnasia achieve promotion to the Argentine first division.
The player then signed for Sport Club Cañadense, but saw little action due to an injury that left him out of the fields for 9 months.
In 1988, González was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks
in the third round of the NBA Draft
, after the American team bought the player's rights from his Argentine team for a 30,000 Argentine austral
es fee. However, he was unable to adapt to the physical demands of NBA basketball.
included González in the Argentine national team that took part of the 1985 South American Basketball Championship
(bronze medal) and the 1988 Tournament of the Americas
(5th place), where he attracted the attention of the Atlanta Hawks' scouts.
offered González a job as a professional wrestler
with another of his ventures, World Championship Wrestling (WCW). After a year of training, Gonzales was introduced to fans as El Gigante on May 19, 1990 at the pay-per-view Capital Combat
. Wearing shorts, he competed as a fan favorite
and was billed as being close to eight feet tall.
Over the next two years, he feuded with Ric Flair
over the WCW Title
, participated in a 'Chamber Of Horrors'
match in 1991 and also had a date on TBS
with Missy Hyatt
. He also had a cross promotional stint in the New Japan Pro Wrestling
promotion and then moved to the World Wrestling Federation in 1993.
, managed by Harvey Wippleman, González grew a beard and wore a full body suit that featured airbrushed muscles with bushy hair attached. He was introduced at the Royal Rumble
in January 1993, where he eliminated Wippleman's nemesis The Undertaker from the Royal Rumble match despite not being an official participant. Gonzalez lost to The Undertaker at WrestleMania IX
by disqualification after he knocked Undertaker unconscious using chloroform
. This remains the only instance where the Undertaker has not had a decisive victory in his 19 WrestleMania matches. After another loss to The Undertaker at SummerSlam
, Wippleman berated Gonzalez leading Gonzalez to turn on Harvey Wippleman. Though the foundation was later set for a feud with Wippleman and Adam Bomb
, it never truly began. His last appearance in WWF on the October 4 episode of Monday Night Raw
in a 20-man battle royal for the Intercontinental Championship
. Three days later, Gonzalez left from WWF after his WWF contract had expired.
ese promotions New Japan Pro Wrestling
and WAR
(Wrestle and Romance) until his retirement from wrestling. His last singles match was in Sendai, Japan on February 8, 1995, against The Great Muta
and his last Japan tour for WAR in December 1995.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
. He was best known for his appearances in World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
under the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
El Gigante between 1989 and 1992 and in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Giant González in 1993.
Basketball
González stood 2.31 metre, making him the tallest Argentine basketball player in history. He started his career with the youths of Hindú Club de Resistencia at the age of 16 (and already tall). Subsequently, León NajnudelLeón Najnudel
León David Najnudel was an Argentine basketball player and coach, and the main driving force in the creation of the Liga Nacional de Básquet, the first nationwide yearly professional basketball league in Argentina....
, then coach of the Argentine national team
Argentina national basketball team
The Argentina national basketball team represents Argentina in basketball international competitions, and is controlled by the Argentine Basketball Federation....
, recommended the board of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata to sign the player for the team's Argentine second division roster. During 1986, González helped Gimnasia achieve promotion to the Argentine first division.
The player then signed for Sport Club Cañadense, but saw little action due to an injury that left him out of the fields for 9 months.
In 1988, González was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
in the third round of the NBA Draft
1988 NBA Draft
The 1988 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1988 in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Notable undrafted players:...
, after the American team bought the player's rights from his Argentine team for a 30,000 Argentine austral
Argentine austral
The austral was the currency of Argentina between June 15, 1985 and December 31, 1991. It was subdivided into 100 centavos. The symbol was an uppercase A with an extra horizontal line . This symbol appeared on all coins issued in this currency , to distinguish them from earlier currencies...
es fee. However, he was unable to adapt to the physical demands of NBA basketball.
National team
Coach León NajnudelLeón Najnudel
León David Najnudel was an Argentine basketball player and coach, and the main driving force in the creation of the Liga Nacional de Básquet, the first nationwide yearly professional basketball league in Argentina....
included González in the Argentine national team that took part of the 1985 South American Basketball Championship
South American Basketball Championship
South American Basketball Championship was first played in 1930. Male teams from South America take part in this tournament, which often has been played biannually.-Summaries:-Championships per nation:-Participation details:-External links:* *...
(bronze medal) and the 1988 Tournament of the Americas
1988 Tournament of the Americas
The 1988 Tournament of the Americas, known now as the FIBA Americas Championship, was a basketball championship hosted by Uruguay from May 22 to May 31, 1988. The games were played in Montevideo. This FIBA Americas Championship was to earn the three berths allocated to the Americas for the 1988...
(5th place), where he attracted the attention of the Atlanta Hawks' scouts.
World Championship Wrestling (1989-1992)
In 1989, Hawks owner Ted TurnerTed Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
offered González a job as a professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
with another of his ventures, World Championship Wrestling (WCW). After a year of training, Gonzales was introduced to fans as El Gigante on May 19, 1990 at the pay-per-view Capital Combat
Capital Combat
Capital Combat: The Return of Robocop was a one time professional wrestling pay-per-view from the National Wrestling Alliance held under the World Championship Wrestling name. It took place on May 19, 1990 from the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C....
. Wearing shorts, he competed as a fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
and was billed as being close to eight feet tall.
Over the next two years, he feuded with Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
over the WCW Title
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
The World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation . It existed within WCW between 1991 and 2001. Following the acquisition of WCW by World Wrestling...
, participated in a 'Chamber Of Horrors'
Professional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
match in 1991 and also had a date on TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
with Missy Hyatt
Missy Hyatt
Melissa Ann Hiatt is an American professional wrestling valet, better known by her ring name, Missy Hyatt. She gained the majority of her fame while working for World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling....
. He also had a cross promotional stint in the New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
promotion and then moved to the World Wrestling Federation in 1993.
World Wrestling Federation (1993)
González competed as the "Giant Gonzales" during his time in World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as a heelHeel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
, managed by Harvey Wippleman, González grew a beard and wore a full body suit that featured airbrushed muscles with bushy hair attached. He was introduced at the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1993)
Royal Rumble was the sixth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 24, 1993 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event was a Royal Rumble match, a battle royal in which two wrestlers...
in January 1993, where he eliminated Wippleman's nemesis The Undertaker from the Royal Rumble match despite not being an official participant. Gonzalez lost to The Undertaker at WrestleMania IX
WrestleMania IX
WrestleMania IX was the ninth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 4, 1993 and was the first WrestleMania event held outdoors...
by disqualification after he knocked Undertaker unconscious using chloroform
Chloroform
Chloroform is an organic compound with formula CHCl3. It is one of the four chloromethanes. The colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid is a trihalomethane, and is considered somewhat hazardous...
. This remains the only instance where the Undertaker has not had a decisive victory in his 19 WrestleMania matches. After another loss to The Undertaker at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1993)
SummerSlam was the sixth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 30, 1993 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan....
, Wippleman berated Gonzalez leading Gonzalez to turn on Harvey Wippleman. Though the foundation was later set for a feud with Wippleman and Adam Bomb
Bryan Clark
Bryan Emmeth Clark, Jr. is a American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling.-Early career:...
, it never truly began. His last appearance in WWF on the October 4 episode of Monday Night Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
in a 20-man battle royal for the Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
. Three days later, Gonzalez left from WWF after his WWF contract had expired.
New Japan Pro Wrestling (1994-1995)
After departure from WWF, González wrestled in the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese promotions New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
and WAR
WAR (wrestling promotion)
Wrestle and Romance, and later Wrestle Association R, was a professional wrestling promotion founded and run by Genichiro Tenryu as the successor to Super World of Sports, and which lasted from 1992 to 2000. The promotion had very few regular contracted workers, instead most of the workers were...
(Wrestle and Romance) until his retirement from wrestling. His last singles match was in Sendai, Japan on February 8, 1995, against The Great Muta
Keiji Mutoh
is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan...
and his last Japan tour for WAR in December 1995.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- ChokeslamChokeslamA chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
- Clawhold
- Chokeslam
- Signature moves
- Big boot
- Overhead chop
- ManagerManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
s- Harvey Wippleman
Personal life
González lived on a farm ranch in Argentina in his later years. As of October 29, 2009, González used a wheelchair full time, and had to use a dialysis machine to treat kidney failure.Death
Gonzalez died on September 22, 2010 at the age of 44, due to complications of diabetes, in his hometown of San Martin, Argentina.External links
- The Tallest Man: Jorge González
- Jorge González at 40 years old (in Spanish)
- Jorge González interview in Fox Sports magazine (in Spanish)