Happy Humphrey
 |
|
| Birth name | William Joseph Cobb |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 16, 1926 Payne, Georgia, US |
| Died | March 14, 1989 (aged 62) Augusta, Georgia, US |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Happy Humphrey |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Billed weight | 802 lb (364 kg) |
| Debut | 1953 |
| Retired | 1962 |
William Joseph Cobb (July 16, 1926 - March 14, 1989), best known by his ring and screen names of Happy Humphrey, Happy Farmer Humphrey, and "Squasher" Humphrey, was an American professional wrestler and the heaviest professional wrestler of all time. His most active period was in the 1950s and 1960s when he billed himself as "the world's largest wrestler". Humphrey averaged 750 lb (340 kg) during his career. Several times, he weighed in at over 800 lb (360 kg), and on one occasion he weighed over 900 lb (410 kg)
Humphrey, who at the time was working on a farm where he was known for his uncommon strength, began his wrestling career in 1953 by wrestling a bear for 28 minutes. For about eight years, Humphrey wrestled a number of matches, some of them televised, often against Haystacks Calhoun who regularly weighed over 600 lb (270 kg) himself. Humphrey's most notable match was a sold-out main event against Calhoun at Madison Square Garden, promoted by Vince McMahon Sr.
Humphrey's promoters had a 1951 Pontiac heavily modified to carry the wrestler around: seats were removed and extra shocks were installed to support Humphrey's enormous weight (and also as a gimmick). In addition, he was usually weighed before matches on meat scales at rendering facilities.
In 1960, Humphrey met future multiple NWA World Champion Harley Race, who was only 17 at the time. Race, who was just beginning his own career, was hired as Humphrey's driver and he also wrestled Humphrey on multiple occasions. Race earned $5 per day, plus room and board, for driving Humphrey, and $25 for each match he wrestled with Humphrey. According to Race, Humphrey was so large that normal showers could not accommodate him. As a result, Humphrey was obliged to lie naked on the ground while Race would apply liquid soap to his body, scrub him with a mop and then rinse him off with a garden hose. Race also stated that while Humphrey was a huge man who taught Race how to take bumps properly, he was also a very kind person and one of the few wrestlers of his era who took the time to sign an autograph for everyone and to socialize with fans.
Humphrey had difficulty fitting in with regular society due to his great size. People stared at him on the street, and he was often refused service at restaurants. In one incident in Alabama, he became stuck in a telephone booth and eight police officers were required to extract him. In another incident (this time in New Orleans), Humphrey attended a movie and became stuck in the theater seat. Welders had to cut the seats around him in order to get him out. Towards the end of his regular career, he recognized his problem and had an operation to remove 100 lb (45 kg) of fat from his body; however, he gained the weight back soon afterwards.
...
Wikipedia