Big Daddy & Mal Sanders vs. Giant Haystacks & Mark Rocco

[@himarkburdett9378]

I remember seeing Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy in my hometown probably in the early 80s. The referee got in the wrong place was sandwiched between the two of them. The St John's Ambulance had two stretcher him out

[@Louisejames23]

Imagine being in the front row and seeing Haystacks flying towards you 😱😬👍

[@alanpaily2728]

Big D at the height of his popularity this year 1979 following his defeat of Giant Canadian Mighty John Quinn. Big D must be nearer the 30 stone mark than 25 and Haystacks much more agile at 33-35 stone mark than he was during the 80s & early 90s at 45 stone +. The Brilliant Mark Rocco & Mal Sanders doing all the hard work but its still all entertaining stuff.

[@richardlamb5888]

Here Big D looks about 380 lbs, Haystacks approaching 600 lbs...he is much wider than in 1978.

[@alanpaily5824]

I completely agree with you Richard.

[@richardlamb5888]

@@alanpaily5824 Maybe Big D thought his Doctor may be watching some matches.. maybe the reason they often under billed his weight.

[@cidertom5140]

I was born that year!!!

[@winston846]

In his younger days, Giant Haystacks looks legit 6'11" for sure. He looks like he's got a foot on some of these guys. By the time he came to WCW, he was pushing 50, and certainly lost some height to spinal compression, especially under his immense weight.

[@markwall4532]

Great atmosphere

[@markfletcher760]

The ITV strike of 1979 lasted 75 days from Friday 10 August 1979 to Wednesday 24 October 1979, and blacked out nearly all ITV regional companies with the exception of Channel TV. Highly unlikely it was broadcast on Saturday 17 September 1979 as ITV was largely on strike at that time, and it was Saturday 15 September 1979 and not the 17th which fell on a Monday in September 1979.

[@andyhardie649]

It was broadcast on the 17th November 1979

[@shankshanky1761]

That's a lot of time you had on your hands, there.

[@jaymike3302]

Great match !!!!

[@footballoldboy4818]

Its so bad its fantastic!

[@marciadesouza3314]

NASTY ROCCOBALLS, GOOD ONLY FOR BALLS 😅😅😂😂

[@marciadesouza3314]

Come on REFEREE handle Roccoballs.

[@lucianopavarotti2843]

Great match

[@cdwattie]

the funny thing is some people say big daddy in real life wasnt very nice but haystacks was i seen him on an interview came across as very very nice man

[@gilliantregear1268]

Calum Wattie your not the first to person to say that about both men outside the ring being the total opposite to what they where inside it

[@gilliantregear1268]

Calum Wattie your not the first to person to say that about both men outside the ring being the total opposite to what they where inside it

[@tedski69]

No Sky TV in them days. It was watching the wrestling looking for the latest scores in the footy.

[@Kingofskanumanoidacidtechno]

Rocco and sanders were very good athletes, Rocco, hard as nails, sanders just before his time as technically excellent

[@marciadesouza3314]

Haystack and BallRocco, SHOULD BE DISCIPLINED.

[@doloresmyatt9737]

I've now seen a few of big daddy's fights and his work rate is very poor which consists of people bouncing off his gut or bending over and then standing upright for them to fall on the canvas and then big daddy falls on them with his gut knocking them out. He always forms a bridge with his arms so no one gets hurt, Mel and Rocco did all the work and got the crowds going.

[@FerretJohn]

"Work Rate" isn't all there is to being a Star. Big Daddy was kind of like the Dusty Rhodes of England, in his youth back in the 1950s he was a member of the Coldstream Guards, the personal bodyguard of Buckingham Palace and the Royal Family, a powerful bull of a man, incredibly strong even by todays standards, though even then not among the best in-ring workers. Here, late in his career, with his physique gone to seed, he was the drizzling shits in the the ring, but when he walked into the building the crowd blew the roof off the building.

[@peterclarke7240]

You're criticising a pro wrestler, a person who engages in wrestling for entertainment, not sport, of deliberately NOT hurting people? Newsflash, mate, ALL wrestlers do that. None of them are trying to hurt each other.

[@doloresmyatt9737]

@@peterclarke7240 did not someone die in the ring with big daddy in Great Yarmouth and after it happened there was a massive row in the papers about it. I knew from a child it was fake and so never watched it and watched boxing and real sports the point i was making is they never got themselves toned up unlike the WWF/E to look the part and they took the public for mugs on the lines of fairground barkers and i do not need a newsflash for something i knew as a child. i suggest you reread my comments again with this new knowledge

[@teamblitz1990]

Both Rocco and Saunders jumped ship to independent wrestling All star

[@FerretJohn]

A lot of the younger talent did, by the late 70s World of Sport had revolved its wrestling mostly around the aging Big Daddy, between that and ITV looking to move away from pro wrestling there wasn't much opportunities with the company.

[@caiusofglantri5513]

Has anyone else come to this to see Rocco and Sanders?

[@robleary3353]

Haystacks always was a coward!... (We know it was choreographed) great entertainment though!. 🤣

[@johnfellows2867]

Was this filmed through a sock ?

[@andrewgreen5321]

love the way Stax slams Sanders like a rag doll and the full weight splash is cool.

[@lesreed7943]

"stax"? Are you ten?

[@FrostFrost-ql2sr]

it was not the 17th it was the 15th of September the 17th was a Monday

[@tomtaylor9437]

Thannnnks for correcting The the datessssss Was knot aware ITT mattetd

[@garethbramley1]

Before Mal Sanders turned Mr. Nasty. Rocco was insane - i hated him as he constantly cheated - even in title bouts. Only Sanders still with us. Referee Dave Reece passed away in 2018.

[@richardlooms4481]

In reality, Rocco was the best wrestler of the four. Crabtree and Haystacks relied on their weight and bulk, but in terms of technique and skills, Rocco knew what he was doing. Look at what he achieved in China and America. RIP Mean Machine!

[@dieselfan7406]

I believe Psycho Rocco was banned from wrestling later in life due to the illegal assaults he inflicted on his opponents. That's not wrestling.

[@robbryant52]

No wonder it was taken off the TV crabtree promotions took over and turned it into a circus ...by the way crabtree promotions his brother was big daddy say no more

[@marciadesouza3314]

LOOK at ballsrocco wrestling really DIRTY FOUL

[@kurtvanderbogarde8402]

Why did that last session happen at all? If it was 1-1 and then Rocco got DQd, that should make it 2-1 to Daddy and Sanders and be the end of it. Even if it was a best of 5, Sanders had only been pinned so he should have had to return as the legal man against Stax until he could tag.

[@garethbramley1]

It never seemed to work that way in tag matches. I watched one yesterday. It's '2 falls, 2 submissions or 2 knockouts to decide the winners' alright but if one partner is disqualified it simply meant that the other could / had to continue!

[@kurtvanderbogarde8402]

@@garethbramley1 That was only the case if the disqualification or knockout was in the first or second session. Rocco's disqualification in this case made the score 2-1 but for some reason there was a fourth session and a final result of 3-1, like as if Daddy was doing a lap of honour.

[@garethbramley1]

Yes. I take your point. maybe the idea was to make it last a couple of more minutes. Lol.

[@jacksugden8190]

Giant Haystacks was Giant Chicken 🐓.

[@richardhawkins4621]

Giant haystacks never beats b daddy he must be fed up really he could win easily😅

[@Weetomuncherishere]

Giant haystacks

[@robbryant52]

Fake yes but great fun

[@marciadesouza3314]

Roccoballs, HAPPY? GOT WHAT YOU WANTED ??😅😅😂😂play balls now.

[@tomtaylor9437]

The colour is a not good For a start .............. But the acting makesss It worttttth whillle Jusssdsst

[@lesreed7943]

Foollllll.

[@debowiec3]

All fake.....innit!!!

[@blaggermouth]

bart gregory that's what we all loved about wrestling, now and then. entertainment