Giant González

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Jorge González was a basketball player, professional wrestler, and actor, better 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.

González took part in the 1988 NBA draft, being chosen by the Atlanta Hawks in the third round (#54 selection). Along with Hernán Montenegro (drafted #57), they became the first Argentine players drafted in the NBA. The Hawks bought the player's rights from his Argentine team for a 30,000 Argentine australes fee. However, he was unable to adapt to the physical demands of NBA basketball, partly due to a serious knee injury.

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Jorge González was a basketball player, professional wrestler, and actor, better 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.

González took part in the 1988 NBA draft, being chosen by the Atlanta Hawks in the third round (#54 selection). Along with Hernán Montenegro (drafted #57), they became the first Argentine players drafted in the NBA. The Hawks bought the player's rights from his Argentine team for a 30,000 Argentine australes fee. However, he was unable to adapt to the physical demands of NBA basketball, partly due to a serious knee injury.

In 1989, Hawks owner Ted Turner offered González a job as a professional wrestler in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which Turner also owned. After a year of training, González 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 billed as being close to eight feet tall.

Over the next two years, he feuded with Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, participated in a Chamber of Horrors match in 1991 and also had a date on TBS with Missy Hyatt. He also participated in a feud with Sid Vicious and The One Man Gang who both stood at 6'9". The point of the feud was to determine who the real "giant of WCW" was. He also had a cross promotional stint before signing with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993.

González competed as Giant Gonzalez during his time in the WWF as a villain, and managed by the despised manager, 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. At WrestleMania IX, Gonzalez lost to The Undertaker by disqualification after he knocked out the Undertaker using chloroform. After another loss to The Undertaker at SummerSlam, the feud came to an end, and after the match, Wippleman berated him, before Gonzalez turned on Wippleman himself, turning face in the process. Though the foundation was later set for a feud with González and Adam Bomb, it never truly began. His last appearance in WWF was on the October 4 episode of Monday Night Raw in a 20-man battle royal match for the Intercontinental Championship. Before the match started, González was first eliminated by "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Diesel, Bastion Booger, 1-2-3 Kid, Marty Jannetty, Adam Bomb, and Bam Bam Bigelow. Three days later, WWF announced that Gonzalez left the company after his WWF contract had expired on October 7, 1993. Unlike WCW, in WWF his height was hyperboled as he was billed as 8 feet despite being 7 feet and 7 inches.

Subject ID: 9593

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Subject ID: 9593