Shirley Crabtree
| Shirley Crabtree | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Ring name(s) | Big Daddy The Blonde Adonis Mr. Universe The Battling Guardsman |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Billed weight | 26 stone 9 lb (170 kg or 375 lb) |
| Born | 14 November 1930 Halifax, West Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 2 December 1997 (aged 67) Halifax, West Yorkshire |
| Billed from | Halifax, West Yorkshire |
| Trained by | George Hackenschmidt |
| Debut | 1952 |
| Retired | 1993 |
Shirley Crabtree, Jr, better known as Big Daddy (14 November 1930 – 2 December 1997) was a British professional wrestler famous for his record-breaking 64 inch chest. Known for wearing his various Big Daddy leotards, Crabtree's original one was emblazoned with just a large "D" and was fashioned by his wife Eunice from their chintz sofa.
Shirley Crabtree's brother Brian was a wrestling referee and his nephew Eorl Crabtree is an England international rugby league footballer.
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[edit] Career
Crabtree, a former Rugby League player for league club Bradford Northern who never made an appearance for the first teams due to his fiery temper often forcing him off the pitch early,[1] would have stints as a coal miner and with the British Army's Coldstream Guards before following in his father, Shirley Crabtree, Sr.'s footsteps and becoming a professional wrestler in 1952.
Crabtree, Jr. became a big hit in the late 1950s and early 1960s with heel gimmicks, calling himself The Blonde Adonis, Mr. Universe and The Battling Guardsman. Crabtree won two titles in the British Wrestling Federation before he quit out of frustration and retired for roughly 15 years.
With the rising popularity of the spectacle on television (World of Sport on ITV), Shirley's brother, Max, one of the most powerful wrestling promoters in British history, brought Shirley back to wrestling with Joint Promotions under the persona he would best be remembered for.
Based originally on the character of the same name played by actor Burl Ives in the 1958 screen adaptation of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Big Daddy was first given life by Crabtree in the later 1970s, initially playing the bad guy. On 24 April 1976, he teamed up with Giant Haystacks, vs Steve Veidor and Tibor Szakacs (the good guys), for a tag team bout, but latterly played the good guy. A firm fan favorite, Big Daddy came to the ring in his signature Union Flag jacket and top hat to a theme tune in the form of "We Shall Not Be Moved" by The Seekers, in 1980 Shirley Crabtree recorded his own version on EMI Records backed by rock guitarist Legendary Lonnie.
Big Daddy feuded with Mick McManus, Steve Veidor and Giant Haystacks among others and would also be noted as the first man to remove the mask from Kendo Nagasaki during a televised match.
As Big Daddy, Crabtree would often team with many rising stars within the country including Sammy Lee, Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, and Steven Regal. Crabtree was also instrumental in starting the pro wrestling career of former Judo great Christopher Adams in 1978.
Though Big Daddy's weight and age precluded many more novel wrestling moves; making him a frequent user of many generic wrestling throws, body slams, etc. he would be met by cheers whenever he wrestled. Big Daddy's more famous attacks would involve his large abdomen to great effect often using "Belly-Butts" (thrusting his pelvis forward to slam his belly into an oncoming opponent) before finishing off opponents with his "belly-splash" in which he jumped vertically down onto the body of a fallen opponent. These more memorable moves in Daddy's arsenal were often met with chants of "Easy, Easy" and "Who's the Daddy" from the crowd.
In 1982 ITV planned to build a children's TV programme around Big Daddy as a replacement for the popular Tiswas. A pilot for "Big Daddy's Saturday Show" was shot and a series announced but Crabtree pulled out at the last moment, leaving the hastily-renamed "The Saturday Show" presented by Isla St Clair and Tommy Boyd.
In August 1987, Big Daddy bowed out of the professional wrestling spotlight after a turn of events during the final moments of the match against Mal "King Kong" Kirk. After Big Daddy had delivered his belly-splash, rather than selling the impact of the finishing move, Kirk turned an un healthy colour and was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival. Despite the fact that the inquest into Kirk's death found that he had a serious heart condition and cleared Crabtree of any responsibility, Crabtree was devastated and nevertheless blamed himself for Kirk's death.
He continued to make sporadic appearances into the early 90s, but removed the belly-splash and other moves from his repertoire and generally only appeared in tag-team matches where his sole involvement would be standing firm while opponents attempted to body-charge him and simply bounced off. Crabtree eventually retired from wrestling altogether to spend the remainder of his days in his hometown of Halifax.
Then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was said to be a fan of Big Daddy.[2]
Crabtree died of a stroke in December 1997 in Halifax General Hospital. He was survived by his second wife of 31 years, Eunice and six children.[citation needed]
[edit] In popular culture
- Big Daddy had his own comic strip in Buster during the early 80s drawn by Mike Lacey.
- The European version of the multi-format game Legends of Wrestling II featured Big Daddy as an exclusive extra Legendary Wrestler.
- Crabtree's 64 inch chest earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
- When wrestling in England years after Crabtree's death, Colt Cabana occasionally wore a singlet similarly styled after Big Daddy's and imitating many of his trademark mannerisms, calling himself "Colt Daddy".
- A play by Brian Mitchell and Joseph Nixon, Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks premieres at the Brighton Festival Fringe in East Sussex, England between 26–28 May 2011.[3]
- Big Daddy features on Luke Haines' 2011 album "9½ Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling of the 1970s and early '80s" as the proud owner of a Casio VL-Tone synthesizer.
[edit] In wrestling
- Finishing moves
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- Big Daddy Splashdown (Standing or a running splash)
- Signature moves
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- Belly-Butt (Body block)
- Scoop slam
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
[edit] Notes
- ^ Baxter, T. "Eorl faces Daddy of a day EASY! EASY!" The Daily Mirror (Thursday, 24 August 2006), page 69
- ^ Hart, Bret (2009). Hitman. Reading: Ebury Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-09-193286-2.
- ^ http://www.fringeguru.com/editorial/brighton-2011/big-daddy-vs-giant-haystacks-preview.html
