Jorge González- The Wrestling Giant that Existed

Pro wrestling has been home to its share of giants, enormous men who forced our necks to tilt upward and rings to strain. Some of these wrestlers have been so large it can hardly seem real.

Satiating its obsession for girth, wrestling's promoters have found real-life Goliaths and showcased them for fans. There have been wrestlers well over 7’ tall and some well beyond 400 lbs.

It's difficult to determine some wrestlers' true size with a business so famous for twisting the truth and exaggerating reality. Even if there are a few non-existent inches added here or a few pounds added to one's weight, there's no denying just how gigantic these men are.

In a familiar story for men his size, Jorge Gonzalez's height was both his greatest asset and biggest weakness. He was one of the world's tallest men to ever live. He played professional basketball as a center in his country at Gimnasia La Plata (won 2nd level championship) and Sport Club. He also played for the National Team from 1985 to 1988. Drafted by NBA's Atlanta Hawks in 1988, he had to quit after a knee injury that didn't allowed him to run properly. Hired by Ted Turner (Hawks' owner) to be part of WCW, started wrestling as "El Gigante" (The Giant), which was his nickname while playing basketball.

He became famous as a wrestler, which led him to appear in several series and movies. Then, he also wrestled in Vince McMahon's WWF organization, where he was known as Giant Gonzales, and in Japan. Retired in 1998 due to a back injury, he returned to his birth town.

Suffering from serious diabetes and giantism, he was assistant coach at Argentine basketball team Belgrano San Nicolás in 2000. He was honored in 2001 LNB (Argentine Basketball League) All-Star Game for being the first Argentine basketball player to reach NBA.

In later years, he was confined to a wheelchair. On September 22, 2010, he died from complications from diabetes in his hometown of San Martin, Argentina. He was 44. Though he never had the long career of Andre the Giant or The Big Show, Gonzales is fondly remembered by wrestling fans of the early 1990s.

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