Haystacks Calhoun

William Dee Calhoun (August 3, 1934 – December 7, 1989)[1][3] was an American professional wrestler, who used the professional name "Haystack" or "Haystacks" Calhoun.

"William Calhoun" redirects here. For other uses, see William Calhoun (disambiguation).
For the English wrestler, see Giant Haystacks.
Haystacks Calhoun
Birth nameWilliam Dee Calhoun
Born(1934-08-03)August 3, 1934[1]
McKinney, Texas[1]
DiedDecember 7, 1989(1989-12-07) (aged 55)[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Country Boy Calhoun
Haystacks
Haystacks Calhoun
Billed height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[2]
Billed weight601 lb (273 kg)[2]
Billed fromMorgan's Corner, Arkansas

Early life

Born on August 3, 1934, William Dee Calhoun grew up on a farm in McKinney, Texas; a rural suburb located in Collin County about 30 mi (48 km) north of Dallas. By age 14, he already weighed 300 lb (140 kg). By the time he was in his early 20s, Calhoun weighed over 600 lb (270 kg). Calhoun first broke into wrestling in 1955 and he began competing for local promoter Orville Brown.

Professional wrestling career

Initially performing under the name "Country Boy Calhoun", he performed in various regional territories, including Houston, Kansas City, and Canada. However, he first appeared nationally on Art Linkletter’s House Party, a televised variety show where Calhoun tossed full bales of hay into a high loft. As a result of this feat, he adopted the name "Haystacks Calhoun". Recognizing the show business potential of such a gimmick, Calhoun decided to exaggerate his hillbilly persona by adopting the fictional birthplace of Morgan's Corner, Arkansas, while sporting a bushy beard, white t-shirt, blue overalls, and a genuine horseshoe around his neck on a chain. Moreover, while promoters typically did not book him for championships, he seldom lost a match. He was often booked in handicap matches and battle royals.

Calhoun with Mario Milano and Tex McKenzie in 1971

He was matched up against fellow wrestling giant Happy Humphrey in a series of highly promoted altercations at Madison Square Garden during the early 1960s. At over 750 lbs (340 kg), Humphrey outweighed Calhoun by over 150 lb (68 kg) and was considerably slower than Calhoun. Calhoun took the majority of the decisions over Humphrey, many by count out as Humphrey often could not get himself back into the ring by the count of 20 when thrown out.

On April 14, 1961, in the Chicago International Amphitheater, he challenged Capitol Wrestling NWA United States heavyweight champion "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers in a second attempt to take the U.S. title. This bout ended in failure when Rogers dropkicked Calhoun to the ropes and the middle rope broke and Calhoun tumbled to the concrete floor and was counted out. Calhoun had also lost his first championship bout with Rogers in New York's Sunnyside Garden Arena on January 28, 1961. Although mainly active in the eastern half of the United States, he also wrestled in Australia, on tour with other American wrestlers in bouts promoted by U.S. promoter Sam Menacker. He also wrestled for NWA: All-Star Wrestling in Vancouver, where he twice won the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship with Don Leo Jonathan. He formed a tag team with the over 600 lb (270 kg) Mountain Man Mike on the West Coast. After engaging in a feud against Dick the Bruiser, Calhoun then generally traveled from territory to territory, never staying in one region for too long.

In 1966 he won both the NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship and the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship while teaming with Jack Brisco and Don Leo Jonathan, respectively. Moreover, he then helped attract fans to the fledgling Northeast promotion World Wide Wrestling Federation. On May 30, 1973, Calhoun paired with Tony Garea to defeat the Japanese duo of Mr. Fuji and Prof. Toru Tanaka for the WWF Tag Team Title. However, his weight and declining health eventually forced him into retirement, and he was ultimately confined to a double-wide trailer after losing his left leg to diabetes in 1986. He died at age 55 on December 7, 1989. He is buried in Scott Cemetery in Collin County, Texas. His daughter donated mementos of his wrestling career to the Collin County museum.

Legacy

Calhoun was more directly an influence on British super heavyweight wrestler Martin Ruane, best known in America for his stint as Loch Ness in World Championship Wrestling. Ruane achieved fame in his home country as "Giant Haystacks", a modified version of Calhoun's gimmick. Ruane first wrestled as "Haystacks Calhoun", a direct copy of the American original, while working for Wrestling Enterprises (of Birkenhead) in the early 1970s, before modifying his name and character. Thus adapted, Ruane later moved to Joint Promotions where he achieved television exposure and national fame as the tag team partner - and later arch enemy - of Big Daddy.[4][5] Calhoun often appeared at Capital Arena in Washington, D.C. scuffling on televised bouts. A. J. Weberman was head of Haystacks Calhoun fan club.[6]

On March 31, 2017, Calhoun was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of the Legacy Wing.

Other media

Calhoun appears briefly at the end of the 1962 theatrical motion picture version of Rod Serling's teleplay Requiem For A Heavyweight. The protagonist, played by Anthony Quinn, is a punch-drunk prize fighter slipping into oblivion but his manager, played by Jackie Gleason, finds a way to squeeze a few more bucks from his career by lining him up for a "professional wrestling" match. The opponent's name is stated on a poster for the event, and announced as Quinn's character approaches the ring, but only the upper fourth of the wrestler's torso is seen, from the rear, on screen. He scratches his head in response to the behavior of this unknown newcomer. The film's credits make no reference, however, to Calhoun's participation.

Championships and accomplishments

References
  1. Solomon, Brian (2006). WWE Legends. Pocket Books. pp. 221–226. ISBN 978-0-7434-9033-7.
  2. "Haystacks Calhoun". WWE. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  3. "Haystacks Calhoun's profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
  4. "OWOW profile". onlineworldofwrestling.com.
  5. The Wrestling Simon Garfield, Faber & Faber 1996
  6. Dreifus, Claudia (1971-03-04). "Bob Dylan in the Alley: The Alan J. Weberman Story". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  7. Big Time Wrestling Tag Team Title (Massachusetts) at Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved September 13, 2018
  8. "Congratulations to the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Legacy inductees". WWE. March 31, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
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