Well now, let me tell ya about this fella, Man Mountain Mike, who lived a big ol’ life and ended up passin’ away way too soon. Mike Shaw, as he was born, he was born back in the year 1940, on September 15th, up in Columbia, New Hampshire. Now, ya wouldn’t believe it, but Mike’s a name that stuck in the wrestling world, and they called him all sorts of things over the years. Some folks knew him as Tom Steele, others as JR Bundy, Mike Phillips, Jim Driver… But, most folks, the ones who really watched the fights, they called him Man Mountain Mike. Quite the big fella he was!
Mike started his wrestling career way back in the mid-1970s. He made his way into the World Wide Wrestling Federation, where he wrestled not just on his own, but also with a tag-team partner. If you were around those days, you’d know he was all over the place, in all kinds of matches. They say he fought in over a thousand matches, and that’s not a small number! Ain’t easy bein’ a wrestler, but Mike sure gave it his all.
Now, he was known for his size and his strength, big like a mountain, hence the “Man Mountain” part of his name. But don’t let that fool ya – he wasn’t just big, he had a big ol’ heart too. But, like a lot of these wrestlers, even though they’re strong, life sometimes has a way of bringin’ ‘em down. And that’s what happened to Mike.
See, on July 2, 1969, he was in Lubbock, Texas, wrestling against another big fella, Iron Mike DiBiase. Now, I don’t know if it was that match or just the wear and tear of the whole career, but Mike had some struggles along the way. Wrestlin’ ain’t no easy job, it takes a toll on the body, y’know? Over the years, he went through a lotta bumps and bruises, just like all those other wrestlers do. But what really took Mike down wasn’t so much the fights, it was somethin’ that happened in 1988, somethin’ that most folks didn’t see comin’.
So here’s what happened – on April 30, 1988, Mike passed away. Now, folks say it wasn’t a big fight that did him in, but a small accident. He was sittin’ on a bus, just adjustin’ his seat when he cut the back of his leg on the seat track. It wasn’t no big cut at first, but as luck would have it, that cut turned into a real mess. It got infected, and what started as a little scratch turned into a big ol’ staph infection. That infection caused blood clots, and because Mike had diabetes, well, that made things worse. In the end, the infection took him from us when he was just 47 years old. Such a shame, ain’t it? A real shame.
Now, for all you folks out there who might be wonderin’ about his legacy, well, let me tell ya – Mike didn’t just wrestle for the money or fame, no sir. He was a part of some big storylines, some real iconic moments in the wrestling world. Before he passed, he even teamed up with Stone Cold Steve Austin for a storyline that had ‘em both up to no good! They had a bit with a firearm, and Mike was even workin’ alongside The Hart Foundation. That was right around the time the Attitude Era was startin’ to get big, in October 1997. Can you believe it? A fella like Mike, who was already well-known by that time, still had so much more to give!
Well, I reckon that’s the story of Man Mountain Mike. He didn’t go out with a bang in the ring, but he sure did leave a mark. If you ever watched him, you’d know he was a fighter – not just in the ring, but in life too. And while he may have been taken from us too soon, he’ll always be remembered for his big heart, his big frame, and his time in the wrestling world. So, there ya have it, folks. That’s the tale of Man Mountain Mike.
Tags：[Man Mountain Mike, Mike Shaw, cause of death, wrestling history, 1988, staph infection, diabetes, Iron Mike DiBiase, WWF, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Hart Foundation, Attitude Era, professional wrestling]
