Martin Ruane
Encyclopedia
Martin Austin Ruane was an English
professional wrestler
of Irish
descent. Best known by his ring name
, Giant Haystacks, he wrestled in such places as Great Britain
, the United States
, Canada
, India
, and Zimbabwe
. Ruane was known for his massive physical size, standing tall and weighing 48 stones (304.8 kg) at his heaviest.
in Ireland
. When he was 3, in 1949, Ruane and his family moved north from London to Salford, which remained his home. He worked as a labourer and as a nightclub bouncer before a friend suggested he take up professional wrestling as a career.
who had wrestled in NWA All-Star Wrestling and the World Wide Wrestling Federation under the name Haystacks Calhoun.
Ruane began wrestling in 1967, establishing himself as a household name during the 1970s and 1980s, while wrestling all over the world. He had a long-running feud
with Big Daddy
, resulting in high ratings on Britain
's ITV
any time they battled one another. He also had a long feud with Kendo Nagasaki
.
Ruane wrestled in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
for Stu Hart
's Stampede Wrestling
promotion as The Loch Ness Monster, managed by J.R. Foley from Liverpool
, England
.
In 1996, Ruane debuted in the United States
for World Championship Wrestling
, under the ring name Loch Ness. He served as a member of the Dungeon of Doom
and feuded with Hulk Hogan
. However, the feud was short-lived, ending abruptly when Ruane was diagnosed with cancer and returned to the United Kingdom
.
Stampede Wrestling
Ruane appeared in the 1981 movie Quest for Fire
and the 1984 movie Give My Regards To Broad Street
, written by Paul McCartney
, who was a noted Giant Haystacks fan.
Martin Ruane invested, unsuccessfully, in the motor trade and ran, more successfully, a debt collection agency. He died of cancer on Sunday, November 29, 1998 at the age of 52.
One of his sons, Noel, is the founder of a successful British construction company called 'The Freemont Group' having studied for a degree in Construction Management at the University of Salford
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
descent. Best known by his ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
, Giant Haystacks, he wrestled in such places as Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. Ruane was known for his massive physical size, standing tall and weighing 48 stones (304.8 kg) at his heaviest.
Early life
Martin Ruane was born in London, England weighing 14 lb 6 oz. His parents were originally from County MayoCounty Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. When he was 3, in 1949, Ruane and his family moved north from London to Salford, which remained his home. He worked as a labourer and as a nightclub bouncer before a friend suggested he take up professional wrestling as a career.
Career
Under the promoter Brian Dixon, Ruane was billed as Giant Haystacks, after the American wrestling star William CalhounWilliam Calhoun
William Dee Calhoun was a professional wrestler, who used the professional name "Haystack" or "Haystacks" Calhoun. The gargantuan wrestler was one of the foremost drawing cards during the industry’s “Golden Age” of the 1950s and 1960s while sporting his trademark white T-shirt, blue overalls, and...
who had wrestled in NWA All-Star Wrestling and the World Wide Wrestling Federation under the name Haystacks Calhoun.
Ruane began wrestling in 1967, establishing himself as a household name during the 1970s and 1980s, while wrestling all over the world. He had a long-running feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Big Daddy
Shirley Crabtree
Shirley Crabtree, Jr, better known as Big Daddy was a British professional wrestler famous for his record-breaking 64 inch chest...
, resulting in high ratings on Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
any time they battled one another. He also had a long feud with Kendo Nagasaki
Kendo Nagasaki
Kendo Nagasaki is a professional wrestling stage name, used as a gimmick of that of a Japanese Samurai warrior with a mysterious past and even supernatural powers of hypnosis...
.
Ruane wrestled in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for Stu Hart
Stu Hart
Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart...
's Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
promotion as The Loch Ness Monster, managed by J.R. Foley from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In 1996, Ruane debuted in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
, under the ring name Loch Ness. He served as a member of the Dungeon of Doom
Dungeon of Doom
The Dungeon of Doom was the name of a professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling that existed from 1995 to 1997.-Origin:...
and feuded with Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. However, the feud was short-lived, ending abruptly when Ruane was diagnosed with cancer and returned to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Standing or running Elbow drop
- Standing splash
Championships and accomplishments
British Wrestling Federation- BWF European Heavyweight ChampionshipEuropean Heavyweight ChampionshipThe European Heavyweight Championship is a top title competed for throughout the European Union's professional wrestling circuit.The title would be defended in many promotions in Europe, and other versions of this one title also appeared in certain promotions...
(1 time) - Joint Promotions British Heavyweight ChampionshipBritish Heavyweight ChampionshipThe British Heavyweight Championship is a top British wrestling championship found throughout the country's circuit.Many versions of the British Heavyweight Championship exist in the independent circuit of the United Kingdom at any given time but the scene is usually dominated by one companies...
(1 time)
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
- Stampede International Tag Team Championship (2 time w/Dynamite KidDynamite KidThomas Wilton Billington , best known by the ring name Dynamite Kid, is a retired British professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation, Stampede Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling in the mid- to late-1980s...
and Bret HartBret HartBret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
)
Life outside wrestling
Ruane was a deeply religious man and refused to wrestle on Sundays.Ruane appeared in the 1981 movie Quest for Fire
Quest for Fire (film)
Quest for Fire is a 1981 film adaptation of the 1911 Belgian novel by J.-H. Rosny aîné . Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and adapted by Gérard Brach, the film stars Everett McGill, Ron Perlman, Nameer El-Kadi, and Rae Dawn Chong. It won the Academy Award for Makeup. Michael D...
and the 1984 movie Give My Regards To Broad Street
Give My Regards to Broad Street
Give My Regards to Broad Street is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Unlike the film, the album was successful, achieving #1 in the UK chart and its lead single "No More Lonely Nights" was BAFTA and Golden Globe award nominated....
, written by Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, who was a noted Giant Haystacks fan.
Martin Ruane invested, unsuccessfully, in the motor trade and ran, more successfully, a debt collection agency. He died of cancer on Sunday, November 29, 1998 at the age of 52.
One of his sons, Noel, is the founder of a successful British construction company called 'The Freemont Group' having studied for a degree in Construction Management at the University of Salford
University of Salford
The University of Salford is a campus university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class...
.
In popular culture
- 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.