GIANTS OF THE RING-GARGANTUA!!

Hack's right (this time).

Great and expensive talent squandered by poor matchmaking.

An interesting bill Ron. All those matches have some appeal but together they just don't seem to come together as a balanced bill. Three clean supporting matches, but Marquette and Joynson was hardly worthy of Main Support. Ferre and Gargantua just thrown together and, am I being uncharacteristically unkind, but the pairing of Tibor and Douglas should really have been called The Uncharismatics.

Here he is with a young Jean Ferre (Andre the Giant)

Here's Gargantua and Gwyn Davies as Tag Partners.

Just a few months earlier March 1969 billed at 6' 9"

With Sammy Lee being on the following week's card at Hanley it would appear that Jim Moran was still wrestling up until 1980/81.

The TVTimes July 1969

Gargantua/Big Jim Moran 6' 7"

There was a photograph floating around a while ago of Jim Moran having a young Shirley Crabtree placed in a boston crab.

I remember a tag match at the Victoria Hall with Haystacks partnering Moran, billed for some reason as Hombre Montana. I don't recall Moran being taller than Haystacks, otherwise I would have remembered. So at a guess Moran at 6'6" with Haystacks 6'8"

I always thought Jim Moran was an ex boxer who came along about 1967. He seemed to fight Shirley quite a bit and I was really impressed with the Garantua persona at Belle Vue in a match with Crabtree. Close up he was quite a frightening guy. I have never forgotten his size and could not see much between him and Haystacks.

But my reason for coming back to this thread is I think I have found him as early as 1961 and working with the Crabtree's. Were they mates. Did anyone know he was tried out this early or is there a doubt that this was him. I don't think their can be much doubt.

As I looked further into this I have a doubt now. Another big fellow was in his early days.

Billed as Bruno at six six then in with Shirley billed as six seven.

Did they actually try to market Bruno as Gargantua in his early days. Although the weights are accurate for Moran at 22st and Bruno at 19st.

Hi Ron

"... For me he was as good a bet as Haystacks as a selling point.

Also , the height , I am pretty sure in reality he was just a huge six seven , and in my opinion just as tall as Haystacks..."

Jim Moran has been listed as 6ft 6" to "6ft 7" in a few places. I think when he was a boxer he was listed as 6ft 6", but that would have been in bare feet.

When he worked on the door of "Josephine's" night club in Sheffield, he towered over me and my mates (and at 6ft 2", I was the smallest, the others being around 6ft 3" and one being 6ft 5").

I found a reference to Giant Haystacks being 6ft 7 and a half, in real life, which is probably about right.

Sax

Gargantua had very long legs and could step right over the top rope into the ring! He was very well proportioned but I didn't rate him all that much as a wrestler as he often soon resorted to underhand tactics early in the bout.

I tend to agree with the Main Mask and Anglo Italian. Gargantua would unlikely have been a "first division" heavy alongside Robinson, Tibor or Davies, but he was a very credible wrestler who could have been made into a top contender. I saw him against Leon Arras and Steve Logan. Very entertaining but hardly credible opponents for a man of his stature.

I think he actually had a much better Persona as Gargantua. He seemed tame as Moran as per the Youtube footage with Marino.

For me he was as good a bet as Haystacks as a selling point.

Also , the height , I am pretty sure in reality he was just a huge six seven , and in my opinion just as tall as Haystacks.

I believe I missed his peak , he fought a lot of the great men circa 1968-69. I saw him early 1970's

Ex Boxer too.

He tagged quite a bit with Jean Ferre.

He wasn't very fast. We didn't expect him to be. But he was well proportioned and credible. It did take the Marino or Tibor to make the bout, so fair enough if they went over.