What other Pro Wrestlers could really fight?

[TerryESB]

Well?

[Beebs]

Well technically I believe Ken Shamrock was a pro wrestler first, before Pancrase, as were a lot of the early Pancrase fighters.

Sakuraba and many other Japanese "pureosu" pro wrestlers turned into fighters; including the founder of Shooto. Really MMA and pro wrestling were inseperable in Japan, and that continues some to this day.

Hell, the first Pride main event was Rickson vs Takada, a pro wrestler (later he would go on to turn MMA fights into pro wrestling by taking part in staged or worked matches, like his miraculous heel hook vs Coleman).

There are of course the people who started in MMA and went to pro wrestling for extra income, like Josh Barnett, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, even Tank Abbott.

If you're looking to pick somebody out of pro wrestling to be an MMA fighter, look for one with some sort of combat sport background. Kurt Angle was a gold medal wrestler, Ogawa was a medalist in Judo (although he tried fighting and didn't turn out too well).

[whuiron]

the great khali

[theHawtness]

rey mysterio KO via 619 anderson silva

[LHL]

Ric Flair before eye gouging was banned couldn't stick to the rules

[joe6991]

there was a black wrestler quite recently in thw wwe that was an undefeated amature boxer, cant think of the name though

[Takuma Tsuguri]

Haku and the Barbarian

[BewareofDawg]

Ray Mysterio Jr would have made a fantastic MMA fighter given the right training

[liger05]

Naomichi Marufuji - Known as a legitmate shooter due to his amatuar credentials.
Shinsuke Nakumera - I think MMA promotions would love to use him but no way will New Japan allow thay now.
Takashi Sugiura - Another with strong amateur credentials
Katsuhiko Nakajima - Only 21 and has said he wants to have some MMA matches in the future. Had 1 'shoot' when he was 14 and won by KO. Trained Karate as well as wrestling and has strong striking skills. I expect him maybe in 5 years to start training BJJ and having some MMA matches.
Katsuyori Shibata - Been doing MMA fulltime for 2 years now. Won 4 and lost 6. However his learning and he was thrown in the deep end. His already faced Sakuraba, Jason Miller, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Hayato Sakurai which is crazy considering he only really started full time in 07.
Brian Danielson - Unfortuantly has signed to WWE. A great pro-wrestler who also trains at Randy Couture's Xtreme Couture gym
Davey Richards - Was training in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before he became a pro-wrestler

Thats just some off the top of my head. Japan would have a a lot of wrestlers who would have amateur high school and college experience as thats the norm plus the New Japan dojo's are not simply a matter of teaching someone how to pro-wrestle. U at least learn basic Jiu-Jitsu.

[Rattler]

Sheldon Benjamin

[Mazallan]

William Regal is the best fighter.

[scurlaruntings]

Sheldon BenjaminThis is one guy who would have done really really well in MMA. Benjamin was an athletic freak and excelled in college not just as a wrestler but also in track and field.

[jimmie]

Agreed with Shelton and I believe his former Tag Team partner Charlie Haas could have fought well himself. Haas was a 2 time Big East Champion Wrestler. Samoa Joe was a Champion Judo player in California when he was in HS. Kurt Angle is an obvious choice. Scott Steiner was a accomplished wrestler himself at Michigan.

[scurlaruntings]

Haas got chumped by Vince. Never knew why as his credentials were up there with Benjamin.

[jimmie]

Haas got chumped by Vince. Never knew why as his credentials were up there with Benjamin.

Dont know man infact I wouldnt even say Benjamin has had the greatest run I mean shit hes wrestling on the "ECW" brand tell me why a guy like him and Christian as well are stuck on the small show ? Those 2 have more talent then 95 percent of the roster. I loved when Haas and Benjamin where a team together they where one of the last great Tag Teams.

[scurlaruntings]

Dont know man infact I wouldnt even say Benjamin has had the greatest run I mean shit hes wrestling on the "ECW" brand tell me why a guy like him and Christian as well are stuck on the small show ? Those 2 have more talent then 95 percent of the roster. I loved when Haas and Benjamin where a team together they where one of the last great Tag Teams.Same here. I remember those days when Angle was leading them as his protege's. For some reason though Vince dropped the ball on Haas and Benjamin got the push instead. Vince prefers guys that look like steroid freaks like that clown Batista as opposed to guys that can actually wrestle. Even Christian spent some time in TNA after falling out with the WWE before coming back. Its all bullshit. Vince doesnt respect any of his guys. Thats why i dont watch it anymore. Admittedly i saw Angle the other day on TNA and he looked horrible. Dudes lost some serious weight and just looked like a really old man going through the motions. Very sad..

[liger05]

Same here. I remember those days when Angle was leading them as his protege's. For some reason though Vince dropped the ball on Haas and Benjamin got the push instead. Vince prefers guys that look like steroid freaks like that clown Batista as opposed to guys that can actually wrestle. Even Christian spent some time in TNA after falling out with the WWE before coming back. Its all bullshit. Vince doesnt respect any of his guys. Thats why i dont watch it anymore. Admittedly i saw Angle the other day on TNA and he looked horrible. Dudes lost some serious weight and just looked like a really old man going through the motions. Very sad..

Dont watch that American wrestling but a friend asked me why Angle looks so skinny and i guessed he must be off the juice now.

Harry Smith is another guy. His Davey Boy's smith son. Before he signed to WWE as well as working on the independent scene he also rolled around with Josh Barnett and his training partners. Remember hearing a Barnett interview where he mentioned that Smith was more than capable and was hooking guys in training.

[LB3000]

Thats just some off the top of my head. Japan would have a a lot of wrestlers who would have amateur high school and college experience as thats the norm plus the New Japan dojo's are not simply a matter of teaching someone how to pro-wrestle. U at least learn basic Jiu-Jitsu. Liger, do you know what happened to the guy (who had to wear that stupid mask) who fought Sapp at Dynamite last year? Not sure if he was a pro wrestler, but I remember reading he had a very good amateur wrestling background.

[liger05]

Liger, do you know what happened to the guy (who had to wear that stupid mask) who fought Sapp at Dynamite last year? Not sure if he was a pro wrestler, but I remember reading he had a very good amateur wrestling background.

Akihito Tanaka. Yes he had major amateur wrestling credentials. He wore the mask as he was playing the role of Kinnikuman. Kinnikuman is a manga character in Japan. Not sure why he hasnt fought since.

This sort of thing is done in Japan. The pro-wrestler 'Tiger Mask' was a anime character. Jushin 'Thunder' Liger is also an anime superhero.

[scurlaruntings]

Dont watch that American wrestling but a friend asked me why Angle looks so skinny and i guessed he must be off the juice now.

Harry Smith is another guy. His Davey Boy's smith son. Before he signed to WWE as well as working on the independent scene he also rolled around with Josh Barnett and his training partners. Remember hearing a Barnett interview where he mentioned that Smith was more than capable and was hooking guys in training.
Thats always the obvious response. But to be fair to Angle he's one of the hardest workers in wrestling. He was built like a tank when he wrestled back in the Olympics and his weight has never fluctuated much. Personally i dont think he was on hormones as that would dent his pride too much. He's just not that type of guy.

[liger05]

Thats always the obvious response. But to be fair to Angle he's one of the hardest workers in wrestling. He was built like a tank when he wrestled back in the Olympics and his weight has never fluctuated much. Personally i dont think he was on hormones as that would dent his pride too much. He's just not that type of guy.

Angle was on the juice in his WWE and in TNA. No doubt. At times he was gassed up to the gills. Didnt he get stopped by the police once and they found HGH on him. I remmeber him being on that sports illustrated list as well of that place in florida which supplied drugs to athletes.

[jimmie]

Angle was on the juice in his WWE and in TNA. No doubt. At times he was gassed up to the gills. Didnt he get stopped by the police once and they found HGH on him. I remmeber him being on that sports illustrated list as well of that place in florida which supplied drugs to athletes.

He got caught last month I believe it was.

[thejokerswild]

LESNAR v BARNETT
in a cage match.

[Vitor Belfort]

Kurt Angle was wrestler in the olympics back in the 90's. I think it was 1996 olympic and he won the gold. He is too old now to go to MMA but he could have gone to ufc and have some success.

[scurlaruntings]

Angle was on the juice in his WWE and in TNA. No doubt. At times he was gassed up to the gills. Didnt he get stopped by the police once and they found HGH on him. I remmeber him being on that sports illustrated list as well of that place in florida which supplied drugs to athletes.He got stopped for possessing HGH although i dont think thats actually an offense unless he had copious amounts on him. Anyway Angle my boy so fuck what the papers say!:fire

[Polymath]

Dont watch that American wrestling but a friend asked me why Angle looks so skinny and i guessed he must be off the juice now.


Angle has spoken about his weight, he's around 200 now, was 240lbs at his highest at 5'10. He said there is a lot of heart disease in his family and keeping his weight as low as possible is what he was going to do for health reasons.

[cloud_cyc]

guys like kurt angle and other who have great amateur wrestling backgrounds

[HomicideHenry]

Dan Severn and Steve Williams. Williams beat Severn in the amateurs. However, Severn ended up becoming a 3x UFC title holder, while Williams stayed in pro wrestling. He did once or twice mix it up in MMA, but he was too old by then to have been effective. Randy Couture's first MMA opponent was Tony 'The Viking' Halme of WWE fame, who was also a pretty good boxer. I believe Couture made him submit, though, in the 1st round.

Today, though, I'd think a guy like 6'10" 320 pound Nathan 'Mega Man' Jones, who was formerly the world arm wrestling champion, as well a placing 3rd in the 1996 World's Strongest Man competition and being Australia's Strongest Man for a number of years. I believe Jones did attempt MMA in 1997 in what was PRIDE's first event, losing via submission to Koji Kitao. He went into the WWE for a time, but retired because he missed being at home in Australia.

[liger05]

Dan Severn and Steve Williams. Williams beat Severn in the amateurs. However, Severn ended up becoming a 3x UFC title holder, while Williams stayed in pro wrestling. He did once or twice mix it up in MMA, but he was too old by then to have been effective. Randy Couture's first MMA opponent was Tony 'The Viking' Halme of WWE fame, who was also a pretty good boxer. I believe Couture made him submit, though, in the 1st round.

Today, though, I'd think a guy like 6'10" 320 pound Nathan 'Mega Man' Jones, who was formerly the world arm wrestling champion, as well a placing 3rd in the 1996 World's Strongest Man competition and being Australia's Strongest Man for a number of years. I believe Jones did attempt MMA in 1997 in what was PRIDE's first event, losing via submission to Koji Kitao. He went into the WWE for a time, but retired because he missed being at home in Australia.

Yeah Steve Williams was an all american athlete and reached the final of NCAA's. A great pro-wrestler. His match v Kenta Kobashi in 1994 where won the triple crown was the match that made me stop watching American pro-wrestling and got me into Japanese pro-wrestling.

Hirooki Goto is another pro-wrestler who did freestyle and greco-roman wrestling at University. When Josh Barnett was in New Japan he used to train Goto as well New Japan were thinking about pushing Goto into MMA.

Minoru Suzuki - Pancrase Legend

[scurlaruntings]

Dan Severn and Steve Williams. Williams beat Severn in the amateurs. However, Severn ended up becoming a 3x UFC title holder, while Williams stayed in pro wrestling. He did once or twice mix it up in MMA, but he was too old by then to have been effective. Randy Couture's first MMA opponent was Tony 'The Viking' Halme of WWE fame, who was also a pretty good boxer. I believe Couture made him submit, though, in the 1st round.

Today, though, I'd think a guy like 6'10" 320 pound Nathan 'Mega Man' Jones, who was formerly the world arm wrestling champion, as well a placing 3rd in the 1996 World's Strongest Man competition and being Australia's Strongest Man for a number of years. I believe Jones did attempt MMA in 1997 in what was PRIDE's first event, losing via submission to Koji Kitao. He went into the WWE for a time, but retired because he missed being at home in Australia.
Jones is an actor now. He plays a few small roles in films. His most notable being Troy. Jones was a guy who was an immense physical talent. But never really found his home in any other sport other than competitive lifting. Shame as he was fairly decent when he was in the WWE.

[liger05]

Yoshi Okami could of been on this list. He went to the New Japan tryouts but Yugi Nagata turned him down as he didnt think he had what it takes to get in the New Japan dojo.

[HeavyT]

Scott Steiner is apparently pretty tough. Bart Gunn won WWE's attempt at legit fighting tournament but was KOed by Butterbean in the finals. Goldberg seemed like he could have probably done well.

[liger05]

Scott Steiner is apparently pretty tough. Bart Gunn won WWE's attempt at legit fighting tournament but was KOed by Butterbean in the finals. Goldberg seemed like he could have probably done well.

Goldberg had an argument with Jericho in the locker room and Jericho choked him out.

[HeavyT]

Goldberg had an argument with Jericho in the locker room and Jericho choked him out.

Goldberg says it's bullshit. You hear wrestling stories like this a lot.

[liger05]

Goldberg says it's bullshit. You hear wrestling stories like this a lot.

It did happen. There are enough other guys who were there who have confirmed that Jericho controlled Goldberg completely.

[sugarngold]

Check out this footage of Bob Roop.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

You should watch the WWE Legends of Wrestling episode on Bad Asses. They discuss wrestlers that could really fight - maybe not necessarily all MMA type fighting - but they were legitimate tough as nails bad asses.

[whuiron]

It did happen. There are enough other guys who were there who have confirmed that Jericho controlled Goldberg completely.
bull shit goldberg is a beast

[HeavyT]

apparently regal did the same to bill

[whuiron]

apparently regal did the same to bill

Never!!!! goldberg is the greatest fighter ever

[sugarngold]

bull shit goldberg is a beast

I've heard the story about Jericho whooping goldberg behind closed doors as well. I've heard tales of a Rob Van Dam and Taz encounter from ECW as well as a WWE behind the scenes scuffle with Booker T beating on Batista. Too bad there's no actual footage of any of these encounters.

[HeavyT]

Yeah I heard Booker got the better of Batista... fucking right, Booker used to be a bit of a gangsta!

[ozziebattler]

Jones is an actor now. He plays a few small roles in films. His most notable being Troy. Jones was a guy who was an immense physical talent. But never really found his home in any other sport other than competitive lifting. Shame as he was fairly decent when he was in the WWE.

Mate just a bloke from Downunder who couldnt handle the hustle and bustle of the states..

The U.S is very different then here in oz...Not in a bad way but just not the place for certain types of ozzies..Maybe to fast paced and fullon..

We are a pretty laidback breed..

I played pro rugby in England (lived in London) and i even struggled with that...


But as you mentioned Jones did look the goods as a pro wrestler.. He had the natural god given atributes for the world of WWE.

[ozziebattler]

Also heard that Scott Hall was known to be abit of a scrapper in his day..Probably due to his drinking.

Was my favourite wrestler in his hey day.was very mobile for a bloke over 6ft6..

[socrates]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]


hate that vince mcmahon soap opera shit, its for 7 year olds and the mentally retarded !


*incoming 'fuck yeah' and chair wrapped in barbed wire*

[liger05]

apparently regal did the same to bill

Regal wasnt really 'shooting' it was more of Regal making Goldberg see some reality. Goldberg couldnt keep up with Regal's chain wrestling and just looked pretty silly.

Regal is a legit 'shooter'. That guy used to wrestle at carnivals and stuff.

[TerryESB]

I heard Ric Flair was a great fighter.

[nfc90210]

Taken from another forum...

HAKU is toughest wrestler of all time

Yes, he rightfully won that poll one year ago. I just wanted to remind everyone that he's still the toughest wrestler of all time. He's the one man that wrestlers from the 80s and 90s least wanted to mess with. It's time for some Haku stories:

Fifita made a name for himself outside the ring as the toughest wrestler of his era and is known for allegedly biting off noses, and knocking people out with one punch, slap, or headbutt. Though he had an easygoing, friendly personality outside of wrestling, he had very little tolerance for people who tested him.

Bad News Brown said in interviews that Fifita was without a doubt the most vigorous.

Bill Goldberg has also called him the toughest man he's been in the ring with.

Road Warrior Animal said in a shoot interview that Haku was the toughest wrestler of his era.

Bobby Heenan said in a shoot interview that Haku was "the toughest man I've ever met in my life."

In 1987, Haku had a backstage fight with Jesse Barr (who wrestled at the WWF as Jimmy Jack Funk) which allegedly resulted in Fifita gouging one of Barr's eyeballs out, causing Barr to later wear a glass eye. After this fight, Fifita had a reputation that steered wrestlers away from backstage confrontations.

In the book Arn Anderson: 4 Ever, Arn Anderson cites an event where Fifita pushed a cowboy through two sets of doors with one hand - and a conversation with The Barbarian about who was tougher. The Barbarian just shook his head when Anderson asked who would win in a fight between him and Fifita and stated "Meng's the man." If you've read Arn Anderson's book, you'll also know that AA said this about Meng: "There are 3 types of men: tough men, wrestler-tough men, and then there's Meng."

He had an altercation with Brutus Beefcake after Beefcake complained to WWF management that Tonga slapped him too hard during a match. After WWF management informed Tonga, he immediately went to the locker room and grabbed Beefcake out of the shower, and began choking him, lifting him two feet off the floor. Other wrestlers were hesitant to break it up, so finally Hulk Hogan (who Tonga respected) was called in and was able to calm Tonga down.

Kevin Sullivan on Meng: "One time I asked him to do something that was completely wrong and he got a little upset. And I mean that was the scaredest I've ever been in my life and he wasn't even that up. Thank God."

Kevin Sullivan story about Meng: Kevin is the booker at the time in WCW and he tells these guys to do the job and these wrestlers are all pissed and upset about loosing and they tell Sullivan to go fuck himself and they'll fight Sullivan and anyone else because they're the baddest fuckers around and they'll kill anyone around here. Then Keven said "Wait a minute, I'll get Meng to handle this for me" and then all those guys start telling Kevin "We'll do the jobs, we'll do whatever you want."

Jake Roberts said it best: If I had a gun and was sitting inside a tank with one shell left and Meng is 300 yards away? He's mine, right? Well the first thing I'm gonna do is jump out of the tank and shoot myself because I don't want to wound that son of a bitch and have him pissed off at me.

Here's what Chris Candido said about Meng: "He was talking to me, Tammy, and Chris Jericho. In comes Eric Bischoff and Greg Gagne and they walk right in front of us and starts talking to Meng. He looks at them and goes "Hey!". And the entire lockerroom just froze. I was like "Man, these weren't just funny stories, this guy must really be tough". And then Meng says "Apologize to my friends, I'm talking" and everyone shuts up while Bischoff and Gagne apologize to me, Tammy, and Chris.

Even Harley Race has stated the there's only one man in wrestling history that he was afraid to get into a fight with and that as Meng.

In an interview with Alex Marvez, Fifita was asked about one of his legendary fights. Fifita stated his favorite was one that "cost him a lot of money." He was at the Baltimore Airport Hilton bar with Sivi Afi when five men started laughing at them and said, "You guys are the fake wrestlers on TV." In response Fifita replied, "I’ll just show you how fake it is," and reached over and grabbed one man while three others jumped on him. As they repeatedly punched him he knocked Three of them out and then applied the Tongan death grip one of them and then Fifita bit the nose of the man he initially grabbed and spat it out. They saw him spit out their friend's nose, and before he could fight them, they quickly evaded. Months later, he saw on the news that he was being sued $2.5 million for the incident.

[ozziebattler]

Haha crazy fucking Tongan..

Probably for you yanks he seemed crazy but here in oz where there are just asmuch Samoan's and Tongans then they have in their own country his stories are normal..

They are a crazy breed the pacific islanders..Plus being a large breed makes them even more dangerous.

All you got to do is come to the west of Sydney find a pub or club and im sure you will see Meng's stories being recreated every night.

I got into a dust up with a Tongan bloke and though i got the better of him(breaking his nose very badly though fracturing my hand on his fucking hard head.) i was still left having to get all kinds of tetnus shots due to the fact the bastard bit a chunk out of my neck and scratching the fuck out of my face with his long as nails..

When i went to the Hospital and they though i was attacked by a dog..I said nah just a TONGAN...

Nurses laughed coz they see it everyday...

[G.A.V.]

Fuck yeah, Haku.

[J_Roth]

I heard Haku was a bad mofo. EEEEEyahh

[Sardu]

Just looked up Haku and Scott Steiner on google... Two certified badasses! The general consensus from wrestlers is that Haku was the one man on this earth you did not want to cross... Jake "the snake" Roberts analogy was hilarious but terrifying at the same time.... There was another incident on his wikapedia page about how someone with Haku in Puerto Rico insulted some workers outside and Haku told him not to but the man persisted.... Ah, not the brightest decision after Haku bit part of his nose off and left in unconcious in a heap.... I saw pics and he looked really scary but they said he is very easygoing unless someone challenges him.... Talk about "flipping the switch" so to speak!

[Sardu]

Haha crazy fucking Tongan..

Probably for you yanks he seemed crazy but here in oz where there are just asmuch Samoan's and Tongans then they have in their own country his stories are normal..

They are a crazy breed the pacific islanders..Plus being a large breed makes them even more dangerous.

All you got to do is come to the west of Sydney find a pub or club and im sure you will see Meng's stories being recreated every night.

I got into a dust up with a Tongan bloke and though i got the better of him(breaking his nose very badly though fracturing my hand on his fucking hard head.) i was still left having to get all kinds of tetnus shots due to the fact the bastard bit a chunk out of my neck and scratching the fuck out of my face with his long as nails..

When i went to the Hospital and they though i was attacked by a dog..I said nah just a TONGAN...

Nurses laughed coz they see it everyday...


There are a lot of Pacific Islanders in Salt Lake City, Utah and in the pacific northwestern US - Washington state... Cool story there by the way!

[ozziebattler]

There are a lot of Pacific Islanders in Salt Lake City, Utah and in the pacific northwestern US - Washington state... Cool story there by the way!


Mate where im from they outnumber us ozzies 3-1.haha..

Mate i would of preffered the bloke to punch me in the head a few times because the deep scratches and the chunk taken out of my neck hurt like hell..lol..

Stay clear of a drunk pacific islander.They cant handle their booze and get aggressive as hell(mostly towards white dudes)haha.

I was actually at a club around 18mnths ago and one big Samoan bloke was trying to pick fights with any ozzie he could.Unluckily for him he picked a fight with a former 2time middleweight oz champ who these days due to letting himself go abit doesnt look like much..

The former champ is very known by most around here so we knew what was about to happen...2punches were thrown and the Samoan was asleep.All his boys were stunned as fuck as he was a massive fucker and the former boxer is about 5ft10 and a pudgy 80kgs at best.

[Sardu]

Cool stuff Ozzie! Was the boxer Jeff Harding by any change? He was from Australia and made maybe the greatest comeback in a fight I've ever seen. Back in 1989 I believe Harding was fighting Dennis Andries and being beaten from pillar to post. Mike Tyson was said to be ringside and even he was speechless afterwards. This Harding fellow came back from having his face turned into hamburger to systematically batter Andries into a kayo defeat late in the fight. This looked like a Rocky movie but was real.

The Aussies might be the toughest people on earth. I recently read a book about World War II and the great German general Rommel praised the Aussies as tough, well-disiplined, tenacious fighters who consistently defeated the germans in Northern Africa. Because of their relatively small numbers the Aussies and New Zealanders were relieved and, when this happened, Rommel was said to be even more relieved because his armies were being routed! The Italian army was masacred by the Austrailins in a battle that was said to be about only a handful of casualties for them and about 2,000 for Italy. I think the american perception of aussies is that you are hard, tough, no-nonsense people.

[Sardu]

So the guy viciously bit your neck like a vampire? That seems uncommonly vicious and is definitely a very scary thing! What if he had hit your jugular vein for christsakes?! Is ozzie what they call a white aussie? Just curious cause' this is all new to me.

[ozziebattler]

Is ozzie what they call a white aussie? Just curious cause' this is all new to me.

Yeah man pretty much that or skippy..

And what you were saying about the Ozzie soldiers is deadset spot on. They were called DIGGERS and unfortunetly were mostly frontliners for the English or sent to places where they were completely outnumbered but somehow left their mark on the enemy..

Man when you come from a nation built on slaves and convicts you are bound to have some heart when it comes to fighting etc..

My great grandfather fought in ww2 and he was mad as a cut snake. Some of the stories he told me you couldnt even imagine..He was only 15 and lied about his age to fight for Australia knowing that all our soldiers were used for us the fucking English's sacrificial lambs..

Only have to look at Gallipoli...

[Sardu]

Thanks for the info dude! Do you know if there are any books that are specifically about Aussies and New Zealanders in WW II? God bless your great grandfather for his meritorious service! Jesus, he was just 15 and fighting against Nazi germany on the front lines?!!! This is beyond description... One of my uncles was just 18 and trapped in Bastonge and ended up making it out of the war alive.... 15 years old is just a baby though!!!! I bet nothing else for the rest of his life troubled your GGF after surviving WWII at such a tender age.... I wish he had written a book about his experiences.... I have read a lot of books about WW II.... The last one being "Hitler's Irishmen" about two Irish guys who fought in the Waffen SS and survived until the bitter end fighting the Russians in Berlin.... But, as I said, reading about the aussies in the war is of great interest now.... It was mentioned in the Rommel book but not talked about extensively.... Just that they were respected and even feared by the germans.

[ozziebattler]

And mate it wasnt Jeff Harding but yes i remember the andries fight..

You have to see footage to understand the toughness he displayed that night..

Unfortunetly he went down the dark path of the bottle and was left with nothing left. But from all reports he is on the mend these days.

[ozziebattler]

Thanks for the info dude! Do you know if there are any books that are specifically about Aussies and New Zealanders in WW II? God bless your great grandfather for his meritorious service! Jesus, he was just 15 and fighting against Nazi germany on the front lines?!!! This is beyond description... One of my uncles was just 18 and trapped in Bastonge and ended up making it out of the war alive.... 15 years old is just a baby though!!!! I bet nothing else for the rest of his life troubled your GGF after surviving WWII at such a tender age.... I wish he had written a book about his experiences.... I have read a lot of books about WW II.... The last one being "Hitler's Irishmen" about two Irish guys who fought in the Waffen SS and survived until the bitter end fighting the Russians in Berlin.... But, as I said, reading about the aussies in the war is of great interest now.... It was mentioned in the Rommel book but not talked about extensively.... Just that they were respected and even feared by the germans.

To be honest mate i dont know of any books though imsure if you googled it a few will pop up...I am left very bitter when thinking about the wars our DIGGERS fought in as Australia and alot of so called Australians dont pay due respect...Im only 23 but i still have the brains to understand the great sacrifice our Diggers made for their love of their country.Mate we play Modern warfare these days whilst some of our relatives were forced to act beyond their years and defend the country they obviously loved.

Im not a big fan of the yanks(Mostly the people running the country behind a desk) as i feel they thrive on conflict but atleast they have pride and passion towards their country and in most cases their troops who defend their countries honour.

I actually watched a doco on the vietnam war and cant believe the abuse the poor soldiers copped from their non serving countrymen and women once they returned to the U.S..

I couldnt imagine the feeling of putting my LIFE on the line for my country and then have them spit in my face..It would crush me..

[Ubersteve]

Danny Hodge by all accounts.

[Mazallan]

Troy Jones is the huge guy Bradd Pitt kills at the start of Troy.


Scott Steiner is a tough fucker. For a smaller man Dynamite Kid was a very tough guy who was not to be messed with by the other wrestlers. He beat the shit out of those French Canadians.

I remember hearing that Vadar got his head smashed in by Paul Orndorff after talking crap to him one time, apparently it was very embarrassing for Vadar because he had an hard man rep and Paul was alot smaller than him although high juiced.

[MaliSlamusrex]

Bret Hart.