Sport: Wrestling
Born: November 7, 1957
Died: March 15, 2019
Town: Atlantic City, New Jersey
Chris Pallies, better known as “King Kong” Bundy, was born November 7, 1957 in Atlantic City. Chris graduated from Washington Township High School in 1974, but did not debut in the world of wrestling until 1981. He was trained by Larry Sharpe and was discovered and advertised as “Big Daddy Bundy”—a combination of wrestler Shirley Crabtree’s character “Big Daddy” and the serial killer Ted Bundy. His outfit was a pair of blue jeans with a rope belt. Big Daddy Bundy quickly became a crowd favorite.
Manager Gary Hart picked up Chris and dramatically reintroduced him as “King Kong Bundy”—replacing “Big Daddy” with the name of the enormous movie monster. As King Kong Bundy, Chris now wore a black singlet for the first time and decided to shave the hair on his entire body. From 1985 to 1988, Chris worked for the World Wrestling Federation, managed by Jimmy Hart.
Chris was 6’4″ and weighed in at about 468 pounds, although at times he was billed as high as 512. With his pale, enormous, hairless body and black singlet, he was described as “Shamu” by commentator Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and “The Walking Condominium” by Gorilla Monsoon. Commentator Jesse Ventura once said that “Bundy’s back could be used as the west screen at the drive-in.” His signature moves were the body slam and the shoulder block. His favorite finishing moves were the “Atlantic City Avalanche” (running corner body splash), the “Giant Elbow Drop,” and the “Big Splash,” which he would ask the referee to count to five instead of the typical three-count.
At Wrestlemania I in 1985, Chris fought the second-shortest match in history, destroying S.D. “Special Delivery” Jones in only nine seconds. Also in his first year, Bundy developed a long-lasting feud with Andre the Giant when he gave the Giant a broken sternum by interfering in one of Andre’s matches. The two starred in a pair of tag team matches in Saturday Night’s Main Event, with Chris partnered with Big John Studd (another of Andre’s nemeses) against Andre and Tony Atlas and then Hulk Hogan.
On another episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Hogan was fighting Don Muraco when Chris ambushed him. His new manager, Bobby Heenan, used this opportunity to set up a feud between Hogan and King Kong Bundy. A steel cage match was arranged for Hogan’s WWF Championship at the main event of Wrestlemania II, which Hogan won.
At Wrestlemania III, Chris body-slammed midget wrestler Little Beaver and delivered an elbow, causing a disqualification in a six-man and midget tag team match. He defeated Hulk Hogan in November 1987 on an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event but then lost to him in a rematch on the following episode. He retired from the WWF in 1988.
King Kong Bundy returned to the WWF in September 1994 as part of the Million Dollar Corporation. He feuded with The Undertaker, losing to him in a Wrestlemania XI match. Chris left the WWF again in November 1995.
Chris decided to take King Kong on the road and wrestle independently. In April 1997, he resurfaced as part of the team Camo Casanova with “Danger” Dave DeJohn and The Masked Maniac in the USWF, NBW, and USA Power Pro Wrestling. In that same year in a fight against Primo Carnera III, Chris knee-dropped and “Bundy-Splashed” him, causing the center of the ring to collapse. He also maintained feuds against “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, Doink the Clown, and Tom Brandi.
In 1999, King Kong Bundy won the AWA Superstars of Wrestling Heavyweight Championship from Jonnie Stewart. His last appearance as a wrestler was at the Legends of Wrestling Show at the Pulaski County Fair in 2006, where he lost to “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan in the main event. Backstage, he used insults and profanity against a photographer and promoter that wanted his picture for their website.
Throughout his career, Chris had appeared in various TV shows and movies. He tried a career in stand-up comedy after his wrestling days, with moderate success. In 2016, he joined a class-action suit against WWE, claiming that the organization neglected the health of its performers. By this time, Chris was fighting a losing battle against diabetes. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 63.