218:, who was only 17 at the time. Race, who was just beginning his own career, was hired as Humphrey's driver and he also wrestled Humphrey on multiple occasions. Race earned $ 5 per day, plus room and board, for driving Humphrey, and $ 25 for each match he wrestled with Humphrey. According to Race, Humphrey was so large that normal showers could not accommodate him. As a result, Humphrey was obliged to lie naked on the ground while Race would apply liquid soap to his body, scrub him with a mop and then rinse him off with a garden hose. Race also stated that Humphrey, who taught Race how to take
177:, known as the heaviest professional wrestler of all time. His most active period was in the 1950s and 1960s when he billed himself as "the world's largest wrestler". Humphrey averaged 750 lb (340 kg) during his career. Several times, he weighed in at over 800 lb (360 kg), and on one occasion he weighed over 900 lb (410 kg).
242:), Humphrey attended a movie and became stuck in the theater seat. Welders had to cut the seats around him in order to get him out. Towards the end of his regular career, he recognized his problem and had an operation to remove 100 lb (45 kg) of fat from his body; however, he gained the weight back soon afterwards.
354:-based diet, half of the weight lost consisted of body fat and the other half was water and muscle tissue. Greenberg noted at the end of the study that dieters who only use a scale as a means of determining weight loss cannot tell how much of what they lose is body fat and how much is water and muscle tissue.
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due to a heart condition. After retiring, his weight ballooned to over 900 lb (410 kg). At this weight, he would tire after about 10 steps and have to sit down (in two chairs). Humphrey attempted to control his eating habits (which sometimes included eating up to 15 whole chickens in one
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According to the two-year study headed up by Unit
Director Dr. Wayne Greenberg, Humphrey's weight loss on each of the three diets was approximately the same; however, the nature of the actual body matter lost during each differed significantly. The vast majority of the weight lost on the
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After leaving the clinic, Humphrey got a job at an
Augusta, Georgia shoe-repair shop and never returned to the ring. He stated that he missed the sport and mixing it up with other wrestlers but was looking forward to a new life as a normal-sized individual.
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heavily modified to carry the wrestler around: seats were removed and extra shocks were installed to support
Humphrey's enormous weight (and also as a gimmick). In addition, he was usually weighed before matches on meat scales at rendering facilities.
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In the spring of 1965, Humphrey left the clinic where he had lived the previous two years. He weighed a comparatively healthy 232 lb (105 kg), a total loss of 570 lb (260 kg) since he was admitted. Humphrey won a place in the
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and
Humphrey's hunger was satisfied for longer periods between meals as well. On the high-fat regimen, about two-thirds of the weight lost was body fat with the rest being water, with an undesirable side effect of high blood
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Stokes, Mike. "XXXXL: from Kamala the
Ugandan Giant to Yokozuma to Haystacks Calhoun, we present the 10 greatest super-heavyweights in wrestling history - Special section: the heavyweights."
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Humphrey had difficulty fitting in with regular society due to his great size. People stared at him on the street, and he was often refused service at restaurants. In one incident in
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properly, was a very kind person and one of the few wrestlers of his era who took the time to sign an autograph for everyone and to socialize with fans.
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Humphrey, who at the time was working on a farm where he was known for his uncommon strength, began his wrestling career in 1953 by wrestling a
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For two years, Humphrey followed a strict doctor-controlled diet regimen. He was not allowed to exercise (in order to avoid fluid loss via
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who regularly weighed over 600 lb (270 kg) himself. Humphrey's most notable match was a sold-out main event against
Calhoun at
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on March 14, 1989. At the time of his death, he weighed over 600 lb (270 kg). He was buried at
Southlawn Cemetery,
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sitting), but after consulting with doctors, he decided to volunteer for obesity research and checked himself into the
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with toast, tomato soup, ketchup, green peas, and applesauce. The next cycle was high-carbohydrate, including toast,
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for 28 minutes. For about eight years, Humphrey wrestled a number of matches, some of them televised, often against
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161:(July 16, 1926 – March 14, 1989), best known by his ring and screen names of
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This article is about the wrestler. For other people named
William Cobb, see
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607:"The Heaviest Wrestler Ever: 10 Things To Know About Happy Humphrey"
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In later years, Humphrey regained much of his weight and died of a
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203:Humphrey's promoters had a 1951
576:"Happy Humphrey Was The Giant"
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16:American professional wrestler
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358:Life after the study
171:"Squasher" Humphrey
159:William Joseph Cobb
46:William Joseph Cobb
213:NWA World Champion
173:, was an American
551:978-1-59670-162-5
453:978-0-8108-7926-3
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369:Moonrunners
348:cholesterol
288:ground beef
240:New Orleans
216:Harley Race
660:Categories
491:2007-07-19
410:References
312:mayonnaise
252:retirement
101:Etta Dover
91:Ruby Watts
57:1926-07-16
43:Birth name
350:. On the
292:margarine
284:skim milk
96:Parent(s)
88:Spouse(s)
616:11 March
584:Archived
393:See also
343:body fat
316:tomatoes
272:calories
300:peaches
276:protein
261:Augusta
232:Alabama
205:Pontiac
149:Retired
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169:, and
308:sugar
268:sweat
220:bumps
141:Debut
651:IMDb
618:2023
592:2023
546:ISBN
448:ISBN
401:and
341:was
304:rice
296:corn
280:eggs
187:bear
152:1962
144:1953
83:, US
71:Died
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