Big John Studd

John Studd returned in late 88 to the WWF as a face to feud with the Heenan Family and renew his rivalry with Andre The Giant. Were there any major plans for Studd before he abruptly left the company in the early summer? He was gone within 8 months of coming back. Was money an issue for his giving notice?

​There was actually lots of reasons. He was promised a big push (which is obvious from the Rumble win) but wasn’t making the money he wanted, and he had enough saved up to where he didn’t need to play the game any longer. Plus he was getting roles in Hollywood, but also suffered a hip injury after a motorcycle accident and didn’t really want to be on the road any longer. According to his Observer obit, the accident combined with years of HGH use probably triggered the disease that eventually killed him.

On a somewhat related sidenote, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man is an underrated 80s cheeseball action movie, and Studd was pretty great in his role in it.

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