Bigtime


Title History

 

  • PWI Cruiserweight title mysteriously awarded/speculation is that he paid Jason Dukes to hand over the title (1998);
  • PWI Cruiserweight title defeating The Crimson Knight in a Exploding Barb Wire Ladder Match (1999);
  • PWI Cruiserweight title awarded after Sacrifice no showed a title defense (1999);
  • WCPW Battle Royal Champion — Won Largest Battle Royal in wrestling history (3 rings, 120 people);
  • WCPW Tag Team titles w/Vic Ferrari defeating The Warlocks -Lost them 5 minutes later in an impromptu rematch- ();
  • WCPW Most Hated Man of the Year 2000 & 2001 (stripped of 2001 award due to leaving the company 6 days earlier);
  • WCPW Manager of the Year 2001 (stripped of award due to leaving the company 6 days earlier);
  • IUWA National title defeating Atlas ();

 

Career Highlights

STARTING OUT IN WRESTLING:

  • On November 9th 1997, Bigtime joined the Pro Wrestling International training school in Northern Chicago.
  • One month after Bigtime joined PWI, he debuted in Wisconsin Dells Wisconsin for Badger State Pro Wrestling
  • Being told that the name Bigtime would never catch on, the promoters of Badger State Pro Wrestling called him The Gentleman
  • Bigtime’s opponent for that night was The Unified BSPW/PWI Cruiserweight Champion Jason Dukes.
  • Still in his rookie year, Bigtime wrestled the early part of the year in Badger State Pro Wrestling, taking advantage of ring time with other rookies
  • Bigtime got his first professional win over Angel Armoni in an impromptu matchPWI:
  • Bigtime got his first taste of working with The Crimson Knight who would later become Sacrifice
  • Bigtime became a very hated heel after his match with The Crimson Knight.
  • Bigtime started wearing purple and gold
  • He started calling himself “The Greatest Director in Hollywood”.
  • Bigtime even took advantage of a rookie Robby Dawber in Dawber’s debut (Bigtime helped train Robby Dawber), pinning him after making a rumored financial payoff to Jimmy Blaze
  • Bigtime formed a new group comprised of only cruiserweights, something that was unheard of in 98
  • Robby Dawber was Bigtime’s star actor.
  • Bigtime called out Crimson Knight’s mother and publicly humiliated her by smearing lipstick all over her face. Crimson Knight rushed the ring and tore into Bigtime before the numbers game did him in. The degrading of Crimson’s mother set the stage for one of the most intense feuds in Indy wrestling of the 90’s
  • Bigtime and Crimson Knight took each other to new limits of brutality. In January, they set the standard for ladder matches in Chicago Wrestling. This was long before the TLC series that made the WWF famous
  • Bigtime made it his mission to rule PWI. He led Carmello Santana to the Midwest title. He led Flyboy TK and Robby Dawber to the tag team titles
  • Bigtime invented a match that would become PWI legend. He challenged Crimson Knight to a rematch for the cruiserweight title in an exploding barbed wire ladder match.
  • Bigtime was headed for a series of matches against popular babyface Jimmy Blaze but due to backstage political problems between the two, the matches never happened despite months of buildup.
  • Bigtime wrestles Doink the Clown in Oshkosh Wisconsin. Long time PWI fan, 12 year old Dylan, gets picked to play Dink for the night and DDT’s Bigtime during the match. Dylan went on to become Fit Finley’s Leprechaun on Smackdown 7 years later.
  • Bigtime says farewell to Oshkosh Wisconsin as a babyface and invites Dylan into the ring for a posedown. Dylan later goes on to become a successful indy wrestler and gets signed to a WWE contract
  • October of 1999 would prove to be the final match of Bigtime’s PWI career. Bigtime faced Stylin Shane Eaton in Milwaukee Wisconsin on October 2nd in a falls count anywhere, no DQ match with Bigtime victorious
  • Bigtime left PWI in October 1999WCPW:
  • Dawber had called Bigtime and told him to come join him in WCPW. Bigtime went and checked it out, worked out a contract with Sam DeCero, and Bigtime was suddenly the most anticipated talent in WCPW
  • The negotiations between Bigtime and DeCero are rumored to be legendary and also rumored to be the start of a very strained business relationship between the 2
  • Bigtime went toe to toe with Terry Allen in their first in ring encounter in WCPW
  • Bigtime suddenly managed to replace Kingpin as the manager of then WCPW Lightweight champion Nick “The Sportsman” Brunswick
  • Bigtime dubbed the new group Sports Entertainment in April 2000
  • Bigtime then paid top dollar for the services of then WCPW Tag Champs The Furies
  • Bigtime, the smallest man in the contest, ended up winning the 3 ring 120 man Battle Royal to become the first ever WCPW Battle Royal Champion
  • Bigtime went on to manage the man who defeated Brunswick for the Lightweight title, Mike Masters, and get him to co-exist with Brunswick who he had defeated just one day earlier
  • When The Furies lost the tag straps to Road Warrior Hawk and Brett Sanders, Bigtime fired them
  • WCPW then started a new fed that focused on Ethnic Talent. This new fed was called Urban American Pro Wrestling. Bigtime saw this as an opportunity to spread his empire into the urban market. He went out and scoured Hollywood for the best African American Talent and brought them in for an Urban flavored Sports Entertainment
  • Bigtime got the career of Germel GQ Quinn started in WCPW/UAPW
  • Bigtime took Willie “Da Bomb” Richardson to new limits, almost winning the UAPW heavyweight title from him
  • Bigtime put the Battle Royal title on the line in a singles match against Steve Boz while WCW talent scout Jim Barnett sat in the crowd watching. Boz had come off a string of WWF dark matches and Barnett was there to possibly offer him a contract with WCW. Bigtime pinned Boz and WCW never offered him Boz a contract
  • Boz would have revenge later in the night as he put an end to Bigtime’s 6 month Battle Royal title reign
  • Bigtime added longtime friend, the incomparable Vic Ferrari, a highly trained stage actor, to Sports Entertainment
  • Bigtime was dominating several WCPW media outlets such as their hotline, their tv show, radio appearances, and live shows
  • DeCero flexed his promoting muscle and kept Bigtime on the lower half of the card for the rest of his WCPW career. Bigtime fired back by flexing his creative muscle and creating the crown jewel of Battle of the Belts 13, that being the never before seen match of the Badder Ladder Royal, otherwise known as the Stacked Ring Battle Royal
  • Even though Bigtime created the main attraction of the show, DeCero had booked Bigtime to be in the opening match that would pit Bigtime’s Sports Entertainment against Wrestlers from UAPW in their WCPW debut
  • Bigtime would have the last laugh of Battle of the Belts 13 whereas one week later, Rob Van Dam, the events Big Name Guest, complimented Bigtime’s Badder Ladder Royale concept on his web page in what proved to be his last update before joining The WWF
  • Bigtime briefly wins WCPW tag titles with Vic Ferrari
  • Bigtime managed Macaela Mercedes (WWE Star Jillian Hall) throughout the summer of 2001 at WCPW fair shows
  • Bigtime gets put on probation in WCPW for responding to internet critics
  • Bigtime gets suspended from WCPW for saying “hell, damn, and ass” several times during a promo
  • Frustrated and angered, the situation came to a head at a WCPW meeting 2 months later when Bigtime walked out of the meeting and leaves WCPW when DeCero had revealed he had been lying to the company about a working arrangement with rival indy fed MCWBIGTIME ON THE INTERNET:
  • Bigtime finds local wrestling message board and becomes the #1 Internet Personality of all time
  • Bigtime realized his worth to local message boards as his posts were generating 300-400 hits during the hours that his posts were announced to appear
  • Bigtime took advantage of his internet power and continued to attack his enemies in PWI and now WCPW
  • Rumors placed Bigtime at the Barrington Theatre getting out of a limo with Alecia Moore aka PinkIUWA:
  • Bigtime joins IUWA and starts a new group called The Cancer Clique, comprised of wrestlers who had been proven to be locker room cancers and morale killers. His first protege was an old business aquaintence named Mitch Blake from the Furies. Then Bigtime stole the managerial services of Private Kat away from Seargent Rage. Bigtime changed her name to Pussy Kat and then brought in the other Fury Jeffro King to reform the Furies
  • Bigtime then went on to win the National Title in IUWA from Atlas
  • Bigtime took IUWA good guy Aries and turned him into one of the most unstoppable forces in IUWA history, leading him to the Interstate Title
  • Bigtime gets rib broken after being attacked by a mob of wrestling fans during a show
  • Aries assualts Bigtime and then challenged him to a match to Unify the Interstate and National Titles into the new Television title. The younger, bigger Aries pinned Bigtime into retirement and unified the titles
  • Bigtime retires from wrestling in December 2002FORCED OUT OF RETIREMENT:
  • For nearly 3 years, Bigtime had enjoyed being a local analyst for the Midwest Wrestling Indy Scene via the Internet
  • Local Public Access Hack threatens to air Bigtime’s wrestling footage without permission
  • Bigtime, on advice from his lawyer, comes out of retirement and puts Bigtime name back into commerce on wrestling shows in November 2005 to block unauthorized usage of his name and footage
  • Bigtime joins CCW (Classic Championship Wrestling)Classic Championship Wrestling:
  • Bigtime comes out and accepts an impromptu challenge from CCW Regional Champion Scott Spade with the condition being that Bigtime would get a title shot the following show if he beat Spade. Bigtime pins Spade in less than 3 minutes
  • Bigtime saves Terry Allen from 2 on 1 attack at the hands of Scott Spade and Gorgeous Gavin Dunn
  • Later on same show, Terry Allen saves Bigtime from a beatdown with a “Steele Chain” from Scott Spade only to have Bigtime turn on Allen, revealing that it was a swerve from the get-go between Spade and Bigtime. Bigtime had spay painted a plastic chain to look like a steele chain and gave it to Spade to lure out Allen. Allen’s wife and manager, Sexy Sandra D, came out and slapped Bigtime, only to be dropped with an Ace Crusher (Diamond Cutter) by Scott Spade. Bigtime and Spade chained Allen to the ropes by his neck and made him watch as Bigtime stuck his tongue down his unconscious wife’s throat. The CCW locker room chased Spade and Bigtime out of the building
  • Bigtime manages Scott Spade against Terry Allen. Allen wins by DQ after Bigtime smashes his video camera over Allen’s head. Spade and Bigtime chain Allen’s neck and left hand to ropes. Allen was wearing his wedding ring in honor of his injured and absent wife. Bigtime grabbed bolt cutters from under the ring and tried to cut off Allen’s wedding finger to get the ring but CCW commentators and the locker room again chased Spade and Bigtime out of the building.
  • WWE starts using “Big Time” to advertise WrestleMania 22. Bigtime has his lawyers send WWE a Cease and Desist Letter
  • Big Time cuts promo on WWE and Vince McMahon then leads Spade into battle against Allen again. Allen nearly defeats Spade for Regional Title until Gorgeous Gavin Dunn comes out and smashes Bigtime’s video camera over Allen’s head. A 3 on 1 attack nearly ensues until the returning Sexy Sandra D bloodies Bigtime by gouges at his eyes and delivers low blows to both Spade and Dunn
  • WWE tells Bigtime that they are not violating his trademark whereas they are only using the words Big Time as “descriptive use” and not in a trademarked fashion. Bigtime responds by saying “Descriptive use doesn’t have a whole line of merchandising such as beer mugs”. WWE claims that since they have not created a character with the name Big Time, they have not violated the trademark. WWE further tells Bigtime that he has not proven that he has established rights to the Bigtime name, despite Bigtime having sent various forms of proof to WWE headquarters. Bigtime offers WWE various solutions to avoid going to court, without having to pay out any money. One solution was simply putting a disclaimer on the bottom of their website and advertising that acknowledged James Duck as owner of the Bigtime trademark. WWE refused
  • Bigtime names his new group of himself, Gorgeous Gavin Dunn, and Scott Spade: Seriously Dramatic Entertainment
  • Bigtime and Scott Spade take on Terry Allen and CCW Heavyweight Champion Ruff Crossing and lose via DQ when Gorgeous Gavin Dunn hits Allen with a chair as he was pinning Bigtime. Spade, Dunn, and Bigtime deliver a spiked piledriver onto a chair to Allen and then put Allen’s head in the folding chair and Bigtime leg drops it. The CCW locker room try to rush the ring only to be beaten down with chairs at the hands of Seriously Dramatic Entertainment
  • Bigtime vs WWE gets National Press on various internet wrestling news sites
  • Bigtime calls out WWE on their WrestleMania 22 MySpace Account and demands answers. WWE yanks his post 33 times in 4 days and finally bans Bigtime from posting on their account
  • Bigtime leads Scott Spade to victory over Brandon Bishop who is subbing for the injured Terry Allen
  • Bigtime’s lawyer advises Bigtime to stay away from WrestleMania 22 and WrestleMania Weekend activities after WWE warns Bigtime’s lawyer
  • Terry Allen defeats Scott Spade for Regional title once Bigtime and Gorgeous Gavin Dunn are neutralized by CCW Tag Team Champions Joey “The Pitbull” Cece and Jimmy Blaze
  • WWE’s Developmental Territory, OVW, creates a new character based on the WrestleMania 22 advertising campaign named “Mister Big Time” to be played by Aaron “The Idol” Stevens. Bigtime contacts WWE and tells them that their bogus “descriptive use” argument is now in fact trademark infringement as was claimed all along. WWE lawyers tell Bigtime that they will look into it and 4 days later the character was dropped after receiving a huge television push for 3 weeks
  • Bigtime claims victory over WWE at a CCW show and declares himself to be “The Only Person In The Wrestling Business Who Can Call Himself Mr. Bigtime”
  • Seriously Dramatic Entertainment (Dunn, Spade, Bigtime) defeats Jimmy Blaze, Joey Cece, and Terry Allen in a 6 man match after SDE singles out Jimmy Blaze and destroys him. Bigtime gets revenge for Blaze’s backstage political antics from 7 years previous in PWI
  • Bigtime seeks closure from WWE on the trademark infringement issue only to be told that he still hasn’t proven any rights to the Bigtime name and that his issue with the Mr. Big Time character in OVW is an issue between Himself and OVW whereas WWE does not own OVW and WWE has no plans to create nor profit from a Mr. Big time. Bigtime points out that the Mr. Bigtime Character was in fact created by a WWE employee named Paul Heyman who just happened to be the head writer for OVW. WWE stands firm in that the Mr. Big Time character is not their problem and it’s OVW’s.
  • One day after the above conversation exchange, WWE announces that they have purchased the OVW tape library for their WWE 24/7 channel. Bigtime contacts WWE and informs them that the trademark infringement issue continues to be their problem and not OVW’s because now WWE is the owner of the Mr. Big Time footage from OVW
  • Bigtime and Scott Spade challenge Joey Cece and Jimmy Blaze for the CCW Tag Team Titles and lose after Terry Allen stops Bigtime from hitting Blaze with his video camera, allowing Blaze and Cece to pin Scott Spade. Bigtime tries to break up the pin only to get stopped by Sandra D who slaps him. Bigtime slaps her back
  • Terry Allen challenges Bigtime to a Career vs Career match for the CCW Regional Title and Bigtime accepts on the condition that there be no rules for the bout
  • Terry Allen makes Bigtime tap out in the Career vs Career match and carries Bigtime out of the building, throwing him into the street at the CCW fans sing “hey hey hey….goodbye” to Bigtime
  • WWE releases WrestleMania 22 on DVD with limited references to the words Big Time, even cutting out the chorus to Peter Gabriel’s theme song for the show. Why would WWE pay millions for a licensing agreement to use a song called Big Time, only to leave out the chorus/title of the song on the DVD release?
  • Bigtime vs WWE continues…………Profile content contributed by James K. Duck (aka wrestling’s Bigtime)…

 

Updated:

Trained By

Sonny Rogers (Pro Wrestling International)
Sam DeCero (Windy City Pro Wrestling)

Debut

1997

Birthday

Hometown

Hollywood, California

Gender

Height

5'8"

Weight

205 lbs

Finishing Move(s)

The Director's Cut

Favorite Move(s)

Box Office Flop

Notable Feuds

Status