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Keep Him Alive

Posted: Jan 25th 2007 By: CMBurnham

About 20 professional wrestlers surrounded the ring at Bourbon Street with their heads bowed and eyes closed.

Inside the ring, Anthony Marcinek delivered the most difficult speech of his life.

"He'll still be here in our hearts," Marcinek said of his friend Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow, the popular professional wrestler who died last week. "We're going to keep him alive.

"Bam Bam will never die in my heart, and I hope he'll never die in your hearts."

As a bell rang 10 times - a ceremonial salute to fallen wrestlers - ring announcer Marty Velders held his face in his hand and turned away from a spotlight.

After the 10th ring, the wrestlers pounded the ring with their fists as more than 250 fans applauded loudly.

Marcinek, an official with American Combat Wrestling, said Tuesday's event raised more than $1,200 for Bigelow's funeral expenses. Bigelow had been helping with ACW promotions for several months.

The 45-year-old New Jersey native was found dead Friday in a home on Morgan Road in Hudson. No cause of death has been determined, but the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said foul play is not suspected.

Viewings are scheduled Friday at Francioni, Taylor and Lopez Funeral Home in Neptune, N.J. A 10 a.m. service will be held Saturday at Shore Christian Center in Wall, N.J.

Although he was a well-known wrestler for more than two decades and worked for some of the business's largest organizations, Bigelow said in an interview last year that he lost his fortune.

He had endured a bitter divorce and faced several charges from a motorcycle wreck that nearly killed his girlfriend.

Tuesday's event drew Bigelow's longtime friends, former wrestling opponents and a horde of fans.

Marc Falcone grew up on the same street with Bigelow in Neptune. Besides wrestling, Falcone said Bigelow enjoyed fishing and hunting and had a soft spot for children.

He also remembered Bigelow's zany sense of humor.

"I have a picture of him wearing my wife's pink bathrobe," he said.

Al Schaefer, who wrestled 12 years as Sonny Blaze, said his sixth professional wrestling match was in 1989 in Brooklyn against Bigelow, who was already an established star.

In the ring, he said, Bigelow was a "consummate pro."

"After the match he talked to me and gave me some advice," Schaefer said. "Any wrestler that worked with him, there's not one bad thing they could ever say about Scott Bigelow. If you find someone who can call [Bigelow] a jerk, I'll call them a liar.

"He had the power of four men. He could crush cinder blocks in his hands, but he could hold a baby."

It might not have been obvious to the casual fan, Schaefer said, but Bigelow clearly "helped" football great Lawrence Taylor through their famous match at WrestleMania XI.

"Roughhouse" Ralph Mosca, with whom Bigelow recently won an ACW tag-team title, was angry Tuesday night that the wrestling organizations Bigelow worked for haven't done more since his death.

"The guy busted his [behind] for [World Wrestling Entertainment] and all they do is a little five-second tribute on TV?" he said. "There are all these [wrestlers] who are leaving these comments on the [WWE Web site] saying he was a great guy.

"Well, where were they when he was busted up after his motorcycle accident?"

Velders, the ring announcer, also sells wrestling memorabilia at ACW shows. Tuesday, he said he sold a Bam Bam Bigelow figurine to one fan for $100. Velders' proceeds also went toward Bigelow's funeral.

Velders said he met Bigelow several years ago at The Ramble Inn in Brooksville. Velders said he was doing karaoke and heckling Bigelow from the stage when the former wrestler approached.

"I thought he was going to beat me up," Velders said.

Instead, they sang a duet on the Fat Boys' version of "Wipeout."

"He just wanted to be treated like a real person," Velders said. "He wanted to be treated like Scottie, not Bam Bam.

"He wanted peace and quiet and tranquility."