I recall staring at a bizarre photograph.

Hulk Hogan – clad in his iconic yellow trunks – was about to be whipped into the corner by a gigantic man wearing a crimson mask. They were surrounded by a clunky, blue cage that clashed with the red, white, and blue ring ropes and the black turnbuckles featuring the chunky, gold WWF logo.

There was a lot happening in this photograph.

The gigantic man wore a black singlet with matching kneepads. He was completely bald and he looked like a true bad guy. I eventually put the photograph away and flipped through the rest of them that featured other iconic moments from WrestleMania.

The gigantic man was King Kong Bundy. I knew him as the man who faced Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania II – the ancient times – and the guy who appeared on Married…with Children. Years later, my parents bought me his Jakks Classic Superstars figure.

I would meet Bundy years later at an autograph signing in Fishkill, NY.  My girlfriend and I approached his table and I greeted him with a, “It’s great to meet you! How are you doing?” He took a look at Jenna and said, “Clearly you’re doing better than me!”

He went on to sign my WWE Encyclopedia – his signature had this cool, sweeping K – and stood up for our photo. He looked at me and forced me to hunch over. “I can’t have anyone taller than me in a photo!”

Bundy seemed like an incredibly nice guy, someone who was easy to be around with. He deserved to stand on a stage with WWE fans giving him a big ovation at a Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Rest in peace, King Kong Bundy.