Giant Haystacks

Early life Ruane was born in Camberwell, London, on 10 October 1946. He weighed 14 lbs and 6 oz at birth. In 1949, when he was three years old, Ruane and his family moved from London to Broughton in Salford, Lancashire, which remained his home. He attended St. Thomas' School until he left aged 14. He worked as a scraper driver building motorways, and as a nightclub bouncer before a friend suggested he take up wrestling. Ruane's name was subsequently modified to "Giant Haystacks". A November rematch between the two saw Daddy score a first fall early in Round One, before Haystacks contrived to cause the referee to be crushed between himself and Daddy, resulting in a no contest. Although on one occasion in August 1978, Haystacks returned to knock out Daddy's tag partner Gary Wensor for a rare 2–1 victory.

On 5 February 1991 in an angle at a TV taping for S4C's Reslo show in Machynlleth, Wales, Haystacks issued a challenge to Pat Roach – having just been disqualified in a tag match (later released on VHS on the Wrestling Madness compilation) pitting himself and Drew McDonald against Roach and Robbie Brookside – for Roach's European Heavyweight Championship. Haystacks defeated Roach for the title the following night on 6 February in Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf Wales but lost it back to Roach later that year.

In late 1991 at Fairfield Hall, Croydon, Haystacks faced Nagasaki in a match – filmed for a BBC2 Arena documentary on Nagasaki – for what was said to be the CWA World Heavyweight Championship, in fact held at the time by Rambo. Haystacks was awarded the match and the championship when Nagasaki, suffering from cracked ribs, withdrew from the match and fled to the dressing room after being unmasked. Haystacks made sporadic defences of his title in 1992–1993.

He and Nagasaki continued their enmity, sometimes in tag matches where Haystacks teamed with lesser superheavyweight Scrubber Daly (Malcolm Hardimann) until Nagasaki's 1993 retirement. At this point manager Lloyd Ryan and Nagasaki impersonator King Kendo took over the feud, lasting until Haystacks's 1996 WCW debut. Prior to receiving his call-up for WCW, Haystacks had been advertised to face King Kendo in a lumberjack match, at the same early 1996 Croydon show as was headlined by a troupe of Michinoku Pro wrestlers, in a six man tag match.

Haystacks also wrestled across the world. He served as a member of the Dungeon of Doom who were at that time, feuding with Hulk Hogan.

Personal life Ruane, a private person, was a devout Catholic and refused to wrestle on Sundays. Roy Jenkins, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and Frank Sinatra were also fans of Ruane.

In 1990, he appeared on S4C in an episode of the Welsh language soap opera Pobol y Cwm, as himself when he came to the valley for a wrestling match with El Bandito (Orig Williams).

Ruane released a single titled "Baby I Need You" in 1983.

A play by Brian Mitchell and Joseph Nixon, Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks, was performed at the Brighton Festival Fringe in May 2011.

In late 2021, a Giant Haystacks Retro figure was released by Chella Toys. There was a blue and brown variant for 2022 release.

In February 2022, writer Rob Cope released a memoir Giant Haystacks: My Heavyweight Hero via online publisher lulu.com, detailing his meetings with Haystacks, then in the last months of his life and the story the wrestler had told him of his life and career. The book was released to raise funds for the Christie Cancer Hospital in Manchester.

Archival footage has been used when promoting various WWE events, including a video package during Clash at the Castle: Scotland on 15 June 2024, when William Regal hosted a short video package discussing the history of British wrestling.

Championships and accomplishments British Wrestling Federation BWF European Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Joint Promotions Joint Promotions British Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Stampede Wrestling Stampede International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dynamite Kid Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Wrestler (1996)