Christopher Pallies (November 7, 1957 – March 4, 2019) was a American professional wrestler, actor and stand-up comedian from Atlantic City, New Jersey best known for his work in the 1980s as King Kong Bundy. He started his career in WWE in 1981 as a Jobber under the name Chris Canyonnote He then went to World Class where he changed his name to Big Daddy Bundy. He started using the King Kong Bundy name in Dallas in 1982, though he was also known in the AWA as Boom Boom Bundy. He also competed in Memphis and Georgia. He made his PPV debut at, appropriately, the first wrestling PPV, WrestleMania on March 31, 1985, where he had his legendary squash of SD "Special Delivery" Jones. In his last WWE PPV match, at WrestleMania XI in 1995, he was The Undertaker's fourth victim. He has also competed for various National Wrestling Alliance territories, Juggalo Championship Wrestling and many independent promotions. Among his in-ring achievements, he was a 1x Southern (Memphis) Heavyweight Champion
, a former 1x Southern (Memphis) Tag Team Champion with Rick Rude, a former NWA National Tag Team Champion with the Masked Superstar (Bill "Super Machine"/"Demolition Ax" Eadie), and a 2x NWA American (Dallas) Heavyweight Champion.
Despite the page quote, he has no connection to 555.
"These tropes have taken the five count from the great Bundy.":
- Alaska: Billed from Nome when he was in World Class.
- Alliterative Name: As Chris Canyon and Boom Boom Bundy
- Arch-Enemy: Jerry Lawler
- Bald of Evil: Completely hairless, though he actually did have hair earlier in his career.
- Bash Brothers: With Big John Studd, Bam Bam Bigelow, Rick Rude
- Boring, but Practical: His offense was very basic, a lot of clotheslines, chops, slams and splashes, but it was very effective.
- The Cameo: Was NWA ECW Television Champion Terry Funk's surprise partner against NWA ECW Heavyweight Champion Sabu and Road Warrior Hawk in the main event of ECW November to Remember 93, November 13, 1993, which Sabu and Hawk won, with Sabu pinning Funk for the TV Title, after Bundy turned on Funk.
- Crazy Cat Guy: He was fond of cats; at the time of his death, he had about 10 cats as pets.
- Establishing Character Moment: His Squash of SD Jones at the first WrestleMania.
- Everything Is Big in Texas: Billed from Houston at the start of his career as Chris Canyon.
- Fat And Ripped: With Rick Rude in Memphis.
- Fat Bastard: During the introductions for the Bundy-SD Jones match at WrestleMania, commentator Jesse Ventura said, "You could use his back for the west screen at the drive-in."
- Finishing Move: The Atlantic City Avalanche (running splash in the corner), Big Splash
- The Giant: 6'6, 458 lbs.
- Jerkass: Almost always a heel, with a mouth that's every bit as big as the rest of him.
- Joisey: His finisher is named for Atlantic City, after all.
- Legacy Character: King Kong Jr. Bundy, who has competed in Vancouver and Manitoba since the mid-1980s.
- Leotard of Power: As pictured above.
- Mighty Glacier: An archetypical slow and plodding but monstrously strong superheavyweight heel.
- No Indoor Voice: Another good example of the kind of loud promos that were common during the 1980s.
- Power Stable:
- (in World Class) Devastation Inc. (also in Mid-South/UWF) and H & H Limited
- (in Georgia): The Legion of Doom
- (in Memphis): The First Family
- (in WWE): The Heenan Family and The Million Dollar Corporation.
- Red Baron: "The Walking Condominium," "The Master of the Five-Count"
- Ring Oldies: Started in 1981, competed into the mid-2000s.
- Shout-Out: To King Kong, of course.
- While in Georgia, he once cut a promo where he said, "You've heard of the Wrath of Khan? Well this is the wrath of Kong!"
- Sitcom: Played himself on the Married... with Children episode "Flight of the Bumblebee," and also played one of Peggy's relatives, which runs into Celebrity Paradox territory.
- As Himself: On the Weird Science Pro Wrestling Episode "Men in Tights."
- Squash Match: A lot, starting with the match with SD Jones.
- Start My Own: The Devastation Wrestling Federation and his wrestling school Devastation University.
- Stout Strength: In his match with SD Jones, Jesse Ventura said, "Awesome strength, King Kong Bundy, awesome strength, I've never seen a guy like this guy."
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: He would demand the ref count to five when he was pinning his opponents, often jobbers, all to create the impression he was an unstoppable monster heel.
- Wrestling Monster: His general appearance, the five-count gimmick, and the fact that he was the rare wrestler who was not intimidated by Jake "The Snake" Roberts' snake Damien.
