The Big Cat was a former professional football player and though many of that sport made their way to professional wrestling none had the gridiron pedigree that Ernie Ladd had, as he was a bonafide star with the AFL San Diego Chargers.  Ladd used his large size to enter wrestling and became the first truly successful African American heels in the industry and was a natural to go against the top face in each territory.  Ladd had many big moments in the WWE and was always a favorite go to heel there.