In the history of WWE, every era has its share of performers who seemed like they were going to be a big deal only for plans to change and things to not work out as expected. One such project was the wrestler best known as Kurrgan, a seven-foot monster heel with a great look and intensity.
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Fans may not remember Kurrgan’s time in WWE, which include stints in a couple of factions and a goofy babyface run. Let’s take a look at Kurrgan’s career and everything fans should know about him, including what he’s been up to since leaving pro wrestling.
10 Started Out In The Canadian Indies
Hailing from Canada, Robert Maillet grew up a fan of wrestling and sought to break into the business himself once he was in his late teens. Thankfully an opportunity arose when New Brunswick’s Grand Prix Wrestling had several open slots for new talent on the roster.
Thanks to his size, Maillet — billed as The Acadian Giant — became a main event monster heel and was able to make connections with veteran talent like former Stampede performer Leo Burke, who hooked Maillet up with some WWE tryouts as well as further training from Bret “The Hitman” Hart.
9 Wrestled Internationally Before WWE
Before signing to WWE, however, the future Kurrgan was able to embark on a few international tours in the early ‘90s to further broaden his professional wrestling horizons. One of his earliest excursions brought him to Mexico, where he wrestled for the now-defunct Universal Wrestling Association under the name Goliath El Gigante, taking on big names like Dos Caras, Vampiro, Dr. Wagner Jr., and Silver King.
Around the same time, he also showed up in Japan’s W*ING, where he made it to the final round of a tournament to crown an inaugural W*ING Heavyweight Champion.
8 Three-Time USWA Tag Team Champion
Upon signing with WWE in 1997, Maillet was first sent to Memphis, Tennessee, to further hone his skills in Jerry Lawler’s United States Wrestling Association. There, he was dubbed The Interrogator and became part of a faction of South African mercenaries called The Truth Commission.
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Led by an actor turned wrestling manager called The Commandant, The Truth Commission proved successful in USWA, with The Interrogator and Recon holding the USWA Tag Team Championship three times.
7 Renamed Kurrgan On The WWE Main Roster
Upon arriving at the official WWE roster, The Truth Commission underwent a couple of changes, the most notable being the loss of The Commandant, who was replaced by a messianic cult leader named The Jackyl — portrayed by Don Callis. On top of that, The Interrogator got a name change, becoming Kurrgan The Interrogator.
Named after the villain from the film Highlander, the new name was Callis’ idea and appeared to flag The Interrogator as a member of The Truth Commission to pay attention to, as his moniker wasn’t just a description of his role.
6 Participant In Gang Wars
When The Truth Commission arrived in WWE in the summer of 1997, a big midcard storyline was kicking off. Known as Gang Wars, the angle spun out of a membership shakeup in The Nation of Domination, resulting in The Nation clashing with two new factions: the biker gang Disciples of Apocalypse and Los Boricuas.
The Truth Commission had nothing to do with the basic conflict but ended up entering the war by the fall as Kurrgan and company defeated The Disciples of Apocalypse in an elimination match at Survivor Series.
5 Aligned With The Jackyl In The Truth Commission’s Break-Up
Despite the Survivor Series victory, The Truth Commission soon began to struggle in the ring, setting up for a big breakup. With each loss, The Jackyl grew increasingly frustrated with Recon and Sniper, while showing preferential treatment for Kurrgan (Tank had departed WWE early in their run).
Before long, The Jackyl ordered Kurrgan to attack the others, disbanding The Truth Commission. From there, Recon and Sniper became a short-lived duo called Armageddon while Kurrgan was presented as a solo monster heel with The Jackyl as his manager.
4 Member Of The Oddities
However, Kurrgan’s singles run didn’t last for very long. A change of plans ensued, and The Jackyl put together a faction of monster heels known as The Oddities, with Kurrgan being joined by Giant Silva, Golga (formerly Earthquake), and Luna Vachon.
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Inspired by carnival freak shows, The Oddities were out to get back at the society that ostracized them. As part of the group, Kurrgan became a tag team specialist and regularly teamed with Golga as the faction’s devoted duo.
3 Inspired The Oddities’ Face Turn
It wasn’t long before The Jackyl dumped The Oddities to manage The Disciples of Apocalypse instead, after which the former group experienced a face turn — one inspired by Kurrgan himself.
While at a WrestleMania 14 afterparty, Kurrgan decided to hit the dance floor with his wife, an action that Don Callis legitimately warned him against. WWE boss Vince McMahon saw noticed the big man dancing, and was reportedly inspired to reimagine The Oddities as fun-loving babyfaces, which was implemented over the summer of 1998.
2 Released From WWE In 1999
In early 1999, WWE released all The Oddities from their contracts, with Kurrgan’s final match being a quick loss to The Undertaker on an episode of Sunday Night Heat. However, Kurrgan continued to wrestle full-time with runs in Mexico’s CMLL and the rebooted Stampede Wrestling, as well as other Canadian indies.
However, by 2001 Kurrgan appeared to step away from full-time competition, though he did wrestle sporadically for the rest of the decade until his final match in 2011.
1 Has Been Acting Since 2006
In the mid-2000s, Robert Maillet's size once again brought him success, albeit in a different medium. While filming the comic book adaptation 300 in Montreal, the film’s producers were looking for a sizable figure to portray the giant Uber Immortal, and fellow Canadian Jacques Rougeau — otherwise known as The Mountie — recommended the former Kurrgan for the part.
Since then, Maillet’s imposing frame has filled the screen on a number of blockbuster film projects including Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes and Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim.
