{{Short description|American professional wrestler (1969–2006)}} {{for|the American football coach|Emory Hale (American football)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox professional wrestler |name=Emery Hale |image=Emory Hale.jpeg |caption= |names=Emery Hale<br>Big Hail<br>Lord Humongous<br>The Machine<br>Hail |height={{height|ft=6|in=9}} |weight={{convert|350|lb|kg|abbr=on}} |birth_date={{Birth date|1969|12|13|mf=y}} |death_date={{death date and age|2006|1|28|1969|12|13}} |birth_place=St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. |death_place= |resides= |billed= |trainer= |debut=1998 |retired=2003 }} '''Emery Hale''' (December 13, 1969 – January 28, 2006) was an American professional wrestler, best known for his two-year run in World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
== Early life == Emery Hale was born on December 13, 1969.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Kreikenbohm|first=Philip|title=Big Hail matches|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=3233&page=4|access-date=December 14, 2021|website=Cagematch}}</ref> Early in life, Hale played baseball, and at one point had a tryout with the Baltimore Orioles.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Emory Hale profile|url=https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/emory-hale/|access-date=December 14, 2021|website=Online World of Wrestling}}</ref>
==Professional wrestling career== Weighing in at 350 pounds and standing in at 6' 9", Hale made his professional wrestling debut in 1998 for the World Wrestling Alliance, occasionally teaming up with Test in a couple of matches.<ref name=":0"/> He also wrestled for Music City Wrestling as Lord Humongous, and used a leaping piledriver as a finisher.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Makropoulos|first=Georgiann|date=January 30, 2006|title=Emory Hale passes away|url=https://wrestlingfigs.com/wrestlingnews/emory-hale-passes-away/|access-date=December 14, 2021|website=WrestlingFigs}}</ref>
In late 1998, Jimmy Hart brought Hale to World Championship Wrestling (WCW), grooming him as the next big opponent for Hulk Hogan.<ref name=":1"/> He mainly wrestled on ''WCW Monday Nitro'' and ''WCW Saturday Night'', losing to bigger stars like Lex Luger, Barry Windham and Booker T.<ref name=":0"/> On February 2, 2000, he appeared on ''WCW Thunder'' as the Machine, losing to Diamond Dallas Page.<ref name=":0"/>
On September 8, 2001, he lost to Abdullah the Butcher by disqualification for World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico.<ref name=":1"/> Hale also worked in many projects involving Hart and Hogan.<ref name=":1"/> In 2001, he signed with the X Wrestling Federation, where, like his time in WCW, was managed by Hart and was groomed to be the top heel for the promotion.<ref name=":2"/> After leaving XWF, he went on to wrestle on the independent circuit as Lord Humongus.<ref name=":2"/> He would retire after developing pneumonia stemming from a kidney transplant in 2003.<ref name=":1"/>
==Illness and death== In 2003, Hale received a kidney transplant, but eventually developed pneumonia and was hospitalized in the ICU of Tampa General Hospital.<ref name=":1"/> On January 28, 2006, Hale died of kidney failure at the age of 36.<ref name=":1"/>
==See also== * List of premature professional wrestling deaths
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hale, Emory}} Category:1969 births Category:2006 deaths Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers Category:20th-century American professional wrestlers Category:21st-century male professional wrestlers Category:21st-century American professional wrestlers Category:American male professional wrestlers Category:Sportspeople from St. Petersburg, Florida