| Emery Hale | |
| Names: | Emery Hale Big Hail Lord Humongous The Machine Hail |
| Weight: | 350lb |
| Birth Date: | December 13, 1969 |
| Birth Place: | St. Petersburg, Florida, USA |
| 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).
Emery Hale was born on December 13, 1969.[1] Early in life, Hale played baseball, and at one point had a tryout with the Baltimore Orioles.[2]
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.[1] He also wrestled for Music City Wrestling as Lord Humongous, and used a leaping piledriver as a finisher.[3]
In late 1998, Jimmy Hart brought Hale to World Championship Wrestling (WCW), grooming him as the next big opponent for Hulk Hogan.[2] He mainly wrestled on WCW Monday Nitro and WCW Saturday Night, losing to bigger stars like Lex Luger, Barry Windham and Booker T.[1] On February 2, 2000, he appeared on WCW Thunder as the Machine, losing to Diamond Dallas Page.[1]
On September 8, 2001 he lost to Abdullah the Butcher by disqualification for World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico.[2] Hale also worked in many projects involving Hart and Hogan.[2] 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.[3] After leaving XWF, he went on to wrestle on the independent circuit as Lord Humongus.[3] He would retire after developing pneumonia stemming from a kidney transplant in 2003.[2]
In 2003, Hale received a kidney transplant, but eventually developed pneumonia and was hospitalized in the ICU of Tampa General Hospital.[2] On January 28, 2006, Hale died of kidney failure at the age of 36.[2]