Busick was an amateur wrestler in high school, and was also an accomplished powerlifter throughout the 1970s. In 1971, he unsuccessfully attempted to break Jim Williams' bench press record of. He became a police officer in 1973, at age 19. Growing up in the Steel TownTri-State area of Pittsburgh, Busick was a fan of Pittsburgh's Studio Wrestling, and described Bruno Sammartino as his hero. Busick talked Mike Paidousis into giving him a one-week professional wrestling training course. He wrestled his first match for the World Wide Wrestling Federation on May 12, 1978, losing to Billy Red Lyons in the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. Over the next two years, Busick had several more matches with the WWWF when they held shows in the Pittsburgh area, usually as a jobber, though he won at least two matches. He never underwent any other formal training, stating he "learned in the ring". In the early 1980s, Busick transferred to the Atlanta Police Department. In Atlanta, he began wrestling for Jerry Blackwell and developed the Bully persona, based on Joe Pedicino's observations of a stereotypical coal miner or steel mill worker. As part of the character, he wore a derby hat and turtleneck sweater, smoked a cigar on the way to the ring, and had a bushy handlebar moustache. In July 1991, Busick debuted in the World Wrestling Federation, where he continued to utilize the Bully gimmick. In addition to bullying his opponents, Busick antagonized fans at ringside, committing such acts as popping a child's balloon with his cigar. He even harassed ring announcerMike McGuirk, which eventually led to a save from opponent Sid Justice in a quick loss for Busick. After having spent weeks primarily squashingenhancement talent, Busick entered into a small feud with the Brooklyn Brawler after the Brawler challenged Busick to match to see who was the real bully of the WWF. The Brawler defeated the Bully by countout. A rematch one week later saw the Brawler fail to dominate the Bully with Wippleman grabbing the Brawler's leg leading to a controversial win for the Bully. Busick spent the remainder of his time in the WWF wrestling against Bret Hart, The British Bulldog, and Jimmy Snuka, before leaving the company in November 1991.
Post wrestling
Alongside fellow wrestler Bill Eadie, Busick worked as a bodyguard in Atlanta. He also worked as a Senior Investigator for Criminal and Civil Investigations, and owned the Big Bully sports nutrition bar company. A 2013 interview noted he kept a low profile wrestling-wise, other than occasional appearances at fan festivals, but did appear as a special guest referee at Deaf Wrestlefest in April 2012. He also promoted mixed martial arts events in Ohio. He also continued to compete in powerlifting competitions until 2015. In November 2012, the WWE listed Busick as having the best mustache in the Top 10 mustaches in WWE history. The Big Bully Busick character was also listed 17 of the 25 most absurd wrestlers in WWE history in 2013. In March 2015, he was inducted in the Keystone State Wrestling AllianceHall of Fame.
Personal life
Busick was married to his wife Lorie for 32 years and they had three children together. His son Branko is a mixed martial artist. His family is of Serbian descent. He was involved in the Serbian community in the US and spoke the language.
Health problems
Busick had chronic atrial fibrillation. While exercising in 2005, he suffered a cardiac arrest and was saved via a defibrillator. He refused to seek hospital treatment at the time, but underwent surgery a few years later to correct the fibrillation.
Death
In 2015, Busick was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He initially had trouble swallowing, before bleeding in his throat. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy, during which he went from weighing to. In June 2016, Busick announced he was cancer-free. The following year, Busick was diagnosed with a brain tumour and underwent neurosurgery. Busick died on May 8, 2018, in Weirton, West Virginia, where he was receiving hospice care.
