Ruane began wrestling in 1967, initially for the independent WFGB as "Luke McMasters" (later incorrectly reported as being his legal name). Ruane's name was subsequently modified to "Giant Haystacks". A November rematch between the two saw Daddy score a first fall early in Round One before Haystacks contrived to cause the referee to be crushed between himself and Daddy, resulting in a no contest. (although on one occasion in August 1978 Haystacks would return to knock out Daddy's tag partner Gary Wensor for a rare 2–1 victory.) On 5 February 1991 in an
angle at a TV taping for
S4C's
Reslo show in
Machynlleth,
Wales, Haystacks issued a challenge to
Pat Roach – having just been disqualified in a tag match (later released on VHS on the
Wrestling Madness compilation) pitting himself and
Drew McDonald against Roach and
Robbie Brookside – for Roach's
European Heavyweight Championship. Haystacks defeated Roach for the title the following night on 6 February in
Llantrisant,
Glamorgan Wales but lost it back to Roach later that year. In late 1991 at
Fairfield Hall,
Croydon, Haystacks faced Nagasaki in a match – filmed for a
BBC2 Arena documentary on Nagasaki – for what was said to be the
CWA World Heavyweight Championship (in fact held at the time by
Rambo) and was awarded the match and the championship when Nagasaki, suffering from cracked ribs, withdrew from the match and fled to the dressing room after being unmasked. Haystacks made sporadic defences of his title during 1992–1993 and he and Nagasaki continued their enmity, sometimes in tag matches where Haystacks teamed with lesser superheavyweight Scrubber Daly (Malcolm Hardimann) until Nagasaki's 1993 retirement. At this point manager
Lloyd Ryan and Nagasaki impersonator
King Kendo took over the feud, lasting until Haystacks's 1996 WCW debut. Indeed, prior to receiving his call-up for WCW, Haystacks had been advertised to face King Kendo in a lumberjack match at the same early 1996 Croydon show as was headlined by a troupe of
Michinoku Pro wrestlers in a six man tag match. Haystacks also wrestled across the world. He served as a member of the
Dungeon of Doom who were at that time, feuding with
Hulk Hogan. == Personal life ==