Pro Wrestling Icon Killer Kowalski Dies

(AP)  Pro wrestling pioneer Walter "Killer" Kowalski has died from the effects of a massive heart attack. He was 81.

Kowalski died at Whidden Hospital in Everett on Saturday, 12 days after his family decided to take him off life support. He had been in critical condition in the hospital since his heart attack on Aug. 8, wife Theresa Kowalski said.

"I was right beside him. I put my hand on his chest, I felt his breathing slow down and his heart beat stop," she said. "The doctor said he was brain dead ... I was waiting, hoping somebody could do something.

"We've been together over 10, but we've been married for two years. He was a bachelor all his life. He was a wonderful man, never drank, never smoked and he was a vegetarian for almost 60 years."

An obituary posted at Weir Mac Cuish Family Funeral Home's Web site said Kowalski began his professional career in 1947 as "Tarzan" Kowalski. His hulking 6-foot-7, 275 pound frame and a brutal wrestling style soon earned him a nickname "Killer."

Kowalski began to be known as a villain after hurting Yukon Eric during a match in Montreal in 1954.

He visited his opponent in hospital after the match to check up on him and "the two men began laughing at how silly Eric's bandages looked. The reporter incorrectly printed that Killer was laughing at his victim and soon after, Killer quickly became wrestling's most renowned 'heel' or 'villain,'" according to the Web site.

Kowalski later became famous for various moves, including a stomach vise grip called the "claw hold" or "Killer Clutch."

Kowalski retired in 1977, a year after he and Big John Studd captured the WWF World Wrestling Tag Team Championship as members of "The Executioners" team.

He went on to open a wrestling school in Malden. He sold the business in 2003.

Kowalski was inducted into several wrestling halls of fame, including the World Wrestling Federation Hall of Fame and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.

A funeral is scheduled at Weir-MacCuish Golden Rule Funeral Home and burial service is set in St. Joseph's Church on Thursday morning.

[wakeup60]

"Killer Kowalski was one of the first tennants of a new apartment complex I managed many years ago...he was a very soft spoken,gentle,kind and most private man. I enjoyed meeting him & knowing him during that time. Many heartfelt condolences to his family. He was a nice human being that was totally opposite of the person that was in a ring. Peace be with you, Mr. Kowalski.

[pensacola98]

The wrestling matches of the ''50''s branched off into what it is today simply for it''s entertainment value, which meant - profit. It had to become dramatic and promoters resorted to creating a new culture that included it''s icons of the "Good Guys" and "Bad Guys". Pop Culture Wrestling is enjoyed in the USA, Japan, Mexico and other countries. In Mexico, the masked wrestlers fight to keep identities secret and raise the bar of wrestling with acrobatic moves that will make a fan''s head spin! Today, wrestlers are routinely seen back-flipping and leaping from the ring to the floor to attack their opponent.

Killer Kowalski and Yukon Eric didn''t know that their match was giving birth to something phenomenal. The culture of wrestling has several forms and most agree that the limits are only in the imagination of the performer and promoters.

[honestabe8]

MyOpinion1: Kowalski likely abstained from those thihgs because he thought it was the right thing to do. Nothing wrong with that. We are all terminal here. Enjoy your steak, I''ll do the same with my beans and rice.

[shanev137]

Obama''''s team consulted this dude.
How to give lip service at a dog and pony show

Posted by republic1776 at 09:52 PM : Sep 01, 2008


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Leave it to a psycho, Bush-loving republican to try and link an 81-year-old dead wrestler to Obama.

[sistatee-2009]

I think a few 85-year-olds might remember and know it was fake. It was one of the first shows on TV in the late 40s and early 50s. My parents told me they used to watch wrestling (my dad is now 88) and I believe it was telecast from Chicago and the announcer was Ira Blue.

Posted by ausus at 10:17 PM : Sep 01, 2008

"Big-Time Wrestling."

[ausus-2009]

I think a few 85-year-olds might remember and know it was fake. It was one of the first shows on TV in the late 40s and early 50s. My parents told me they used to watch wrestling (my dad is now 88) and I believe it was telecast from Chicago and the announcer was Ira Blue.

[republic1776]

Obama''s team consulted this dude.
How to give lip service at a dog and pony show

[hazelknows]

Slow news day, it was this or a news story about the republican convention...

[lovesamerica]

I do not think 85yr olds watched wrestling on tv. They went to barn dances, parades, neighborhood cookouts and basicaly lived a sensible life.

[sistatee-2009]

He''ll be missed by the 85-yr olds, who don''t know wrestling is fake.