Another memory from our childhood passes on:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/more/08/30/bc.kowalski.obit.ap/index.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/more/08/30/bc.kowalski.obit.ap/index.html
Wladek "Killer" Kowalski R.I.P.
- Thread starter eastender
- Start date
I met him on a few occasions back in the 70's. I remember him using the name "Wladek" when he wrestled, but his obit states his name was "Walter". Same thing?
His matches with Edouard Carpentier were legendary. I miss those good ol' days of GP Wrestling.....Mad Dog Vachon, the Leduc Brothers, Jacques Rougeau, Yvon Robert Jr., Tokyo Joe, Gilles "The Fish" Poisson, Gentleman Jim Kelly (whom i met on several occasions also), Don Leo Jonathan, The Hollywood Blonds (with manager Sir Oliver Humperdink), Le Geant Jean Ferre (later known as 'Andre the Giant', Sweet Williams & Crazy Nick Carter, Sweet Daddy Sikki, Sugar Cane Chimo, Dino Bravo & Gino Brito, Tarzan "La Bottine" Tyler, referee Luigi Massera, etc. Remember ring announcer Fernand Ste-Marie?
His matches with Edouard Carpentier were legendary. I miss those good ol' days of GP Wrestling.....Mad Dog Vachon, the Leduc Brothers, Jacques Rougeau, Yvon Robert Jr., Tokyo Joe, Gilles "The Fish" Poisson, Gentleman Jim Kelly (whom i met on several occasions also), Don Leo Jonathan, The Hollywood Blonds (with manager Sir Oliver Humperdink), Le Geant Jean Ferre (later known as 'Andre the Giant', Sweet Williams & Crazy Nick Carter, Sweet Daddy Sikki, Sugar Cane Chimo, Dino Bravo & Gino Brito, Tarzan "La Bottine" Tyler, referee Luigi Massera, etc. Remember ring announcer Fernand Ste-Marie?
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His name is the one I remember best from that era. Had a buddy who wrestled on the University team and we applied the sobriquet "Sweet Daddy" to him after Sweet Daddy Sikki. Our buddy was less then pleased when we cheered him on using this name as the amateur wrestlers wanted no association with the pros.
I met Killer on many occasions and even visited his wrestling school in Malden, MA., which is where I also lived at one point. He was a true legend in the business.
I remember when he used to wrestle wth a mask. When i asked him why he began wearing a mask, since we all knew how he looked like without it, he began to get into monologue mode & tell me how he had discovered the 'fountain of youth' & that it was through the mask that he was reaping its benefits.
Of course, i was easily impressionable back then & believed every word he said. Maybe that's what i should tell the sps i see when they refuse to believe i'm in my 40's & getting closer to 50. Anyone have a similar mask for sale?
Of course, i was easily impressionable back then & believed every word he said. Maybe that's what i should tell the sps i see when they refuse to believe i'm in my 40's & getting closer to 50. Anyone have a similar mask for sale?
10-19 said:
It was some wrestler called 'Yukon Eric'. Here's what i found:
"Most famously, in a 1952 match in Montreal versus Yukon Eric, Kowalski ripped off a part of Yukon Eric's ear while performing a knee drop.[1] In reality, Eric's ears were already badly cauliflowered due to years of abuse and the injury was an accident, but it fortified Kowalski as being a ruthless villain who ripped his opponent's ear off. Further, Kowalski attempted to visit his opponent in the hospital and began laughing along with Eric at how silly the bandages looked, with Kowalski recalling years later, "I swear, the first thing I thought of was Humpty Dumpty on the wall. Yukon Eric looked at me, shook his head, and smiled. I started laughing and he laughed, too.". When the incident was reported in the paper the next day, it stated that Kowalski showed up at the hospital and laughed at his victim rather than with him, furthering Kowalski's image as a heel."
Kowalski is one of the great heels in wrestling history despite being one of the nicest guys in real life. He lived long and left his mark on the business not just by his own wrestling but by his mentoring - of Triple H among others.
A far more tragic story was Yukon Eric, a great performer who fell into depression and killed himself over 40 years ago.
A far more tragic story was Yukon Eric, a great performer who fell into depression and killed himself over 40 years ago.
eastender said:
Wow. one of the few to die of old age. Many pro wrestlers die from heart ailments in their 40s these days.
Bret Hart does a nice walk down memory lane in his book, relating to the era of Grand Prix wrestling. of course, i did my own wrestling of sorts at The Grand Prix some years back.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2004-03-12-pro-wrestling_x.htm
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2007/07/15/a1b_wrestling_0715.html
http://prowrestling.about.com/od/whatsrealwhatsfake/a/wrestlersdeaths.htm
Doc Holliday said:
Doc, I'm disappointed in you!!! You forgot to mention the most hated manager in the history of GP Wrestling, the original "Brain" of wrestling years before Bobby Heenan stole the moniker...Eddie "The Brain" Creatchman!
YVO, Kowalski came from the generation before steroid and cocaine abuse became epidemic in pro wrestling. It was also before the time of Vince McMahon who, in my opinion, has destroyed pro wrestling.
I met Killer Kowalski many years ago when he came with another wrestler Hans Schmidt ( who was actually a French Quebecer ) to see a country place my family was selling. Hans Schmidt actually bought it when Kowalski found that it was a little farther from Montreal than he was looking for.
Interesting article on him at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Kowalski
Rest in peace, Killer. You brought a little boy much joy when he was growing up watching you wrestle.
Techman
Techman said:
It's funny you mention him. He was part of the people i listed until i deleted his name since i wasn't sure how to spell his name. I can't remember exactly who he managed....was it the tag-team tandem of Pat Patterson & Ray Stevens?
By the way, Patterson later went on to work for Vince McMann. He is or was the guy who set up the bouts. It's a well-known fact among wrestling circles that he's openly gay.
The Brain managed Adbullah the Butcher and The Sheik, the original...not the feeble Iron Sheik of the WWF. Also Gilles 'The Fish' Poisson, Tarzan 'The Boot' Tyler, Don Leo Jonathan, and many more as they say.
Here's a great clip of The Brain in an interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4WltReFH1w&feature=related
Here's a great clip of The Brain in an interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4WltReFH1w&feature=related
Eddie Creatchman
Eddie Creatchman started as a wrestling referee in the late 1950's whose signature move was getting tangled in the ropes during the match and not being able to count-out the villain. He started managing in the late 1960's.
Techman said:
Eddie Creatchman started as a wrestling referee in the late 1950's whose signature move was getting tangled in the ropes during the match
and not being able to count-out the villain. He started managing in the late 1960's.
Other popular & lesser names from the golden age of wrestling in Mtl:
Johnny War Eagle
Billy Two Rivers
Bull Gregory (the fucker would spit at the crowd whenever he'd get it...totally gross! My brother hid under his chair & i regretted not bringing an umbrella!)
The Green Hornet
The Destroyer
Gigi the Greek (400 lbs guy who actually was pretty athletic)
Sailor White
Frenchie Martin
Roy Callender (Mr. Universe)
Edouard Ethifier
Jackie Wiecz (Edwouard Carpentier's nephew)
Len Shelley (i don't believe this bum's ever won a match....ever!)
Johnny War Eagle
Billy Two Rivers
Bull Gregory (the fucker would spit at the crowd whenever he'd get it...totally gross! My brother hid under his chair & i regretted not bringing an umbrella!)
The Green Hornet
The Destroyer
Gigi the Greek (400 lbs guy who actually was pretty athletic)
Sailor White
Frenchie Martin
Roy Callender (Mr. Universe)
Edouard Ethifier
Jackie Wiecz (Edwouard Carpentier's nephew)
Len Shelley (i don't believe this bum's ever won a match....ever!)
Some Details
War Eagle was a local bus driver - French Canadian.
Bull Gregory was a bouncer and partially owned a few bars including the SC up on St.Laurent below Cremazie that had the mermaid / pool gimmick.
Wrestling nephew.
The UFO was Bob Della Serra.
Floyd Creatchman - Eddie's, saw life imitate his wrestling personna.
Abdullah the Butcher, not from the Sudan, was very interesting to talk to.
The Leduc brothers were not.
Doc Holliday said:
War Eagle was a local bus driver - French Canadian.
Bull Gregory was a bouncer and partially owned a few bars including the SC up on St.Laurent below Cremazie that had the mermaid / pool gimmick.
Wrestling nephew.
The UFO was Bob Della Serra.
Floyd Creatchman - Eddie's, saw life imitate his wrestling personna.
Abdullah the Butcher, not from the Sudan, was very interesting to talk to.
The Leduc brothers were not.
eastender said:
I remember when his mugshot appeared in Montreal Matin one day. He & others had been arrested as part of a group of car thieves, if i remember correctly.
By the way, do you remember when Tarzan Tyler was killed in a car crash? I think he was with 2 other wrestlers & a referree, if i remember correctly.
Met him once. Very nice guy if i remember correctly. He had been invited for dinner at a friend's place. He showed up with a couple of others, including Edouard Carpentier. I remember being totally confused about how this could happen, since they had just fought against one another in the wrestling card's finale. That's when i started to realize that wrestling might be fixed, after all. Hey, what can i say? I was just a kid back then.
The Others
Bull Gregory had various interests that would get him into trouble.
Believe the other wrestlers were Pierre "Mad Dog" Lefebvre and Sailor White. Just before Christmas in the mid 1980's on the sweeping curve returning from Chicoutimi around Stoneham outside Quebec City.
When you had the Monday night card at th Paul Sauve in the late sixties / early seventies the combattants would eat together after the crowd had left at one of the restaurants across the street.
Doc Holliday said:I remember when his mugshot appeared in Montreal Matin one day. He & others had been arrested as part of a group of car thieves, if i remember correctly.
By the way, do you remember when Tarzan Tyler was killed in a car crash? I think he was with 2 other wrestlers & a referree, if i remember correctly.
Met him once. Very nice guy if i remember correctly. He had been invited for dinner at a friend's place. He showed up with a couple of others, including Edouard Carpentier. I remember being totally confused about how this could happen, since they had just fought against one another in the wrestling card's finale. That's when i started to realize that wrestling might be fixed, after all. Hey, what can i say? I was just a kid back then.
Bull Gregory had various interests that would get him into trouble.
Believe the other wrestlers were Pierre "Mad Dog" Lefebvre and Sailor White. Just before Christmas in the mid 1980's on the sweeping curve returning from Chicoutimi around Stoneham outside Quebec City.
When you had the Monday night card at th Paul Sauve in the late sixties / early seventies the combattants would eat together after the crowd had left at one of the restaurants across the street.
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