Killer Kowalski-RIP

[Rich Goodale]

The inspiration behind The CLAW(tm)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/sports/01kowalski.html

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

Richard

Thanks for posting this. Killer was a huge inspiration to me throughout the formative years of my life. Unfortunately, I never properly thanked him.

Anthony

[Sean_A]

The inspiration behind The CLAW(tm)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/sports/01kowalski.html

Say Rihc, was this chap any relation to Arthur Killer Kane?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Kane

Ciao

[Rick Shefchik]

Kowalski married in 2006, his first marriage. In addition to his wife, of Malden, he was survived by a brother, Stanley Spulnik.

Sometimes you have to read pretty deeply into these stories to find the most interesting details.

[Bill_McBride]

I was a huge fan of Haystack Calhoun.

Could I become a member of the Hillbilly Tour?

[Mike Golden]

I was a huge fan of Haystack Calhoun.

Could I become a member of the Hillbilly Tour?

Bill,

I was about 13 and at the Pittsburgh airport (I think we had visited relatives in Canton, OH) and saw Haystacks Calhoun in the coffee shop at the airport-he was sitting on 2 chairs eating was was most likely half the menu.  Many years later, while on a shuttle bus at Logan Airport, I saw Andre the Giant sitting on a bench waiting for another bus-he looked very wasted and tired.

[Paul_Daley]

A sad day for us "rassling" nuts, where nostalgia runs rampant. Sure the the older we get, the better things used to be, but the era that Killer Kowalski performed in was the greatest: Mark Lewin; Tiger Singh; Killer Karl Cox; Skull Murphy; Brute Barnard; Big Tex McKenzie; a young Spiros Araon; Mario Milano; Dick "the Bulldog" Brower; Haystacks Calhoun, and others. Part of you knew it was acting, but in hindsight, they were far better actors than the current crop of pill-poppers.

[Phil Benedict]

Don't forget Dick the Bruiser.

[Walter Bart]

RIch

       Thanks for bringing back a piece of my childhood.  I remember my father taking me to see Killer against Yukon Eric.  It was either at the Boston Garden or the old Boston Arena, which  is now the MAtthews Arena at  Northeastern University, I think.

[John Keenan]

Since we are remembering wrestlers from the Golden Age we need to note the famous Gorgeous George and his gold "bobby pins"

A true classic from a much simpler time. Far different than what we have today.

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

Three words:


                               Chief Jay Strongbow!

[Scott Whitley]

RIP Killer.  Here in Toronto and environs, our heroes were Whipper Billy Watson, Dick the Bulldog Brower (already mentioned) and "Lord" Athol Layton, and our greatest villain was undoubtedly The Sheik (*not* the Iron Sheik of later days).