Wrestling pioneer "Killer" Kowalski Dies at 81

ESPN ^ | 8/30/08

[richmwill]

EVERETT, Mass. -- Pro wrestling pioneer Walter "Killer" Kowalski has died from a heart attack. He was 81. Kowalski died Saturday after being taken off life support at a hospital in Everett, Mass. He had a heart attack on Aug. 8. The death was announced on Kowalski's Web site. Kowalski, a 6-foot-7, 285-pound wrestler, earned his nickname in 1954 by dropping Yukon Eric during a match in Montreal. He became famous for various moves, including a grip called the "Killer Clutch." 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.

[rockabyebaby]

RIP Killer, you were one of a kind.

[Maine Mariner]

RIP Killer.

My parents and I watched professional wrestling on Saturday nights. I remember Killer, Vern Gagne, Hansome Harley Race etc. What great times!

[JohnLongIsland]

For years he ran Wrestling University (legend has it you get a better education there, than what Plugs and Obama received at the Ivys) for all these WWE stars.

[PGalt]

Condolences to Walter “Killer” Kowalski’s family and friends. I certainly enjoyed him, Dick the Bruiser, Leapin Larry Chene, and the rest of them when I was much younger.

[Inspectorette]

Dear Killer - you were one of a kind. Will never forget the great fun watching you on Saturday afternoons when I was a kid. "AARRRGGH - it's the claw hold!!!!"

May the angels guide you into paradise.

[capt. norm]

there are still those who think pro wrestling is real and not staged. Due to a sudden illness at a TV station in Pensacola, the regular wrestling match announcer has to be replaced at the last minute by an announcing staff member that knew nothing about wrestling. He was told that all he had to do is follow the script and it would go just fine.

He did follow the script to the letter....but he got ahead of the wrestlers and it got funnier by the minute. This was in the late 1960's so there was no way to record it on a vcr, but it still ranks as one of the funniest TV events in my life. It wasn't just a temporary laugh....it went on and on and got even funnier. I had people in neighboring apartments tuning it in to watch.

One idiot thought, for a moment, that the announcer had ESP and was able to predict the moves before they happened.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

*** Kowalski, a 6-foot-7, 285-pound wrestler, earned his nickname in 1954 by dropping Yukon Eric during a match in Montreal. ****

Back in the days when wrestling was still fun to watch, even though you knew it was fake. Not like this silly stuff that passes for wrestling today.

[shamusotoole]

I lived, for several years, across the street from Joe Pazendak, another wrestler of this era.

He was an interesting guy who had been trained by “Strangler Lewis” and Lou Thez. He told me that in the old days on the circuit, the purses were split 60/40 and that although there was a script, and although they knew how to fall without injury and protected one another somewhat by not breaking joints, they wrestled like heck for that 20%.

He said “Strangler” had taught him that it wasn’t the holds or throws that won matches, it was aerobic conditioning. They literally wrestled heart against heart, until one was too exhausted to continue.

[Eagle Eye]

Dr. X and Billy Robinson were my favorites.

Then there was Wahoo McDaniel that seemed to have played for every NFL team out there...any time I watched wrestling in a different market he always played for the local NFL team!

[El Gato]

Rest in Peace.. you've earned it.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.