Wladek Kowalski

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Killer Kowalski


Statistics
Ring name(s)	Tarzan Kowalski The Masked Executioner Big Ron Studd The Masked Destroyer Evil Killer Kowalski
Billed height	201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Billed weight	132 kg (275 lb)
Born	October 13, 1926 Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Resides	Malden, Massachusetts
Trained by	Lou Thesz
Debut	1947
Retired	1977

Wladek (Walter) "Killer" Kowalski (b. 1926) is a retired Polish-Canadian professional wrestler who was the centerpiece of the revival of his sport in the 1950s. He is also a devout vegetarian.

1 Career
2 Finishing/Signature Move(s)
3 Championships and accomplishments
4 External links

[edit] Career

The legendary Wladek "Killer" Kowalski wrestled over 6,000 bouts from 1947 to 1977 in a number of organizations, including the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and American Wrestling Association (AWA). Always a fearsome heel, the genuinely intimidating Kowalski stood a good deal taller than most of his opponents and was known for a mean, unrelenting attack on any and all comers. He was on the first ever televised wrestling program in Canada, and with his easy-to-remember moniker he benefited from the first wave of televised wrestling popularity in the 1950s. After being arguably the most well-known fighter of that era, Kowalski's fame continued as he became the main antagonist of Bruno Sammartino in the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the 1960s & 1970s.

Killer Kowalski was a huge star in Australia. There, wrestling reached a wider mainstream audience during the famed Barnett "Golden Years" than in any other country. The Killer was imitated by kids in school playgrounds across Australia, was a household name ("Who does that bloke think he is - Killer Kowalski?"), and won national headlines in 1967 when the top-rated talk show host Don Lane irritated the Killer during an apparently friendly interview and was attacked with the Kowalski claw hold - Lane needed medical assistance and was off the show for a week).

In a profession noted for its eccentrics and self-destructive elements, Kowalski was notable as a thoughtful and intellectual figure outside the ring, well-read, well-informed, a keen photographer and devotee of music.

After his retirement Kowalski started the very successful Killer Kowalski's Professional Wrestling School. Among the alumni of this school are Perry Saturn, John Kronus, Paul Levesque (better known as Hunter Hearst Helmsley or Triple H), Joanie Laurer (better known as Chyna) and Big John Studd. Kowalski has also trained Damien Kane, Chris Nowinski, Matthew Bloom (aka A-Train.), April Hunter, Frankie Kazarian, Nikki Roxx and Ken Doane (aka Kenny, formerly of the Spirit Squad).

He also made numerous post-retirement television appearances including Late Night with David Letterman in 1982, and was featured in a comic role in Michael Burlingame's surrealist film To a Random in 1986. "Lost in the B-Zone," a music video for Birdsongs of the Mesozoic which was derived from this film also prominently featured Kowalski.

Today, Walter Kowalski is seen as an elder statesman in his profession,a central figure in the history of television wrestling and its popularization in the twentieth century. The esteem with which he is held has been reflected in numerous honours and his installation in the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

[edit] Finishing/Signature Move(s)

Kowalski Claw (Clawhold)
Flying knee drop

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

American Wrestling Association

Montreal International Heavyweight Championship (11 times)

Atlantic Athletic Commission

AAC World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Central States Wrestling

NWA Central States Heavyweight Champion (1 time)

Championship Wrestling from Florida

NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (1 time)

Grand Prix Wrestling

Grand Prix Heavyweight Championship (9 times)

International Wrestling Alliance

IWA World Heavyweight Championship (5 times)
IWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
4-time IWA World Tag Team Championship (4 times) - with Skull Murphy (2), Bill Miller (1), and Mark Lewin (1)

Montreal Athletic Commission

Montreal World/International Heavyweight Championship (12 times)

National Wrestling Alliance

NWA Americas Championship (1 time)
NWA Americas Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Kinji Shibuya
NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii version) (1 time)
NWA Iowa Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ripper Daniels
NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time) - with Hans Herman
NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship(Vancouver version) (2 times) - with Ox Anderson (1) and Gene Kiniski (1)
NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
NWA Texas Tag Team Championship – by himself
NWA World Heavyweight Championship (Texas version) (1 time)