Thursday, September 04, 2008
Walter 'Killer' Kowalski
Walter "Killer" Kowalski, who died on Saturday aged 81, was a self-proclaimed bad boy of professional wrestling, enjoying a notoriety as synthetic as the grimaces, grunts and groans that riveted television audiences across America in the 1950s.
In the sweaty, heaving toils of the wrestling ring, Kowalski – at 6ft 7in and 19½ stone – loomed extremely large as one of its most hated stars, having made his name in 1952 during a bout in Montreal.
After accidentally tearing off the cauliflower ear of his opponent, known as Yukon Eric, Kowalski made a carefully-publicised visit to the vanquished fighter's hospital bed, where Kowalski took one look at his bandaged head and burst out laughing. "I swear, the first thing I thought of was Humpty Dumpty," Kowalski recalled. "Yukon Eric looked at me, shook his head and smiled. I started laughing and he laughed too." - Telegraph UKLabels: Wrestling
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