[Deathwatch] Walter "Killer" Kowalski, pro wrestler, 81

[Deathwatch Central]

Beloved former bad guy Kowalski dies at 81
By Mike Mooneyham
Sunday, August 31, 2008


Legendary pro wrestler Walter "Killer" Kowalski passed away late Friday
night at a Massachesetts hospital at the age of 81.

Kowalski had spent several months at a nursing home earlier this year
due to knee problems.

Kowalski, who had been in ill health for quite some time, had been
taken off life support nearly two weeks ago following a massive heart
attack on Aug. 8.

Kowalski, whose in-ring career spanned three decades and thousands of
bouts, was one of the top heels (bad guys) of his era. After retiring
in 1977, he began training wrestlers, and his students included such
names as Triple H, Chyna, Big John Studd, Perry Saturn, John Kronus,
Matt "A-Train" Bloom and Frankie Kazarian.

Kowalski, one of the most beloved men in the business, was a father
figure for many of those students.

Don Bravo described attending a birthday party for his trainer.

"Walter led his band of merry men to one of his favorite restaurants.
Six or seven large, scarred men with broken noses and tattoos sat
around a table, and we became 7- and 8-year-olds listening to our
favorite uncle tell war stories. What we were were disciples, breaking
break, listening to our master. And his sermon would be "Love one
another as I have loved you.'"

"Anyone who knows me knows that I have always attributed Walter with
all of my success in pro wrestling," Kazarian wrote on his blog. "He
took in a 20-year-old kid who had traveled 3,000 miles from southern
California, and embraced him like a son. He was kind enough to pass on
his extensive and unique knowledge of this business to me. From day
one, Walter became my trainer, and my friend. He guided me through
every step of pro wrestling, but more importantly, taught me how to be
a genuine, good person, and to treat others with respect, dignity and
class. I owe so much to Walter that I could never put it all in words.
The time we spent together is and always will be some of the most
precious memories I have, and I will keep it in a special place in my
heart."

Kowalski, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born to Polish immigrants
in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, traveled the world many times over and was
one of pro wrestling's major attractions during its golden age in the
'50s when the business gained a foothold on the new medium of
television.

The 6-7, 285-pound WWE Hall of Famer earned his nickname in 1954 when
an opponent, Yukon Eric, had his ear accidentally severed after a
Kowalski knee drop.

Kowalski married for the first time two years ago at the age of 79.
"What could I do? She told me she was pregnant," he would quip. 

Many thanks to Deathwatch Central for posting this obituary