Walter 'Killer' Kowalski

October 13th, 1926 - August 30th, 2008

Real Name: Wladek Kowalski
Birthday: October 13, 1926
Hometown: Born in Windsor, Ontario, Billed from Hamtramack, Michigan, Lived in Salem, Massachusetts
Marital Status: Engaged to Theresa
Height & Weight: 6'7" - 290lbs
Trained by: Lou Thesz
Debut: 1947
Previous Gimmicks: Tarzan Kowalski (St Louis), The Masked Executioner, The Masked Destroyer
Finishing Move: The Claw
Favorite Moves: Flying Knee Drop
Notable Feuds: Whipper Watson, Yukon Eric, Bruno Sammartino, John Tolos, Mad Dog Vachon, Don Arnold, Pepper Gomez, Pedro Morales

Titles Held:
# NWA Texas Heavyweight title defeating Buddy Rogers (????, 1950)
# NWA Texas Tag Team titles defeating Danny Savich & Duke Keomuka in a Handicap Match (December 11, 1950)
# NWA (San Francisco) Pacific Coast Tag Team titles w/Hans Hermann defeating ????? (????, 1951)
# NWA (Central States) Heart of America Heavyweight title defeating Bill Longson (January 25, 1951)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Bobby Managoff (April 2, 1952)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Vern Gagne (May 6, 1953)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Yvon Robert (August 19, 1953)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Antonio Rocca via forfeit (May 19, 1954)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Pat O` Connor (November 10, 1954)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Don Leo Jonathan (December 14, 1955)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Yvon Robert (May 30, 1956)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Hard Boiled Haggerty (October ??, 1956)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Gene Kiniski (July 17, 1957)
# ACC (Boston) World Heavyweight title defeating Edouard Carpentier (October ??, 1958)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Buddy Rogers (December 2, 1959)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Buddy Rogers (June 8, 1960)
# NWA Central States Tag Team titles w/Bulldog Austin defeating Medics (????, 1961)
# NWA (Vancouver) Pacific Coast Tag Team titles w/Ox Anderson defeating Guy & Joe Brunetti (August 22, 1961)
# NWA (Calgary) Canadian Heavyweight title recognized as champion (November 17, 1961)
# NWA (Vancouver) Pacific Coast Tag Team titles w/Gene Kiniski defeating Roy McClarty & Billy Watson (January 22, 1962)
# NWA (Calgary) Canadian Heavyweight title defeating Czaya Nandor (July 6, 1962)
# AWA (Montreal) International Heavyweight title defeating Johnny Rougeau (July 23, 1962)
# Stampede International Tag Team titles w/Jim Wright defeating Dominic Bravo & Ron Etchison (March 22, 1963)
# Stampede International Tag Team titles w/Jim Wright defeating ???? (May 3, 1963)
# WWWF United States Tag Team titles w/Gorilla Monsoon defeating Brute Bernard & Skull Murphy (November 14, 1963)
# IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title Awarded (October ??, 1964)
# IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Hercules Cortez (June ??, 1965)
# NWA (Hawaii) United States Heavyweight title defeating Curtis Iaukea (November 3, 1965)
# IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Spiros Arion (December ??, 1965)
# IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Billy White Wolf (May ??, 1967)
# IWA (Australia) World Tag Team titles w/Skull Murphy defeating Red Bastien & Mario Milano (August 25, 1967)
# IWA (Australia) World Heavyweight title defeating Bearcat Wright (September 1, 1967)
# IWA (Australia) World Tag Team titles w/Skull Murphy defeating Red Bastien & Mario Milano (October 25, 1967)
# Iowa Tag Team titles w/Ripper Daniels defeating ???? (September ??, 1968)
# NWA Texas Brass Knuckles title defeating ????? (November ??, 1970)
# IWA (Australia) World Tag Team titles w/Mark Lewin defeating Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch (March ??, 1971); # NWA (Los Angeles) Americas Heavyweight title defeating Frankie Laine (January 31, 1972)
# NWA (Los Angeles) Americas Tag Team titles w/Kinji Shibuya defeating Dory Dixon & Raul Mata (April 25, 1972)
# NWA (Florida) Southern Heavyweight title defeating Jerry Brisco (October ??, 1975)
# WWWF Tag Team titles w/John Studd (as Exacutioners) defeating Louis Cerdan & Tony Parisi (May 11, 1976);

Career Highlights:
In The Beginning:
# Wladek Kowalski was born in Windsor, Ontario, and is the son of Polish immigrants.
# Wladek Kowalski worked at an automobile factory with his father before getting into professional wrestling.

Getting into the Business:
# 1947: Wladek Kowalski debuted in the St. Louis territory as "Tarzan Kowalski"..
# August 22, 1950: Wladek Kowalski defeated Buddy Rogers to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight title in Dallas, TX..
# ~~~Wladek Kawolski also won the Texas Tag Team titles later the same year..
# 1951: Wladek Kowalski defeated "Whipper" Billy Watson to win the Central States Heavyweight title..
# Wladek Kowalski formed an almost undefeatable tag team with the german powerhouse Hans Herman..
# ~~~1951: Wladek Kowalski & Hans Herman won the NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team titles in San Francisco..
# January 14, 1953: Wladek Kowalski wrestled Yukon Eric in the first pro wrestling match to be televised in Canada at the Montreal Forum..

KILLER Kowalski:
# 1954: Wladek Kowalski once again faced Yukon Eric at the Montreal Forum -- where he would earn the name "Killer" Kowalski..
# ~~~During the match, Wladek Kowalski nailed Yukon Eric with flying knee drop, severing Eric's ear!
# Killer Kowalski won the AWA/IWA (Montreal) World Heavyweight title a total of 8 times between 1952-1962..
# Killer Kowalski travelled to New York City to be a part of the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF)..
# ~~~Killer Kowalski established himself as a top heel on the east coast, and feuded with World Champion Bruno Sammartino..
# 1963: Killer Kowalski teamed with a heel Gorilla Monsoon and won the WWWF United States Tag Team titles..
# 1965: Killer Kowalski travelled to the NWA's Hawaiian territory and won the promotion's version of the U.S. Heavyweight title..
# 1970: Killer Kowalski won the Texas Brass Knuckles title..
# January 31, 1972: Killer Kowalski travelled to Los Angeles and beat John Tolos for the NWA America's Heavyweight title..
# ~~~Killer Kowalski & Kinji Shibuya won the NWA America's Tag Team titles..

Part Time Wrestler / Part Time Trainer:
# Mid-1970s: Killer Kowalski began to direct more attention at training young up-and-comers..
# May 11, 1976: Killer Kowalski teamed with one of his students, Big John Studd, under masks, calling themselves The Executioners..
# ~~~The Executioners defeated Louis Cerdan & Tony Parisi to capture the WWWF Tag Team titles..
# ~~~October 26, 1976: A third Executioner (Nikolai Volkoff) joined the group and the Executiners were stipped of the titles!
# 1977: Killer Kowalski retired from professional wrestling, after nearly three decades and over 6000 matches..

Killer Kowalski Institute of Professional Wrestling:
# 1978: Killer Kowalski moved to Salem, Massachusetts (near Boston) and opened his own wrestling school..
# Killer Kowalski has trained Perry Saturn, Triple H, and Chyna (Amung others)..
# November 1987: Killer Kowalski appeared in the WWF old-timers battle royal which was won by Lou Thesz..
# 1996: Killer Kowalski was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame..
# February 2002: Killer Kowalski was awarded with the Mike Mazurki Award, the Cauliflower Ally Club's top honor..
# September 2003: Killer Kowalski closes down his Massachusetts-based wrestling school..
# The name Killer Kowalski's Pro Wrestling School has been acquired by the Chaotic Training Center in North Andover, MA..
# February 2004: Killer Kowalski sells his ring (the one Triple H, Chyna and others trained in) on EBay..
# April 15, 2006--Big Time Wrestling: Killer Kowalski was honored by the promotions and all the wrestlers and gave a speech..
# March 24, 2007--United States Wrestling Federation: Ox Baker & Killer Kowalski teamed up for a Tag Team Tournament..
# June 14, 2007: Walter "Killer" Kowalski was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in Troy, Michigan..
# April 2008: Killer Kowalski spent time in a physical rehabilitation center in Massachusetts recovering from several knee injuries..
# August 8, 2008: Walter "Killer" Kowalski suffered a heart attack and was eventually taken off life support..
# August 30, 2008: Walter "Killer" Kowalski passed away almost two weeks after being taken off of life support...

Thanks to onlineworldofwrestling for the above information.