https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOkfxbZJo-4
Wrestlers Trained
- Big John Studd
- Mike Shaw
- Misty Blu Simmes
- Chyna
- Triple H
- Perry Saturn
- Albert/A-Train
- Slyk Wagner Brown
- April Hunter Chris Nowinski
- Jonah Adelman
Title History
- 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 (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 (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 (September 1968);
- NWA Texas Brass Knuckles title (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 Ericin 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.
- February 24, 1970 – WWWF: Karl Kovacs & Killer Kowalski & Ivan Koloff beat Gorilla Monsoon & Victor Rivera & Lee Wong.
- March 24, 1970 – WWWF: Ivan Koloff vs. Killer Kowalski ended in a No Contest – also in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
- 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 Iron Mike Mazurki Award, the Cauliflower Alley 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.Ox Baker helped Killer Kowalski into the ring where they got a bye because their opponants no-showed – so they advanced to the 2nd round. They met Gino Martino and Superstar Richard Byrne in the ring in the next round. Richard Byrne is an old veteran wrestler who actually was one of Killers first students (Kowalski’s gym was in his karate dojo for like 17 years before he moved it to Chaotic) and Gino who has been a close personal friend of Ox Baker for ages – got on the house mic and really put over their mentors which got a pretty good ovation as they both jumped out of the ring for a ten count to advance Ox & KILLER. Heels Tony Roy & Tre the Smooth Operating Gangsta made it to the final by cheating. After the annoucement of Ox and Killer in the final got jumped and beat up as they fought the two guys off. Tony entered the ring and took a pummeling by Ox and GOT HIT with a heart punch. OX tagged off to Killer as Tre was backing up and he turned around and got the CLAW! Tre submitted and they won-big standing ovation-there was about 250-maybe 300 there and it got a huge pop
- 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.