RIP Killer Kowalski

September 3, 9:36 AMSports ExaminerPaula Duffy

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     Pro wrestler Killer Kowalski in his prime

Killer Kowalski, wrestling star and coach, passed away last week. Before Triple H and Shawn Michaels there was the Killer and some of his pioneering wrestler pals: Gorilla Monsoon, Bruno Sammartino and "The Golden Boy," Arnold Skaaland.

As a little kid I learned that wrestling was show biz and great soap opera. You knew that hulking men falling on others from the height of the top rung of the wrestling ring meant that injuries should result from it all. You knew it but you watched anyway as the good guy crawled back up, seemingly awakened from a blackout, and trounced the bad guy.

The one exception was the legend of how Kowalski got the nickname of Killer; he landed on an opponent with a cauliflower ear and watched as part of it separated from the poor guy's head. I kid you not.

The roles of the good guys and bad guys didn't switch places as is more common today in this era's version of professional wrestling. There were no ring girls, steroid deaths (at least that we knew about) and elaborate costumes. Just good old fashioned hysterical ring announcers, moves like  "the claw hold" and great long matches.

Check out the video of Kowalski vs. then-heavyweight champ Bruno Sammartino with Kowalski's voiceover at the beginning. He said some matches lasted over an hour. Can you imagine that on Monday Night Raw?