Walter Kowalski- A Legend Not Lost

     I owe so much to professional wrestling. In 1966, I sat on my bed reading Wrestling Revue and the story I was reading was about wrestler Ernest Bemis who was better known in the WWWF as "Mr. Kleen". He was quoted as saying,"Every young boy should own a set of weights". That was all I needed to hear. I started in 1967 and never stopped.  I came in 2nd in the 1974 Eastern States Powerlifting Championships. I mentioned it to Messrs. LaBranche and Phinney in my interview for my first teaching job. They were genuinely impressed and thought I'd be a good role model for the Special kids that I would teach. This career went a span of 35 years and if I helped any of those kids it was because of a pro wrestler inspiring me to better myself. This story is a homage to all those that fought in the squared circle and in particular to one hero who touched me deeply.


Walter Kowalski- A  Legend Not Lost,
by Peter Vuono
     The sport of professional wrestling oftentimes suffers the burden of scandal.  At the same time, however there is always a hero who acts as a buffer and stands head an shoulders above all controversy. Walter"Killer: Kowalski was such a man. Kowalski, whose name is synonymous with "Legend" passed away August 30, 2008 in Everett, Ma. due to a massive heart attack he received August 8th. He was 81.
     Kowalski was born Oct. 13, 1926 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He later moved to the Detroit area and took up weight training at an early age because of a heart murmur. After high school he enrolled in the prestigious Assumption College in Worcester, Ma. but was forced to drop out after his Freshman year because his dad, a Polish immigrant, could not afford to continue funding Walter's schooling.
     Kowalski worked at the Ford Motor Company as an electrician's apprentice. He continued to train at local gyms and succeeded in building  a tremendous muscular confirmation. Walter, who would attain a height of 6'7" and eventually weigh 265-275 lbs.drew the attention of local wrestlers who asked him to join them in their training. This led to frequent trips to St. Louis and it was here that Kowalski had to decide on whether to stay with Ford or wrestle. He decided to depart from the company and was trained by the immortal Lou Thesz. It was here that a wrestling legend was born.
     Because of his height, Herculean physique and good looks, Kowalski, who was born Edward Walter Spulnik, chose the name "Tarzan" Kowalski. However , in 1954 in a match in Montreal, a misplaced knee accidentally tore the cauliflowered ear off Yukon Eric and Kowalski was later dubbed by reporters-"Killer".
     Kowalski, who is the only professional wrestler in the New England Sports Hall of Fame, enjoyed a career that most wrestlers can only dream about. He garnered no fewer than 19 different titles, most notably the WWF World Tag-Team title with his former student, the late John(Mitton) Studd. Kowalski wrestled in the Far East, Australia and Africa. He took on every  contemporary wrestler, most notably, Bruno Sammartino. This author personally witnessed Kowalski wrestle Sammartino in July of 1968 at Fenway Park in front of 17,500 fans long before the tool of cablevision was used for hype.
     After a match in Providence in 1977, Kowalski retired and opened the Killer Kowalski Institue of Professional  Wrestling at the Young Men's Christian Union on Boylson St. in Boston which was the very same training quarters used by strongman John Y. Smith decades before. This school turned out superstars John Studd, Matt Bloom, Chyna, Mike Shaw and WWE champion Triple H.
     In a marvelous March 2, 1986 interview with Jerry Mikorenda of the Boston Herald, Kowalski was quoted as saying, "Scientists will tell you that it is physics that makes the world and universe revolve, but they are wrong, dead wrong. It's love. Everything in this planet responds to it."
     Kowalski was right. For the great physical presence and integrity that he projected served to inspire generation after generation of young men and women in their quest for physical and spiritual perfection. A process that will continue for many more generations to come. A wrestling hold that will never be broken.

"And there was one that  wrestled with him until daybreak"- Genesis- 32-26