I go back even farther as a fan when I was a kid, back to the Graham Brothers/Lewin and Curtis "feuds". While other wrestlers like the Grahams or Georgeous George played the crowd at being a heel very successsfully, Killer was just a menacing figure in the ring, basically ignoring the crowd but striking fear and anger because of how fierce and destructive he was in the ring. And a great interview. Articulate and equally menacing with the mike. Very few were as good as he was as the epitome of a heel back then. The wrestling world lost an icon.

Good to know that someone has a simular story as I do. Even sounds like I saw that one. Tickets were $7 then, and my father and I would attend. I miss those times just as much as I miss him. I am 40 years of age. My parents were a working class couple who at that time was huge wrestling fans! If I can remember correctly we called these Tony Garea/Kowalski matches; pleminary matches in which sometimes they would split up a tag team and place them in singles matches on the undercard.

Thanks for helping me remember those good times with my dad.

I started watching wrestling at about the same time and same age. Kowalski was/is the original prototype heel in my experiences. He was extemely nasty and intimidating in the ring to an extent that went way beyond his physical presence. Saw him wrestle Sammartino, Strongbow, Garea, and others back in the 70s in Madison Square Garden. Great memories!

The late, great Killer Kowalski. What a name for a wrestler. He was a great 'bad guy' wrestler and entertainer. His bouts with Bruno Sammartino were classic at the old Baltimore Civic Center. Even as a masked man The Executioner, he was awesome for the 'sport'. The old wrestlers from the '50's, '60's and '70's have out lived those in the squared circle from the '80's and '90's.
Thank you, Killer K, for allowing our stress to leave our bodies. One last time: Boooooooooooooooooo.

Many of the current readers I would guess are not old enough to remember Killer Kowalski . But I too remember as a child watching the likes of Kowalski , Pedro Morales , The Unpredictable Johnny Rodz , etc . Those were "the days".
Killer should also be remembered for the very sucessful wrestling school that he ran for many years . It's sad to read of his passing .
Thanks Kevin for taking the time to recognize him .

Ahhh, what a villian! Kevin, you and I must be around the same age, and Killer was the epitome of villianry. I was a total mark for him and when he was one of The Executioners. I can look back and chuckle at the outrage I felt whenever The Executioners defeated Chief Jay and his partner in some underhanded way.
My other favorite memory of Killer was watching him one Saturday afternoon - channel 45, of course, - and when he was stomping some poor jobber - SD Jones, maybe - my Grandmother walked past the set and remarked about how awful it was of him to kick a man when he was down, Uh, Grandma, that's Killer Kowalski, he might bite a man when he is down next.
Anyway, one of the great ones.
Thanks so much for the blog Kevin.

The Civic Center! I go back a lot further, to the days of the old Baltimore Coliseum, on Monroe Street. And, I remember the likes of Pat O'Conner, Abe Jacobs, Edwuard Carpontier, Rocca, Johnny Valentine and Chief Big Heart. About Killer Kowalski, arguably, the most underated super-star of all time. Rest in Peace.

I think one of the best legacies (apart from one of the best heels ever) is the number of current wrestlers who he trained...Triple H being possibly his most successful student

I remember when Kowalski first put on a mask because he claimed opponents were always grabbing his ears, and he went on to putting a foreign object in his mask for a head butt whenever he was in touble. Ah, those were the days. Also, always knew he was one of the Executioners, just didn't know til later that the other was Big John Studd.

He will always be remembered...A true legend in my opinion.