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Another wrestling legend has passed with Gene Kiniski succuming to cancer on Wednesday at the age of 81.
Gene Kiniski was inducted into the Wrestling Clothesline Independent Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2009. For more on Kiniski you can click here.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Mr. Kiniski.
Canuck Gene Kiniski, the king of the ring in 1960s wrestling, dies of
cancer
(CP) – 41 minutes ago
BLAINE, Wash. — Former Canadian wrestling great Gene Kiniski, the king of the ring in the late 1960s, has died. He was 81.
Kiniski died at his home in Blaine, Wash., from cancer, according to friends and family.
Born near Edmonton on Nov. 23, 1928, he played three seasons for the Edmonton Eskimos but quit in 1953 to pursue pro wrestling after injuring his knee.
Known as "Big Thunder," Kiniski became famous in wrestling circuits from Vancouver to St. Louis and San Francisco and across the Pacific Ocean in Japan in the 1950s and '60s.
He often played the villain and was famous for his physical stamina, massive frame, and well-timed verbal barbs and jabs guaranteed to get under the skins of fans.
The high point of his career came in 1966, when he defeated Lou Thesz
in St. Louis to capture the National Wrestling Alliance world heavyweight
championship.
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Former pro wrestler Gene Kiniski dies
Wed Apr 14, 7:52 PM
EDMONTON (CBC) - Gene Kiniski, a former professional wrestler and member of the Edmonton Eskimos, died Wednesday morning.
Kiniski, 81, succumbed to cancer in a long-term care facility, his sister Dorothy Roberts said from her home in B.C.
"He was my baby brother. I was 13 when he was born so he was pretty special to me all his life," Roberts, 94, said.
Kiniski was born near Edmonton on Nov. 23, 1928, and was the youngest of six children. He started his pro wrestling career in 1953 after a knee injury prompted to quit the Eskimos after three seasons.
Kiniski worked in wrestling circuits in Canada, the United States and even in Japan in the 1950s and '60s. He kept wrestling until the early 1990s. He had been living recently in Blaine, Wash.
"He was a great performer, and to be a good wrestler you have to be a great performer," said Edmonton Coun. Ron Hayter, who knew Kiniski.
"Most of the time, he was a villain in the ring if you draw your conclusions on what he did in the ring, you'd think he was a pretty bad hombre. But in fact, he was a very interesting gentleman, and [I'm] very sad to hear that he's left us."
Kiniski's mother Julia Kiniski and his brother Julian both served on Edmonton city council.
Kiniski even acted in films. According to IMDB.com, he appeared as a
wrestler in Paradise Alley, a 1978 film starring Sylvester Stallone.
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Legendary wrestler Gene Kiniski dies, 81
Former football player was top 'villain'
By Jack Keating, The ProvinceApril 15, 2010 2:07 AM
Legendary pro wrestler Gene Kiniski, who proclaimed himself "Canada's greatest athlete" during a career that spanned five decades, has died.
He was 81.
As wrestling's No. 1 bad guy or villain, the 6 foot 5, 275-pound Kiniski was a top draw as the man everyone loved to hate during the glory days of the sport in Vancouver in the 1960s.
On July 30, 1962, more than 14,000 fans turned out at Empire Stadium to see Kiniski challenge world champion Buddy Rogers for the world title.
On that night, the fans cheered the Canadian-born Kiniski against the American hero Rogers, who successfully defended his title.
Born in Edmonton, Kiniski was a football player in high school, then at the University of Arizona on a scholarship. He played for the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League in 1952 and 1953. But he soon learned he could make more money on the pro wrestling circuit, so he switched occupations and quickly found that self-promotion was the way to stardom.
He became the archrival of Canadian wrestling hero Whipper Billy Watson and regularly battled the likes of Killer Kowalski, Hard-Boiled Haggerty, Sweet Daddy Siki, Bearcat Wright, Don Leo Jonathan and Haystack Calhoun.
"He was hissed and booed up the ladder until he became the villain's villain of Canadian wrestling," Jack Moore wrote in The Province on the eve of his world-title fight with Rogers.
"I'm not too proud to promote myself," Kiniski told Moore. "And I'm also willing to advertise the sport of wrestling any time I get the chance."
Kiniski went on to become the world champion, defeating Lou Thesz for the National Wrestling Alliance heavyweight title at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. on Jan. 7, 1966.
He remained world champion from 1966 to 1969 and wrestled as many as 250 times a year, packing Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, the Forum in Montreal, Madison Square Garden in New York and arenas in Japan. His last pro bout was in 1992.
"Dad lived a great life," Nick Kiniski, one of his two sons, said Wednesday. "His only regret would be that he wished he could do it again.
"He used to tell me that life wasn't a rehearsal, it was a one-time take. Some people just have that charisma where they can go anywhere and take over the room. People across Canada loved him and he loved them back."
Joe Keithley of punk band D.O.A. met Kiniski on the set of the movie Terminal City Ricochet in 1990 where the two played a couple of cops named officer "Friendly" and officer "Goodbuddy," respectively.
"He was a good man, that's for sure," said Keithley, who also had Kiniski act in a D.O.A. video for the song "We Know What You Want."
"We split a trailer on the [movie] set, so we actually spent a lot of time gabbing and joking and stuff like that. He was a character. A great guy."
Kiniski, who died after a battle with cancer in Blaine, Wash., is predeceased by his wife Marian.
He is survived by his two sons, Kelly and Nick.
jkeating@theprovince.com
