TPB
11-27-2009, 11:50 PM
Eugene Nicholas Kiniski (born November 23, 1928), better known as Gene Kiniski, is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and the father of wrestlers Nick Kiniski and Kelly Kiniski. He was born outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Kiniski was one of the first World Champions in professional wrestling to have a previous background in football, after Bronko Nagurski.
Early life
One of six children of local politician Julia Kiniski and over six feet tall by the age of seventeen, Gene wrestled and played football at St. Joseph’s High School. In March 1947, he entered the annual Edmonton School’s Boxing and Wrestling Tournament at Westglen gymnasium. Due to his size, he was the lone heavyweight competing.
Gene captured the attention of Annis Stkus, a scout for the Edmonton Eskimos, of the then Western Interprovincial Football Union in 1949, (which later merged with the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union to form the Canadian Football League). Along with Kiniski, wrestlers Al Oeming and Stu Hart were at the training camp as well. Two of his Eskimos teammates were future wrestlers Wilbur Snyder and Joe Blanchard.
Gene secured himself a spot on the defensive line and his play earned him a scholarship to the University of Arizona. He was enrolled there from September 18, 1950 to January 26, 1952 and played on the defensive line for Bob Winslow. Rod Fenton recruited Kiniski into professional wrestling in Arizona in 1952.
He returned to Edmonton to play football for the Eskimos too, and he suffered a torn kneecap in the team’s first game against Saskatchewan in August 1952. Kiniski retired from football in 1953 to resume wrestling full-time.
His brother Julian was the local weatherman for many years on the Edmonton CBC affiliate.
Birth of a wrestling career
After retiring from football, Kiniski trained with Dory Funk Sr. and Tony Morelli for a wrestling career, eventually making his pro debut on February 13, 1952 in Tucson, Arizona, where he defeated Curly Hughes. Kiniski’s first exposure on television was in Southern California in 1954 alongside other wrestlers such as Wilbur Snyder and Bobo Brazil. One year later, he teamed up with John Tolos to win his first major championship, the International TV Tag Team title, in Los Angeles, then challenged NWA World Champion Lou Thesz in November 1954. As an emerging talent, Kiniski got the opportunity to wrestle Lou Thesz at the Olympic Auditorium on November 3, 1954. Kiniski lost in two straight falls.
From there, Kiniski ventured to San Francisco and teamed with Lord James Blears to win the territory's version of the NWA World Tag Team title three times in 1955; after that, he went to Texas and, wrestling as Gene Kelly, captured the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship in 1956.
Toronto and Montreal Runs
Kiniski began wrestling in his native Canada for the first time in November 1956, debuting for Toronto's Maple Leaf Wrestling. His first main-event match in the territory took place at Maple Leaf Gardens in January 1957, when he teamed with Buddy Rogers against Whipper Billy Watson and Pat O'Connor and saw the beginning of a lengthy feud with Watson that spanned across Canada; the Kiniski-Watson feud gained national exposure due to their matches sometimes being seen on CBC Television. He also challenged NWA World Heavyweight titleholders Watson, Thesz and Dick Hutton for the title on several occasions between 1955 and 1957.
In 1957, Kiniski competed in Montreal and Toronto. His feuds with Whipper Billy Watson, Yukon Eric, Edouard Carpentier, and Pat O’Connor pushed his career further.
Gene captured the British Empire title from O’Connor on May 2, 1957, and the Montreal version of the world title from Carpentier on June 12, 1957. Kiniski headlined a wrestling card at Delormier stadium in Montreal, where he dropped the Montreal world title to Killer Kowalski on July 17, 1957 in front of 21,000 fans.
Championship runs
Kiniski joined the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1960 and defeated AWA World Champion Verne Gagne to win the title on July 11, 1961, also capturing the AWA World Tag Team title twice with Hard Boiled Haggerty. The title reign lasted less than a month. Kiniski won another title in West Texas a year later.
In 1962, Kiniski began what became the peak period of his career when he went to Vancouver to join NWA All Star Wrestling. Early on, he won the NWA British Empire Heavyweight title twice and the Pacific Coast Tag Team title three times, and he challenged again for the NWA World title, taking on Rogers in a main event at Empire Stadium in Vancouver on July 30, 1962 (Rogers beat Kiniski to retain his title), and Thesz in 1963. He made Vancouver his home base while also making appearances in other promotions throughout North America and in Japan, particularly a lengthy stint in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in 1964; while there, he challenged WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino several times. Kiniski wrestled Sammartino on November 16, 1964 at Madison Square Garden. Thinking that he had pinned Sammartino in the second fall, Kiniski took the belt and left the ring. Despite being counted out, Kiniski kept the title until a rematch on December 14 settled the matter of who was the real champion.
He also went to Dick the Bruiser's Indianapolis-based World Wrestling Association in December 1965 and captured its World Heavyweight title, holding it for four months. A few weeks later, Kiniski earned the opportunity to contend for the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight title.
The pinnacle of Kiniski's career finally came on January 7, 1966, when he defeated Thesz to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in St. Louis, Missouri in front of 11,612 fans at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis.
Heel champion
Compared to Thesz, Kiniski was a heel and was very comfortable in his role as a “bad guy” world champion. As world champion, Kiniski wrestled many well-known luminaries. These included Bobo Brazil, Dick the Bruiser, Johnny Valentine, Bill Watts, Edouard Carpentier, Pat O’Connor, and the Funks, Terry and Dory, Jr., respectively.
He travelled worldwide to defend his title during his three-year reign as champion, including making frequent stops back in Vancouver to defend his title in NWA All Star, taking on challengers such as Lou Thesz, Don Leo Jonathan, Dutch Savage, Bill Dromo, Bearcat Wright, John Tolos, Chris Tolos, Abdullah the Butcher, Haystacks Calhoun, Bobby Shane, Dean Higuchi, Tex McKenzie and Paddy Barrett in the promotion.
After stops in Honolulu, Tokyo, and becoming the first World Champion to appear in Los Angeles in more than 11 years in November 1968, Kiniski was exhausted. At the 1968 NWA Convention, Kiniski announced that it was time to step down. Gene agreed to lose the championship to Dory Funk, Jr. He went down to a spinning toehold on February 11, 1969 in Tampa.
Continued...
Early life
One of six children of local politician Julia Kiniski and over six feet tall by the age of seventeen, Gene wrestled and played football at St. Joseph’s High School. In March 1947, he entered the annual Edmonton School’s Boxing and Wrestling Tournament at Westglen gymnasium. Due to his size, he was the lone heavyweight competing.
Gene captured the attention of Annis Stkus, a scout for the Edmonton Eskimos, of the then Western Interprovincial Football Union in 1949, (which later merged with the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union to form the Canadian Football League). Along with Kiniski, wrestlers Al Oeming and Stu Hart were at the training camp as well. Two of his Eskimos teammates were future wrestlers Wilbur Snyder and Joe Blanchard.
Gene secured himself a spot on the defensive line and his play earned him a scholarship to the University of Arizona. He was enrolled there from September 18, 1950 to January 26, 1952 and played on the defensive line for Bob Winslow. Rod Fenton recruited Kiniski into professional wrestling in Arizona in 1952.
He returned to Edmonton to play football for the Eskimos too, and he suffered a torn kneecap in the team’s first game against Saskatchewan in August 1952. Kiniski retired from football in 1953 to resume wrestling full-time.
His brother Julian was the local weatherman for many years on the Edmonton CBC affiliate.
Birth of a wrestling career
After retiring from football, Kiniski trained with Dory Funk Sr. and Tony Morelli for a wrestling career, eventually making his pro debut on February 13, 1952 in Tucson, Arizona, where he defeated Curly Hughes. Kiniski’s first exposure on television was in Southern California in 1954 alongside other wrestlers such as Wilbur Snyder and Bobo Brazil. One year later, he teamed up with John Tolos to win his first major championship, the International TV Tag Team title, in Los Angeles, then challenged NWA World Champion Lou Thesz in November 1954. As an emerging talent, Kiniski got the opportunity to wrestle Lou Thesz at the Olympic Auditorium on November 3, 1954. Kiniski lost in two straight falls.
From there, Kiniski ventured to San Francisco and teamed with Lord James Blears to win the territory's version of the NWA World Tag Team title three times in 1955; after that, he went to Texas and, wrestling as Gene Kelly, captured the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship in 1956.
Toronto and Montreal Runs
Kiniski began wrestling in his native Canada for the first time in November 1956, debuting for Toronto's Maple Leaf Wrestling. His first main-event match in the territory took place at Maple Leaf Gardens in January 1957, when he teamed with Buddy Rogers against Whipper Billy Watson and Pat O'Connor and saw the beginning of a lengthy feud with Watson that spanned across Canada; the Kiniski-Watson feud gained national exposure due to their matches sometimes being seen on CBC Television. He also challenged NWA World Heavyweight titleholders Watson, Thesz and Dick Hutton for the title on several occasions between 1955 and 1957.
In 1957, Kiniski competed in Montreal and Toronto. His feuds with Whipper Billy Watson, Yukon Eric, Edouard Carpentier, and Pat O’Connor pushed his career further.
Gene captured the British Empire title from O’Connor on May 2, 1957, and the Montreal version of the world title from Carpentier on June 12, 1957. Kiniski headlined a wrestling card at Delormier stadium in Montreal, where he dropped the Montreal world title to Killer Kowalski on July 17, 1957 in front of 21,000 fans.
Championship runs
Kiniski joined the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1960 and defeated AWA World Champion Verne Gagne to win the title on July 11, 1961, also capturing the AWA World Tag Team title twice with Hard Boiled Haggerty. The title reign lasted less than a month. Kiniski won another title in West Texas a year later.
In 1962, Kiniski began what became the peak period of his career when he went to Vancouver to join NWA All Star Wrestling. Early on, he won the NWA British Empire Heavyweight title twice and the Pacific Coast Tag Team title three times, and he challenged again for the NWA World title, taking on Rogers in a main event at Empire Stadium in Vancouver on July 30, 1962 (Rogers beat Kiniski to retain his title), and Thesz in 1963. He made Vancouver his home base while also making appearances in other promotions throughout North America and in Japan, particularly a lengthy stint in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in 1964; while there, he challenged WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino several times. Kiniski wrestled Sammartino on November 16, 1964 at Madison Square Garden. Thinking that he had pinned Sammartino in the second fall, Kiniski took the belt and left the ring. Despite being counted out, Kiniski kept the title until a rematch on December 14 settled the matter of who was the real champion.
He also went to Dick the Bruiser's Indianapolis-based World Wrestling Association in December 1965 and captured its World Heavyweight title, holding it for four months. A few weeks later, Kiniski earned the opportunity to contend for the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight title.
The pinnacle of Kiniski's career finally came on January 7, 1966, when he defeated Thesz to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in St. Louis, Missouri in front of 11,612 fans at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis.
Heel champion
Compared to Thesz, Kiniski was a heel and was very comfortable in his role as a “bad guy” world champion. As world champion, Kiniski wrestled many well-known luminaries. These included Bobo Brazil, Dick the Bruiser, Johnny Valentine, Bill Watts, Edouard Carpentier, Pat O’Connor, and the Funks, Terry and Dory, Jr., respectively.
He travelled worldwide to defend his title during his three-year reign as champion, including making frequent stops back in Vancouver to defend his title in NWA All Star, taking on challengers such as Lou Thesz, Don Leo Jonathan, Dutch Savage, Bill Dromo, Bearcat Wright, John Tolos, Chris Tolos, Abdullah the Butcher, Haystacks Calhoun, Bobby Shane, Dean Higuchi, Tex McKenzie and Paddy Barrett in the promotion.
After stops in Honolulu, Tokyo, and becoming the first World Champion to appear in Los Angeles in more than 11 years in November 1968, Kiniski was exhausted. At the 1968 NWA Convention, Kiniski announced that it was time to step down. Gene agreed to lose the championship to Dory Funk, Jr. He went down to a spinning toehold on February 11, 1969 in Tampa.
Continued...