Gene Kiniski

Gene Kiniski
Kiniski holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1966
Born(1928-11-23)23 November 1928
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Died14 April 2010(2010-04-14) (aged 81)
Blaine, Washington, United States
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Gene Kiniski
Gene Kelly
Mighty Canadian
Big Thunder
Billed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Billed weight270 lb (120 kg)
Trained byDory Funk
Tony Morelli
DebutFebruary 13, 1952
RetiredFebruary 25, 1992

Eugene Nicholas "Gene" Kiniski (November 23, 1928 – April 14, 2010) was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He became one of the first World Champions in professional wrestling to have a former background in football, after Bronko Nagurski. Kiniski is best known for his time in many different NWA-owned territories where he won multiple championships.

Before starting his wrestling career, Kiniski played football with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). On his team, Kiniski was joined by future professional wrestlers Wilbur Snyder and Joe Blanchard. Al Oeming and Stu Hart were at the Eskimos training camp when Kiniski was trying out for the team.[1] Kiniski had a lengthy stint in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in 1964. During his time in the WWWF, Kiniski had matches against Bruno Sammartino and they had a match at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 1964.[1] After he Kiniski thought he had pinned Sammartino on the second fall, he took the championship and left. He was counted out be kept the championship until they had a rematch on December 14.[1]

On April 4, 2010, Jim Ross announced on his blog that Kiniski had "taken a turn for the worse and is battling to stay alive. 'Big Thunder's' cancer has spread to his brain and some speculate that is just a matter of time (before he dies)"[2] Kiniski died on April 14, 2010 in Blaine, Washington.[3]

Championships

  • American Wrestling Association
    • AWA United States Heavyweight Championship (two times)[4]
    • AWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time)[5]
    • AWA World Tag Team Championship (two times) (with Hard Boiled Haggerty)[6]
  • Cauliflower Alley Club
    • Other honoree (1992)[7]
  • Japan Wrestling Association
    • JWA All Asia Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Caripus Hurricane)[8]
    • NWA International Heavyweight Championship (one time)[9]
  • Maple Leaf Wrestling
    • NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship (Toronto version) (two times)[10]
    • NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship (two times) (with Fritz Von Erich (one) and Don Leo Jonathan (one))[11]
  • Montreal Athletic Commission
    • MAC International Heavyweight Championship (one time)[12]
  • NWA: All-Star Wrestling
    • NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver version) (two times)[10]
    • NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version) (ten times) (with Mr. X (two), Don Leo Jonathan (one), Bob Brown (two), The Brute (one), Dutch Savage (one), Mr. Saito (one), Dale Lewis (one), and Siegfried Steinke (one))[13]
    • NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver Version) (seven times)[14]
    • NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship (Vancouver Version) (three times) (with Killer Kowalski (one) and Hard Boiled Haggerty (two))[15]
  • NWA Chicago
  • NWA Los Angeles
    • NWA Los Angeles International Television Tag Team Championship (one time) (with John Tolos)[16]
  • NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions
    • NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship (two times)[17]
    • NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Hawaii Version) (three times)[18]
    • NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Lord James Blears)[19]
  • NWA San Francisco
    • NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (three times) (with Lord James Blears)[20]
  • NWA Western States Sports
    • NWA International Heavyweight Championship (Amarillo version) (one time)[21]
  • Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Southwest Sports, Inc.
    • NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (one time)[23]
    • NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Len Crosby)[24]
  • St. Louis Wrestling Club
    • NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (one time)[25]
    • NWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time)[26]
  • World Wrestling Association
    • WWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time)[27]
  • World Wide Wrestling Federation
    • WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (one time) (with Waldo Von Erich)[28]
  • St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
    • (Class of 2007)
  • National Wrestling Alliance
    • NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)[29]
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
    • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)[30]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 National Wrestling Alliance, The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling, p. 212, Tim Hornbaker, ECW Press, 2007, ISBN 1-55022-741-6
  2. ↑ "Happy Easter...JR's Rib 'Mania a hit at Homeland...Kiniski...Kanyon...Interesting Days Lie Ahead..FREE SHIPPING!". J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q. Archived from the original on 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  3. ↑ "Gene Kiniski passes". WWE. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  4. ↑ "A.W.A. United States Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  5. ↑ "American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  6. ↑ "American Wrestling Association World Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  7. ↑ "List of CAC Award Winners". Cauliflower Alley Club. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  8. ↑ "JWA All Asia Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  9. ↑ "NWA International Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "NWA British Empire Heavyweight Title (Toronto)". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  11. ↑ "Canadian Open Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  12. ↑ "World Heavyweight Title (Montreal)". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  13. ↑ "NWA Canadian Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  14. ↑ "NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  15. ↑ "NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  16. ↑ "NWA International Television Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  17. ↑ "Hawaii Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  18. ↑ "NWA North American Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  19. ↑ "NWA Hawaii Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  20. ↑ "National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  21. ↑ "NWA International Heavyweight Title (Amarillo)". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  22. ↑ "Gene Kiniski profile". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2009-07-05. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  23. ↑ "NWA Texas Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  24. ↑ "NWA Texas Tag Team Title (Amarillo)". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  25. ↑ "Missouri Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  26. ↑ "National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  27. ↑ "World Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  28. ↑ "WWWF United States Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  29. ↑ "Hall of Fame 2009". NWA Ringside. Archived from the original on 2015-05-29. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  30. ↑ "Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, 1996". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 2014-04-12.