[Whitey]

Hi, folks.

This is just a quick note to say that The Way Wrestling Was Promotion (T3WP) will be dedicating its two October 12 shows (at the Elks in W. Springfield) to the memory of Killer Kowalski.

I'll post more information about the shows soon.

-Doug "Whitey" Jackson

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

Wait a minute wait a minute hold it down.

By dedicating do you mean you're donating the gate to Theresa, or are you just using Walter's name to get the rub?

[GrayGhost]

I don't know the answer, but I know many promotions ring a bell in a salute of a deceased wrestler, etc, which to me is like a "dedication". That doesn't mean money is donated, or that there is any needed "rub".

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

Wait a minute hold it down hold it down.

A dedication and "dedicates" have two completley different meanings

[GrayGhost]

Go fix your arm brace, Iron Mike. No no no no nooo

[Whitey]

GrayGhost wrote:

I don't know the answer, but I know many promotions ring a bell in a salute of a deceased wrestler, etc, which to me is like a "dedication". That doesn't mean money is donated, or that there is any needed "rub".

Thanks, GrayGhost.

You are absolutely correct. We plan to at least ring the bell in honor of Killer Kowalski.

We'll have more event details soon. Richard has been working diligently to set the cards, and I expect to see them this weekend.

-Whitey
T3WP.com

[The Big Shill]

I would be upset at any company that did NOT acknowledge the passing of one of the greatest stars in the history of pro wrestling and the man who is the father of independent wrestling in New England. There would be NO independent wrestling in this area if were not for Walter Kowalski. We are all in his debt and it would be an insult not to at least acknowledge his passing.

[MAV]

The Big Shill wrote:

I would be upset at any company that did NOT acknowledge the passing of one of the greatest stars in the history of pro wrestling and the man who is the father of independent wrestling in New England. There would be NO independent wrestling in this area if were not for Walter Kowalski. We are all in his debt and it would be an insult not to at least acknowledge his passing.

I have a slight disagreement with my buddy Sheldon on this one. Not in a way that dishonors the memories of Killer Kowalski or really kills the well meaning emotion and respect behind his post, but I think it better clarifies what Killer meant to the area.

Independent wrestling's prevalence-the desire for individuals to strike out beyond the bounds of corporate, pre-packaged "big time" wrestling-was inevitable. It’s growth in other areas of the country attest to that. Walter IS responsible for a high percentage of whatever constitutes good, quality wrestling in this area though...and I think that's a more honorable badge for his memory to wear.

I don't know if Walter, peering down from heaven, would want to look at some of the stuff in this area and take credit for it. Not that this area is bad or worse than others-from what I've seen it's better than most regions. Kowalski can be credited with a lot of-if not most of-the quality stuff, but there's still a lot around that Walter would look down on from his particular cloud and say his always amusing and famous tag line for anyone familiar with him behind the scenes..."That is the SHITS"!

There would probably be independent wrestling...but there would be a whole lot less qualified guys doing it. The guys most influential in training me; Bryan Walsh, Chris Duffy, Danny Petiglio, Kevin Hughes, Phil Apollo and Jeff Costa-were all Kowalski alumni. A lot of guys-Bob Evans, Sonny Goodspeed, Dave Barron, Johnny Vegas and many, many more can claim the same kind of lineage. In turn, guys like us have tried to pass on what we've learned to guys like Shane Sharp, Christian Angers, Tom Kane, Mike Bennet and countless others.

Mike Hollow (an often unsung guy who worked VERY hard for the Chaotic Training Center), a direct Walter trainee, developed guys like Handsome Johnny/Don Chesterfield, Max Bauer, the Logans and again countless others. That doesn't even include active Kowalski trainees like Slick Wagner Brown.

I've said it before and it bears repeating...Walter has left an enormous hole for hacks like me to fill.

Mav

[GrayGhost]

It is a hole left by Walter which is being filled ably by a lot of top young talent right now in New England, guys like Blade, Frankie Arion, Brian Anthony, Antonio Thomas, Angers, Sharp, Diamond, Freitas, Nunes, and the list goes on and on. The men who train by "giving a damn" like Mav, Bob, Kevin Landry have a right to be proud, and to carry on the lineage of Killer Kowalski.

The loss of Killer is a definite huge hole in wrestling, but its nice to know that his vision of what pro wrestling should be is being carried on by top trainers, and their students.