Ion Croitoru
| Birth name | Ion William Croitoru |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 7, 1963 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | February 21, 2017 (aged 53) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bruiser Bedlam Johnny K-9 Taras Bulba Orhan Turgedan, The Terrible Turk The Mysterian |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Billed weight | 300 lb (140 kg) |
| Billed from |
Hamilton, Ontario Romania (WWF) |
| Trained by | Nick DeCarlo Vic Rossitini |
| Debut | 1984 |
| Retired | 1998 |
Ion William Croitoru (December 7, 1963 – February 21, 2017) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. To wrestling fans, Croitoru is better known by his ring names, Johnny K-9, Bruiser Bedlam, and Taras Bulba. He competed in several Canadian wrestling promotions, including Stampede Wrestling, and later wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He wrestled as a jobber in the WWF, but he was booked to win titles in several other promotions.
Croitoru was also known for his history of legal problems. He was a member of Satan's Choice, a biker gang. He was convicted of assault, trafficking cocaine and bombing a police station. In 2005, Croitoru was arrested for the murder of lawyer Lynn Gilbank and her husband Fred. After a lengthy investigation, the charges were dropped in June 2006 because of insufficient evidence. He worked as a security guard in Vancouver, British Columbia, until being arrested in May 2009 for conspiracy to commit murder. On January 24, 2011, Croitoru was charged with first degree murder in connection with the 2008 killing of Jonathan Barber in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Croitoru trained with Nick DeCarlo and Vic Rossitini before debuting in Stampede Wrestling in 1984.Bruce Hart gave Croitoru the ring name Orhan Turgedan, The Terrible Turk, a name Croitoru only wrestled under for a short time after leaving the promotion. He continued to wrestle in Canadian independent promotions, such as Grand Prix Wrestling in the Maritimes and Superstars of Wrestling in Windsor, Ontario.
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