Kamala (wrestler)
| Kamala | |
|---|---|
Harris in 2009.
|
|
| Birth name | James Harris |
| Born |
May 28, 1950 Senatobia, Mississippi, United States |
| Residence |
Senatobia, Mississippi, United States |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Jim Harris Kimala Kamala The Mississippi Mauler Sugar Bear Harris Big Jim Harris Ugly Bear Harris The Ugandan Headhunter The Ugandan Giant |
| Billed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Billed weight | 387 lb (176 kg) |
| Billed from | Uganda |
| Trained by | Tiny Tim Hampton Mario Galento |
| Debut | 1974 |
| Retired | 2011 |
James "Jim" Harris (born May 28, 1950) is an American retired professional wrestler and author. For most of his career, Harris wrestled under the ring name Kamala, using a "wild savage" gimmick.
Harris was born in Senatobia, Mississippi, and grew up in Coldwater, Mississippi, where his family owned a furniture store. He had four sisters. When he was around four, his father was shot dead during a dice game. The family collected welfare to help pay the bills. He became a habitual burglar in his teens and, in 1967, local police suggested he leave town. As Harris put it, "Back then if you didn't leave like they said, you would be found dead somewhere." He relocated to Florida, where he picked fruit. At age 25, he moved to Michigan, where he met wrestler Bobo Brazil. Harris then began training as a wrestler, under Brazil's friend, "Tiny" Tim Hampton. He moved to Arkansas to continue training and escape the snow in Michigan.
Harris trained alongside Michael Hayes, Percy Pringle, and Terry Gordy. He debuted in 1978, facing The Great Mephisto. Harris originally wrestled as "Sugar Bear" Harris, then "Ugly Bear" Harris and "Big" Jim Harris.
He wrestled in the United Kingdom for several years, developing his skills and the character of The Mississippi Mauler (which had some similarities to the Kamala gimmick which later made him famous). Harris then returned to the United States.
While acquiring a new costume in Memphis, Tennessee, Harris was asked by Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett to adopt a new gimmick. Harris agreed, and, together with Lawler, created Kamala (originally spelled Kimala), drawing upon ideas for a character originally developed for Harris by The Great Mephisto. Jarrett and Lawler decided that portraying an African wrestler would help Harris succeed, despite his limited technical wrestling ability and poor interview skills. There are two stories on the origin of the name; Jarrett said he took it from a National Geographic Magazine article he'd read, about a Doctor Kimala, a researcher in Uganda. Lawler says it was derived from Uganda's capital, Kampala. The character was a vicious and simple-minded Ugandan cannibal, with face and body paint copied from a Frank Frazetta painting. He wrestled barefoot and in a loincloth.
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