Kenny Jay
| Birth name | Kenny Benkowski |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 27, 1937 Holdingford, Minnesota |
| Residence | Bloomington, Minnesota |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Kenny Jay |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Billed weight | 275 lb (125 kg) |
| Billed from |
Minnesota Cleveland, Ohio |
| Trained by |
Verne Gagne Bob Hawkins |
| Debut | 1958 |
Kenny Benkowski, better known by his ring name, Kenny Jay (born March 27, 1937) is an American retired professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association.
Jay primarily performed as a jobber. He was often paired with fellow AWA jobber Jake "The Milkman" Milliman in tag team matches. During his career, he was known for his stiff wrestling style.
Kenny Jay was born on March 27, 1937 in Holdingford, Minnesota. Kenny was a natural athlete in high school, lettering in both football and shotput. When he graduated from high school in 1955, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he found employment as a factory worker.
His first match was at the Southside Armory for John Hinds. Before long he was working larger venues at the Marigold Arena in Chicago. His wrestling career took a hiatus when he joined the U.S. Army for a two-year stint.
After his military tour, he found employment with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), wrestling every Saturday's television taping and then house shows during the week for promoter Wally Karbo.
Whenever a new name would come in, they would give them to Jay to make them look good. He used his mat-based scientific wrestling style with the likes of Mad Dog Vachon, The Crusher, Verne Gagne, and Bruiser.
To help pay the bills, Jay started his own landscape business, which is where he got the "Sodbuster" nickname. He never left the Midwest, as he was rooted in the area with his landscape business, wife, and three children. He continued working for the AWA for nearly thirty years until they went out of business in 1991.
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