Killer Kowalski Memorial Show
| Walter "Killer" Kowalski Memorial Show | |
|---|---|
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| Information | |
| Promotion | Big Time Wrestling United States Wrestling Federation |
| Date | October 26, 2008 |
| Attendance | 400 (est.) |
| City | Malden, Massachusetts, United States |
The Walter "Killer" Kowalski Memorial Show was a professional wrestling memorial event co-produced by the Big Time Wrestling (BTW) and United States Wrestling Federation (USWF) promotions, which took place on October 26, 2008 at the Irish American Club in Malden, Massachusetts. The event was held in honor of Walter "Killer" Kowalski, who had died August 30, 2008, a little over three weeks after suffering a heart attack on August 8, 2008. All proceeds from the show were donated to the Walter "Killer" Kowalski Memorial Fund" to help pay for his medical bills; A wrestling memorabilia raffle was another attraction, and which included gift baskets (some filled with WWE t-shirts and DVDs), a broken autographed guitar by The Honky Tonk Man, and autographed Killer Kowalski action figures and photographs donated from wrestlers all over the world. Fans were also able to bid on memorabilia from Kowalski's wrestling career including an original pair of wrestling tights, boots and his mask. In all, over $7,000 was raised.
Among those in attendance included Richard Byrne, James J. Dillon and Kowalski's former tag team partner Ox Baker, who each delivered speeches during the 30-minute opening ceremony, as was Walter's widow Theresa who performed a song entitled "When Polish Hearts Are Smiling" (sung to the tune of the Irish folksong When Irish Eyes Are Smiling). Also scheduled to appear were Nikolai Volkoff and Tito Santana, however, both were later forced to cancel at the last minute with Santana suffering from strep throat. A number of wrestlers from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment, as well from the Northeastern independent circuit, were also present at the event to pay their respects as many of the attendees were either taught or mentored by Kowalski at some point in their career. A few wrestlers who had wanted to be at the show, most notably Hunter Hearst Helmsley, were unable to do so due to WWE holding a pay-per-view, Cyber Sunday, in Phoenix, Arizona that same night. Eight professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's card, with three including championships.
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