EVERETT, Mass. - Pro wrestling pioneer Walter "Killer" Kowalski died yesterday from the effects of a heart attack. He was 81.
Kowalski died at Whidden Hospital in Everett, 12 days after his family decided to take him off life support. He had been in critical condition since his heart attack Aug. 8, wife Theresa Kowalski said.
An obituary posted at Weir Mac Cuish Family Funeral Home's Web site said Kowalski began his professional career in 1947. His 6-foot-7, 275-pound frame and a brutal wrestling style soon earned him the nickname "Killer." He became known as a villain after severing part of Yukon Eric's ear during a match in Montreal in 1954. He visited his opponent in the hospital and "the two men began laughing at how silly Eric's bandages looked. The reporter incorrectly printed that Killer was laughing at his victim and soon after, Killer quickly became wrestling's most renowned 'heel,'" according to the Web site.
Kowalski later became famous for various moves, including a stomach vice grip called the Killer Clutch. He retired in 1977, a year after he and Big John Studd captured the WWF Tag Team Championship as The Executioners.
'''Quarta, 3 de setembro de 2008'''

O ex-wrestler profissional canadense '''Walter "Killer" Kowalski''' faleceu nas primeiras horas da manhã de 30 de agosto com a idade de 81 anos. Kowalski sofreu um forte ataque no coração no dia 8 de agosto, e entrou em estado crítico no dia 18 de agosto, quando foi internado em um hospital local.

Ficheiro:Triple H Pointing Melbourne 10.11.2007.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Kowalski treinou wrestlers como Triple H.
Durante uma carreira de mais de 30 anos, Kowalski lutou por diversas organizações, incluindo a National Wrestling Alliance e a American Wrestling Association. Na década de 1960 e 70, Kowalski lutou para a World Wide Wrestling Federation. Em 1976 ele ganhou o WWWF World Tag Team Championship com Big John Studd.

Após aposentar-se, Kowalski abriu uma escola de wrestling. Durante seu tempo ensinando, ele treinou algumas superestrelas, como Triple H, Perry Saturn e Chyna. Ele também treinou Chris Nowinski, A-Train, Frankie Kazarian, Kenny Dykstra, entre outros.

Kowalski foi introduzido no WWE Hall of Fame e Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, em 1996, no Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, em 2003, e da National Polish-American Hall of Fame em 2007.

Ex-instruído de Kowalski, Triple H disse: "É uma enorme perda. Walter foi um dos maiores estrelas do seu tempo. Seu legado vai viver para sempre."