| Gene Kiniski | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kiniski holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1966 | |
| Born | 23 November 1928 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | 14 April 2010 (aged 81) Blaine, Washington, United States |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Gene Kiniski Gene Kelly Mighty Canadian Big Thunder |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Billed weight | 270 lb (120 kg) |
| Trained by | Dory Funk Tony Morelli |
| Debut | February 13, 1952 |
| Retired | February 25, 1992 |
Eugene Nicholas "Gene" Kiniski (November 23, 1928 – April 14, 2010) was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He became one of the first World Champions in professional wrestling to have a former background in football, after Bronko Nagurski. Kiniski is best known for his time in many different NWA-owned territories where he won multiple championships.
Before starting his wrestling career, Kiniski played football with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). On his team, Kiniski was joined by future professional wrestlers Wilbur Snyder and Joe Blanchard. Al Oeming and Stu Hart were at the Eskimos training camp when Kiniski was trying out for the team. Kiniski had a lengthy stint in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in 1964. During his time in the WWWF, Kiniski had matches against Bruno Sammartino and they had a match at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 1964. After he Kiniski thought he had pinned Sammartino on the second fall, he took the championship and left. He was counted out be kept the championship until they had a rematch on December 14.
On April 4, 2010, Jim Ross announced on his blog that Kiniski had "taken a turn for the worse and is battling to stay alive. 'Big Thunder's' cancer has spread to his brain and some speculate that is just a matter of time (before he dies)" Kiniski died on April 14, 2010 in Blaine, Washington.
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