Malcolm Kirk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Malcolm Kirk |
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Malcolm "King Kong" Kirk
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| Born | 18 December 1935 Streethouse, West Yorkshire, England |
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| Died | 23 August 1987 (aged 51) Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England |
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| Professional wrestling career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ring name(s) | King Kong Kirk Kojak Kirk "Mucky" Mal Kirk |
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| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Billed weight | 309–353 lb | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Billed from | West Yorkshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Debut | 1950s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league career
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Personal information
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| Full name | Malcolm Kirk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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| Position | Loose forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 10 Jun 2024
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Malcolm Kirk (born December 18, 1935 – died August 23, 1987) was a famous English professional wrestler. He was known by many exciting names like "King Kong" Kirk, Kojak Kirk, and "Mucky" Mal Kirk. Before becoming a wrestler, he was a professional rugby league player.
Sadly, Kirk passed away from a heart attack on August 23, 1987. This happened after he collapsed during a wrestling match in Great Yarmouth, England. The match was a tag team event, where he and King Kendo were wrestling against Big Daddy and Greg Valentine.
Contents
Early Life and Rugby Career
Malcolm Kirk was born in Streethouse, England. Before he became a wrestler, he worked as a coal miner. He was also a talented professional rugby league player.
He played 35 matches for the Featherstone Rovers team. His first game was in April 1955. He also played for other teams like Wakefield Trinity and Castleford. He even played for Doncaster with another future wrestler, Ted Heath.
Becoming a Professional Wrestler
After his rugby career, Kirk started wrestling. At first, he was known as "Mucky" Mal Kirk. He wrestled in Germany for a while, where he teamed up with Baron von Raschke.
When he came back to the United Kingdom, he had gained weight and was bald. He changed his wrestling names to Kojak Kirk, then Killer Kirk, and finally "King Kong" Kirk.
Kirk's Wrestling Style
Kirk always played the part of a "heel" (a bad guy) in wrestling. He often teamed up with another very large wrestler, Giant Haystacks. They would wrestle against "blue-eyes" (the good guys).
Kirk became very popular in the 1970s and 1980s. This was when wrestling was often shown on TV in the UK. He was known for being a very convincing bad guy. He didn't need a special gimmick (a unique character or act). Instead, his large size and bald head made him look truly intimidating.
Other wrestlers thought he was very good at his job. Canadian wrestler Bret Hart once said that Kirk was a "great worker." He meant Kirk was good at making the wrestling look real and exciting. Even though he played a bad guy in the ring, outside of it, he was friendly and kind, especially with children.
Wrestling Around the World
While wrestling, Kirk also worked as a bouncer. He mainly wrestled in the United Kingdom. But he also traveled to Germany, where he wrestled against the famous WWE Hall of Famer André the Giant. He also wrestled in Canada for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling.
He faced many future wrestling stars, including Bret "Hitman" Hart, Fit Finlay, and William Regal. His reputation even reached the United States.
In 1979, Kirk appeared in an Italian movie called Io sto con gli ippopotami. He starred alongside Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. Later in his life, Kirk grew tired of wrestling. He wanted to retire and open a pub with his wife.
His Final Match
On August 23, 1987, Malcolm Kirk had his last match. It was a tag team match at the Hippodrome in Great Yarmouth. He and King Kendo were wrestling against Big Daddy and Greg Valentine. Kirk was in a storyline rivalry (a "feuding") with Big Daddy.
Before the match, Kirk told his wife he didn't want to go. The match lasted about fifteen minutes. The end of the match saw Big Daddy perform his "Big Daddy Splashdown" move on Kirk. This move involves jumping and landing on the opponent's chest.
After Big Daddy pinned Kirk to win, Kirk stayed on the mat. People quickly realized something was wrong. The promoter, Max Crabtree, and others rushed into the ring to help. They tried to give him CPR. Because of Kirk's large size, it was hard for them to help him.
The wrestling ring had to be taken apart. Eight men were needed to get Kirk onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. Sadly, he was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.
Investigation and Aftermath
Big Daddy went to the police for questioning, but he was not charged with anything. He continued to wrestle the next day, saying it was what Kirk would have wanted. He later said he would never forget seeing Kirk on the canvas.
The Health and Safety Executive investigated Kirk's death. A medical examination showed that Kirk had a heart condition before the match. He had likely suffered six small heart attacks before the final one. The doctors believed he might have had the fatal heart attack while standing, before Big Daddy's move. This meant Big Daddy was not responsible for Kirk's death. The official cause was natural causes.
Kirk's death received worldwide media attention. Some newspapers wrongly claimed that Big Daddy's move had killed him. The British Medical Association suggested there should be an age limit for wrestlers. Kirk was almost 52 years old at the time. They also criticized the wrestling company for not having a doctor at the ringside.
Kirk's wife said he only earned £25 for the match, plus a £5 bonus for wrestling Big Daddy. She felt the sport treated him unfairly.
Many people incorrectly believed that Big Daddy retired after Kirk's death. However, he continued to wrestle for six more years until 1993. He even kept using the Big Daddy Splashdown move. It was said that Kirk had told friends, "If I have to go, I hope it is in the ring."
Kirk's death is thought to have contributed to the decline of professional wrestling in the United Kingdom. People started to look at it more seriously. British wrestling was compared to American wrestling, like the World Wrestling Federation, which seemed more exciting. Wrestling stopped being shown on ITV in December 1988. The wrestling company, Joint Promotions, eventually closed down in 1995.
Big Daddy passed away in 1997, and King Kendo died in 2018.
See also
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
