International Wrestling Federation

The International Wrestling Federation (IWF, also known as Killer Kowalski's All-Stars) was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Northeastern United States from 1979 to 1996, when it was run by Killer Kowalski.[2][3] The promotion was based in Reading, Massachusetts, with offices in Burlington, Vermont.[1] It operated in conjunction with Kowalski's famed wrestling school in Malden, Massachusetts.[4]

International Wrestling Federation

Acronym	IWF
Founded	1979[1]
Defunct	1996
Headquarters	Reading, Massachusetts Burlington, Vermont[1]
Founder(s)	Killer Kowalski[1]
Owner(s)	Killer Kowalski (1979-1996)

History and overview

Formation

The International Wrestling Federation was formed in 1979 by Killer Kowalski two years after starting his wrestling school, the Killer Kowalski Institute for Professional Wrestling, in Malden, Massachusetts. According to former student John Callahan, Kowalski decided to form his own group after an argument with Angelo Savoldi at the Boston Garden.[5] The first championship titles were introduced in 1982 with Kowalski and The Executioners being billed as the first IWF Heavyweight and Tag Team Champions respectively. That same year, the IWF began airing a Sunday morning show, Bedlam from Boston, on the WXNE-TV.[1][6] During this period, Kowalski partnered with Dominic DeNucci and Bruno Sammartino's "International Wrestling" group based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[5][7]

Territorial reach

Kowalski initially promoted shows in the Greater Boston Area but eventually toured throughout the Northeastern United States.[2][6] IWF event tours also included high school gyms and fairs in cities throughout New England.[8] Some of the promotion's regular towns included Andover, Bellingham, Billerica, Grafton, Middleboro, Norwood, Waltham, and Westford, Massachusetts. Kowalsi was able to promote IWF shows via his weekly column, "Killer's Corner", for the Boston Sunday Herald.[9][10] The IWF relocated to Burlington, Vermont in the early-1990s[1] but returned to the Boston area by November 2001.[11][12]

Notable talent

The IWF featured many former World Wide Wrestling Federation stars during its early years including, most notably, Dominic DeNucci, Larry Zbyszko, The Haiti Kid and The Valiant Brothers (Jerry Valiant and Johnny Valiant). Bull Curry was the main "heel" wrestling manager before his death.[6] Zbyszko's infamous WWWF feud with Bruno Sammartino spilled over into the IWF as he battled his former mentor's real-life son Bruno Sammartino Jr. in late 1982. Kowalski continued bringing in talent from the World Wrestling Federation when Vince McMahon Jr. took over his father's promotion in the 1980s.

The promotion showcased a number of wrestlers who were regulars in the northeast wrestling scene and was the birthplace of Paul Levesque (then known as Terra Ryzing),[4][13] Perry Saturn[14] and Chyna.[15] Levesque, who had graduated from Kowalski's school at the top of his class,[16] made his IWF debut in March 1992 defeating Tony Roy. Two months later, he won the organization's heavyweight title from Mad Dog Richard.[17][18] Saturn, billed as "The Iron Horseman",[14] won the IWF North American and Light Heavyweight Championship during the early 1990s. He also won the IWF Tag Team Championship with Levesque.[19] Saturn met his future tag team partner John Kronus while working for the IWF and helped enroll him in Kowalski's wrestling school.[20] Brittany Brown was the longest reigning Women’s Champion (12 years), then Chyna (Joanie Lee) won the IWF Ladies Championship from Violet Flame in the very late 1990s.[3][21] "Giant" Ron Reis[9] and The Renegade, as "Rio, Lord of the Jungle", found success in World Championship Wrestling.[1]

World Wrestling Federation

Kowalski had a strong relationship with both Vince McMahon Sr. and his son Vince McMahon Jr.. His students (many of whom IWF stars) regularly appeared on World Wrestling Federation television as preliminary wrestlers during the 1980s and 90s.[8][22] His best known students - Triple H, Chyna and Perry Saturn - had prominent roles in the company during the Attitude Era.[1][3][15]

The IWF later featured former WWF stars Demolition Ax, King Kong Bundy, Hercules, The Honky Tonk Man, The Mountie, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Jimmy Snuka, and Nikolai Volkoff.[1] In December 1992, following his controversial departure from the WWF, The Ultimate Warrior (appearing under his old "Dingo Warrior" ring name) wrestled Hercules at an IWF show in Billerica, Massachusetts.[23][24] Then current WWF stars, such as Adam Bomb, Bob Backlund, Doink the Clown, King Kong Bundy and Hakushi, occasionally appeared at IWF events in the mid-1990s.[8][25][26][27]

Demise

The IWF stopped holding regular shows after 1996 though Kowalski continued promoting under the "Killer Kowalski's All-Stars" banner for a few more years.[28] In November 2001, the IWF took part in "Headlocks for Humanity", an American Red Cross benefit show for victims of the September 11th attacks, with Slyk Wagner Brown (managed by April Hunter) and CueBall representing the promotion.[11] One of the IWF's last shows was held in Sutton, New Hampshire on November 2, 2002.[29][12] Finally in 2003, health issues forced Kowalski to withdraw from both promoting and the wrestling school. Following his death in 2008, the Kowalski estate auctioned off IWF correspondence and other wrestling memorabilia from his career.[30]

Alumni

Male wrestlers

Birth name:	Ring name(s):	Tenure:	Notes
Terry Alexander	Mike Davis	1994
Theodore Arcidi	Ted Arcidi	1988
Victor Arko	Mike Kelly	1982	[5]
William Arko	Pat Kelly	1982	[5]
Robert Backlund	Bob Backlund	1995–1996^WWF	[26][10][27]
Jimmie Banks^†	Jojo Andrews	1982
Edward Bazzaza	Ed Bonzo	1982
Richard Beauchamp	Mad Dog Richards	1990–1995
Steve Bolus^†	Steve Bolus	1982
Wagner Brown	Slyk Wagner Brown	2002	[29]
Nick Busick	Nick Busick	1982
Richard Byrne^†	Richard Byrne	1982 1993 1995	[5]
David Cahill	D.C. Dillinger	2002	[29]
George Caiazzo^†	John Kronus	1994–1995	[25][9]
John Callahan	John Callahan	1982	[5]
Preston Carrington	Tony Ulysses	1990 1993 1995	[5]
Bert Centeno	El Mascarado	1994
John Charyszyn^†	Larry Winters	1982
Michael Chrosniak^†	Irish Mike McGee	1982
Bryan Clark	Adam Bomb	1995^WWF	[8][25][9]
William Coleman^†	Bad Billy Coleman	1982
Richard Creasia	Ricky Sexton	1982	[5]
William DeCoff	Sean O'Reilly	1985
Dominic DeNucci	Dominic DeNucci	1982	[5]
Ron DiMaria	Ronnie Dee / The Star Warrior	1990 1994–1995
Kenneth Doane Jr.	Kenn Phoenix		[31]
Christopher Duffy^†	Chris Duffy	1988 1990 1992–1996	[8][22][25][27]
James Duggan Jr.	Jim Duggan	1994
Bill Eadie	Demolition Ax	1993
Eric Maher	Eddie Edwards	2002	[29]
William Eichenberger^†	Billy Berger	1982
Robert Elowitch	Robbie Ellis	1988 1995	[25]
Solofa Fatu, Jr.	Fatu	1996^WWF	[27]
Gerard Fazio	Jerry Johnson / Jerry Fazio	1982
Raymond Fernandez^†	Hercules	1993
Wayne Ferris	The Honky Tonk Man	1993
Rudolph Freed	Rudy Diamond	1982
Richard Fuller	Rick Fuller	1995	[26]
Scott Garland	Scott Taylor	1993 1995
Steven Grabowski	Steve Grabowski	1982
James Hellwig^†	The Dingo Warrior	1993
Derek Higbee	The Bulldozer	1993–1996	[25][26][27]
John Hill^†	Jerry Valiant	1982
Curtis Hughes	Mr. Hughes	1994
Glenn Jacobs	Isaac Yankem	1996^WWF	[27]
Michael Jones	Rocky Jones	1982
Michael Jones	Virgil	1995
Ken Jugan	Zoltan the Great	1982
John Kisselll	The Outpatient	1994–1996	[9][10]
Walter Kowalski^†	Killer Kowalski	1982 1993	[3]
Paul Levesque	Terra Ryzing	1992–1994	[3][4][15]
Ray Licameli	Doink the Clown	1995^WWF	[26]
Steve Lombardi	The Brooklyn Brawler / Doink the Clown	1995–1996^WWF	[27]
Timothy McNeany	Tim McNeany	1993–1996	[8][25][26][27]
Joe Meagher	Tim O'Reilly	1985 1990
Robert Miller	Bushwhacker Butch	1995	[10]
John Minton^†	Big John Studd	1990
James Neidhart	Jim Neidhart	1992
Robert Orton Jr.	Bob Orton, Jr.	1988 1992
Christoper Pallies	King Kong Bundy	1995^WWF	[8][25][9]
Josip Peruzovic	Nikolai Volkoff	1994^WWF
Darryl Peterson	Man Mountain Rock	1995^WWF
Dan Pettiglio	Dan Petty	1982 1985	[5]
Lanny Poffo	Lanny Poffo	1994
Timothy Reid	Tim Reid	1982	[5]
James Reiher^†	Jimmy Snuka	1993
Ron Reis	Ron Reis	1994	[9]
Jacques Rougeau Jr.	The Mountie	1993
Tony Roy	Antoine Roy / Tony Roy	1990–1996	[8][9][10][27]
David Sammartino	Bruno Sammartino Jr.	1982	[5]
Perry Satullo	The Iron Horseman / Perry Saturn	1992–1995	[25][9]
Scott L. Schwartz	Giant David	1982	[5]
Jerry Seavey	The Candyman	1992–1993
Michael Sharpe Jr.^†	Iron Mike Sharpe	1990
Michael Shaw^†	Bastion Booger	1995	[10]
Ronald Shaw	Ron Shaw	1982
Kensuke Shinzaki	Hakushi	1995^WWF	[8]
Robert Shoup	Rob Van Winkle	1985 1988
Merced Solis	Tito Santana	1994–1995
John Sullivan	Johnny Valiant	1982	[5]
Paul Swanger	Concrete Cowboy	1982
Terry Szopinski	The Warlord	1994–1995
Dan Vinal	Big Dan Vinal	1992 2002
Kevin Wacholz	Nailz	1993
Brian Walsh	Brian Walsh	1985 1995–1996	[8][27]
Phil Watson	Whipper Watson Jr.	1982
Lawrence Whistler	Larry Zbyszko	1982	[5]
Brian Wickens	Bushwhacker Luke	1995	[10]
Richard Williams^†	Rio, Lord of the Jungle	1993
Unknown	The Beast	1982
Unknown	Bill Wilcox	1991
Unknown	Buddy Donovan	1982
Unknown^†	Chief War Cloud	1982
Unknown	Chris Grant	1982	[5]
Unknown	Cueball	2002	[29]
Unknown	Davey O'Hannon	1982
Unknown	Freight Train Dan	2002	[29]
Unknown	Greg Winston	1982
Unknown	Gypsy Rodriguez	1982
Unknown	Hans Schroeder	1982	[5]
Unknown	Jack Buford	1982
Unknown	James Cody / Kid Delicious	1996	[27]
Unknown	Jamie Pain	2002	[29]
Unknown	Jeff Craney	1982
Unknown	Jeff Roberts	2002	[29]
Unknown	John Bonello	1982
Unknown	John Sullivan	2002	[29]
Unknown	Manuel Soto	1982
Unknown	Mike Hollow	1994–1996	[25][26][27]
Unknown	Mike Madison	1982	[5]	Unknown	Mike "Jethro" Chambers	1982	[5]
Unknown	The Mongolian	1982
Unknown	Nemesis	2002	[29]
Unknown	Richie Rich		[32]
Unknown	Ron Lee	1982
Unknown	Rush	2002	[29]
Unknown	Russian Mauler	1994 1996	[25][26][27]
Unknown	Snooky Fink	1994–1996	[33][10][27]
Unknown	Steve Hart	1995	[9]
Unknown	Steve King / The Arctic Angel	1994–1995	[10]
Unknown	The Stormtrooper	1994–1995	[25]
Unknown	Tre the Smooth Operator	1993–1996 2002	[8][25][9][27]	Bruce Serafin	Bruce Battalia/The Designated Hitter

Female wrestlers

Birth name:	Ring name(s):	Tenure:	Notes
Theresa Best	Violet Flame	1995	[25][26][9][10]
Dawn Francis	Rosebud	1990 1993
April Hunter	April Hunter	2002	[29]
Linda Joaquin	Linda Dallas	1988
Joan Laurer^†	Joanie Lee	1996	[3][1][15][33]
Amy Nicoletti	Ramblin' Rose	1990–1995	[25][26][10][34]
Nicole Raczynski	Nikki Roxx	2002	[29]
Diane Syms	Misty Blue Simmes	1985 1988
Debbie Szostecki	Debbie Combs	1982
Alexandra Whitney	Amanda Storm
Unknown	Alexa Starr	1994
Unknown	Brittany Brown	1990 1992–1999
Unknown	Crystal Blue	1994
Unknown	Donna Day	1982
Unknown	Jamie West	1992–1996	[27]
Unknown	Rain Drop	1996	[33]	Unknown	Lady Liberty aka Nikki Moccia	2009	[25]

Midget wrestlers

Birth name:	Ring name(s):	Tenure:	Notes
Raymond Kessler	The Haiti Kid	1982
Dana Magazu^†	Dana Carpenter	1985 1998
Roger Tomlin^†	Little Boy Blue	1982
Douglas Tunstall Jr.	Tiny the Terrible	1996
Louis Waterhouse Jr.	Little Louie	1985 1994–1998
Ludy, Jeffrey	Irish Leprechaun	1988 1999
Unknown	Mighty Doom	1994
Unknown	Little Leopard	1994

Stables and tag teams

Tag team/Stable(s)	Members	Tenure(s)
The Bushwhackers	Bushwhacker Butch and Bushwhacker Luke	1995
The Eliminators	Perry Saturn and John Kronus	1994–1995
The Kelly Twins	Mike Kelly and Pat Kelly	1982
The Mutilators	Jamie Pain and Nemesis	2002
The Soul Brothers	Tony Ulysses and Chris Grant
The Valiant Brothers	Jerry Valiant and Johnny Valiant	1982

Managers and valets

Birth name:	Ring name(s):	Tenure:	Notes
Claude Giroux	Dink	1995	[26]
Fred Koury Sr.	Bull Curry	1982
Don Liable	The Bug	1994 1996	[33][27]
John Minton^†	Big John Studd	1994	[9]
Unknown	John Rodeo	1995–1996	[9][27]
Unknown	Professor Eugene Bickell	1995–1996	[26][27]
Unknown	Vito Carlucci	1995	[9]

Commentators and interviewers

Birth name:	Ring name(s):	Tenure:	Notes
Chris Claussen	Chris Claussen	1982	Bedlam from Boston announcer
Stephen Driscoll	Stephen Driscoll	1982	Ring announcer Bedlam from Boston on-air talent[35]
Mel Simons	Mel Simons	1982–1999	Ring announcer[27] Bedlam from Boston on-air talent[36]

Referees

Birth name:	Ring name(s):	Tenure:	Notes
Matt Cail	Matt Cail
Gary McCarthy	Gary McCarthy
Fred Sparta	Fred Sparta		Head referee[9]

Other personnel

Birth name:	Ring name(s):	Tenure:	Notes
Walter Kowalski^†	Killer Kowalski	1979–1996	Promoter
Don Liable	Don Liable		Head of publicity Official photographer[33]

Company name to Year
Company name:	Years:
International Wrestling Federation	1979–1996
Killer Kowalski's All Stars	2002
Notes
^† ^ Indicates they are deceased.
^‡ ^ Indicates they died while they were employed with .
^WWF ^ Indicates they were part of a talent exchange with the World Wrestling Federation.

Championships

Key

Reign	The reign number for the specific set of wrestlers listed
Event	The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the titles were won
N/A	The specific information is not known
—	Used for vacated reigns so as not to count it as an official reign
(n)	Indicates that a title change took place "no later than" the date listed.[Note 1]
	Indicates that there was a period where the lineage is undocumented due to the lack of written documentation

IWF Heavyweight Championship

No.	Champion	Reign	Date	Days held	Location	Event	Notes	Ref.
1	Killer Kowalski	1	1982 (n)	N/A	Unknown	Live event
2	Bryan Walsh	1	N/A	N/A	Unknown	Live event
3	Chris Duffy	1	1986	N/A	Unknown	Live event		[37]
4	Chris Duffy	2	1987	N/A	Unknown	Live event		[37]
5	Ronnie Dee	1	N/A	N/A	Unknown	Live event
6	Mad Dog Richards	1	June, 1991 (n)	N/A	Unknown	Live event
7	Terra Ryzing	1	July 1992	N/A	Unknown	Live event
—	Vacated	—	March 12, 1994	—	N/A	N/A	Championship vacated for unknown reasons
8	Tony Roy	1	October, 1994 (n)	N/A	Unknown	Live event
9	Big Dan Vinal	2	November 2002	N/A	Unknown	Live event		[12]

IWF Tag Team Championship

No.	Champions	Reign	Date	Days held	Location	Event	Notes	Ref.
1	The Executioners (Executioner #1 and Executioner #2)	1	1982 (n)	N/A	Unknown	Live event
2	Richard Byrne and Dan Petty	1	1982 (n)	N/A	Unknown	Live event
3	Executioner #1 and Johnny Valiant	1	1982 (n)	N/A	Unknown	Live event

IWF North American Championship

No.	Champion	Reign	Date	Days held	Location	Event	Notes	Ref.
1	The Iron Horseman	1	March, 1994 (n)	N/A	Unknown	Live event
2	Tony Roy	1	March, 1995 (n)	N/A	Unknown	Live event

IWF Light Heavyweight Championship

No.	Champion	Reign	Date	Days held	Location	Event	Notes	Ref.
1	Bill Wilcox	1	December, 1991 (n)	N/A	Unknown	Live event
2	The Iron Horseman	1	December 6, 1991	N/A	Andover, Massachusetts	Live event
3	Tony Ulysses	1	January, 1993 (n)	N/A	Unknown	Live event
4	The Iron Horseman	2	January 8, 1993	N/A	Billerica, Massachusetts	Live event

IWF Ladies Championship

No.	Champion	Reign	Date	Days held	Location	Event	Notes	Ref.
1	Nikki Moccia aka Lady Liberty	1	N/A	N/A	Unknown	Live event
2	Linda Dallas	1	February 28, 1985	30	Boston, Massachusetts	Live event
3	Misty Blue Simmes	1	March 30, 1985	N/A	N/A	Live event
4	Kat Leroux	1	1987	N/A	N/A	Live event
5	Misty Blue Simmes	2	1987	N/A	N/A	Live event	also holds NWA US Women's title
6	Brittany Brown	1	January 17, 1992	N/A	Hanover, Massachusetts	Live event
7	Violet Flame	1	January, 1996 (n)	N/A	Unknown	Live event
8	Joanie Lee	1	September 28, 1996	N/A	Salem, New Hampshire	Live event

Footnotes

1. Documentation of the specific date of a title change is not found but documentation of the champion holding the title on that date/in that period.

References

1. "The New England Indy Graveyard: International Wrestling Federation". The New England Independent. 2003.
2. Kaelberer, Angie Peterson (2010). Edge Books: Triple H. Capstone. p. 12. ISBN 1429639482.
3. Lentz III, Harris M. (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling (2 ed.). McFarland. ISBN 0786417544.
4. Heos, Bridget (2011). Triple H: No Mercy. Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 144885539X.
5. Callahan, John (October 10, 2006). "Killer Kowalski Trained". KayfabeMemories.com.
6. "Killer Kowalski". Canadian Online Explorer. SLAM! Sports. January 12, 2008.
7. Callahan, John (August 17, 2009). "Bedlam From Boston". KayfabeMemories.com.
8. Macika, Dominic, ed. (May 26, 1996). "RSPW Frequently Asked Questions". rec.sport.pro-wrestling. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
9. Crockett, Michael D. (April 2, 1995). "Killer Kowalski's IWF notes". rec.sport.pro-wrestling. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
10. Crockett, Michael D. (May 16, 1995). "Notes from Killer Kowalski's IWF". rec.sport.pro-wrestling. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
11. Nason, Josh (November 20, 2001). "411 Tuesday Indy Report: Results, IWF, Maple Leaf Comeback". 411mania.com.
12. "Wrestling champion locates to paper city". The Berlin Daily Sun. November 29, 2003.
13. Bixenspan, David (October 26, 2009). "Triple H: "Some people think we're scheming all the time to improve our own situations. But the more people we make stars, the more money we all make, and everyone's happy."". Cagesideseats.com.
14. Picarello, Robert (2002). Monsters of the Mat. New York: Berkley Boulevard Books. p. 118. ISBN 042518594X.
15. Cox, Christopher (August 30, 1999). "Killer Career Moves". Boston Herald.
16. Taub, David. "Hunter Hearst Helmsley (HHH)". WrestlingMuseum.com.
17. Milner, John; Jason Clevett; Richard Kamchen. "Hunter Hearst Helmsley". Canadian Online Explorer. SLAM! Sports.
18. Hornbaker, Tim. "Triple H Wrestling History". Legacyofwrestling.com.
19. "WCW: Perry Saturn, part 1". Wrestling Redux. April 4, 2007.
20. "Biography". Rings of Saturn. 1999.
21. "Violet Flame". Glorywrestling.com. February 10, 2008.
22. "Chris Duffy". OnlineWorldofWrestling.com.
23. Sarnecky, Ronny (April 12, 2014). "The Piledriver Report 04.12.14: Goodbye Warrior". 411mania.com.
24. "Wrestling By The Numbers: James 'The Ultimate' Warrior". Gerweck.net. April 15, 2014.
25. Doucet, Ken (March 26, 1995). "IWF March into Destruction Tour". rec.sport.pro-wrestling. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
26. Crockett, Michael D. (April 25, 1995). "Notes from Killer Kowalski's IWF". rec.sport.pro-wrestling. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
27. Crockett, Michael D. (March 26, 1996). "(IWF) Bellingham, MA 3/22". rec.sport.pro-wrestling. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
28. "Interview with Eve". Glorywrestling.com. August 15, 2004.
29. "Independent Wrestling Results - November 2002". OnlineWorldofWrestling.com. November 2002.
30. "Killer Kowalski estate auction in Saugus". Wickedlocal.com. August 9, 2011.
31. ""Broadway" Kenn Phoenix". PWFnortheast.com. 2004.
32. "Milfords Best Kept Secret". SPWri.com. July 21, 2015.
33. Laible, Don (April 22, 2016). "Chyna's Wrestling Early Days". Observer-Dispatch.
34. Wrobel, Darryl (June 1999). "Wrestling's Dark Secret - 21 Deaths In Five Years". National Enquirer.
35. "Wrestling: a different kind of performance". UMass.edu. UMass Amherst. February 2013.
36. Symkus, Ed (June 2, 2011). "Mel Simons Just Keeps on Entertaining..." West Roxbury Patch.
37. Liable, Don (May 1992). "Gorgeous Chris Duffy: Wrestling's Diamond in the Rough". Wrestling Eye. New York: Jems Inc. pp. 48–50.

Further reading

• Lauer, Bruno (2011). Wrestling with the Truth. Gallatin, Tennessee: Crowbar Press. ISBN 978-0-9745545-7-0.

External links

• International Wrestling Federation at Cagematch.net
• International Wrestling Federation at Wrestlingdata.com