Mean Gene Kiniski inducted into B.C. Sports Hall of Fame

“Canada’s Greatest Athlete,” as he liked to call himself, Gene Kiniski was formally inducted in B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in a June 9 ceremony held in Vancouver. He was lauded as a pioneer in wrestling, as an icon of the sporting world and is the first wrestler to receive the honor. Kiniski is the father of former professional wrestlers Kelly and Nick Kiniski, both of whom are Point Roberts residents. Kiniski, born in 1928, died April 14, 2010.

Also known as Big Thunder, Kiniski was a native of Edmonton and played professional football with the Edmonton Eskimos before embarking on his wrestling career, which debuted with a win on February 13, 1952 in Tucson.

He wrestled for the last time in 1992 at the age of 64. In his later years, he teamed up with his sons.

As a wrestler, he was a ‘heel’ character playing the bad guy, a role in which he was more than comfortable. In 1957, he riled up the crowd in Montreal to the point that dozens upon dozens of folding chairs were thrown into the ring.

Kiniski won numerous championships including the American Wrestling Association’s world championship (1961), the NWA British Empire Heavyweight title twice and the Pacific Coast Tag Team title three times. He won the Canadian Tag Team title 10 times and the NWA International Heavyweight title in 1970.

Additionally, Kiniski occasionally acted on TV and in the movies, appearing in Sylvester Stallone’s Paradise Alley and others. He was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008.