Al Tomko
Encyclopedia
Al Tomko was a Canadian
professional wrestler and wrestling promoter.
. He bought the Madison Club in 1967 and merged it with the American Wrestling Association
in 1968.
Tomko acted as the AWA's Winnipeg promoter from 1966 through to the mid-1970s, and he was credited with launching the career of Roddy Piper
. He also competed sometimes in Stampede Wrestling
under a mask as Cosmo #1, and later wrestled without the mask in Stampede and in Vancouver's NWA All Star Wrestling
as "Crazy Legs" Leroy Hirsch. In 1972, he started up another independent promotion called Central Canadian Championship Wrestling, which he ran in Manitoba cities and towns outside of Winnipeg. He made use of mostly local talent, although he occasionally also brought in big-name stars for special appearances.
Tomko later left Winnipeg and headed to Vancouver
, where he bought Sandor Kovacs' ownership stake in NWA All Star in 1977. While promoting the Vancouver territory, he began pushing himself as All Star's top star under the ring name Master Sergeant Tomko in the early-1980s (despite his age, being physically past his prime, and lacking wrestling skills) and gave himself almost all of All Star's championships (including the Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight title) at various points. Under Tomko's leadership, All Star went into decline (with co-owner Gene Kiniski
selling his share of the company in 1985) and went out of business by 1989.
On August 5, 2009, Tomko died, aged 77, after a two-month bout with pancreatic cancer
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional wrestler and wrestling promoter.
Professional wrestling career
Tomko started out as a wrestler in his hometown of Winnipeg on July 9, 1954 with the Madison Wrestling Club, losing his debut match to John DePaulo. During that same period, he ran his own promotion in Winnipeg, the Olympia Wrestling Club. After he shut down the Olympia Club to pursue non-wrestling ventures, but he rejoined the larger Madison Club in the 1960s to become one of that promotion's top heelsHeel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
. He bought the Madison Club in 1967 and merged it with the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
in 1968.
Tomko acted as the AWA's Winnipeg promoter from 1966 through to the mid-1970s, and he was credited with launching the career of Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
. He also competed sometimes in Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
under a mask as Cosmo #1, and later wrestled without the mask in Stampede and in Vancouver's NWA All Star Wrestling
NWA All Star Wrestling
NWA All Star Wrestling is a former Canadian professional wrestling promotion, based in Vancouver, British Columbia.-Early History:Although other wrestling promotions existed in Vancouver prior to the early 1960s , All Star became the...
as "Crazy Legs" Leroy Hirsch. In 1972, he started up another independent promotion called Central Canadian Championship Wrestling, which he ran in Manitoba cities and towns outside of Winnipeg. He made use of mostly local talent, although he occasionally also brought in big-name stars for special appearances.
Tomko later left Winnipeg and headed to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, where he bought Sandor Kovacs' ownership stake in NWA All Star in 1977. While promoting the Vancouver territory, he began pushing himself as All Star's top star under the ring name Master Sergeant Tomko in the early-1980s (despite his age, being physically past his prime, and lacking wrestling skills) and gave himself almost all of All Star's championships (including the Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight title) at various points. Under Tomko's leadership, All Star went into decline (with co-owner Gene Kiniski
Gene Kiniski
Eugene Nicholas "Gene" Kiniski was a Canadian professional wrestler and the father of wrestlers Nick Kiniski and Kelly Kiniski. "Canada's Greatest Athlete" as he billed himself for promotional purposes was born outside of Edmonton, Alberta...
selling his share of the company in 1985) and went out of business by 1989.
Championships and accomplishments
- Madison Wrestling Club
- MWC Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Stan Mykietowich
- NWA All-Star Wrestling
- NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver version)NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver version)The NWA Vancouver Canadian Heavyweight Championship was the Vancouver, British Columbia version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight title. It was the top singles title in Vancouver-based NWA All-Star Wrestling from 1982 until 1985, when the promotion withdrew from the NWA; the title was then renamed...
(5 times) - NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)The Vancouver version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship was established in 1962 as the top tag team title in NWA All-Star Wrestling. The title held that status until late summer 1985, when the title was renamed the UWA Tag Team Championship upon All-Star Wrestling's departure as a member of...
(2 times) - with Igor Volkoff (1) and Bob BrownBob Brown (wrestler)Robert Harold Brown was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Bulldog" Bob Brown.- Early life :...
(1) - NWA International Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)NWA International Tag Team Championship (Vancouver version)The Vancouver version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship was a tag team title in NWA All Star Wrestling. It was established in 1982 as the top tag team championship in that promotion after the NWA Canadian Tag Team title became inactive early that year, but was demoted to secondary...
(2 times) - with Moose Morowski (1) and Bob Brown (1) - UWA Heavyweight ChampionshipUWA Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver version)The Vancouver version of the UWA Heavyweight Championship was the top singles title in All Star Wrestling from its establishment sometime after All Star disaffiliated from the National Wrestling Alliance in late-1985 until the promotion closed in 1989....
(1 time)
- NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver version)
- West Coast Championship Wrestling
- WCCW Mid-Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Personal life
His two sons were Todd (who wrestled under the ring name Rick Davis) and Terry (who competed as The Frog, first while wearing a mask, and later unmasked).On August 5, 2009, Tomko died, aged 77, after a two-month bout with pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
.