Killer Karl Krupp
Encyclopedia
George Momberg better known by the ring name
Killer Karl Krupp, was a Dutch-born professional wrestler
famous during the 1970s and early 1980s.
to North America
.
The German heel
gimmick had been around a good twenty years by this time, first popularized by Hans Schmidt
and carried further by later stars such as Fritz von Erich
. A late entry into the field, Killer Karl Krupp was among the most wildly over-the-top of them all: with eyes bulging, head shaved and a short black beard framing a leering grin, Krupp was the very image of a wildly cartoonish yet frightening wrestling villain. He accessorized for the part with monocle
, riding crop, heavy black boots and black ring cape, and delivered ranting promos in an affected German accent rife with mangled pronunciations. Utilizing other familiar staples of the German heel gimmick, Krupp goose-stepped to the ring, threw stiff-arm salutes
, and used an Iron Claw hold (the 'Eye Claw') as his finishing move. What was unknown to the public at the time was that Momberg hated the Nazis who had occupied his homeland, and he did the over-the-top gimmick as a way of mocking them, Hogan's Heroes
-style.
Despite these theatrics, Krupp was a convincing brawler in the ring. Remembered for often completely demolishing his opponents, he relished in inflicting pain on them with little regard for whether or not he was disqualified in the process of doing so.
On June 10, 1972, Krupp won his first of many assorted titles, defeating Leo Burke
for the ESA
's IW North American Heavyweight Championship
. Early the next year he went to Japan
, where he had many of his early successes, co-holding the NWA International Tag Team Championship
twice between February and April 1973 (once with Johnny Valentine
and once each with fellow 'evil Germans', Fritz von Erich and replacement partner Karl von Steiger
). He also reached the final rounds of the 1974 and 1975 New Japan Pro Wrestling
World League Tournaments, both of which he lost to Antonio Inoki
. Stateside, Krupp first became a big name in the Texas
territory in 1973 before moving on to Portland
in 1974 where he feuded
with Dutch Savage
. He also appeared in CWF Florida in 1975 and then moved on to Dick the Bruiser's WWA
in Indiana
. There as well as in Detroit, he used the moniker Baron von Krupp.
In 1980, Krupp came to Memphis
where he eventually joined Jimmy Hart
's First Family of Wrestling stable and tangle with Jerry Lawler
. He returned before long to Atlantic Canada
, however, where he had a memorable run in Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, holding the European Title and feuding with The Great Mulumba and Hercules Cortez
. In the mid-'80s, near the end of his career he feuded with Angelo Mosca
around southern Ontario
.
from a heart attack in 1995.
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Killer Karl Krupp, was a Dutch-born professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
famous during the 1970s and early 1980s.
Early life
George Momberg was born in the Netherlands and was a child during the Nazi occupation of his home country. Sometime after the war, he emigratedEmigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Professional wrestling career
Making his debut as a professional wrestler in 1957, the first half of Momberg's lengthy career, as Dutch Momberg, was not particularly memorable. Sometime around 1971 he changed his name to Mad Dog Momberg. In 1972 he finally hit upon the gimmick that would make him a star, the character of the 'evil German', Killer Karl Krupp.The German heel
Heel (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...
gimmick had been around a good twenty years by this time, first popularized by Hans Schmidt
Hans Schmidt (wrestler)
Guy Larose , better known by his ring name of Hans Schmidt, is a retired Canadian professional wrestler famous in the 1950s and '60s.-Wrestling career:...
and carried further by later stars such as Fritz von Erich
Fritz Von Erich
Jack Barton Adkisson was an American professional wrestler under the ring name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the Von Erich family...
. A late entry into the field, Killer Karl Krupp was among the most wildly over-the-top of them all: with eyes bulging, head shaved and a short black beard framing a leering grin, Krupp was the very image of a wildly cartoonish yet frightening wrestling villain. He accessorized for the part with monocle
Monocle
A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct or enhance the vision in only one eye. It consists of a circular lens, generally with a wire ring around the circumference that can be attached to a string. The other end of the string is then connected to the wearer's clothing to avoid losing...
, riding crop, heavy black boots and black ring cape, and delivered ranting promos in an affected German accent rife with mangled pronunciations. Utilizing other familiar staples of the German heel gimmick, Krupp goose-stepped to the ring, threw stiff-arm salutes
Roman salute
The Roman salute is a gesture in which the arm is held out forward straight, with palm down, and fingers touching. In some versions, the arm is raised upward at an angle; in others, it is held out parallel to the ground. The former is a well known symbol of fascism that is commonly perceived to be...
, and used an Iron Claw hold (the 'Eye Claw') as his finishing move. What was unknown to the public at the time was that Momberg hated the Nazis who had occupied his homeland, and he did the over-the-top gimmick as a way of mocking them, Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
-style.
Despite these theatrics, Krupp was a convincing brawler in the ring. Remembered for often completely demolishing his opponents, he relished in inflicting pain on them with little regard for whether or not he was disqualified in the process of doing so.
On June 10, 1972, Krupp won his first of many assorted titles, defeating Leo Burke
Leo Burke
Leonce Cormier is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. He was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick. He competed across Canada, in several American promotions, and wrestled internationally for both Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council and the National Wrestling Alliance in New Zealand...
for the ESA
Eastern Sports Association
The Eastern Sports Association, often referred to in the business simply as "the Maritimes," was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Halifax, Nova Scotia...
's IW North American Heavyweight Championship
IW North American Heavyweight Championship
This is a list of people who held the "North American Heavyweight Title" under the banner of International Wrestling from 1969 to 1984. The promotion was owned by the Eastern Sports Association from 1969 until 1976...
. Early the next year he went to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where he had many of his early successes, co-holding the NWA International Tag Team Championship
NWA International Tag Team Championship
The NWA International Tag Team Championship was a National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned title contested for in All Japan Pro Wrestling . Prior to being used in AJPW, the title was defended in the Japan Wrestling Association . The title lasted from 1962 through 1988...
twice between February and April 1973 (once with Johnny Valentine
Johnny Valentine
Johnny Valentine was a professional wrestler with a career spanning almost three decades. He has been inducted into four halls of fame for his achievements in wrestling...
and once each with fellow 'evil Germans', Fritz von Erich and replacement partner Karl von Steiger
Kurt and Karl Von Steiger
Kurt and Karl Von Steiger was the ring name of professional wrestlers Lorne Corlett and Arnold Pastrick worked under for most of their careers. The Von Steiger gimmick was that of two German villains, called heels, despite both wrestlers hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada...
). He also reached the final rounds of the 1974 and 1975 New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
World League Tournaments, both of which he lost to Antonio Inoki
Antonio Inoki
is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides between New York City and Tokyo. He was also the founder and former owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling before selling his controlling share in the promotion to Yukes...
. Stateside, Krupp first became a big name in the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
territory in 1973 before moving on to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in 1974 where he feuded
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Dutch Savage
Dutch Savage
Frank Stewart is a former professional wrestler and wrestling promoter, best known for his time spent competing in Pacific Northwest Wrestling under the ring name Dutch Savage.-Career:...
. He also appeared in CWF Florida in 1975 and then moved on to Dick the Bruiser's WWA
World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis)
The World Wrestling Association was an Indianapolis-based pro wrestling promotion which was operated by Dick "The Bruiser" Afflis and his business partner Wilbur Snyder. The WWA was affiliated with the larger American Wrestling Association and recognized its champions, though the WWA also had its...
in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. There as well as in Detroit, he used the moniker Baron von Krupp.
In 1980, Krupp came to Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
where he eventually joined Jimmy Hart
Jimmy Hart
James "Jimmy" Ray Hart is a professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling under his nickname "The Mouth of the South." He has managed many professional...
's First Family of Wrestling stable and tangle with Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
. He returned before long to Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
, however, where he had a memorable run in Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling, holding the European Title and feuding with The Great Mulumba and Hercules Cortez
Ruben Cruz
Ruben Cruz , known by his ringname Hercules Ayala, is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler who has competed in Canadian and international wrestling promotions including the eastern Canadian Grand Prix Wrestling, the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling and the World Wrestling...
. In the mid-'80s, near the end of his career he feuded with Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca is a former Canadian Football League player and professional wrestler. He is also known by the wrestling nicknames King Kong Mosca and The Mighty Hercules...
around southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Later life
George Momberg retired to his adopted home in Atlantic Canada in 1988, working for Midland Trucking Company. He died in Moncton, New BrunswickMoncton, New Brunswick
Moncton is a Canadian city, located in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The city is situated in southeastern New Brunswick, within the Petitcodiac River Valley, and lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces...
from a heart attack in 1995.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Eye Claw (Clawhold)
- Signature moves
- Big Boot
Championships and accomplishments
- All Japan Pro WrestlingAll Japan Pro Wrestlingis a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
- NWA International Tag Team Championship (Japan version)NWA International Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA International Tag Team Championship was a National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned title contested for in All Japan Pro Wrestling . Prior to being used in AJPW, the title was defended in the Japan Wrestling Association . The title lasted from 1962 through 1988...
(2 times) - with Johnny ValentineJohnny ValentineJohnny Valentine was a professional wrestler with a career spanning almost three decades. He has been inducted into four halls of fame for his achievements in wrestling...
(1) and Fritz von ErichFritz Von ErichJack Barton Adkisson was an American professional wrestler under the ring name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the Von Erich family...
(1)
- Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling
- AGPW European Title
- AGPW International Title (2 times)
- AGPW North American Tag Title - with Hans Herman
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Florida version) (2 times)
- Continental Wrestling AssociationContinental Wrestling AssociationThe Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling...
- AWA Southern Tag Team ChampionshipAWA Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship from its inception through 1977, when it was renamed the AWA Southern...
(1 time) - with El MongolEl MongolRaul Molina is a Mexican-born former professional wrestler better known by his ring name of El Mongol. He was most famous in the Georgia territory during the late 1960s and early '70s.-Career:...
- Eastern Sports AssociationEastern Sports AssociationThe Eastern Sports Association, often referred to in the business simply as "the Maritimes," was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Halifax, Nova Scotia...
- IW North American Heavyweight ChampionshipIW North American Heavyweight ChampionshipThis is a list of people who held the "North American Heavyweight Title" under the banner of International Wrestling from 1969 to 1984. The promotion was owned by the Eastern Sports Association from 1969 until 1976...
(3 times)
- NWA Big Time WrestlingWorld Class Championship WrestlingWorld Class Championship Wrestling ' was a regional professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by 1966 it was run by Southwest Sports, Inc., whose president, Jack Adkisson, was better known as wrestler Fritz Von Erich...
- NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Texas version) (2 times)
- NWA Western States Sports
- NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Amarillo version)NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Amarillo version)The Amarillo version of the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship was a secondary championship that was defended in Dory Funk, Sr.'s NWA Western States Sports promotion based in Amarillo, Texas. Originally created in August 1964, the title was used briefly before being abandoned. It was reactivated three...
(1 time)
- Pacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S...
with Kurt von SteigerKurt and Karl Von SteigerKurt and Karl Von Steiger was the ring name of professional wrestlers Lorne Corlett and Arnold Pastrick worked under for most of their careers. The Von Steiger gimmick was that of two German villains, called heels, despite both wrestlers hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada...
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Austra-Asian Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship was the top tag team professional wrestling title in the Australian World Championship Wrestling promotion from 1972 through the promotion's 1978 closure....
(1 time) - with Butcher Brannigan
- World Wrestling CouncilWorld Wrestling CouncilThe World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
- WWC North American Heavyweight ChampionshipWWC North American Heavyweight ChampionshipThe WWC North American Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship defended in the Puerto Rican promotion, the World Wrestling Council. Created in 1974, it was the primary singles championship of the promotion until the creation of the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship...