Malcolm Kirk
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Kirk (18 December 1936 – 24 August 1987) was an English
professional wrestler who went by the ring name
King Kong Kirk.
His height was 1.86m (6' 1") and his weight ranged between 140 and 160 kg (approximately 22-25 stone).
player. From 1954 he played 38 first team matches at prop forward (number 8) for Featherstone Rovers
, scoring one try, and afterwards for the struggling Doncaster club where he was a team mate of another future professional wrestler, Ted Heath.
Bald and fearsome looking, Kirk was usually cast as the "bad guy
" and often tagged
with the superheavyweight Giant Haystacks. Kirk's work rose to its prominence in the 1970s and 1980s due to the popularity of televised wrestling in the United Kingdom
.
match at the Hippodrome circus in Great Yarmouth
in Norfolk teamed with King Kendo against British wrestling legend Shirley "Big Daddy" Crabtree
and his nephew Greg Valentine (Steve Crabtree). After Big Daddy had delivered his signature belly-splash and scored the winning pinfall, Kirk turned an unhealthy colour and was rushed to the James Paget hospital in Gorleston in Norfolk, but was pronounced dead on arrival. The inquest into Kirk's death found that he had a serious heart condition and cleared Crabtree of any responsibility.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional wrestler who went by the ring name
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:...
King Kong Kirk.
His height was 1.86m (6' 1") and his weight ranged between 140 and 160 kg (approximately 22-25 stone).
Biography
Prior to turning to professional wrestling Kirk was a coal miner and a professional rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player. From 1954 he played 38 first team matches at prop forward (number 8) for Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers are a semi-professional rugby league club, based in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England. They currently play in the Championship. The Rovers are one of the last vestiges of "small town teams" that were once common in rugby league during the early twentieth century...
, scoring one try, and afterwards for the struggling Doncaster club where he was a team mate of another future professional wrestler, Ted Heath.
Bald and fearsome looking, Kirk was usually cast as the "bad guy
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...
" and often tagged
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
with the superheavyweight Giant Haystacks. Kirk's work rose to its prominence in the 1970s and 1980s due to the popularity of televised wrestling in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Death
In August 1987, Kirk died after a tragic turn of events during the final moments of a tag teamTag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
match at the Hippodrome circus in Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
in Norfolk teamed with King Kendo against British wrestling legend Shirley "Big Daddy" Crabtree
Shirley Crabtree
Shirley Crabtree, Jr, better known as Big Daddy was a British professional wrestler famous for his record-breaking 64 inch chest...
and his nephew Greg Valentine (Steve Crabtree). After Big Daddy had delivered his signature belly-splash and scored the winning pinfall, Kirk turned an unhealthy colour and was rushed to the James Paget hospital in Gorleston in Norfolk, but was pronounced dead on arrival. The inquest into Kirk's death found that he had a serious heart condition and cleared Crabtree of any responsibility.