Malcolm Kirk

Malcolm Kirk (18 December 1935 – 23 August 1987) was an English professional wrestler who went by the ring name of "King Kong" Kirk as well as Kojak Kirk, Killer Kirk and "Mucky" Mal Kirk. He started as a professional rugby league player before becoming a professional wrestler. Kirk died of a heart attack on 23 August 1987 after collapsing in the ring during a tag team match at the Hippodrome in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. The wrestling event was run by Joint Promotions with the main event being a tag team match between Kirk and King Kendo (Bill Clarke) against Big Daddy (Shirley Crabtree) and Greg Valentine (Steve Crabtree) in front of 1,500 people. Prior to professional wrestling, Kirk was a coal miner, and professional rugby league player. He played 35 first team matches as a loose forward (number 13) for Featherstone Rovers (Heritage № 360) making his début on 23 April 1955, playing from the 1954–55 season to the 1957–58 season scoring one try. He played 3 matches for Wakefield Trinity (Heritage № 642) making his début during December 1957, playing during the 1957–58 season, played 2 matches for Castleford (Heritage № 456) during the 1960–1961 season, and he also played for Doncaster, where he was a teammate of another future professional wrestler, Ted Heath.Kirk started wrestling as "Mucky" Mal Kirk after his rugby league career. After a period of time spent wrestling in Germany, where he tagged with Baron von Raschke, Kirk returned to the United Kingdom, now heavier and bald, wrestling as Kojak Kirk then Killer Kirk before changing his ring name to "King Kong" Kirk. Kirk always wrestled as a "heel" (bad guy) and often tagged with the superheavyweight Giant Haystacks in tag-team matches against blue-eyes (good guys). Kirk's work rose to its prominence in the 1970s and 1980s due to the popularity of televised wrestling in the United Kingdom and he was recognised as a consistent heel. Unlike a number of wrestlers at the time, he didn't rely on a wrestling gimmick during his time in professional wrestling. Kirk instead used his physical size and bald head in a manner of appearance which was viewed as legitimately intimidating. However he was viewed by his peers as being a good worker. Canadian wrestler Bret Hart said about his first match with Kirk: "Kirk turned out to be a great worker and bump-taker, and when he collapsed on top of me, he was as light as if he'd covered me with a blanket." Despite being a heel, outside of the ring he was good with children and made himself approachable.During this time, Kirk also worked as a bouncer simultaneously with being a professional wrestler. He predominantly wrestled in the United Kingdom however he also wrestled in Germany, where he wrestled the future WWE Hall of Famer André the Giant, and in Canada for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling. He also wrestled future World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation wrestlers such as Bret "Hitman" Hart, Fit Finlay and William Regal. His reputation in professional wrestling had also spread to the United States, where he was featured in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 1986 as a result.In 1979 he featured in an Italian film, Io sto con gli ippopotami with Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. Kirk later came to dislike wrestling and wanted to retire and run a pub with his wife.