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The Cauliflower Alley Club just announced the following sad news:
"It is with profound sadness that the Cauliflower Alley Club announces the passing of Ed Wiskowski, better known to wrestling fan as Colonel DeBeers, at the age of 80. We extend our sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans worldwide. Thank you for the memories. R.I.P. Sir."
Former AWA announcer Mick Karch noted, "It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of Colonel DeBeers (Ed Wiskoski) at the age of 80. Ed was a terrific guy and so much fun to be around. I remember fondly watching wrestling videos with Ed and Buddy Rose at their Richfield, MN apartment back in the 80's. Condolences to Ed's family, friends and fans. This one really stings."
Wiskowski, best known to wrestling fans as Colonel DeBeers, portrayed a highly controversial figure. As DeBeers, he played up the most base and worst of racial stereotypes as an alleged South African wrestler who hated people of color and pushed apartheid in the American Wrestling Association, a storyline that would never play today and in hindsight, never should have been allowed in that time period, especially nationally on ESPN.
In the AWA, DeBeers would get heat by refusing to wrestle Jimmy Snuka and others because they were not white men, but that wouldn't stop him from attacking them. In one angle, he attacked Snuka and knocked him off the ropes before hitting him with numerous piledrivers on the floor, causing Snuka to be stretchered out. DeBeers' version of the piledriver would be known today as The Pedigree. While DeBeers would also work as a foreign menace heel against the patriotic Sgt. Slaughter (including a Boot Camp match at the AWA Superclash III PPV in Chicago), the character and angle was as bottom-feeding as possible, playing to the most disgusting of emotions.
Wiskowski began his career in 1972 after training under the legendary Harley Race and Lord Littlebrook. While DeBeers is certainly what he'll be known for, he had numerous characters and runs in different territories. He was managed by Fred Blassie in the WWF, billed as The Polish Prince in the early 80s, working some television tapings before quietly disappearing. He worked just about every West Coast territory you could name, often teaming with Buddy Rose. Together they held The San Francisco area version of the NWA World Tag Team Championships as well as the Pacific Northwest Tag belts in Portland. As Ed Wiskowski, he wrestled in Mid-Atlantic and The Central States area. He feuded with Mike George over the CSW Title.
Portland was where Wiskowski often hung his hat with numerous runs there, including time with the PNW Championship. He most often worked as a heel, including wrestling and managing under the ring name Mega Maharishi Imed, parodying a local controversy over a early 80s religious cult that saw its leader Shagwan Shree Rajneesh deported from The United States. In another run, he was billed as simply The Convict.
As the AWA slowly imploded, Wiskowski went back and forth between AWA events and the PNW territory. When the AWA finally shut down in 1991, Wiskowski continued the DeBeers character in the Herb Abrams version of the UWF. In that promotion, he feuded with Iceman Parsons and Paul Orndorff. He also tormented referee Larry Sampson, refusing to let him officiate DeBeers' matches.
He last wrestled at the first Wrestle Reunion event promoted by Sal Corrente in Tampa in January 2005, teaming with Bob Orton and Buddy Rose against Snuka, Roddy Piper and Jimmy Valiant in what was billed as Valiant's last match.
After retiring, Wiskowski and Buddy Rose had a training school in the Portland area. Of late, Wiskowski had been living in Arizona we are told.
Ed Wiskowski was 80 years old.
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