Reginald Lisowski

Reginald Lisowski (July 11, 1926 – October 22, 2005) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Crusher (sometimes Crusher Lisowski to distinguish him from other Crushers, such as Crusher Blackwell). In his obituary, The Washington Post described him as "a professional wrestler whose blue-collar bona fides made him beloved among working class fans for 40 years". One of the biggest-drawing performers in the history of the American Wrestling Association (AWA), he was known as "The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous", and found his greatest success in the American Midwest, often teaming with Dick the Bruiser.

Early life Lisowski was born on July 11, 1926, and was raised by a Polish family in the Milwaukee suburb of South Milwaukee. Early on, he was more interested in football, playing fullback for the South Milwaukee High School football team, but took up wrestling while stationed in Germany with the United States Army. He reportedly began his training for professional wrestling at the age of 13.

Professional wrestling career Early career (1949–1954) Having developed a liking for professional wrestling, Lisowski continued training with Ivan Racy and Buck Tassie at Milwaukee's Eagles Club when he returned, eventually wrestling Marcel Buchet in his first recorded match late in 1949 as a dark-haired babyface who wore a star-spangled jacket. His most quotable and famous phrase though was: "How 'bout 'dat?" Doctors told him he would never wrestle again, but Crusher did strength training for two years while he was unofficially "retired", returning to the ring in 1983,

The Crusher's last recorded match was at a WWF house show in Omaha on February 15, 1988, replacing Billy Jack Haynes to team with Ken Patera and face Demolition, who were disqualified when Mr. Fuji tripped Crusher with a cane about three minutes in. The Crusher's last television appearance was at WWF's 1998 pay-per-view Over the Edge: In Your House where was shown sitting alongside Mad Dog Vachon in the front row. It was later covered by The Cramps on their album Psychedelic Jungle, and has long been a staple on the Dr. Demento Radio Show. The song has received a resurgence of popularity in recent years, as David Letterman had often played it on his late-night talk show. The Ramones released a song entitled "The Crusher", paying tribute to Lisowski on their last studio recorded album, Adios Amigos. A few weeks later on August 24, 2019, surveillance video captured two men striking the statue with a concrete block, damaging the nose, cheek and chest. Da Crusher's family noticed the damage and reported it to police. It was later revealed those who vandalized the statue were 18-year-old James Dudgeon, who was charged with criminal damage to property, and 21-year-old Douglas E. Macklin, who was also charged with criminal damage to property. A yearly celebration called "Crusherfest" is held typically in June to celebrate the Da Crusher.

Championships and accomplishments Big Time Wrestling ( Omaha) World Tag Team Championship ( Nebraska version ) ( 1 time ) - with Stan Lisowski Capitol Wrestling Corporation NWA United States Television Championship (1 time) Cauliflower Alley Club Other honoree (2000) Fred Kohler Enterprises NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) (3 times) - with Art Neilson (1) and Stan Lisowski (2) - with Tommy Rich Japan Wrestling Association NWA International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dick the Bruiser - with Stan Lisowski Nebraska Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Pro Wrestling Illustrated PWI Tag Team of the Year (1972) World Championship Wrestling WCW Hall of Fame (Class of 1994) World Wrestling Association WWA World Tag Team Championship (6 times) - with Dick the Bruiser Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Tag Team (1984) with Baron Von Raschke Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996) Other Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Championship (1 time)