1. Colonel DeBeers was best known for his appearances in the American Wrestling Association under the ring name Colonel DeBeers from 1985 to 1990.
16 Facts About Colonel DeBeers
1. 2.
Colonel DeBeers was the first member of his family to graduate from college, attending Northwest Missouri State University.
3.
Colonel DeBeers's teaming with "Playboy" Buddy Rose was famous across the West Coast, holding the Pacific Northwest Tag Team titles on multiple occasions, and the NWA World Tag Team titles.
4.
Colonel DeBeers held the Central States Heavyweight title in 1975 and regularly visited Germany and Austria in the late 1970s and early 1980s for the season of tournaments run by the IBV and its older rival, the VDB.
5.
Colonel DeBeers worked as a heel for Leroy McGuirk in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area in the early 1980s.
6.
Colonel DeBeers was known as "Easy" Ed Wiskoski and was managed by Skandor Akbar.
7.
Colonel DeBeers wrestled a few matches in the WWF as the Polish Prince in 1983, managed by Fred Blassie.
8.
Colonel DeBeers was billed as being from Cape Town, South Africa, though he bore no accent whatsoever.
9.
Colonel DeBeers wrestled in Herb Abrams' Universal Wrestling Federation and various promotions across the West Coast.
10.
Colonel DeBeers essentially refused to wrestle Snuka because he was not white.
11.
Colonel DeBeers was the first to grab the turkey, although the referee had been knocked out.
12.
Also in the AWA in 1988, Colonel DeBeers was briefly managed by Diamond Dallas Page, the leader of the Diamond Exchange stable, and his Diamond Dolls.
13.
Colonel DeBeers demanded that Sampson be replaced before his match with Billy Jack Haynes stating "I will not have a black man refereeing my matches".
14.
Colonel DeBeers was to be suspended for 180 days for his actions but Sampson refused to sign the contract initiating it and instead wanted to sign a contract that allowed him to referee a match involving Colonel DeBeers.
15.
On January 29,2005, Colonel DeBeers wrestled his last match at WrestleReunion teaming with his former tag partner Buddy Rose and Bob Orton Jr.
16.
Colonel DeBeers died on January 22,2025, at the age of 80.