1. Malcolm Kirk 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.
19 Facts About Malcolm Kirk
1. 2.
Malcolm Kirk started as a professional rugby league player before becoming a professional wrestler.
3.
Malcolm Kirk started wrestling as "Mucky" Mal Malcolm Kirk after his rugby league career.
4.
Malcolm Kirk always wrestled as a "heel" and often tagged with the superheavyweight Giant Haystacks in tag-team matches against blue-eyes.
5.
Malcolm 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.
6.
Malcolm Kirk instead used his physical size and bald head in a manner of appearance which was viewed as legitimately intimidating.
7.
Malcolm Kirk predominantly wrestled in the United Kingdom however he wrestled in Germany, where he wrestled the future WWE Hall of Famer Andre the Giant, and in Canada for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling.
8.
Malcolm Kirk wrestled future World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation wrestlers such as Bret "Hitman" Hart, Fit Finlay and William Regal.
9.
Malcolm Kirk later came to dislike wrestling and wanted to retire and run a pub with his wife.
10.
On 23 August 1987, Malcolm Kirk died following a tag team match between Malcolm Kirk and King Kendo against Big Daddy and Greg Valentine at the Hippodrome in Great Yarmouth.
11.
The match took place as part of a storyline where Malcolm Kirk was feuding with Big Daddy.
12.
Malcolm Kirk told his wife when he left his house the day he was due to wrestle the match: "I don't want to go; I hate this job".
13.
Big Daddy later wrestled the next day claiming it was what Malcolm Kirk would have wanted.
14.
The subsequent postmortem and inquiry revealed that Malcolm Kirk had a previous heart condition and could have had the heart attack at any time but was more likely to have triggered owing to the physical nature of professional wrestling and found for a verdict of death by natural causes.
15.
Malcolm Kirk's death garnered worldwide media attention, with some newspapers initially breaking the news by claiming that Big Daddy's splash killed Malcolm Kirk.
16.
The British Medical Association recommended a maximum age limit for professional wrestlers as Malcolm Kirk was approaching 52 at the time and criticised Joint Promotions for not having a doctor at ringside.
17.
Malcolm Kirk criticised the sport for the way it treated Kirk.
18.
Malcolm Kirk had reportedly told some of his friends "If I have to go, I hope it is in the ring".
19.
The death of Malcolm Kirk is cited as having contributed to the decline of professional wrestling in the United Kingdom as people started to look at it more critically.