Celebrating legendary wrestler ‘The Crusher’s’ legacy in South Milwaukee

SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Hey ya turkey necks! Are you aware who might be probably the most well-known individual to ever come from the town of South Milwaukee? It must be Reggie “The Crusher” Lisowski.

This icon, who as soon as flew of the ropes within the wrestling ring, is now enshrined in bronze as a logo of South Milwaukee. In truth, the town has held a number of festivals on this well-known wrestlers honor. They name it Crusherfest. It’s going to return the primary weekend of June 2023 after being canceled in 2022.

“All I can let you know proper now’s it’s going to be larger and higher than ever,” Peggy Clark, the chairperson of Crusherfest, mentioned.

The Crusher’s exploits are well-known, nevertheless it’s at all times good to re-introduce this South Milwaukee legend in case you forgot what he did or if you have not heard of him earlier than.

“He’s one thing that synonymous with South Milwaukee, and all over the place you go, everybody you speak to has one thing to say. They went to highschool with him. They had been his mailman. That they had espresso at Lloyd’s Lunch,” Clark mentioned.

The Crusher was born in South Milwaukee in July 1926. He served within the military throughout World Struggle II and was stationed in Germany. That is the place he first took up wrestling. To fund his early profession, he labored as a meatpacker and bricklayer to make ends met.

He started to see success as a tag crew wrestler. Nevertheless, it was as soon as he went solo and started wrestling within the American Wrestling Affiliation (AWA) within the 1960’s that his reputation skyrocketed. He gained three AWA heavy weight championships and America fell in love with him – notably the center class.

Within the mid-1980’s, he converted to the World Wrestling Federation when different wrestlers like Hulk Hogan additionally converted. His final official match was in 1988.

“So it was simply one thing actually obtainable for everyone. The Crusher was obtainable, you already know. These days the wrestlers aren’t obtainable. The Crusher lived and breathed on this group. He was about being actual,” Clark mentioned.

He was usually launched with the saying ‘The Man Who Made Milwaukee Well-known’ a play on the previous Schlitz beer slogan ‘The Beer that Made Milwaukee Well-known.’ However it was South Milwaukee that he known as residence.

“His household roots. His loyalty. It was at all times about his household, whether or not it’s about his household or his wrestling household. He was a household man,” Clark mentioned.

The Crusher lived to be 79 till he died from a mind tumor in 2005. Now he’s solid in bronze. Since 2019, the town has celebrated him throughout Crusherfest. It was postponed for the second 12 months however will likely be again the primary weekend of June 2023.

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