| Message | Cpl. Kirchner passes away
By GREG OLIVER - Producer, SLAM! Wrestling
Corporal Kirchner
Former WWF wrestler Corporal Kirchner, who achieved long lasting fame in Japan as Leatherface, died at his home in White Marsh, Md. on Sunday.
Kirchner, whose real name was Thomas William Spear Sr., was brought into the WWF in 1985 as a replacement for Sgt. Slaughter, who had left the company and was having a successful run thanks to his tie-in with G.I. Joe. Kirchner played the ultra-patriot, and battled Nikolai Volkoff and Iron Sheik on a regular basis. At WrestleMania II, Kirchner defeated Volkoff in a flag match.
The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Kirchner broke into wrestling around 1980, and worked under the name R.T. Reynolds for a while. In Stampede Wrestling, he was drafted into the ranks as Col. Kirchner.
When the WWF came calling, he was promoted to Corporal. He was in a featured position for more than a year, which included a doll in his likeness and a couple of wrestling trading cards. His days with Titan came to an end when the company released him. Rumour has it that Kirchner and WWF honcho Vince McMahon had a physical confrontation when Kirchner learned of his release. |