This article is about the American professional wrestling promotion run by Killer Kowalski. For the international governing body for amateur wrestling, see United World Wrestling.
The International Wrestling Federation was formed in 1979 by Killer Kowalski two years after starting his wrestling school, the Killer Kowalski Institute for Professional Wrestling, in Malden, Massachusetts. According to former student John Callahan, Kowalski decided to form his own group after an argument with Angelo Savoldi at the Boston Garden.[5] The first championship titles were introduced in the early 1980s with Kowalski and The Executioners being billed as the first IWF Heavyweight and Tag Team Champions respectively. That same year, the IWF began airing a Sunday morning show, Bedlam from Boston, on the WXNE-TV.[1][6] During this period, Kowalski partnered with Dominic DeNucci and Bruno Sammartino's "International Wrestling" group based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[5][7]
The promotion showcased a number of wrestlers who were regulars in the northeast wrestling scene and was the birthplace of Paul Levesque (then known as Terra Ryzing),[4][13]Perry Saturn[14] and Chyna.[15] Levesque, who had graduated from Kowalski's school at the top of his class,[16] made his IWF debut in March 1992 defeating Tony Roy. Two months later, he won the organization's heavyweight title from Mad Dog Richard.[17][18] Saturn, billed as "The Iron Horseman",[14] won the IWF North American and Light Heavyweight Championship during the early 1990s. He also won the IWF Tag Team Championship with Levesque.[19] Saturn met his future tag team partner John Kronus while working for the IWF and helped enroll him in Kowalski's wrestling school.[20] Brittany Brown was the longest reigning Women's Champion (12 years), then Chyna (Joanie Lee) won the IWF Ladies Championship from Violet Flame in the very late 1990s.[3][21]"Giant" Ron Reis[9] and The Renegade, as "Rio, Lord of the Jungle", found success in World Championship Wrestling.[1]
World Wrestling Federation
Kowalski had a strong relationship with both Vince McMahon Sr. and his son Vince McMahon Jr. His students (many of whom IWF stars) regularly appeared on World Wrestling Federation television as preliminary wrestlers during the 1980s and 90s.[8][22] His best known students - Triple H, Chyna and Perry Saturn - had prominent roles in the company during the Attitude Era.[1][3][15]
The IWF stopped holding regular shows after 1996 though Kowalski continued promoting under the "Killer Kowalski's All-Stars" banner for a few more years.[28] In November 2001, the IWF took part in "Headlocks for Humanity", an American Red Cross benefit show for victims of the September 11th attacks, with Slyk Wagner Brown (managed by April Hunter) and CueBall representing the promotion.[11] One of the IWF's last shows was held in Sutton, New Hampshire on November 2, 2002.[29] Finally in 2003, health issues forced Kowalski to withdraw from both promoting and the wrestling school. Following his death in 2008, the Kowalski estate auctioned off IWF correspondence and other wrestling memorabilia from his career.[30]
^Kowalski, Walter (January 1, 1995). "KILLER'S CORNER: Fans in this Corner cast votes for '94 best, worst". Boston Herald. p. B35. At this time, I will briefly review the wrestling scene of 1994 as viewed from this column. [...] Terra Ryzing relinquished the IWF heavyweight belt undefeated, and signed with WCW, now wrestling under his own name: Jean-Paul Levesque.
^Burke, Tom (March 1981). "A Look At The Independents". Global Wrestling Presents ... The Independents. No. 1. Springfield, Massachusetts: Global Wrestling News Service. pp. 1–3. Some of the present talent in the IWF stable are: David Byrne and Danny Pettiglio (IWF Tag Chps
