Posted on by bdamage1
Grappling with Tragedy is a series of articles that deal with unfortunate, tragic incidents that have occurred throughout the history of professional wrestling. It is unlike the ‘Wrestling with Sin’ series that deals more with the seedier side of wrestling like arrests, murders and suicides. Grappling looks more at particular tragic incidents that have in some instances altered pro wrestling in some way.
The Black Baron
Kevin Cawley started out his pro wrestling career at a very young age. He was a large teenager who weighed in around 250 pounds and began wrestling throughout the United Kingdom. Cawley, for the most part in his career, was a journeyman wrestler. He usually competed under a mask under aliases like ‘The Outlaw’ and ‘The Zebra Kid.’ His most successful run was also under a mask under the name of ‘The Black Baron.’
The Black Baron’s finisher was the ‘Iron Claw’ and he wrestled the likes of Big Daddy Crabtree, Giant Haystacks and Chris Adams. The Black Baron was also managed by heel manager Charlie McGee. While not a breakout star, The Black Baron did have a pretty strong run by the end of his career.
In October of 1992, The Black Baron was booked in the television main event for All Star Wrestling in a district of London called Catford. It was an over the top battle royal, and during the match The Black Baron collapsed in one of the corners. He was lying there for a couple of minutes with some fans booing him as they felt it was just a heel tactic. Sadly, it was not…the Black Baron was dead inside the ring. A few ringside attendants carried the body to the back, but it was too late. Kevin ‘Black Baron’ Cawley had suffered a fatal heart attack. He was just 46 years old at the time of his death.