Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
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 Little Bruiser
Murray Downs was born in Ontario, Canada and was the only son of five children. He was also the only child of the Downs family to have dwarfism. His father was an alcoholic, who at times beat Murray. This led a teenage Murray to run away from home and join the carnival. It was there, where Murray was introduced to professional wrestling and he instantly fell in love with the business.
Murray began wrestling on the carnival circuit starting in the 1960’s. Standing at 4 feet tall and weighing 90 pounds, Murray sported a crew cut and had a nasty, snarling grimace that resembled fellow wrestler Dick the Bruiser. It was that resemblance that earned him the name of ‘The Little Bruiser.’ Downs was featured as a “midget” attraction for various NWA shows across the United States. Not only did the Little Bruiser compete for the NWA territories, but also the AWA.
Outside of the ring, Downs was very well liked by both promoters and fellow wrestlers. Bobby Heenan and Blackjack Mulligan often requested to work special matches alongside the Little Bruiser. Downs wrestled up until 1988, when he retired due to debilitating issues with his spine. He ended up in a wheelchair the final years of his life.
On April 29, 1995…Murray Downs was driving his vehicle, when he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. Murray Downs died in the accident. He was just 45 years old at the time of his death.