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Post by John Damiter on Oct 19, 2006 16:09:13 GMT -5
Former WWE Superstar Thomas Spear, professionally known as Corporal Kirchner, passed away of natural causes Sunday in his home in White Marsh, Md. He is survived by his two sons, daughter and step-daughter, as well as two grandchildren.
A Vietnam veteran, Kirchner is known for defending his country in the ring as well as out. He is not only revered as one of sports-entertainment’s toughest competitors, but also one of its greatest patriots.
In the early 1980s, Kirchner was a close protégé of another patriot, former WWE Champion and Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter. Perhaps one of Kirchner’s most celebrated victories took place at WrestleMania 2 where he defeated WWE Hall of Famer Nikolai Volkoff in a Flag Match
Credit: WWE.com
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Post by John Damiter on Oct 21, 2006 22:08:51 GMT -5
It's been a weird couple of days for the family of Corporal Kirchner. WWE.com reported his death on Thursday, which then circulated widely through the world. But Mike Kirchner is still around. "I'm still alive and well, and thanks for everybody's concern. I'm doing well, and I'm happy and life is good."
Kirchner was on the road when he was contacted by SLAM! Wrestling. He drives a truck now, and gets to see the world in a different way.
"I drive a big rig for a company called TMC. It's cool. It's great. I do cross-country driving now. I go all over. I've been all over the world, and it's just traveling that has been my life," he said. "You know it's great because you get to see the things that you missed from the arenas. You drive by the arenas that you used to work in, but you get to see everything else along it -- the scenery, the states, the mountains. It's 'where do I want to go this week?' and I drive where I want to go and that's where I head to, provided there's a load there. It's always interesting. I just came out of Arizona this week."
When he heard about his "death", he was actually in Connecticut, the home state of WWE. He was tempted to drive to WWE headquarters in Stamford, and say, "Guess what guys? I'm still around."
His mother, Jean Kirchner, has been suffering the most. "I have no idea where it originated or anything," she told SLAM! Wrestling. "All I know is I've been getting calls from relatives saying, 'How is Mike? Is he alright? Are you okay?' I said, 'Why?' 'Well, according to this article on the WWE website, he's dead.' It's a man named Thomas Spear, who I think might have been Leatherface in Japan, hence the confusion."
From the research SLAM! Wrestling has done, there is almost no connection with Thomas Spear to the wrestling business, and certainly not to WWE.
Credit: WRESTLINGFIGS.com
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Post by John Damiter on Oct 21, 2006 22:09:19 GMT -5
HE IS NOT DEAD!!!
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Post by wowpower on Sept 15, 2008 5:24:41 GMT -5
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