Reggie “Da Crusher” Lisowski is known as “The Man Who Made Milwaukee Famous.” Over the course of his 40-year professional wrestling career, the South Milwaukee native and World War II vet was the pride of a region, an influence to untold numbers of aspiring wrestlers, and a WCW Hall of Famer with a heft of title belts to his name.
“Da Crusher” died in 2005, but his legacy will live on when a crowdfunded, full-sized bronze statue of his likeness is unveiled at CrusherFest, June 8-9 at 1101 Milwaukee Ave. in South Milwaukee. Will the statue site be shaped like a wrestling ring? Yes. Will it have granite turnbuckles? Yes. Can you watch the pouring of “Da Crusher”‘s arms and hips below, courtesy of Vanguard Sculpture Services? You bet. (The video is sped up 2x, in case you didn’t notice.)
Thanks to statue mastermind Chris Smith (not that Chris Smith) for the invite, and Vanguard (not that Vanguard) for being molten metal wizards. Also, “Da Crusher”‘s daughters were there, and we shook hands with the legendary Gino Salomone.