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 full-sized bronze statue of his likeness is unveiled Saturday, June 8 at CrusherFest, on the corner of 11th and Milwaukee in South Milwaukee. The statue is the result of a crowdfunding campaign (launched by Chris Smith) that eventually raised a whopping $40,000. Will the statue site be shaped like a wrestling ring? Yes. Will it have granite turnbuckles? Yes. Will the two-day CrusherFest feature beer, food, polka, and wrestling? Of course it will. Check out the full lineup HERE.
In the meantime, check out this instrumental song/video, “Da Crusher,” courtesy of Milwaukee jazz/prog/funk band Lovanova. The track is from the group’s just-released album Apachalypse (other songs: “Polar Vortex,” “Corndog Dilemma”), and it’s a fine accompaniment to footage of Lisowski’s bruising career. And hey: Lovanova’s Paul Kneevers was Da Crusher’s neighbor back in the ’60s! Neat!