Herb Gerwig Herb Gerwig ( April 26 , 1931 - November 10 , 2011 ) was an American professional wrestler , better known by his ring name of Killer Karl Kox , who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance as well as international promotions such as All Japan Pro Wrestling , the International Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling during the 1960s and 70s . Career . Killer Karl Kox was one of the biggest stars in the WCW promotion in Australia during the 1960s and 1970s . As a singles heel through the sixties , he was a top - of - card fixture battling well - established crowd favourites such as Mark Lewin , Spiros Arion , Tex McKenzie , Dominic Denucci and Mario Milano . Enormous numbers from Australia ' s nascent ethnic community turned out to support Arion , Denucci and Milano , and Kox risked riots at every appearance . His brainbuster finisher was as famous as his chronic rule breaking and surreptitious use of foreign objects . Fans longed to see the brainbuster deployed on the side of good , and this boon was granted in 1971 when the Killer turned into a good guy in a nationally televised mea culpa - he pledged to change his ways on a solemn promise to his dying mother . This created much heat in the already booming Australian wrestling promotion , where the fixture was an ongoing television " war " between the good guys referred to as " The People ' s Army " ( Lewin , Curtis , Arion , Milano and visiting faces from overseas ) and the " mercenary soldiers " managed by Kentucky biker / preacher Big Bad John . The turning of the tables saw the erstwhile Killer create great excitement in tag matches against his former heel comrades Abdullah the Butcher , Brute Bernard , Dick " The Bulldog " Brower , Tiger Singh , Waldo Von Ehrich and Japanese badboys like Mr Fuiji and the Tojo Brothers . In the wrestling profession , Killer Karl Kox was always a popular figure for his humour , behind - the - scenes practical jokes and inventiveness in furthering the promotion ( " the greatest gimmicks man in the business " said one admiring colleague ) . His grudge matches were well - calibrated and exciting , building through a series of disqualifications and non - decisions through run - in interference , and often climaxing in a conditional match in which " the loser packs his bags and leaves town . " This saw off one or the other of the combatants as they travelled to fulfill other promotional runs in other countries ; battle would be re - joined next season when the participants returned for another highly profitable run . Among Killer Karl Kox ' s famous matches in Australia , his feuds with man - mountain Haystacks Calhoun usually involved the insinuation of foreign objects into the proceedings by Kox . At the end of one season , Kox " left Australia for medical treatment in the states " when , in a strap match with Bulldog Brower , his eye was nearly removed ( the wound was unbandaged to show the television audience ) . A headline making event was when a television match for the Australian championship against Spiros Arion was declared ended due to time limit by well - loved commentator Jack Little . Kox responded by applying the Brain Buster to the unfortunate Little , who was hospitalized and required to call matches the following month in a neck brace . Kox made his final wrestling - related appearance at VCCW Quest for the Crown II in August 2011 , taking part in a meet and greet as well as later presenting the championship to Scot Summers . On November 10 , 2011 , Kox died at the age of 80 following a heart attack and a stroke he had suffered nearly three weeks prior .