Freddie Sweetan

**Frederick F. Prosser** (July 28, 1938 - July 26, 1974) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, **Freddie Sweetan**. He competed in certain North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance as well as Grand Prix Wrestling, Maple Leaf Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling during the 1960s and 1970s, most notably teaming with Paul Peller as the masked tag team **The Butchers**.

## Professional wrestling career

Prosser was persuaded to start wrestling under Paul Peller. Training under Emile Dupree in Shediac, he eventually made his debut in 1968 teaming with Peller in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling as **The Butchers**. During their time in the promotion, they proved a popular tag team headlining sold out events in Calgary and Edmonton four weeks straight, which included matches against football player Bob Luce and Emile Dupre.

The following year, he and Peller joined Dupre, Leo Burke and others to tour the Maritimes with Grand Prix Wrestling during the summer before returning to Calgary.

Wrestling under the name **Freddie Sweetan**, Prosser teamed with Stampede Wrestling veteran "Bruiser" Bob Sweetan and eventually won the Stampede Wrestling Tag Team Championship before losing the titles to Bud and Ray Osborne in Calgary, Alberta on April 18, 1969. He and Peller would later win the titles the following year.

In part to an agreement with Sweetan and Leo Burke, Prosser and Sweetan (being the same person) began wrestling in the Kansas City-area as **Killer Kox** and **K.O. Kox** with Bob Geigel's NWA Central States. They feuded with Bob Geigel and The Stomper over the NWA Central States North American Tag Team titles, he later faced Geigel in a singles match the following year on November 5, 1970.

While in the United States, he would also team with fellow Canadians The Beast in the Amarillo area and Michel "Le Justice" Dubois in the Mid-Atlantic region  who together faced Terry & Bobby Kay, George & Sandy Scott, Big Boy Brown & Klondike Bill, Les Thatcher & Nelson Royal and, most notably The Royal Kangaroos whom they had a five-week feud with in 1973.

Returning to the Maritimes during the summer, he also had a successful run with Eric Pomeroy feuding with The Beast, who enlisted Rudy Kay and Leo Burke, fighting over the ESA International Tag Team Championship throughout the early 1970s. He and The Beast also engaged in several single matches. He and Pomeroy would win the ESA International Tag Team titles three times before losing the titles to The Beast and Rudy Kay in Halifax, Nova Scotia on October 12, 1971. He would later team with a number of tag team partners including Kurt Von Steiger, Mr. X and J. J. Dillon defeating The Beast and Bobby Kay in September 1973.

The titles were later vacated when Dillon did not return to the promotion the following summer. However, he and Michel Dubois would reunite to regain the titles defeating The Beast & Bobby Kay in July 1974.

## Death

After wrestling his last match in Saint John, New Brunswick, he held a party to celebrate his 36th birthday at his summer cabin at MacFarlane Bridge, 15 miles southeast of Moncton. Although it is unknown what happened during the hours after his friends had left the party, sometime during the night a fire broke out in the cabin resulting in Prosser's death.

An investigation by the RCMP concluded that Prosser, whose body had been found near the front door, had been trapped in the cabin during the fire and died of smoke inhalation. The official cause of the fire was stated to have been accidental, and was most likely caused by Prosser having fallen asleep with a lit cigar in his hand.

However, wrestlers such as Emile Dupree have stated they believe the fire may have been started by a charcoal barbecue. Known to remain hot long after use, the grill may have caused the fire. This theory was supported by news reports and, according to one news account, officials had "declined to reveal circumstances surrounding the blaze" although an autopsy was performed at a local Moncton hospital. Pomeroy, who had been unable to attend the party due to a prior commitment in Moncton, was asked by Prosser's mother to take over the funeral service. Prosser would later be cremated and buried alongside his father.