George Gadaski

**George Kosti** (April 25, 1930 - December 16, 1982), better known by his ring name **George "Scrap Iron" Gadaski**, was a Canadian professional wrestler, road agent, and referee, best known for his tenure with the American Wrestling Assocation (AWA).

## Early life

George Kosti grew up with a large family including 10 brothers and 3 sisters. The family business was raised on a wheat farm in Limerick, Saskatchewan. George's mother died when he was four years old, but this did not hold the young Kosti back as he became a hockey player and played the guitar.

The NHL's Chicago Blackhawks were interested in Kosti but he returned Limerick to help his family on the farm. George then went to Regina to become an instructor at the local YMCA, weightlifting there.

## Professional wrestling career

George's strength and athleticsm caught the eye of local wrestling promoter Dave Pyle, and Gadaski's in-ring career was getting started. He originally competed as a heel under his legal surname of Kosti. In 1957, Kosti trained with legendary Canadian wrestler and tough stud, Stu Hart.

Gadaski found exposure in the United States, working for Roy Shire in San Francisco and competing against the likes of Ray Stevens and Kenji Shibuya established his reputation as a very good worker inside the ring. He soon traveled to the Southeast where he wrestled in several NWA territories including Georgia, North Carolina (Mid-Atlantic) and Florida (Championship Wrestling from Florida). It was while wrestling in Georgia that Gadaski was given the nickname "Scrap Iron" by a promoter and the moniker stuck throughout his career. He would also compete in overalls and a dirty shirt, as part of the name.

In 1967, Gadaski entered Verne Gagne's AWA territory in Minneapolis, and was asked to remain there on a continuing basis by both Gagne and his partner Wally Karbo. This was not the first time he appeared for the AWA, as he put over Billy Red Cloud on September 3, 1966. Gadaski, a jack of all trades, not only wrestled, but also refereed and worked as a road agent, setting up rings and driving the ring truck. Though Gadaski often wrestled as an enhancement talent, this did not stop him from showing out in matches with Billy Robinson, Dr X. (Dick Beyer) and Gagne himself. Jim Brunzell, Doug Somers, and Buddy Rose also benefited from matches with Gadaski.

On December 10, 1972, during a show in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Gadaski served as the opponent for the debuting and future wrestling legend, Ric Flair. Flair, who grappled against Gadaski to a 10-minute draw, would later say that the match was "the longest 10 minutes I had ever had in my life!".

Gadaski entered a big feud from 1977 to 1978 alongside Reggie "The Crusher" Lisowski. The Crusher picked Gadaski as his surprise teammate to go against his hated rivals Super Destroyer and Lord Alfred Hayes. Destroyer and Hayes had attacked Crusher on television, ripped his suit to shreds and busted him open in the process. The Crusher swore revenge and had Gadaski by his side. The two teams engaged in a feud that sold out several shows in the AWA territory.

Gadaski once spent over five hours shoveling 2 feet of snow to clear a path from his house in Winconsin in order make a show scheduled for that night in North Dakota. Wrestling lore has it that George once fell in his car some 30 feet off a bridge after falling asleep at the wheel. Surprisingly, the car landed on all four wheels and Gadaski still made the show he was scheduled to participate in that night.

By the early 80s, Gadaski's career began to wind down, as he wrestled his last match on December 20, 1981, a tag match where he and Woody Wilson fell short to Bobby Duncum and Ken Patera. In addition, January 3, 1982 saw him referee for the final time.

## Death

By 1982, Gadaski was diagnosed with a severe brain tumor, and the AWA held a fundraiser for him in April. Gadaski died from the effects of the tumor on December 16, 1982, at a St. Croix hospital, aged 52.