Also known as The Black Baron, Dr Death, The Outlaw, The Excecutioner, Pitbull, Spiderman
Wrestling Heritage welcomes memories, further information and corrections.
A Man of Many Guises
Whilst Kevin Cawley was a serial masked man of many guises the Black Baron was the only hooded persona that made any lasting impression. A hooded heel of around eighteen months from 1980-81 he was usually accompanied by his manager Charlie McGee, commonly known as Charlie the Gent. Charlie the Gent would precede his charge into the ring, fumigating the air with an aerosol spray, reminiscent of Lord Blears, Gentleman Jim Lewis and Lord Bertie Topham. He would then extol at some length the virtues of the Black Baron, who apparently refused to speak – now we wonder where he got that idea?
The Black Baron specialised in an impressive selection of underhand tactics and the infamous Claw Hold, applied with his leather gloved right hand. As the hold was applied and the helpless victim played his part the enraged fans would shout their abuse and appeal to the referee that the hold was illegal and the glove concealed something sinister. Again, none of this was new, we had seen the performance acted out by other masked men twenty years earlier, and even then it may not have been original
As The Black Baron he appeared twice on television in 1980 partnering Yasu Fiji and dutifully going down to Big Daddy and Chris Adams, and in a Battle Royal won by Giant Haystacks.
Although this was the most memorable part of his career Kevin had been around for about ten years, working for various independent promoters and was to continue his career for another decade, making around twenty years in total.
Eddie Rose remembers his friend: “He was some character and I wrestled him and his manager, Charlie the Gent on many occasions. He promoted a lot of shows in the north west and he usually found a spot for me on these shows. My daughter, Rachel (aged about seven at the time), used to give Kevin a hard time whenever they met or spoke on the phone. She called him Kevin the Kitten after some TV programme. He used to rant and rave show style but loved the banter.
I remember wrestling him (and Charlie) on a school charity event in Manchester. They were giving me a hard time when, all of a sudden there was a blur of black and white when the school chaplain (Father John Williams) decided to even things up and jumped the ring, setting about Kevin on my behalf. Eventually things calmed down and Father John agreed to have his photo taken with Kevin, shots of which appeared in the local paper and the Catholic Herald.
He worked under a variety of guises: The Outlaw, Spider Man, the Black Baron and always gave the audience entertainment and thrills. He had a lovely family in Wythenshawe and his premature death was a great shock to all he knew him. What a loss to his family and to the wrestling business.”
Kevin Christopher Cawley was born on 2nd March, 1946. He made the ultimate sacrifice when he died of a heart attack during a wrestling bout at the Lewisham Concert Hall in October, 1992, aged just 46.
The Coroner at the Inquest said that Kevin, wrestling that night as Pitbull, died of natural causes and was unaware of his diseased heart. At that time he was wrestling part-time and had started work at 4.45 am as a bus driver. The Coroner called for better medical checks including pre-contest medical check-ups.
Page added 25/02/2024
10268
Wrestling Heritage 