Abraham "Abe" Zvonkin (March 6, 1910 – August 22, 2002) was a Canadian track and field athlete, an all-star and Grey Cup champion Canadian football player and professional wrestler.
Early life[]
Abe Zvonkin was born in New York City, son of Russian immigrants. The family later moved to Canada when Zvonkin was only two. He attended the Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where he began playing football.
Zvonkin during his football days
Zvonkin began his football career in 1933 with the Hamilton Tigers of the Ontario Rugby Football Union, but when he attended Queen's University he became an all-star in 1934 with the Queen's Golden Gaels. He returned to the Tigers for 3 more seasons in 1937, ending with his enlistment during World War II. He played two more seasons with the Hamilton Flying Wildcats, winning the Grey Cup in 1943, his last season.
Professional wrestling career[]
Zvonkin began his wrestling career after he was inspired by Whipper Billy Watson. He debuted on March 28, 1944, defeating Al Dunlop by disqualification. From the beginning Zvonkin played the heel, thriving in the role.
Zvonkin as a wrestler
Over the years Zvonkin wrestled under a number of different identities or ring names, including masked characters Mr. X and the Purple Phantom from 1949 to 1950. He formed a successful tag team with Jack Dillon.
He also worked as "Mr. E" during his time in Alberta in 1954 as well as under his real name, playing off his Russian heritage. Zvonkin won the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship in Calgary with Jim Henry on May 7, 1954, defeating Jean Baillargeon and Seelie Samara. They held onto the titles until June 4, when they dropped it to George and Sandy Scott; the latter recalled of Zvonkin being the first wrestler to break his nose.
After retiring from professional wrestling in 1961, Zvorkin would travel the United States and Canada competing in dog shows for many years.
Death[]
Zvonkin suffered from bad knees from football and wrestling, entering the Shalom Village in Hamilton in May 2001. Zvonkin died from cancer on August 29, 2002, at the age of 92.