The King is dead...
by Jeff Ranger on 2001-12-04

No, not Jerry Fucking Lawler.

Lawler can kiss my ass. With every passing day, he reminds me how much I miss (and now apparently will always miss) the work of Stampede Wrestling's own Ed Whalen.

Last night, after spending a short time in a coma as a result of a massive coronary, the legendary Stampede Wrestling commentator passed away.

I had read of his coma, and was hoping he would pull through, but for anyone following the story, all of the information was basically there to see.

His son told the press that he had been informed by the doctors that there was "very little hope"

As news updates appeared, they referred to his worsening condition.

And last night it happened. My favorite commentator of all time passed away.

A piece of my youth is gone. One of the mroe findly remembered pieces.

Ed Whalen was the first example I can recall of a true "character" at wrestling's announce table.

He coined catch-phrases, he got involved in angles. He attacked Abdullah the Butcher in one of the more astonishing acts of pro-wrestling foolhardiness that I can recall.

I'll repeat it because it bears repating: He attacked Abdullah the Butcher.

I just ICQ'd my friend Mike, trying to remember an instance when Whalen had strangled some heel with his Microphone cord...

JEFF RANGER: "Who did Whalen strangle with his Mic cord?"

MIKE DEMERS: "Everybody"

The memory makes me long for him to be sitting behind the announce table one more time. For the record, I was thinking of him strangling none other than J.R Foley

A great moment has just popped into my head concerning Whalen and J.R. Foley...

J.R. FOLEY: "Money Talks Ed Whalen!!!"

ED WHALEN: "Yes, and we know how the rest of that saying goes, so I will now ask you to "Walk" (hold the ropes open for Foley)

Or one of Ed's stranger moments in commentary...

CAREY BROWN: "My Name is Carey brown!!!"

ED WHALEN: "You're name is 'Toilet Bowl'"

We laughed about that for days. Odd things are funny when you are thirteen:)

Ed's voice became synonymous with Stampede Wrestling...

Man, this is depressing. I had hoped to eulogize Ed Whalen, but the fact is..I don't know anything about him other than what I saw on T.V. I am simply remembering a slew of fantastic moments that he brought to the screen.

But you kow what? It's enough.

Ed was involved in a wrestling promotion that changed the face of the sport. He was instrumental in the branding of that same promotion in the way that Jerry Lawler is for the WWF.

Excepting that Ed Whalen did so in a positive way.

I know that every single column about Ed Whalen is going to end in the same way, but I simply can't resist (and I hope no one finds it too "flip")...

In the Mean time, and in between time, that's it for the stellar career and long life, of Ed Whalen

It was a "ring-a-ding-dong-dandy"