Bill Cunningham

Bill Cunningham

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Mississippi Wrestling Legend James 'Kamala' Harris Dies of COVID

Rest in peace to the greatest person to ever be known as 'Kamala' Harris.

Yes, way before Senator Kamala Harris ran for President a different person named James 'Kamala' Harris was entertaining wrestling fans all over America.

Jeremy Fuster reports:

Pro wrestler James Harris, who performed as the monster heel Kamala, died this weekend at the age of 70, according to a statement released Sunday by WWE.
Born in Mississippi, Harris struggled to make ends meet for his family as a farmworker and truck driver and was even arrested as a teen for burglary. At the age of 25, he met wrestler Bobo Brazil in Michigan and decided to train under him. After getting his start in the Southeast U.S. and winning the NWA heavyweight title in that territory, he traveled to Memphis in 1982 and joined the Continental Wrestling Association run by famed promoters Jerry “The King” Lawler and Jerry Jarrett.
Over the next decade, Harris would perform with some of the most famous wrestlers of the era, including NWA heavyweight champion Harley Race, Rick Martel and Sgt. Slaughter. But his most famous matches would come during two stints in the World Wrestling Federation, including a steel cage match against Andre the Giant and world title matches against Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage.
Harris continued to wrestle as Kamala on the indie circuit and in sporadic WWE appearances until 2010, after which he was forced to retire when he underwent a below-the-knee amputation on his left leg due to high blood pressure and diabetes.

Professional Wrestling: World Wrestling Federation: Closeup portrait of Kamala the Ugandan Giant posing during photo shoot at Madison Square Garden. New York, NY 3/17/1985 CREDIT: Walter Iooss Jr. (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr. /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images/Getty Images) (Set Number: X31186 TK3 )


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