336-Lb. Wrestler’s ‘Splashdown’ Kills 350-Lb. Opponent

Wrestler King Kong Kirk was crushed to death by his 336-pound opponent who dived atop him in his famous “Big Daddy Splashdown” at a match before 2,000 fans, police said today.

A police spokesman said some spectators at the match Sunday at first thought the dead wrestler was faking, but when doctors rushed into the ring “they realized it wasn’t a fix.”

Police said no charges will be filed in the death that stunned the crowd watching the match Sunday night at the Hippodrome arena in Great Yarmouth.

Fifteen minutes into the match Big Daddy, one of Britain’s most popular wrestlers, ran and dived on King Kong Kirk in a move he has made famous.

The 350-pound King Kong Kirk, about 40, whose real name was Malcolm Kirk, lay motionless in the ring. A Hippodrome worker said Big Daddy, 50, whose real name is Shirley Crabtree, stood in the ring shocked when his opponent did not get up.