MILWAUKEE — What made "Da Crusher" special? Well, daughter Dawn says it was Milwaukee matches, like teaming up with Hulk Hogan.
"My dad, he was in the ring with Big John Studd, who was huge. He hit him and you could hear the breast bone break on my dad. I've never seen my dad go, 'That hurts,' " said Dawn Lisowski.
When God made Da Crusher, he broke the mold.
"He was proud to be from here, and I think everyone from here was proud," event organizer Chris Smith said.
It's why this South Milwaukee corner, at 11th and Milwaukee, will soon be the home to Reginald Lisowski's lifelike statue.
"Honestly, the awe of seeing it was overwhelming," daughter Sherri Brozoski said.
Da Crusher's daughters have years worth of memorabilia and memories to prove it.
Even after his mother passed away, the show went on in Minnesota.
"He just kept sitting there saying, 'How can I go in that ring?' but he knew people were waiting for him," Dawn Lisowski said.
"He never let anyone down," Sherri Brozoski added.
For three years, Smith thought about this day. He raised funds to make it happen.
"It's like a dream," Smith said. "Everything has just worked out perfectly."
"He was proud to be from here, and I think everyone from here was proud." — Crusherfest event organizer Chris Smith
Now the day will be a fitting tribute to the man.
"You have to have the sunglasses. You have to have the cigars. You have to have the polka. ... Do you polka?" Lisowski asked.
