South Milwaukee could soon have a new statue of a man they consider a true local hero, the deceased pro wrestler The Crusher.
Fans of iconic professional wrestler are raising money to make sure his "100 megaton biceps" live on for years to come in bronze. They created a GoFundMe page to raise money for their effort.
The Crusher was a larger than life character who loved his hometown so much, he made sure it was always part of his introduction. His daughters remember it fondly.
"Wherever he was in the world, he would make the announcer say: 'The man who made Milwaukee famous. The one, the only. The Crusher!'" said one of his daughters, Dawn Lisowski. "But we called him dad."
His real name was Reginald Lisowski. He was a bricklayer from South Milwaukee and a true family man. He was married for 55 years and had four kids. He followed his passion and broke into pro-wrestling in the 1950's. His wrestling career lasted more than 40 years. He died from a brain tumor in 2005.
"He was a hard-working, regular guy who made it to stardom, but he never forgot where he came from," Dawn said.
"He had many opportunities to move," said his other daughter, Sherri Brozoski. "We could have lived anywhere, but he wanted to stay here, where he was born and raised."
But their childhood was anything but typical. Imagine bringing a date home to meet "The Crusher."
"Our dates would see how big he was, and even though our curfew was 10, they'd have us home a half hour early," Sherri said. "They didn't want to risk making dad mad!"
And there were some bizarre family trips.
"We'd always go on vacation with Dick The Bruiser and his family," Dawn said. "Can you imagine?"
The sisters are touched knowing so many years later, fans have already raised more than $3,500 to get a statue of The Crusher made and erected in South Milwaukee.
"We're so proud of the fact that people are still such big fans," Dawn said. "It shows just how much people still love him."
"He always said the best fans in the world were in Milwaukee," Sherri said. "He'd be really happy to see this."
The fan who created the GoFundMe Page wants to raise $40,000 to get the statue made. The mayor of South Milwaukee says he loves the idea, but it's still very early. Details would need to be discussed.
