| Yukon Eric | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Birth name | Eric Holmback[1] |
| Born | (1916-04-16)April 16, 1916[1] Monroe, Washington,United States[1] |
| Died | January 16, 1965(1965-01-16) (aged 48)[1] Cartersville, Georgia,United States[2] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Yukon Eric[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 275 lb (125 kg) – 300 lb (140 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Fairbanks, Alaska[1] |
| Trained by | Man Mountain Dean[1] |
| Debut | January 22, 1942[1][3] |
Eric Holmback (April 16, 1916 – January 16, 1965) was an Americanprofessional wrestler, better known by thering nameYukon Eric.
Holmback spent the majority of his career in SouthernOntario,Canada, where he won theNWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship on two occasions withWhipper Billy Watson in 1955 and 1961 and the Montreal Athletic Commission's International Heavyweight Championship. He also won theNWA Texas Heavyweight Championship in 1948.
Holmback is best known for his 1952 match and subsequentfeud withKiller Kowalski in which he lost his ear as a result of abotchedknee drop. A rematch between the two the following year was the first televisedwrestling match in Canada. Holmback continued to wrestle inFlorida until he died bysuicide in 1965.
After being trained byMan Mountain Dean, Holmback made hisprofessional wrestling debut on January 22, 1942, using thering name Yukon Eric.[1] Yukon Eric utilised astrongmanin-ring persona, and as part of the persona, he was announced as being fromFairbanks, Alaska, and always woreplaid wool shirts, worn open to show off his 66 in (170 cm) chest.[1][4] He also was known forwhipping his opponent into the ropes so that they would bounce back into his chest.[4]
On January 30, 1948, Yukon Eric defeatedSonny Myers to win his firstprofessional wrestling championship, theNWA Texas Heavyweight Championship.[1] He held the championship for a week, before losing it toMiguel Guzmán on February 6.[5] After this, he moved toSouthern Ontario, where he spent the majority of his wrestling career.[3] Two years later, on February 15, 1950, he defeatedBobby Managoff to win the Montreal Athletic Commission's International Heavyweight Championship.[1]
During a match againstWladek Kowalski in 1952, Kowalskibotched aknee drop, andlegitimately severed part of Holmback's left ear.[3][6] Afterward, Kowalski went to visit Holmback in the hospital, but began laughing at the bandages wrapped around Holmback's head.[6] The incident cemented Kowalski as aheel (villainous character) and prompted Kowalski to rename himself Killer Kowalski.[6] A rematch between the two on January 14, 1953, at theMontreal Forum was the first ever televisedwrestling match inCanada.[4]
He won theNWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship twice withWhipper Billy Watson, with their first reign beginning on February 13, 1958, when they defeatedFritz Von Erich andGene Kiniski.[1] They lost the championship just over a month later toStan andReggie Lisowski on March 20, 1958.[7] Later that year, he won the championship for the second time when he teamed withDara Singh to defeat Stan and Reggie Lisowski on August 7, 1958.[7] Three years later, on December 28, 1961, he won the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship for the second time with Watson, and the third time overall, when the pair defeatedJohn andChris Tolos.[1] Worked in Minnesota forAmerican Wrestling Association from 1961 to 1962. He later moved toFlorida, where he wrestled until the time of his death in 1965.[2]
In 2007, Holmback was one of the honorees of theCauliflower Alley Club's Posthumous Award, along withBetty Jo Hawkins.[8]
Holmback grew up inAberdeen, Washington, with three sisters. He attendedWashington State College, where he playedAmerican football,lettering with thevarsity team in 1938 as asophomore.[4]
After divorcing his wife and suffering financial problems, on January 16, 1965, Holmback drove to the church inCartersville, Georgia, where he had gotten married, and took his own life by shooting himself in the mouth with a.22 caliberpistol. He was reported missing when he failed to show for matches inJacksonville, Florida, andSt. Petersburg, Florida. His body was found the next day in his car in the church parking lot.[1][2] He was survived by his three children; two daughters and a son.[4]