 Kamala in 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Arthur Harris[11] (1950-05-28)May 28, 1950[12] |
| Died | August 9, 2020(2020-08-09) (aged 70)[13][14] Oxford, Mississippi, U.S.[14] |
| Cause of death | Cardiac arrest[13] withcomorbiddiabetes[14] andCOVID-19 |
Spouses | |
| Children | 6 |
| Website | kamalaspeaks |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bad News Harris[1] Giant Kamala[2] Giant Kamala 1[2] Gigante Kimala[2] Gigante Kimala 1[2] Giant Kimala[2] Giant Kimala 1[3] Big Jim Harris[4] Kamala[5] Kamala 1[2] Kimala[3] Lord of The Jungle The Mississippi Mauler[6][7] Sugar Bear Harris[4] Bad Leroy Brown[2] Ugly Bear Harris[4] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm)[5] |
| Billed weight | 380 lb (172 kg)[5] |
| Billed from | Uganda, Jungles ofAfrica[5][8] |
| Trained by | Bobo Brazil[9] "Tiny" Tim Hampton[9] |
| Debut | 1978[9] |
| Retired | 2010[10] |
James Arthur Harris (May 28, 1950 – August 9, 2020),[14] better known by hisring nameKamala, was an Americanprofessional wrestler. Nicknamed "The Ugandan Giant", Kamala portrayed a fearsome and simplemindedUgandan. He wrestled barefoot, clad only in aloincloth, his face painted withwar paint and two stars painted on his chest and a moon painted on his stomach. During his ring entrance, he sported anAfrican mask and wielded a spear and shield. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (nowWWE) over the course of numerous runs in the company between 1984 and 2006.[11][1][8] In April 2025, Harris was inducted into the Legacy wing of theWWE Hall of Fame.[15]
Harris was born on May 28, 1950, inSenatobia, Mississippi, to Jessie Harris and Betsy Mosely.[14] He grew up inColdwater, Mississippi, where his family owned a furniture store. He had four sisters. When he was around four, his father was shot dead during adice game,[12] leaving the family impoverished. As a youth, Harris worked as asharecropper to help support his family.[4][16][17][18]
Harris left high school in the ninth grade and became a habitualburglar. In 1967, local police suggested he leave town. As Harris put it, "Back then if you didn't leave like they said, you would be found dead somewhere."[17] He relocated to Florida, where he drove trucks and picked fruit. At age 25, he moved toBenton Harbor, Michigan, where he met wrestlerBobo Brazil. Harris then began training as a wrestler, under Brazil's friend, "Tiny" Tim Hampton. He moved toArkansas to continue training and escape the snow in Michigan.[18][17]
Harris debuted in 1978 under thering name "Sugar Bear" Harris. He spent most of his early career in the Southern United States, also using the ring names "Ugly Bear" Harris and "Big" Jim Harris. His firstmanager wasPercy Pringle. He won his firstchampionship inNWA Tri-State in 1979, teaming with Oki Shikina to win theNWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship. In 1980, Harris joinedSoutheastern Championship Wrestling as "Bad News" Harris, winning theNWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship in 1980.[4][19] In 1981, Harris traveled to Europe for seasoning. Following a stint in Germany, he traveled to the United Kingdom, where he wrestled forJoint Promotions as "The Mississippi Mauler", a character with some similarities to his future Kamala character.[4][6][7] In June 1981, he competed in a tournament for the vacant WWA World Heavyweight Championship, losing toWayne Bridges in the final inWembley Arena in London.[20][21]
Harris returned to Senatobia in the United States in 1982 after sustaining a broken ankle. While visiting his friendThe Dream Machine at theMid-South Coliseum in nearbyMemphis, Tennessee, to borrow ring attire, Harris metContinental Wrestling Association (CWA) promoterJerry Lawler, who offered him a job. Harris, Lawler andJerry Jarrett developed a new character for Harris, "Kimala" (later adjusted to "Kamala"), drawing upon ideas for a character originally developed for Harris by The Great Mephisto. The character was a viciousUgandanheadhunter with face and body paint copied from aFrank Frazetta painting. His backstory was that he was a former bodyguard of deposedPresident of UgandaIdi Amin who had been discovered byJ. J. Dillon during an excursion to Africa. A promotional vignette aired onWMC-TV featuring a spear-wielding Kamala seemingly emerging from a steamy African jungle; the vignette was actually filmed on Jarrett's farm inHendersonville, Tennessee, with the steam effect created usingdry ice. To establish Kamala as a monstrous character, Jarrett instructed him to wrestle in a brawling style withchops andbiting. To preservekayfabe, Harris wore robes and refused to speak English while in public in Memphis.[4][3][22][16][17] Kamala made his debut in the CWA in May 1982 with Dillon as his manager, losing to Lawler by disqualification in a match that sold out the Mid-South Coliseum. In June, he defeated Lawler for theAWA Southern Heavyweight Championship, which he held until August that year. Toward the end of the year, he feuded with the imposter "Kamala II".[19]
In late-1982, Kamala began wrestling forBill Watts'Mid-South Wrestling promotion. He wasmanaged bySkandor Akbar and Friday (originally portrayed by Buddy Wayne, then by Frank Dalton), forming part of Akbar's villainous Devastation, Inc.stable.[23][24] In April 1983, he wrestledAndré the Giant in a highly promoted bout at theLouisiana Superdome.[4] During 1983, he facedThe Junkyard Dog in a series of "battle of the monsters" matches.[25]
In March 1983, Kamala debuted in theDallas, Texas-basedWorld Class Championship Wrestling promotion. In October of that year, he challengedHarley Race for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship, losing by disqualification. In the same month, he began a lengthyfeud with theVon Erich family, repeatedly facing brothersDavid,Kerry, andKevin. In May 1984, he facedThe Great Kabuki at theDavid Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions, a tribute to David, who had died suddenly in February. Kamala continued to appear regularly with WCCW until late-1985.[19][26]
At the insistence of André the Giant, Kamala debuted in theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) in July 1984. He was managed byFreddie Blassie and a masked "handler" in safari clothing known as "Friday" (played first by Frank Dalton then by Steve Lombardi). In a memorable segment on the television programTuesday Night Titans, Kamala seemingly devoured a live chicken (with a cutaway shot of feathers flying out of his mouth shown to create the illusion).[4][19][27] After defeating a series of opponents includingB. Brian Blair,Salvatore Bellomo, andChief Jay Strongbow, in August 1984 Kamala challengedHulk Hogan for theWWF World Heavyweight Championship, wrestling him to a double count-out. In October 1984, he began a series of matches against André the Giant, among them asteel cage match which he lost after André twicesat on his chest. Kamala's final appearance was in abattle royal in November 1984.[19]
After leaving the WWF in late-1984, Kamala went on to appear with multiple promotions throughout the United States and Canada. Throughout 1985, Kamala wrestled for theMinneapolis, Minnesota-basedAmerican Wrestling Association (AWA). He was established as a "monster" by winning a series ofhandicap matches. He feuded withSgt. Slaughter, whom he defeated in a "Ugandan Death Match" in April 1985 but lost to in a "Boot Camp"steel cage match in June. At theSuperClashsupercard in September 1985, Kamala lost toJerry Blackwell in abody slam challenge.
Toward the end of the year, Kamala repeatedly challengedRick Martel for theAWA World Heavyweight Championship, but failed to win the championship.[19] In July 1985, Kamala wrestled forJim Crockett Promotions atThe Great American Bash, unsuccessfully challengingMagnum T. A. for theNWA United States Heavyweight Championship.[19] In November 1985, Kamala made his first tour of Japan withAll Japan Pro Wrestling. Wrestling as "Giant Kamala", he formed atag team with fellowgaijin King Cobra. He made a second tour in February 1986 as "Kimala".[19] In early-1986, Kamala had a short-run in theMontreal, Quebec, Canada-basedLutte Internationale promotion, where he was managed byEddie Creatchman.[4][19]
Kamala returned to the WWF in July 1986, now managed byThe Wizard and the masked "handler" Kim Chee (usually portrayed bySteve Lombardi).[28][29] From November 1986 to February 1987, Kamala facedHulk Hogan in a series of matches for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, marking the pinnacle of his career.[16][19][22][30] The run of matches included two bouts inMadison Square Garden that aired onWWF on MSG Network.[19]
In February 1987, Kamala formed a tag team with the "Wild Samoan"Sika. In the same month, he began a feud withJake Roberts, during which Roberts repeatedly exploited Kamala's purportedfear of snakes.[19] Kamala won this feud when he defeated Roberts at the 11th edition ofSaturday Night's Main Event, with the help of "The Honky Tonk Man".[19] In April 1987, The Wizard sold Kamala's managerial contract toMr. Fuji.[31] Harris was scheduled to once again face off against World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan atSaturday Night's Main Event XII, but he abruptly left the WWF once more in September 1987 over frustrations about his pay.[19][16]
After leaving WWF, Kamala returned toWorld Class Championship Wrestling where he feuded withKevin Von Erich,Kerry Von Erich andMichael Hayes before the promotion shut down in 1989, and he returned to All Japan withAbdullah the Butcher.[19] From 1990 to 1991 he worked forConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in Mexico. He lost toMil Máscaras in a cage match on March 17, 1991. Then he returned to Japan, working for All Japan with teaming withBotswana Beast,W*ING andSuper World of Sports into 1992.[19] He then debuted for the Memphis-basedUnited States Wrestling Association (USWA) in 1990, feuding with Jerry Lawler, and winning theUSWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship four times. He left the company in 1992.[32]
Kamala returned to the WWF on May 9, 1992, with Lombardi reprising the Kim Chee character andHarvey Wippleman acting as his managers. In June 1992, he unsuccessfully challengedRandy Savage for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Throughout mid-1992, he wrestled primarily inhouse shows, with his regular opponents includingThe Undertaker,Bret Hart,The Texas Tornado, andThe Ultimate Warrior.[5][19] Kamala lost to The Undertaker by disqualification atSummerSlam in August 1992. Kamala later claimed that he was paid $13,000 for the bout while The Undertaker was paid $500,000. Professional wrestling journalistDave Meltzer questioned this claim, saying: "I'm not saying he's lying, but that's hard to believe [...] for there to be that big of a disparity wouldn't make any sense."[4][16] In November 1992, Kamala lost to The Undertaker atSurvivor Series in the first ever televisedcasket match.[33][34][35] In January 1993, Kim Chee and Wippleman began mistreating Kamala, leading him to break away from them and align himself withReverend Slick, turning face for the first time in his WWF career.
Slick set out to humanize Kamala, leading to a series of skits in which he introduced him to activities such asten-pin bowling.[4][33][36][37] Kamala feuded with Kim Chee throughout early 1993. In March 1993, he began a series of matches withBam Bam Bigelow. The two were scheduled to face one another atWrestleMania IX, but the match was canceled.[4] In May 1993, Kamala lost aKing of the Ring tournament qualifying match via countout toMr. Hughes on an episode ofWWF Wrestling Challenge. He went on to compete primarily at house shows until being released by the WWF that July.[19][16] In December 1993, Kamala was announced as a participant in the 1994 Royal Rumble Match. During the bout the announcers noted that Virgil, as an alternate participant, had replaced him.[38]
After leaving the WWF once more, Harris stepped back from professional wrestling. He began working as a truck driver using twosemi-trailer trucks he had purchased following his series of matches with Hulk Hogan.[4][22] He only wrestled in independent shows and part-time for USWA. In December 1993, he wrestled in India where he won the vacated IAW Tag Team Titles withDusty Wolfe defeatingLeo Burke and theMongolian Mauler.[39]
At Hulk Hogan's suggestion, Kamala joinedWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1995. He was introduced as part ofKevin Sullivan'sDungeon of Doom stable, whose goal was to end Hogan's career. In his first WCW pay-per-view appearance, he defeated "Hacksaw"Jim Duggan atBash at the Beach. He lost a singles match to Hogan atClash of the Champions XXXI. He was part of the "Dungeon of Doom" team atFall Brawl, which lost to Hogan's team, "The Hulkamaniacs".[4]
On January 24, 1996, Kamala returned to the USWA for the final time where he teamed withBrian Christopher andPG-13 to defeatTracey Smothers,Doug Gilbert,Jesse James Armstrong, andRobert Gibson in anIron Man match.[40]
Kamala participated in the "Gimmick Battle Royal" atWrestleMania X-Seven and was eliminated bySgt. Slaughter.[41]
Kamala lost to his nemesisJerry Lawler at International Wrestling Cartel On July 20, 2002.[42] From 2003 to 2004 he made appearances forMemphis Wrestling.
On July 26, 2004, Kamala made a surprise return to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), participating in aRaw Diva Search segment onRAW, in which the female contestants were instructed to try to seduce him.[43]
Kamala lost toJim Duggan atWrestleReunion 1 on January 29, 2005.
Kamala facedRandy Orton on the August 11, 2005, edition ofSmackDown! (accompanied by Kim Chee) but the match was interrupted by a message from The Undertaker to Orton, and ended in ano contest.[44] Kamala appeared at the 2005Taboo Tuesday event, as one of the choices forEugene's tag team partner.[45] He lost thefan vote toJimmy Snuka, but came to the ring after the match to deliver a big splash toTyson Tomko.[46] On June 25, 2006, atVengeance, he accompanied Eugene to the ring (along withDoink the Clown and"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan) to take onUmaga. Umaga quickly won, then attacked all three. But before Kamala and Umaga could fight, Umaga's manager,Armando Estrada, intervened.[47] Umaga defeated Kamala in a match the following night onRaw in his last appearance for the promotion.[17]
On September 30, 2006, Kamala wrestled to a non-finish withBryan Danielson, in a match for theROH World Championship at aNational Wrestling Alliance event inBridgeport, Connecticut.[48]
In 2007, Kamala defeatedLanny Poffo at Great North Wrestling event Wrestling Supershow at theOttawa SuperEX in Ottawa, Canada.[49] Kamala appeared atTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling'sSlammiversary pay-per-view in June 2008, as a guest atJay Lethal andSoCal Val's storyline wedding.[50] His last match was on August 15, 2010, atJuggalo Championship Wrestling with the Weedman defeatingThe Haters (Pauly and Vito Thomaselli).[2]
Writing about his character in March 2021, 411Mania's Ryan Byers called the character "problematic" since it promoted "all sorts of negative stereotypes of Africans and Black people more generally", but praised Harris's performance since "you believed he was what he was portraying, and, more importantly, you believed that he was dangerous".[51]
Harris was married twice; his first marriage, to Clara Freeman in 1974, ended in divorce in 2005, while his second, to Emmer Jean Bradley in 2006, lasted until his death.[14] Harris fathered five daughters and a son.[52] Harris lived with his niece Ashley inSenatobia, Mississippi, until moving toOxford, Mississippi.[17][53]
In July 1993, Harris was called away from a WWF tour after a show inOakland, California, when his youngest sister and her stepdaughter were shot dead. The killer attempted suicide, but only severely disfigured himself. After his WWF release that August, Harris pushed for the man's arrest and conviction. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, and died in 2013. Harris went on to help raise his surviving niece.[16][17]
Beginning in 1993, Harris wrote, performed, and produced his own music. He wrote over 100 songs. Some discuss his frustration with the working conditions he experienced in the wrestling industry, most notably the low pay. He released his debut album,The Best of Kamala Vol 1, through his official website. The album features a ballad dedicated to the memory ofStanley "Tookie" Williams.[17]
In 2015, Harris completed his autobiography along with one of his wrestling managers,Kenny Casanova, to help him offset medical costs.Kamala Speaks was funded onKickstarter and self-published in December 2014. It tells his life story, of his wrestling career, and the loss of both of his legs todiabetes.[54]
On November 7, 2011, Harris had his left leg amputated below the knee due to complications ofhigh blood pressure anddiabetes, a condition he had since 1992, which forced him to retire because he did not acceptdialysis treatment.[55] In April 2012, his right leg was also amputated below the knee and a campaign was launched seeking donations to cover his financial needs.[56][57] Harris toldBleacher Report in 2014 that he relied on a disability check, sold handmade wooden chairs, and had written a book about his life.[54][16][58]
In July 2016, Harris was named as part of aclass action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred traumatic brain injuries during their tenure and that the company concealed the risks of injury. The suit was litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE.[59] The lawsuit was dismissed byDistrict of Connecticut judgeVanessa Lynne Bryant in September 2018.[60] Mike Johnson ofPW Insider wrote that his involvement in the lawsuit likely prevented WWE from inducting him into theirHall of Fame during his lifetime.[61]
On November 19, 2017, Harris underwent life-saving emergency surgery to clear fluid from around his heart and lungs at a hospital inOxford, Mississippi.[62][53] He was then onlife support due tocomplications.[62] The next day, his stepdaughter said he showed signs of improvement, but remained on life support.[53] On November 22, it was reported that he was able to breathe on his own yet was unable to talk and remained under intensive care.[63]
On August 5, 2020, Harris tested positive forCOVID-19 during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Mississippi, and was hospitalized. He likely contracted it from one of his numerous weekly visits to the dialysis center, his wife said. Due to COVID-19, he started to experience complications from his diabetes. He went into cardiac arrest on August 9, 2020, dying later that afternoon at the age of 70.[64][65]
Shortly after his death, aGoFundMe page was started to help Harris's family pay for his funeral expenses. The fundraiser ended up surpassing its original goal of $25,000, raising a total of $32,664.Impact Wrestling executiveScott D'Amore donated $2,500 to the cause[66] and fellow wrestlerChris Jericho made a $5,000 donation.[66] This was not the first time that Jericho had donated to a cause involving Harris – in April 2019, a GoFundMe was started byB. Brian Blair, formerWWF wrestler and president of theCauliflower Alley Club, to raise money to prevent Harris from losing his home due to unpaid taxes. Jericho donated $5,000 to this fundraiser as well, pushing the amount raised substantially past the stated goal of $12,750.[67]
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