How Did Former Pro- Wrestler Die? Karl von Steiger Cause of Death Revealed
According to online reports, Lorne Corlett a Canadian former professional wrestler passed away today.
Karl von Steiger Died
Canadian wrestler Lorne Corlett performed the role of German “Karl Von Steiger,” a partner of Kurt Von Steiger in the duo known as The Von Steigers. He made his debut in 1960 and worked in 1977 on the Jerry Jarrett Memphis campaign.
As per the below FaceBook Post, it was confirmed that Karl von Steiger passed away, the message reads,
Just heard that Karl von Steiger has passed away. He toured here in 1970 and 1971 with his partner, Kurt von Steiger. They won the tag Team Championship on several occasions. Photo from L – R: Kurt, Brute Bernard & Karl. RIP
Karl von Steiger Cause of Death
Just learned Karl Von Steiger passed away yesterday of congestive heart failure. He continued to use the Karl name in public all these years. One of the legends in Portland Wrestling history with “brother” Kurt
Just learned Karl Von Steiger passed away yesterday of congestive heart failure. He continued to use the Karl name in public all these years. One if the legends in Portland Wrestling history with “brother” Kurt pic.twitter.com/UinOHNlrzm
— Excitement in the Air (@ExcitementAir) November 9, 2022
Von Steigers:
For most of their careers, professional wrestlers Lorne Corlett and Arnold Pastrick went by the ring names Kurt and Karl Von Steiger.
Even though both wrestlers were from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the Von Steiger gimmick included two German villains who were referred to as heels.
Kurt Von Steiger was the stage name of Arnold Pastrick, while Karl Von Steiger was the stage name of Lorne Corlett.
Although they also wrestled in Tennessee, San Francisco, Stampede Wrestling, Australia, the American Wrestling Alliance, and the Carolina area, the Von Steigers are best remembered for their participation in Pacific Northwest Wrestling in Portland, Oregon, between 1968 and 1973.
Lorne Corlett’s Boxing Career
Under the ring moniker “Butcher Boy” Corlett, Lorne Corlett made his professional debut in 1960 while performing for the Madison Wrestling Club.
Corlett claimed the MWC Heavyweight Championship in 1965 and held it for more than six months. The two men created a tag team and adopted a German gimmick when the Madison Wrestling Club went out of business in 1968. This was not an overtly Nazi ring persona; rather, it was a play on the imagery of Germany in World War I, replete with spiked helmets.
Karl briefly wrestled in Phoenix where he and Tito Montez held the UWA Western States Tag Team Championship before losing it to Chris Colt and Bobby Jaggers, then known as Bobby Mayne and a protégé of Kurt Von Steiger.
He began working in Dory Funk’s NWA Western States territory, based out of Amarillo, Texas, after leaving the Phoenix Territory.
The NWA Western States Tag Team Championship was won by Von Steiger and Ciclón Negro in 1972. Von Steiger would go on to win the championship again in 1974, this time with Siegfried Stanke.
In addition, Karl defeated Terry Funk to win the NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship, which he held for six months before falling to Ricky Romero.
Kurt Von Steiger was selected by Killer Karl Krupp to take Fritz Von Erich’s position as one-half of the NWA International Tag Team Championship in the Japan Wrestling Association in April 1973.
The belts were given to Dory Funk to use when the promotion ended shortly after Von Steiger and Krupp took them with them to Texas.
In 1974, Karl Von Steiger and Bob Backlund, a future world champion, participated in a protracted plot arc centered on the Western States Heavyweight Championship. Backlund would lose the championship to Von Steiger twice in 1974.
Von Steiger relocated to Alabama in 1975, where he started working for Nick Gulas’ NWA Mid-America region. Otto Von Heller, another “German” in NWA Mid-America who, like Von Steiger, was merely pretending to be German, would pair up with Von Steiger.
On May 26, 1975, the duo won the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship by defeating George Gulas and Jackie Fargo.
The NWA Mid-America U.S. Tag Duo Championship was won by the team of Von Steiger and Von Heller shortly after that. They held it until August 1975, when they lost it to Tojo Yamamoto and Tommy Rich. The team’s greatest achievement came when they defeated Jimmy Golden and Tojo Yamamoto to capture the NWA Mid-America Southern Tag Team Championship, which they would go on to retain in 1975.
After splitting from Von Heller, Karl worked in a number of other southern states but never stayed put for an extended period of time.