Kenny Benkowski

Infobox Wrestler
name=Kenny Benkowski


names=Kenny "Sodbuster" Jay
The Very Capable Kenny Jay

height= 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
weight= 275 lb (125 kg)
birth_date =birth date and age|year=1937|month=3|day=27
death_date =
birth_place =Holdingford, Minnesota
resides=Bloomington, Minnesota
billed=Minnesota
Cleveland, Ohio
trainer=Verne Gagne
Bob Hawkins
debut=February 1958
retired=|

Kenny Benkowski, better known as "Sodbuster" Kenny Jay or The Very Capable Kenny Jay cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_20031211/ai_n10932102 |title=These gifts make it a very Packer Christmas |accessdate=2007-04-29 |author=Mike Hart for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel |date=December 11, 2003] (born March 27, 1937 in Holdingford, Minnesota) was a professional wrestler who competed primarily in the American Wrestling Association. Jay primarily performed as a jobber.

When he wasn't performing in the wrestling ring, Kenny ran a landscaping business in the Twin Cities (which is how he got the name "Sodbuster").

Kenny was often paired with fellow AWA jobber Jake "The Milkman" Milliman in tag team matches. cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2005/04/02/980462.html |title= This time, Kenny Jay is on top |accessdate=2007-04-29 |author=Canadian Online Explorer |date=April 2, 2005]

Even into his later years, Kenny Jay was known to work stiff rather than show light in a match.

Early life

Kenny Jay was born on March 27, 1937 in Holdingford, Minnesota. Kenny was a natural athlete in high school, lettering in both football and shotput. When he graduated from high school in 1955, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he found employment as a factory worker.

His first match was at the Southside Armory for John Hinds. Before long he was working larger venues at the Marigold Arena in Chicago. His wrestling career took a hiatus when he joined the U.S. Army for a two year stint. cite web |url=http://www.caulifloweralleyclub.org/2005Awards-KennyJay.html |title= CAC 2005 Honorees - Kenny Jay |accessdate=2007-04-29 |author=Cauliflower Alley Club |year=2005]

AWA years

After his military tour, he found employment with the AWA, wrestling every Saturday's TV taping and then house shows during the week for promoter Wally Karbo.

Whenever a new name would come in, they would give them to Kenny to make them look good. He used his mat-based scientific wrestling style cite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/k/kenny-jay.html |title=Online World of Wrestling Profiles: Kenny Jay |accessdate=2007-04-29 |author=onlineworldofwrestling.com] with the likes of Mad Dog Vachon, The Crusher, Verne Gagne, and Bruiser.

To help pay the bills, Kenny started his own landscape business, which is where he got the "Sodbuster" nickname. He never left the midwest area, as he was rooted in the area with his landscape business, wife, and three children. He continued working for the AWA for nearly thirty years until they went out of business in 1991.

cquote2|quotetext=Kenny Jay is "the best" overall talent in wrestling. He was what we called a 'job guy' but he could work with any human being and get a good match out of them. He would go in the ring with a big name who really couldn't do much and make him look good, and he could get in there with a Danny Hodge or Verne Gagne and make them look even better than they were. He was just an incredibly talented guy.|personquoted=Harley Race

In 1972 Kenny made his one overseas trip to Japan, where he worked 18 matches, including 5 cage matches, and won most of them.

In 1976 he took on Muhammad Ali in a boxer vs wrestler match which he considers one of the high points of his career.

In 2005 the Cauliflower Alley Club board of directors unanimously chose Kenny Jay to be honored.

cquote2|quotetext=Being the first jabroni to be honored by the Cauliflower Alley Club is real exciting. It’s nice to be recognized by the boys.|personquoted=Kenny Jay

References