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TIGER KHAN MOVIE UPDATE I am very happy to announce that the Tiger Khan documentary
(Tentatively titled- Tiger Khan- Fire in the Blood) is coming along great
and we estimate a late Spring completion and Mid-July Manhattan screening. Produced and directed by Franco Frassetti and Evan
Ginzburg. Original music Animation Rare in ring and interview footage with Tiger Literally hundreds of rare photos & memorabilia for
a montage Interviews with many friends, family members and fellow
wrestlers including Lanny “The Genius” Poffo Wrestling & interview footage from the 9/07 Tiger Khan
Memorial Card Inclusion of Tiger’s Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame exhibit We will keep you posted and sincerely appreciate your support,
friendship, and involvement in this project. Evan Ginzburg >
TIGER KHAN MOVIE UPDATE LISTEN HERE TO 6/27/07 on Evan Ginzburg’s
Legends Radio- Tiger Khan Tribute Tiger
Khan Tribute on 1st Anniversary of his death Guests
include: Ross
Hart Bobby
Bold Eagle Wrestler
Eric Adamz Just
click on link below… http://www.riotradionetwork.com/shows/el062707.mp3 Archived
24/7 at www.riotradionetwork.com, www.evanginzburg.com, and www.wrestlingthenandnow.com message board. VISIT THE TIGER KHAN EXHIBIT AT THE
PRO WRESTLING HALL OF FAME MUSEUM IN AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK (Info: www.pwhf.org). Remember to support the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame
I want to thank for the nice tribute for my student
Marlon Kalki(Tiger Khan). I read it and broke down crying. I miss Marlon
more than my other trainees. Marlon came to my school with his dad and
right away I liked him. His dad was a very nice fellow and I liked both so much I trained him for free. I never accepted a cent from Marlon because he was
very dedicated. Many times I hurt him and roughed him up to see if he had
the toughness in him, but at the next session on Saturday there was that famous smile waiting for me to rough him up some
more. He was a fantastic pro wrestler and I adored him like my own kid. God bless him and I hope that he’s sitting in
Heaven on God’s side. I want to thank you again and thanks for the nice
tribute.
Bobby Bold Eagle
WWF/NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion Dear Evan, I have just recently learned about the death of Tiger Khan, and I saw that you had a tribute page for him. That is a fine and decent thing to do. My name is Blaine DeSantis, and for about 8 years I was the owner and promoter of Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling (PCW) based out of Reading, PA. During that time I was fotrunate to work with many fine Indy stars, and I remember getting Marlon's tape in the mail. His throwback foreign heel gimmick was great, and he was a fine worker for his age - I met him in his mid-20's if I am not mistaken. I brought him down to Reading for a match and was quite impressed. At the time he was not with Stampede, and was back working indy shows in the area. I thought his charisma and work were good enough that I decided to put the belt on him, and on Nov. 21, 1997 he defeated our top face champion, Cheetah master, for the title. He worked a great match that night, and he had some fine matches with then Indy worker Lance Diamond. He drew tremendouse heat with his characterization, and when I look back on his matches they were filled with fine work
and execution. I remember getting a call from Marlon back in 1998 and he advised me he was leaving to go back to Calgary.
He thought this was his ticket to the big leagues. So, it was decided that he would drop the strap before he left and he had
another fine match wehn the belt was moved to Julio Sanchez. I left the business a few years later, and also retired from my full-time job as an attorney, moved down to South Carolina a forgot about my past life as a promoter and with PCW. But, once this business gets into you it is sometimes impossible to forget it. That brought me back to looking at some of the old-time wrestling websites, and then I got to discover about Tiger's death. I was just saddened to read about it, and just wanted to drop you a note. He certainly has not been forgotten by his friends. Blaine DeSantis Well to start off I must say this is better late than never but it is good for me to know that
I am still thinking of this. Last week a good friend and a great wrestler joined the list of the many to leave us all way
too soon. Tiger "Mahatma" Kahn was found dead at the age of 33. In the brief time I got to know Tiger I was always thankful that I did. Always, and never did
I forget the things that he taught me and never could I forget how good of a person that he was. He always had a way to make
people smile, even if he was saying the meanest thing in the world to you. I met Tiger when I first started with Stampede Wrestling right around 6 years ago. I was lucky
enough to travel on the road with him for a few week long tours here and there over the summer when I was first breaking in.
He really took me under his wing and taught me important things to know that every wrestler should learn but a lot nowadays
don’t. These are the things you learn in the locker room or in the van. Basically what the training camps don’t
teach you. Without Tiger Kahn, who knows where I would be today because I have witnessed what happens to
the people who never learn these things and really it is never good. I have missed Tiger over the past few years not seeing him. He was really one of those guys who
it was hard to ever be down around because he always had an infectious smile and personality. All my regards to his family and loved ones. He was a truly great human being and I know he will
be deeply missed by many, many people not to mention the great sadness it brings to my own heart to know I will never get
to laugh with a good friend like him again. Rest in Peace my friend.
12/25/06 Hello, my name is Kevin. I used to wrestle on the indies as Dr. Hurtz. I was reading thru www.WrestlingClothesline.com news today and saw the 06' list of those we lost. I was HORRIFIED to
see Marlon on that list!! I had retired from active competition in the fall of 01' but I continued to work for Don Bucci and his Phoenix Wrestling
in What a great guy he was. I also met his mom and adored her as well. In June of ’02 I had a one night
comeback in a tag match. It was one month prior that Marlon attacked me in the ring to set up the angle for this BIG
tag match, LOL!! I teamed up with Joe Gunns and took on Marlon and his partner, The Prophet. I was a little rusty but there was
something so special about that match. Marlon and I worked so well together, like we had been facing each other
for years! I was so blown away at how well we pulled off this match being I hadn't had a match in almost a year.
Afterwards, Marlon almost begged me to come out of retirement so we could run a program/feud with each other. I
had to decline and I remember him telling me, “Dude, you’re messing up something historic! We could
have some awesome matches. Our chemistry is great! " He meant all of this in the nicest way possible. He actually made me feel bad that I didn’t come out of
retirement. All in all, he was one of, if not the nicest professionals I ever came across! It hurts me to think that someone so special is no longer with us, and moreso that no one told me when it happened.
I know this is belated, but please wish all his friends and family my condolences. He will be truly missed in my heart!! RIP Marlon!!! KEVIN GLENN TIGER KHAN RADIO TRIBUTE FEATURING: EVAN GINZBURG’S LEGENDS JULY 10, 2006 E.G.: This is Evan Ginzburg with another edition of Evan's legends. I’ve done radio for about sixteen years on
WBAI-FM before moving to fantalklive.com, and generally it has been a joy. However, tonight is a sad occasion as I have to
announce the passing of a friend and brother in Tiger Khan. We have a series of remarkable guests including WWE Hall of Famer
Johnny Valiant. Our first guest tonight is Dr. Mike Lano. He's a photographer, journalist, and doctor: M.L.: I was really hit hard by this. Tiger was obviously your friend; I did what I could from 3,000 miles away. It's
like one of our own passing away; every couple of months we seem to have a wrestler under the age of thirty-five dying. E.G.: As a doctor, what is your take on this? M.L.: Well it's hard because he was such a nice guy; I had the pleasure of talking to Tiger every couple of months.
He was a kid with his whole life ahead of him, who felt the pressure of having to get bigger to succeed. I think WWE should
go away for two years and come back clean. E.G.: Marlon was one of my dearest friends. This is a terrible tragedy. I don't want to make the whole show about the
steroid issue, but drugs were involved unfortunately... M.L.: There was the Duggan/Iron Sheik incident in 1987, and more recently the Sabu/ Rob Van Dam drug bust. A lot of
wrestlers turn to pot to handle the pain of eighteen hour plane rides and drives, the incredible pressure in the business to
stand out of the pack. The wrestling community really needs to do a better job of taking care of its own. E.G.: Wrestlers tell me that they are constantly in pain. Johnny Valiant tells me it's not such a good life. Broken
marriages, drug addictions...I want to tell people that it's (steroids) not worth dying for. Guys who are clean like Nikolai
Volkoff, Johnny Valiant, Lanny Poffo and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine are still wrestling today because they avoided the temptation. M.L.: In the 1960's and 1970's Bobo E.G.: The common misconception is that steroids are the only way you can build yourself up to that level. M.L.: Sailor Art Thomas had Superstar Billy Graham's body without the use of drugs. The smaller guys in the territories
today feel the pressure to be big to get noticed by TNA and the WWE. Pressure sets in like with Louie Spicolli, Brian Pillman,
Art Barr... E.G.: All your friends… M.L. Yes. It’s almost like you don’t want to make any more friends in wrestling because you lose so many
of them. There have been fifty seven deaths of wrestlers under the age of thirty seven in the past three years. It's unnatural for
a thirty-three year old to have heart-failure and die in his sleep. If this was happening in baseball there would be a tremendous
outcry. E.G.: I remember Eddie Guererro openly sobbing on my WBAI show three weeks after Art Barr's death, and now with
Tiger...something really needs to be done. What's pathetic is that the fans actually get angry when the New York Post's Phil
Mushnik says there is a drug problem. M.L.: Phil has guts. Both members of Public Enemy are gone. Now with the new ECW, half of its old roster is dead. Tiger
was a great worker. Bruce Hart called him a consummate professional, a world class talent. He main-evented all over the
E.G.: We want someone to learn from this. M.L.: Tiger always did stuff for other people… E.G.: Johnny Devine on Slam wrestling said just that. My condolences to his friends and family. And to some young wrestler
listening to this show, it can happen to you. E.G.: We have a true legend on the line in WWE Hall of Famer and two time tag team champion, Johnny Valiant. What is
your take on Tiger Khan’s death having worked with him and knowing him on a personal level? J.V.: I'm not the happiest guy. We lost a good friend. In one of his last matches he was managed by the Iron Sheik
against a wrestler I was managing. I had the pleasure of knowing him when he broke in with Johnny Rodz at Gleason's Gym in
E.G.: It seems the young wrestlers will do anything to make it in this business. But give us an idea of life on the
road. J.V.: It's like the old adage, don't pray for what you want, you just might get it. I've seen major stars start
from a humble beginning to become larger than life. Some can handle it but not others. Unless you're a mature person you don't
know that it is not important what you earn, but what you save. The higher-ups can decide to get rid of you at a moments notice.
It eats away; everyone wants to stay on top as long as they can. Luck and talent only goes so far. Living out of suitcases
every night is a humbling existence. Fame is very addictive. For every light in Broadway, there is a broken heart. People
may be physically capable of being a wrestler but not psychologically. It's a crazy business- why would anyone want to? But
wrestling was Tiger's world. This is a painstaking way to pay tribute to a friend. E.G.: The message for young aspiring wrestlers is to have a plan B. Be prepared for the best and the worst. What was
difficult for Tiger was that he was great in the ring, but couldn't handle having a nine to five job. He didn't have a plan
B. J.V.: The higher ups can pull the plug, injuries and illnesses can happen. E.G.: Ric Flair is an exception; most guys in their fifties are no longer wrestling. J.V.: Flair still looks great and can still perform. He's still close to his prime. J.V.: Not long ago Tiger drove us to a show in E.G.: Tell the listeners about wrestling a few weeks back...out of retirement... J.V.: At age 59 1/2, I was called by Dino Sanna to come to There was a huge outdoor flea market, a little convention and conference area with chairs that held a couple of hundred
fans. I wrestled a young fellow in his early thirties; we had a damn good 7 to 8 minute match. After driving to E.G.: One last question. You built yourself up as a teenager the old school way at the YMCA. Tell the younger wrestlers
it can be done without steroids and give a quick tip or two... J.V. I started lifting at age 14-15, after seeing Bruno Sammartino and Johnny Valentine on TV. Bruno said to do squats,
stairs, he never mentioned steroids...overeating, lots of rest, three to four days per week and you would be surprised by
the results. Some of the best wrestlers didn’t do steroids, I don't condone it. E.G.: How much weight did you gain from exercise? J.V.: I am six feet tall, and I went from 180 lbs. in high school by eating tons of chicken and mushrooms at
buffets to about 235 lbs. The original Sheik had me setting up rings; I met the Mighty Igor who never took steroids. Al Costello
taught me to do the breast stroke in the pool in addition to weights. Those are the people I looked up to growing up. E.G.: Do the math: 180 to 235 drug free. J.V.: No short cuts, do it the real way. Do something that someone can't take away from you. E.G.: Thank you, Johnny, I know it would mean a lot to Tiger. Check out Johnny Valiant and all his upcoming events
at www.johnnyvaliant.net. E.G.: On the line we have indie manager Johnny Diamond. Tell us how you met Tiger. J.D.: Eight or nine years ago when I first got started, I met Tiger. He was always cracking a joke, he made it an easy
fit, smooth to work with. He did a Gladiator Championship Wrestling show; we played heels, the fans spit and cursed at us.
Tiger's opponent was Frankie Starz who has since moved to E.G.: Mambo wants to do a memorial card. Listeners check-out tigerkhantribute.com. Jeff Archer is going to do a small
book on Tiger. J.D.: The rest of the world doesn't understand how much love there is in this business. E.G.: I've had 250 pound wrestlers crying on the phone over Tiger. What's your take on what happened to him? J.D.: After my heart-attack I slowed down, it’s the stress. Traveling. Keeping up the pace. It takes a lot when
you also have a nine to five job and a private life. You’re never satisfied and always worried if you missed a spot,
etc. No sport is clean. I take losses in wrestling very hard, like they were one of my brothers. He had such as sparkling
career ahead of him and he accomplished a lot. E.G.: Thanks for coming on Johnny. I also want to acknowledge the support of wrestler Eric Adams from Gleason’s,
Mark Bujan, a wrestling historian who I know listens, Chris Michaels... On the phone we now have Jeff Archer, author of over six books including "Theater
in a Squared Circle". Tell us about your friendship with Tiger. J.A.: It was a human friendship. I'm not a wrestling expert, I'm a sociologist. When I first met him he was very
humble, and it wasn't false. Over the years I'd get a call out of nowhere from him for up to an hour. E.G.: What made you choose to write about Tiger? J.A.: He had an interesting story. He had the desire; he loved to wrestle. E.G.: Tell us about the times you met... J.A.: My book premier weekend in E.G.: You did a powerful website article on his death. J.A.: He had no racism or prejudice; he was a "universal man" of many cultures. My website is www.malcolmlagouche.com. Everything good in humanity was in Tiger. I spoke
to him about politics 8 to 10 of the last days of his life. He was done with wrestling; he had finally gotten it out of his
system. I like the food, Chapatti. You can't get it in E.G.: In your article you mention some of his destructive habits. What was you're purpose in doing that? J.A.: To show everyone has faults. I asked you how you felt when Davey Boy Smith died. You said he was a great wrestler.
When Tiger died you said you were devastated. You knew him. Hundreds knew him. I got my point across. E.G.: It's a difficult thing. You don't want to hurt the family, but if one wrestler learns from this then maybe some
good will come out of this tragedy. J.A.: His parents agreed with me. This wasn't dirty laundry, it was his life. I've seen people that were on the same
things as him, it's devastating. E.G.: I also was very torn. J.A.: But I wasn’t torn. There’s nothing to hide. My piece took me thirty minutes. My readership is international.
I've gotten tons of responses on the piece regarding the loss of a friend; it was a human interest piece. E.G.: It took me two days to write 1,200 words, it was one of the most painful things I've ever written. It's
heartbreaking. J.A.: Ironically baseball hasn't even addressed it yet. The same thing is going to happen. E.G: There is a lot of denial, thinking that it can’t "happen to you". There is more to life than getting on
a WWE card; it's just not worth it. J.A.: Cycling (of steroids) is bullshit; it's just like an alcoholic. In the 80's it wasn't illegal. How many people
have been affected? Roid rage? Physically? If Kowalski was on roids, he probably wouldn't still be around. This stuff has
been around since the sixties. A few years ago people were getting smaller, now it's open season. Look at some of the guys
on TV bigger than ever. Angle pushes himself due to ego. For months he didn't go to a doctor. He was wrestling with a
broken neck. They're afraid to miss time due to injury. It’s pressure. Tiger called WCW in E.G. Thank you Jeff, and my condolences on your loss as well. We’ll keep the fans updated on your fall card in
E.G.: We're back with our tribute to the late great Tiger Khan. Our last guest is Rich, known as the Black Sheep, one
of Tiger's long-time friends. Tell us how you met. B.S.: He was a great guy, a generous person. We met at age sixteen at Bobby Bold Eagle's wrestling school at Gleason's
Gym in E.G.: Recollection of matches? B.S.: In UCW, which was based out of E.G.: They did a ten bell salute on the B.S.: Bills! I worked on Wall Street from nine to five, and I didn't have the skills or the option to make the needed
sacrifices to make it to the next level. I have a family to support. I can tell you that at that point in my life (the late
80's/ early 90's) it wasn't what you knew, but who you knew. I'm thankful I'm not broken down but I still wouldn't trade it
for anything. I still have my boots in the garage, and ask my wife “maybe?” She looks at me like - "What are you,
crazy?!" There is something there when you perform in front of any crowd; it gets in your blood. E.G. And Black Sheep is talking about a Fall Memorial show for Tiger as well…Thanks to all my guests for their
part in remembering and honoring a great person who will never be forgotten, Tiger Khan, and maybe we’ll make the Tiger
Khan radio tribute an annual show. I love you Marlon…
WRESTLER CHARLES "GUILLOTINE" LeGRANDE ON TIGER KHAN Two days ago I heard that Marlon had passed away. The intial shock of hearing this left me a bit speechless,
but as it has settled into my mind- I find there are words I'd like to share. UCW was the first promotion I ever worked for and I got my spot there in a pretty unorthodox way. I
had only been training to wrestle for about 3 weeks (which not many people at the time knew), when suddenly I was wrestling
almost every weekend for UCW. I mostly worked the opener with a guy named Herman. So on any given Saturday night you could
see myself vs WarPath (or Puerto Rican Heatwave depending on which gimmick I was fortunate in that while I did not have any formal wrestling training to speak of, I had the smarts
to keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut... I had the benefit of a booker like Bruce Hart and guys in the locker room
like Jim Neidhart, Chris Chavis and Tommy Cairo- all of whom would watch Watching Marlon work each night was a lesson in itself. He was one of those workers who had that innate
ability to make every little thing he did so incredibly meaningful in the ring. While he was the same age as me- he was someone
I admired greatly. Tiger was a standout on the card each night- but he didnt walk around like a superstar. He had the
greatest look and at times the most amazing ring entrance you could fathom- but you knew if he had no music or robe he'd go
out and still capture the audience- and work just as hard. He greeted everyone and thanked everyone and looked them in the
eye- because he knew that every person in that lockerroom was important. He knew that a wrestling show was more than his match
and that getting himself over would be meaningless if his opponent did not get As years went on and I continued in wrestling, I saw less and less of this in most lockerrooms. It
saddened me as wrestling began to change, and I know it saddened Tiger as well. I parted ways with UCW (which is a nice way of saying I was fired- and I STILL have my termination
letter!), but built upon the foundation that Bruce Hart and UCW began for me- finding my way onto a good number of independent
wrestling shows throughout the Northeast. I was plugging along- gaining little ground with the internet but gaining a good
reputation within the business as a solid heel who could get your babyface over and put the show before himself. Bookings
were picking up, but life's Just knowing that Bruce and Marlon left that door open for me left me feeling like all the weight of
my frustrations had been lifted. Life's realities however would not permit me to take that offer- but the sentiment stayed
with me as an inspiration. My character developed further and along with it, I began to gain recognition as someone who could
put together strong matches.. strong finishes.. be a lockerroom leader.. and Anytime anyone has ever asked me who I felt was underrated, or a star who should already be shining
somewhere- Tiger Khan would be among the first, if not my primary mention. If I I never stopped learning- even when functioning as a leader in what were now lockerrooms filled with
guys often 10+ years younger than me. And one of the greatest classrooms I could have stepped into was the ECW lockerroom.
The cohesion that existed there.. the desire from everyone to get the SHOW over- moreso than themselves.. and to give their
all for each other and for their leader, Paul Heyman.. when these things were all functioning- made the ECW product a
power and energy that may never be replicated. I had the honor of being a welcome guest in that lockerroom for the better
part of a year. Tommy Dreamer would always tell me that one of these days he was going to put my name on the lineup.
I'd tell him I was ready (while my insides always churned at the thought of him actually doing it; as I feared I would be
far too weak for such a strong show). Nonetheless, I became a fixture there and was appreciative as very few people who werent
on the payroll were allowed to roam where I did for so long. It was at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan (the last ECW show there before WWE's takeover), where
Marlon and I saw each other. He too was in the lockerroom- and while I knew the writing was on the wall for ECW- seeing Marlon
there had me hoping even harder for a miracle. I knew that long before this night, Marlon had been offered a spot with ECW-
but it was under conditions that Marlon was not comfortable with- so Marlon passed. But now he was there and I thought to
myself, "Tiger I kept these thoughts to myself though, instead playing catch-up with Marlon. I thanked him for whatever
part he played in my invite to Calgary. I told him I had been following his career and The night ended and shortly after the ECW doors closed. I never saw Marlon again. I went on to gain the attention of a Japanese company who would give me a spot as a manager/heel refereee
for the better part of two years. I knew it wouldnt be forever- but it was enough for me to quit my regular job and live my
dream- if only for a little while. Now I would be hard-pressed to compare myself to Tiger Khan the worker..or even Marlon Kalkai the man,
but I am thankful that like me, he got to live his dream- if only for a little while. We will always miss you, Marlon. You left us way too soon. WRESTLER PELLIGRO ON THE DEATH OF
HIS FRIEND, TIGER KHAN Why did I type Marlon’s name in the Google search engine this afternoon? I just wanted to see what he had been up to lately, and that’s
when I learned that he had passed away. Call it intuition. Call it surreal. But I can’t believe my
brother is dead. I was in shock; I didn't believe it. I refused to accept it. Heck, I
tossed it out thinking it was a joke. When I kept on searching, though, I saw those words repeated that he had passed away.
God, I thought about everyone involved in his life and his goal of pursuing
his dreams. And yes, there were those many miles and trips that we took together all up and down the Northeast and in the
Stampede mountains of I remember this 12 year old skinny kid walking in with his father to
the school that Bobby Bold Eagle ran. I was in the business 5 years already after Bobby trained me and I took a liking to
training the young guys. I remember the hard training and punishment I gave Tiger. And it was definitely inspiring to
those that remember the intensity of those grueling hardcore workouts, because Tiger never complained. He listened and respected.
And from there I knew he was destined to be more than anyone would ever expect. Unfortunately, in this cold and sometimes unbearable world we call wrestling,
great pure talent gets ignored and pushed to the side. It’s as if we are flea market items waiting to be picked
up for mere pennies. Fortunately, with the trained eye though, an item is worth more than what the asking price is and
becomes priceless as a collectible would be. Tiger knew that. Yes, and those that knew him knew that. But it was that frustration
that plagued his life. As I sit here still in denial- mad, angry, sad, and confused, all I can
do is remember his life and how good he was and how good it was for others to be in his presence. "Tiger," your family and
friends love you. The boys love you. And I love you. I'll see you up in Heaven, brother because you still owe me a rematch.
May God bless your soul, my friend. ABE GUZMAN WRESTLER ERIC ADAMZ
ON TIGER KHAN Interview by Evan Ginzburg
7/17/06 www.fantalklive.com Evan Ginzburg’s Legends I was blessed to have a guy like Tiger Khan who helped me with my gimmick and
work in the ring. I’ve got to go back 11 years- about as long as I’ve known you now,
Evan- when I was just a kid living in Astoria Queens. UCW- Ultimate Championship Wrestling started doing shows in my neighborhood
at the And I’ll be the first to admit I was a smartass. But Tiger would be the
first to give you a pat on the back if you did right, and the first to kick you in the ass if you did wrong. Tiger Khan was
one of those guys who loved this business, too. Regardless of Tiger Khan’s outside lifestyle, I can be the first to
vouch for this, when I was 18 years old and impressionable as all hell in this business, when it was time to go to work…time
to go to a show, he was never drunk, never hung over, never high or anything like that.
He was strictly business when it was time to go to work. And that’s why he was one of the best out there in this
business. If anything can be learned from Tiger Khan’s life, learn what a true professional in this business is. Because
when it was business time, time to go to the ring, Tiger truly was one of those guys. I’m friendly with guys like Jack
Evans over in Time and time again I’ve been trying to finish this thing I’ve
been writing for my DVD- I’m trying to do a tribute on it to Tiger Khan.
It’s the hardest thing in the world for me to do, because Marlon was that close to me. I still have on my cell phone
a text message on it from him from a bunch of months ago. I’ll read it to you word for word. He said, “My Brother,
you know if you ever need any help or you have any questions at any time, never be afraid to call me. You’ve really
grown into a good kid and I’m very proud of you”- Marlon. That’s off my cell phone right now. I save that
message. I’m thankful that in my lifetime I got to meet someone like Tiger Khan who was willing to help me like that.
And there’s a whole crop of guys down at Johnny Rodz’s school in Don’t let this guy’s memory die because he was truly one of those
guys that nobody ever had a bad thing to say about. That’s one guy who I’ll defend to the day I die talking about
what a great guy he was. He genuinely was. And it’s a shame. I saw this thing on line and I called Evan. And from being
on the indie scene, I’ve seen so many different guys named Tiger Khan. And I was like “This can’t be the
Tiger Khan that I know. Please, don’t let this be Marlon.” I was scrambling through my phone book trying to find
his new cell phone number. And then Evan gave me a call back and I was heartbroken. And I have no problem admitting I was
crying on the phone with Evan. And I’ve said it over and over again and I’ll say it right now. This fucking sucks.
He was truly a genuine friend. It sucks. I miss him and I’ll always love him to death and I just hope I can get to the
same level he did in his career… GOODBYE, MY FRIEND This may be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write. On Tuesday June 27 I checked my messages and heard the words I’ll never
forget. “Evan, this is Lou (wrestler Falcon Coperis). I’m sorry, but I don’t know any other way to say this,
so I’ll just go ahead and say it. Marlon’s dead. They found his body in And wasn’t there at least one other wrestler using the moniker Tiger
Khan? So instead of dealing with a situation I just couldn’t handle, I lay
down on my bed and took a nap that felt like the sleep of the damned. When I got up I felt more tired than before. The horror of that call now hit
me. Was Marlon dead? “Should I call Lou right now?” I pondered for what felt like the
longest time. I called journalist Jeff Archer who was also close to Tiger and who spoke with
him regularly. At age fifty-seven, Jeff was a much older father figure to him. He helped guide Marlon through the tough times
in his life, many of which involved his trying to make the transition from wrestling to the “real world.” For
in the past few years, Tiger had grown disenchanted with a business that provided him with too many lies, too many bounced
checks, and far too many disappointments. The WWE dark match tryout at the Meadowlands may have been the last straw. So close,
but yet so far. Right there in the dressing room. In their ring. 16,000 fans. After that, his enthusiasm in the sport was
almost cyclical. A few months of vowing to make it, juggling tours around the world and meaningless indie shots, but with
even longer gaps where he didn’t want to be bothered. Even though we all knew he wasn’t cut out to be a nine to fiver, Tiger
had just moved to “Or course you have to call the guy back. Call him now.” “When I make it Evan, I’m going to take you with me…you were
always there for me.” “Lou…it’s Evan…is it true?” Dead. Marlon’s mom had told him herself. The Trinidadian mom I had met so many
times. The mother who sat at his local matches in support of the child she loved so much. The mom who had me over their house
for Christmas and other parties. The mom who, like myself, was now devastated. Tiger. Marlon. Dead. Suddenly hearing my voice start to break, I tried not to cry. I’m sure
the pure shock of it was the only thing that helped me keep my composure. A neighbor had found the body. He had gone to sleep and like so many other
wrestlers before him, simply didn’t wake up. “It was probably a heart attack.” My blood pressure must have spiked because I suddenly felt light-headed. Hell,
I knew Marlon partied. Hard at times. I once traveled hours with him to a show he wrestled on. Driving me all the way back
to But the last time I saw him some two months earlier in But they had found “the body,” I reminded myself. This magnificent
athlete, my beloved friend, had somehow become “the body.” His sister called me the next day to discuss arrangements. Trying to piece
together how this could have happened, we both “knew.” Like so many of his peers, Tiger had dabbled on and off
with steroids. I had even had “the talk” with him. “I cycle on and off,” he explained, trying to alleviate
my concern. He rationalized that he didn’t take the kind of doses that killed so many of our wrestling heroes. Hanging up, she said, “Take care of yourself,” in a consoling manner.
Hell, she was his sister. Shouldn’t I be consoling her? And knowing he was living “the wrestling lifestyle,”
shouldn’t I have been firmer with him? Wasn’t I thirteen years older and a teacher by trade? Shouldn’t I
have been the role model? An odd combination, this tough street kid who loved techno and clubbing, and this old school guy
who woke up for work while Marlon was still out from the night before. But on several occasions, he’d say, “We’re
going to go out drinking…” And he laughed that laugh of his. “I’m going to get you drunk, Evan…”
A feeling of guilt suddenly overpowered me. But the whole thing still didn’t
seem real. I thought back to how many times we wouldn’t see each other for months, and I’d look forward to hanging
out with him again. He’d give me a big hug and tell me how much he’d missed me. And he’d always say, “I
love you, man…” And now a cremation was scheduled. Gone. Truly, totally, gone off the very
face of this Earth. Sitting on my beaten old couch with my face in my hands, my body suddenly felt
out of control. Bent over, I started rocking back and forth and the tears started to pour. Hearing sobs that sounded far away,
I realized they were my own. All those dreams of his. Lost. It suddenly hit me that I had work to do. Knowing that wrestling was what he
had been most passionate about, I didn’t want his career to get short shrift. Rushing to the computer like a maniac,
I began furiously writing a press release on his passing. I read it again and again, almost not wanting to send it out, because
this would somehow make it “final.” It is with the utmost sadness that
I must announce that the body of my long-time friend Tiger Khan (Marlon Kalkai) was discovered in Sending it out to my huge media and e-mail list,
I hoped it would get him the press he deserved. Oddly, it felt like the old days, with me trying to garner my friend
some good ink. And it did. The floodgates opened. Posted everywhere, the phone
calls and e-mails didn’t stop for days. Media from How terribly sad. Tiger was not only a friend but one of my heroes.
He would fearlessly get in the ring with guys twice his size. And when a monster like Typhoon picked him up over his head
and threw him over the top rope several feet through a table below, I’d just cringe. But Marlon would just shrug it
off. Hell, he loved the rush. And flying into dangerous, exotic lands to wrestle, h | |||||||||||
RIP Tiger Khan
