ST. LOUIS - Sedalia native and former St. Louis wrestling star Ox Baker died Monday in Hartford, Connecticut due to complications from a heart attack. He was 80.
Born Douglas A. Baker in April 1934, "Ox" began his decades-long wrestling career in 1964, entertaining crowds in Kansas City and St. Louis. He would go on to wrestle in the New York and Florida territories, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico.
In a time when wrestlers were already larger than life characters, Ox Baker (6'5", 340 pounds) stood out with his bald head and long, bushy mustache. He would often wear t-shirts to the ring declaring himself "The Great Heart Puncher" as well as his catchphrase, "I Love to Hurt People."
Ox Baker was also famous for his finishing move – the dreaded "heart punch." Baker once incited a riot in Cleveland in 1974 for continuously heart punching his opponent after a match had ended.
Baker appeared in the Jackie Chan film The Big Brawl and in Escape From New York, battling the film's star, Kurt Russell, in a famous fight scene.
The same year Escape From New York was released, Ox Baker appeared on The Price is Right, charming both host Bob Barker and the crowd with his wit and charisma.
