Roger Kirby (wrestler)

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Roger Kirby
Kirby, c. 1971
Birth name	Willis Kirby[1]
Born	(1939-12-14)December 14, 1939 Muncie, Indiana, United States
Died	March 18, 2019(2019-03-18) (aged 79) North Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Cause of death	Pneumonia
Children	7
Family	Les Thatcher (cousin)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Roger Kirby Rip Kirby Bob Baker Billy Baker Cruiser[2]
Billed height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Billed weight	242 lb (110 kg)
Billed from	Dunkirk, Indiana, United States[3]
Trained by	Dick the Bruiser The Sheik[4]
Debut	1960
Retired	1986[5]

Willis Kirby (December 14, 1939 – March 18, 2019), better known by the ring name Roger Kirby, was an American professional wrestler who competed throughout the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico. He primarily competed within the National Wrestling Alliance, where he is a former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, and also competed in promotions such as the World Wrestling Association, the World Wrestling Federation and Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre.^[6] Fellow wrestlers have called Kirby "one of the greatest performers to ever work in the squared circle".^[7]