SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Sweet Daddy Siki

SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: Sweet Daddy Siki

Sweet Daddy Siki

REAL NAME: Reginald Siki
5' 10", 245 pounds
BORN: June 16, Montgomery, Texas

Sweet Daddy Siki started wrestling in 1955 in Artisa, New Mexico. He also did some training in Los Angeles with Sandor Szabo and Ray Ortega. He says he was about 180 pounds when he started, but within three years weighed in at 230.

He moved to Toronto in 1961 because it was a good central location to travel across North America. "When I came to Toronto, I said 'My God, this is God's country," he said recently. "I fell in love with it." He still lives in Toronto today, and uses it as a base for his country & western band and his work as a DJ.

Siki is well known right across Canada. He fought in Stampede wrestling for years, travelled with Bearman McKigney's circuit and was a mainstay of the eastern scene. "I always did like Newfoundland. That's about the best province there is ... The people there are really nice."

Besides Canada, Siki wrestled right across the United States, in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Trinidad.

"A lot of people try to copy me, but there's only one Niagara Falls and only one Mona Lisa. And there's only one Mr. Irresistible -- Sweet Daddy Siki."

Feature stories

Siki recalls his Army service in Korea

By GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling On Remembrance Day, Sweet Daddy Siki looks back on his time in the U.S. Army and considers himself fortunate that the timing worked out for him while serving in Korea.
The peace treaty was actually signed, July 27, 1953, while he was en route to Korea from Camp Roberts in California.

November 11, 2011: Full story

Siki still wonderful ... just ask him

By TOM GODFREY -- Toronto Sun The self-proclaimed "Irresistible Sweet Daddy" Siki digs into his well-worn suitcase and proudly produces a tape of his new them song.
It's a catchy honky-tonk number he wrote to accompany his "Siki Strut" upon entering the wrestling ring.
"It drives the women nuts when I come strutting into the ring," he said in his Texas drawl. "Now with this new tune ..."

June 29, 1986: Full story

Memories

Sweet Daddy, he had the blonde, white hair and beautiful mirror. He was the black Gorgeous George of his day. He did everything Gorgeous George did, except he was black. I'd never seem him in a bad wrestling match either. He was pretty colorful. He wrestled that Dave Ruhl a number of times. The 'hand and pig farmer' he called him.
Stu Hart, from a Nov. 1997 interview with SLAM! Wrestling

I remember as a kid growing up on Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling and the sort watching "Sweet Daddy", my all time favorite memory of him was when he came to the ring with the sunglasses, And the hand Mirror, And every time he went to take off the Glasses very slowly the crowd would Boo! He then would stop and turn to the fans and tell every one to Shut up! He would try again to remove them but only to have the same result. This would go on for about five or ten minutes, when he would finally seem to get frustrated and just pull them off.
Blair Spicer, North Sydney, NS

I remember as a youngster watching Sweet Daddy Siki..but I also remember my older sister playing his albums...
Darlene Dacuk

I remember the introduction for Siki - Detroit area - early 70s.
"In this corner, from Toronto, Canada, weighing 245 pounds ... the Sweetest Man in the Whooooooooooooole Wide World ... Mr. Irresistible ... Sweet Daddy Siki!"
MDCSmoke

Siki and Ma Pickles in London. Photo by Terry Dart.

I remember when I was a kid of about 12 or 13 watching Dave Ruhl and Sweet Daddy Siki battling in a match on Stampede Wrestling. Siki had hidden a short length of wood under the ring and soon started beating on Ruhl with it. I was so upset I didn't watch wrestling for over two years
Bruce Fairman, Moose Jaw, SK

Growing up in the Toronto area I got a chance to see the Sweet Man wrestle for the Tunney promotion.. Thirty years later, I can still see myself imitating the ring announcer saying, " From Greenwich Village New York weighing in at 235 pounds it's the Sweet Man ... SWEEEET DAAAAADDDDDDDYYYYYY SIKI.
Tom Ruff, Orillia, Ontario

In 1985 I was preparing to play my first Single Gig in a bar called the Bradford Exchange in the somewhat distant town of Bradford Ontario.
Although I had been playing in bands for some years, I was somewhat nervous about playing a single.
On the Monday prior to the performance, I received a call from Sweet Daddy Siki, (whose acquaintance I had made over the years), to ask how things were going. During the course of our conversation, he mentioned that he wasn't doing anything that weekend, and might drop out to see me.
Of course I had heard this kind of conversational banter from quite a few people over the course of the years and gave little credence to it.
When Saturday night rolled around, and being February it was a blizzard outside, the venue was packed to the rafters with over 400 farmers and businessmen out for an evening of Country Music.
At 10:00 a still came over the audience as one of the most recognizable wrestlers in the world entered the front door. Sweet Daddy came in and took a seat, and when the set ended, he made his way to the stage, and greeted me like a long lost brother. He stayed long enough to do some songs with me, and when he finished, a gentleman announced that in honour of Sweet Daddy's visit he would like to by the house a round.
As Sweet Daddy prepared to leave, we spoke for a few moments at the front door, and as people left to escape the worsening blizzard, many of them stopped to thank HIM for the drink HE had bought for them.
Two hours travel in a Blizzard in the middle of the Winter! Is it any wonder I hold this man in my memory with the greatest pride in being able to call him my friend?
Peter Styles, Stypro Records & Promotions, Canada

I remember Siki as one of the first wrestlers I saw while watching TV in the late 50's with my Dad.
His Tag Team partner was Sailor Art Thomas and sometimes Bearcat Wright
Mark Liebermann, Wappingers Falls, NY

My favourite memory of the Sweet Daddy was seeing him wrestle in Windsor, NS at the old Arena. The ceiling was only about 12 feet high or so..a very low ceiling. He was wrestling Leo Burke and was getting the worst of it. Leo climbed the top rope and jumped down to give him an elbow smash or something like that. As he did, he hit his head on the overhead lights and pretty much knocked himself out. Everyone stopped and was stunned, including ref Ron Gogagne. Not Sweet Daddy Siki. He promptly went to ringside, grabbed one of his mirrors, then proceeded to beat the unconscious Leo with his mirror. Vintage Sweet Daddy.
Mike Cross, Bedford, NS

I hate- wrestling
Born in Regina, sports was not high on the list in the fifties and sixties. Hockey sucked and so did wrestling.
BUT, my dad loved Sweet, and he made me take a second look.
I moved to Calgary in 1973 and started to like Stu hart.
I still hate wrestling.
But these 2 men, I admire.
They both bring fond memories of my now de-funked tree.
I respect the Hart family, as a Canadian, and in general, still love Sweet.
I have never been to a match, and cried, about Owen. Saddened with Bret's anger, and mournful over the whole concept of wrestling.
My memory is sweet with Sweet.
Dee Henney

Sweet Daddy Siki was nothing short of sensational during his tenure with Grand Prix Wrestling at the height of it's popularity in the mid 80's.
He was one of the innovators of a patented strut with which he would enter the ring,and also cut great interviews with Bill McCullough.
One of my favorite quotes Sweet Daddy ever said with his manager "No Class" Bobby Bass at his side was: " 99% of the women love me, 1% hate me, but they are the fat, ugly ones with no teeth, Leo Burke can have those ones"
--Ladies Choice--(Wrestler)

"The Ladies' pet and the men's fret.." was a popular saying by Sweet Daddy. He was an exciting and impressionable wrestler to watch in a time when wrestling skills were required for the "show".
R.D.(Rick) Hawkins

I remember as a kid in the mid-sixties, I would go to the Welland Arena Friday nights to watch all the true superstars of this business.
I was 12 at the time, and every Friday night I would get to the arena early, waiting for Sweet Daddy to arrive. He would pull up, and soon he waited for me to show and I was the one chosen every time to carry his suitcase into the arena.
Rick Longhurst, Essex Ontario

I remember watching Siki wrestle on television here in Chicago at the old Marigold Gardens. The event that I remember the most was after a tag match that him and Sailor Art Thomas had just defeated the Sicilians. They were being interviewed, and a person who stated that she was the president of the Sweet Daddy Siki club had presented him with a jacket. The Kangaroos then came out and ripped the jacket apart. There was a near riot following this happening. It was a show to remember.
KStanhibel

Seeing Sweet Daddy do a TV interview in the early eighties was the funniest things I have ever seen. With a mirror in each hand and his photo on the back, he praised himself to the roof for a match he was having that night in Sudbury. Perfumed himself to high heaven also making the local announcer (Who probably never interviewed a wrestler before or since) choke and try to make sense of the SWEEEEEEEtes DUDE in Wrassling) I also had the country album that he sang in and unfortunately lost it when I lent it to a friend. As a singer he's a good wrestler.
Terry Fielding, Sudbury, Ontario

I see Sweet Daddy every week in Toronto at the Duke, he has to be the sweetest man I ever knew, and caring, and wrestling is not my scene....but what a hunk , still looks great....
Best wishes love Linda and Charlie

I remember when Sweet Daddy had a protege named Duke Nobel who was a young wrestler that had promise but was not the draw that Sweet Daddy was. Sweet Daddy made an announcement on Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling show that from now on the young fella would no longer be Duke Nobel but would now be known as the magnificent Duke of Earl. This did not really do a lot for Duke Nobel but it would be hard to top an act like Sweet Daddy. Sweet Daddy was indeed a great wrestler. I think the Sweet One certainly did a lot for wrestling and he was definitely a pioneer in breaking the color barrier in wrestling. Keep on keeping in Sweet Daddy.
Eric Jordan, Dartmouth N.S.

I recall watching Sweet Daddy Siki, master of the drop-kick, as he entertained us on Saturday TV in Columbus Ohio in the 50's. There was Handsome Johnny Barend and Ace Freeman and some others..but Sweet daddy was the one...I hope you are still out there Sweet daddy... Where can I get a CD?
Jim Freeman, Freeland Washington