Little Beaver might have been the greatest of them all
REAL NAME: Lionel Giroux
4-foot-four-inches, 60 pounds
BORN: In Quebec
DIED: December 4, 1995 at age 60
Wally Sieber, who would become Waldo Von Erich, is smiling so big, and Little Beaver appears bigger than many of the midgets, and then there’s Lou Pitosio with that cigar!
One of the greatest midget wrestlers of all time, Little Beaver was an amazing athlete and a comic genius. Wrestling for more than four decades, Little Beaver brought joy to children and adults around the world (and more than a little pain to referees who might be in the way).
His drawing power was such that, when in the ring against real-life good friend Sky Low Low (Maurice Gauthier, also from Quebec), the two midget superstars could command upwards of 15% of the gate. Little Beaver’s last in-ring appearance was at age 52 at 1987’s WrestleMania III at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan where he suffered a legit back injury at the hands of King Kong Bundy. The actual match featured Hillbilly Jim, Little Beaver and Haiti Kid vs. King Kong Bundy, Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook, with Hillbilly’s team winning.
He died on December 4, 1995 of chronic emphysema in Saint-Jerome, Quebec.
I remember Beaver indeed and these are not rose tinted spectacles I visualize his scrawny little frame in. My pocket rocket as someone once referred to this little marvel, words I could not or need not surpass. I too recall the fracas with Bundy, a sprawling mass of flesh, coordinated like a Rhino on a dune buggy. Did he ever think it was fair to challenge our little miniscule stick of dynamite? Hell no. How I recall those halcyon days of Beaver Fever with pride in my heart and what can only be described as a lump in my throat. Thank you dear Beaver for glorious memories, punctuated by endless hours anticipating your next bout. Although we knew victory was indeed unlikely, sometimes even a nonsensical notion, the thrill of seeing you in your fetching attire squaring up to these monstrous buffoons thrilled me deeply. Your memory burns eternally.