“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
Sweet Daddy Siki – an iconic pioneer – has died at the age of 91.
As a wrestler, musician, trainer, and karaoke host, Siki was well remembered as an entertainer across multiple fields with his trademark blond hair that set him apart throughout his career.
Few people form links between Buddy Rogers and Adam Copeland, but Siki is that bridge.
Historian and reporter Greg Oliver reported Siki’s death on New Year’s Eve at age 91 after battling dementia. Oliver covered the secretive and guarded Siki closer than anyone and Oliver is a large reason his legacy and story will be told in such depth.
Many are waking up to learn of Siki’s passing while also discovering that his real name was never ‘Reginald Siki’ but in fact, Elkin James of Grimes, Texas.
His life read like a manuscript for a film but came up through hardship as a Black man in a predominantly white industry and society, having to battle the racist environment and find his ability to become an attraction.
He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Korea, where he rose to the rank of Corporal before his discharge and began the next stage of his career – professional wrestling.
While dabbling into the art before the Army, he dove in headfirst after the war and trained at Sándor Szabó’s school in Los Angeles under trainer Ray Ortega. Siki never met the former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Szabó, who became a major star in California.
Siki (before receiving that name) debuted in 1955 and grew his standing after being mentored by future NWA champion, Buddy Rogers. Through Rogers, Siki was booked in New York and would become the Eastern Heavyweight Champion in Ohio in 1959 by beating Rogers.
Segregation played its role in upending Siki from the U.S. to move to Toronto in 1961, citing fewer bookings after it became known of his marriage to Anu Liss Koks or “Anne”, a white woman.
While a major star at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens, Siki was big across the country with treks and stays in Stampede Wrestling, Montreal, and Grand Prix in the Maritimes among them.
He formed a team with Bulldog Brower and won the Toronto-based International tag titles in April 1962 from Whipper Billy Watson & Billy Red Lyons. After losing the belts, Siki and Bower engaged in a feud, which included a stipulation where Siki was forced to dye his blond path of hair black after losing to Brower. The two ended their feud with a Wire Fence (“Steel Cage”) match in late 1964.
It was in Montreal where he received the “Sweet Daddy Siki” moniker, which was synonymous with the performer throughout his career.
While wrestling for Stu Hart in Stampede, he won the promotion’s Canadian Heavyweight Championship from Don Leo Jonathan in 1965 and lost the belt to Dave Ruhl. In September 1970, he won its North American Heavyweight title from Ruhl and held it for nearly six months before losing to Abdullah the Butcher.
Siki was not divorced from the U.S., as he would still tour in the country including in Texas for Southwest Championship Wrestling, became its Heavyweight Champion in 1963 beating Rip Hawk for a two-month run ending with a loss to Sailor Art Thomas.
He was a fixture for Ed Francis’ 50th State Wrestling in Hawaii, which was a hotbed for some of the best talkers in the industry. Siki became its Pacific Heavyweight Champion by defeating Sam Steamboat on October 27, 1971, losing to Johnny Barend on March 22, 1972.
Throughout the ‘80s, his stops included Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council, and feuded with Pedro Morales over the North American Championship in 1984.
Siki has one match listing for the WWF in October 1984, losing to Dick Murdoch at an event in Kitchener, Ontario. He would make additional stops in Memphis and International Wrestling before winding down.
The end of his career occurred after a tour of the Maritimes in Canada where a van accident between shows led to the deaths of Dave “The Bearman” McKigney, Adrian Adonis, and Pat Kelly on July 4, 1988.
After his in-ring career, he began training the next generations of wrestlers and formed a partnership with Johnny Powers, and later, Ron Hutchison.
Siki and Hutchison were responsible for helping to train Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, and Joe E. Legend among others. Copeland famously won an essay contest, run by The Toronto Star newspaper to allow him to be trained free of charge.
While Siki never spoke publicly about the issues, he walked away from the school in 1994 after a falling out with Hutchison, who spoke about his confusion regarding the rift in his book, Pain Torture Agony:
Today, more than two decades later, I’m still as much in the dark as I was back then. I’ve asked people who knew him well, but they were unable to answer my question. I even met with the man himself, only to be met with indifference, as was the case at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre in September 2011 during WWE’s Edge Appreciation Night. He simply held up a hand, his palm facing me, and then turned and walked away.
Siki and I always got along, and I thought we were close, so I can only guess as to what led to his departure. Guessing is all I can do when the only person with the answer has steadfastly refused to communicate with me.
His musical contributions cannot be forgotten as the man produced multiple singles, leading to four albums being released and spanning the genres of country to rock. Siki would go on the road with his music and in later years, became a karaoke host at The Duke Tavern in Toronto, becoming a weekly fixture at the location until the pandemic of 2020.
Siki’s closely guarded life received a rare spotlight in 2017 when Jian & Page Magen produced a documentary on his life, directed by Harv Glazer with Greg Oliver serving as a conduit to gain Siki’s trust to participate.
The special aired on the CBC Documentary channel that year and included interviews with Siki, Bret Hart, Adam Copeland, George Chuvalo, Bruno Sammartino, Eddie Shack, and others.
Siki was largely private throughout the past years as he quietly battled the debilitating disease and died on New Year’s Eve.
His wife Anne died in October 2013, and he leaves behind sons, Justin and Reg. Greg Oliver added that he did have other children, who he did not maintain a relationship with.
Additional reading:
– Sweet Daddy Siki Dead at 91 (Greg Oliver)
– Mat Matters: Siki Did Not Trust Easily (Greg Oliver)
