Former WWF manager Slick is said to be recovering in intensive care after suffering a cardiac event and undergoing surgery.
Independent wrestler and promoter Andrew Anderson shared the update on Facebook on Sunday. He said the information came from Mary Alice Gray, the wife of former WWF wrestler One Man Gang, whom Slick managed.
Anderson said Gray had spoken directly with Slick, whose real name is Kenneth Johnson.
According to Anderson, Johnson was taken to hospital in time to receive treatment and is recovering slowly following surgery.
The same information was subsequently shared by the Book Pro Wrestlers Facebook account and repeated by several other outlets.
However, at the time of writing, the reporting appears to be based on the single source of Anderson’s Facebook post. POST Wrestling has not independently confirmed the details of Johnson’s condition, and no statement has yet been issued by Johnson, his family, WWE, or a medical representative.
Anderson is a longtime independent wrestler. He has also worked as a promoter with Tri-State Wrestling and was recognized with a men’s wrestling award by the Cauliflower Alley Club in 2019.
Johnson became one of the most recognizable managers of the WWF’s late-1980s era. WWE credits Slick as the first African-American manager in company history. After beginning his career in the Central States territory in 1986, he arrived in the WWF alongside “The Natural” Butch Reed later that year.
Presented as a protege of “Classy” Freddie Blassie, Slick gradually took over members of Blassie’s stable and went on to manage wrestlers including The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Rick Martel and The Warlord.
He also guided the Big Boss Man and One Man Gang, later repackaged as Akeem, as the Twin Towers, who were positioned against Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage during the Mega Powers storyline.
After becoming an ordained Christian minister, he returned to WWF television as “Reverend Slick” in 1992. He later became associated with Kamala during the latter’s run as a fan favorite.
He has made occasional WWE appearances in the years since leaving the company, including at WrestleMania 23 and Raw 1000.
