Abe Coleman, 101 years old and possibly the oldest living professional wrestler, passed away yesterday in a nursing home in Flushing, New York

A native of Zychlin, Poland, Coleman moved to the United States in 1923 and eventually landed in New York in 1941, where he resided for the rest of his life.

Coleman was discovered by local promoter Rudy Miller working out in a gym. Miller offered $25 for Coleman to wrestle and he debuted that week at the Ridgewood Grove Arena. Coleman would go on to tour across the world, with results I've found listing him for matches in Calgary, Australia and the Northeast. Coleman also claimed to have worked in Mexico.

At times, Coleman used several nicknames based around his religion including The Hebrew Hercules and Jewish Tarzan, which sometimes caused him to receive anti-Semitic reactions.

Coleman's has claimed through the years that he was the creator of a move still prevalent today, the dropkick, which he stated was inspired by Kangaroos he saw while touring Australia in the 1930s.

Coleman retired in 1958 and later worked for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. At the age of 80, Coleman was still making a splash when two teenaged muggers attempted to rob him. Coleman knocked each out with one punch.

Coleman's wife, Judy, passed away in 1987. The couple had no children but he is survived by several nephews and nieces.

Of behalf of everyone involved with WRESTLING-RADIO.COM, I'd like to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Abe Coleman.