Abe Coleman

Kelmer was born to a Jewish family in Żychlin, Poland in 1905.[3] His father was a coal-seller.[2] Kelmer had 15 older brothers and sisters, some of whom perished in the Holocaust.[2] In 1923, he emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and later moved to New York City in the United States.[2][3]

According to the Canadian Online Explorer's Greg Oliver, there is debate regarding Kelmer's debut in professional wrestling. In 1929, local promoter Rudy Miller offered Coleman $25 to wrestle after seeing him work out in a Brooklyn gym.[3] Despite this, an "Abe Coleman" wrestled to a draw with George Deslonchamps on March 19, 1928, at Madison Square Garden, but it is unknown if it was Kelmer or another wrestler with the same ring name.[3]

Credited for inventing the dropkick, Coleman claims his inspiration to create the move came from kangaroos he observed while on a tour of Australia in 1930.[2][3]

Coleman was never a champion but regarded as a solid mid-card standby.[3] In the 1930s, Coleman defeated Jim Londos in a match in a Mexico City bullring in front of 60,000 spectators.[3] During a 1936 match against Man Mountain Dean in front of 36,000 people, Coleman slammed Dean to the ground, breaking the ring mat and dropping the pair down to the arena floor.[2][3]

Following his retirement from active in-ring competition, Coleman became a professional wrestling referee.[2] He also promoted several wrestling shows with Bill Johnston.[3]

Following his retirement from wrestling, Kelmer inspected license plates for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.[2]

Kelmer met June Miller in 1936, stating he met her in Madison Square Garden when he landed in her lap after being thrown from the ring.[2] They married three years later in 1939.[2] The couple had no children and Miller died in 1987.[2] Kelmer lived in Forest Hills, New York.[3] It was in Forest Hills that Kelmer subdued two attempted muggers when he was in his 80s.[2][3]

Outside of wrestling, Kelmer's interests included poker and horse racing.[2]

In his final years, Kelmer, primarily confined to a wheelchair, lived at the Meadow Park Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Flushing, New York.[3] Kelmer died on March 28, 2007, in a nursing home in Queens, New York, of kidney failure.[3][4]

• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Other honoree (1995)[3]
• Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
  • Class of 2012 (Pioneer category)[5]

• List of oldest surviving professional wrestlers

• Small bio from friendsofmicronesia.com
• Archived Gordon Solie newsletter featuring an article on Abe Coleman's 90th birthday
• Queens Chronicle article on Abe Coleman's 99th birthday
• Queens Chronicle article on Abe Coleman's 100th birthday