Ivan Putski
| Ivan Putski | |
|---|---|
Putski, c. 1982 | |
| Birth name | Józef Bednarski |
| Born | January 21, 1941 Kraków, Poland |
| Children | 2, including Scott Putski |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Ivan Putski Jim Bednarski Polish Power The Polish Hammer |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Billed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Billed from | Kraków, Poland |
| Debut | 1968 |
| Retired | 1999 |
Józef Bednarski (born January 21, 1941) is a Polish/American former professional wrestler and bodybuilder, best known by the ring name Ivan Putski. He was given the nicknames the "Polish Hammer" and "Polish Power".
Putski is a former WWF World Tag Team Champion with Tito Santana. He had a famous feud with Superstar Billy Graham over the WWF Championship, which led to many pose-downs, arm wrestling bouts, and long matches between the two. Other rivals included The Iron Sheik, Ivan Koloff, and Jesse Ventura, who would refer to Putski as "Puduski" when commentating for the WWF. Putski was the first Polish wrestler to perform in the WWF (now WWE).