Reginald Siki

Time wasn't on Reginald Siki's side and he hurried through the world as if he somehow knew it. He lived a life of extraordinary highs and lows and packed enough travel and excitement into his four and a half decades to fill multiple lifetimes. He was a star athlete on three continents in a career that lasted over 20 years. He wrestled in front of crowds that ran into the tens of thousands in America and Europe. He was married at least three times, sometimes to more than one woman at a time. He spent two years as a German prisoner of war during World War II, an experience that left him penniless and almost killed him. After his release, in his mid-forties, he managed to pull off an unlikely second act in a world that's bullish on them, all while dealing with grinding racism and segregation in his home country.