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The Von Steigers

Posted: May 14th 2026 By: Portland Wrestling

Feeding off of the resentment still harbored by Americans toward Germans in the decades following World War II, the Canadian-born Lorne Corlett and Arnold Pastrick transformed themselves into the notorious brothers Karl & Kurt Von Steiger in 1967. Despite his Polish parents having survived a concentration camp during WW2, Arnold Pastrick embraced the money-making opportunities that would come his way by using the German moniker.

The Von Steiger brothers' first championship reign would come in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling that same year, when they defeated the Christy Brothers for the International Tag Team Titles. It was merely the opening act of one of the most successful tag teams of their generation...

Arriving in Portland Wrestling the following year, the Von Steigers dominated the Pacific Northwest tag team rankings during the late 1960s and early 70s, even defeating the two most accomplished teams of that time—Tony Borne & Lonnie Mayne and Shag Thomas & Luther Lindsay—to become Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champions. They would also take the titles from other memorable teams like Mayne & Beauregard and Billy White Wolf & Johnny War Eagle. In total, the Von Steigers collected an astounding eight Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championships, a feat only exceeded by the iconic duo of Borne & Mayne.

Relinquishing their stranglehold on Don Owen's territory after five years, the Von Steigers spread out to other promotions. The team would go on to become 2-time Hawaii Tag Team Champions, 3-time IWA Tag Team Champs in Australia, and 4-time Southeastern Tag Champs in the Alabama/Tennessee region before concluding their partnership by becoming 2-time NWA World Tag Team Champions in Roy Shire's San Francisco promotion.

Karl Von Steiger, the older of the two, also held many tag team championships outside of those he collected with Kurt, including two NWA Southern Tag Team Titles and four NWA Western States Tag Titles. In singles action, Karl became an Amarillo Brass Knuckles Champion, a Western States Heavyweight Champion, Hawaii Heavyweight Champion, and a 2-time Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Champ while feuding with Ricky Romero (father of fellow Portland Wrestling icon Jay Youngblood).

When not partnering with his wrestling brother, Kurt Von Steiger became a Pacific Northwest Tag Champion with "Killer" Karl Krupp (later, Matty Suzuki when Krupp and Von Steiger split) and a 2-time NWA World Tag Team Champion with "Masked Invader #1" Rocky Montero. As a singles competitor, Kurt was also an Arizona Heavyweight Champ and a 3-time Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Champion (with victories over Lonnie Mayne and "Crusher" Stan Stasiak).

At eighty years old, Karl Von Steiger passed away on November 8th, 2022, after spending his retirement happily residing with his wife in Woodland, Washington. Decades prior, he had changed his name to Karl Von Steiger, which was the name listed on his death notice in the local newspaper.

While still an active wrestler, Kurt Von Steiger took up promoting in the wild card state of Arizona, where there was no National Wrestling Alliance affiliate. He even became a fan favorite for a time, during which he partnered with Arizona icon Tito Montez to defeat Ron Dupree & Chris Colt for the Western States Tag Team Titles. He would retire from full-time wrestling in 1979, having only a handful of matches in 1980, with his final bout being against "Tough" Tony Borne in Portland Wrestling in 1981, though he would return in 1986 for a tour of All Japan Pro Wrestling. He is still living, and it is my understanding that he may have returned home to Manitoba, living out his life in quiet peace.