Former WWE director Kerwin Silfies passes away
Kerwin Silfies, who played an important role in shaping the look of WWE programming for decades, has passed away at 75 years old.
PWInsider first reported the news of Silfies’ death, writing that he passed away on February 17 after privately battling health issues. Silfies was a long-time director for WWE, first joining the company in the mid-1980s after already having many years of television experience working at Channel 39 in his native Pennsylvania. He had been living in Florida recently.
Silfies still directed select WWE shows until he departed the company in 2020. He was among the employees furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic and never returned.
“I can’t explain what a super person & great director Kerwin was,” Taz wrote in a tribute today. “I work with him for many years in WWE on the road & in studio. His passion for great Tv in the wrestling biz was strong. This man once was working in the studio thru an actually heart attack & kept working!! Very sad to hear this. I hope they put him in their WWE HOF. He belongs. Prayers & support to his family. RIP”
Silfies’ early contributions to WWE included serving as a director for Saturday Night’s Main Event and WrestleMania. He did not appear in on-camera projects often but did show up on some documentaries and specials. He also called into an episode of Raw as part of the infamous Steve Austin-Brian Pillman gun angle that took place in 1996.
The short-lived WWE character Kerwin White, played by Chavo Guerrero in the 2000s, was named after Silfies.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Silfies said about pro wrestling during a 1987 interview with the Allentown Morning Call. “Having done a whole lot of both collegiate and professional wrestling work for television over the years, I think it’s a great sport. In college, it’s wonderful for conditioning and for discipline. Professional wrestling? It’s about as entertaining an event as you can go to. I have seen thousands of people come into arena and they always go away happy.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.