Episode 42 – Gambling Schemes

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In this episode, we discuss how gambling schemes fed into professional wrestling’s unsavory reputation.

Update

I am two-thirds done with the book on Ed “Strangler” Lewis’ early career. The book should be out in late January or early February.

This episode is sponsored by Redhawk Mercantile.

Main Content

We discuss a 19th Century gambling scheme involving current American Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Martin “Farmer” Burns and D.A. McMillan. A newspaper reporter exposed the scheme, which ruined professional wrestling in Minnesota for three or four years.

I recently discovered another gambling scheme involving William Demetral. In this scheme, Demetral and others took a Chicago photographer for $4,000.00.

Authorities initially arrested and charged Demetral with fraud. However, the prosecutors dropped the case, when the victim quit cooperating.

The victim thought he was part of the group that was going to take the other gamblers. When the victim learned that he may also be a perpatrator of fraud underneath the law, he dropped the case.

However, Southern promoters, who were starting wrestling circuits, refused to book Demetral because they did not want the specter of fake matches over their cards.

Review

We review a where the tag team of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant wrestled the Heenan Family of Nick Bockwinkel, “Big, Bad” Bobby Duncum, Ken Patera, and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. The match occurred on November 7, 1982 in either Minneapolis or St. Paul, Minnesota.

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