Gotch Bests Bulgarian

Nyob rau hnub tim 14, 1909, Ntiaj teb Heavyweight Wrestling tau zus ib Frank Gotch ntsib Yussif Mahmout, ib tug koom Bulgarian wrestler, nyob Chicago, Illinois rau nws lub npe. Fans considered Mahmout a tough challenger primarily because they had not seen him wrestle.

Emil Klank, Gotch’s manager, convinced foreign wrestlers with good reputations like Mahmout and Stanislaus Zbyszko to travel to America to challenge Gotch. Fans proved willing to pay to see their dominant champion defend his title against overseas challengers.

While Dan Gable fans may take an exception to Gotch’s standing as the greatest American wrestler, little doubt exists about Gotch’s bonafides as a legitimate American pro wrestler. Kuab uas zoo raws li cov, Gotch developed into a powerful technician under the tutelage of his trainer, Martin “Ua teb” Zaus.

Tsis zoo li nws foe George Hackenschmidt, leej nram hauv nws zoo kawg thiab zog, Gotch used submission holds (hooks in catch wrestling) like his deadly toehold to win match after match. Less well-known is Gotch’s use of a half-nelson and crotch hold combination to pin numerous opponents.

raws li wrestlingdata.com, Yussif Mahmout yug Ibrahim Hergelecki hauv Bulgaria lub sij hawm 1862. Tus 47 xyoo Mahmout sawv 6’01” thiab weighed 220 phaus. Yussif Mahmout wrestled at least sixty-one professional wrestling matches. Mahmout won forty of those matches with only sixteen losses. Tus lwm tsib bouts twb draws los tsis muaj txojkev.

Txawm nyob hauv nruab nrab hnub nyoog, Mahmout maintained an impressive muscular physique. Txawm li cas los, his muscles did not help him in a match with Frank Gotch in his prime.

Thaum cov txiv neej squared rau Chicago, Ed Wallace Smith, cov phom editor ntawm tus Chicago American, officiated tus bout dua. Tom qab nws kev kawm nyob rau lub thawj bout Gotch-Hackenschmidt and later reading his book on Frank Gotch, I would never allow Smith to officiate a match involving Gotch. Hauv no match, nws tsis cia tej yam uas officiated.

Cov txiv neej uas tau ntsib hauv qhov chaw ntawm lub nplhaib. Mahmout tam sim rau tais Gotch nrog nws lub zog. Gotch, leej twg weighed li kaum tsib phaus tsawg tshaj qhov ntse Mahmout resisted no tactic.

Tom qab peb feeb, Gotch ruaj Mahmout txoj ceg thiab coj nws mus rau hauv av. Once the bout reached the floor, Mahmout tso tawm kom pom kev deb me ntsis.

Gotch normally secured a toehold but for some reason, nws txiav txim siab mus ib qhov ntawm nws lwm nyiam hom kev kawm, the half-nelson and crotch hold because of a provision Gotch agreed to before the bout. Mahmout insisted rau wrestling hauv ko taw mus khaws, uas yuam cov cai ntawm catch-as-catch-can wrestling. Gotch chiv yuav tsis lem mus rau ntawm Bulgarian lub xum. Tom qab Mahmout pom zoo kom forfeit $500 ntawm nws lub hnab tawv pojniam mus Gotch, Gotch agreed to Mahmout wrestling barefoot.

Sweaty legs proved harder to leg lock, so Gotch flipped Mahmout to his back with his other pet hold. The powerful Bulgarian bridged for several minutes. Gotch finally overcame this resistance and pressed his shoulders to the mat for the first fall at exactly the 8-minute mark.

Gotch knew he could defeat Mahmout easily, so he never attempted the toehold, which he famously used to tear the ankle ligaments of Leo Pardello. He decided to end the match with the half-Nelson and crotch hold in both falls..

To start the second fall, Gotch took Mahmout to the ground. Mahmout turtled up but Gotch secured the half-Nelson and crotch hold. Gotch muab Mahmout rau nraub qaum. Mahmout used every ounce of strength he had left in bridging, but Frank Gotch persisted in pressing him to the mat. Gotch pinned Mahmout rau tus thib ob thiab kawg ntog rau 9 feeb, 10 vib nas this.

In one of the odd coincidences of history, Mahmout passed away during the same year as Frank Gotch. Tus 55 xyoo Bulgarian wrestler tuag hauv 1917 vim tsis paub hais tias.

Frank Gotch txuas nws reign zoo li lub ntiaj teb tau zus ib. Nws yog qhov nyuaj rau koj nrhiav ib credible kev sib tw rau cov champ ho.

Koj yuav tawm ib saib los nug cov lus nug txog qhov no los yog tej tsev xa rau kuv Facebook phab thiab Twitter profile.

Qhov chaw: “Frank Gotch yog tseem tau zus ib” Cov yav tsaus ntuj Statesman (Walla Walla, Washington). Tim 15, 1909 ib tsab, p. 2 thiab wrestlingdata.com, Cov ntaub ntawv Ibrahim Hegelecki (Yussiff Mahmout yuav muab tau cov ntaub ntawv.)

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