Wladek Zbyszko vs. Helio Gracie

wladek-zbyszko

When Wladek Zbyszko travelled from the United States to Brazil for a lucrative tour on Brazil’s well-developed professional wrestling circuit, Zbyszko little suspected that he would wrestle his first contest in almost twenty years. Like their American counterparts, Brazilian professional wrestlers worked with each other to put on exciting exhibitions for the fans. The Brazilian professional wrestlers occasionally wrestled a

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Dan McLeod Wrestles “Farmer” Burns

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On October 26, 1897, Martin “Farmer” Burns defended his American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship against Scottish catch wrestler Dan McLeod. Burns and McLeod were two of the top three or four catch-as-catch-can wrestlers in the United States at the time. 1,200 fans attended the match held at the Grand Opera House in Indianapolis, Indiana. Promoters often put a mat or heavy

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George Tragos, the Original Crippler

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George Tragos gained fame as the trainer of Lou Thesz, the dominant National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion of the 1950s and early 1960s. Tragos, a 1920 Olympian for his native Greece, possessed an impeccable resume in legitimate wrestling. Born March 14, 1901, in Messinia, Greece, Tragos won national wrestling titles before representing Greece at the 1920 Olympics at only

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Wladek Zbyszko Divorces

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At the end of 1932, 22-year-old Vila Milli sued her husband, professional wrestler Wladek Zbyszko, for divorce alleging physical cruelty and adultery. Milli charged the 41-year-old Zbyszko with physical cruelty for “hugging her too hard.” Justice Dunne of the Brooklyn Supreme Court heard the divorce case. He expressed doubt that Zbyszko abused his wife. However, he did not dismiss the

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Taro Miyake in England

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Before immigrating to the United States, Taro Miyake first settled in England. Miyake assisted Yukio Tani with establishing Judo and Jujitsu in England. Miyake and Tani challenged professional wrestlers to matches as part of their effort to establish their martial arts. Tani took part in challenge matches prior to the arrival of Miyake. Miyake grappled his first opponent, Tani himself,

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Evan Lewis Launches Pro Career

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While researching the history of the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (1881 – 1922), I discovered Evan “Strangler” Lewis’ early matches in Montana. Prior to researching this topic, I thought Lewis started his career by winning a 64-man wrestling tournament in Montana during 1882. However, Lewis did not win the tournament. In May 1882, Lewis wrestled in a Cornish wrestling tournament

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Gotch vs. Zbyszko Now Available

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Frank Gotch dominated American wrestling from 1905 to his retirement in 1913. Gotch, the current American Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, won the biggest match of his career on April 3, 1908. Gotch defeated current World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Georg Hackenschmidt in Chicago, Illinois. Gotch proved as dominant a World Champion as he had been as the American Champion. Gotch agreed to

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Gotch Wrestles Handicap Match

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On Thursday, April 29, 1909, Frank Gotch traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to wrestle highly regarded light heavyweight wrestler Charles Hackenschmidt. Hackenschmidt won the World Light Heavyweight Wrestling Championship under his real name, John Berg. Although fans thought well of Berg, they did not see him as a threat to defeat Frank Gotch in a straight match. To increase fan interest

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