Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
In 1894, Martin “Farmer” Burns was preparing to wrestle Evan “Strangler” Lewis for the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. While Burns was entering his prime, Lewis had been on top of American professional wrestling for 5 years. Lewis also wrestled a viscous style with an emphasis on submission holds. Burns would have to be prepared for a tough contest, which could
Verona, Missouri is a small town in southwest Missouri. Never exceeding 900 residents in it’s history, only 438 or so people called Verona home in 1926. Yet, a professional wrestling card was held in the town on Monday, March 22, 1926. Without the widespread use of automobiles or roads built to handle them, travel would be very difficult in 1926.
On Friday, February 17, 1922, World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Stanislaus Zbyszko wrestled a handicap match against Francois Lemarque and up-and-coming star Jim Londos. Londos was still a few years away from becoming the biggest box office draw in professional wrestling but he was the most popular wrestler in St. Louis. While Londos only stood about 5’06” or 5’07”, he possessed
On Sunday, December 17, 1906, Kansas City, Missouri once more proved itself to be a hotbed for professional wrestling as 8,000 fans crammed Convention Hall to watch the rematch between Frank Gotch and Fred Beell. Beell won the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from Gotch three weeks earlier in New Orleans, Louisiana. Gotch claimed the loss to be a fluke, while
On Saturday, December 2nd, 1893, local Saint Louis boxing instructor and Greco-Roman wrestler Mike Mooney met Max Luttbeg at Saint Louis’ Entertainment Hall. Pre-match hype focused on Mooney never losing a wrestling match or a boxing bout. Mooney was considered a better Greco-Roman wrestler, while Luttbeg was a better catch-as-catch-can wrestler. In the 19th century, it was common for matches
On June 11, 1976, Joseph “Toots” Mondt died enroute to Christian Northeast Hospital in North St. Louis County. Mondt had moved to St. Louis in 1969 to help take care of his wife Alda’s mother. After her mother died in 1971, the Mondts decided to stay in St. Louis, where Alda had been born and raised. Mondt was a legendary
The few people who know about the prizefighter Paddy Ryan probably know him as John L. Sullivan’s victim. Sullivan beat Ryan for the Heavyweight Prizefighting Championship in 1882. Ryan was a good fighter in his own right though. Ryan was born on March 15, 1851 in Ireland. His family emigrated to Troy, New York. Ryan was known through out his
Wayne “Big” Munn’s a meteoric rise in professional wrestling. Debuting in 1924, Munn “won” the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from Ed “Strangler” Lewis in early 1925. His fall was just as quick. By 1926, Munn was retired. A college football lineman from Nebraska, Munn was recruited into professional wrestling by Billy Sandow, defacto leader of the Gold Dust Trio. The
Fred Beell was a strong, talented professional wrestler at the turn of the 20th Century. Beell gave all the best wrestlers of the day tough contests but his lack of size often hampered his ability with world class wrestlers. Although powerfully built, Beell was generously listed at 5’06”. At his heaviest, Beell never exceeded 170 pounds. While possessing a bodybuilder’s
When William Muldoon retired from professional wrestling in 1889, he intended for his protege, Ernst Roeber, to become the new World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Since Muldoon always defended his championship in the Greco-Roman wrestling style, his choice made sense. Roeber was arguably the best Greco-Roman wrestler in America at the time. However, the wrestling fans and journalist, covering the sport,