Belgian Bloodies German Wrestler’s Nose

alex-aberg

On May 21, 1915, the International Wrestling Tournament began in New York.  Samuel Rachman promoted the event as a way to showcase European Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion Alek Aberg.  Rachman believed Aberg was the natural successor to World Wrestling Champion Frank Gotch, who retired in 1913. On the first day of the tournament, nationalistic feelings about World War I popped up

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Lewis “Triumphs” in Fake Match

evan-strangler-lewis

The April 12, 1887 edition of the St. Paul Daily Globe carried a story about the bout between feared professional wrestlers, Evan “Strangler” Lewis and “Little Demon” Joe Acton.  Other wrestlers feared Lewis’ ability as a submission expert particularly his abilities with the stranglehold.  Joe Acton, while undersized at 150 pounds, was a ferocious wrestler. The bout should have been

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Terrible Turk’s Horrible Foul of Roeber

yusuf-ismail-terrible-turk

Ernest Roeber was an accomplished Greco-Roman wrestler.  William Muldoon, the World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion from 1880 to 1889, wanted Roeber to take over from him as World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.  However, the world title would continue to be disputed until George Hackenschmidt won several Greco-Roman Tournaments in Europe during 1901. Yusuf Ismail, the Terrible Turk, was considered one of the

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Zbyszko Knocks Out Greek Wrestler

wladek-zbyszko

On June 2, 1915, the International Wrestling Tournament in New York City entered its second week of competition.  Some of the tournaments big names were wrestling on this night.  Alex Aberg, George Lurich and Wladek Zbyszko would all compete.  It was Zbyszko who made the biggest impression. The first match involved two lesser talents, Pierre Le Colosse and Wilhelm Berner. 

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Wladek Zbyszko Beats Strangler for Title

wladek-zbyszko

On March 22, 1919, Ed “Strangler” Lewis met Wladek Zbyszko for the vacant World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.  In a surprise victory, Zbyszko defeated Lewis to claim the title.  Unfortunately for Wladek Zbyszko, he would only have a cup of coffee with the belt.  A month or two later, Zbyszko lost the title to Joe Stetcher. This match was most likely

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Shikat Surprises O’Mahony and Promoters

shikat-injures-omahoney

I’m writing this post to correct an earlier post I wrote about double crosses in professional wrestling.  I originally thought double crosses ended after Stanislaus Zybszko double crossed the Gold Dust Trio. Zbyszko, after agreeing to lose to Munn, defeated him in what turned into a legitimate contest for the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. Ed “Strangler” Lewis, who dropped the

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Midnight Manhunt (1945)

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Midnight Manhunt (1945) is set in a wax museum, where a thief has died after being shot in his apartment. Making his way to the wax museum, the man was the subject of a police manhunt for stolen diamonds. Two reporters are vying for the story and trying to solve the case before the police do. A secret agent played

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Zbyszko Beats Aberg for Title

stanislaus-zbyszko

On February 26. 1914, Stanislaus Zbyszko beat Alex Aberg for the World Greco-Roman Heavyweight Wrestling Championship in Boston, Massachusetts.  Zbyszko came to the United States in 1909 to campaign for Frank Gotch’s World Catch-as-Catch Can Championship.  Wrestling insiders considered Gotch’s title the World Championship. Zbyszko could not beat Gotch in 1910.  Before they had a rematch, Frank Gotch retired in

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