Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
I took a second look at this match after listening to the Shut Up and Wrestle podcast interview with Mike Chapman, one of the foremost experts on Frank Gotch. Mike Chapman put forth a convincing argument for his belief that both Earl Caddock vs. Joe Stecher world title matches were “shoots” or legitimate contests. After reviewing the accounts of the
George Baptiste spent about twenty years serving as St. Louis’ resident all-around athlete before taking over the company, Baptiste Tent and Awning, founded by his father Alexander Baptiste. Besides plying his trade as an occasional but accomplished professional wrestler, Baptise was a powerful swimmer. On August 11, 1900, Baptiste used his swimming skills to save another St. Louisan from drowning.
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/xbbcg5/Episode_316wffy.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, we discuss the wrestling schedule of Evan “Strangler” Lewis during 1886. Update Dan and I discuss where we were at on September 11, 2001. We also discuss the recent death of the “Exotic” Adrian Street. Main Content In this episode, we discuss the wrestling schedule of Evan “Strangler” Lewis in 1886.
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/b7uzv9/Episode_30abul2.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, we discuss the Dick Shikat double-cross of Danno O’Mahony in March 1936. We are also joined in the studio by my youngest grandson Connor, who is hanging out with his dad, Caleb, who returned to the podcast this week. Update I will be starting the new research project in the beginning
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/tvxtnd/Episode_3395jmx.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadYes, we are releasing an episode out of order. With three recent high profile deaths in pro wrestling, we wanted to release a bonus episode now to talk about them. We also inadvertantly insult a few people and have an interesting conversation about “cougars.” Over the past two weeks, we have lost “Exotic” Adrian
Sorakichi Matsuda travelled to the United States in late 1883 to begin his professional wrestling career. Matsuda intended to learn American professional wrestling and return to his homeland to start his own wrestling promotion. Matsuda’s manager made claims about his training in Japan, which could not be verified. Matsuda trained in sumo wrestling with the famous Isegahama stable but did
John L. Sullivan was the transitional heavyweight prize fighting champion. He transitioned prize fighting from the bare knuckle era to modern boxing under the Marquis of Queensbury rules by refusing to fight in any more non-gloved bouts. Before he made this pledge, he took part in the Fight of the 19th Century with the formidable Jake Kilrain. Jake Kilrain was
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/padnur/Episode_29btyp1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, we discuss Jim Londos’ early career in St. Louis, Missouri. We also review Jim Londos vs. Dick Shikat from 1930. Update I am taking a month off after finishing Wayfarer in a Foreign Land: Sorakichi Matsuda Wrestles in America. I will work on blog posts and my last St. Louis history
On Tuesday, June 3, 1924, up-and-coming wrestler Jim Browning challenged Taro Miyake in a mixed styles match in Nashville, Tennessee. Browning, a wrestler from Verona, Missouri recently left the Missouri-Kansas area to wrestle in Tennessee and Kentucky. The 21-year-old Browning was developing a reputation for solid wrestling. Browning impressed promoters so much in the 1920s that the promoters put the
Over the past twenty years, preservationists have found several wrestling films from the 1920s through the 1950s that were assumed lost. Fans can watch most of the newly discovered films on YouTube. One of the surviving films is eighteen minutes of an hour, twenty minutes match from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1930. Jim Londos wrestled Dick Shikat (video link) for a