Category: 20th Century Pro Wrestling History

Prior to the creation of the territorial system in 1948, pro wrestling promoters fought with each other to control the world championship. Promoting the world champion led to bigger gates, so most promoters wanted to control the championship. In the 1930s, promoters would enter into agreements with each other but they were often fleeting. When one promoter got offended, thought

William Hayes Shaw, who wrestled as Pat O’Shocker through most of his wrestling career, found himself in the spotlight in 1933. O’Shocker wasn’t looking for this sort of fame though. Newspapers were carrying a story about how wrestling promoters tried to use O’Shocker in a planned double-cross. Joseph “Toots” Mondt booked wrestlers out of New York and was aligned with

În 1933, about 10 years into his wrestling career, Jim Browning would win the world title. Starting his career in Kansas and his home state of Missouri, Browning would have to leave these familiar grounds, if he intended to reach the highest pinnacle in professional wrestling. Because World Champions had to tour nationally, and often internationally, the world title was

I’ve written in the past that Fall Guys: The Barnums of Bounce by Marcus Griffin is a problematic source. While Griffin has insider knowledge due to his time in the Buffalo promotional office in the 1930s, he wrote the book for the purpose of revenge against the promoters who fired him. The book contains factual information mixed in with interesting

In the early 1920s, Christos Theofilou began wrestling as Jim Londos after several years as the gimmicky “Wrestling Plasterer”. Londos probably didn’t realize that the name change would be the first step into him becoming the biggest box office attraction in 1930s professional wrestling. The second step was his emergence as a main event wrestler in St. Louis. Born in

Iulie 4, 1922, Alan Eustace received his shot at the World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Eustace, the Kansas Champion, won a qualifying match with “Agricultor” Bailey in March 1922 to qualify for the match with Lewis. 31-year-old Eustace was the same age as “Strangler” Lewis but Lewis was far more experienced. Debuting at 14 ani,

In early 1915, Sam Rachmann promoted the New York International Wrestling Tournament with the intention of replacing retired World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Frank Gotch. Rachmann believed no one could defeat Aleksander “Alex” Aberg, Rachmann’s handpicked successor to Gotch, in Greco-Roman wrestling. Rachmann’s challenge was catch-as-catch-can was the dominant wrestling style in America. To get around this challenge, Rachmann recruited international

În 1922, viitorul campion mondial la lupte grele Jim Browning și-a început cariera în Kansas. Browning s-a mutat din orașul său natal, Verona, Missouri in 1921 să te antrenezi pentru o carieră de luptător profesionist. Tom Law, Wichita, Promotor Kansas, a supravegheat antrenamentul lui Browning. By May 1923, Browning era deja la evenimentul principal la spectacole mai mici. Pe un Augusta, Cardul Kansas, Browning s-a luptat

La martie 3, 1922, Ed “Strangler” Lewis a recâștigat Campionatul Mondial de lupte grele de la Stanislaus Zbyszko. Acest eveniment a marcat începutul uneia dintre cele mai dominante combinații de lupte profesionale din istorie. Manager Billy Sandow, Campion mondial Ed “Strangler” Lewis și partenerul de formare / geniul promoțional Joseph “Toots” Mondt, known as the “Trio cu praf de aur”, dominated the sport for the next six