Category: Combat Sports History

If wrestling fans know of Anton “Tony” Stecher, it is as the long-time promoter of professional wrestling in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stecher started promoting professional wrestling in the Twin Cities during 1933. Stecher built the Minneapolis Boxing and Wrestling Club into a powerful local wrestling promotion. Stecher was also one of the early members of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Stecher

Scottish wrestler Duncan C. Ross wrestled professionally but also took part in strength and athletic contests after arriving in the United States in the late 1870s. An all-around athlete, Ross wrestled skillfully in both catch-as-catch-can wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling. På mandag, February 26, 1883, Ross wrestled former World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Theobaud Bauer. Bauer brought the World Championship from France

Joe Stecher made his professional wrestling debut in late 1912 or early 1913. Stecher proved to be a dangerous professional from the beginning of his career. Martin “Farmer” Burns, the storied wrestler and trainer, brought one of his proteges, Yussiff Hussane, to test Stecher in a legitimate contest during June 1913. Burns and most followers of the sport expected Hussane

On Tuesday, Oktober 21, 1913, Ed “Strangler” Lewis defended his newly won American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship against William Demetral. Lewis wrestled Demetral at Lexington’s Auditorium on a mat instead of a ring. The mat setup played a role in the finish of the match. Promoter Jerry Walls placed a mat on the elevated stage, a common setup before the widespread

Dan McLeod defeated Martin “Farmer” Burns for the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship during October 1897. McLeod held the championship for four years until he met Frank Gotch’s toughest opponent, Tom Jenkins. In early 1899, McLeod made a couple title defenses in Minnesota. On February 24, 1899, McLeod wrestled St. Louis Middleweight Wrestling Champion George Baptiste at Conover Hall in front

Professional wrestling evolved into an athletic exhibition from legitimate contests for two reasons. I have written extensively about the first reason. Legitimate contests between equally skilled wrestlers were often long, boring affairs with little action. These contests turned off fans and prevented professional wrestling exploding as a spectator sport. I have not written as much about the second reason. Den

På mandag, March 26, 1888, Joe Acton, who specialized in catch wrestling, wrestled Professor William Miller, an Australian wrestler, and bare-knuckle prizefighter, in a two-out-of-three-falls Greco-Roman wrestling match. Both men’s camps believed wrestling the match in this style ensured the fairest contest between them. The men wrestled for $500.00 a side. 1,500 fans, a large crowd for the era, turned

Før bryting i Kentucky på begynnelsen av 1910-tallet, wrestling-fans kjente Ed "Strangler" Lewis som Bob Fredrichs. Født Robert Friedrich i Nekoosa, Wisconsin, Lewis debuterte for profesjonell bryting i 1905, mens du fortsatt bare 14 år gammel. Kentucky-arrangørene mente Bob Fredrichs var for ren, så Lewis valgte sitt nye navn som en hyllest til andre Wisconsin innfødte og originale

Mai 7, 1901, Tom Jenkins kjempet mot giganten Nouralah Hassan i New York City. Født i Bulgaria under 1870, Hassan sto seks fot, åtte tommer høy og veid 331 pounds. Mens Jenkins hadde overlegne brytingsferdigheter, fans og reportere forventet at Hassans enorme størrelse ville by på problemer for Jenkins. Arrangører booket mennene til å kjempe på Madison Square Garden i

På fredag, June 29, 1883, fjorten brytere betalte $50 å delta i en to-dagers turnering for en $500 mesterskapsbelte og $500 premie. Richard K. Fox, eier og utgiver av Polititidende, legg opp premiepengene og belte. Fox støttet ivrig promoteringen av både profesjonell boksing og profesjonell bryting. Mens fjorten menn forsøkte å delta i turneringen, Fox