Category: Varajane professionaalse maadluse ajalugu

Teisipäeval, Oktoober 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. Aasta alguses 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. The

Esmaspäeval, Märts 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

Prior to wrestling in Kentucky in the early 1910s, wrestling fans knew Ed “Strangler” Lewis as Bob Fredrichs. Born Robert Friedrich in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, Lewis made his professional wrestling debut in 1905, while still only 14 aastat vana. Kentucky promoters thought Bob Fredrichs too plain, so Lewis chose his new name as an homage to fellow Wisconsin native and original

Mail 7, 1901, Tom Jenkins maadles New Yorgis hiiglase Nouralah Hassaniga. Sündis Bulgaarias ajal 1870, Hassan seisis kuue jala kõrgusel, kaheksa tolli pikk ja kaalus 331 naela. Kuigi Jenkinsil oli suurepärane maadlusoskus, fännid ja reporterid eeldasid, et Hassani tohutu suurus tekitab Jenkinsile probleeme. Korraldajad broneerisid mehed Madison Square Gardenis maadlema

Reedel, Juuni 29, 1883, neliteist maadlejat maksid $50 osaleda kahepäevasel turniiril a $500 meistrivöö ja $500 auhind. Richard K. Fox, Politseiteatise omanik ja väljaandja, pange üles auhinnaraha ja vöö. Fox toetas innukalt nii profipoksi kui ka profimaadluse propageerimist. Samal ajal kui neliteist meest üritasid turniirile pääseda, Fox

August 4, 1939, Mort Henderson suri Rochesteris, New York kl 60 aastat. Tõenäoliselt ei mäletanud maadlusfännid Mort Hendersoni nime, vaid kui tema alter ego, originaal Masked Marvel, ta salvestas sügisversiooni 1915 International Wrestling Tournament in New York City. Sam Rachmann edendas turniiri eesmärgiga

Oktoobril 26, 1897, Martin “Farmer” Burns defended his American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship against Scottish catch wrestler Dan McLeod. Burns and McLeod were two of the top three or four catch-as-catch-can wrestlers in the United States at the time. 1,200 fans attended the match held at the Grand Opera House in Indianapolis, Indiana. Promoters often put a mat or heavy