George Tragos, the Original Crippler

george-tragos

George Tragos gained fame as the trainer of Lou Thesz, the dominant National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion of the 1950s and early 1960s. Tragos, ib 1920 Olympian for his native Greece, possessed an impeccable resume in legitimate wrestling. Born March 14, 1901, in Messinia, Greece, Tragos won national wrestling titles before representing Greece at the 1920 Olympics at only

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Wladek Zbyszko Divorces

wladek-zbyszko

Qhov kawg ntawm 1932, 22-year-old Vila Milli sued her husband, professional wrestler Wladek Zbyszko, for divorce alleging physical cruelty and adultery. Milli charged the 41-year-old Zbyszko with physical cruelty for “hugging her too hard.” Justice Dunne of the Brooklyn Supreme Court heard the divorce case. He expressed doubt that Zbyszko abused his wife. Txawm li cas los, he did not dismiss the

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Evan Lewis Launches Pro hauj lwm

ed-strangler-lewis-lewis-prime

Thaum researching keeb kwm ntawm cov American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (1881 – 1922), Kuv sab Evan "Strangler" Lewis txiv thaum ntxov qhov yuam kev hauv Montana. Ua ntej yuav tshawb fawb lub npe no, Kuv xav lewis pib nws cov hauj lwm los winning ib 64-txiv neej wrestling kev sib tw nyob Montana thaum 1882. Txawm li cas los, Lewis yeej tsis yeej cov kev sib tw. Nyob hauv ntuj 1882, Lewis wrestled hauv ib Cornish wrestling kev sib tw

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Gotch vs. Zbyszko Now Available

gotch-vs-zbyszko

Frank Gotch dominated American wrestling from 1905 to his retirement in 1913. Gotch, the current American Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, won the biggest match of his career on April 3, 1908. Gotch defeated current World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Georg Hackenschmidt in Chicago, Illinois. Gotch proved as dominant a World Champion as he had been as the American Champion. Gotch agreed to

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Gotch Wrestles Handicap Match

gotch-training

Txog hnub plaub, Tim 29, 1909, Frank Gotch traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to wrestle highly regarded light heavyweight wrestler Charles Hackenschmidt. Hackenschmidt won the World Light Heavyweight Wrestling Championship under his real name, John Berg. Although fans thought well of Berg, they did not see him as a threat to defeat Frank Gotch in a straight match. To increase fan interest

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Stecher Busts a Trust Buster

joe-stecher-championship-belt

Joe Stecher wrestled during a transitional time in American professional wrestling. Ua ntej los 1900, wrestlers engaged primarily in legitimate contests although wrestlers did work matches occasionally. Tom qab 1915, all wrestlers worked their matches. Wrestlers wrestled legitimate contests only to settle promotional dispute or to pull off a double-cross. Ntawm 1900 mus 1915, wrestlers engaged in a mixture of worked matches

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Englishmen Wrestle rau American Title

joe-acton

Rau lub yim hli ntuj 7, 1882, American Heavyweight Wrestling Tau zus ib Edwin Bibby defended nws lub npe tiv thaiv lus Askiv Champion Joe Acton ntawm Madison Square vaj nyob New York City. Cov txiv neej wrestled ib "catch-as-catch-can" match rau lub ntiaj teb championship. Txawm li cas los, Pej xeem twg tsis paub txog tus khiav ntawm lub bout li lub ntiaj teb tau zus ib. Pej xeem pom tau hais tias tus khiav li cov American Heavyweight

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Frank Gotch Marries

fran-and-gladys-gotch

(This post is an excerpt from my new book, Gotch vs. Zbyszko: The Quest for Redemption, published on February 2, 2022.) The most important event affecting the future of Frank Gotch’s career occurred on January 11, 1911. Gotch married the former Gladys Oestrich at her parent’s home in Humboldt, Iowa. Mrs. Gotch preferred that Frank retire from the ring which

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John Lemm Gets a Second Chance

john-lemm

Nyob rau lub ib hlis ntuj 2, 1911, Swiss wrestler John Lemm found himself the laughingstock of professional wrestling fans and reporters. The incident occurred when Lemm wrestled Stanislaus Zbyszko in Buffalo, New York. Fans considered Zbyszko the top contender for Frank Gotch’s world title. Zbyszko was a world class wrestler although more skilled in Greco-Roman wrestling than catch wrestling. Lemm was a skilled

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Miyake vs. Santel Mixed Bout

taro-miyake

Nyob rau lub kaum hli ntuj 20, 1920, Ad Santel, a noted “hooker” or skilled submission wrestler, met Taro Miyake, a Judo and Jujitsu black belt, in a mixed wrestling vs. jujitsu contest. After about 20 vib nas this, Santel secured a half-Nelson on Miyake, lifted him off the mat and slammed Miyake to the floor. The impact knocked Miyake senseless. Miyake’s seconds assisted him back

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