Episode 2: Jim Londos

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Nan sa a Episode, Mwen pral pale sou pi gwo atraksyon bwat biwo nan istwa lit. Lè li te pran yon vakans travay tounen nan peyi lakay li nan Lagrès, li te ranpli 100,000 estad. Li te premye wrèstè ki te desine 30,000 fanatik depi dezyèm match Frank Gotch-George Hackenschmidt nan 1911.

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Why I Do not Think Frank Gotch Paid Ad Santel $5,000.00 to Injure Georg Hackenschmidt

Book Project Update

Main Content

The topic for this month came from a question. Someone researching Jim Londos asked when he started working matches and how he learned to work?

Before we discuss the question, I thought it would be the ideal time to talk about several terms which will often come up in the podcast: work, shoot, pèfòmè, shooter, hooker, and hook. I explain each term.

Jim Londos born Christos Theofilou on January 2, 1894, started out as a circus strongman. Londos developed a bodybuilder’s physique without steroids or other performance enhancing drugs. The carnival wrestlers taught Londos how to shoot and hook but he never was on the level of Ed “Strangler’ Lewis, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Joe Stecher or John “Tigerman” Pesek.

He was more of a performer although not a pure performer like Wayne “Big Munn”, Gus Sonnenberg or Danno O’Mahony. George Tragos did not want a young Lou Thesz to wrestle Londos. Tragos told Thesz that Londos knew Thesz would become a big star. To slow his progress, Londos would hurt Thesz on purpose.

He became a big star in St. Louis wrestling for Nick Contos and Tom Packs. Poor reputation. Fear of Lewis.

Londos and Ed “Strangler’ Lewis wrestled at Wrigley Field in 1934 in front of 35,275 fans for a gate of 96,302. This record stood until 1952.

To end this week’s show, I discuss Sam Muchnick’s retirement card on New Years Day 1982. Sam Muchnick’s retirement card drew over 19,000 fans to the Checkerdome, a record at the time. My sister Vicky and I attended this card as we did almost every card during 1981 to about 1984.

You can leave a comment or ask a question about this or any post on my Facebook page oswa Twitter profile.

Kloure Li