עפּיזאָד 6 – Worked Title Matches

פּאָדקאַסט: שפּיל אין נייַ פֿענצטער | אראפקאפיע

אין דעם עפּיזאָד, I will be talking about a pair of worked title matches for the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.

הויפּט אינהאַלט

Fred Beell איז געווען אַ שטאַרק, talented professional wrestler אין די דריי פון די 20 יאָרהונדערט. כאָטש שטאַרק געבויט, Beell stood no more than 5’05” and weighed 168 פונט. נאָך, he improbably defeated Frank Gotch for the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship on December 1, 1906.

Gotch won the first fall without a problem but the second fall proved controversial. To start the second fall, Beell took the offensive and slammed Gotch several times. Gotch appeared to be fatiguing, an unusual situation for the well-conditioned champion. Beell picked Gotch up again but stumbled. Both men fell off the mat onto the hard floor.

Gotch hit heavily with his head striking the floor. Beell was not seriously affected. He quickly turned Gotch over for the second fall. Light heavyweight wrestler Charley Olsen, who served as the referee for this match, tapped Beell on his back indicating Beell took the second fall.

Beell stood to his feet, but Gotch remained prone on the mat. Two police officers, providing security for the event, helped carry the half-conscious champion back to his dressing room for the second intermission.

In Gotch’s autobiography, he said he struck his head on a post. אָבער, this match does not appear to have taken place in a ring. It is more likely he hit his head on the floor although if there were stanchions around the mat, he could have struck one of those.

The police officers carried Gotch back to the ring, where Beell pinned him in 50 seconds for the third fall and championship. I suspected Gotch and Beell worked this match because of the fanciful finish and a rematch had already been scheduled for Kansas City, Missouri on December 18, 1906.

8,000 fans crowded into the Kansas City Convention Hall to see Gotch take the title back in two straight falls. Gotch and Beell liked worked the matches for the large payday in Kansas City and to make Gotch look beatable. Fans started to see Gotch as invincible, which made it harder to convince fans to pay to see Gotch crush his opponents.

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