Episode 106 – Hotlanta
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In this episode, I discuss one of the first regular Atlanta cards in February 1926. I end the podcast with bonus content about famed hooker Ad Santel.
Update
Gronk butchering Emeka Egbuka’s name and it reminding me of Dan.
Whig Presidential History
Main Content
Ad Santel, skilled shooter and hooker, defeated many judo and jujitsu black belts (Public Domain)
History of Atlanta promoting – Disappointing documentary
Paul Jones bought the Georgia promotion in 1944. However, regular cards started running in 1926.
John Contos, former St. Louis promoter and manager of Dan Koloff (Kolov), started the new promotion.
On Tuesday, February 9, 1926, Contos put on only his second card in Atlanta. Wladek Zbyszko wrestled Dan Koloff (Kolov) in a two-out-of-three-falls match at Atlanta City Auditorium. The card drew six hundred fans to the auditorium.
The first preliminary bout was a boxing bout between two local fighters.
In the semi-main event, Chicago wrestler John Paxos defeated Atlanta wrestler Martin Blackstock by pinning Blackstock after thirty-six minutes.
Zbyszko just arrived in Atlanta from New York City. Dan Koloff, who the Atlanta Constitution reporter referred to as the “St. Louis Bulgarian”, joined his manager Contos for this early card.
Eddie Hanlon refereed the match. The newspaper reporter felt Hanlon left a lot to be desired as a wrestling referee.
Zbyszko and Koloff wrestled for twenty plus minutes before Zbyszko threw Koloff four times with headlocks. Zbyszko pinned Koloff for the first fall in twenty-seven minutes, ten seconds.
Koloff looked stronger in the second fall. Koloff applied a double-arm wristlock on Zbyszko and pinned Zbyszko in fifteen minutes, fifty-seven seconds. The Atlanta Constitution reporter questioned whether Zbyszko’s shoulders were actually down but allowed that “it might have been the right decision.”
During the third fall, Zbyszko dominated the action. After trying for headlocks and flying falls, Zbyszko used an arm bar to pin Koloff in twenty minutes, ten seconds. Overall, Zbyszko and Koloff worked an entertaining match for the fans, who enjoyed the match.
Contos’ promotional cards started drawing fans quickly. By April 1926, when Joe Stecher defended his world title against Stanislaus Zbyszko, 6,000 fans filled the city auditorium.
Recommendations
Irresistible Force: The Life and Times of Gorilla Monsoon by Brian R. Solomon (affiliate link)
Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President by Robert J. Rayback (affiliate link)
Closing
Follow-Up to the gym story from a couple of weeks ago
Bonus Content on Ad Santel: Did Santel really fight contests with Kodokan black belts in the 1920s?
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