Episode 122 – Memphis Heat

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In this episode, I discuss the early career of Reggie Siki, the first nationally known African-American wrestler. I also review the documentary Memphis Heat.

Update

Heny Moses Dufur working matches.

Notes from Verne: Inside and Outside the Ring by Brian Ferguson (affiliate link)

During 1947-1948 NCAA wrestling season, Verne wrestled Ray Gunkel (Ohio State), Mike DiBiase (Nebraska), Joe Blanchard (Kansas State), and Bob Geigel (Iowa). Gunkel manhandled Gagne but Gagne beat everyone else.

Gagne was first wrestler to win 4 straight Big Nine Championships.

Main Content

Reginald Siki was born Rensaleer Stanley Livingston Siki Berry in Kansas City, Missouri on December 28, 1899, three days before the turn of a new century.

A skilled African-American wrestler, who wrestled as Reggie Siki, Siki made a strong debut as a 23 year old in 1923. Siki wrestled two notable matches in Chicago, Illinois in December 1923.

Siki wrestled Stanislaus Zbyszko, former World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, in front of 4,000 fans at the Chicago Coliseum on Friday, December 7, 1923. Billed from Senegal, Jack Curley showed an interest in Siki and booked him through Ed White in Chicago. Siki wrestled Zbyszko in the main event.

Siki stood six feet, two inches tall, a full five inches taller than Zbyszko. Zbyszko outweighed the 215 pound Siki by 20 pounds.

After an hour and seven minutes, Zbyszko finally pinned Siki with a jack knife and scissors hold. As the men started to wrestle the second fall, the crowd was clearly supporting Siki. When Zbyszko tried to pin Siki in the second fall, Siki maintained a perfect bridge, while Zbyszko jumped up and down on Siki’s stomach. Zbyszko could not break the powerful Siki’s bridge.

When Siki threw Zbyszko half out of the ring, the crowd cheered wildly. Finally, Zbyszko scored the second fall with a jack knife and headlock combination. Despite losing the match in two straight falls, the fans cheered wildly for Reggie Siki.

Two weeks later, on Friday, December 21, 1923, Siki returned to the Chicago Coliseum to wrestle in the opener against Andre Anderson.  Siki defeated Anderson with a reverse body hold in eleven minutes, thirty-five seconds of the one fall match. The fans cheered Siki louder than any other wrestler on the night.

Siki remained the biggest African-American start of the 1920s and preceded Jack Claybourne and Jim Mitchell as a major draw in professional wrestling. Siki died at only 48 years of age on December 24, 1948.

Wrestling fans know “The Black Panther” Jim Mitchell and Bobo Brazil more than they know Reggie Siki and Jack Claybourne. Without Siki and Claybourne, there might not have been a Jim Mitchell and Bobo Brazil.

Review

Memphis Heat (affiliate link) is a 2011 documentary about the wrestling in the city of Memphis, Tennessee.

Jerry Jarrett said it best. “It would be impossible to do today what we did back then. Because of cable television, because of the internet, and because of instant communication, the territories would have died anyway.”

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