Episode 64 – St. Louis’ First Pro Wrestler

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In this episode, I discuss the professional wrestling and refereeing career of St. Louis’ first professional wrestler, George Baptiste.

Update

With this episode, we will now be a weekly podcast. We may do review episodes occasionally.

Dan will also be returning to the show in two weeks.

Shooter in a Worked World: John Pesek and the 1920s Promotional Wars is now available on Amazon in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

Main Content

St. Louis’ first professional wrestler, George Baptiste, was five feet, six inches tall and weighed one hundred sixty-five pounds. A successful middleweight wrestler, Baptiste also trained wrestlers, like Oscar Wasem, before transitioning into refereeing.

Baptiste wrestled his most famous opponent, World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Georg Hackenschmidt, in St. Louis during 1905. Hackenschmidt dominated the 42-year-old Baptiste.

I did mention Hackenschmidt’s training manual and autobiography, How to Live in Health and Strength (affiliate link). At least the last half of the book is Hackenschmidt’s life story. “Hack” talks about the match with Baptiste in St. Louis.

Baptiste had two tumultuous marriages before find happiness near the end of his life.

Baptise died of stomach cancer at 74 years of age on December 1, 1938. Baptiste left an estate valued at $200,000. His brothers and nephew contested the will but the judge ruled in favor of Baptiste’s new wife and niece.

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