How to Setup a Big Rematch

On St. Patrick’s Day 1908, Martin “Agricultor” Burns met the small but powerful Fred Beell. While both wrestlers weighed 165 libras, “Agricultor” Burns stood 5’11” to Beell’s 5’04”. The 32-year-old Beell had a big age advantage over the 47-year-old Burns though. Burns debuted in 1879, when Beell was 3-years-old.

The men were scheduled for a match in Omaha, Nebraska, one of the hotbeds of professional wrestling for the first two decades of the 20th Century. After the Omaha Police Chief got involved in 1915, wrestling matches moved to nearby Lincoln, Nebraska.

The men started the two-out-of-three falls match at a quick pace. Probably upsetting the fans expectations and possibly gamblers, “Agricultor” Burns won the first fall after 32 minutes, 15 segundos. Fred Beell won the second fall at the 35 minute, 15 second mark. With one fall apiece, the winner would be decided in the third fall. The fall would be quick.

Almost from the start of the third fall, “Agricultor” Burns secured a top wristlock on Beell. Beell tried to free himself but Burns was able to load Beell into a hiplock.

Burns released the wristlock and flipped Beell to the mat. Burns fell on top of Beell, who shot out from underneath him almost immediately. Beell claimed he was not pinned but the referee awarded the third fall and match to Burns. Beell immediately challenged Burns to a rematch for $1,000.00 aparte.

Somethings stand out about this match. Primeiro, “Agricultor” Burns was well past his prime but looked competitive in this match. It helped that he was working with his student Fred Beell, who wanted to make his trainer look competitive.

Segundo, they setup a “big money” rematch, which would hopefully draw a bigger crowd, with the way they ended the match. Burns scored a quick pinfall that Beell got out of almost immediately after an evenly fought match. Beell had a plausible argument that he hadn’t been pinned. Hence, the need for an immediate rematch.

As professional wrestling continued to move to an almost exclusively “worked” or prearranged exhibitions, they would perfect promotion tactics like this one to build bigger gates and make more money. While competitive wrestling was almost completely eliminated, the excitement of professional wrestling would actually increase.

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Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Março 18, 1908 edition, p. 7

 

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