London vs. Shikat in 1930
Sa nakalipas na dalawampung taon, Nakahanap ang mga preservationist ng ilang pelikulang wrestling mula 1920s hanggang 1950s na ipinapalagay na nawala. Mapapanood ng mga tagahanga ang karamihan sa mga bagong natuklasang pelikula sa YouTube.
Ang isa sa mga nakaligtas na pelikula ay labing walong minuto ng isang oras, dalawampung minutong laban mula sa Philadelphia, Pennsylvania sa 1930. Nakipagbuno si Jim Londos kay Dick Shikat (link ng video) for a version of the World Championship in front of twenty thousand fans at Shibe Park, the home of the Philadelphia Athletics.
Artist rendering of Jim Londos (Public Domain)
According to the pre-match publicity, Jim Londons wrestled Dick Shikat twice before with each man wining one of the matches. Promoters scheduled the rubber match for a baseball park correctly predicting fan interest in a match between the two men.
If you watch the mat, you will see it includes a lot of mat wrestling. Gayunman, the match was never boring.
The men traded holds throughout the match until Londos secured a top body lock with an armbar. Londos pinned Shikat for a count of three.
Photo of Dick Shikat Legitimately Injuring Danno O’Mahoney on March 2, 1936 mula sa Pampublikong Domain
I thought promoters started using the three count later in the 1930s. Gayunman, the promoters implemented the three count for this match years earlier.
With the addition of the three count, it was impossible for a wrestler to hold down his opponent for a three count unless he was completely knocked out. The change made double-crosses by pin nearly impossible.
Both Londos and Shikat could hook or legitimately submit opponents although observers considered Shikat the better hooker. Shikat did double-cross Danno O’Mahony in Boston in 1936.
After being double-crossed behind the scenes by Joseph “Toots” Mondt and motivated by a strong personal dislike of O’Mahony, Shikat shot on O’Mahony legitimately injuring O’Mahony in the process.
Shikat had no intention to shoot on Jim Londos. Londos still is the biggest drawing card in the history of professional wrestling. Shikat knew what a match with Londos meant to his pocket book.
Let me know what you think of London vs. Shikat.
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Sources: The Philadelphia Times (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Hunyo 7, 1930, p. 18
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