McLaughlin Wins Tournament
On March 10, 1870, Colonel James Hiram McLaughlin competed on the last night of the International Wrestling Tournament in Detroit, Michigan. The tournament ran for almost two months before the finale on March 10th.
Wrestling historians frequently credit J. H. McLaughlin as being the first professional wrestler to live only on his earnings as a professional wrestler. Most professional wrestlers in this era wrestled part-time while maintaining a day job or running a side business.
Artist rendering of James Hiram McLaughlin (Public Domain)
McLaughlin was born on June 8, 1844, in New York State. McLaughlin started wrestling professionally in the 1860s although he wrestled infrequently because of the U.S. Civil War.
McLaughlin specialized in Irish collar-and-elbow wrestling. The wrestlers often wore sweaters or jackets to help throw their opponent. The style of wrestling resembles judo in both the conduct of the competition and the rules.
McLaughlin possessed considerable size for heavyweight of this era at six feet, one inches tall. In shape, McLaughlin weighed two hundred fifteen pounds. McLaughlin ballooned to two hundred sixty-five pounds, when he was not training hard.
On the last night of the tournament, McLaughlin wrestled “square-hold” matches, which was another term for collar-and-elbow wrestling. Wrestlers in the tournament either wrestled “square-hold”, “back-hold” or “side-hold.”
McLaughlin wrestled his first match of the night versus Barney Smith of Hamilton, Ontario. McLaughlin easily threw Smith.
McLaughlin wrestled two straight matches with E. P. Harrington of Michigan. McLaughlin threw Harrington in both bouts.
McLaughlin wrestled his fourth match versus Barney Smith. McLaughlin threw Smith but Smith claimed it was not a fair throw. McLaughlin said he would proceed with the match and threw Smith again. Smith accepted the fall this time.
McLaughlin wrestled Smith in his fifth and final match of the night. McLaughlin again threw Smith. Some on-line sources claimed McLaughlin seriously injured Smith in throwing him, but the Detroit Free Press made no mention of an injury.
McLaughlin won first place in the tournament. Organizers awarded McLaughlin a championship belt with a gold buckle. For most of the 1870s, fans and newspapers recognized McLaughlin as the Collar-and-Elbow Champion of the United States (sometimes also billed as World Champion).
McLaughlin wrestled into his late 50s as late as 1901. He passed away on September 11, 1905, at 61-years-of-age. At the time of the International Wrestling Tournament, McLaughlin was in his prime.
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Sources: Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Michigan), Itinera 11, 1870, p. 1
