Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/tkrvui/Episode_1b3iy0.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIt Was Almost Real: The Pro Wrestling History Podcast,
When Wladek Zbyszko travelled from the United States to Brazil for a lucrative tour on
Who is the greatest legitimate professional wrestler to wrestle in the United States? How do
On April 3, 1908, American Wrestling Champion Frank Gotch met World Wrestling Champion George Hackenschmidt
Scottish wrestler Duncan C. Ross wrestled professionally but also took part in strength and athletic contests after arriving in the United States in the late 1870s. An all-around athlete, Ross wrestled skillfully in both catch-as-catch-can wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling. On Monday, February 26, 1883, Ross wrestled former World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Theobaud Bauer. Bauer brought the World Championship from France
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qa5x3a/Episode_96v6p8.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadEpisode Preview In this episode, I will be talking about Frank Gotch’s toughest opponent, Tom Jenkins. Introduction Tony Khan has some real problems with the recent altercation between his top star and his Executive Vice Presidents. Main Content I have almost completed the history of the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. I have a solid
Joe Stecher made his professional wrestling debut in late 1912 or early 1913. Stecher proved to be a dangerous professional from the beginning of his career. Martin “Farmer” Burns, the storied wrestler and trainer, brought one of his proteges, Yussiff Hussane, to test Stecher in a legitimate contest during June 1913. Burns and most followers of the sport expected Hussane
On Tuesday, October 21, 1913, Ed “Strangler” Lewis defended his newly won American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship against William Demetral. Lewis wrestled Demetral at Lexington’s Auditorium on a mat instead of a ring. The mat setup played a role in the finish of the match. Promoter Jerry Walls placed a mat on the elevated stage, a common setup before the widespread
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/rsq65p/Episode_88jy4q.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadEpisode Preview In this episode, I will be talking about the development of the promotional system in the 1910s and early 1920s. Update Update on the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship book project due out before Christmas this year. This project is much bigger than I imagined. Wrestlers worked more of the matches than I
Dan McLeod defeated Martin “Farmer” Burns for the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship during October 1897. McLeod held the championship for four years until he met Frank Gotch’s toughest opponent, Tom Jenkins. In early 1899, McLeod made a couple title defenses in Minnesota. On February 24, 1899, McLeod wrestled St. Louis Middleweight Wrestling Champion George Baptiste at Conover Hall in front
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qj6w7e/Episode_7859w1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, my new co-host and youngest son, Caleb Zimmerman, joins the podcast. We discuss recent changes at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the new leadership team’s early positive signs. The main topic of the show is the Masked Marvel and the 1915 New York International Wrestling Tournament. Sam Rachmann promoted the tournament,
Professional wrestling evolved into an athletic exhibition from legitimate contests for two reasons. I have written extensively about the first reason. Legitimate contests between equally skilled wrestlers were often long, boring affairs with little action. These contests turned off fans and prevented professional wrestling exploding as a spectator sport. I have not written as much about the second reason. The
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/7s9rgj/Episode_6b9zva.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, I will be talking about a pair of worked title matches for the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. Main Content Fred Beell was a strong, talented professional wrestler at the turn of the 20th Century. Although powerfully built, Beell stood no more than 5’05” and weighed 168 pounds. Yet, he improbably defeated
On Monday, March 26, 1888, Joe Acton, who specialized in catch wrestling, wrestled Professor William Miller, an Australian wrestler, and bare-knuckle prizefighter, in a two-out-of-three-falls Greco-Roman wrestling match. Both men’s camps believed wrestling the match in this style ensured the fairest contest between them. The men wrestled for $500.00 a side. 1,500 fans, a large crowd for the era, turned