Londos Outlasts Champion

jim-londos-1920

On Friday, February 17, 1922, World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Stanislaus Zbyszko wrestled a handicap match against Francois Lemarque and up-and-coming star Jim Londos.  Londos was still a few years away from becoming the biggest box office draw in professional wrestling but he was the most popular wrestler in St. Louis. While Londos only stood about 5’06” or 5’07”, he possessed

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Gotch Avenges Loss

gotch-training

On Sunday, December 17, 1906, Kansas City, Missouri once more proved itself to be a hotbed for professional wrestling as 8,000 fans crammed Convention Hall to watch the rematch between Frank Gotch and Fred Beell.  Beell won the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from Gotch three weeks earlier in New Orleans, Louisiana. Gotch claimed the loss to be a fluke, while

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Mooney Wrestles Luttbeg

mike-mooney

 On Saturday, December 2nd, 1893, local Saint Louis boxing instructor and Greco-Roman wrestler Mike Mooney met Max Luttbeg at Saint Louis’ Entertainment Hall.  Pre-match hype focused on Mooney never losing a wrestling match or a boxing bout. Mooney was considered a better Greco-Roman wrestler, while Luttbeg was a better catch-as-catch-can wrestler.  In the 19th century, it was common for matches

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Remembering Wayne Munn

big-wayne-munn

Wayne “Big” Munn’s a meteoric rise in professional wrestling.  Debuting in 1924, Munn “won” the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from Ed “Strangler” Lewis in early 1925.  His fall was just as quick.  By 1926, Munn was retired. A college football lineman from Nebraska, Munn was recruited into professional wrestling by Billy Sandow, defacto leader of the Gold Dust Trio.  The

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Beell Wins Title

fred-beell-posing

Fred Beell was a strong, talented professional wrestler at the turn of the 20th Century.  Beell gave all the best wrestlers of the day tough contests but his lack of size often hampered his ability with world class wrestlers. Although powerfully built, Beell was generously listed at 5’06”.  At his heaviest, Beell never exceeded 170 pounds.  While possessing a bodybuilder’s

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Lewis and Roeber Unify Title

ed-strangler-lewis-prime

When William Muldoon retired from professional wrestling in 1889, he intended for his protege, Ernst Roeber, to become the new World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.  Since Muldoon always defended his championship in the Greco-Roman wrestling style, his choice made sense.  Roeber was arguably the best Greco-Roman wrestler in America at the time. However, the wrestling fans and journalist, covering the sport,

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Wild Bill Longson Regains Title

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Willard “Wild Bill” Longson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 8, 1906 but spent most of his adult life in St. Louis, Missouri.  After beginning his career as a professional wrestler in 1931, Longson found himself working for Tom Packs in St. Louis.  He never really left as it would be his home base for the remainder

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