Muldoon Meets Bibby

william-muldoon

In combat sports, a good big man usually beats a good little man.  If you are great, you can often make up for huge size discrepancies.  Edwin Bibby stood only 5’04” and weighed 160 pounds but defeated many larger wrestlers during his professional wrestling career.  Bibby defeated many wrestlers including the gigantic German wrestler William Heygster.   Edwin Bibby was able

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Roeber Exposes Business

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When World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion William Muldoon retired in 1889, he hoped his protege Ernest Roeber would be recognized as the new champion.  However, Muldoon won his title in Greco-Roman wrestling, which was the German-born Roeber’s expertise.  Unfortunately, the exploits of Martin “Farmer” Burns and Evan “The Strangler” Lewis catapulted catch-as-catch-can wrestling into the dominant style. Roeber did have a

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Hack Accuses Americans of Faking

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When “The Russian Lion” George Hackenschmidt toured America in 1905, he left the country unimpressed by the state of American wrestling.  The current World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, known as “Hack” to much of the wrestling public, toured several cities in an attempt to arrange a match with American Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Tom Jenkins. Hackenschmidt won the world title in Greco-Roman

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Tom Allen Robbed

tom-allen-prizefighter

On Thursday, September 7, 1876, Tom Allen defended his World Heavyweight Bare Knuckle Prizefighting Championship against fellow Englishman Joe Goss. Allen, originally from Birmingham, England, settled in St. Louis, Missouri. Allen eventually became a U.S. Citizen. Allen showed a pugnacious personality, inside and outside the ring, making powerful enemies amongst the sporting men in the United States. Allen particularly irritated

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Muldoon Survives Hard Tilt With Whistler

whistler-and-muldoon

The powerful William Muldoon was considered invincible as Greco-Roman World Wrestling Champion.  Only one man seriously challenged Muldoon during his dominant reign.  The 165-pound Clarence Whistler consistently gave Muldoon his toughest challenges.  Muldoon and Whistler met on Thursday, November 1, 1883 in San Francisco, California in one of their several matches. William Muldoon was almost a head taller and weighed

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Fred Beell Unimpressive in 1903

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Fred Beell developed a reputation in the early 20th Century as a powerful and dangerous wrestler. His reputation was not built by his 1903 campaign.  Beell suffered as many high-profile defeats as victories. Beell started well in April 1903, when he defeated St. Paul AAU Wrestling Champion James McAuley.  McAuley won the first fall in 22 minutes.  Beell won the

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