Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
On April 13, 1936, Ed “Strangler” Lewis wrestled his final legitimate contest with Lee Wykoff
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/q2pnhj/Episode_58uqay.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, I will be talking about some
On October 20, 1916, Ad Santel, a noted “hooker” or skilled submission wrestler, met Taro
Who is the greatest legitimate professional wrestler to wrestle in the United States? How do
The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935) is one of the five Sherlock Holmes films starring Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes. Director Leslie S. Hiscott adapted the Sherlock Holmes novel The Valley of Fear but added to the story to give Professor Moriarty and Col. Sebastian Moran roles in the story. A significant portion of the movie is the retelling of
On August 17, 1891, St. Louis Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick celebrated his 85th birthday and fifty years as head of the St. Louis Catholic Church. In 1841, Kenrick was appointed as Coadjutor Bishop of St. Louis. When St. Louis Bishop Joseph Rosati died in Rome during 1843, Bishop Kenrick was appointed Bishop of the St. Louis Diocese. In 1847, the
In late 1909, Stanislaus Zbyszko traveled to the United States to challenge World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Frank Gotch. Prior to meeting Gotch, Zbyszko toured the United States and battled many local wrestlers throughout the early part of 1910. Zbyszko would travel 37,000 miles. Early in his tour, Zbyszko met Frank Gotch in a handicap match. Zbyszko defeated Gotch, who was
Fritz Lang made one of his early crime films in 1922. He directed Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler (1922), which ran approximately four hours and thirty minutes. It tells the story of Dr. Mabuse, a professor of psychoanalysis. He is also the leader of a criminal ring in the mold of Professor Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes series. In his multiple
On Saturday, November 25, 1899, St. Louis wrestling fans experienced a shock, when a visiting wrestler easily threw local champion Oscar Wasem in a little over 20 minutes. After the easy victory, fans smelled a rat, when the “Indianapolis Cyclone” spoke with a Lancashire accent. Oscar Wasem surpassed George Baptiste as St. Louis’ wrestling champion in the mid-1890s. Wasem possessed
On Thursday, January 27, 1904, Tom Jenkins defended his American Wrestling Championship against an up-and-coming wrestler from Iowa. After the first fall, the fans realized it was the toughest match of the c Frank Alvin Gotch, the Humboldt, Iowa farm boy who would defeat Georg Hackenschmidt for the World Heavyweight Championship in 1908, was Jenkins’ challenger. Jenkins had defeated Gotch’s
After several months of wrangling, Clarence Whistler met Duncan C. Ross on Monday, November 7, 1881 in a best three-out-of-five falls match. Two falls were to be conducted in catch-as-catch-can wrestling, which both men were considered adept at. Two falls were to be conducted in collar-and-elbow wrestling, which was a Ross speciality. The final fall would be conducted in Greco-Roman
Henry Moses Dufur held the World Heavyweight Collar-and-Elbow Wrestling Champion during the 1870s. By 1855, Dufur retired from professional wrestling to pursue his full-time profession of clothing tailor. Even during his wrestling career, Dufur worked as a tailor. Dufur told the correspondent from The Boston Globe that he was born in Richford, Vermont on June 5, 1943. This date of
In December 1920, robbers killed Patrolman Charles Daly at the entrance to his home in the 4000 block of Forest Park Boulevard. St. Louis Police aggressively investigated the murder but it was never solved. Prior to his death, the Daly name was already well-known in St. Louis. Charles Daly was the son of professional prizefighter Dan Daly, who fought in
In the 19th century, most states banned bare-knuckled prizefighting and professional gloved boxing. Police often arrested fighter, managers, and promoters to stop prizefighting. A unique aspect of geography turned St. Louis into an ideal fight venue to get around the authorities’s activity to stop professional prizefighting. In the Mississippi River between Missouri and Illinois, the river’s current created a handful