Shooter in a Worked World Available
John “The Nebraska Tigerman” Pesek started wrestling professionally in 1915, but Pesek was more suited to the 1885 professional wrestling ring. By 1915, wrestlers worked their matches.
Skilled lightweight wrestler Clarence Ecklund trained Pesek in catch-as-catch-can wrestling. Pesek developed into a skilled hooker or submission wrestler. Pesek never liked working and wrestled contests in his early career.
Shooter in A Worked World Book Cover
Eventually, Pesek did work with his opponents but still preferred to wrestle legitimate contests. In 1921, Jack Curley engaged Pesek to end a promotional war by booking Pesek in a legitimate contest.
Two year later, Pesek wrestled a second legitimate contest but instead of ending a promotional war, Pesek started a promotional war. Later Pesek double-crossed the current world champion after working with the champion in two earlier matches.
After the double-cross, promoters still booked Pesek into three world championship reigns. Despite worries about who would take the title off Pesek, if he did not want to lose it, promoters still put the title on Pesek.
Pesek eventually became a millionaire but not through his professional wrestling career. Pesek bred and raced greyhound racing dogs. In the 1970s, eighty percent of the greyhound racing dogs in the United States descended from two Pesek’s Australian greyhounds Andy and Just Andrew.
I recently completed Shooter in a Worked World: John Pesek and the 1920s Promotional Wars. Read the story of one of the last legitimate professional wrestlers in the United States.
You can leave a comment or ask a question about this or any post on my Facebook page or Twitter profile.
Pin It
