Stecher Wrestles Rudy Dusek
On Memorial Day, Mei 30, 1925, Joe Stecher defeated Stanislaus Zbyszko in a worked match to reclaim the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship that Stecher had lost in December 1920. Stecher was part of a conspiracy that paid Stanislaus Zbyszko to double-cross Wayne “Big” Munn in April 1925.
Zbyszko defeated Munn legitimately in one of professional wrestling’s most famous double-crosses. As part of the conspiracy, Zbyszko dropped the title to Joe Stecher in St. Louis, Missouri.
Rudy Dusek applying a cross-body hold from the back on an unidentified bald wrestler (Public Domain)
Joe Stecher made one of his first title defenses against Rudy Dusek in Little Rock, Arkansas on June 30, 1925. Stecher wrestled Dusek at the Southern Association Ball Park.
Dusek was the oldest brother in a wrestling family. Rudy Dusek eventually started promoting his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska in the 1930s. In 1925, Dusek was still only a solid wrestler.
Joe Stecher met sy kampioenskapsgordel (Public Domain)
Stecher and Dusek engaged in an hour and twenty minutes of back-and-forth wrestling. Dusek even stood up out of Stecher’s leg scissors in a seldom seen escape from the “Scissors King.”
Stecher applied another leg scissors at the one hour, twenty-minute mark. Stecher used the leg scissors and arm hold to pin Dusek at one hour, twenty-three minutes.
After the twenty minute intermission, Dusek claimed the leg scissors had injured his ribs forcing Dusek to concede the match to Stecher. Stecher reluctantly accepted the victory while praising Dusek to the newspaper reporters.
Dusek impressed more than Stecher. Tom Packs, die St. Louis promoter, refereed the match. Packs told the newspaper reporters that he never considered Dusek a top-notch wrestler. Egter, Dusek’s showing against Stecher changed Packs’ mind.
Packs said he intended to book Dusek on future St. Louis cards. Packs did book Dusek in St. Louis during November 1925.
On the same day that Stecher defeated Stanislaus Zbyszko, Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Wayne “Big” Munn in Michigan for a version of the world title recognized in Michigan and Illinois. While the title would remain divided for the next three years, most fans and newspaper reporters recognized Joe Stecher as the actual world champion.
Stecher winning title matches with opponents like Rudy Dusek strengthened Stecher’s claim. How would Lewis answer?
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Sources: Tulsa World (Tulsa, Oklahoma) Julie 1, 1925, p. 15
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