Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Posts about professional wrestling during the 1800s.
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/mem3a8/Episode_206q4px.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, I discuss the career of Sorakichi Matsada, a 19th Century Japanese pro wrestler. Update I discuss the new podcast schedule. Hopefully, Caleb will be back with me for the next episode. I will release an episode on the second Monday of every month. If scheduling allows, a second episode will be
On May 5, 1898, Yusuf Ismail wrestled Tom Jenkins in Cleveland, Ohio. Ismail only toured the United States for six months in the early part of 1898. Ismail wrestled less than ten matches but left a path of destruction remembered to this day. Ismail made a powerful impression by easily defeating both Evan “Strangler” Lewis. Ismail also made a strong
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/witdaq/Episode_199c6lp.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this episode, I discuss the 1891 wrestling match between Joe Acton and future heavyweight boxing champion Bob Fitzsimmons. Update I decided to take on a shorter book project on a 19th-Century wrestler to be completed in late summer or early fall 2023. The next project after this book will be a longer book
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5vctyw/Episode_177wnp9.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadUpdate I will continue to release two episodes a month for the foreseeable future. The next episode will be released on Monday, January 23, 2023. I also share my thoughts on Vince McMahon forcing himself back onto the board of World Wrestling Entertainment. Main Content I speak about what I knew going into each
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vd4ygz/Episode_16av84t.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadUpdate To start the podcast, I make a major announcement about the podcast going forward. Main Content In this episode, I read an account of Edwin Bibby vs. Duncan C. Ross from Shooting or Working: The Story of the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. Recommendation I recommend a new series detailing stories from the territories.
On March 10, 1870, Colonel James Hiram McLaughlin competed on the last night of the International Wrestling Tournament in Detroit, Michigan. The tournament ran for almost two months before the finale on March 10th. Wrestling historians frequently credit J. H. McLaughlin as being the first professional wrestler to live only on his earnings as a professional wrestler. Most professional wrestlers
In March 1893, newspapers across the country carried the story of a proposed match between current world light heavyweight boxing champion Jack McAuliffe and Saint Louis boxing instructor Mike Mooney. Although the match would seem odd because Mooney was such a lightly regarded challenger, the lure of $2500 a side is probably what brought the champion to the table. Adjusted
(This excerpt is from my newest book on the history of the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.) Jenkins proved himself the top contender as soon as McLeod won the title. On Wednesday, November 17, 1897, Tom Jenkins wrestled former title holder Martin “Farmer” Burns in Indianapolis, Indiana. The men wrestled a best two-out-of-three-falls match according to catch-as-catch-can wrestling rules. Jenkins stood
https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/j6x3j4/Episode_127k6rj.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadUpdate I finished Shooting or Working? The History of the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship earlier than expected. It is available on Amazon during this soft launch period. Main Content “Little Demon” Joe Acton arrived in the United States in 1882 to challenge Edwin Bibby for the catch-as-catch-can wrestling championship, which developed into the American
On Tuesday, March 28, 1899, current American Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Dan S. McLeod wrestled Charles Wittmer in a two-out-of-three-falls mixed styles match. Since the champion only defended the title in catch-as-catch-can matches, McLeod wrestled Wittmer in a non-title match. Wittmer, a Greco-Roman wrestling specialist, demanded he and McLeod wrestle at least one fall under Greco-Roman rules. The St. Paul Athletic