Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Posts about catch-as-catch-can or catch wrestling matches, the dominant style of wrestling in the United States after 1890.
In 1922, future World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Jim Browning began his career in Kansas. Browning moved from his hometown of Verona, Missouri in 1921 to train for a professional wrestling career. Tom Law, the Wichita, Kansas promoter, oversaw Browning’s training. By May 1923, Browning was already in the main event at smaller shows. On an Augusta, Kansas card, Browning wrestled
On March 3, 1922, Ed “Strangler” Lewis regained the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from Stanislaus Zbyszko. This event marked the beginning of one of the most dominant professional wrestling combines in history. Manager Billy Sandow, World Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis and training partner/promotional genius Joseph “Toots” Mondt, known as the “Gold Dust Trio”, dominated the sport for the next six
In the early 1920s, Billy Sandow convinced Georgia promoter Tom Law to move to Wichita, Kansas and develop the area for future wrestling shows. The American Midwest would be a significant revenue generator for the Gold Dust Trio, which Sandow led with World Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis and promotional genius Joseph “Toots” Mondt, in the 1920s. Law would produce two
In 1894, Martin “Farmer” Burns was preparing to wrestle Evan “Strangler” Lewis for the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. While Burns was entering his prime, Lewis had been on top of American professional wrestling for 5 years. Lewis also wrestled a viscous style with an emphasis on submission holds. Burns would have to be prepared for a tough contest, which could
Verona, Missouri is a small town in southwest Missouri. Never exceeding 900 residents in it’s history, only 438 or so people called Verona home in 1926. Yet, a professional wrestling card was held in the town on Monday, March 22, 1926. Without the widespread use of automobiles or roads built to handle them, travel would be very difficult in 1926.
On Friday, February 17, 1922, World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Stanislaus Zbyszko wrestled a handicap match against Francois Lemarque and up-and-coming star Jim Londos. Londos was still a few years away from becoming the biggest box office draw in professional wrestling but he was the most popular wrestler in St. Louis. While Londos only stood about 5’06” or 5’07”, he possessed
On Sunday, December 17, 1906, Kansas City, Missouri once more proved itself to be a hotbed for professional wrestling as 8,000 fans crammed Convention Hall to watch the rematch between Frank Gotch and Fred Beell. Beell won the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from Gotch three weeks earlier in New Orleans, Louisiana. Gotch claimed the loss to be a fluke, while
On Saturday, December 2nd, 1893, local Saint Louis boxing instructor and Greco-Roman wrestler Mike Mooney met Max Luttbeg at Saint Louis’ Entertainment Hall. Pre-match hype focused on Mooney never losing a wrestling match or a boxing bout. Mooney was considered a better Greco-Roman wrestler, while Luttbeg was a better catch-as-catch-can wrestler. In the 19th century, it was common for matches
On June 11, 1976, Joseph “Toots” Mondt died enroute to Christian Northeast Hospital in North St. Louis County. Mondt had moved to St. Louis in 1969 to help take care of his wife Alda’s mother. After her mother died in 1971, the Mondts decided to stay in St. Louis, where Alda had been born and raised. Mondt was a legendary
Wayne “Big” Munn’s a meteoric rise in professional wrestling. Debuting in 1924, Munn “won” the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from Ed “Strangler” Lewis in early 1925. His fall was just as quick. By 1926, Munn was retired. A college football lineman from Nebraska, Munn was recruited into professional wrestling by Billy Sandow, defacto leader of the Gold Dust Trio. The