Tag: Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling

On St. Patrick’s Day 1908, Martin “Farmer” Burns met the small but powerful Fred Beell.  While both wrestlers weighed 165 pounds, “Farmer” Burns stood 5’11” to Beell’s 5’04”.  The 32-year-old Beell had a big age advantage over the 47-year-old Burns though.  Burns debuted in 1879, when Beell was 3-years-old. The men were scheduled for a match in Omaha, Nebraska, one

On the same day Joe Stecher wrestled Stanislaus Zbyszko for the recognized version of the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship in St. Louis, Ed “Strangler” Lewis challenged “Big” Wayne Munn for his disputed Michigan-Illinois World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.  Lewis dropped the title to Munn in February 1925.  In April 1925, Zbyszko defeated Munn in a famous double-cross.  The match between Lewis and

Evan “Strangler” Lewis was a scary competitor. Although he was not a large man at five feet, nine inches tall. Lewis weighed 170 pounds, Lewis’ mastery of submissions made him an equal or better of most wrestlers of his era. Jack Carkeek was a terrific wrestler but one match with Lewis almost caused him to retire. Lewis’ reputation was strongly

On April 7, 1914, 22-year-old Wladek Zbyszko met 22-year-old Ed “Strangler” Lewis would meet in the first of many matches between the two men.  While they were supposed to be working the match, Lewis and Wladek Zbyszko struggled to work together.  In the early 1920s, Lewis would drop his World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship to Wladek’s older brother Stanislaus Zbyszko.  In

Frank J. Quinn, a local St. Louis attorney, served as the manager for professional wrestlers George Baptise, Charley Olson and Fred Beell.  Originally an admirer of George Baptiste, who was a legend in the St. Louis neighborhood around Cook and Vandeventer Avenues.  Baptiste would employ Quinn as his manger and later attorney for his tent and awning company. During his

In early 1916, Martin “Farmer” Burns, who trained and managed Frank Gotch to the World Heavyweight Championship, began denying that he developed current American Heavyweight Champion Joe Stecher.   The claim seemed odd because Burns had been working with Stecher for several years.  Burns helped prepare Stecher for his championship bout with Charlie Cutler in 1915. In a way, what Burns

By the end of the 1910s, professional wrestling promoters booked wrestlers in worked or pre-arranged wrestling matches.  Occasionally, usually as a result of a double cross, fans would see an actual contest or “shoot” match between the wrestlers.  One of these matches occurred in late 1921 and arose from a feud between Tex Rickard, primarily a boxing promoter, and Jack

This week’s post is to finish up the story of the double cross involving Dick Shikat and Danno O’Mahony.  The origins for the double cross actually began in a match with Ed “Strangler” Lewis in Madison Square Garden on June 9, 1932. While this match was a prearranged exhibition, the wrestlers had been in discussion about Lewis dropping the belt

The April 12, 1887 edition of the St. Paul Daily Globe carried a story about the bout between feared professional wrestlers, Evan “Strangler” Lewis and “Little Demon” Joe Acton.  Other wrestlers feared Lewis’ ability as a submission expert particularly his abilities with the stranglehold.  Joe Acton, while undersized at 150 pounds, was a ferocious wrestler. The bout should have been

On March 22, 1919, Ed “Strangler” Lewis met Wladek Zbyszko for the vacant World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.  In a surprise victory, Zbyszko defeated Lewis to claim the title.  Unfortunately for Wladek Zbyszko, he would only have a cup of coffee with the belt.  A month or two later, Zbyszko lost the title to Joe Stetcher. This match was most likely