Gevechtssporthistoricus en krijgskunstenaar
Posts about catch-as-catch-can or catch wrestling matches, the dominant style of wrestling in the United States after 1890.
Toen wereldkampioen zwaargewicht worstelen William Muldoon met pensioen ging 1889, hij hoopte dat zijn beschermeling Ernest Roeber erkend zou worden als de nieuwe kampioen. Echter, Muldoon won zijn titel in het Grieks-Romeinse worstelen, dat was de expertise van de in Duitsland geboren Roeber. Helaas, de heldendaden van Martin “Boer” Burns en Evan “De Strangler” Lewis katapulteerde het catch-as-catch-can-worstelen naar de dominante stijl. Roeber had wel een
Wanneer “The Russian Lion” George Hackenschmidt toured America in 1905, he left the country unimpressed by the state of American wrestling. The current World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, known as “Hack” to much of the wrestling public, toured several cities in an attempt to arrange a match with American Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Tom Jenkins. Hackenschmidt won de wereldtitel Grieks-Romeins
Fred Beell developed a reputation in the early 20th Century as a powerful and dangerous wrestler. His reputation was not built by his 1903 campaign. Beell suffered as many high-profile defeats as victories. Beell started well in April 1903, when he defeated St. Paul AAU Wrestling Champion James McAuley. McAuley won the first fall in 22 notulen. Beel won de
Joe Acton was een van de beste worstelaars van Engeland in de 19e eeuw. 151-pound Acton went through England’s middleweight ranks before plowing through the heavyweights. After beating the best England had to offer including Tom Cannon, Acton decided to test his abilities in the United States. Joe Acton settled in Philadelphia at Arthur Chamber’s Champions Rest during the summer months of
Frank Gotch holds the title of America’s greatest legitimate professional wrestler. Gotch competed in mostly legitimate contests with a few pre-arranged or “worked” matches thrown in the mix. Door 1904 of 1905, no one could really beat Gotch unless he allowed it. In the early years of his career, Gotch was not so dominant. He dropped matches to his mentor,
Jim Londos rose through the ranks of professional wrestling to become the biggest box office star of not only the 1930s but of all-time. Echter, if Londos had not come to St. Louis in the early 1920s, the story could have been quite different. Londos learned catch-as-catch-can wrestling while Londos performed as a strong man in the carnival circuit during
Op oktober 20, 1906, Fred Beell proved dynamite comes in small packages. Beell, light heavyweight wrestling champion, defeated former American heavyweight champion Dan McLeod. Beell parlayed an active 1906 into defeats of former American Heavyweight Champion Dan McLeod and current American Heavyweight Champion Frank Gotch. Beell won the American Middleweight (Light Heavyweight) Championship, maar bleef tot dat moment uit de schijnwerpers
Op november 7, 1908, Charles Olson ontmoette “Americus” Gus Schonlein voor het Wereldkampioenschap Licht Zwaargewicht Worstelen. De wedstrijd bleek net zo spannend als waarnemers verwachtten, maar eindigde in controverse. Olson stond op 6’01” maar woog alleen 170 pond. Geboren Max Flaskamp in Krefeld, Noordrijn-Westfalen in 1879, hij nam de naam Charles of Charley Olson aan
Giovanni Raicevich stood only 5’07” tall but weighed a muscular 220 pond. Raicevich carried pro bodybuilder type muscle 50 years before the steroid era. Echter, when it came to wrestling, Raicevich’s skill set was not quite as developed as his physique. Raicevich was one of many foreign wrestlers, die naar Amerika reisde om het op te nemen tegen Frank Gotch nadat hij had verslagen
On Christmas Night 1911, Stanislaus Zbyszko ontmoette Giovanni Raicievich in een langverwachte zwaargewichtworstelwedstrijd. Zbyszko, die campagne voerde voor een rematch met wereldkampioen zwaargewicht worstelen Frank Gotch, stemde ermee in om Raicevich te gooien 3 keer binnen 90 minuten of tot verliezer worden verklaard. Toen de mannen de beroemde Madison Square Garden in New York City binnengingen, Zbyszko was duidelijk de