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.
On November 7, 1908, Charles Olson met “Americus” Gus Schonlein for the World Light Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. The match proved to be as exciting as observers suspected it would be but it ended in controversy. Olson stood 6’01” but weighed only 170 pounds. Born Max Flaskamp in Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia in 1879, he took the name Charles or Charley Olson
Giovanni Raicevich stood only 5’07” tall but weighed a muscular 220 pounds. Raicevich carried pro bodybuilder type muscle 50 years before the steroid era. However, when it came to wrestling, Raicevich’s skill set was not quite as developed as his physique. Raicevich was one of many foreign wrestlers, who traveled to America to take on Frank Gotch after he defeated
On Christmas Night 1911, Stanislaus Zbyszko met Giovanni Raicievich in a much-anticipated heavyweight wrestling bout. Zbyszko, who was campaigning for a rematch with World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Frank Gotch, agreed to throw Raicevich 3 times in 90 minutes or be declared the loser. As the men entered the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City, Zbyszko was clearly the
Ed “Strangler” Lewis is one of the greatest professional wrestlers and world champions of all time. Lewis’ signature move was the stranglehold, which Lewis started using as promoters and wrestlers transitioned professional wrestling to a prearranged or “worked” exhibition. Lewis originally used the front face lock or guillotine choke. Lewis’ namesake Evan “Strangler” Lewis made the front face lock or
Sorakichi Matsuda originally trained in sumo wrestling. When Matsuda decided to become a catch-as-catch-can wrestler, he was forced to travel to the United States. Professional wrestling would not become popular in Japan until the middle of the Twentieth Century. Upon arriving in the United States in 1883, it took Matsuda a few months to secure a match. He finally secured
Actually, Samuel Rachman, who promoted both the 1915 International Wrestling Tournament and Greco-Roman World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Aleksander “Alex” Aberg, tried to lure retired World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Frank Gotch into the tournament. Rachman hoped to bolster Aberg’s claim as the successor to Gotch. Rachman offered Gotch $20,000 to wrestle Aberg in May 1915. Rachman’s tournament was to start Wednesday
Martin “Farmer” Burns reportedly trained over 1,000 wrestlers in his career as America’s foremost wrestling trainer. However, Burns was a great wrestler in his own right. Before he retired to train wrestlers full-time, Burns won the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from Evan “The Strangler” Lewis in 1895. Burns held the title for two years. In 1893, Burns was still
No one can question that Stanislaus Zbyszko was a great wrestler. He began wrestling when the pro game was still an actual competition. He continued to be successful after the game changed to worked (prearranged) matches. In fact, he participated in a shoot contest, when he legitimately defeated Big Wayne Munn for the title in 1925 by double-crossing his promotoers.
Fred Beell wrestled professionally from 1900 to 1919. After developing a legendary reputation due to some of his victories over Martin “Farmer” Burns, Dan McLeod and Frank Gotch, Beell retired as he neared 43 years of age. His post wrestling career would lead to his unexpected death at 57. Fred Beell overcame long odds to become a competent professional wrestler
Frank Gotch was famous for defeating George Hackenschmidt, the world champion wrestler and weightlifter in 1908 and the 1911 rematch. Gotch held the title for five years and defeated all comers. At the relatively young age of 35, Gotch decided to retire. For his last match, he would take on another famous European wrestler and weightlifter, George Lurich. George Lurich