Hnub: Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling

Txog hnub plaub, Tim 29, 1909, Frank Gotch traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to wrestle highly regarded light heavyweight wrestler Charles Hackenschmidt. Hackenschmidt won the World Light Heavyweight Wrestling Championship under his real name, John Berg. Although fans thought well of Berg, they did not see him as a threat to defeat Frank Gotch in a straight match. To increase fan interest

Joe Stecher wrestled during a transitional time in American professional wrestling. Ua ntej los 1900, wrestlers engaged primarily in legitimate contests although wrestlers did work matches occasionally. Tom qab 1915, all wrestlers worked their matches. Wrestlers wrestled legitimate contests only to settle promotional dispute or to pull off a double-cross. Ntawm 1900 mus 1915, wrestlers engaged in a mixture of worked matches

Rau lub yim hli ntuj 7, 1882, American Heavyweight Wrestling Tau zus ib Edwin Bibby defended nws lub npe tiv thaiv lus Askiv Champion Joe Acton ntawm Madison Square vaj nyob New York City. Cov txiv neej wrestled ib "catch-as-catch-can" match rau lub ntiaj teb championship. Txawm li cas los, Pej xeem twg tsis paub txog tus khiav ntawm lub bout li lub ntiaj teb tau zus ib. Pej xeem pom tau hais tias tus khiav li cov American Heavyweight

(This post is an excerpt from my new book, Gotch vs. Zbyszko: The Quest for Redemption, published on February 2, 2022.) The most important event affecting the future of Frank Gotch’s career occurred on January 11, 1911. Gotch married the former Gladys Oestrich at her parent’s home in Humboldt, Iowa. Mrs. Gotch preferred that Frank retire from the ring which

Nyob rau lub ib hlis ntuj 2, 1911, Swiss wrestler John Lemm found himself the laughingstock of professional wrestling fans and reporters. The incident occurred when Lemm wrestled Stanislaus Zbyszko in Buffalo, New York. Fans considered Zbyszko the top contender for Frank Gotch’s world title. Zbyszko was a world class wrestler although more skilled in Greco-Roman wrestling than catch wrestling. Lemm was a skilled

During the early 1920s, Tex Rickard declared war on his former boxing promotional partner, Jack Curley. Curley promoted professional wrestling in New York City. He also organized promoters in large cities such as Boston and St. Louis into a wrestling trust. The trust controlled the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. The trust froze out any wrestler, who refused to go along

Nyob rau hauv 1897, Dan McLeod beat Martin “Farmer” Burns for the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. After the defeat, Burns wrestled part-time as he transitioned into his primary role of wrestling trainer. Dhau qhov ntxiv mus 30 xyoo, Burns trained most of the legitimate catch wrestlers in the United States. Burns began touring in 1899, where he would both wrestle an opponent in

This week’s post is a confession of sorts. Lub xyoo, I have written that Frank Gotch was the only wrestler to defeat Stanislaus Zbyszko during his initial tour of America between 1909 thiab 1914. I recently read Wrestling in the Garden, Ntim 1: 1875 mus 1939; The Battle for New York – Works, Shootes and Double Crosses (affiliate link) los ntawm

One of the legendary tales about Joe Stecher concerns a legitimate contest he had with one of Martin “Ua teb” Burns wrestlers, when Stecher was barely out of high school. Burns heard about Stecher’s growing reputation and decided to test him with one of his wrestlers. Lub xyoo, I thought Stecher defeated Yusif Mahmout but he actually wrestled Yussif Hussane. Tus