Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Posts about Greco-Roman wrestling matches and other wrestling styles such as collar-and-elbow wrestling, side hold wrestling, Cornish wrestling, etc.
The International Wrestling Tournament occurred in two phases between May 19, 1915 and December 31, 1915. Fifty wrestlers would compete in the first phase of the tournament including World Greco-Roman Champion Aleksander “Alex” Aberg. The second installment had 40 wrestlers including up and coming star Ed “Strangler” Lewis, who joined a month into the tournament on November 22, 1915. The
On March 22, 1881, Greco-Roman World Wrestling Champion William Muldoon met Collar-and-Elbow World Champion John McMahon at the Terrace Garden in New York City. Muldoon and McMahon met in a best-two-out-of-three-falls match. The first fall was conducted by Greco-Roman rules. The second fall would be contested using collar-and-elbow rules. The last fall would be decided via what The New York
Paul Pons was a French Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion. He was good enough to give George Hackenschmidt a run for his money in several tournaments. However, when he came to Chicago in 1900, he was “defeated” by a local wrestler. The circumstances of the loss leave a lot to be desired. Paul Pons traveled to the United States in 1900. One
William Muldoon, the World Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion and physical culture proponent, came to Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 15, 1884 to face the local wrestler Fred Bauer. The match took place at the local Turnvereine Hall in Los Angeles. Muldoon was so confident of victory that he stipulated that he would throw Bauer ten times within an hour or he
On December 1, 1938 at 5:15 pm, former professional wrestler and all-around athlete George Baptiste passed away at 74 years of age. While enjoying robust strength his whole life, Baptiste’s doctor discovered he had stomach cancer in June 1938. The doctor operated on Baptiste but was unable to remove all the cancer. Baptiste had been living at his country home
During February 1901, St. Louis professional wrestler and local businessman George Baptiste reluctantly filed for divorce from his wife, Nellie May Baptiste, alleging desertion. It was actually the second time, Baptiste filed for divorce from Mrs. Baptiste. During the summer of 1896, Baptiste was vacationing in Millford, Connecticut. The 31-year-old was a powerful swimmer and all-around athlete in addition to
In a testament to his foresight and vision, the World Wrestling Champion William Muldoon was preparing to be a fitness trainer even while at the height of his powers as a wrestler. Muldoon held the championship from 1880 until he retired in 1890. During his reign, he often gave exhibitions to attract attention to his way of training. The Saturday,
In 1880, William Muldoon would become World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion in the Greco-Roman style after defeating Thiebaud Bauer, the reigning champion. Before he would accomplish this feat, Muldoon had to pay his dues and prepare for the title tilt with Bauer. In 1876, Muldoon caught the attention of former bare knuckle prizefighting world champion John Morrissey. Morrissey was a former
George Baptiste spent about twenty years serving as St. Louis’ resident all-around athlete before taking over the company, Baptiste Tent and Awning, founded by his father Alexander Baptiste. Besides plying his trade as an occasional but accomplished professional wrestler, Baptise was a powerful swimmer. On August 11, 1900, Baptiste used his swimming skills to save another St. Louisan from drowning.
For my birthday this year, I purchased one of my favorite books, The Way to Live in Health and Strength (affiliate link) by Georg Hackenschmidt. Georg Hackenschmidt set many weightlifitng world records before focusing on professional wrestling. Hackenschmidt would win the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship in 1901. Hackenschmidt would reign as undefeated World Champion for 7 years until losing his