User:Chicagowrestling
Chicago Wrestling
[edit]Chicago Wrestling most commonly refers to the history, activities, and events surrounding the art of professional wrestling as it pertains to the geographical area of the City of Chicago, it's surrounding suburbs, and the entire tri-state area stretching across the southern portion of Wisconsin, throughout northern and northeastern Illinois, and northwest Indiana.
Early History
One of the earliest historical references to Chicago Wrestling is a little known fact that during his youth, the 16th President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln, was an accomplished wrestler when it was a popular exhibition and activity on the frontier and plains. This type of wrestling took place out on farms and grassy areas and was not recognized as any kind of organized or sanctioned event. This type of frontier wrestling was a forerunner to what eventually became the art of professional wrestling. Lincoln did, however, compete in some organized competitions and these were legitimate contests, though little is known about this time period.
American Greco-Roman Wrestling
Having originated in the frontier, the infancy of what would become professional wrestling saw various new organized bodies sanction these events as American Greco-Roman Wrestling. The number of competitors began to grow, and as such, each would embrace and develop his own personal style. Various forms of British folk wrestling were incorporated into this new sport, including variations from the French style of wrestling. In the United States, Greco-Roman wrestling did not catch on as prominently as Freestyle wrestling. It was at this point, after the American Civil War, that there were numerous wrestling " promotions, " or sanctioning bodies, or organizations, that would hold events where competitors competed in wrestling matches in front of a paying audience. The diverse settings, however, would begin to resemble the professional wrestling of modern times.
Wrestling events became a regular attraction as part of the traveling carnival circuit in addition to being a very popular spectacle in bars, with William Muldoon being the most prominent of these competitors. Another well-known wrestler of this time period was the Estonian-born " Russian Lion " George Hackenschmidt, who traveled across numerous continents winning various championships and tournaments.
One of the earliest known references to Chicago Wrestling was the match between Edwin Bibby of England and Evan " The Strangler " Lewis, where Lewis defeated Bibby at the Olympic Theatre in Chicago, Illinois on February 23, 1886, as is referenced by an article in the New York Times, dated February 24, 1886. Lewis would go on to lose to William Muldoon, the popular bar room brawler who later would wrestle on the carnival circuit and would build his legend beating others, like Tom Cannon of England, and a win over Thiebaud Bauer in 1880 that determined one of the very first American Greco-Roman Championships that was officially recognized by numerous sanctioning bodies.
Another widely recognized wrestling championship was the American Heavyweight Championship,and was won by Martin " Farmer " Burns in Chicago, Illinois, on April 20, 1895 with a win over Evan " The Strangler " Lewis. This is the championship that is commonly used as the bloodline for the World Heavyweight Championship of professional wrestling, due to its various successions in title holders, culminating in the 1908 win by Frank Gotch, who unified it with the World Championship established by George Hackenschmidt. Gotch won the title from Hackenschmidt on April 3, 1908, in Chicago.
Gotch would go on to dominate the sport and met Hackenschmidt in a rematch at one of Chicago's newest facilities, Comiskey Park. The September 4, 1911 show drew roughly 30,000 fans with a gate of $87,000, a record at the time. The match was controversial in nature, due to a number of factors. Prior to the match, Hackenschmidt was injured while training with Ad Santel. Both Gotch and Hackenschmidt agreed that Gotch would get the win, but in the first of three falls, Hackenschmidt was to win so as not to be made to look bad. Gotch ended up double-crossing him and beat him quickly in two straight falls.
Various Results from the time period
- September 4, 1911 in Chicago, IL
Comiskey Park drawing 30,000 ($87,000)
- World Champ Frank Gotch beat George Hackenschmidt (19:50)
in two straight falls.
Gotch beat Hackenschmidt (14:18). Gotch beat Hackenschmidt (19:50).
The city produced a national champ, Charlie Cutler, in 1914–15.
During the 1920s, however, the pro sport developed into a mere exhibition, which attracted large crowds, notably at the Coliseum.
From the 1930s through the 1950s, the Chicago Stadium hosted famous matches featuring such pros as Gorgeous George and Jim Londos.
- September 20, 1934 in Chicago, IL
Wrigley Field drawing 35,265 ($96,302)
1. Ed Don George drew Jim McMillen (30:00). Jack Dempsey was the special referee.
2. New York World Champ Jim Londos beat Ed Lewis (49:27).
3. King Levinsky beat Art Sykes (10 Rounds) via decision in a boxing match.
The Golden Age of Wrestling
Professional wrestling would wane in popularity over the years following Gotch's retirement, but a resurgence came in the late 1940's when a new device, the television set, was invented and instantly became the most popular available telecommunications medium. Professional wrestling became a staple of the programming broadcast on the DuMont Television Network. The telecasts featured exhibitions promoted by Fred Kohler and were based out of Chicago, with most of the events taking place at the Marigold Arena.
This ushered in the television era, or The Golden Age of Wrestling, as it is commonly refered to by the audience that enjoyed the art form from that era. A slew of stars were seen across the nation and were televsion stars with the likes of various vaudeville and other Hollywood actors and actresses.
A separate group later held matches at the Chicago Stadium, but were not affiliated with Kohler's promotion. Kohler was a member of The NWA, the National Wrestling Alliance, which was, at the time, the largest fraternal organization of sanctioning bodies of professional wrestling, with a common World Champion who toured across the country and wrestled in each of the member organizations, or promotions. Fred Kohler was also loosely affiliated with the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, which would later become the World Wide Wrestling Federation, later the World Wrestling Federation, and eventually World Wrestling Entertainment. Kohler would split from the NWA over a dispute and his Chicago promotion was referenced from that point onward as the IWA, the International Wrestling Alliance or Association.
The mid-1950's once again saw interest in professional wrestling decrease, and soon it was off of the television airwaves on a national basis.
Various Results from the time period
- Comiskey Park 1960
Chicago, IL - drawing 30,200
1. Buddy Rogers beat Bearcat Wright.
2. NWA World Champ Pat O'Conner beat Yukon Eric.
- Comiskey Park - June 30, 1961
Chicago, IL - drawing 38,622 ($148,000)
1. Fred Atkins beat Hans Schmidt via DQ.
2. The Angelbeat Moose Cholak via DQ.
3. Antonino Rocca beat Karl Von Hess.
4. Vittorio Apollo beat Mighty Atlas.
5. Sweet Daddy Siki, Art Thomas, & Johnny Valentine beat The Fabulous Kangaroos & Red Berry.
6. Lou Albano & Tony Altimore beat Billy Goelz & Johnny Gilbert to win the Midwest Tag Title.
7. Buddy Rogers beat Pat O'Connor in three falls to win the NWA World Title. Rogers pinned O'Connor (8:30). O'Connor pinned Rogers (14:30). Rogers pinned O'Connor.
- Comiskey Park - September 1, 1961
Chicago, IL - drawing 30,000
1. Argentina Apollo & Antonino Rocca beat Lou Albano & Tony Altamore.
2. Bruno Sammartino beat Moose Cholak via DQ.
3. NWA World Champ Buddy Rogers beat Pat O'Connor in three falls.
The Territories
The various organizations of the National Wrestling Alliance were also referred to as " territories, " because each promoter held shows in his own geographic area or region of the country.
The advent of the UHF television airwaves saw most of these promotions gaining television exposure in their own geographical area, as television stations would see it as cheap programming and gladly filled the time slots at no cost or little cost to the promoters.
The members of the NWA were very careful not to encroach on another promoter's area, but from time to time there would arise occasional disputes, or opposition promotions who would run shows against member NWA organizations.
Bob Luce's All-Star Wrestling
One such dispute over a a certain area of the country took place during the 1960's. One of the more popular wrestlers from the days of Fred Kohler's promotion, Verne Gagne, became the promoter of the Minnesota-based AWA, the American Wrestling Association. His promotional area stretched over a wide area of the Midwest, from Minnesota and Wisconsin, throughout the Dakotas, and into Iowa and Nebraska. One of the AWA's regular stops was also Chicago, Illinois.
Another of the more popular performers from the Kohler days was Richard Afflis, better known as Dick The Bruiser. He, along with another wrestler, Wilbur Snyder, also became a promoter, and their company, the WWA, the World Wrestling Alliance, was based out of nearby Indianapolis, and their reach included all of Indiana, certain parts of Kentucky and Ohio, and one of their regular stops was also Chicago.
Both the AWA and the WWA were not members of the National Wrestling Alliance, but rather than go through an all-out territorial war, the promoters decided to settle their dispute by sharing the promotional area of Chicago. They chose a former front office employee of Fred Kohler's, Bob Luce, to be the figurehead of the promotion and the wrestling matches took place at the International Amphitheatre, at 42nd and Halsted, in Chicago, Illinois. The television show was broadcast on the local WSNS Channel 44 and WCIU Channel 26, and featured a cavalcade of stars, ranging from the afforementioned Dick The Bruiser regularly teaming with his storyline cousin, Reggie " The Crusher " Lisowski, and also Verne Gagne, Moose Cholak, Bobo Brazil, Vic Christy, Paul Christy, Dusty Rhodes, and Nick Bockwinkle among others.
The following list of wrestlers was compliled from the original index cards used by Bill Cardille while announcing Studio Wrestling.
Kenny Ackles - New York City (Boston) Sam Acosta - Chicago, Illinois (Puerto Rico) Shelby Adcock (The Kentucky Gentleman) - Central City, Kentucky Doug Adkins - Huntington, West Virginia Chris Averoff - Atlanta, Georgia (Athens, Greece) Lou Albano - Mt. Vernon, New York (Sicily, Italy) Hurricane Anaya - Amarillo, Texas (Caracas, Venezuela) Tony Altmore - Stanford, Connecticutt Dandy Andy - Toronto, Canada Vittorio "Argentine" Apollo - Buenos Aires, Argentina Mighty Atlas (His Excellency) - Hollywood, California Baba The Giant - Tokyo, Japan Red Bastien - Minneapolis, Minnesota Al Bell - Detroit, Michigan Bobby Bell - North Bay, Ontario, Canada Tiny Bell - Richmond, Virginia Ernest Bemis (Mr. Kleen) - (Unknown) Johnny Berend - Rochester, New York Jose Betancourt - Chicago, Illinois (Puerto, Rico) Ali Bey - Amarillo, Texas (Ankara, Turkey) Dick Beyer - Syracuse, New York Fred Blassie - (Unknown) Aldo Bogni - Argentina Steve Bolus - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Hank Borkowski - Michigan City, Indiana "Cowboy" Tom Bradley - Fort Worth, Texas Bo Bo Brazil - Benton Harbor, Michigan Gino Britto - Detroit, Michigan Al Brodoski - Brooklyn, New York Bruce Brothers - Dallas, Texas Brown Panther - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Farmer Brown - Pea Ridge, Kentucky Luke Brown (The Kentuckians) - Perry County, Kentucky Vince Bryant - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada "Tiny" Buchanan - Newland, North Carolina "Bouncing" Bernie Burke - St. Johns, Newfoundland Haystack Calhoun - Morgan's Corner, Arkansas Calloway John ("Big John") - Columbus, Ohio "Man Mountain" Campbell - (Unknown) El Capitan (Capitanopolis) - Phoenix, Arizona (Macedonia, Greece) Edward Carpentier - Montreal Canada (Paris, France) "Sonny Boy" Cassidy - Providence, Rhode Island Chief Big Heart - Pawhuska, Oklahoma Cheif Little Eagle - Stillwater, Oklahoma Chief Wahoo McDaniel - (Unknown) Moose Cholak - Moosehead, Maine Joe Christie - Branfort, Ontario, Canada Paul Christy - Hollywood, California Vic Christy - Hollywood, California Bud Cody - Toronto, Canada Rip Collins (The Kentucky Hillbillys) - Boyd County, Kentucky Chuck Conley (The Kentucky Hillbillys) - Boyd County, Kentucky Bob Corby - St. Louis, Missouri Count Coproni - Milan, Italy Tony Cosenza - (unknown) Al Costello (The Kangaroos) - Sydney, Australia Jack Curtis - Chicago, Illinois Billy Darnell - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Bobby Davis - (Unknown) Jackie Davis - Washington D.C. (Braddock, Pennsylvania) Andy "Kid" DePaul - Pittsburgh, PA "Jumping" Johnny DeFazio - Pittsburgh, PA Marcel De Paris - Paris, France Frank Dillon - Houlis, Tennessee Jack Dillon - Des Plaines, Illinois Ilio DiPaola - Abruzzi, Italy Doe Dog-on-er-oo - Camden, New Jersey Jack Donovan - Hollywood, California (Washington D.C.) Frank Durso - Red Bank, New Jersey Don Eagle - Caughnawaga, Quebec, Canada Ike Easkins - (Unknown) "The Fabulous" Donny Fargo - Hollywood, California Ronnie Fargo - Nashville, Tennessee Bob Faulkner - Cicero, Illinois Danny Ferrazza - Detroit, Michigan Eddie Fiatte - Steubenville, Ohio Tony Fiatte (Baby Garenia) - Steubenville, Ohio Pepe Figeroa - Puerto Rico Pampero Firo - Buenos Aries, Argentina John Foli - (Unknown) Billy Fox - Cleveland, Ohio Sailor Francis - Bordeaux, France Ace Freeman - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Miskolc, Hungary) Larry Gagner - Bridgeport, Connecticut Tony Galento - Orange, New Jersey "Mad Man" Doc Gallagher - Bayonne, New Jersey "Pretty Boy" Mike Gallagher - Bayonne, New Jersey Vincent Garabaldi - Boston, Massachusetts Jim Grabmire - Springfield, Ohio Doctor Jerry Graham - Phoenix, Arizona (Drexel Hills, Pennsylvania) Wally Greb - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Baron Gattone - Piamonte, Italy Herb Gerwig - Cleveland, Ohio Phil Gruber - Mexico City, Mexico Richard "Red" Grupe - East Berlin, New York Gypsy Joe - Parts Unknown Bob "The Swede" Hanson - Malmo, Sweden Bolo Hakawa - Honolulu, Hawaii John Heath - Tampa, Florida Roy Heffernan (The Kangaroos) - Sydney, Australia "Cowboy" Ronnie Hill - Cody, Wyoming Duke Hoffman - Syracuse, New York Yukon Eric Holmbach - Fairbanks, Alaska Frank Holtz - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Charlie Hoover - Columbus, Ohio "Cowboy" Len Hughes - Houston, Texas Bobby "Hurricaine" Hunt - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Irish Jackie - Dublin, Ireland Abe Jacobs - Wellington, New Zealand Pee Wee James - Montreal, Canada Gregory Jarque - Barcelona, Spain Tokyo Joe (Patrick Sasaki) - Tokyo, Japan Don Joyce - Stuebenville, Ohio Johnny Kace - Antioch, Illinois The Kangaroos - Sydney Australia Bob Kappel - Chicago, Illinois Pat Kelly - Limerick, Ireland Pat Kennedy "The Fighting Irishman" - Minneapolis, Minnesota The Kentuckians - Perry County, Kentucky The Kentucky Hillbillys - Boyd County, Kentucky Joe Kinonyay - (Unknown) Alexandros Kostopolous - Athens, Greece Sander Kovacs - Rochester, New York Zivko Kovacich - Zagrab, Yugoslovia "Killer" Kowalski - Detroit, Michigan George Kramer - Batavia, Illinois "Tiny" Kramer - Batavia, Illinois Gabe Kurpe - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Tony LaBarba - Milwaukee, Wisconsin Sonny Lane - Cleveland, Ohio Herb Larson - Nashville, Tennesee Don Lewin - Buffalo, New York Ted Lewin - Buffalo, New York Harry Lewis - Boston, Massachusetts Little Beaver - St. Jerome, Quebec, Canada Art Lockett - Chicago, Illinois Jerry London - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Chico Lopez - La Pama, Puerto Rico Pee Wee Lopez - Mexico City, Mexico Ramon (Pancho) Lopez - Chiauhauau, Mexico Sky LowLow - Montreal, Canada "Crusher" Lisowski - Milwaukee, Wisconsin Billy Lyons - Toronto, Canada Ken Lucas - Phoenix, Arizona Bill MacMurry - San Francisco, California Jan Madrid - Barcelona, Spain Joe Maicy - Branford, Canada "Tiger" Malloy - Chicago, Illinois Marcelle The Frechman - Paris France Frank "Cannonball" Marconi - Pittsburgh, PA Eugino Marin - Havana, Cuba Tom Marin - New York (Puerto Rico) Tony Marino (The Battman) - Rochester, New York Howard Martin - Toronto, Ontario, Canada Louie Martinez - San Juan, Puerto Rico Mike Mazurki - Hollywood, California Bill McKinley - Seattle, Washington Tony Martenelli - Cliffton, New Jersey Frank Martinez - Augadilia - Puerto Rico Marvin Mercer - Reading, Pennsylvania Mighty Joe - Chicago, Illinois Mighty Jumbo - Big Tree, Montana Carlo Milano - Hoboken, New Jersey (Rome, Italy) Doctor Bill Miller - Fremont, Ohio Jack Miller - Freehold, New Jersey Gregory Miranda - San Jaun, Puerto Rico The Mongol - Ulan Bator, Russia Frank Morgan - San Francisco, California Pedro Morales - Culebra, Puerto Rico Hans Mortier - Leiden, Holland Max Mortier - Leiden, Holland Alex Mulko - Ukraine, Russia El Murat - Saudi Arabia Skull Murphy - Cork, Ireland Tony "TNT" Napolitan - Ambridge, PA "Dancing" Dick Nelson - Lansing, Michigan Gordon Nelson - Winnipeg, Canada Ron Newsom - Indianapolis, Indiana Willie Nieves - New York City, New York Steve Novak - Pittsburgh, PA Pat O'Conner - Wellington, New Zealand Danno O'Shocker - Dublin, Ireland Tommy O'Toole - New York Jack Owens - Minneapolis, Minnesota Bill Page - Monticello, Kentucky "Leaping" Tony Parisi - Rome Italy Reggie Parks - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Billy Parks - North Bay, Ontario, Canada Dale Patrick - Dearfield, Illinois Peppe Perez - San Juan, Puerto Rico Farmer Pete - Louisville, Kentucky Angelo Poffo - Chicago, Illinois Johnny Powers - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Mr. Puerto Rico - Puerto Rico Prince Pullins - Indianapolis, Illinois Buford Pusser - Jackson, Tennessee Jose Quinones - Brooklyn, New York Jose Reteguiz "The Red Phantom" - Parts Unknown Juan Rivera - Puerto Rico Domingo Robles - New York (Puerto Rico) Antonio "Argentine" Rocco - Venice, Italy Pancho Rodriquez - San Juan, Puerto Rico "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers - Camden, New Jersey Barba Roja - Buenos Aires, Arentina Ron "Rocky" Romana - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Buddy Rosen - Miami, Florida Bob Sabre - Chicago, Illinois Bruno Sammartino - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Al "The Great" Sampson - Brooklyn, New York Pete Sanchez - Brooklyn, New York Mr. Sato - Tokyo, Japan Angelo Savoldi - Hoboken, New Jersey Yukio Sazuki - Tokyo, Japan Bill Scholl - Columbus, Ohio The Great Scott - St. Andrews, Scotland Micky Sharp - Houston, Texas The Shiek - Beiruit, Lebanon "Sweet Daddy" Siki - Kingston, Jamaica Jim Siksay - Toronto, Canada Arnold Skalland - White Plains, New York Al Smith - Port Jefferson, New York Cyclone Smith - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Leon Smith - Cleveland, Ohio Gene Stanlee (Mr. America) - Hollywood, California Al Steele - Los Angeles, California Suni War Cloud - New York City - New York Red Taylor - Charlotte, North Carolina "Judo" Jack Terry - Santa Monica, California Sailor Art Thomas - Madison, Wisconsin Tom Thompson - Baton Rouge, Louisiana Tom Thumb - London, England Tiny Tim - Paris, France The Great Togo - Yokohoma, Japan Chris Tolas - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Don Torres - Puerto Rico Louis Torres - Arecibo, Puerto Rico Miguel Torres - Montery, Mexico Frank Townsend - Blackwood, New Jersey Waldo Von Erich - Berlin, Germany Johnny Valentine - Seattle, Washington Frank Valois - Montreal, Canada Jack Vanski - Jersey City, New Jersey Al Vass - Queens, New York Johnny Walker "The Rubber Man" - Honolulu, Hawaii Chet Wallick - Youngstown, Ohio "Cowboy" Bill Watts - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Dick Wilkinson - Milwaukee, Wisconsin Bearcat Wright - Kingston, Jamaica Gordon Zarbo - Sandusky, Ohio The Amazing Zuma - Cordova, Argentina Abe Zvonkin - Babruysk, Russia
Chicago's Local Independent Wrestling
Prior to the territorial system falling prey in the 1980's to the national expansion of the World Wrestling Federation, led by Vincent Kennedy McMahon, the seeds were planted in the late 1970's for what would one day become the local independent wrestling circuit of the Chicagoland area, also known in some circles as Chicago Wrestling, or Chicago Pro Wrestling.
With the Indianapolis-based WWA, owned by Dick The Bruiser, slowly losing its prominence, a group of Midwest wrestlers got their start as part of the American Wrestling Club in Chicago. Bob Sabre and Kevin Clayton were responsible for training a crew of wrestlers who would tour the various circuits and were based out of the Midwest. The wrestlers who came out of that camp were Tony Leone, Terry Scholl, Chuck Greenlee, Juan Sebastian, Mickey Shannon, and Sonny Rogers.
The most important figures in the establishment of the local wrestling circuit that came out of that group were Terry Scholl, who made his professional debut in July of 1980 in St. Louis, Missouri, facing Ken Patera; and also Sonny Rogers, who debuted in May of 1980, using the name Gaylord Fontaine, and went against Kevin Clayton in Whitewater, Wisconsin.
Terry Scholl founded the very first Chicago independent wrestling promotion, Pro Wrestling International, in 1981, and his group would also be the first local company to be featured on local television with a show called Chicago Championship Wrestling on the cable station SportsChannel Chicago. The most prominent figure on the show was Tony " The Razor " DeVito, and the best of the talent roster was arguably Sonny Rogers. Some of the other performers were the brother tag team of Sam and Scott Reynolds, Max Density, Crazy Horse, and the perennial PWI Champion Terry Scholl.
Another wrestler who was just as pivotal in the formation of the local wrestling circuit was Sam DeCero, who worked throughout the same region with many of these wrestlers, most notably on the undercard of various NWA St. Louis shows and Dick The Bruiser's WWA shows, where he faced Sonny Rogers in numerous matches.
DeCero founded the second Chicago independent wrestling promotion, Windy City Wrestling, in 1988, with the help of Sonny Rogers, who served as the head trainer along with DeCero, and Mike Gratchner. Gratchner, an associate of DeCero from his days in the St. Louis promotion, had worked closely with Larry Matysik, the head booker for longtime NWA President Sam Muchnick. Together, DeCero, Rogers, Gratchner, and others formed the most stable promotion in Chicago and one of the oldest and longest lasting independent promotions in the world.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln#Childhood_and_education
http://www.wrestlingmuseum.org/
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D00E0D81F39E533A25757C2A9649C94679FD7CF
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Muldoon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gotch