Cageside Seats - Wrestling With the Past
Inside Pro Wrestling
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2013-04-25T11:00:11-04:00
http://www.cagesideseats.com/rss/stream/3323215
2013-04-25T11:00:11-04:00
2013-04-25T11:00:11-04:00
Wrestling with the Past: Super Sunday
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/boHwciEfC2WtHs1jnQhwZD5Q3Lc=/50x0:592x361/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12098889/19820418_hogan_bockwinkel.0.jpg" />
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<p>Very quickly the AWA went from the biggest, and, in my opinion, best promotion in the US, to being an empty shell of itself, limping around until finally going out of business in 1991.</p>
<p>And all of that was the result of a decision made thirty years ago yesterday.</p> <p style="text-align: right; "><i><b>~ </b>Co-written with<b> </b></i><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/thomas%20Nash"> </a></p>
<p style="text-align: right; "><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/thomas%20Nash"><b><i>Thomas Nash</i></b></a></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/thomas%20Nash"> </a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/thomas%20Nash"> </a></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/thomas%20Nash"><br></a></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/thomas%20Nash"> </a></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center; "><i>"Professional wrestling... has no history, only a past."</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>- The Phantom of the Ring</b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>- John Ford</b></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Most people hold a fatalist view of history; that the outcomes of many of the events that have unfolded over the ages were inevitable. The American Civil War is an example of this. That due to the preponderance of manpower and wealth possessed by the North, nothing less than a Union victory was possible. While it is a fact that the Union did possess these advantages, it is not a fact that the war was decided even before it started. No, it took six whole months for a rather small incident to guarantee that outcome.</p>
<p>In September 1861, Major General Leonidas Polk of Tennessee, acting on his own accord, made the fateful decision to invade Kentucky. His goal was to force the - then - neutral state into the ranks of the Confederacy. Needless to say, it did not go as planned as Kentucky instead called for Federal aid to help repel Polk's troops.</p>
<p>Polk's blunder, often overlooked when discussing the war, had far-reaching consequences. Not only did Kentucky soon join the Union, adding tens of thousands of soldiers to the Yankee Army along with giving the North control of important railroad junctions and the upper Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, but also it removed the buffer that had existed between Tennessee and Ohio, opening up a second theatre in the War. The capture of New Orleans, the rise of Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman, the conquest of the Mississippi River, the whole of the Western Theater. All key events, which were directly impacted by Polk's decision, and without which a Union victory, would be a much, much more difficult proposition. Perhaps, even impossible.</p>
<p>Thirty years ago professional wrestling witnessed its own such history changing decision, when on April 24th, 1983, the American Wrestling Association held one of the most important events in professional wrestling's history: Super Sunday.</p>
<p>Back in 1983, the business of professional wrestling was very different from what we have today. Instead of it being dominated by a single promotion running shows across the country, and the globe, North America was divided into territories. Each of these territories was owned by a promoter who ran and protected it as his own private fiefdom. Most of the territories worked together under the umbrella of the National Wrestling Association as a cartel to keep the peace and keep out competition, but there were a pair of promotions big enough and strong enough to have foregone the NWA and strike out on their own. The World Wrestling Federation, which ran the prime East coast metropolitan areas of New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston, was one. The other was the American Wrestling Association.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1573099/01-awa.jpg"><img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1573099/01-awa_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="01-awa_medium"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>via <a href="http://burlesquedesign.com/mike/somuchpileup/wrestling/01-awa.jpg">burlesquedesign.com</a></i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Founded in 1960 by former Olympic hopeful turned pro-wrestling star Verne Gagne and long time promoter Wally Karbo, the AWA was centered in the wrestling hotbed of the Twin Cities, Minnesota. From there it spread out over much of the Midwest, and beyond, making it the largest of the wrestling territories. Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Chicago and Northern Illinois, Colorado, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Winnipeg and Southern Manitoba were all part of the AWA's demesne. In addition, it had a strong contingency of allied promotions, so that wrestling fans in Southern Illinois, Indiana, San Francisco and Northern California, Salt Lake City, Memphis, Houston, San Antonio, and Phoenix, were all familiar with the AWA and its stars. And what stars they had.</p>
<p>Verne Gagne, Nick Bockwinkel, Bobby "the Brain" Heenan, Sheik Adnal-El Kassie, the High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne), Wahoo McDaniel, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, "Mad Dog" Vachon, Adrian Adonis, and the <i>Incredible </i>Hulk Hogan were all part of the AWA's roster at this time (along with some of the greatest jobbers as well: Jake "The Milkman" Mulliman, "Sodbuster" Kenny Jay, and "Puppy Dog" Peloquin).</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1573093/awa.jpg"><img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1573093/awa_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Awa_medium"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>via <a href="http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/pictures/09/awa.jpg">www.onlineworldofwrestling.com</a></i></p>
<p>It was also a promotion ahead of its time. Before the WWF conceived of <i>WrestleMania</i>, even before Jim Crockett hosted his first Starrcade, the AWA was hosting the first such super show of the decade. It was titled "Super Sunday...Running Wild" and was held on April 24 at the St. Paul Civic Center (the Medina of professional wrestling to Madison Square Garden's Mecca). Major names such as Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ken Patera, the High Flyers, Wahoo McDaniel, Jerry Lawler and Wendy Richter (as well as unknown talent like the future Brutus Beefcake, Eddie Boulder) filled the card.</p>
<p>The main event was a tag team grudge match in which the Sheiks - Sheikk Adnan Al-Kassie and Sheik Ayotolla Jerry Blackwell (somehow I doubt Blackwell truly studied the <i>hawza</i>) - took on AWA cornerstones and former enemies now allies, Verne Gagne and "Mad Dog" Vachon. But, this match was the main event in name only. The real draw for the night was the contest right before it in which current AWA heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel defended his belt against the Incredible Hulk Hogan. It was because of this match that Super Sunday even existed. In addition, it is because of this match that eventually the WWF would conquer the business and the AWA would close its doors. But I'm getting ahead of myself.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1573081/tumblr_m8ts9mpZjX1rar9bno1_1280.png"><img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1573081/tumblr_m8ts9mpZjX1rar9bno1_1280_medium.png" class="photo" alt="Tumblr_m8ts9mpzjx1rar9bno1_1280_medium"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>via <a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8ts9mpZjX1rar9bno1_1280.png">25.media.tumblr.com</a></i></p>
<p>In Hogan, the AWA had struck gold. He had been transformed into a face after entering the promotion in 1981, and following his appearance in Rocky III as "Thunderlips", he was the hottest thing in all of wrestling. They capitalized on this by booking him into a feud with their champion and number one heel, Nick Bockwinkel, and his manager, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.</p>
<p>Sadly forgotten by most of today's WWE-raised fans, Bockwinkel was one of the true greats of the sport. No man could project the aura of legitimacy and respectability while simultaneously drawing the fans' ire the way Bockwinkel could. Where Hogan represented a new generation of wrestlers, capturing the desire of 1980s American public for bigger-than-life super-heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, Bockwinkel represented the old guard. The pre steroid, pre sports entertainment, pre Hulkamania world of wrestling. And he let Hogan and the fans know the contempt he had for them. It was the perfect rivalry.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h7hVP0HSMNo" height="315" width="420"></iframe></p>
<p>For over a year Hogan chased the title, but always fell short as Bockwinkel and Heenan ran, cheated, and lied their way to keep the belt while the AWA toyed, teased, and played with the fans' desire to see Hogan crowned champ. During this time the blueprint for much of Hogan and the WWF's story lines for the 80s were laid out, as Hogan's feud was limited to not just Bockwinkel but with the whole Heenan family. At one point Hogan even drafted Andre the Giant as an ally, who himself would continue to feud with Heenan over the next few years.</p>
<p>After more than a year milking this rivalry, it was finally time to bring it to an end. Fans, long suffering in their wait to see Hogan crowned champ, were growing frustrated. It was the perfect time for a final blow-off match to settle it. And make Hulk Hogan the new AWA champ in the process.</p>
<p>A match was set for Spring of '83 at the St. Paul Civic Center, but the demand for tickets was so great that Verne immediately recognized what a financial opportunity he had here. Gagne postponed the contest until April 24, building a super-card around this and his own feud with the Sheiks, and then doubled the ticket prices. Nick Bockwinkel would take the blame for this price increase, as the AWA "claimed" that Bockwinkel had refused to meet Hogan unless he was paid "the largest purse in professional wrestling history". Fans took it as a sign that Bockwinkel was afraid to face Hogan and, as impossible as it is to believe, was now even more disliked.</p>
<p>Even with the increased ticket prices, the event sold out in just three days. The demand was so great that not only did they cram 20,000 to 25,000 into the Civic Center, but also another 10,000 paid to watch the show on closed circuit television at the St. Paul Auditorium. Despite the word "Super" in the title, fans had to sit through a rather uneventful card save for a couple noteworthy matches (Joyce Gable and Wendi Richter vs. Judy Martin and Velvet McIntyre for the AWA Ladies Tag Team title, and a six-man tag team match between Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ken Patera and Blackjack Lanza vs. The High Flyers and Rick Martel). But the other matches were merely a diversion for the fans were there to see Hogan win the championship from Bockwinkel.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"> <a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1573063/hulkhogan001wk3.jpg"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1573063/hulkhogan001wk3_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Hulkhogan001wk3_medium"></a> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>via <a href="http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/rr160/fishbulb-suplex/Wrestlers/Hulk%20Hogan/hulkhogan001wk3.jpg">i479.photobucket.com</a></i></p>
<p>The "Hulkamaniacs" got what they paid for as Hogan beat up and then pinned Bockwinkel in the center of the ring to claim the title. The arena erupted as he was finally awarded the belt...</p>
<p>And then mercilessly booed when it was taken away by AWA President Stanley Blackburn, who ruled after the bell that Hogan was to be disqualified for throwing Bockwinkel over the top rope. To say the fans were disappointed would be a gross understatement. For over a year, the fans had faithfully followed Hogan in his quest for the Championship, only to helplessly watch as it was cruelly taken away at his moment of glory.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TxokO8CBonA" height="315" width="420"></iframe> <br id="1366849893096"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a2SY7kNa4x8" height="315" width="420"></iframe></p>
<p>The reasons for this outcome, like everything in pro-wrestling, depends on who you ask. It has been widely reported that Hogan was supposed to not only win that night, but also keep the belt. Verne claimed he kept Hogan from the belt because he felt that the fans were more interested in the chase. But others claim his decision to keep the belt away from Hulk was either because Verne Gagne didn't like the idea of a non-wrestler holding the belt or because Hogan refused to give up 50% of his merchandising money. No matter what the reason, Nick remained champ.</p>
<p>The AWA's decision proved to have immense consequences. By the end of the year Hogan frustrated by his treatment in the AWA had signed with Vince McMahon's WWF, where was almost immediately crowned champ. The WWF would go on to also nab many of the AWA's other biggest stars. Jesse "the Body" Ventura, "Mean" Gene Okerlund, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, and others were all poached as part of Vince's plans for expansion. While this was a blow, it wasn't a fatal one for the AWA who soon reloaded with a new group of stars, including Curt Hennig, the Freebirds, and the Road Warriors. What did prove fatal is what happened next.</p>
<p>With Hogan and his former AWA companions in the vanguard, the WWF started running shows right in Gagne's own territory. A key turning point was on Thanksgiving night of 1985, a day when the AWA traditionally held one of their biggest cards of the year; the WWF had the temerity to host their own show at the Minneapolis Met Center. A plethora of AWA fan favorites were on the card, including Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Andre the Giant, "Mad Dog" Vachon, "Mean" Gene Okerlund and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. And it was headlined by a Hulk Hogan title defense against "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Paid attendance would top 20,000.</p>
<p>Weakened by the WWF's invasion, a body blow was delivered when the Jim Crockett Promotions poached the Road Warriors. Soon the NWA was making incursions into AWA territory. Chicago, Winnipeg, and eventually even the Twin Cities were hosting the National Wrestling Alliance while the WWF took over the Medina of Pro Wrestling, the St. Paul Civic center. Even Jim Watt's UWF joined the feeding frenzy, by holding his own show in the Twin Cities. The AWA had lost their own hometown.</p>
<p>And thus, very quickly the AWA went from the biggest, and, in my opinion, best promotion in the US, to being an empty shell of itself, limping around until finally going out of business in 1991.</p>
<p>And all of that was the result of a decision made thirty years ago yesterday.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1573057/6666714.jpg"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1573057/6666714_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="6666714_medium"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>via <a href="http://hulkhoganhistory.weebly.com/uploads/1/2/9/3/12931248/6666714.jpg?231">hulkhoganhistory.weebly.com</a></i></p>
https://www.cagesideseats.com/2013/4/25/4263232/wrestling-with-the-past-super-sunday-pro-wrestlings-turning-point
John S. Nash
2013-03-10T08:00:05-04:00
2013-03-10T08:00:05-04:00
The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal - Part Two
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<img alt="Modern Era Professional Wrestling Style Royal Rumble" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eHde2OjHov0D00zSxU4C_v_ZQfc=/50x0:591x361/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/9422827/01_nfl-wwe.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Modern Era Professional Wrestling Style Royal Rumble</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>"No matter how cleverly a man might be holding his own, he was always in danger of having someone come at him from behind with a none-too-well padded fist. Scientific boxing was not in evidence. The contest was one of brutal physical endurance. When a man could keep it up no longer he left the ring and the winner was the man who stayed in longest -- As announced, the winner was to receive $4.00 the second place man $2.00 and the third $1.00."</p> <h5 style="text-align: center; "></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><b>This article is an exclusive Cageside Features Guest Column by: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/John%20S.%20Nash">John S. Nash</a></b></h5>
<p> </p>
<p align="center"><i>"Professional wrestling... has no history, only a past."</i></p>
<p align="center"><b>- The Phantom of the Ring</b></p>
<p align="center"><b><i>~~~~~~~</i></b></p>
<p align="center"><i>"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."</i></p>
<p align="center"><b>- John Ford</b></p>
<p align="center"><b><u>__________________________________________________</u></b></p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>Author's Note</i></b><i>: Some contemporary sources contain terms in reference to various ethnic groups, which some may find derogatory and/or offensive. While neither I, nor this site, condone the viewpoints expressed with their use, we also do not condone pretending such sentiments did not exist. For that reason, they have been left in. Hopefully, they will not detract from your reading experience.</i></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>For the earlier history of battle royals see</i></b><b><i> "</i></b><a href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/2013/3/9/4028970/battle-royal-WWE-Boxing-wrestling-with-past-origins-history-combat-sports-part-one">Wrestling with the Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal - Part One.<b>"</b></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1491693/JULY_4.jpg"><img src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1491693/JULY_4_large.jpg" alt="July_4_large"></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h4><i>"Everyone fought hysterically...</i></h4>
<p><b><i>It was complete anarchy. Everybody fought everybody else. No group fought together for long. Two, three, four, fought one, and then turned to fight each other, were themselves attacked..."</i></b></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><b><i>- Battle Royal</i></b><b> </b><b>by</b><b> </b><b>Ralph Ellison</b></p>
<p> </p>
<h4><b style="font-size: 1em;">As we saw in</b></h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>"<a href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/2013/3/9/4028970/battle-royal-WWE-Boxing-wrestling-with-past-origins-history-combat-sports-part-one">Wrestling with the Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal - Part One</a>",</b> battle royals first appeared in England in the early 18th century, having been spawned directly from pugilism. They quickly became a popular attraction, but just as quickly, died out on the boxing stage -- only surviving as a competition practiced by slaves in the United States.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, battle royals would see a resurgence following the American Civil War and the post-war Reconstruction, starting in the Southern States but eventually spreading across the country.[EN5] But it was always below the Mason-Dixon line that they proved most popular.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: justify;"><b>Following the introduction</b></h5>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>of the Marquis of Queensbury rules, </b>they were now fought wearing gloves, although other niceties, such as rounds and weight classes, were ignored. Sometimes the participants were also <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EDUxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Dk8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6357%2C1379597">blindfolded</a>, had one arm tied behind their back, or sometimes <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-b8KAAAAIBAJ&sjid=200DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7218,3515556&dq=battle+royal+colored+boys&hl=en">both</a>. In almost all cases, the participants in the battle royals were black.[EN6]</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"It was announced in the newspapers as an "Athletic Show" and it began with a "battle royal" boxing bout among five Negroes.</p>
<p>"Five burly men, stripped to the waist, entered a roped arena on a platform. At the stroke of the bell two couples immediately began sparring. The fifth man then pitched into one of the boxers who seemed to be having the best of it, thus breaking up the pair. The released man turned to the other group and picking out one of the men began without warning to punch him.</p>
<p>"And so the fight proceeded.</p>
<p>"No matter how cleverly a man might be holding his own, he was always in danger of having someone come at him from behind with a none-too-well padded fist. Scientific boxing was not in evidence. The contest was one of brutal physical endurance. When a man could keep it up no longer he left the ring and the winner was the man who stayed in longest.</p>
<p>"As announced, the winner was to receive $4.00 the second place man $2.00 and the third $1.00."</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><b>~ <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=mKVBAAAAYAAJ&dq=negro%20battle%20royal%20boxing&pg=PA74#v=onepage&q&f=false"><i>Recreation in Springfield, Illinois:</i> by Lee Franklin Hanmer and Clarence Arthur Perry (1914)</a></b></p>
</blockquote>
<h5 style="text-align: justify;"><b>While African-Americans had</b></h5>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>taken part in battle royals</b> while in bondage, they were usually held for the entertainment of their own community. Now, the primary audience was white, attending shows that made sure to announce that the combatants would be <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=puocAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UGQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3907%2C735528">"five 'duskies'"</a> or that <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jMMiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iLYFAAAAIBAJ&dq=negro%20boxing%20battle%20royal&pg=4734%2C4058264">"special seats will be reserved for white patrons."</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It is not a coincidence that it gained popularity during a time known as the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadir_of_American_race_relations">nadir of American race relations</a>," nor that they were most common in the former slave states where racial tensions were at their worst. The inherent message of these battle royals, according to Andrew Kay, author of <i>The Pussycat of Prizefighting</i>, was easy to discern.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Manufactured disunity amongst blacks was the barely concealed plot redolent of the old days on the plantation.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1491471/Battle_2BRoyale.jpg"><img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1491471/Battle_2BRoyale_large.jpg" alt="Battle_2broyale_large"></a></p>
<h5 style="text-align: justify;">It was because</h5>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>of this obvious symbolism</b> that Ralph Ellison chose to open his novel, <i>Invisible Man,</i> with a "blind battle royal". The contest presented by him would serve as a metaphor for America's treatment of its black citizens, sadly with very little embellishment.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ironically, as much as these battle royals were obvious racist theater, they also provided opportunities to many aspiring black fighters. Entry and victory in a battle royal could provide an opening into the world of professional boxing; a route taken by some of the most legendary of "colored" champions.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Joe Gans, the World's Lightweight Champion and first black champion in boxing, famously got his start in 1890, when, at the age of 16, he entered a Baltimore battle royal against "<a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5AobAAAAIBAJ&sjid=20gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3229%2C2235760">seven sons of Ham</a>", for the chance at a $5 first prize.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Another lightweight champion, Beau Jack, also made his mark in battle royals, knocking out his own brother in one such contest. He was so impressive in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/12/sports/beau-jack-78-lightweight-boxing-champion-in-the-1940-s.html">a battle royal victory at the Augustus National Golf Club </a>- the same place he had previously shined shoes - that golfer Bobby Jones helped bankroll his entry into the professional ranks. Heavyweight champion Jack Johnson had an even more impressive showing, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=lFICAAAAYAAJ&dq=pugilism%20battle%20royal&pg=PA112#v=onepage&q&f=false">according to George Silar</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"I went down to Springfield, Ill. about seven years ago to referee a series of glove contests, and the management, for a humorous opener, staged a battle royal in which six colored men, among them Johnson, took part. Jack was the last to enter the ring, and directly he did he landed one of his every-man-for-himself opponents a wallop on the jaw, dropping him as if shot.</p>
<p>"Two big blacks then sailed in after Johnson, who danced out of distance, and, before his opponents knew what had happened, they were on the floor, because they foolishly permitted their respective jaws to come in contact with Jack's right mitt. The other blacks thought of the old adage of: "He who fights and runs away will live to fight another day" and crawled out of the ring."</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Another surprising battle royalist was singer James Brown, who describes in his 1997 autobiography, <i>The Godfather of Soul</i>, how thanks to his reputation he would be chosen by <i>"the white men who came around to recruit scrappy black boys to be in the battle royals..."</i> once at the auditorium, he recalled:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"...they blindfold you, tie one hand behind your back, put a boxing glove on your free hand, and shove you into a ring with five other kids in the same condition. You swing at anything that moves, and whoever is left standing at the end is the winner."</p>
</blockquote>
<h5 style="text-align: justify;"><b>For a while,</b></h5>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>the battle royal would be</b> an almost mandatory opening act for any boxing card, and plenty of wrestling cards as well. Eventually, their popularity would wane, first in the Northern States, starting with New York where the <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F30716FB355517738DDDA00894DA415B818DF1D3">State Athletic Commission ruled</a> to ban them in 1911.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In barring them; they referred to such affairs as "revolting spectacles" and declared that their action struck at a "real evil of the sport." Other, mostly Northern States, would soon follow, until battle royals, at least of the pugilist versions, were again only found in the southern states. There they would remain and last at least into the 60s, but eventually even these too would die out following the release of Ralph Ellison's <i>Invisible Man,</i> and the progress brought about by the civil rights movement.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1491465/BattleRoyal.jpg"><img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1491465/BattleRoyal_large.jpg" alt="Battleroyal_large"></a></p>
<h5 style="text-align: justify;"><b>Of course,</b></h5>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>this did not spell the end</b> of battle royals, only those of the boxing kind. Starting sometime in the 30s, promoters introduced the idea of a battle royal based not on pugilism, but on the antics of professional wrestling.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Two of the earliest promoters to hold such a battle royal were <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JdEgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=w2oFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3241%2C4839987">Johnny McGee</a>, whose territory was based in Maine and the Northeast, and <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19361001&id=5LhWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=T-kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6509,917658">Herb Owen</a>, who operated out of Oregon and the Northwest. The rules for Herb Owen's contests were as follows:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"...the six matmen and the referee entering the ring at the same time, battling until only two remained standing without shoulders pinned to the mat, and the finalists meeting in a 30-minute one-fall tilt for the attractive purse."</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;">They were soon joined by a wrestling promotion that held events at the American Legion in Lake Worth, Florida. This group proved to be both the most famous and most influential promoters of these early wrestling battle royals.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1491459/Tangle_in_Battle_Royal.jpg"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1491459/Tangle_in_Battle_Royal_large.jpg" alt="Tangle_in_battle_royal_large"></a></p>
<h5 style="text-align: justify;">A <a href="http://www.efootage.com/stock-footage/60425/Wrestling_Battle_Royal/">1937 film</a>
</h5>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.efootage.com/stock-footage/60425/Wrestling_Battle_Royal/"></a><a href="http://www.efootage.com/stock-footage/60425/Wrestling_Battle_Royal/"><b>of a battle royal</b> </a>held in Lake Worth, FL demonstrates just how similar they were to contemporary matches. But, these were not the only sort, as numerous types of battle royals, of the most ludicrous and ingenious sort, were unveiled in Fort Worth.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.efootage.com/stock-footage/60425/Wrestling_Battle_Royal/"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Examples of their inspired insanity include:</p>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=algyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h7YFAAAAIBAJ&dq=battle%20royal%20wrestling&pg=5057%2C4066514">Boxers versus Wrestlers Battle Royal</a></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.t3licensing.com/video/clip/1617552_024.do">Blind Man's Biff Battle Royal</a></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.efootage.com/stock-footage/64274/">Tomato Bowl Battle Royal</a></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.efootage.com/stock-footage/61671/Snow-packed_Wrestling_Ring/">Battle Royal in a Ring Packed with Snow</a></li>
<p><b>Where, in boxing</b> the battle royal had proved to be nothing more than an opening act for most of the cards, in wrestling, the battle royal soon proved to be the closer. Cards were built around the attraction, with <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19480222&id=ipxQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gQsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4265,1223492">battle royals starring the biggest</a> names used to headline shows:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2297399/Gorgeous_George_-_Battle_Royal_at_the_Armory-Eugene_Register.jpg"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2297399/Gorgeous_George_-_Battle_Royal_at_the_Armory-Eugene_Register_large.jpg" alt="Gorgeous_george_-_battle_royal_at_the_armory-eugene_register_large"></a></p>
<h4>The wrestling battle royal</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>has since completely eclipsed</b> that of the boxers'. And so, the popular image for the event is, thankfully, no longer a group of black boxers fighting in front of a white crowd, but instead, this: [EN7 <iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fFWzgAa2jt0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>________________________________</u></b></p>
<p><b>IMAGES</b></p>
<p><b><i>"July 4th" Battle Royal</i>:</b> Walonga, Oklahoma Post Card</p>
<p><b>Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royale":</b> by Micah via <a href="http://smokinpencil.blogspot.com/"><i>smokinpencil.blogspot.com</i></a></p>
<p><b>"Battle Royal":</b> via <a href="http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/images/BattleRoyal.jpg"><i>www.cyberboxingzone.com</i></a></p>
<p><b>"Gorgeous George et al, Battle Royal at the Armory":</b> via <a target="_blank" href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ipxQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gQsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4265%2C1223492"><i>Eugene Register</i> - <i>google.com/newspapers</i></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>ADTL Resources:</b></p>
<p><b>"<a target="_blank" href="http://stream.efootage.com/clips/1938/61697.mov">Thirties, Richmond, VA - Archival Match eFootage</a>":</b> via <a target="_blank" href="http://www.efootage.com/stock-footage/61697/1938-38-1930s-Thirties-richmond-virginia-wrestling-match"><i>efootage.com</i></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>END NOTES</b></p>
<p><b>EN5:</b> "Battle Royals would also briefly make an appearance in the Tientsin area of China, where sailors of the British, American, Italian, and French Navies would organize boxing "smokers."</p>
<p>"One rollicking, distinctly Chinese feature of any boxing card In China, this matched 7 or 8 "huskie coolies from various companies" who mixed it up in a no-holds-barred free-for-all which included kickboxing. The solitary coolie left standing was awarded a purse that might amount to as much as 1,800 coppers for winning his performance."</p>
<p><b>~ "United States 15th Infantry Regiment in China, 1912-1938"</b> - by Alfred E. Cornebise (2004)</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>EN6: </b>There were the rare exceptions. Some battle royals, including a pair of the very few every filmed, <a href="http://www.t3licensing.com/video/clip/48050153_6600.do?assetId=clip_8883550&keywords=battle%2Croyal">one in 1934</a> and another involving <a href="http://www.efootage.com/stock-footage/62418/Loses_Pants_But_Wins_Bout/">blindfolded children</a> from 1939, used only white contestants. The rarest battle royals were those that had <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CYdaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yrUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4334,4261973&dq=battle+royal+colored+boys&hl=en">both black and white boxers</a> taking part.</p>
<p><b>EN7:</b> This might also be the very first battle royal I have ever witnessed. My memories from when I was a 10-year-old are sketchy, but I vaguely remember this contest.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><b><u>____________________________________________</u></b></b></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;">In addition to delving into wrestling's past exclusively for Cageside Seats, our CSS Features Guest Columnist, </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/110261957982035028062?rel=author" style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;">Mr. John S. Nash</a><b style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"></b><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;">has regularly chronicled the forgotten history of mixed martial arts </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">exclusively</span><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"> for our fellow SBNation Blog:</span><a href="http://www.bloodyelbow.com/" style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"> BloodyElbow.com</a><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;">, where original drafts of articles cross-posted on this site also appear.</span><i style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"> Cageside Seats is proud to present his entire archive of articles in this exclusive guest columnist section for your enjoyment. To read more fascinating articles from Mr. Nash, simply<a href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/css-features-guest-columnist-john-s-nash" target="_blank">bookmark this link</a> and remember to check back frequently for new content. Thank you for reading! - CSS Assistant General Managing Editor: June M. Williams</i></i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>____________________________________________</u></b></p>
https://www.cagesideseats.com/2013/3/10/4070146/wrestling-with-past-battle-royal-WWE-Boxing-part-two
John S. Nash
2013-03-09T07:00:00-05:00
2013-03-09T07:00:00-05:00
The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal - Part One
<figure>
<img alt="Modern Era Professional Wrestling Style Royal Rumble" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Rr5GDH-wB5hThNN18Q51c3N5JTg=/45x0:583x359/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8718627/01_nfl-wwe.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Modern Era Professional Wrestling Style Royal Rumble</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The battle royal may have as many as 10, 20, 30, or even more wrestlers who are all competing at the same time in a true free-for-all. You may find it surprising to learn that the battle royal is actually not a creation of some fanciful pro wrestling booker -- instead, it was at one time an actual competition -- one that has its roots not in wrestling, but in...</p> <h5 style="text-align: center;">This article is an exclusive Cageside Features Guest Column by: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/John%20S.%20Nash">John S. Nash</a>
</h5>
<p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px;"><br style="line-height: 0.75em;"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>"Professional wrestling... has no history, only a past."</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span><b><b>- The Phantom of the Ring</b></b></span></b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><i>~~~~~~~</i></b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>- John Ford</b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>__________________________________</u></b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>Author's Note</i></b><i>: Some contemporary sources contain terms in reference to various ethnic groups, which some may find derogatory and/or offensive. While neither I, nor this site, condone the viewpoints expressed with their use, we also do not condone pretending such sentiments did not exist. For that reason, they have been left in. Hopefully, they will not detract from your reading experience.</i></p>
<blockquote>
<p><b>Q: </b><i>"What's Battle Royale? </i>C'mon, don't tell me you don't know that!? Why bother coming to a pro wrestling match, huh?"</p>
<p><b>A:</b> <i>"The name of a move? The name of a tournament?"</i></p>
<p>No. Just no.</p>
<p>Allow me to explain, a Battle Royale's a Pro Wrestling match... In a nutshell, let's see, Battle Royale is --</p>
<p>Well, you know how your usual pro wrestling match is one-on-one or between paired up partners? Well, with Battle Royale, ten or twenty wrestlers all jump into the ring. And then you're free to attack anyone, one-on-one, or ten-against-one, it doesn't matter...</p>
<p>In any case, the ones who fall lose, they have to leave the ring.</p>
<p>Fewer and fewer players remain in the game; until there're only two left in the end. One-on-one, a very serious match. Then, one out of those two will eventually take a fall. And then, there's only one player left in the ring, and he's the winner.</p>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<b>- "A pro wrestling fan's rant..." from </b><i><b>Battle Royale </b></i><b>by Koushun Takami </b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">[Editor's Note: Addt'l punctuation & mild edits for ease of reading]</div>
</blockquote>
<h4>The battle royal,</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>a long time mainstay of professional wrestling</b>, might be the most unique pro wrestling match in all of pro wrestling.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Are not fights inside the UFC Octagon nothing more than cage matches? Isn't an "I Quit" match just another name for a submission grappling contest? What is a "No Rules" match, but another name for a "no-holds-barred" fight from the early days of MMA?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Even tag-team matches, which have no equivalent in boxing, MMA, or amateur wrestling, still divide the participants between two sides, where it then limits the action to only the two men in the ring.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It is only in the battle royal however, that we find the absurdity of 10, 20, 30, or <i>even more</i> wrestlers who are all competing at the same time in a true free-for-all. This makes it even more surprising to learn that the battle royal is not a creation of some fanciful pro wrestling booker.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Instead, it was at one time an actual competition. One that has its roots not in wrestling... but in, of all sports, boxing!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2266519/BAttle_Royal.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Battle_royal_medium" class="center" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2266519/BAttle_Royal_medium.jpg"></a></p>
<h4>Battle royals</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>have existed as a type of </b>combat sporting competition for more than 300 years.[EN1] <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=ulICAAAAYAAJ&dq=pugilistica%20columns%20for%20both%20the%20Flying%20Post%20and%20the%20Daily%20News%20%20battle&pg=PA14#v=onepage&q&f=false">Advertisements </a>for them can be found in the <i>Flying Post</i> and <i>Daily News </i>of<i> </i>London as far back as the early 18th century. The contests they promoted were similar to modern battle royals in that they involved several men fighting each other in a free-for-all mélée; the one major difference being that the participants were boxers, and the contests themselves were competed using the rules of boxing at the time.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ironically, the fact they were boxing matches made them resemble professional wrestling even more so, for boxing was a very different sport in those days. As the late Harry Mullan described it in his <i>Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing, </i>not only was fisticuffs permitted in this earlier version of the sport, but also:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Wrestling was accepted as a proper part of boxing and so were blatant fouls such like gouging and purring."</p>
</blockquote>
<h4>The sport's champion</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>during these early days</b> was one James Figg, the oft-cited "Father of Boxing." Figg had risen to the top of English prize-fighting through what became known as, "Figg's Fighting". His was a style of fighting that incorporated both striking and grappling. It was Figg and his "Fighting" that made boxing a popular spectator sport, <i>and</i> it was at his amphitheaters that one could not only find boxing matches, but also duels with swords, fights with cudgels, and, of course...</p>
<p><b>... the battle royal.</b>[EN2]</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1484675/Ashbridge-750-1536-1340028554.jpg"><img alt="Ashbridge-750-1536-1340028554_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1484675/Ashbridge-750-1536-1340028554_medium.jpg"></a></p>
<h4>Eventually, Figg gave way</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>to the famed Jack Broughton,</b> renown not only for winning the Heavyweight Championship, but for also introducing Broughton's Rules; the first written set of rules that established boxing as a stand-up only sport. These rules were introduced in 1743, the same year that he opened his new amphitheater on Oxford Street in London.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A bill advertising its inaugural event made sure to highlight the following details:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><b>There will be a BATTLE ROYAL between the NOTED BUCKHORSE, and SEVEN or EIGHT more;</b> [EN3]</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2236503/Broughton_s_Amphitheatre.jpg"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2236503/Broughton_s_Amphitheatre_medium.jpg" class="center" alt="Broughton_s_amphitheatre_medium"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">These contests, and others that followed, were most likely held under The New Broughton's Rules, rules that went on to forbid attacks below the waist and ground fighting.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The matches were popular for some time, being held with enough regularity at the amphitheater for them to become known as Broughton's Battle Royals and even serve as inspiration for satirical political cartoons in the day. But, as the 18th century came to an end, the public's appetite for battle royals soured, viewing them as, "too barbaric and too dangerous for a place as civilized as the United Kingdom".</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2274929/AN00357069_001_l.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="An00357069_001_l_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2274929/AN00357069_001_l_medium.jpg"></a> <br id="1362557424536"></p>
<h4>Battle royals did not die out though.</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Instead, they immigrated to </b>the American colonies, or more specifically the Antebellum Southern States. There they would continue being practiced, not by those of British ancestry, but by the large slave population of African descent. (Who were most likely introduced to it by the large number Irish and Scottish settlers to that region.)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">During what few holidays the slaves were afforded, they would often gather for music, dancing, and sport. Ball playing, foot races, wrestling, and boxing were all exhibited during this "leisure" time. (<a href="http://www.online-literature.com/frederick_douglass/bondage_freedom/18/">Frederick Douglass described such sporting distractions</a>, along with whiskey, as being "among the most effective in the hands of the slaveholder in keeping down the spirit of insurrection.")</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The "free-for-all" was another popular sporting event. Reading the description given by two former slaves leaves little doubt that this was but another name for...</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>...the battle royal:</b>[EN4]</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1484687/bibb22.jpg"><img alt="Bibb22_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1484687/bibb22_medium.jpg"></a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>[A] ring was drawn on the ground which ranged from about 15 ft. to 30 ft. in diameter depending on the number of contestants who engaged in the combat. Each participant was given a kind of bag that was stuffed with cotton and rags into a very compact mass. When so stuffed, the bags would weigh on an average of 10 pounds, and was used by the contestants in striking their antagonist.</p>
<p>Each combatant picked whichever opponent he desired and attempted to subdue him by pounding him over the head with the bag, which he used as his weapon of defense. And which was used as an offending weapon.</p>
<p>The contest was continued in this manner till every combatant was counted out, and a hero of the contest proclaimed. Sometimes two contestants were adjudged heroes, and it was necessary to run a contest between the two combatants before a final hero could be proclaimed.</p>
<p>Then the two antagonist would stage <b>a battle royal</b> and would continue in the conflict till one was proclaimed victorious. Sometimes these Free-For-All battles were carried on with a kind of improvised pair of boxing gloves, and the contests were carried on in the same manner as previously described.</p>
<p>Very often, as many as 30 darkies of the most husky type were engaged in these battles, and the contests were generally attended by large audiences. Being staged during the period of favorable weather, and mostly on Saturday afternoon; these physical exhibitions were the scenes of much controversial conflict, gambling, excessive inebriation and hilarity.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><b>- <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11920/11920.txt">SLAVE NARRATIVES</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11920/11920.txt">A Folk History of Slavery in the United States</a>, </b><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11920/11920.txt"><b>From Interviews with Former Slaves Library of Congress</b></a></p>
</blockquote>
<h4>After the American Civil War</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>the battle royal would</b> not only survive, but also enter its most popular - and shameful - era. But, that story will have to wait for part two of "Wrestling with the Past: The Bizarre Origins of the Battle Royal." Check back here tomorrow (Sun., Mar. 10) for the conclusion of our journey.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>________________________________</u></b></p>
<p><b>IMAGES</b></p>
<p>"The Bruiser Bruis'd" via <a href="http://www.westminster.gov.uk/workspace/uploads/images/Ashbridge-750-1536-1340028554.jpg"><i>www.westminster.gov.uk</i></a></p>
<p>"A Political Battle Royal Design'd for Broughton's" by Anonymous © The Trustees of the British Museum</p>
<p>"The Sabbath Amongst Slaves" via <a href="http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/bibb/bibb22.jpg"><i>docsouth.unc.edu</i></a></p>
<p><b>END NOTES</b></p>
<p><b>EN 1:</b>It is commonly thought that the battle royal grew out of the medieval mélée: a contest that was little more than an organized battle involving large numbers - sometimes even hundreds or thousands - of armored knights. Participants were usually divided between two sides, although some mélée were true free-for-alls where the last one standing or mounted was awarded a prize.</p>
<p>There is also another possible source, perhaps even a more likely one, although not nearly as romantic. According to Johann Beckman, in his 1823 book <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=T2gUAAAAQAAJ&dq=pugilism%20battle%20royal&pg=PA56#v=onepage&q&f=false"><i>A Concise History or Ancient Institutions, Inventions, and Discoveries in Science and Mechanic Art</i> by Johann Beckman</a>, medieval cockfighting may be the true originator: "a battle royal consists in letting loose a certain number of cocks, which fight until only one is left to claim the victory."</p>
<p><b>EN 2:</b> James Figg may also have been a major influence on what became the modern style of wrestling. According to Robert Griffin in his 1937 book <i>Fall Guys: The Barnums of Bounce</i>, when "Toots" Mondt, a member of the Gold Dust Trio, was looking to come up with a more exciting version of "worked" professional wrestling in the 1920s, he turned to James Figg and "Figg's Fighting" for inspiration.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>He recalled the history of an early bare knuckle fighter, one James Figg, who dated back to 1716. Mondt dug around in a library until he unearthed printed proof of Figg's fame and went to Sandow with his data. Sandow read the information with interest.</p>
<p>He learned that Figg had been famed throughout England as a swordsman, wrestler and all around athlete from his boyhood. Figg had also gained fame in the British Isles as a fighter. His method was unique.</p>
<p>Instead of confining himself to pure and undiluted grappling, Figg would bang a rival with his fist in the clinches whenever it was possible. This helped him to gain victory. Later he slugged in the open and, as a pugilist, depending mainly upon his fists, beat some good wrestlers by the simple process of first knocking them out and then pinning their shoulders.</p>
<p>Eventually, Figg's style became known as "Figg's Fighting." Sandow was interested in what he read, but it was Mondt who supplied the inspiration.</p>
<p>"We'll take the best features of boxing and the holds from Graeco-Roman, combine these with the old time lumber camp style of fighting and call it "Slam Bang Western Style Wrestling," Mondt said.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><b>- "<i>Fall Guys: The Barnums of Bounce"</i> by Marcus Griffin, 1937</b></p>
</blockquote>
<p>For more on how James Figg may not only be the father of boxing, but also of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts, please see "<a href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/11/25/3642752/the-martial-chronicles-james-figg-the-lost-origins-of-the-sport-of-mma-pro-wrestling-boxing">James Figg & the Lost Origins of the Sport of Mixed Martial Arts</a>".</p>
<p><b>EN 3:</b> The "NOTED Buckhorse," who's real name was John Smith, was a popular boxer whose career lasted at least a decade (1732-1742), spanning the reigns of James Figg and Jack Broughton. He participated in both singles matches ("bye-battles") and battle royals, where he gained his fame for his "great muscular powers" and his rather unforgettable features. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=ApVRAAAAYAAJ&dq=james%20figg%20buckhorse&pg=PA19#v=onepage&q&f=false">As described by Beverly Stark</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The modern ring has not been without its freaks of nature, but it is doubtful if it has produced a curiosity equal to Buckhorse. Buckhorse was, in appearance, a Hogarthian nightmare. He was so ugly that he had no face to spoil, and for this reason allowed himself to be knocked down for half a crown by any one who wished to try his strength. By pounding his chin with his own fist Buckhorse was capable of producing a variety of popular tunes and by this strange talent he supported himself when his days of usefulness in the ring were over.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=erI8AAAAYAAJ&dq=john%20smith%20buckhorse&pg=PA406#v=onepage&q&f=false">According to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</a>, Buckhorse's appearance inspired a common expression:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"As ugly as Buckhorse" was a phrase in London about the middle of the eighteenth century. The unfortunate prize fighter was not a beauty by nature, but as he was in the habit, on payment of a trifling fee of allowing any one to knock him down who wished to try the strength of his arm it can be imagined that his appearance at last became hardly human.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As ugly as Buckhorse may have been, according to <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=9YYoAAAAYAAJ&dq=figg%20buckhorse%20boxiana&pg=PA36#v=onepage&q&f=false">Pierce Eagan in his <i>Boxiana</i></a>, he was also famed for his "extraordinary volubility of speech," as well as "his numerous amours with the <i>gay</i> <i>nymphs</i> of town."</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2235893/BUCKHORSE.jpg"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2235893/BUCKHORSE_medium.jpg" class="center" alt="Buckhorse_medium"></a></p>
<p><b>EN 4:</b> The often cited stories of antebellum slave gladiator fights, or Mandigo fights as shown in the film <i>Django Unchained</i> (and the film <i>Mandigo</i>), does not appear to have any basis in historical reality. While there may have been some slaves who boxed at the behest of their masters, <a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7476455/brian-phillips-boxing-career-freed-american-slave-tom-molineaux">Tom Molineaux</a> is often given as an example, it does not seem to be a common practice. The simple reason would be a matter of finances: slaves were too valuable as "property" to risk damaging them through such activities.</p>
<p>Slaves did take part in boxing, wrestling, and "free-for-alls" contests, but these seem to have been done for their own amusement. And while violent, an interesting comparison can be made between their games and the much more brutal "rough-and-tumble" contests engaged in by the lower class whites of the same region. For more on "rough-and-tumble" see Elliot J. Gorn's <a href="http://jmanly.ejmas.com/articles/2001/jmanlyart_gorn_0401.htm"><i>"Gouge and Bite, Pull Hair and Scratch".</i></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><b><u>____________________________________________</u></b></b></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span><span>In addition to delving into wrestling's past exclusively for Cageside Seats, our CSS Features Guest Columnist, </span><a style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/110261957982035028062?rel=author">Mr. John S. Nash</a><b style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"> </b><span>has regularly chronicled the forgotten history of mixed martial arts </span><span>exclusively</span><span> for our fellow SBNation Blog:</span><a style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;" href="http://www.bloodyelbow.com/"> BloodyElbow.com</a><span>, where original drafts of articles cross-posted on this site also appear.</span><i style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"> Cageside Seats is proud to present his entire archive of articles in this exclusive guest columnist section for your enjoyment. To read more fascinating articles from Mr. Nash, simply <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/css-features-guest-columnist-john-s-nash">bookmark this link</a> and remember to check back frequently for new content. Thank you for reading! - CSS Assistant General Managing Editor: June M. Williams</i></span></i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>____________________________________________</u></b></p>
https://www.cagesideseats.com/2013/3/9/4028970/battle-royal-WWE-Boxing-wrestling-with-past-origins-history-combat-sports-part-one
John S. Nash
2012-11-11T12:30:30-05:00
2012-11-11T12:30:30-05:00
The 65th Anniversary of Gorgeous George's TV Debut
<figure>
<img alt="Gorgeous George Wagner with his wife Elizabeth (Betty) at court for name change in Los Angeles, Calif., 1950 " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vdNQglYsE7xjS7UQU1e2TNOStJ0=/28x0:613x390/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/3063901/gorgeous_george.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Gorgeous George Wagner with his wife Elizabeth (Betty) at court for name change in Los Angeles, Calif., 1950 | Los Angeles Daily News, Dec. 27, 1950 | via Los Angeles Times photographic archive, UCLA Library</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Wrestling wth the Past</em> returns with the a tribute to the 65th anniversary of one of Pro Wrestling's most important moments - the television debut of Gorgeous George.</p> <blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
<p>This article is an exclusive Cageside Features Guest Column by: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/John%20S.%20Nash">John S. Nash</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>"Professional wrestling... has no history, only a past."</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>- John Ford</b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><i>~~~~~~~</i></b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i>"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><i></i><b>- The Phantom of the Ring</b></b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><b><u>__________________________________________________</u></b></b></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>November 11, 1947.</p>
<p><i>"Ladies and gentlemen, Gorgeous George is coming."</i></p>
<p>The words spoken by the announcer mean nothing to you today... and yet you can't help but feel a tinge of anticipation for what it foreshadows.</p>
<p>It is Armistice Day, and you are "celebrating" the holiday, the first to honor all of America's veterans, and not just those of the First World War. You and your new bride, who is also your old high school sweetheart, are seated on your neighbor's couch, nursing beers, as your eyes are glued to an RCA 640TS. Vacuum tubes project a grainy black and white image of a capacity auditorium crowd on its 10" screen. Wrestling from Los Angeles, California is on tonight.</p>
<p>You haven't watched much wrestling, or television for that matter, before. You've never actually owned one, or even known someone who has, until now. And although wrestling doesn't interest you, today you'll watch it, because it's on television, and you'd watch anything on television. At least that is what you told yourself.</p>
<p>How things have changed.</p>
<p>Only a few years ago you were crawling on your belly on some unnamed Islands in the Pacific, or trampling across a field in Europe, while your girl, the woman you now call your wife, was working long hours at a "man's job" as a mechanic, a cab driver, or on a factory assembly line producing the weapons to get you home.</p>
<p>The two of you survived the War, and before that a Great Depression, and now you are getting your chance at peace and the so-called "good life". You have a home in the suburbs, a job that pays the bills, night classes (thanks to the GI bill), a wife you love, and soon a family. The world finally makes sense, and that is the way its supposed to be, right?</p>
<p>A red carpet is unrolled down the aisle, followed by the first notes of "Pomp and Circumstance". From behind the curtain appears a sharply dressed man holding a silver serving tray, carrying a whisk broom and a giant spray canister. You are informed this is Jeffrey Jeffries, the val-et-tay of Mr. George.</p>
<p><i>"Ladies and gentlemen, Gorgeous George is here."</i></p>
<p>You sit up a little.</p>
<p>And now you see... <i>him</i>. And it goes without saying, you have never seen anyone like Gorgeous George before. Dressed in a flowing robe, with long, meticulously blonde curled hair, put up in some elaborate woman's hairdo ("The Marcel" done by Frank and Joseph of Hollywood, as you are informed later). He walks, no, he <i>struts</i> towards the ring, pausing to disdainfully wave at the booing audience, peering down his nose at them as he does so. An expletive from the crowd is met with the reply "<i>peasants</i>."</p>
<p>Once at the ring, his opponent, the crowd, <i>and</i> you are all forced to wait, as first his valet sprays the ring down with something called Chanel Number 10 ("why be half-safe?") and then assists the Toast of the Coast, the Sensation of the Nation, the Human Orchid in carefully removing the platinum "Georgie pin" from his now flowing locks. During the whole proceeding he is showered with boos.</p>
<p>Your frustration only grows as he recoils from the touch of the referee who has come to check his person for foreign substances. "Get your filthy hands off of me!", he yells in disgust. Eventually he concedes to be examined, but only after the referee's hands have been disinfected. Even then, the match is further delayed as his valet assists him in removing a robe that costs more than your car. Just one of the 88 that he owns, you are told.</p>
<p>Man, how you want to see this man lose.</p>
<p>Your anger at George pales in comparison to the white-hot hatred and disgust being vocalized by the live crowd. Fans are literally screaming for his blood as the match gets underway. They will have to wait, for the man is a coward.</p>
<p>When his opponent tries to clinch with him, he moves away. When there is a risk of his hair being messed, he complains to the referee. And when threatened in any way, he runs; around the ring, through the ropes, around the curtain, anywhere, to keep from wrestling. When forced to finally do so, he cheats. <i>"Lose if you must, win if you can, but <b>always</b> cheat!"</i> becomes his much repeated credo.</p>
<p>There is nothing manly about anything he does... and yet, strangely and slowly something makes you start to laugh. And soon you are secretly cheering for this sissy who has the crowd so riled up.</p>
<p>Little do you realize that this absurd character is instigating a revolution at this very moment. That in the weeks, months and years to come he will have almost single-handedly made wrestling the number one attraction on television. Or that other stars like Lou Thesz and Verne Gagne and Killer Kowalski will find the spotlight on them, in part, thanks to Gorgeous George. And certainly not that by the 50s ten-million fans will be watching wrestling weekly on their television sets.</p>
<p>Television sets they buy <i>because</i> of him. He will be credited with selling more of them than even Uncle Milton Berle. He will be named Mr. Television in 1949. <i>"I don't know if I was made for television, or if television was made for me,"</i> he will famously say.</p>
<p>His impact will go WAY beyond the ringed circle and television. He will be credited with introducing "camp" to the mainstream public. A <i>Reader's Digest Poll</i> will suggest he is better known than the President. Mohammed Ali will claim he learned his trash-talking from <i>him</i>. Dylan, James Brown, John Waters, Liberace ("He stole my whole act"), and more, are inspired and influenced by one "Gorgeous" George Wagner.</p>
<p>Professional wrestling will never be the same, as the absurd is introduced to the sport. Characters will follow by the dozens. His persona and his act will be repeated by "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, Superstar Billy Graham, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ric Flair, Adrian Adonis, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and the dozens of imitators they spawn as well.</p>
<p>But none of this is known to you yet. All you know for certain is that you want to see him again.</p>
<p>And that you have to buy a television.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V5UWAn9dZ0Q" height="480" width="640"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p>via <a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GoldenAge2008">GoldenAge2008</a>, YouTube</p>
https://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/11/11/3630204/wrestling-with-the-past-ladies-and-gentlemen-gorgeous-george-is-here
John S. Nash
2012-10-17T19:00:00-04:00
2012-10-17T19:00:00-04:00
Who starred in oldest surviving film of a match?
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Dc-RrjUstPyA_SmwmKF_QMEwUas=/0x49:576x433/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/1570875/earlcaddock_medium.0.png" />
<figcaption>via Wikipedia.org</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Wrestling wth the Past</em> returns with the life and times of pro wrestling's "last legitimate champion"; Earl Caddock, "The Man of a Thousand Holds".</p> <blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
<p>"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."</p>
<p><b>- John Ford</b></p>
<p>"Professional wrestling... has no history, only a past."</p>
<p><b>- The Phantom of the Ring</b></p>
</blockquote>
<p><b></b></p>
<p>Over the last century professional wrestling has gone through many changes, but none were as radical as the transformation that followed the First World War. Before those first shots were fired on the Appel Quay in Sarajevo, wrestling was one of the première spectator sports of the Western World, its popularity on par with such stalwarts as boxing, baseball, and horse racing. Big matches, such as those involving champions Frank Gotch or George Hackenschmidt, drew massive crowds and garnered worldwide attention via newspapers and newsreels. But shortly after the Armistice that ended the Great War, wrestling would no longer be a "sport", as it metamorphosed into what later generations would term "sports entertainment".</p>
<p>According to Marcus Griffin in his seminal muckraker <i>The Fall Guys: The Barnums of Bounce</i>, it was during the Roaring 20s that the terms "shooting", "working", "program", and "heat' first entered the wrestling promoter's lexicon. It was also at this time that the slower, pure and undiluted grappling of the pre war years was replaced with the faster, more exciting "Slam Bang Western Style Wrestling." These changes, according to Nat Fleischer of <i>Ring Magazine</i>, "altered the grappling game to the extent that no longer is it an art or a science, but one in which fisticuffs plays almost as much a part in deciding a winner as does actual wrestling."</p>
<p>The final result was that legitimate, real professional wrestling ceased to exist. That's not to say that the outcomes weren't fixed in those earlier matches, for many -- if not most -- contests were probably entered with a predetermined outcome. But what was real was the actual wrestling and equally genuine were the skills of its competitors, something that could not be said of the bodybuilders and gridiron heroes that made up future generations. Perhaps no one better symbolized this earlier era of real professional wrestling than the man many have called the last legitimate champion: Earl Caddock, "The Man of a Thousand Holds."</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1253229/Earl_Caddock_100_holds.jpg"><img alt="Earl_caddock_100_holds_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1253229/Earl_Caddock_100_holds_medium.jpg"></a></p>
<p>The <a href="http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%205/Brooklyn%20NY%20Daily%20Eagle/Brooklyn%20NY%20Daily%20Eagle%201921%20Grayscale/Brooklyn%20NY%20Daily%20Eagle%201921%20Grayscale%20-%200725.pdf">story of Earl Caddock's </a>is a quintessential early 20th century American one. He was born in Huron, South Dakota on February 27, 1888 to John and Jane Caddock, both Jewish-German immigrants. A frail, sickly child, his family relocated to his mother's hometown of Chicago, IL so that young Earl could receive better care after having been (wrongly) diagnosed with tuberculosis. Part of his treatment included being sent to the local YMCA for exercise, where he saw his health dramatically improve thanks to a regiment of swimming, gymnastics, and, most importantly, wrestling.</p>
<p>It was wrestling that would hold a special interest for Caddock. During his youth he would read and memorize every word on the subject which he could get his hands on, then spend endless hours in the gymnasium experimenting and perfecting the holds and maneuvers he had come across; even inventing a few of his own.</p>
<p>In 1902 tragedy struck the Caddock family when Earl's father was killed in a freak accident after falling into an open manhole cover. With the family's primary provider gone, Earl was sent to Anita, IA to live and work on his Uncle Isaac's farm. He continued to grapple in that wrestling crazed state, winning many local championships. Eventually he returned to Chicago to attend college at the Hebrew Institution, where he was coached by the legendary Benny Reuben, and to also compete as a member of the Chicago Athletic Association. From 1909 to 1915 Caddock dominated the amateur ranks, winning numerous titles, mostly at middleweight and light heavyweight, and even recorded a victory over future Olympian Nat Pendleton.</p>
<p>In April of 1914 Caddock took part in the national AAU championships, which were held in San Francisco, CA where he won the light heavyweight class. He surpassed this feat a year later when he returned to the Bay area to win the AAU championship in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight classes. At 27 years of age Caddock was viewed as the best amateur catch-as-catch-can wrestler in the world. It was at this point that he decided to try his hand at the professional game.</p>
<p>The first test of his new career was a handicap match held on<a href="http://newspaperarchive.com/anita-tribune/1915-06-10/?tag=earl+caddock+red+cross&rtserp=tags/?page=4&plo=earl-caddock-red-cross&psb=relavance"> June 8, 1915, against former American champion Jess Westergaard</a>. The stipulation was that Westergaard would have to pin Caddock twice within an hour to be declared the winner, but at the end of the time limit Caddock's shoulders had failed to touch the mat. It was a most impressive first showing.</p>
<p>Less than a month later, on July 4, 1915, Caddock sat ringside to witness Joe Stecher defeating fellow Chicago Athletic Association member Charlie Cutler for the World Title. If Caddock ever wanted to be champion he would have to take it from the "Scissors King", a wrestler who had allegedly beaten him 2-falls-to-1 <a href="http://newspaperarchive.com/waterloo-evening-courier/1916-02-17/page-10/?tag=earl+caddock+red+cross&rtserp=tags/?page=4&plo=earl-caddock-red-cross&psb=relavance">in a private match held years before in an Iowa barn</a> in which 31 spectators paid a dime each to witness. It was also reportedly the last time either man had been pinned.</p>
<p>Over the next two years Caddock built up quite an impressive resume as a professional, meeting 23 opponents and racking up 46 consecutive pin-falls in the standard two-out-of-three fall matches. Amongst his victims were Clarence Eklund, Ad Santel, Marin Plestina, and Jess Westergaard, who he pinned twice in 42 minutes in their rematch. During all these matches Caddocks shoulders never once touched the mat.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1253235/Snapshot_2012-08-25_03-08-32.jpg"><img alt="Snapshot_2012-08-25_03-08-32_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1253235/Snapshot_2012-08-25_03-08-32_medium.jpg"></a></p>
<p>It was also during this run that Caddock picked up Gene Malady as his manager, a Midwest businessman whose reputation and ability as a promoter was rejuvenating the professional wrestling business. It was Malady that gave Caddock the name "<a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2dNlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=n44NAAAAIBAJ&pg=4735%2C3310951">The Man of a Thousand Holds</a>", a fitting moniker for the small heavyweight who tipped the scale only a few pounds over the 175 pound light heavyweight limit and who regularly gave up 40 pounds to his opponents.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"He can use the scissors, the half-Nelson, the bar arm, the toe hold, and hundreds of others, and he uses each with equal effectiveness. And that's what makes him the great champion that he is. If he can't get you with one, he tries another, another, and so on, until you fall victim to his variety."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Caddock's vast range of holds was so astounding that the legendary Greco-Roman champion William Muldoon once said: <i>"They short-change Caddock every time they call him 'The Man of a Thousand Holds'. Ten thousand would be a more exact figure."</i></p>
<p>One of Malardy's first actions was to send Caddock to learn the ropes of the professional game from two of its paramount practitioners: Martin "Farmer" Burns and Frank Gotch. Burns, the former American champion was commonly recognized as the best teacher of catch-as-can wrestling in the world, living or dead. The newly retired Frank Gotch had been Burns' most accomplished student and was widely hailed as the greatest wrestler since Milos of Croton.</p>
<p>In 1916 Caddock ended up traveling with the two in the Sells-Floto circus soaking up every trick and tip offered by the pair during their nightly wrestling exhibitions. He also assisted in Gotch's training, who was at the time planning on ending his retirement for a "match of the century" with Joe Stecher. Unfortunately, Gotch ended up fracturing his leg while grappling with fellow circus wrestler Bob Managoff and shortly thereafter fell ill from uremic poisoning. By the end of 1917 the peerless champion was dead at the young age of 39.</p>
<p>With the Gotch-Stecher contest no longer a possibility the biggest match now to be made in wrestling was between the champ Stecher and the up-and-coming Caddock. <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2QheAAAAIBAJ&sjid=518NAAAAIBAJ&pg=6744%2C5876433">With their similar Midwest backgrounds and records</a> they made for an interesting pairing; neither had yet to see their shoulders pinned to the mat for even a single fall.</p>
<p>The meeting took place on April 9, 1917 in a sold out arena in Omaha Nebraska. Almost 8,000 spectators paid to see a match billed as a contest between Nebraska (represented by Stecher) and Iowa (with Caddock as their champion). Caddock entered the match as anywhere from a 3-to-1 and 5-to-1 underdog, but he was also in the best condition of his life thanks to his time with Burns and Gotch.</p>
<p>Steve Yohe recounted the match in his excellent Earl Caddock bio <i>The Man of a Thousand Holds</i>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"The match started slowly with both wrestlers on their feet, Stecher trying to take the challenger down, but Caddock blocking every attempt for most of an hour... both wrestlers went on the offense with Stecher getting the better of the action. At one point Caddock fell from the ring and into the ringside seats, hitting his head. He climbed back into the ring dazed, soon falling victim to Stecher's body scissors and wristlock, being put on his back and pinned after one hour and twenty-two minutes. This was the first time Caddock had been pinned in his pro career.</p>
<p>"After the ten minute rest, the wrestlers returned from their dressing rooms. At the start of the second fall both wrestlers began to mix it up, but this time Caddock had the best of Stecher. Many times Caddock's quickness got him behind the champion and Stecher seemed powerless to stop him. At the fifty-minute mark of the second fall Caddock took Stecher down and got a pin, but the referee refused to allow the fall because both men were partly off the mat. This decision almost started a riot. Caddock's dominance of the exhausted Stecher continued until Caddock actually won the second fall in one hour and forty minutes using a reverse nelson and a head hold to pin Joe. The crowd went nuts as this was the first time that Stecher had ever been pinned."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>What happened next caught everyone off guard. "<a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=77wNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BFQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5090%2C6658011">From all reports Stecher quit cold, and quit unexpectedly</a>." Having retreated to his dressing room for the fifteen-minute interlude between falls, Stecher now refused to return for the final fall. He was simply too exhausted to continue, explaining later that it felt as if I was wrestling against five men at the same time."</p>
<p>With Stecher refusing to return, Caddock was declared the winner. The celebration that followed was described by Nat Fleischer in his book <i>From Milos to Londos</i>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"[Stecher] was all flagged out, so much so that he forfeited the match by refusing to return to the match for a third fall. The Dempsey victory over Firpo and the excitement attending the "long count" match between Tunney and Dempsey were as nothing compared to the furor and wild scenes when Caddock was returned victor over Stecher.</p>
<p>"The Omaha Ball Park, owned and managed by the veteran Pat O'Rourke, never saw such wild acclaim. The crowd was simply crazed and Caddock, possessing wonderful personality, good looking, and clean living, made a great hit and became immensely popular."</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1253331/Snapshot_2012-08-25_03-17-19.jpg"><img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1253331/Snapshot_2012-08-25_03-17-19_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Snapshot_2012-08-25_03-17-19_medium"></a></p>
<p>Less than two years since his first professional contest and only four months before his 30th birthday, Earl Caddock was the World's Heavyweight Champion.</p>
<p>Three days before Caddock's joyous victory the United States had declared war on Germany thereby entering what would eventually become known as the First World War. Congress soon passed the Selective Draft Act, requiring all males between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for military service. Caddock, caught up in the patriotic fervor, didn't wait to be drafted, choosing to instead enlist shortly after marrying his longtime sweetheart, Grace May Mickel of Walnut, Iowa, on July 21, 1917. Two weeks after exchanging vows Caddock appeared before a military draft examination board where he was surprised to learn that physicians had determined he was <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bo0VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YwoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3892%2C1970237">unfit for military service</a> due to an infection caused by an earlier tonsil surgery.</p>
<p>Caddock, who had already declined an exemption for being married now, refused one on behalf of his medical condition. In September he checked into the Mayo clinic where he underwent corrective surgery and a month later was accepted into the US Army.</p>
<p>The day after Christmas, Caddock entered the U.S. Army as a private in the Eighty-Eighth Division, which was stationed in Camp Dodge, Iowa. For one of the most famous athletes in the country, <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r7sWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DiEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4490%2C4851815">military life took some getting used to</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><i>"I woke up along about 1 o'clock," he says, "and some chap kept walking back and forth past the head of my bunk. I rolled over and said, 'What the dickens are you walking around all night for?' He was the guard, and told me to shut up and go on sleeping."</i></p>
</blockquote>
<p>During all this time Caddock continued to wrestle, receiving a pass to leave Camp Dodge whenever he had a match, <a href="http://newspaperarchive.com/emmetsburg-democrat/1917-12-26/">although the army stipulated that </a>"He will not be allowed to wrestle for money during the war except for the benefit of the Red Cross". As champion Caddock defended against the likes of Dr. Benjamin Roller, John Olin, Yussif Hussane, and John Freeberg, winning at least a score of matches after capturing the title from Stecher in 1917. His streak of straight falls only came to an end when he faced <a href="http://newspaperarchive.com/des-moines-daily-news/1918-02-09/">Wladek Zbyszko in February of 1918</a>, winning two falls to one. In a <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VX8_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=GlUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6286,614401&dq=earl+caddock+war&hl=enhttp://newspaperarchive.com/emmetsburg-democrat/1917-12-26/">rematch in May</a> he failed to pin the giant Pole, but took the decision, an outcome that was <a href="http://newspaperarchive.com/des-moines-daily-news/1918-06-22/page-8/?tag=earl+caddock+red+cross&rtserp=tags/?plo=earl-caddock-red-cross">repeated a month later against Ed 'The Strangler" Lewis</a>. In both these matches the general consensus was that Caddock had wrestled rings around his much bigger opponents. There was little doubt to those that followed the sport that he was at that time the "<a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=m_1SAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tDcNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1763,751831&dq=earl+caddock+joe+stecher&hl=en">World's Greatest Grappler</a>".</p>
<p>In April of 1918 promoter Jack Curly offered a $50,000 purse for meeting between Caddock and the winner of a match between Joe Stecher and Ed "The Strangler" Lewis. The contest, which was to be held on July 4th at Madison Square Gardens, was aborted <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KRBeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=818NAAAAIBAJ&pg=2569%2C1644371">when word came that Caddock's unit would be shipping out to the battlefields of Europe</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Premiere wrestling honors probably will rest with Sergeant Earl Caddock of Camp Dodge until after the war, as it is declared the national army man will engage in no more championship contests before his division - the Eighty-eighth - leaves for France."</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1253337/earl-caddock-06.jpg"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1253337/earl-caddock-06_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Earl-caddock-06_medium"></a></p>
<p>On August 4th, the <i>Omaha World-Herald</i> reported:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(Caddock was headed) "overseas with the Eighty-eighth division in the headquarters department. He leaves for the east immediately, and will probably sail the latter part of the week. The fact that Caddock is leaving removes all possible chances of his meeting any world's champion heavyweight aspirants."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Caddock arrived in France in late August, and was there for little more than three months before the guns went silent an hour before noon on November 11th. While he had missed the worst of the trench warfare during his short tour of duty, <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19200129&id=bhwbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oEkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5128,5524174">he had not escaped unscathed</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"He has gone through a war, has done a hitch at the front, lived in the trenches, slept in the mud and water, eaten of army "chow" that he claims didn't agree with him and finally was gassed in the Argonne."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>He would remain in Europe for another six months, falling ill from a mild case of influenza during this time. Caddock could count himself lucky for the Spanish Flu had killed some 50 million people worldwide during the war years and had been responsible for almost as many US military deaths as those lost in combat. Following this episode rumors soon emerged that his career was over, with the Associated Press reporting in March of 1919 that,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Caddock is on his way home, but he will wrestle no more. Before he left the division, he told his friends that when he was released from the army he was going to retire permanently from the struggles of the mat and turn farmer."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>By June, he was finally home with his wife and a newborn child who had been born while he was overseas. He had been gone from Iowa less than a year but the experience had obvious affected him deeply, as he returned looking thinner and unhealthy, with deep lines beneath his eyes. His early idealism was also gone, with Caddock declaring that he would only fight again if the U.S. was invaded, and never again on foreign soil.</p>
<p>Once home Caddock's strength and spirit rapidly returned and he was soon announcing that not only was he not retiring from wrestling but was already in training in order to defend his title. <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=T3sLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wlMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3982%2C3445900">Promoters at first ignored him</a>, satisfied to move ahead with a Lewis-Stecher championship match, but public support for Caddock couldn't be ignored. A rematch against his old rival Joe Stecher was arranged for January 30th, 1920 in New York City by premiere promoter Jack Curley For the match<a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Xn1RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GGgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1521%2C4131016"> the two wrestlers would be splitting the $40,000 purse bid</a>.</p>
<p>Billed as a clash between the two branches of the armed forces, with the sailor Stecher representing the Navy and the soldier Caddock as the Army's champion, the match<a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lhBeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AWANAAAAIBAJ&pg=4773%2C405619"> drew an enthusiastic crowd of ten thousand spectators to Madison Square Garden</a>. The gate was nearly $100,000 with ringside seats going for $22 ($20 for the seat plus a $2 war tax).</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1253349/Earl_CaddockvsJoe_Stecher.jpg"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1253349/Earl_CaddockvsJoe_Stecher_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Earl_caddockvsjoe_stecher_medium"></a></p>
<p>At 9:15 PM, the referee, former lightweight champion George Bothner, brought the two the center of the ring for final instructions. The match would be a one-fall contest with the stranglehold and full-nelson banned. Stecher was the larger of the two, having fifteen pounds on the 190 pound champion. Caddock reportedly glowed with a rosy health.</p>
<p><a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=L-U0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=xoYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1800%2C6490095">With Bothner's signal the match started</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Both were careful at the start. They placed their strong hands on each other's shoulders and began to tug and pull. Caddock tried to trip Joe and get him on the canvas, but Joe hopped around on one foot and kept his balance. "Watch him Joe," yelled the gallery, "don't let him fool you."</p>
<p>Round and round the ring they went backwards and forward both as wary as two cats. With their hands together they pushed and shoved, but neither could get a hold only on the other's neck."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The two circled the ring for the first 18 minutes before Caddock made the first move, a body hold. With the ice broken the battle was now underway. For next the two hours the crowd was treated to a masterful display of grappling, as they <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w8diAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gngNAAAAIBAJ&dq=earl%20caddock%20joe%20stecher&pg=2848%2C5009479">attacked, defended, and countered without pause</a>. At the hour mark Caddock broke free from a painful-looking arm hold, and by the ninety minute mark he was on top of Stecher looking for a pin. Miraculously, Stecher managed to not only escape but reverse the predicament.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>At one hour and forty-five minutes Caddock was felled and again the "scissors" hoodoo clinked menacingly in the air.</p>
<p>In a flash, Stecher had clamped it on, combined with a further arm hold. It seemed game Caddock's end. Excitement was a fever heat. Men about the ring twisted their Sunday-to-to-meeting high hats into, pretzels.</p>
<p>Women, and there were thousands of them there, piped the usual feminine wails as Caddock's shoulders neared the mat. Inches separated Joe Stecher from the world's title. Slowly, half an inch at a time, Caddock seemed to be slipping to wrestling doom. One shoulder was already pinned. The scissors was clamped on in a killing lock. The further armhold was gradually forcing the remaining shoulder to the mat; an inch to go.</p>
<p>George Bothner, on the flat of his tummy, utterly unmindful of his spic and span, to be in at the death. And then Caddock gave way and Bothner tapped Stecher on the shoulder. He was the champion.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The match was filmed and exhibited around the country to packed audiences, for which Caddock and Stecher were together paid the handsome price of $30,000. It is the oldest surviving film of a professional wrestling match and our only evidence of what wrestling was like before the ascension of the "Gold Dust Trio".</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JQl6mmAtkbE"> </iframe></p>
<p>Caddock never reclaimed the belt. He continued to wrestle for the next few years, winning most of his matches but falling whenever he faced the likes of Ed Lewis and the Zbyszko brothers, Wladek and Stanislaus. For many it was obvious that Caddock was no longer the same wrestler he had been prior to his tour in France.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"After a few days, it became quite apparent to Earl's horde of friends that he was no longer the Caddock who only a few months previously had been hailed as one of the greatest of American matmen.<span style="line-height: 8.999999046325684px;"> </span>The War had taken his strength from him. The gas had injured his lungs to such an extent that when he coughed his saliva was black."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Earl Caddock's last known match took place in Boston, MA on June 7, 1922. Caddock once again challenged for the world championship, this time against Ed Lewis. He managed to pin Lewis in the second fall, but lost the other two to the Strangler's dreaded headlock.</p>
<p>According to wrestling historian Mark Chapman "<i>Earl Caddock was a devoted husband, father, Christian and high-successful businessman, as well as patriot and champion athlete</i>". In retirement he went into business with his brother-in law, and reportedly <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PCFQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wgoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1785%2C7765313">became an Evangelist</a>, having converted to Christianity at some point during his career. But, unlike most professional wrestlers, he would never return to the ring after hanging up his boots. Fitting, for there was no place for him in the world of wrasslin' that arose after he departed.</p>
<p>Earl Caddock "The Man of a Thousand Holds" would <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4ZBSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WM4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=5644,2698779&dq=earl+caddock+joe+stecher&hl=en">pass away on August 25th, 1950</a>. The last legitimate champion was dead at the age of 62.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>______________________________________________________________</u></b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;">This article presented by our guest columnist <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/John%20S.%20Nash">John S. Nash</a></span></i>.<i><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"> In addition to delving into wrestling's past for Cageside Seats, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Thomas%20Nash" target="_blank"></a></span></i><i><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/110261957982035028062?rel=author">John Nash</a> has regularly chronicled the forgotten history of mixed martial arts at our fellow SBNation Blog: <a href="http://www.bloodyelbow.com/">BloodyElbow.com</a>. <i>Cageside Seats is proud to present a cross-posting of his article archives in this exclusive guest column and storystream for your enjoyment. To read more fascinating articles from Mr. Nash, simply </i><i><a href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/css-features-guest-columnist-john-s-nash" target="_blank">bookmark this link</a> and remember to check back frequently for new content.</i></span></i></p>
<p><i> </i></p>
<p><i><i> </i></i></p>
<p><i>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><i><b><u>______________________________________________________________</u></b></i></p>
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<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>IMAGES:</b></p>
<li><i>"Earl Caddock" via <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org/">Wikipedia.org</a></i></li>
<li>"<i>Caddock using the scissors hold" from <i>The Day</i>, May 30, 1917</i> </li>
<li><i>"Earl Caddock against Joe Stecher" from the <i>The News and Courier</i>, Jan. 29, 1929</i></li>
https://www.cagesideseats.com/cageside-seats-features/2012/10/18/3518600/pro-wrestling-history-earl-caddock-man-of-thousand-holds
John S. Nash
2012-09-04T19:00:00-04:00
2012-09-04T19:00:00-04:00
John S. Nash presents: "Wrestling With The Past"
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fHUGASMsHzvtx4SghtJ-g5Kv6SM=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47827791/large_cagesideseats.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><em>Wrestling With the Past</em>: Cageside Features Guest Columnist, John S. Nash brings us a series of articles in which he chronicles professional wrestling's origins and legends.</p>
<blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
<p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; line-height: 15px;"><i>"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." </i><b>- John Ford</b></p>
<p><i style="line-height: 15px;">"Professional wrestling... has no history, only a past." </i><b style="line-height: 15px;">- The Phantom of the Ring</b></p>
</blockquote>
<p><b style="line-height: 15px;"></b>In this edition, posted right here on Cageside Seats, on September 4, 2012, we learn what happened precisely 101 years ago today, when <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV3VRCEX1s8" target="_blank">the most important match in professional wrestling history</a> took place. No contest in the intervening century can match the impact that the meeting between <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CFAQFjAK&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.frankgotch.com%2Fbiography.html&ei=iFRHUKbiGsf1rAHeqYHwBQ&usg=AFQjCNHengL10tzD5guj1PjF3WapaW0X4g&sig2=BZvIhy-nMX9gbqImI5YGJg" target="_blank">Frank Gotch</a> and <a href="http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/pages/wrestlers/georgehackenschmidt2.html" target="_blank">George Hackenschmidt</a>, on September 4th, 1911, had on the sport of professional wrestling. It was an event that signaled wrestling's ascension to the top of the sporting hierarchy, ahead of boxing, baseball and bicycle racing, and, coincidentally was the catalyst which transformed wrestling from sport into "sports entertainment". And now, without further ado, "Wrestling with the Past" takes us back...</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/9/5/3293059/wrestling-with-the-past-gotch-versus-hackenschmidt-the-event-of-the"><b><u><i>Click here to continue reading this article...</i></u></b></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>______________________________________________________________</u></b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;">This article presented by our guest columnist <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/John%20S.%20Nash">John S. Nash</a></span></i>.<i><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"> In addition to delving into wrestling's past for Cageside Seats, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Thomas%20Nash" target="_blank"></a></span></i><i><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/110261957982035028062?rel=author">John Nash</a> has regularly chronicled the forgotten history of mixed martial arts at our fellow SBNation Blog: <a href="http://www.bloodyelbow.com/">BloodyElbow.com</a>. <i>Cageside Seats is proud to present a cross-posting of his article archives in this exclusive guest column and storystream for your enjoyment. To read more fascinating articles from Mr. Nash, simply </i><i><a href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/css-features-guest-columnist-john-s-nash" target="_blank">bookmark this link</a> and remember to check back frequently for new content.</i></span></i></p>
<p><i> </i></p>
<p><i><i> </i></i></p>
<p><i> </i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><i><b><u>______________________________________________________________</u></b></i></i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p><i> </i></p>
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<p><i> </i></p>
https://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/10/27/3562648/wrestling-with-the-past-gotch-versus-hackenschmidt-the-event-of-the
June M. Williams
2012-08-03T19:00:00-04:00
2012-08-03T19:00:00-04:00
John S. Nash presents: "Wrestling With The Past"
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fHUGASMsHzvtx4SghtJ-g5Kv6SM=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47827791/large_cagesideseats.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><em>Wrestling With the Past</em>: Cageside Features Guest Columnist, John S. Nash brings us a series of articles in which he chronicles professional wrestling's origins and legends.</p>
<blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
<p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; line-height: 15px;"><i>"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." </i><b>- John Ford</b></p>
<p><i style="line-height: 15px;">"Professional wrestling... has no history, only a past." </i><b style="line-height: 15px;">- The Phantom of the Ring</b></p>
</blockquote>
<p><b style="line-height: 15px;"></b>In this edition, posted right here on Cageside Seats, on August 3, 2012, for those unfamiliar with the 'Toughest of Them All', one Mr. Tom Jenkins, we will learn what kind of wrestling coach this Tom fellow was. Memories of him could apparently provide such inspiration as to refuse surrender in the Battle of the Bulge. Not only was inspiration from Jenkins as exhibited by one Col. John Corley, but also by such illustrious fellow West Point wrestling alumni as Gen. Omar Bradley, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Gen. George S. Patton. "Wrestling with the Past" returns...</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/8/3/3217075/wrestling-with-the-past-the-toughest-of-them-all-tom-jenkins"><b><i><u>Click here to continue reading this article...</u></i></b></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>___</b><b>___________________________________________________________</b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
<p style="text-align: justify;">In addition to delving into wrestling's past for Cageside Seats, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/110261957982035028062?rel=author">John Nash</a> <b></b>regularly chronicles the forgotten history of mixed martial arts over at our fellow SBNation Blog:<a href="http://www.bloodyelbow.com/"> bloodyelbow.com</a>. To read more fascinating articles from Mr. Nash, simply <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/css-features-guest-columnist-john-s-nash">bookmark this link</a> and be sure to check back frequently for new content and archival features.</p>
</blockquote>
https://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/10/27/3562192/wrestling-with-the-past-the-toughest-of-them-all-tom-jenkins
June M. Williams
2012-08-03T19:00:00-04:00
2012-08-03T19:00:00-04:00
John S. Nash presents: "Wrestling With The Past"
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fHUGASMsHzvtx4SghtJ-g5Kv6SM=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47827791/large_cagesideseats.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><em>Wrestling With the Past</em>: Cageside Features Guest Columnist, John S. Nash brings us a series of articles in which he chronicles professional wrestling's origins and legends.</p>
<blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
<p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; line-height: 15px;"><i>"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." </i><b>- John Ford</b></p>
<p><i style="line-height: 15px;">"Professional wrestling... has no history, only a past." </i><b style="line-height: 15px;">- The Phantom of the Ring</b></p>
</blockquote>
<p><b style="line-height: 15px;"></b>In this edition, posted right here on Cageside Seats, on August 3, 2012, for those unfamiliar with the 'Toughest of Them All', one Mr. Tom Jenkins, we will learn what kind of wrestling coach this Tom fellow was. Memories of him could apparently provide such inspiration as to refuse surrender in the Battle of the Bulge. Not only was inspiration from Jenkins as exhibited by one Col. John Corley, but also by such illustrious fellow West Point wrestling alumni as Gen. Omar Bradley, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Gen. George S. Patton. "Wrestling with the Past" returns...</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><i><a href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/8/3/3217075/wrestling-with-the-past-the-toughest-of-them-all-tom-jenkins" target="_blank">Click here to continue reading this article...</a></i></u></b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>______________________________________________________________</u></b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;">This article presented by our guest columnist <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/John%20S.%20Nash">John S. Nash</a></span></i>.<i><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"> In addition to delving into wrestling's past for Cageside Seats, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Thomas%20Nash"></a></span></i><i><span style="font-size: 10.909090995788574px;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/110261957982035028062?rel=author">John Nash</a> has regularly chronicled the forgotten history of mixed martial arts at our fellow SBNation Blog: <a href="http://www.bloodyelbow.com/">BloodyElbow.com</a>. <i>Cageside Seats is proud to present a cross-posting of his article archives in this exclusive guest column and storystream for your enjoyment. To read more fascinating articles from Mr. Nash, simply </i><i><a target="_blank" href="http://www.cagesideseats.com/css-features-guest-columnist-john-s-nash">bookmark this link</a> and remember to check back frequently for new content.</i></span></i></p>
<p><i> </i></p>
<p><i><i> </i></i></p>
<p><i> </i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><i><b><u>______________________________________________________________</u></b></i></i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p><i> </i></p>
<p><i><i> </i></i></p>
<p><i> </i></p>
https://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/10/27/3561920/wrestling-with-the-past-the-toughest-of-them-all-tom-jenkins
June M. Williams