Tag: pioneer era

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The pre-Hackenschmidt era of Russian wrestling

Posted on by Karl Stern

On this episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, I continue my 1000 Hours research on the pioneer era of wrestling.

A sponsor of the show requested some research on wrestling in Russia before George Hackenschmidt. Interestingly, wrestling in Russia came relatively late in the pioneer era and Hackenschmidt (seen above) became its biggest star. But, there were others.

Today, we look at the early stars of Russian wrestling and how it originally developed as an import from Poland and France.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The strongmen of the pioneer era

Posted on by Karl Stern

Strongmen and pro wrestling go hand in hand. Who can forget the muscled up 1980s?

Yet, the more things change, the more they stay the same. In the pioneer era of wrestling, your prototypical strongmen and bodybuilders were also featured alongside and inside professional wrestling.

This 1000 Hours episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show continues to focus on the pioneer era of wrestling, taking a look at such pioneering strongmen and their relation to wrestling such as Eugen Sandow, Louis Cyr, and George Hackenschmidt.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The Barney Smith mystery

Posted on by Karl Stern

On a new DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, I present hour 36 of 1000 Hours, my series all about the pioneer era of pro wrestling. 

On this episode, we do a lot of research including some new tidbits about Col. James H. McLaughlin (seen above) which leads us back to our most enduring mystery: did McLaughlin kill Barney Smith?

If yes, then why is there not a shred of evidence to support it aside from Smith disappearing from the record? If not, then why does the story even exist? It’s time to resolve the Smith story once and for all.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: More on Charles, King of the Wrestlers

Posted on by Karl Stern

On this episode of my 1000 Hours focus on the pioneer era of pro wrestling, I go back even further to the pre-pioneer era just before the U.S. Civil War.

This week, I uncover more about the first known self-promoted pro wrestling star: Charles, The King of Wrestling. If you missed last week’s initial look, here you go.

The pre-pioneer era was a fascinating time period in American history from which the seeds of what would become American showman style wrestling were sown.

Enjoy this week’s DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: G.W. Flagg & John McMahon

Posted on by Karl Stern

On another DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, I return to further discuss the pioneer era of pro wrestling in my 1000 Hours subseries which focuses on pro wrestling pre-1900 or before the era of Frank Gotch.

This week, I look back at the career of two pioneers: G.W. Flagg and John McMahon. These were two men who only met once and it was during the Civil War. I discuss that and tons of other research notes from that era.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Greek George and the Champion of the South

Posted on by Karl Stern

My pioneer era of pro wrestling discussion continues with hour 32 of the 1000 Hours focus series on the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show.

On this episode, the eventual manager of Evan “Strangler” Lewis, Greek George, is promoting wrestling in Pensacola, FL, where we meet the Champion of the South. Who was he and was this a work or a shoot?

This show also features tons of notes on pre-1900 era pro wrestling and tons of research on the pioneers of wrestling.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Of Bauer and bears

Posted on by Karl Stern

My 1000 Hours podcast series explores the pioneer era of professional wrestling, namely pro wrestling before 1900 or the era of Frank Gotch. 

Gotch didn’t appear out of a vacuum as a history of over fifty years of pro wrestling had already been sown in the United States and further back than that in Europe. Names like William Muldoon, Col. James H. McLaughlin, Jim McMahon, and H.M. Dufur were the original wrestling stars of America. 

In this episode, I take a look at one of my favorites: Prof. Theobaud Bauer, a worker (aka con man) of the highest order and this time, the story involves bears.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: From William Muldoon to Roman Reigns

Posted on by Karl Stern

On this hour of my 1000 Hours focus on the pioneer era of pro wrestling, I think it is important to step back for a moment and ask the very legitimate question: what does the pioneer era really have to do with pro wrestling?

Wasn’t it just untrained conmen with large mustaches traveling the country tricking people into a betting scam? What does it really have to do with modern entertainment-style pro wrestling?

Today, I take you on an unbroken journey from William Muldoon to Roman Reigns to show you that it is a more direct link than you may realize.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: A boxer & a wrestler walk into a bar

Posted on by Karl Stern

My latest look back at the pioneer era of pro wrestling takes a look at John McMahon, whom we have previously discussed — a man who apparently liked his drinks.

According to newspapers at the time, one of the first boxer vs. wrestler matches may not have taken place as a betting event for spectators, but instead in a bar room because McMahon had too much to drink. 

Then, he started running his mouth. Then, well, you know.

Find out what happened next plus tons of other notes in hour 28 of my 1000 Hours series focusing on the pioneer era of pro wrestling.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Meet the first pioneer era influencer

Posted on by Karl Stern

If I told you that today’s look back at the pioneer era of pro wrestling involved a bear eating a kid and a funeral invaded by corpse eating cats, you might think me ridiculous.

Well, welcome to the world of Richard K. Fox: pioneer era pro wrestling influencer.

It was Fox, via his National Police Gazette publication, that distributed championship belts, promoted matches, and popularized the famous wrestlers of the era. 

It’s impossible to compare him to a modern counterpart. He was no Dave Meltzer. He was no Bill Apter. He was more if Vince McMahon and Vince Russo had a kid and you gave it a wrestling magazine to publish. 

You will learn a lot on today’s show, some of which you will wish you hadn’t. This is hour 27 of my 1000 Hours series looking at the pioneer era.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: A must-read book for pioneer era fans

Posted on by Karl Stern

On this edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, I delve into my 1000 Hours series focusing on the pioneer era of pro wrestling

This week, I take a look at a much-overlooked book on the pioneer era (and beyond) called Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America by Scott Beekman, a college educator who put tremendous research into the topic. 

I was a source cited in the book and discuss some of the interesting facts I learned — all while still seeking the truth about Col. McLaughlin and Barney Smith.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The Zbyszko brothers

Posted on by Karl Stern

1000 Hours is my sub-podcast series on the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show about the pioneer era of pro wrestling: defined as before Frank Gotch and before 1900. 

This week’s show was a requested topic by Eric, the sponsor of this episode. He wanted to know about the Polish influence on wrestling.

In the 1970s, especially, various Polish wrestlers were popular as an ethnic draw, but does it go back further than that? 

When speaking of the Polish influence on pro wrestling, two names immediately come to mind: that being the brother duo of Stanislaus and Wladek Zbyszko.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Pioneer era wrestling beyond NYC

Posted on by Karl Stern

On a new DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, we look at pioneer era wrestling outside New York City thanks to a request from listener Andrew.

I dug into newspapers in Buffalo, Rochester, and surrounding areas to find out that the pro wrestling scene outside of New York City in the late 1800s was both well and good including a number of names we have became familiar with including Col. McLaughlin, H.M. Dufur, Theobaud Bauer, and more.

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: The mystery of Barney Smith & James McLaughlin

Posted on by Karl Stern

On this week’s DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show, it’s another episode in my 1000 Hours series.

Hour 21 focuses on the mystery of Barney Smith.

While his current status of being alive or dead isn’t a mystery (he lived 150 years ago), the question is whether Col. James H. McLaughlin (seen above) killed him.

In the early 2000s when I first really dug into the pioneers of pro wrestling, I was led to believe that in a famous wrestling tournament in Detroit, MI, in 1870, McLaughlin wrestled Smith in the finals and Smith died the day after. There were many specific details to the incident told to me by a historian.

The problem is that over 20 years later and with access to all the major newspapers of the day, there doesn’t seem to be a shred of evidence to support it.

So what happened to Barney Smith?

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DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: Pioneer era wrestling in Africa

Posted on by Karl Stern

This week’s episode of the DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show was both requested and sponsored by Eric Darsie who asked if there is any evidence for pioneer era (pre-1900) pro wrestling in Africa.

Africa is hard enough to get modern era pro wrestling news out of, so I didn’t expect to find much. However, there does appear to have been pro wrestling in Africa during the era. I expected to find it in either Egypt or South Africa, but what I discovered was an interesting history and style of wrestling throughout the continent that exists even to this day.

This is hour 16 of my 1000 Hours series. Enjoy.

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