30.03.2010, 18:35
2. Teil
“The Golden Era’s Triumvirate”
“Wrestling reached the peak of prosperity in the two decades which followed the tenure of Gotch-Hackenschmidt-Burns et al. Strangely it boomed during the depression years starting in 1929, when most other sports hit bottom. This period in wrestling lore is known as the Golden Era, with the late Jack Curley in sole control.
In his way Curley was as colorful as the great wrestling stars under his management. As a showman he rated with Florenz Ziegfield, Tex Rickard and other great showmen in other lines of entertainment. Wrestclubs operated under his management weekly in hundreds of towns from coast to coast and in Canada. All of them, with few exceptions, sold out night after night, week after week, month after month, and the boom went on for almost ten years!
Wrestlers whose names are inscribed in wrestling’s “Hall of Fame” scrambled to get aboard Curley’s band wagon. The list is too long to print here, but to mention a few: Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Jim Londos, The Zbyszkos - Stanislaus and Wladek, Renato Gardini, Tony Stecher, Jim McMillen, Jack Sherry, Hans Steinke, Ray Steele and so many others. The foundation of wrestling rested with the Big Thee - Lewis-Londos-Zbyszko. Their great specialty was the introduction of their own favorite holds, which became famous the world over. Ed “Strangler” Lewis developed the headlock; Londos the Airplane Spin and Zbyszko, a combination of Greco-Roman and Catch-as-catch-can, which combined with his abnormal strengh, made him one of the most feared men on the mat. Zbyszko was the oldest of the three, but age never bothered Stanislaus. He regained the world’s mat title when he was 52 and now in his late seventies, occasionally managers to get in a match here and there. For that matter so does Londos.
Fans who followed wrestling during the Gotch era wouldn’t have recognized the new style during the “Golden Era”. Speed and more speed was the order of the day and fans loved it. New holds and their applications was another great factor responsible for this unheard of boom in the sport. Ed “Strangler” Lewis’ famed headlock, was a devastating hold. The “Strangler” practised it without let-up. He designed a wooden head split in half and joined with two short massive springs. The idea was to press the head so hard that it would join up again. Ed carried this contraption everywhere he went and worked on it. When he applied it to his satisfaction against an opponent it meant curtains for the hapless one.
Jim Londos’ Airplane Spin was much more spectacular than Lewis’ headlock, but just as effective. Size and weight meant little to Jim. Once he caught his man and held him high over his head, and started whirling him around, that was the end.
Stanislaus Zbyszko, wasn’t a specialist so far as many particular hold was concerned, but he trained himself for counter-attacks and succeeded so well that during this period of wrestling he twice became world’s champion.
Wrestlers today make use of headlocks and airplane spins, but none has come up so far who can compare with the two great masters, Lewis and Londos. Although plane travel wasn’t in vogue during the “Golden Era”, Lewis, Londos and Zbyszko, made regular trips to Europe. They were as famous overseas as in their own land. Their popularity in Europe doubled their earnings and none will contradict that these three great champions each earned better than a million dollars during their professional wrestling careers. If you consider that their earnings were without benefit of radio or television, it will give you an idea of their drawing power at the gate.
It is often said that wrestling goes in cycles, it booms for a time, then hits a slump and booms again. We do not share this opinion. We rather think when top mat talent slackers, wrestling declines and only revives when new stars appear on the horizon. True the “Golden Era” came to an end, but it took ten years before it did. Again wrestling found itself in a slump, but it has come back and next month we shall tell you about its present boom and the world's champion, Lou Thesz."
Teil 3 fehlt mir, von daher ist dieser Artikel dann beendet.
“The Golden Era’s Triumvirate”
“Wrestling reached the peak of prosperity in the two decades which followed the tenure of Gotch-Hackenschmidt-Burns et al. Strangely it boomed during the depression years starting in 1929, when most other sports hit bottom. This period in wrestling lore is known as the Golden Era, with the late Jack Curley in sole control.
In his way Curley was as colorful as the great wrestling stars under his management. As a showman he rated with Florenz Ziegfield, Tex Rickard and other great showmen in other lines of entertainment. Wrestclubs operated under his management weekly in hundreds of towns from coast to coast and in Canada. All of them, with few exceptions, sold out night after night, week after week, month after month, and the boom went on for almost ten years!
Wrestlers whose names are inscribed in wrestling’s “Hall of Fame” scrambled to get aboard Curley’s band wagon. The list is too long to print here, but to mention a few: Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Jim Londos, The Zbyszkos - Stanislaus and Wladek, Renato Gardini, Tony Stecher, Jim McMillen, Jack Sherry, Hans Steinke, Ray Steele and so many others. The foundation of wrestling rested with the Big Thee - Lewis-Londos-Zbyszko. Their great specialty was the introduction of their own favorite holds, which became famous the world over. Ed “Strangler” Lewis developed the headlock; Londos the Airplane Spin and Zbyszko, a combination of Greco-Roman and Catch-as-catch-can, which combined with his abnormal strengh, made him one of the most feared men on the mat. Zbyszko was the oldest of the three, but age never bothered Stanislaus. He regained the world’s mat title when he was 52 and now in his late seventies, occasionally managers to get in a match here and there. For that matter so does Londos.
Fans who followed wrestling during the Gotch era wouldn’t have recognized the new style during the “Golden Era”. Speed and more speed was the order of the day and fans loved it. New holds and their applications was another great factor responsible for this unheard of boom in the sport. Ed “Strangler” Lewis’ famed headlock, was a devastating hold. The “Strangler” practised it without let-up. He designed a wooden head split in half and joined with two short massive springs. The idea was to press the head so hard that it would join up again. Ed carried this contraption everywhere he went and worked on it. When he applied it to his satisfaction against an opponent it meant curtains for the hapless one.
Jim Londos’ Airplane Spin was much more spectacular than Lewis’ headlock, but just as effective. Size and weight meant little to Jim. Once he caught his man and held him high over his head, and started whirling him around, that was the end.
Stanislaus Zbyszko, wasn’t a specialist so far as many particular hold was concerned, but he trained himself for counter-attacks and succeeded so well that during this period of wrestling he twice became world’s champion.
Wrestlers today make use of headlocks and airplane spins, but none has come up so far who can compare with the two great masters, Lewis and Londos. Although plane travel wasn’t in vogue during the “Golden Era”, Lewis, Londos and Zbyszko, made regular trips to Europe. They were as famous overseas as in their own land. Their popularity in Europe doubled their earnings and none will contradict that these three great champions each earned better than a million dollars during their professional wrestling careers. If you consider that their earnings were without benefit of radio or television, it will give you an idea of their drawing power at the gate.
It is often said that wrestling goes in cycles, it booms for a time, then hits a slump and booms again. We do not share this opinion. We rather think when top mat talent slackers, wrestling declines and only revives when new stars appear on the horizon. True the “Golden Era” came to an end, but it took ten years before it did. Again wrestling found itself in a slump, but it has come back and next month we shall tell you about its present boom and the world's champion, Lou Thesz."
Teil 3 fehlt mir, von daher ist dieser Artikel dann beendet.