When Wrestling Was Rasslin' Read online

  As America emerged, so did the city of Houston, Texas. In 1910, Houston had a population of approximately 80,000 and was still growing. The bustling city on the bayou was becoming a nationally-recognized center of commerce. City leaders were developing the Port of Houston, as well as enhancing its railway system. Another major factor in the rise of Houston was the tragic hurricane of 1900, which devastated neighboring Galveston. Before the hurricane, Galveston was Houston’s number one competitor in regards to commerce. After the storm, much of that commerce migrated inward to Houston, so the city was much like America--rising to newer and greater heights.

  Houston's business and civic leaders were not totally satisfied with these great strides. They wanted more! They convinced the city of Houston to build a brand new state-of-the-art auditorium, which would help draw conventions and business activity to the Bayou City.

  The city fathers decided to build a multi-purpose building at the corner of Texas Avenue and Louisiana Street, named City Auditorium.

  On April 24, 1910, a Houston Chronicle article stated, “When completed this will be the largest fireproof auditorium in the South and it will represent an expenditure of $250,000. This auditorium, coupled with the million-dollar hotel to be erected, will render Houston the leading convention city of the Southwest. The promoters of the auditorium regard it as the greatest advertising feature which the city could possess.”1

  The City Auditorium opened on November 17, 1910, with the No-tsu-oh (Houston spelled backwards) Carnival Ball, the big social event of the year. The Carnival Ball was part of the No-tsu-oh festivities, which included poultry and pet shows, rodeo events, horse races, daily band concerts, and auto races.

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  What a grand opening that must have been for the Grand Auditorium! It would become the permanent home for Houston Wrestling for the next forty-seven years.

  The City Auditorium was indeed a multi-purpose facility. It was booked for conventions, concerts, dances, recitals, business events, political meetings, receptions, auto shows, poultry exhibits, private events, graduations, boxing matches, and most importantly for Houston Wrestling fans, professional wrestling. The Houston Symphony Orchestra also called the City Auditorium home for two decades. The Houston Symphony and Houston Wrestling were an interesting pair of roommates. They did team up one night to make Texas history, as you will read later.

  The No-tsu-oh Carnival was followed by the Baptist General Convention of Texas. No doubt, it was this convention that featured the first showdown in the City Auditorium between the forces of good and evil. This classic showdown would be the backbone of thousands of Houston Wrestling shows for nearly a half a century. The epic theme is the most essential concept of professional wrestling.

  Little has been written about the history of Houston Wrestling in the years before the grand opening of the City Auditorium. Most folklore talks about traveling road shows and carnivals featuring professional wrestlers who would take on all comers from the audience. Sometimes a local town hero would prove a worthy opponent for the well-conditioned professional wrestler. When this happened, the opportunistic traveling promoter would have a special showdown with special showdown ticket prices to make more money.

  This was common all around America during the turn of the century, but that was about to change because of an historic event: the long awaited rematch between rugged Georg Hackenschmidt and popular Frank Gotch. These two superstars wrestled once before in a controversial match in 1908. Frank Gotch was declared the winner; however, there was so much debate and international uproar that fans from around the world demanded a return match! When it comes to professional wrestling, some things never change.

  The return match was a promoter’s dream. It was held in the newly-opened Comiskey Park in Chicago on September 4, 1911. It was probably the most awaited showdown in the history of professional wrestling. Fans from every corner of the world anxiously awaited the outcome.

  In front of a crowd of over 30,000, Frank Gotch won the rematch. However, once again accusations surrounded the victory. Nevertheless, Frank Gotch became the World Champion of professional wrestling, which helped put America on the world map of sports. So as America was emerging as a world power, so was its prestige in the wide world of sports. It is because of his astonishing victory over Hackenschmidt, and bringing the World Title to America, that Frank Gotch was given the title “Father of Professional Wrestling in America.”

  Frank Gotch’s victory made him one of the most popular athletes in the world and started to put professional wrestling in the spotlight. This created an excellent opportunity for sports promoters across the nation to promote professional wrestling cards on their own merit. They no longer needed the association with traveling carnivals.

  Now wrestling promoters became a breed of their own. The early days of professional wrestling saw several great promoters emerge around the country. Houston Wrestling was not an exception, and it was fortunate to have two great wrestling promoters in the Sigel brothers: Julius and Morris.

  According to Houston Wrestling folklore, Julius Sigel and his younger brother Morris were the first professional promoters to promote Houston Wrestling in the City Auditorium on a regular basis. They jointly promoted from 1915 to 1929. In 1929, Julius moved his efforts from Houston to New Orleans and Shreveport, Louisiana. Some say that he teamed with a promoter named Sam Avery to start Mid-South Wrestling. Ironically, that branch would establish a connection with Houston Wrestling some fifty-three years later, becoming a major factor in the final chapters of the Houston Wrestling promotion.

  When Julius left, he handed off the Houston Wrestling promotion to his brother, Morris. Morris would promote Houston Wrestling in the City Auditorium for the next four decades, and reign as King of the Houston Wrestling promotion for over fifty-two years!

  Most sources praise Morris Sigel as a man with good business sense and a very kind heart. Morris did not know much about professional wrestling, but he was smart enough to hire individuals who did. Morris also promoted other events including boxing matches and any other event he felt would make money. He had a stake in the food and drink concessions during the events he promoted, so it was to his advantage to promote as many events as possible. Morris Sigel has been given the credit as being the first promoter in the State of Texas to apply for and receive both a wrestling promoter’s license, as well as a license to promote boxing.

  Not a lot has been written about the wrestling events that took place in Houston before the thirties. However, the years leading up to that time was a fascinating era for professional wrestling as it continued to develop.

  The period between Frank Gotch’s shocking win and the thirties was an era of evolution and fan-oriented change for professional wrestling. Promoters and wrestlers realized that the sport needed to change to meet fan expectations. Legitimate wrestling matches could be grueling, and would sometimes last for hours. Fans got restless watching two grapplers in the same hold, sometimes for as long as thirty minutes or more. Professional wrestling had to compete for the spectator’s entertainment dollar with baseball, football, and boxing, among others. If professional wrestling wanted to be a successful spectator’s sport, then change was inevitable.

  Professional wrestlers and promoters reverted back to a strategy of looking at wrestling as a business rather than as a sport. This was the same strategy which some traveling show promoters and wrestlers used around the turn of the century. It did not take long for those men to realize that if the wrestler would purposely let the local hometown favorite look good against him, then the promoter and wrestler would make more money.

  It was not good business for the professional wrestler to quickly beat the hometown hero. It was much more profitable for the wrestler to make the local hero look like he might win, then let the time limit on the contest expire. The opportunistic promoter would quickly set up a “return” match and sell tickets for the “ultimate showdown.” If done right, there would be a huge crowd at the showdo
wn because all of the town’s people would come out to cheer their local hero. Then the professional wrestler would not hold back, and beat the local hero. By this time, the promoter and wrestler would have plenty of cash in their pockets.

  The strategy was known as “doing business.” It did not involve scripted matches or predetermined winners, but was a means for the professional wrestler to beat his opponent or allow the other man to shine. At the appropriate time, the professional wrestler could defeat his foe, but “doing business” in this manner allowed wrestling promoters and wrestlers to make more money.

  One could make the argument that for many years major sports have been focused more on making money than protecting the integrity of their sport. Look at the rule changes in the past few decades in many major sports. Baseball, for instance, would raise the pitcher’s mound or lower it. Some baseball teams would bring in the fences for more home runs. The sport also changed the rules to allow designated hitters. These alterations were designed to provide more exciting action for their paying customers. Also, consider the rule changes designed to accommodate television because of funding the sport receives from television companies. Both professional and college football have recently changed the rule regarding the stopping then restarting of the game clock when a player or football goes out of bounds. This rule reduces the actual football action in the game and allows more commercial time. Doesn’t that harm the integrity of football when playing time is greatly reduced because of commercial considerations? Money has controlled major sports for a long time and it looks like it always will. Not all wrestling promoters and wrestlers would “do business.” However, the ones that did made money and survived.

  This evolutionary era of professional wrestling was also characterized by numerous wrestling legends. One of the most well known was the legendary Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Lewis started wrestling at the young age of fourteen and continued to be a major force in professional wrestling for over fifty years. Lewis was the World Heavyweight Champion for most of his history-making career. When he was not wrestling, he was dominating the business as a promoter and manager.

  Lewis teamed up with Toots Mondt and Billy Sandow to promote professional wrestling. People in the business referred to them as the “Gold Dust Trio.” This dynamic threesome was instrumental during the transitional years of professional wrestling as it moved out of the traveling shows and into its own business. Some credit these three men as being the first to promote wrestling cards on their own merit. They put together shows that featured several wrestling matches, rather than the one wrestling match strategy of the traveling shows.

  Lewis retired from the ring in 1935 and then came out of retirement in 1942, even though he was legally blind from trachoma. After he could no longer wrestle, Lewis remained in professional wrestling by training new stars and then becoming their manager. The most famous was his good friend and number one protégé, six times World Champion Lou Thesz, who would go on to establish his own legendary legacy in the sport he loved.

  Ed “Strangler” Lewis retired again in 1948, at the age of fifty-seven, after making a lot of money. He was an unbelievable athlete and a great box office attraction. Lewis was also known to be a man with a big heart, as he continued to help people who needed it. Unfortunately this combination--a man who loved a good time and who loved to help his fellow man--left Lewis destitute. The aging sports legend had to rely on his wife for financial support in his final years. He died on August 8, 1966 in New York. Ed “Strangler” Lewis played a major role in the history of Houston Wrestling, as you will soon discover. No one will ever match his reputation in and out of the ring.

  Did Lewis treat professional wrestling as a sport or as a business? Did he “do business?” We will let wrestling historians and fans debate that question. All this storyteller knows is that Lewis' hand-picked protégé, the legendary Lou Thesz, told him that Lewis could “break you in half or make you look like a million dollars.” Enough said.

  In addition to being an era of change for professional wrestling, this period was also an era of change in the American sports world.

  This story must also follow not only professional wrestling’s role in this history-making era, but also the emergence of professional football as a major sport. These two sports shared legends and stars.

  One of the most colorful was Jumping Joe Savoldi, an All-American fullback for the Fighting Irish under legendary coach Knute Rockne. He earned the nickname “Jumping Joe” when he scored a touchdown against Carnegie Hall by jumping over the goal line. This was a novel move at the time and decades before the NCAA’s controversial excessive celebration penalty. Savoldi also scored the first ever touchdown in the brand new Notre Dame Stadium in 1930.

  While playing in an All-Star football game in the Los Angeles Coliseum, Savoldi scored three touchdowns and was selected the MVP. More importantly, he caught the eyes of former World Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis and wrestling promoter Billy Sandow. They convinced the superstar athlete that he could make more money in one wrestling match than in a whole season playing football for the Chicago Bears. They were absolutely right. At that time, professional wrestling paid a lot more than professional football. Football’s loss was a huge gain for professional wrestling!

  Savoldi was famous for his “flying dropkick”--a wrestling move that consisted of Savoldi jumping high into the air and viciously driving both of his wrestling boots into his opponent's face. Savoldi was a tremendous athlete and a great draw at the box office because of his national exposure at Notre Dame. He also laid claim to the World Heavyweight Title after an extremely controversial win over World Champion Jim Londos in 1933 in Chicago Stadium, just down the road from the University of Notre Dame. Savoldi was clearly the “hometown boy,” and according to many in the wrestling business, he was the benefactor of a “double cross” hometown decision.

  Referee Bobby Managoff declared Savoldi the winner when both he and Londos were tangled up in the ropes. Savoldi claimed victory and quickly left town. Londos claimed foul and continued to bill himself as the World Heavyweight Champion. The controversy was stoked by a fierce promotional war waged by two rival wrestling organizations. Wrestling territories split between them, with each local promotion recognizing whichever World Champion was best for their respective businesses. Savoldi then lost his World Title to Jim Browning in Yankee Stadium later that year. Londos, on the other hand, continued to pursue Savoldi and demand justice.

  The rival promotions kissed and made up so they could sign a return match between Londos and Savoldi. There was, of course, a lot of money to be made. Money was the primary reason for the promotional wars to end and for everybody to become bedfellows. Again, some things never seem to change in the sports world. Money remains one of the primary causes of corruption, yet also serves as a cure-all.

  The return battle took place in Chicago Stadium on January 31, 1934, in front of over 20,000 anxious fans. Jim Londos was the winner, substantiating his claim as the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

  During World War II, Joe Savoldi was a hero as he fought the Axis powers in a very dangerous espionage role. Being a natural born Italian who spoke the language, he was able to fight under cover in Italy. He became an important liaison between the Allies and the Italian Resistance, and proved to be a real champion in the field of battle, as well as in the wrestling ring.

  Savoldi returned to professional wrestling after World War II. Years later, because of a long battle with arthritis, he retired from the ring and became a promoter. He promoted in the Chicago area, where fans still remembered his World Title win and his All-American playing days at Notre Dame. He retired in 1950 and went back to school to earn his teaching certificate. I am sure that Savoldi was one teacher that did not have any discipline problems in the classroom. He died in 1974 at the age of sixty-five. Savoldi played a very important role in the early days of both professional football and professional wrestling. He also had a crucial role in the development of a y
oung and promising young wrestler from Long Beach, New York, by the name of Paul Boesch, my uncle, whom you will meet later.

  Although Savoldi’s jump from football to wrestling was a big boost to professional wrestling, he was not the most famous athlete to have made the transition. That distinction goes to Bronko Nagurski.

  Bronko Nagurski was born on November 3, 1908, in Rainy River, Ontario, Canada. Many football experts have labeled him the greatest football player in history. Many professional wrestling experts have also called him one of the greatest wrestlers in wrestling history. One thing that sports experts of all ages and backgrounds can agree on is that he was one of the greatest athletes of all time.

  Nagurski was blessed with outstanding God-given athletic ability along with a rugged toughness, both physical and mental. He came along at a time when professional football and professional wrestling were quickly maturing into major sports and they needed an athlete who was bigger than life. That was Bronko Nagurski.

  Bronko Nagurski is a storyteller’s dream, especially for this storyteller. There are countless tales inspired by his tremendous athletic feats.

  I had the once-in-a-lifetime privilege of spending a day with Nagurski. It took place in 1971, when the Interfaith Charities Organization of Houston was honoring my uncle, Paul Boesch, as “Mr. Sportsman of the Year.” Nagurski came to Houston to help my uncle celebrate, and to add a few kind words of respect.