Around Our Town

Humboldt Standard – November 2, 1954
By Scoop Beal

With the announcement that world’s wrestling champion Lou Thesz would come to Eureka next Monday for a match at Municipal Auditorium, there came about much talk of wrestling champions through the ages – there are still a few oldtimers around that remember Frank Gotch as the greatest of them all – and there are the oldtimers who claim that “Strangler” Ed Lewis, champion during the “Golden Age” of sports, was the greatest matman that ever lived – the ruling body of wrestling in the U.S.A. is known as the National Wrestling Alliance – this organization recorded the champions of wrestling from 1905 to the present day, as follows:

1905 – Frank Gotch defeated George Hackenschmidt in first recognized international title match

1906 – Fred Beell defeated Gotch

1906 – Gotch defeated Fred Beell

1913 – Gotch retired as champion.

1913 – Joe Stecher won finals of tournament to decide new champion, defeating Kid Cutler

1917 – Earl Caddock defeated Joe Stecher

1920 – Joe Stecher defeated Earl Caddock

1921 – Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Joe Stecher

1929 – Gus Sonnenberg defeated Lewis

1931 – Don George defeated Sonnenberg

1931 – “Strangler” Lewis defeated Don George and then retired

1932 – Jim Londos claimed world’s title

1933 – “Strangler” Lewis made comeback and defeated Dick Shikat, who claimed title along with Londos

1934 – Jim Browning defeated Strangler Lewis

1935 – Title was so disputed that tournament was held and was won by Danno O’Mahoney

1936 – Dick Shikat defeated O’Mahoney

1937 – Ali Baba defeated Dick Shikat

1938 – Everett Marshall defeated Ali Baba

1939 – Lou Thesz defeated Everett Marshall

1939 – Bronko Nagurski defeated Lou Thesz

1941 – Sandor Szabo defeated Nagurski

1942 = Bill Longson defeated Szabo (the title fell idle during the war years)

1948 – Lou Thesz defeated Wild Bill Longson and has held the title since that time.