Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling - A Time Line of Every Major Event in Pro Wrestling History - 1903
By: Karl Stern
Much of the text of this entry comes from issue 82 of the DragonKing Press Newsletter available as a downloadable .pdf in the digital downloads section.
1903
The Long Form History of Pro Wrestling podcast covers the years 1900-1903 on this episode - Click Here.
01-06-1903: Fred Kohler (Fred Koch) is born in Chicago, IL. Kohler would become one of the greatest pro wrestling promoters ever.
01-31-1903: At Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY: Tom Jenkins battled John Piening to a draw… Nick Elliott defeated Louis Whistler… John Kelly battled Charlie Leonhardt to a draw… John Kammerer defeated Gus Holtz… Kanetez Idone defeated J. Martin.
02-22-1903: Tom Jenkins defeats Frank Gotch in two straight falls in Cleveland, OH in a match that went over and hour and a half.
03-13-1903: At Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY: Jack Munroe defeated Tom Jenkins after Jenkins failed to throw him four times in one hour… The Cuban Wonder (Clarence Bouldin) defeated Frank Idone… The Cuban Wonder defeated Louis Miller… The Cuban Wonder defeated Young Jeffries.
04-03-1903: Tom Jenkins defeats Dan McLeod in Buffalo, NY to win the American title.
04-08-1903: The National Police Gazette world lightweight champion George Bothner defeats Tom Riley in New York.
05-02-1903: Buttan Singh defeats Gunga Brahm in Melbourne, Australia for the Australian title.
05-21-1903: At Prospect Hall in South Brooklyn, N.Y. Ernest Roeber failed to throw Gus Ruhlin. Roeber attempted to throw the boxer three times in an hour at catch-as-catch-can, he failed to get a single fall.
06-10-1903: Harlem River Casino in New York City: George Bothner went to a draw with Harvey Parker. Attendance: 3000
08-08-1903: In Saratoga, NY: Tom Jenkins defeated Carl Pons (AKA: Gonthier) in the opening bout of a wrestling tournament.
08-19-1903: Frank Gotch defeated Ole Olson in Minot, SD for a $500 purse.
09-03-1903: Frank Gotch defeated (Emil?) Clank and ? Coleman for an $800 purse.
10-05-1903: Frank Gotch defeats Farmer Burns in Bellingham, Washington.
10-23-1903: The French Angel (Maurice Tillet) is born in Russia.
11-14-1903: Frank Gotch defeats Farmer Burns in Whatcomb, Washington.
12-1903: Frank Gotch defeats Dan McLeod in Seattle, WA.
12-11-1903: Frank Gotch defeats Farmer Burns in Bellingham, WA.
12-22-1903: At Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY: Attendance: 3,500: Tom Jenkins defeated Dan McLeod for the Catch-As-Catch-Can championship.
12-23-1903: Frank Gotch defeated Chief Two Feathers in two falls in Bellingham, WA.
12-28-1903: In Baltimore, MD: Americus, the middleweight champion of Maryland defeated Max Wiley, two straight falls.
1903 (unspecified): William Muldoon donates a lot of land which included buildings to St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church. The land contained the original barn where Muldoon had trained boxing champion John L. Sullivan.
Dan McLeod
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DragonKingKarl (Karl Stern) is a long time pro wrestling historian who has been published in books, newsletters, and podcasts since the mid-1990s.
The Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling Zone is Karl Stern's attempt to chronicle the entire history of pro wrestling and is a work in progress with hundreds of pages of text added each month.
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Pro wrestling history. The history of professional wrestling. Timeline of pro wrestling history.
