Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling - A Time Line of Every Major Event in Pro Wrestling History - 1920
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. Special thanks to Paul Sosnowski for considerable help with this page.
The year 1920 is covered on the Long Form History of Pro Wrestling Podcast - Click Here.
1920
01-16-1920: Joe Stecher defeats John Pesek in Omaha, NE. Pesek had, at times, billed himself as world champion. Now there is little question that Joe Stecher is the true world champion aside from the fact that Earl Caddock relinquished the title with a premature retirement and didn’t lose it in the ring. That would be rectified in two weeks.
01-22-1920: Wrestler Georg Lurich, 43 years old, traveling with fellow wrestler Aleksander Aberg in an attempt to escape the war front in Southern Russia, ties of typhoid. Aberg dies a few days later.
01-27-1920: Helmar Myre becomes recognized as World lightweight champion.
01-30-1920: Joe Stecher defeats Earl Caddock in New York City at Madison Square Garden. The show drew a gate of $80,000 with an attendance of 10,000. Earl Caddock took home $15,000 and Joe Stecher took home $25,000. This match took Joe Stecher’s claim of the world title and made it virtually undisputed. Stecher was lead to the ring by the Navy Color Guard and Caddock by the Army.
02-11-1920: World heavyweight champion Joe Stecher defeated Jack Dwyer in Springfield MA
02-12-1920: In Boston, MA: Mechanics Building: Attendance: 7,000: World heavyweight champion Joe Stecher defeated Wladek Zbyszko.
02-13-1920: In Utica, NY World heavyweight champion Joe Stecher defeated Joe Malcewicz.
02-15-1920: Aleksander Aberg dies at the age of 38. After traveling the world as successful wrestlers the came back via Japan and China to Russia in 1917 and arrived in Estonia in autumn. They participated in a wrestling tournament in Tallinn that remained unfinished due to the approach of the German troops. The athletes went to Saint Petersburg and on to South Russia. As the war spread, the men had to move further inside Russia. Their aim was to leave Russia across the Black Sea by boat. The war front reached them in 1920. Warm winter brought on typhoid and, due to the war, medical aid was difficult to get. Georg Lurich fell ill first dying on January 22, 1920. Aberg had also become infected but he managed to live a while longer. Unfortunately, he rushed his recovery, caught pneumonia, and died on February 15, 1920, in Armavir. The wrestlers were buried in one grave in Armavir German cemetery. Here is a great article on Aleksander Aberg - here.
02-16-1920: In Kansas City, MO: Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Wladek Zbyszko. Zbyszko won the first fall with an arm scissors and half Nelson in 45:40. Lewis won the second fall in 11:50 and the third in 8:15, both using headlocks.
02-20-1920: In New York City, NY 71st Regiment Armory: Attendance: 8,000: Joe Stecher defeated Jim Londos. Undisputed World Champion Stecher defeated Londos with a wrist lock in 2:13:34. Londos won the crowd with his gameness and stubborn defensive work. In other matches: Salvatore Chevalier defeated Jack Dawson… Sailor Willard defeated Young Muldoon by DQ… Demetrius Tofalos defeated Otto Samson.
02-24-1920: In Pittsburgh, PA: Expo Hall: Attendance: 5,000: World heavyweight champion Joe Stecher defeated Yussif Hussane… Wladek Zbyszko battled Jim Londos to a draw.
03-01-1920: In Des Moines, IA: Des Moines Coliseum: Attendance: 3,000: Wladek Zbyszko defeated John Pesek.
03-02-1920: Stanislaus Zbyszko tells the El Paso Herald about a life threatening situation he faced in Russia at the hands of his rival, Aleksander Aberg. According to Zbyszko, Aberg heard Zbyszko would be performing in St. Petersburg. Fearful of a match with Zbyszko, Aberg told the Russian Army that Zbyszko was an Austrian spy. According to a later account of the story, Zbyszko and Aberg originally got along but Aberg refused to pay a debt of 600 rubles to Zbyszko. The ensuing disagreement caused Aberg to have Zbyszko arrested as an Austrian spy.
In New York City, NY at Madison Square Garden: Attendance: 10,000+: Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Jim Londos. Londos loses to the forty-pound heavier Ed Lewis in 2:04:30. The loss adds to Londos’ popularity with the wrestling public. In other matches: Earl Caddock defeated Salvatore Chevalier… Demetrius Tofalos defeated Alex Jarvis… Ivan Linow battled Raymond Cazeaux to a draw.
03-05-1920: Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeats former world champion Earl Caddock in New York. Another showdown with Joe Stecher is brewing.
03-15-1920: In New York City, NY at Madison Square Garden: Attendance: 12,000: Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Earl Caddock. Lewis defeats Caddock in 1:35:45 with the headlock… Jim Londos defeated Salvatore Chevalier… Rolando Lupo defeated Raymond Cazeaux.
03-16-1920: In Kansas City, MO: Convention Hall: Attendance: 7,000: Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Wladek Zbyszko.
04-12-1920: In Des Moines IA: Attendance: 4,500: Earl Caddock defeated Wladek Zbyszko. Zbyszko wanted to forfeit the second fall due to injury, but Caddock didn't want to accept it, so the referee ordered the match to continue.
04-16-1920: World heavyweight champion Joe Stecher defeated Ed “Strangler” Lewis to retain the World title in New York in just over three hours. Undisputed World Champion Joe Stecher pinned Ed Lewis with a head scissors and arm lock in 3:04:15. Said to be one of the most spectacular matches in history.
04-19-1920: In Boston, MA World heavyweight champion Joe Stecher defeated Jim Londos. Undisputed World Champion Joe Stecher defeated Jim Londos with his scissors in a hard fought 1:58:45. Londos is said to have given a remarkable exhibition.
06-08-1920: In Des Moines, IA: Earl Caddock defeated Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Caddock beat Lewis clean in a 2/3 fall match. Caddock won the first fall in 43:30 with a head scissors but lost the second in 27:00 to Lewis’s headlock. Caddock then used a toe hold and a wrist lock that forced Lewis’s shoulders to the mat in seven minutes. Attendance: 6,500.
08-11-1920: In Phoenix, AZ: Pete Sauer (AKA: Ray Steele) denied all charges that his recent bout with Tom Grant was “fixed”. The mayor of Phoenix and the city commission investigated the accusations and exonerated the wrestlers. Sauer further challenged Grant to wrestle for a $1000 side bet with the pubic admitted free and all winnings going to the Salvation Army
08-27-1920: Medico Asesino (Cesareo Manriquez Gonzalez) is born in Chihuahua, Mexico.
09-15-1920: In Montreal, Canada: Mount Royal Arena: Attendance: 4,000 World heavyweight champion Joe Stecher battled Wladek Zbyszko to a draw. Joe Stecher wrestled far below his standard and did not show the flashy work that he was able to do in his last appearance in Montreal. When the bout was announced as a draw, the 4000 who witnessed it did not take kindly to the announcement, and hissed and booed the decision, uttering exclamations of disgust.
10-15-1920: In Kansas City, MO: Wladek Zbyszko defeated John Pesek via DQ.
10-27-1920: In Montreal, Canada: Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Wladek Zbyszko.
11-23-1920: In New York City, NY: Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeated Wladek Zbyszko. Lewis pined Wladek using his headlock in 1:25:45. Attendance was 10,000.
12-13-1920: Ed “Strangler” Lewis wins the World heavyweight title from Joe Stecher in New York. Strangler Lewis is managed by Billy Sandow. According to Lou Thesz in his biography Hooker, this was a legitimate contest and was likely the last major world title shooting match in history though many wrestling historians dispute that claim. Whether a legitimate contest or not, an era of wrestling came to an end and a new one dawned.
1920: Nat Pendleton finishes second in the Olympics and later turns pro.
Joe Stecher
If you found this article interesting consider becoming a Patreon supporter. That is how When It Was Cool keeps our website and podcasts online, plus you get lots of bonus content including extra and extended podcasts, articles, digital comics, ebooks, and much more. Check out our Patreon Page to see what's up!
If you don't want to use Patreon but still want to support When It Was Cool then how about a one time $5 PayPal donation? Thank you!
