Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling - A Time Line of Every Major Event in Pro Wrestling History - 1923
By: Karl Stern
Much of the text of this entry comes from issue 83 of the DragonKing Press Newsletter available as a downloadable .pdf in the digital downloads section.
The year 1923 is covered on the Long Form History of Pro Wrestling Podcast - Click Here.
1923
01-04-1923: Charlie Rentrop wins the World lightweight title from Clarence Eklund in Sheridan, WY.
01-17-1923: In Portland, OR Ted Thye, who for many years was undefeated in Portland, lost to Mike Yokel who was described as a “stocky veteran” and the newspaper called him, “one of the toughest men alive and almost as old as the great Stanislaus Zbyszko.” It was the first time Thye had lost in Portland in nearly ten years.
01-25-1923: Nat Pendleton has his famous shoot match with John Pesek in Boston, MA. Pendleton, a former Olympic silver medalist, had put up a large bond to face any challenger. The challenge was accepted by “The Unknown”. “The Unknown” turned out to be famous shooter John Pesek. Pesek wins by hooking Pendleton with an ankle lock injuring him.
01-26-1923: Clarence Eklund regains the World lightweight title from Charlie Rentrop.
02-15-1923: Kansas City, MO: Convention Hall: Attendance 10,000: Dick Daviscourt battled Jim Londos to a 30 minute time limit draw… World Heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeats Toots Mondt 2 falls to 1 in 2 Hours, 57 minutes and 23 seconds.
02-18-1923: A case before Judge James S. Baldwin involving wrestling “fixing” is heard. A.B. Snyder of Sioux City, IA alleges that a wrestling match between Johnny Meyers and Ralph Parcaut was “fixed”. He was seeking to collect $1,600 he bet on the April 1922 match in which Meyers was declared the winner.
02-20-1923: St Louis, MO: Coliseum: Attendance 10,000: Al Waseem defeats Yussif Hussane… John Freberg defeats Karl Schultz by referee's decision… World Heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeats Jim Londos 2 falls to 1.
03-06-1923: In Chicago, IL at the Coliseum: Attendance: 6,500: World heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis beat Alan Eustace... Renato Gardini beat Stanislaus Zbyszko (no falls-handicap bout, Zbyszko had to win 2 falls in 1 hour)… Stanley Pinta beat Joe Geshtout.
03-11-1923: Mohammad Ali Sunni wins the New Zealand title from Alex Anderson in Napier, New Zealand.
03-21-1923: Wladek Zbyszko claims the World heavyweight mat title because Ed “Strangler” Lewis has refused to meet him in two years.
03-23-1923: In Chicago, IL Christ Sorrenson, 35, a wrestler living at the city hotel dropped dead in front of 81 West Madison street, early last night.
04-03-1923: In Chicago, IL at the Coliseum. Attendance: 7,000: World heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis beat Renato Gardini... Dick Daviscourt beat Jack Roller... Mazzreno Poggi beat Joe Schultz... Joe Coffey is the promoter.
05-02-1923: Kansas City, MO: Convention Hall: Attendance 11,000: World Heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeats John Pesek in 2 falls.
05-22-1923: In Minneapolis, MN: World heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis beat Stanislaus Zbyszko. The match was scheduled as 2/3 falls but after they went 90 minutes without a fall, it was changed to sudden death, first fall wins. Strangler Lewis wins in 99 minutes with the Minneapolis Star-Tribune paper stating: "The best wrestling fans have ever seen here".
09-11-1923: World Welterweight Champ Jack Reynolds marries Bonnie Lloyd in Columbus, OH at the Fairmont Outdoor Arena before the night's wrestling card. He would go on to beat Logan Champ in three falls. Champ had beaten Reynolds in two straight matches the previous week.
09-16-1923: In New York City, N.Y., “Big” Jim Galvin, heavyweight wrestler a decade ago, died of a bullet wound received last Saturday, by policeman John Hagen in his restaurant.
09-27-1923: Cavernario Galindo (Rodolfo Galindo Ramirez) is born in Chihuahua, Mexico.
10-04-1923: Future NWA World heavyweight champion Dick Hutton is born in Amarillo, TX.
10-26-1923: In Kansas City, MO: World heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis beat John Jack Turner.
11-16-1923: Before becoming a pro wrestler, Wayne Munn has a short stint as a boxer and loses his debut fight against Jack Clifford in Sioux City, IA.
12-18-1923: In Chicago, IL at the Coliseum: World heavyweight champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis beat Joe Zickman... Before the match took place Joe Zickman was trying to pass himself off as Josef Rojacki. Lewis' manager Billy Sandow stated that Zickman was a ringer and wrestled for years as Joe Malcovich, Jack Daily, and Jack Turner.
12-31-1923: Ed “Strangler” Lewis defeats Taro Miyake for the Jujitsu championship of the world in Chicago, IL.
Nat Pendelton
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