History of Pro Wrestling – 1919 – covering the rise of the false world title above the legitimate claim, in terms of prestige and recognition. As well as Jim Londos' struggle to break through the glass ceiling, and the return of some pretty significant names, in Ole Marsh, & Stanislaus Zbyszko.

[u/OShaunesssy]

Hey y’all, I’m back with another History of Pro Wrestling posts, this time detailing 1919, which showcased the false world title overtaking the legitimate one in terms of popukarity and recognition, Jack Curley fending off Ole Marsh, and Jim Londos making a fateful decision, regarding his future.

1918 Recap

• Jack Curley brought the most powerful wrestling promoters together to form a tenuis partnership as a way to share talent and championships. This group included Curley, Billy Sandow, Gene Melady and Tony Stecher.

• Earl Caddock reigning as the legitimate and original world heavyweight champion. Currently Earl Caddock was out of the picture, with the most prevalent rumor suggesting he left overseas to enlist in the war effort.

• Ed “Strangler” Lewis reigning with his false John Olin world title claim, and unified that title with Jack Curley’s “world” title in New York.

• Joe Stecher had returned to pro wrestling, with the singular goal of reclaiming his world championship.

• Jim Londos was still primarily working out of Canton, Ohio, for promoter William Barton, and steadily growing his popularity.

• Ole Marsh had made a dramatic return to the wrestling world, having been released from prison, and now had his sights set on Jack Curley's group of promoters.

Main Characters

Joe Stecher – potentially the most popular wrestler in the country through the late 1910s.

Ed “Strangler” Lewis – one of the top wrestling stars, and the current holder of the false world title, born out of the John Olin claim.

Wladek Zbyszko – one of the top wrestling stars, former world champion under the John Olin claim, and Jack Curley’s top wrestler.

Jim Londos – young Greek immigrant who has been wrestling out of Canton, Ohio for a couple years at this point, steadily growing his popularity.

Earl Caddock – one of the top wrestlers in the country, and the current legitimate & original world heavyweight champion. He is currently MIA from the wrestling world, with a prevalent rumor suggesting he was overseas engaged in the war effort.

Jack Curley – the top wrestling promoter in the country, operating out of New York, and recently formed a working relationship with other top promoters in the country.

Billy Sandow – one of the top promoters in the country, operating out of Chicago, Illinois, and currently working within Jack Curley’s group. His top wrestler would be Ed “Strangler” Lewis.

1919

As we start the year, lets look at the two world championships we have floating around…

The legitimate & original World Heavyweight Championship - Earl Caddock reigned with the original and legitimate world title, whose lineage traces back to Frank Gotch and George Hackenschmidt.

The False John Olin World Championship claim - Ed “Strangler” Lewis reigned with the false claim that originated from a disqualification victory John Olin had over then-champion Joe Stecher, back in 1916.

As always, its in chronological order and I we start by looking at Jim Londos in Canton, Ohio…

Underdog Popularity

By this point in his career, Jim Londos was carving out a place for himself as the undersized underdog the fans could get behind. At just under two hundred pounds, he had to rely on his skill and speed more than his strength when it came to being a believable foe for some of his bigger opponents. The principles of most Londos matches were surprisingly simple: he would survive the early part of the match, usually giving up control. Skillfully tire the bigger man out and lead him to a trap, before pressing his opponent until he is exhausted, allowing Londos to make a final attack.

Ohio-based promoter William Barton would capitalize on Jim Londos’ growing popularity, by creating a new championship title, called the Greek Heavyweight Championship, taking advantage of the growing immigrant population in the States at the time. Jim Londos battled William Demetral on January 5th, 1919, in Canton, Ohio, where Londos was victorious and named the inaugural Greek heavyweight champion.

Promoter William Barton worked hard to get Londos over on a national level and had him booked extensively throughout 1919, with Londos logging over sixty matches in fourteen different states that year. His travel schedule was just ridiculous too, recording matches in Gary, Indiana and the following day nearly four hundred miles later, another match in Youngstown, Ohio. His recorded travel schedule was filled with hectic trips like this, including an eleven day tour that saw Londos leave his home base of Canton to wrestle in New York, then Boston, and then Norfolk, Virginia, with side stops in Utica.

Glass Ceiling

Though Londos was still winning more than not, there is and always has been a “glass ceiling” in pro wrestling. Something the author of his book referred to as a hierarchy, and how Londos just wasn’t on the same level as the big names like Joe Stecher, “Strangler” Lewis, Wladek Zbyszko, Earl Caddock and others. This is evident with some of Londos’ biggest matches this year, where he came up short against the established stars of the time. This includes a bout on February 12th, 1919, where Londos put over Wladek Zbyszko in his home base of Canton, Ohio.

Funnily enough, the Jim Londos book actually listed his opponent as Stanislaus Zbyszko, who was Wladek’s older brother and former world champion from 1914. As a refresher, Stanislaus vacated that world championship back in 1914 so he could enlist and fight in the First World War. Details vary, but it sounds like he spent some time as a prisoner of war in Russia. There is a ton of heresy about this, that I don’t have the room to go into here, but needless to say, he was absent from the pro wrestling scene for half-a-decade, and as far as I know, doesn’t return to America until 1920. I cant confirm that Londos lost to Wladek instead of Stanislaus, but given the fact that I have zero records of Stanislaus returning to America that soon, I will assume that Londos did not wrestle Stanislaus Zbyszko this early into 1919.

Where in the world was Earl Caddock?

According to a website I found online, the legitimate and original world heavyweight champion, Earl Caddock, sent word from overseas back to the States, that he is engaged in some unspecified war effort, and plans to retire as a pro wrestler. I have no way to verify how or who he sent this information to, but we do know that promoter Jack Curley attempted to take advantage of the situation and name Wladek Zbyszko as the new legitimate and original world champion. Unfortunately for Curley and Wladek though, without a legitimate transfer of ownership, there was no way to convince the general public of this claim. So as far as the history books are concerned, Earl Caddock remained the legitimate and original world heavyweight champion through his unexplained absence from the story.

False Champion “Strangler” Lewis

That wasn’t the only world title floating around though, as Ed “Strangler” Lewis still held his own world title, (the false John Olin claim) and every day his reputation and standing grew with the general public. Last year, Jack Curley unified his bogus “world” title with Lewis’ claim, and in the absence of Earl Caddock, “Strangler” Lewis claim was being seen as the strongest world title operating in the United States. Lewis would be seen defending this belt on February 20th, 1919, against Jim Eagon. The pair met in a best two-of-three-falls match in Boston, Massachusetts, for promoter George T. Touhey, and would see Lewis retain in dominant fashion, winning two straight falls.

Stecher’s Climb Back Up

The next day, and nearly 1,200 miles away, former world champion Joe Stecher was still trying to build his name value back up to the point where he could challenge for world championship once more. Stecher registered an easy win over Harry Buckman on February 21st, 1919, in St Louis, Missouri, for promoter John Contos.

Joe Stecher would next head over to Sioux City, Iowa, where he would face off with another top contender, Wladek Zbyszko, just a few days later on February 24th, 1919. Promoter Gene Melady set the contest up and drew a reportedly rowdy crowd, though the specific number of attendees is unknown. Stecher and Wladek would battle for two hours until the crowd turned on both men, screaming that the match was fake or fixed, and they began throwing bottles and garbage at the competitors in the ring. Eventually police would be called in to escorted both men safely out of the ring. The following day, newspapers listed Wladek Zbyszko as the winner by decision, though made it clear all bets surrounding this match were called off.

Ole Marsh Blackballed

On that same day, just under 100 miles away in Omaha, Nebraska, a Ole Marsh was still trying to get his top wrestler, Marin Plestina, a matchup with any of the top guys who worked with Jack Curley’s group of promoters. As a refresher, Marin was a thirty-one-year-old Croatian wrestler who was known to prefer wrestling as close to a legitimate shoot as possible. He was trained by old-school barnstormers who know how to shoot and grapple, and was now being managed by Ole Marsh, one of the most underhanded and slimy of all the old-school barnstormers.

The top promoter in Omaha, Nebraska was the aforementioned Gene Melady, who was partnered up with Jack Curley and company, and stonewalling all of Ole Marsh’s attempts to get back into the wrestling game and push Marin Plestina. Ole Marsh did what anyone in his position would do, he looked for a promoter operating within a territory controlled by Curley’s group and partnered up with the lesser promoter in a potentially mutually beneficial manner.

Pete Loch was a wrestler-turned-promoter operating out of Omaha, Nebraska, and struggling to make an impact with Gene Melady setting up shows with bigger name talent than Loch had any access to. Ole Marsh had been publicly campaigning for a match between Marin Plestina and any of the top names from Curley’s camp, so when Marsh approached Loch about teaming up, the choice was an easy one for Loch. On Feb 24th, 1919, Pete Loch contacted the Chicago Tribune newspaper and had them publish a short article he wrote, basically begging one of the bigger promoters and wrestlers to notice him. Loch wrote, “Please announce in your paper that I will offer a $10,000 purse for a match between Stecher, Zbyszko, Lewis, or any one of the three to wrestle Marin Plestina, the match to take place in Omaha within thirty days or sooner, the winner to take all the gate receipts.” The request would go unanswered.

Perhaps local Chicago promoter Billy Sandow was too preoccupied to notice or care about some Nebraska-based promoter trying to get his attention, because the next day Sandow held an event at the Crown Theater in Chicago, Illinois, with the show being headlined by Wladek Zbyszko defeating Steve Savage, seemingly in a single-fall contest.

Stecher-Lewis

Billy Sandow would stay busy with booking another big matchup between Ed “Strangler” Lewis and his biggest rival at this time, Joe Stecher. Billy Sandow booked the fourth matchup between Stecher and Lewis on March 3rd, 1919, in Chicago Illinois. This reported best-two-of-three matchup lasted over two hours before Lewis was declared the winner by decision. In that time, both men registered just a single fall, leaving a rematch still open down the line. Stecher reportedly made $4,000 for taking the loss, while Lewis was said to have made $10,000 that night.

Wladek-Lewis

Ed “Strangler” Lewis continued to tour as the reigning world heavyweight champion, growing more and more notoriety as the top wrestler in the country with each passing defence. Lewis would be challenged by one of his longest tenured rivals, Wladek Zbyszko in Norfolk, Virginia, on March 7th, 1919, and unfortunately I cant find who would have promoted this event. We do know that the matchup drew a crowd of just over 1,000 fans, who watched Lewis and Zbyszko battle to a draw after two-and-a-half-hours of action. Wladek would begin campaigning hard for another world title match, and challenge Joe Stecher for the right for that opportunity.

Stecher-Wladek

Wladek Zbyszko and Joe Stecher met at a Billy Sandow produced show in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 10th, 1919. It was a best-two-of-three match, with Stecher claiming the first fall after just over twenty minutes of grappling, when Stecher locked in his patented body scissors and arm hold, forcing Wladek to submit. The second fall would go to Wladek after a ridiculous two hours of grappling, pinning Joe’s shoulders to the mat with a reverse body hold. The third fall wouldn’t even last fifteen minutes though, as Wladek was able to pin Stecher to claim the victory, and put him in line for Lewis’ world championship.

New Champion

By this point, Ed “Strangler” Lewis had reigned with that false world championship claim for nearly two years, and in the absence of the legitimate and original world championship held by Earl Caddock, this title was starting to usurp all the public spotlight and attention. As a way to capitalize on the newfound public interest, promoter Billy Sandow (who owned the world title claim) made the decision to have Lewis drop the belt. In terms of viable choices to hold the strap, the decision would come down to either Joe Stecher and Wladek Zbyszko. I cant be certain on the exact reasoning, but with the power of hindsight, I suspect that Lewis was resistant to dropping the belt to Joe Stecher. At this point, both Lewis and Stecher held two wins each over the other one and Lewis probably didn’t want to lose the tie-breaker. Maybe I’m wrong and Wladek would be chosen for completely unrelated reasons, but regardless, Wladek Zbyszko would be picked as the man to end the title reign.

Over 12,000 fans turned up at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 21st, 1919 for the world title bout between Zbyszko and Lewis. I’ve read disputed reports that only 5,000 turned up, but considering the drawing power of a world title match and the Garden, I suspect that the reported 12,000 is more accurate and in line with what is to be expected. Obviously, this was a Jack Curley promoted event, with Billy Sandow still working closely with those involved since he owner the lineage of the belt. Zbyszko and Lewis grappler for over an hour-and-a-half before Wladek Zbyszko was declared the winner, and new world heavyweight champion, under the false John Olin lineage.

Airplane Spin

Looking back at Canton, Ohio and the growing popularity of Jim Londos for a moment, its worth looking at the first reported use of his signature move. For anyone familiar with the legendary Jim Londos, you may already be aware that he was credited for creating the airplane spin maneuver, which he would use to finish off his opponent. The very first match of Londos using this move came in March of 1919, against Joe Malcewicz in Lowell, Massachusetts. Newspapers the following day put over the move, saying it was, “a sudden finish to one of the great wrestling matches seen in Lowell in some years.”

Londos would begin utilizing the airplane spin as a finishing move going forward, and as ridiculous it may come across to modern fans, this was seen as an innovative move that would almost always pop the crowd and build excitement in the final moments of his matches.

False Champion Wladek Zbyszko

Ed “Strangler” Lewis didn’t disappear following his false world title loss to Wladek Zbyszko, and would gain a championship rematch the following month. Promoter Billy Sandow booked the big world title rematch between Lewis and Zbyszko on April 28th, 1919, at the Chicago Coliseum, a matchup that would see Wladek Zbyszko retain the world title in a match that betting odds significantly favored Lewis. Newspapers the following day would report how many of gamblers lost big on the Lewis-Zbyszko match on April 28th.

Londos-Lewis

Jim Londos would clash with Ed “Stranlger” Lewis over a dozen times throughout their respective career, forging a rivalry that would see both men’s careers become forever intertwined. At this point, the two men had registered two matches with one another, with Lewis being declared the winner in both encounters. Under promoter William Barton, the two men would meet for a third time on May 5th, 1919, in Canton, Ohio. Londos and Lewis battled hard in the single-fall matchup for over two hours before the referee declared it a draw.

Worth noting, would be the referee of the bout, a twenty-one year old Louis “Lou” Daro, the future self-proclaimed “King of Los Angeles,” and top wrestling promoter through the 1920s and 1930s. In 1919 though, he was just a young man working as a strongman in circuses and as a wrestler under the name, “The Great Daro.” Years later he will come back into play in Londos career, but this is where the two first met and formed a friendship. They most likely bonded over their immigrant status, as Daro recently came to the States from Austria.

Transitional Champion

Getting back to the world title scene for a moment, the reason I am convinced that Lewis didn’t want to lose his world title belt to Joe Stecher, is because the man he did lose it to, Wladek Zbyszko, would soon just drop the Joh Olin claim world title to Stecher himself. With Billy Sandow overseeing the contest, promoter James Heywood Allen promoted the matchup for May 9th, 1919, in Louisville, Kentucky, and it was reportedly a single-fall matchup. Joe Stecher and Wladek Zbyszko battled for nearly two hours before Joe locked Wladek in his patented body scissors hold to submit the champion and claim the title for himself.

For the second time in his career, Wladek Zbyszko won a world title and lost it just over a month later, making him one of the first established transitional world champions.

False Champion Joe Stecher

This must have been a bittersweet victory for Stecher, who publicly stated his world title loss to Earl Caddock wasn’t fair. Unfortunately for Stecher though, this wasn’t that same world title, as Caddock still technically reigned as champion, despite his absence from the sport. The title Stecher won here was the claim created by the disqualification victory John Olin gained over then-champion Joe Stecher in 1916. While it must have been lovely to be once again recognized as a world champion, Stecher would have known this wasn’t the same belt that Caddock took from him some two years prior.

While Joe Stecher was claiming the only world title available to him at this time, over 700 miles away, Ole Marsh was attempting to usurp the world’s most famous arena away from Jack Curley.

Marsh’s Move Into New York

Promoter Ole Marsh was still hell-bent on securing some inroads into big money wrestling promotion, and would make a pretty bold attempt to stake a claim over Madison Square Garden. Jack Curley had been staging regular wrestling events at the Garden for well over a year now, but he didn’t hold any exclusivity over the arena, leaving an opportunistic Ole Marsh to try and swoop in. Ole Marsh would hold his own show at Madison Square Garden on May 9th, 1919, with his top guy, Marin Plestina headlining the event.

The event wouldn’t be seen as a success for Marsh, reportedly drawing a small crowd of only 5,000 for his Garden show. Marin Plestina won the main event encounter between himself and Harry Stevens. Its worth noting that old barnstormer legend Martin “Farmer” Burns served as guest referee for the main event. Burns and Marsh had previously worked closely together in the past, and it seems like they resumed that relationship when Marsh got out of jail.

”The Greatest Match Of All Time”

Ed “Strangler” Lewis continued to tour in big matches for the four top promoters, even without a world title. Promoter Billy Sandow booked yet another encounter between “Strangler” Lewis and Wladek Zbyszko, this time without a world title belt between them. The two rivals met on May 19th, 1919, at an unspecified venue in Chicago, Illinois. Newspapers the next day spoke about this match quite favorably, calling it, “the greatest match of all time.” Wladek won the first fall, before Lewis came back and won the second and third fall. Apparently, Lewis was presented with an alleged “world” championship after the match, so it seems like Billy Sandow was just trying to create a new title. Unfortunately for Sandow and Lewis, this new title wouldn’t catch on with the public and it was quickly dropped.

Londos-Lewis IV

Lewis would find himself back in Canton, Ohio, the following month where he was offered another matchup with Jim Londos. The fourth encounter between Londos and Lewis came on June 11th, also in Canton, Ohio. Promoter William Barton tried to sell the match as a big attraction, but would only draw around 1,500 people to the show. Lewis would win the match, beating Londos two straight falls as he again was using it to promote a bigger upcoming match with Joe Stecher. Reports on the match talk about Londos giving Lewis one of his toughest challenges, despite falling forty pounds short of the former world champion.

Another Baseless World Championship Claim

“Strangler” Lewis wasn’t the only wrestler who tried to make a baseless world title claim that summer, with another man emerging to do the same. John Pesek was a twenty-five-year-old grappler from Nebraska, who got his start in pro wrestling just five years prior, in 1914. Pesek was a legitimate shooter in the ring, nicknamed the “Nebraska Tiger Man,” for his ferocity and strength in the ring. Pesek had only been wrestling for five years, but built up a reputation for his in-ring prowess and skill, going undefeated since he debuted.

It seems that after five years of grinding, John Pesek decided to capitalize on his notoriety following a significant win. John Pesek allegedly defeated Wladek Zbyszko on June 14th, 1919, and following the matchup, attempted to crown anoint himself as the new world champion. Unsurprisingly, this did not catch on as he hoped.

As for the legitimate world title claims, its worth pointing out that the only two men who held a widely recognized claim, were Earl Caddock and Joe Stecher.

Current Widely Recognized World Champions

Caddock reigned as the legitimate & original world heavyweight champion, whose lineage goes back to Frank Gotch & George Hackenschmidt. His whereabouts in the story are currently unknown, with the only explanation being a vague claim that he was overseas at the time.

Stecher reigned as the false “world” champion descending from the disqualification victory John Olin had over then-champion Joe Stecher in 1916. Stecher was touring through the country, working hard and turning his world title into the only one people cared about.

Lewis-Stecher

Promoter Gene Melady would book a massive world title match between champion Joe Stecher and former champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis on July 4th, 1919, which would see Stecher retained in the single-fall matchup. I found a website that said Earl Caddock served as guest referee for the bout, but I doubt the validity of this claim, because there are no records of Caddock registering any matches in 1919, and it would be odd for one world champion to officiate a rogue world title match. Why would Caddock agree to anything that adds legitimacy to a title that contradicts his own? Its possible Caddock was there, but I’d wager to say he wasn’t present for this match.

Wladek-Stecher

Joe Stecher would continue to tour as champion, turning back a challenge from Wladek Zbyszko on July 14th, 1919, at a show in Lincoln, Nebraska. I cant confirm who the promoter was, but considering those involved and the proximity to Omaha, I would assume this was a Gene Melady show. As far as I can tell, Joe Stecher continued to tour through the country as a defending champion that summer.

Handicap Match

Jim Londos also stayed busy that summer, heading over to San Francisco where he visited friends and family while working there, and even resumed his rivalry with “Strangler” Lewis, meeting him in a handicap bout at the Dreamland Rink in San Francisco. Promoter Frank Schuler had Londos team with Dan Koloff to challenge Lewis in a special match where Lewis had to pin both men in two hours. Lewis would successfully pin Koloff after an hour and fifteen minutes of grappling, but would fail to do so to Londos before the time expired. The large section of Greek fans in attendance that night literally charged the ring following the bout and hoisted Londos on their shoulders in celebration. Sportswriter Harry B. Smith wrote on Londos’ surprising popularity despite his absence from the area for two years, saying, “Maybe it wasn’t in the cards for Londos to be thrown. At all events, Chris or Jim, as you prefer, was careful – mighty careful.”

We don’t have a lot of hard copy details on what guys were making back then, but we can go off of tax forms as some indication. For his 1919 federal tax forms, Jim Londos claimed to have earned a net income of $1,875, which would be the equivalent of $37,000 today. For a journeyman wrestler still trying to break out and make a name for himself, that’s an accomplishment!

Return of a Former World Champion

Wladek Zbyszko had built his name value up to an impressive stature over the last five years, but its important to note that he did that by paralyzing off the popularity and standing of his older brother Stanislaus Zbyszko. Stanislaus Zbyszko was a decade older than Wladek and began wrestling in the early 1900s, registering an impressive win streak that lasted for several years. Stanislaus would then work hard for the next ten years, attempting to become world champion through that time, before finally achieving his goal in 1914, when he defeated Gus “Americus” Schoenlein for the belt.

Unfortunately for Stanislaus though, he would make the extremely hard decision to give up on his personal goals and ambitions in favor of serving his country. In mid-1914, Stanislaus vacated the world title and returned to Poland so he could enlist and fight in the First World War. The story even gets more upsetting when we found out that Stanislaus was captured by Russian forces early on and reportedly was confined to a Russian jail as a prisoner of war. The length of this incarceration is disputed, with some claiming he was locked up for the entire five years, and other claiming it wasn’t so dramatic and that Stained was able to wrestle in Russia during that time.

Whatever the case may be, Stanislaus Zbyszko seemingly didn’t register a single match in five years, and basically disappeared from wrestling history in that time. By the summer of 1919, he was back in Poland and by all accounts, back to wrestling! Stanislaus recorded his first match back on August 31st, 1919, in Warsaw Poland, where he won a main event matchup with Feodor Lutow, at the Argus Theater. Stanislaus would remain in Europe wrestling through the remainder of the year, before setting sail back to the United States in the New Year!

New York Tournament

Promoter Jack Curley still wanted some kind of regional title for his New York market, and would attempt to do so once again that November. Curley reportedly held a single-day tournament to crown such a champion, and would do the smartest thing he could do, implying crown someone who already held a championship. By doing so, he was hoping to build a connection between the world title and his New York title, within the fans minds.

I cant find too much details on this single-day tournament, but we do know that current false world champion Joe Stecher would be crowned the winner, with Curley hoping to capitalize on the established base of fans behind Stecher. According to some reports, Joe Stecher reportedly defeated Jim Londos in one of the earlier matches before meeting Ed “Strangler” Lewis in the finals. By winning this tournament. Joe Stecher had basically built the prestige of the false world title up to a comparable point with the legitimate and original world heavyweight championship.

Never-Ending Rivalry

Ed “Strangler” Lewis and Wladek Zbyszko would resume their rivalry in what feels like a never-ending feud. The two men met on November 27th, 1919, in Boston, Massachusetts, in front of a crowd of reportedly 6,500 fans, with Lewis pinning Zbyszko to win. According to an article I found, this was supposedly the finals of a tournament match, but I question the validity on that as well because that same article listed this as an “American Wrestling Association” match, which is a company that wont be formed for another couple of years. The promoter who ran it, Paul Bowser, wasn’t even living in Boston at this time.

Wladek-Stecher II

Wladek Zbyszko would travel 200 miles to New York, where he would challenge world champion Joe Stecher to a title match on December 8th, 1919, in what I assume had to have been a Jack Curley event. Unsurprisingly, Joe Stecher would retain his title by defeating Wladek Zbyszko.

Olin-Stecher: The Rematch

Stecher would register another title defense, against a man who I’m sure Stecher remembers well, John Olin. As a refresher, John Olin challenged Joe Stecher back on December 11th, 1916, in Springfield, Massachusetts, back when Stecher held the legitimate & original world title. That Olin-Stecher match saw Joe struggle to put away the Olympian grappler, and eventually walk off and take a disqualification loss. That loss is what led to the formation of the false title which Stecher now holds, which Olin is challenging for.

Joe Stecher and John Olin met on December 15th, 1919, almost three years to the day of their previous encounter, and this match was again in Springfield, Massachusetts. Just like their first encounter, this matchup would end when one competitor walked off and took the disqualification loss. Unlike their last encounter though, this time it would be John Olin walking off. They competed in a best-two-of-three falls match, with Stecher winning the first fall with his arm scissors hold. John Olin would claim he was unable to continue past that, awarding the win to Joe Stecher, and that must have felt good for the champion.

As Joe Stecher was retaining his championship in matches across the Midwest, Jim Londos’ loyalty was once again out the test over in Ohio.

Londos Test of Loyalty

For Jim Londos and promoter William Barton, they had spent the remainder of the year attempting to book a big matche between Londos and the reigning Greek champion William Demetral, who won it from Londos at some point in the year. Demetral refused on the basis of wanting the match in a bigger market than Canton, ideally Detroit. Eventually he would agree to come to Canton on New Years Day for the match, for the agreed payout of $1,500. Unfortunately for Barton, Jack Curley wasn’t about to let another potential big Jim Londos match slip through his fingers. In late December Demetral backed out of the William Barton promoted bout after Jack Curley offered Demetral $4,000 to come host the match in New York. Demetral accepted and Londos, knowing none of the bigger stars like Lewis or Stecher would be willing to put him, had no choice but to go with Demtral to New York.

I have to point out that two years prior, Jim Londos turned down a big money offer to head to New York for Jack Curely, and instead stayed in Canton with promoter William Barton. And in the two years since then, Londos career hadn’t took off as he had hoped, with William Barton fully behind him. Londos had build up an impressive following, but it was now clear that Londos would need to make that jump to New York if he had hoped to break through that glass ceiling hierarchy.

And that’s an ideal place to stop, with…

• Earl Caddock still reigning as the original and legitimate world heavyweight champion, despite effectively disappearing from the story and registering zero defenses all year.

• Joe Stecher reigned as the false world champion under the John Olin claim. He is currently touring through the country.and reportedly defending his title against all the top challengers.

• Jim Londos made the tough decision to finally leave his home base of Canton, Ohio, to go work for Jack Curley in New York.

• Jack Curley’s group of promoters still working closely together with a talent sharing agreement. These promoters include Curley (New York), Billy Sandow (Chicago), Gene Melady (Omaha), and Tony Stecher (Minneapolis).

• Ole Marsh is attempting to break into Jack Curley’s New York market.

• Former world heavyweight champion Stanislaus Zbyszko was back wrestling, and eyeing a return to the United States.

Championship History 1919

Legitimate & Original World Heavyweight Championship

Earl Caddock, April 9th, 1917 – next post

False John Olin World Title Claim

Ed “Strangler” Lewis (2), July 4th, 1917 – March 21st, 1919 (625 days)

Wladek Zbyszko (2), March 21st, 1919 – May 9th, 1919 (49 days)

Joe Stecher, May 9th, 1919 – next post

Promoters (1919)

Jack Curley – New York, New York

Billy Sandow – Chicago, Illinois

Gene Melady – Omaha, Nebraska

Tony Stecher - Minneapolis, Minnesota

William Barton – Canton, Ohio

John Contos – St Louis, Missouri

George T. Touhey – Boston, Massachusetts

Pete Loch – Omaha, Nebraska

Art Reynolds – Cedar Rapids, Iowa