Joe Stecher
Encyclopedia
Joe Stecher sometimes spelled Joe Stetcher, was a professional wrestler
and three-time World Heavyweight Champion. Stecher is the first wrestler to regain the original version of the World Heavyweight Championship.
. Joe was the youngest of the family’s eight children, and as a youth, he excelled in numerous sports, including swimming, golf, tennis, and baseball. While the boys were still young, Frank Stecher enrolled his three sons in a wrestling course at the local Fremont YMCA
, and Joe’s older brothers soon emerged as accomplished amateur grapplers. Joe’s eldest brother, Ernest, would earn a commission to Annapolis, and as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, he was eventually recognized as the National Intercollegiate Light Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Moreover, Anton (“Tony”) Stecher starred as the premier wrestler at Fremont High School; and as a result, Joe was determined to follow in his brothers’ large footsteps. From the moment he took the mat, it was clear that Joe Stecher was a natural wrestling talent, as he utilized his strong body and long limbs to outclass his opponents. Then in 1909, as a high school senior at just age 16, he nearly defeated “Doc” Benjamin Roller, one of the world’s top turn-of-the-century grapplers, in a hard-fought exhibition bout while Roller was touring the Midwest.
, the former American Champion who was also the mentor to the now-current World Heavyweight Champion, Frank Gotch
. While touring the area, Burns planned to sucker the area gamblers by offering cash to any local wrestler who could defeat his “strongman,” who just happened to be world-class hooker Yussiff Hussane, one of wrestling’s feared “Terrible Turks.” This was a standard con for Burns’ group, and when young Joe Stecher accepted the offer, nobody anticipated that he would pose a legitimate challenge. However, Stecher proceeded to outwrestle the great champion, and when he finally slapped on his patented scissors hold after 45 minutes, a desperate Hussane was disqualified for biting Stecher’s leg.
, Bob Managoff Sr., Marin Plestina, and Adolph Ernst, all in straight falls, and all in 15 minutes or less. Then with Frank Gotch in attendance on July 5, 1915 in Omaha, Nebraska
, Stecher defeated the reigning American Champion, Charles Cutler, to claim pro wrestling’s World Heavyweight Championship. At just 22 years old, Joe Stecher became the youngest World Champion in history up to that point, yet he remained in the vast shadow of Gotch, who had retired a couple years earlier without ever losing the title and was thus still acknowledged by the public as pro wrestling’s true champion. As a result, a Gotch vs. Stecher “dream match” was arranged for July 18, 1916 and was promoted as being wrestling’s biggest matchup since Gotch’s battles with Georg Hackenschmidt
a decade earlier. Unfortunately, the bout never materialized, as Gotch broke a fibula in his leg while wrestling Managoff as part of a traveling circus, and his health deteriorated until he eventually died on December 16, 1917.
Despite having never faced Gotch (though it is speculated that he had dominated the aging champion in an impromptu sparring session), Joe Stecher reigned as the sport’s elite star while also beginning a legendary rivalry with a new wrestling sensation named Ed “Strangler” Lewis
. Stecher and Lewis wrestled for the first time on October 20, 1915, when a then-unknown Lewis was counted out after over 2 hours when he fell out of the ring and hit his head on a chair. The two then rematch on July 4, 1916, where they grappled for nearly five hours before the match was finally ruled a draw. After a third draw in 1918, Lewis had achieved notoriety by again managing to avoid being pinned by Stecher, though he was widely criticized for employing a defensive/avoiding style, while Stecher was usually the dominant aggressor. Nevertheless, it was Stecher who would win the majority of their contests over the course of the next five years.
, and in the following years, Stecher, Lewis, Caddock, and Wladek Zbyszko
would each lay separate claims to the title due to various circumstances. But on January 30, 1920, Stecher finally emerged victorious in a double elimination tournament
, defeating Caddock at the second Madison Square Garden
in New York
to win the undisputed title while unifying the various claims. This match was filmed by pioneer cinematographer Freeman Harrison Owens
, and is currently the oldest surviving filming of a pro wrestling match.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQl6mmAtkbE However, Lewis finally wrested the belt from Stecher the following December; and in the next few years, the two rivals also formed competing promotions.
During the 1920s, Lewis, along with promoters Toots Mondt
and Billy Sandow
, formed the Gold-Dust Trio, a touring act that put on the first wrestling shows with undercards and widely believed to be responsible for changing wrestling into a staged spectacle, whereas earlier matches varied between real and staged. Stecher formed a rival group, holding shows of his own, beginning the first promotional war in professional wrestling history.
On April 15, 1925, Tony Stecher contracted renowned hooker Stanislaus Zbyszko
to shoot on Wayne Munn, who had been put over by the Trio as their champion due to his status as an ex-football star. Munn was thus disgraced, as Stecher then beat Stanislaus Zbyszko on May 30, 1925 to lay claim to Lewis’ title. This eventually led to yet another showdown between Stecher and Strangler Lewis; but by this point, Stecher’s best years were already behind him, and the two factions came to an agreement, with Stecher dropping the title back to Lewis on February 21, 1928.
forced Stecher, still a valuable box office draw, to make several returns to the ring. He was beaten by Lewis in several high-profile rematches, and was later used to put over Jim Londos
as a credible champion in the 1930s. He retired for good in 1934, but later suffered an emotional breakdown as a result of severe depression and was institutionalized in the St. Cloud Veteran's Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota
, where he remained for 30 years. He died on March 29, 1974 at age 81, with his legacy ultimately suffering in comparison to Lewis due mainly to Lewis’ outgoing personality and greater longevity.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
and three-time World Heavyweight Champion. Stecher is the first wrestler to regain the original version of the World Heavyweight Championship.
Childhood
The son of Bohemian immigrants, Joseph Stecher was born on April 4, 1893 on a 400 acres (1.6 km²) farm in Dodge, NebraskaDodge, Nebraska
Dodge is a village in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 700 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dodge is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land....
. Joe was the youngest of the family’s eight children, and as a youth, he excelled in numerous sports, including swimming, golf, tennis, and baseball. While the boys were still young, Frank Stecher enrolled his three sons in a wrestling course at the local Fremont YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, and Joe’s older brothers soon emerged as accomplished amateur grapplers. Joe’s eldest brother, Ernest, would earn a commission to Annapolis, and as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, he was eventually recognized as the National Intercollegiate Light Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Moreover, Anton (“Tony”) Stecher starred as the premier wrestler at Fremont High School; and as a result, Joe was determined to follow in his brothers’ large footsteps. From the moment he took the mat, it was clear that Joe Stecher was a natural wrestling talent, as he utilized his strong body and long limbs to outclass his opponents. Then in 1909, as a high school senior at just age 16, he nearly defeated “Doc” Benjamin Roller, one of the world’s top turn-of-the-century grapplers, in a hard-fought exhibition bout while Roller was touring the Midwest.
Early career
In 1912, both Joe and Tony Stecher ignored the objections of their parents as they decided to join the professional ranks; and Joe easily defeated Bill Hokief in his first pro match. After a few months, it soon became apparent that Joe, who was taller and heavier than his older brother, was also the clearly superior grappler. However, Tony possessed greater savvy for the business; and so he subsequently became Joe’s trainer and co-manager along with Joe Hetmanek (who had previously served as the Dodge postmaster). During this time, Joe Stecher also developed freakishly strong leg muscles as he practiced squeezing 100-pound sacks of grain on the farm until they would ultimately burst. As a result, Stecher soon became renowned for his feared leg scissors submission hold, which subsequently earned him the nickname of “The Scissors King.” Nevertheless, Joe Stecher would not gain national awareness until attracting the attention of the fabled "Farmer" Martin BurnsMartin Burns
Martin "Farmer" Burns was a world champion "catch-as-catch-can" wrestler as well as wrestling coach and teacher. Born in Cedar County, Iowa he started wrestling as a teenager and made money traveling around the Midwest wrestling in carnivals and fairs...
, the former American Champion who was also the mentor to the now-current World Heavyweight Champion, Frank Gotch
Frank Gotch
Frank Alvin Gotch was an American professional wrestler of German ancestry, the first American to win the world heavyweight free-style championship, and credited for popularizing professional wrestling in the United States...
. While touring the area, Burns planned to sucker the area gamblers by offering cash to any local wrestler who could defeat his “strongman,” who just happened to be world-class hooker Yussiff Hussane, one of wrestling’s feared “Terrible Turks.” This was a standard con for Burns’ group, and when young Joe Stecher accepted the offer, nobody anticipated that he would pose a legitimate challenge. However, Stecher proceeded to outwrestle the great champion, and when he finally slapped on his patented scissors hold after 45 minutes, a desperate Hussane was disqualified for biting Stecher’s leg.
World Heavyweight Champion
In the following years, the young phenom continued his ascent by defeating established grapplers like Jess Westergaard, Ad SantelAd Santel
Ad Santel, , was a practitioner of catch wrestling. Ad Santel fought one of the early clash-of-the-styles matches in modern martial arts history against Tokugoro Ito, a 5th degree black belt in Judo from Japan. Santel defeated Ito when a slamming takedown rendered the Judoka unable to continue the...
, Bob Managoff Sr., Marin Plestina, and Adolph Ernst, all in straight falls, and all in 15 minutes or less. Then with Frank Gotch in attendance on July 5, 1915 in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Stecher defeated the reigning American Champion, Charles Cutler, to claim pro wrestling’s World Heavyweight Championship. At just 22 years old, Joe Stecher became the youngest World Champion in history up to that point, yet he remained in the vast shadow of Gotch, who had retired a couple years earlier without ever losing the title and was thus still acknowledged by the public as pro wrestling’s true champion. As a result, a Gotch vs. Stecher “dream match” was arranged for July 18, 1916 and was promoted as being wrestling’s biggest matchup since Gotch’s battles with Georg Hackenschmidt
Georg Hackenschmidt
Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt was an early 20th-century Estonian strongman and professional wrestler, and the first free-style heavyweight champion of the world. He launched his professional career in Russia and lived most of his life in London, England, where he gained the nickname of 'The...
a decade earlier. Unfortunately, the bout never materialized, as Gotch broke a fibula in his leg while wrestling Managoff as part of a traveling circus, and his health deteriorated until he eventually died on December 16, 1917.
Despite having never faced Gotch (though it is speculated that he had dominated the aging champion in an impromptu sparring session), Joe Stecher reigned as the sport’s elite star while also beginning a legendary rivalry with a new wrestling sensation named Ed “Strangler” Lewis
Ed Lewis (wrestler)
Robert Herman Julius Friedrich , was a professional wrestler best known by his ring name Ed "Strangler" Lewis, whose career spanned four decades.-Wrestling career:...
. Stecher and Lewis wrestled for the first time on October 20, 1915, when a then-unknown Lewis was counted out after over 2 hours when he fell out of the ring and hit his head on a chair. The two then rematch on July 4, 1916, where they grappled for nearly five hours before the match was finally ruled a draw. After a third draw in 1918, Lewis had achieved notoriety by again managing to avoid being pinned by Stecher, though he was widely criticized for employing a defensive/avoiding style, while Stecher was usually the dominant aggressor. Nevertheless, it was Stecher who would win the majority of their contests over the course of the next five years.
Championship controversy
On April 9, 1917, Stecher lost his title when he was upset by Earl CaddockEarl Caddock
Earl Caddock was a professional wrestler who was active in the early portion of the twentieth century. As the first man to bill himself as "The Man of 1,000 Holds" , Caddock was one of professional wrestling's biggest stars between the years of 1915 and 1922.-Early life:Earl Caddock was born...
, and in the following years, Stecher, Lewis, Caddock, and Wladek Zbyszko
Wladek Zbyszko
Wladek Zbyszko , real name Wladyslaw Cyganiewicz, was a Polish professional wrestler and strongman. He is the brother of Stanislaus Zbyszko...
would each lay separate claims to the title due to various circumstances. But on January 30, 1920, Stecher finally emerged victorious in a double elimination tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
, defeating Caddock at the second Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden (1890)
Madison Square Garden was an indoor arena in New York City, the second by that name, and the second to be located at 26th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to win the undisputed title while unifying the various claims. This match was filmed by pioneer cinematographer Freeman Harrison Owens
Freeman Harrison Owens
Freeman Harrison Owens , born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, the only child of Charles H. Owens and Christabel Harrison. He attended Pine Bluff High School in Pine Bluff, but quit in his senior year to work at a local movie theatre as a projectionist.Owens constructed his own 35mm movie camera at the age...
, and is currently the oldest surviving filming of a pro wrestling match.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQl6mmAtkbE However, Lewis finally wrested the belt from Stecher the following December; and in the next few years, the two rivals also formed competing promotions.
During the 1920s, Lewis, along with promoters Toots Mondt
Toots Mondt
Joseph Raymond "Toots" Mondt was a former wrestling promoter who revolutionized the wrestling industry in the early to mid 1920s and co-promoted the World Wide Wrestling Federation...
and Billy Sandow
Billy Sandow
Wilhelm Baumann, better known as Billy Sandow , was the manager of professional wrestler Ed "Strangler" Lewis and a subsequent member of the famed Gold Dust Trio promotion that changed the face of the industry during the 1920s...
, formed the Gold-Dust Trio, a touring act that put on the first wrestling shows with undercards and widely believed to be responsible for changing wrestling into a staged spectacle, whereas earlier matches varied between real and staged. Stecher formed a rival group, holding shows of his own, beginning the first promotional war in professional wrestling history.
On April 15, 1925, Tony Stecher contracted renowned hooker Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko
Stanislaus Zbyszko was a Polish strongman and professional wrestler popular in the United States during the 1920s. He was one of the most influential European grapplers of all-time, he was also among the sport’s great pioneer champions...
to shoot on Wayne Munn, who had been put over by the Trio as their champion due to his status as an ex-football star. Munn was thus disgraced, as Stecher then beat Stanislaus Zbyszko on May 30, 1925 to lay claim to Lewis’ title. This eventually led to yet another showdown between Stecher and Strangler Lewis; but by this point, Stecher’s best years were already behind him, and the two factions came to an agreement, with Stecher dropping the title back to Lewis on February 21, 1928.
Retirement and post-career
In the following years, Joe Stecher settled into semi-retirement while Strangler Lewis emerged as wrestling’s great superstar of the early 20th century, though the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
forced Stecher, still a valuable box office draw, to make several returns to the ring. He was beaten by Lewis in several high-profile rematches, and was later used to put over Jim Londos
Jim Londos
Christos Theofilou or Christopher Theophelus better known as "The Golden Greek" Jim Londos, was a professional wrestler who was one of the most popular stars wrestling offered during the Great Depression.-Career:Jim Londos was born Christos Theofilou in 1897 in Argos, Greece. as the youngest of...
as a credible champion in the 1930s. He retired for good in 1934, but later suffered an emotional breakdown as a result of severe depression and was institutionalized in the St. Cloud Veteran's Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
, where he remained for 30 years. He died on March 29, 1974 at age 81, with his legacy ultimately suffering in comparison to Lewis due mainly to Lewis’ outgoing personality and greater longevity.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Body Scissors
- Nicknames
- The Scissors King
Championships and accomplishments
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Class of 2002 (Pioneer Era)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameThe Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to the sport. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is not...
(Class of 1996)
- Other titles
- World Heavyweight Championship (original version) (3 times)