Over the last and next few weeks I have and will be posting my five part series on the history of the world title. I have tried to put an individual slant on each one so that they can be appreciated both us stand alone pieces and as a collective. This third part deals focuses on perhaps the most dominant force that wrestling has ever seen - Mr F Gotch.
"When news of his death reached the people of his native Iowa, the whole state went into mourning. In Humboldt, his hometown, every store closed down, the schoolhouse was shuttered and empty, on the day of his funeral. Thousands of weeping mourners, gathered from many parts of the land, trudged the icy path to the rural cemetery on a cold December day to bid a final farewell to the farm boy who had been the greatest wrestling champion in history." – Mac Davis, 100 Greatest Sports Heroes.
Frank Gotch, in many ways, epitomises the American Dream. Through an extraordinary mixture of hard work and talent he grew from humble beginnings to become arguably the greatest wrestler that has ever walked upon the face of the earth. It would have been impossible for anyone to guess on the 27th April 1877 that Frederick and Amelia Gotch, German immigrants who were giving birth to their ninth and last child, were about to become the parents of a phenomenon. However, on a farm in Humboldt, Iowa Frank Gotch was born. Life on the farm was never easy and the young Frank had to help out even more than usual when his mother became blind and his father required an artificial limb after being hit by a falling tree. Perhaps it was these experiences on the farm that provided Gotch with the strength, fitness and mental resilience that were to prove to be his hallmarks later on.
Although Gotch got off to a winning start in his professional career when he defeated the town champion Barth Marshall Green on the 2nd April 1899, his first defeat a couple of months later was to prove far more significant. Having bet $50 of his own money that he could beat the wrestler named Dan Stewart, Gotch was clearly confident. However, wrestling on a cinder track for nearly two hours, he lost in straight falls. There was one bright note to cheer up the now poorer Gotch – the man he had wrestled was not actually, strictly speaking, Dan Stewart but Dan Stewart McLeod. Dan McLeod was the American Heavyweight Champion and therefore it was no disgrace for Gotch to narrowly lose to him.
It was Gotch’s last match of 1899 that turned out to be the most important in shaping his future. On the 13th December the legendary Farmer Burns was in town promising to give $25 to anyone who could last fifteen minutes with him. Naturally, Frank took up the gauntlet and, despite being pinned in eleven minutes, more than impressed Burns. After the contest Burns was reported as saying “Ladies and gentlemen, I have never met an amateur wrestler the like of this fellow in my life. If he will go with me, I will make him champion of America in a few months." Whilst the few months tibit didn’t quite come off the rest of it did and Gotch dutifully went off to learn his trade as an apprentice with Burns.
Whilst in Alaska with Burns, Gotch, under the pseudonym of Frank Kennedy, had defeated the highly acclaimed Silas Archer and accumulated a serious amount of money. However, not everything ran smoothly. Gotch, foolishly, accepted Frank Slavin’s invitation to meet in a boxing match. Slavin was a tremendous boxer and schooled Gotch so convincingly that in the fourth round Gotch had to resort to getting himself disqualified. Gotch also narrowly escaped probable death when his friends held him up to such an extent that he missed his planned voyage on the Skagway. The Skagway along with thirty-six passengers and crew was drowned on that journey. Despite all this Gotch’s wrestling was progressing at a tremendous rate.
Evidence of this progress was most clearly shown when Gotch took on the formidable Tom Jenkins. They wrestled eight times from 1903 with Gotch winning five including the last three. The two men traded American Heavyweight Championships but by the time Gotch was reaching his peak Jenkins was falling from his. Gotch himself sums it up by noting that “Jenkins was the strongest and roughest wrestler of his time. His star was setting at a time when mine was in the ascendant.” Jenkins, after retiring, would go on to teach at West Point for 37 years as a boxing and wrestling coach and had one Dwight Eisenhower as a pupil. It was as American Heavyweight Champion that Gotch would suffer the last of his defeats, to Fred Beell, in what was considered a monumental upset. By 1908 Gotch had proved himself as ready to go after the World Title.
George Hackenschmidt the ‘Russian Lion’ had been World Champion since defeating Jenkins in 1905. Between then and 1908 he had been defending his title with relative ease against a variety of opponents. That was about to change. Hackenschmidt was justifiably a strong favourite going into his bout with Gotch on the 3rd April; nobody had been able to touch him in the wrestling world for several years. The match in Chicago which drew $100,000 would, however, prove to one of the most controversial in wrestling history. Gotch triumphed when he won the first-fall in just over two hours with his feared and revered toehold and Hackenschmidt failed to appear for the next. Since that date both wrestlers and their respective camps have continued to spin the story in a way that suits their purpose best. The line between truth and deception has been blurred to such an extent that it is impossible to tell who is right and who is wrong. The best any impartial commentator can do is to set out the two sides and let the reader make up their own mind.
The Lowell Sun & Citizen-Leader in 1942 carried an article by Hackenschmidt in which he once again set out his view of the contest as he had maintained for over thirty years:
“Gotch was a lucky man, but it was not he alone that made me quit; it was he, coconut oil mixed with kerosene, plus the referee who gave him the verdict. Gotch’s tactics: gouging eyes, tearing ears, using foul language, etc., did not affect me at all. My most difficult adversary, until the end of the match, was the soil. I could not overcome it. I wasted my strength gripping Gotch’s wrists and arms … He slipped out of every grip.
“Before five minutes passed, my trunks became as greasy as Gotch’s skin, from rubbing and cleaning my hands of oil. I then appealed to the referee, and suggested we should have a hot bath before continuing. His answer was, ‘Don’t squeal.’ This is the bitterest memory that I hold of the Chicago affair and of all the thousands of wrestling bouts that I contested in clubs, circuses, theatres and stadium. Nothing my hardest and toughest opponents, including Gotch, every did to me hurt me as much as the words, ‘Don’t squeal,’ from Ed Smith, the referee in question.
“I should have walked out of the ring at that moment and insisted on a bath. I know I would have beaten him quickly if I could only have managed to hold him. I was much the stronger, and I had wrestled and beaten much stronger men before. But the combination of Gotch, oil and Smith was too much for me…
“…I had been in generally bad condition for months before the match, with water in my knee joint. Yet I would have beaten Gotch were it not for his greasy skin. After one hour and fifty minutes of wrestling, I saw the opening for which I had been searching and went quickly to the floor, to roll him from that position. No one ever escaped from that hold, but I could not get the hold on him. He was as slippery as an eel. Seeing the uselessness of all further efforts caused me to give him the match.”
The case for Gotch is, in many ways, much simpler. They claim that these accusations stem from the fact that Hackenschmidt was desperate for a way to explain his defeat without losing face and the promoter, Jack Curley, who was also a close friend of Hackenschmidt’s, was equally desperate to organise a rematch and cash-in. The reason that Gotch was so hard to get a hold-of was because he was employing a tactic to wear Hackenschmidt out so that he could utilise his superior stamina. Their fellow wrestler George Dinnie thought that:
"Gotch is a straight, gentlemanly fellow, and I don't think he would ever do anything outside the rules If he were beaten, he would accept his defeat like a Britisher. He would not shake hands and then go away and say things about his opponent. If all Hackenschmidt says is true, why did he shake hands with Gotch in friendly way after the contest? Why did he not leave the ring disgusted?”
The last arrow in the Gotch camp’s bow is relevant to all the controversy between the two men. They believe, as Mike Chapman states, that as:
“Frank died in 1917 and Farmer Burns died in 1937. Shortly after, the Hackenschmidt supporters began their spin. Hackenschmidt lived until 1960, and was a legendary weightlifting and bodybuilding icon, as well as a wrestling legend. The writers of the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and so forth simply could not believe that any man could defeat Hackenschmidt in a fair match. Hack, a man of tremendous ego, allowed the writers to believe that Gotch won by foul methods. Since Gotch and his trainer, Farmer Burns, were long dead, the bodybuilding/weightlifting writers began their spin, saying Gotch wrestled dirty."
Someone is right and someone is wrong, but the only people who can say which is which are sadly no longer with us. Thus the controversy continues in much a similar way as it has done over the last century. However, the controversy is not simply limited to their first bout in 1908 but also includes their re-match at Comiskey Park on the 4th September 1911. The hype for this match was unbelievable; it garnered the largest ticket sales for a wrestling match in history at that point.
New York Times September 4th 1911
GOTCH AND 'HACK' READY FOR MATCH
World's championand "Russian Lion" Will wrestle today for Championship
EXPECT 25000 SPECTATORS
Both Principals in Excellent Condition for the Contest- American is Favorite in Betting
Chicago Sept 3.- Frank Gotch, the Iowa farmer, and Geore Hackenschmidt, the Russian student, will determine tomorrow who is the mightiest wrstler in the world. AT 3 o'clock in the afternoon, in the American League baseballl park here,these two might wrestlers will take to the mat to settle the supremacy.
Gotch won their former match in Chicago April 3, 1908 but he did not pin the shoulders of the "Russian Lion" to the mat. For that reason he has never received universal credit for his victory. But tomorrow, both contestants insist, the match will not end until one man has obtained two falls. It may be necessary to finish the contest under the glare of arc lights. Regardless of this the wrestlers are determined to settle their dispute beyond all possible doubt before they leave the park.
With the contest less than twenty-four hours away, there is great interest tonight in the match. From all parts of the country followers of the sport are coming in, and all the downtown hotels are crowded.
Throughout the day the ticket office was busy disposing of coupons. The total sales up to 6 o'clock tonight amounted to approximately $70,000. It is expected that at least 25000 persons will attend the contest, and that the gross receipts will be in the neighborhood of $100,000.
Whatever they are, it is certain they will be larger then any ever taken in at any previous wrestling contest.
Statements of the Wrestlers
"I certainly expect to win, for I am basing my plans for victory on my condition, which is better than ever before in my long wrestling career. I also believe that I will be able to outlast him if the match becomes an endurance contest, such as our former match.
"Just how I will try to defeat 'Hack' I cannot say. My tactics will depend somewhat on his. I am prepared to wrestle all night if necessary. Hack's great strength makes him a hard man to defeat. It will be a match in which generalship as well as strength will count. My greater experience will bring me victory."-Gotch
"In all my professional wrestling matches I never have tried to predict the outcome. I will not boast. All I can say is that I am feeling fine and have trained faithfully and I want to sail for home Sept. 9 as the world's champion.
"I never have been satisfied with my other match with Gotch when he was credited with defeating me. I have learned more since then, and have more confidence."-Hackenschmidt.
Although the turnstiles at the park will not begin to revolve until 11 o'clock tomorrow, early tonight ardent devotees of the sport had begun to gather outside the grounds and seek vantage points for an early entrance to the field Many of them were already provided with tickets, but they did not desire to be caught in the crush that will ensue a few hours before the candidates enter the arena.
Stories of Gotch's wonderful condition which have been circulated since he arrived here last Friday have forced the betting odds on him down to 2 to 1. While he was still training in Humboldt, Ia., he was but a 6 to 5 favorite. But his work here has caused his stock to rise rapidly. .
The bout was, perhaps, an anti-climax with Gotch winning easily in two-straight falls. However, and nobody disputes this, Hackenschmidt was wrestling with a knee injury that he had picked up in the days leading up to the match when wrestling Benjamin Roller. The controversy for this bout stems from differing opinions about the seriousness of the injury. Gotch would argue that the knee was only a slight injury and had no real bearing on the outcome of the match whereas Hackenschmidt would state that the knee was badly injured and ensured Gotch’s victory. Many commentators, though, would put forward the case that Hackenschmidt knew that the knee was bad before the match and had agreed with Gotch that he should win one of the falls before losing the match but was double-crossed with Gotch winning in straight-falls. As with the 1908 bout, the truth will never completely out.
Gotch Surprised and "Hack" Wants Another Match.
Chicago, Sept. 4- Gotch, Hackenschmidt and referee Smith all made statements after the match as follows
BY FRANK GOTCH
"Honestly I didn't think it would be so easy. Hackenschmidt gave me such a desperate struggle in our first meeting that i was prepared and expected to go through with a hard, drawn-out battle. The very minute we locked heads I felt confident that I would win, but I really did not think victory would come so quickly.
"Hackenschmidt did not display the nerve and strength he did in our first contest. HE wasn't aggressive. He appeared afraid. When I saw that Hack did not break down my defence or squirm out of holds I became determined to end it as quickly as possible.
"I am sorry he laid his miserable showing to an injured knee, for I wanted to make the victory a clean one. When I defeated him three years ago it was charged that I won unfairly. Today I hoped Hackenschmidt would be at his best, for I wanted to prove that I was his master"
BY GEORGE HACKENSCHMID
"It was the cheapest world's championship ever won. I entered the contest with an injured knee, and had my shoulders pinned to the mat for the first time in my wrestling career. I have no one to blame. I shouldn't have gone into the match, but I was advised that i could wrestle without further injuring my knee. But we scarcely had got to work when Gotch began to torture me with his toe grips. I then realised that I was in no condition to continue. I am not a quitter, neither do I desire to charge that I was not treated fairly.
"I am satisfied that my defeat as due to the injury. I would like to meet Gotch again, for I feel deeper then words can tell the loss of this match I did my best under the conditions. That is all I can say."
REFEREE EDWARD SMITH
"Gotch won honestly and fairly. Hack did not show his usual gameness or aggressiveness. I do not doubt that he was in the best condition, but he looked worried and frightened when the match began. He begged Gotch to release his punishing toehold, and evidently was in great pain when Gotch forced him to defeat.
"On cleverness alone Gotch should easily remain the champion for ten more years. His work in the first fall was marvellous and so fast that I could scarcely follow it.
"Gotch first faked a crotch hold, then suddenly he secured a half Nelson on Hackenschmidt. In the wink of an eye Gotch pivoted on Hackenschmidt's stomach, switched to a reverse body hold, and had downed his man. It was the speediest shift I have ever seen made on the mat.
"Hackenschmidt was in great pain during the period when Gotch had the toe hold on him. 'Don't hurt my toe,' he cried at first. But Gotch continued to put on the pressure. "Don't break my leg,' was his next appeal. The end came a second later."
After the second Hackenschmidt bout, Gotch continued to defend his title for a further two years before retiring in 1913. When he finally hung up the boots he had won 88 consecutive matches and had not lost since becoming world champion. He was an international sporting icon and top celebrity. Unfortunately, he died young in 1917 and was survived by his wife who, as a ten-year old, had, coincidentally, been sitting on her father’s knee when Gotch had wrestled Barth Marshall Green in 1889. Undoubtedly he was a great wrestler, if not the greatest and is deservedly a member of, without exception, every respected wrestling hall of fame. It is hard to know whether the controversy with Hackenschmidt over the world title adds to or detracts from the legend. But does it matter?
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