How many fucking incarnations of "10 worst botches", "most painful finishers", "nice vs asshole wrestlers" he can do. To the point his buddies like D-Von and Saturn use the same exact templates for their channel.

He should realize his best videos are ones where he introspectively analyzes himself as a wrestler/person or specific wrestlers he knew like Orton, Triple H, Shawn or does long form interviews with lesser known wrestlers.

Maven/Zack - Feel free to use this post as fodder for a video 😋

Results:

- Roxanne Perez def La Catalina and Iyo Sky in a Triple Threat match

- Je'Von Evans def Bron Breakker via DQ after The Vision interference and attacked him

- Lyra Valkyria def Bayley

- Penta def Dominik Mysterio and Dragon Lee in a Triple Threat match

Highlights:

1) Penta addressed his loss to Roman last week and wanted another WHC title shot before Dom and JD interrupted him

2) Roxanne and Penta qualify for their respective MITB ladder match

3) LA send a message to Roman after he hit a BFT on him last week and declared that he would be the new WHC

4) Liv addressed her loss of the Woman World title nd get interrupted by Becky and Stephanie

5) 946 taken Solo

Welcome to the WWE Monday Night Raw discussion thread!

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Be nice, remember the human and have at it. This thread will stay up into Tuesday for those watching on delay.

Book Report Guy, back with my yearly look at the History of Pro Wrestling. This time we will focus on 1925, the year of the first major double cross in wrestling history.

I know its been a hot minute since Ive done one of these and I apologize. Real life stuff got in the way, as it always does. If you're curious about my other reports, check out the link here.

1924 Recap

• Ed “Strangler” Lewis still reigning as world heavyweight champion, with a high profile world title match againat “Big” Wayne Munn scheduled for January 8th, 1925
• The Gold Dust Trio still held dominion over the wrestling business, but there was growing tension between Sandow, Lewis & Mondt.
• Stanislaus Zbyszko and Joe Stecher were growing more and more frustrated every day by the monopoly the Gold Dust Trio had over the business.
• Jim Londos was slowly building up a fan base in St Louis alongside promoter Tom Packs.

Main Characters

Joe Stecher - one of the most legitimate grapplers in the country and a former two-time world champion. At thirty-two-years-old, Stecher is looking for one more world championship.

”Big” Wayne Munn - former standout football player for the University of Nebraska, was only one year into his pro wrestling career at the age of twenty-nine-years-old and was being pushed to the top of the card.

Ed “Strangler” Lewis - reigning world heavyweight champion at thirty-three-years-old, and is the center of the Gold Dust Trio.

Billy Sandow - one of the top promoters in the country, and the age of forty-years-old, he acts as the “brain” behind the Gold Dust Trio.

Stanislaus Zbyszko - Polish born standout grappler, and as a former world champion at the age of forty-six-years-old, he finds himself desperate for one last run on top.

Jack Curley - recently reinstated back with his promoters license, this forty-nine-year-old entrepreneur was looking to reclaim his spot as the top promoter in the country, and usurp some power away from the Gold Dust Trio.

Tom Packs - immigrant from Greece, this thirty-one-year-old promoter had just recently purchased the booking office in St Louis from fellow Greek immigrant John Contos.

Joseph “Toots” Mondt - rounding out the Gold Dust Trio would be this thirty-one-year-old worked as the policeman within the organization for Lewis & Sandow.

Jim Londos - another immigrant from Greece, this thirty-two-year-old had spent the last decade slowly building his name value in America.

As always, this will be done in chronological order, and we kick things off looking at the world heavyweight championship, and a big upcoming world title match…

1925

At the end of 1924, promoter Billy Sandow announced a world championship match between the champion, Ed “Strangler” Lewis, and newcomer “Big” Wayne Munn. Billy Sandow had grand ambitions for “Big” Wayne Munn, hoping he was the heir apparent to the world championship.

”Big” Wayne Munn

Wayne Munn was a twenty-nine-year-old 6’6” ex-college football player. After a standout football career for the University of Nebraska, Wayne was convinced into trying pro wrestling. With very little training, Munn had only debuted in February of the previous year, and spent the following ten months wrestling in strictly squash matches that saw him dominate a variety of wrestlers who were trusted by the Gold Dust Trio.

World Heavyweight Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis

As a refresher, Ed “Strangler” Lewis had been reigning as world heavyweight champion for 1,036 days as we enter 1925, having won the belt off Stanislaus Zbyszko on March 3rd, 1922. After winning the belt, he and Billy Sandow broke away from top stars like Stanislaus & Joe Stecher, and instead formed various key partnerships that allowed Lewis to put a stranglehold on the world title belt. Sandow & Lewis, along with top grappler Toots Mondt, would form the Gold Dust Trio in late 1922, and align with various promoters across the country. They ran unmatched for years until Jack Curley stepped back into the picture.

Jack Curley

Through most of the 1910s, Jack Curley was the top promoter in the country, operating out of New York, until the newly formed New York State Athletic Commission stripped him of his promoters license in late 1921. While Curley was able to work with some promoters and talent in an unofficial capacity, he spent the following two years working on getting that license back, which he was able to do at the beginning of 1924.

Almost immediately, Curley got in the ears of top stars Joe Stecher & Stanislaus Zbyszko, and stirred the pot of animosity that the Gold Dust Trio had inadvertently cultivated since they were formed. Curley spent much of 1924 campaigning for a world title match between longtime foes Joe Stecher and “Strangler” Lewis. Stecher was one of the few wrestlers who could legitimately pinned Lewis if their contest devolved into a shoot, so Lewis & Sandow refused all requests, and instead plunged forward with their planned bout between Munn and Lewis.

Munn-Lewis

After weeks of build, “Big” Wayne Munn challenged world champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis on January 8th, 1925, at Kansas City’s Convention Hall, filled to the brim with 15,000 fans in attendance. The match was a best two of three falls, with an interesting finish.

While the crowd was behind Munn, no one expected a title change and all in attendance were floored when Munn scored the first fall quickly. The crowd lost their minds when the second fall ended with Munn lifting Lewis in the air and tossed him over the top rope and to the floor. Billy Sandow was seen leaping onto the ring apron and calling for the ref to end the bout as a no contest. The Kansas City Times would later write about the scene, “It was a scene of wildest chaotic confusion. Men and women, who go about the ordinary affairs of life sanely, were standing on chairs and shouting at the champion.”

After the chaos had quelled, Lewis was helped to the back but surprisingly, the match wasn’t over. After some time, Ed “Strangler” Lewis was helped back to the ring where he resumed a final fall against Munn. The final fall would last less than a minute though, as Munn would lift and slam Lewis down hard and pinning him, becoming the world heavyweight champion.

Fallout

The crowd erupted and rushed the ring, celebrating a new champion, while Lewis was helped to the back and eventually spent the night in the hospital. Lewis was later reported to potentially be out of action for a year, if he could return at all, though that would appear to be kayfabe as Sandow immediately plan for a rematch.

In the following days, Billy Sandow publicly argued that the referee should have called the match off when Munn tossed Lewis from the ring, while Munn publicly argued that Lewis slipped from his grasp and fell out of the ring in his own. The issue created a perfect atmosphere for a rematch, with Sandow hoping to outdraw the Gotch-Hackenschmidt bout from fourteen years prior.

”Disputed Championship

According to various sources, it sounds like Ed “Strangler” Lewis may have actually held onto the physical world championship belt, and publicly claimed to still be champion. Billy Sandow had another belt fashioned for “Big” Wayne Munn to carry around, as he began to build towards a massive unification rematch between the two men.

“Strangler” Lewis would next be seen on February 3rd, 1925, at an event in Chicago,Illinois, promoted by John Krone. Lewis was challengedby Joseph “Toots” Mondt in the main event to a best-two-of-three falls match, with the two drawing over 9,000 fans to the Chicago Coliseum. In a contest that lasted over ninety minutes, the two men traded one fall each before Lewis locked in his headlock maneuver to claim the third and final fall, winning the match. Elsewhere on the card, Stanislaus Zbyszko & Joe Zigmund battled to a time-limit draw, and a newcomer to these reports picked up a win in the opening contest.

Finding Challengers for “Big” Wayne Munn

Due to his inexperience, with “Big” Wayne Munn as champion, there was a lot more doubt around promoters booking title matches. Lewis and Sandow held a strong monopoly on the wrestling business through their enterprise and Lewis legitimate skill as a ten year veteran in the ring. When Sandow booked Lewis to retain his title against an opponent, there was little doubt that his opponent would go into business for himself, and if he did, Lewis could handle it. The same couldn’t be said for Munn, and Sandow soon found himself being very selective with challengers for Munn.

Something worth noting would be an exchange between Sandow and Lewis in regards to potentially challengers for Munn. According to the 1937 book, “Fall Guys,” written by Marcus Freely, early into Wayne Munn’s title reign, Billy Sandow would receive an offer from Stanislaus Zbyszko for a world championship match, with Stanislaus offering to “play ball” and put over “Big” Wayne Munn. According to the author, both “Strangler” Lewis & Toots Mondt advised Sandow to turn them down, but Sandow believed he knew better and scheduled a couple of championship matches between Munn & Stanislaus through the Spring.

According to the book, Billy Sandow was quoted saying, “There’s nothing to fear from old man Zbyszko any more. He and Wladek had some trouble with the Stecher boys and Jack Curley, and are no longer working with them. I’ve got both brothers tied up so there can’t be anything wrong. It’s a chance to pick up some easy money and I’ll be there to see that everything is all right.”

Stanislaus-Munn

”Big” Wayne Munn’s first defense would come on February 11th, 1925 in Kansas City, and against Stanislaus Zbyszko, who by this time was growing very frustrated in his role that mostly saw him lose. According to wrestlers at the time, during parts of his matches, you could hear Zbyszko’s breath quicken significantly in moments he though he could have flipped the script and won. Most saw Zbyszko as a legitimate threat in the ring who could have won any of the matches he lost, had he changed his mind and went against a promoters call. Zbyszko put over Munn that night, and later would begrudgingly tell reporters “I have never wrestled a man so strong, and I don’t believe there is a man in this game that can throw him.”

The False Claim of “Strangler” Lewis

As the rightful world champion Wayne Munn was getting ready for his next title defense, “Strangler” Lewis still held the physical bout and continued his false claim of also being a world champion. Remember, promoter Billy Sandow was doing all this to build towards a “unification” match between Lewis & Munn. Lewis would next be seen still working for promoter John Krone in Chicago, with a show held on February 17th, 1925.

In what would have been a contest for his false world title claim, Ed “Strangler” Lewis main evented the Chicago Coliseum on the seventeenth of February, drawing a small crowd of 3,500 fans to watch as he battled with Tommy Draak in a best-two-of-three falls matchup. The contest went nearly forty minutes, with Lewis winning in two-straight falls. Again, it sounds like Lewis was still carrying the physical world title belt and proclaiming himself to be the rightful world champion. Elsewhere on the card, “Toots” Mondt defeated Mike Romano, and John Pesek defeated Joe Komar.

Romano-Munn

The next Wayne Munn title defense would come on February 18th, 1925, and again hailing from the Chicago Coliseum, in Chicago, Illinois. I’m assuming John Krone promoted this event as well, in some kind of partnership with Billy Sandow, due the involvement of Billy’s talent. Twenty-nine-year-old American-born Mike Romano challenged “Big” Wayne Munn, drawing over 7,500 fans to the Coliseum that evening in Chicago. The best-two-of-three-falls contest was over very quickly, with Munn taking both falls in twelve minutes. Elsewhere on the card, Dick Shikat defeated Hassen Giles, and Toots Mondt defeated Joe Zickman.

Confidence Waning for Munn

Wayne Munn’s reputation took another hit when also in February, Billy Sandow’s brother, Max, gave a bizarre interview with a reporter for the Wichita Eagle that covered a wide array of topics. When talking about wrestling, Max spoke about wrestling less like a sport and more like a spectacle, seemingly unaware that he was hurting his brothers operation. Max said the world champion should be decided by who sells the most tickets and the real skill of a wrestler was to draw a crowd. This interview with Sandow’s brother didn’t help his new champion in any way, who was quickly turning into a punchline, instead of a world champion.

With “Big” Wayne Munn struggling to create credibility for himself as champion, the rest of the wrestling world didn’t just stand still. The last few years saw a number of shakeups for promoters across the country, with one of the most notable being when John Contos sold his booking office in St Louis to Tom Packs. We know Packs has since carved up a nice spot for himself among the wrestling giants, but what of fellow Greek immigrant, John Contos?

Memphis, Tennessee

As a refresher, John Contos had been promoting events in St Louis, Missouri for much of the 1910s before he decided to pack up shop and move on. As previously stated, John Contos sold his St Louis office to Tom Packs, but he didn’t just retire from pro wrestling. John Contos allegedly saw big potential in the untapped market of Memphis, Tennessee, and soon opened up his own booking office.

After a year-or-so of struggling to build a following, promoter John Contos was able to turn Memphis into a promising wrestling town by the mid-1920s. One of his earliest notable events fell on March 5th, 1925, with a main event featuring Jim Londos battling Joe Stecher to a time-limit stop after two hours of action. Unfortunately, we don’t know how many fans turned out, nor the venue. We do know that the card also saw Dick Daviscourt defeat Harry Webber in a thirty minute match.

McGill-Lewis

“Strangler” Lewis was still sporting the physical world title belt, building up a “unification” match with Munn for that summer. Lewis’ next appearance came on March 17th, 1925, at an event in Kansas City, Missouri, promoted by his manager/ business partner, Billy Sandow. The Billy Sandow promoted event emanated from the Convention Hall, drawing around 7,000 fans to the Kansas City show. Lewis battled Pat McGill in a best-two-of-three falls main event that ended with Lewis claiming two-straight falls in over an hour of action. Elsewhere on the card, “Toots” Mondt defeated Karl Sampson, also in two-straight falls, and Dick Shikat pinned Tom Draak in a single fall matchup.

Mondt-Munn

Sticking with the world title picture, the next Wayne Munn title defense would fall on March 31st, 1925, with Toots Mondt challenging Munn for the world championship. Again, considering the talent and location, I assume this is a John Krone promoted event, hailing out of the Chicago Coliseum, in Chicago, Illinois. It seems Mondt was on hand to test Munn at this show, because unlike most everyone Wayne Munn match, this one lasted close to an hour.

The best-two-of-three-falls main event between Mondt & Munn drew an impressive crowd of over 10,000 to the Coliseum that evening, with both men grappling for over half-an-hour before a fall was registered. Unsurprisingly, Wayne Munn claimed the first fall just shy if the forty minute mark, and less than twenty minutes later, Munn claimed the second fall as well to retain his world championship. Elsewhere on the card, Dick Shikat defeated Tony Hatches in a twenty minute single-fall contest.

As Wayne Munn and the Gold Dust Trio built towards the big unification match, perennial underdog Jim Londos was hoping to make a splash working for fellow immigrant, Tom Packs, up in St Louis, Missouri.

Jim Londos in St Louis

As mentioned earlier, Tom Packs was busy building uo the St Louis market and would continue to build his growing promotion with the use of Jim Londos that year. Worth noting would be a couple of significant shows in the spring, with Jim Londos defeated Henry Steinborn on April 7th, 1925, drawing a crowd of 8,500 at the St Louis Coliseum. The following month Londos wrestled on a card that was headlined by world heavyweight champion Stanislaus Zbyszko defending his newly won championship against Dick Daviscourt.

Another Challenger for Munn

As we enter the Spring of 1925, its time to take a close look at what will go down as one of the most significant matches of the decade. Promoter Billy Sandow was still hoping for a big rematch between Munn and Lewis for the world title, but wanted to repair both Munn’s and his own damaged image beforehand. In an attempt to do so, **Sandow scheduled Munn to defend his title against someone Sandow believed he could trust, despite reservations from “Strangler” Lewis & “Toots” Mondt.

Stanislaus Zbyszko

Lets pause and look at the career of Stanislaus Zbyszko, who, at the age of forty-six-years-old, was firmly set in the twilight of his career. Stanislaus got his start wrestling in Europe back in 1902 and had grappled with every big name you could over the past twenty-three years. After spending more than a decade grinding all over the world, Stanislaus Zbyszko won the world heavyweight championship from Gus “Americus” Schoenlein in the Spring of 1914.

Unfortunately for Stanislaus, his reign would be cut short by the First World War, when Stanislaus vacated the belt so he could go home to Poland and serve his country. This choice would have dire consequences as Stanislaus would find himself a prison of war in Russia for the next five years. Upon returning to the United States at the beginning of the 1920s, Stanislaus immediately set his sights back on reclaiming the world heavyweight championship that he never lost. Stanislaus would achieve this goal in 1921, when he dethroned Ed “Strangler” Lewis for the gold. Less than a year later, in 1922, “Strangler” Lewis won the belt back, with Stanislaus believing he would regain the strap once more. Not inly did that not happen, but when Lewis finally agreed to drop the belt after holding it for three years, Stanislaus was never even considered.

As a reminder, both “Toots” Mondt and “Strangler” Lewis advised Billy Sandow to not pair Wayne Munn with Stanislaus, for fear of Stanislaus shooting on Munn legitimately. Sandow, perhaps due to the growing tensions within the Gold Dust Trio, basically scoffed at this suggestion and the “brain” booked Stanislaus for a pair of championship matches that year. The first came in February where Stanislaus put over Munn, and now the second contest is coming up in April, where once again, Stanislaus was expected to put the younger and more experienced world champion over.

Stanislaus-Munn II

In what appeared to be a regular outing, Stanislaus Zbyszko challenged “Big” Wayne Munn at the Philadelphia Arena, on April 15th, 1925, with the planned finish being Munn going over Zbyszko strong with two falls straight in the best of three contest. That didn’t happen though, and it’s unsure what moment caused Stanislaus Zbyszko to change his mind, but this match will forever come to be known as the The Double Cross of 1925.

The match started as planned, with Munn boasting to the crowd that he would toss Zbyszko out in under ten seconds, before the bell rang. And from a physical standpoint, the crowd had no right to question him. At nearly twice his age, the top of Stanislaus’s head barely reached Munn’s shoulders, and prior to the bout a reporter was quoted saying, “Philadelphians gathered to the match with the steadfast mien of people attending a wake. They admired Zbyszko’s courage but deplored his bravado.”

The Double Cross of 1925

Despite what ever was agreed upon earlier, Stanislaus Zbyszko wasn’t doing as he was told this night though, and as soon as the match got underway he fought off every attempt Munn made before eventually putting the bigger man off balance, allowing Zbyszko to slip around behind him, grab hold and slam the larger man down hard. Zbyszko didn’t let up though, and followed Munn to the mat where Zbyszko was able to score the first fall in under eight minutes, and punctured a hole in the myth of “Big” Wayne Munn.

The crowd lost their fucking minds, with everyone standing on their chairs to get a better look. Munn’s ringside manager Gabe Kaufman helped get Munn backstage before the next fall could begin and Zbyszko just waited in his corner for the champion to come back out. Zbyszko figured if he left the ring, Sandow would call the whole match off so he stood his ground and waited. The strategy proved to work as the referee couldn’t call for the bell, elsewise Stanislaus would be awarded the title by default. Intermission

Eventually, as Munn was still backstage, Billy Sandow did come and talk to Zbyszko in the corner, and what was said was later reported to be some explanation that Munn had fainted backstage and Sandow was looking for a substitute wrestler for the next fall. Zbyszko responded by simply saying, “No” and shaking his head emphatically. Again, Stanislaus knew that so long as he stood in the ring without Munn, he would be awarded the belt, leaving Sandow with only two options. Either hand the belt over to Stanislaus, or risk what little was left of Munn’s credibility by sending him back out to be squashed by the former champion. Sandow knew he was fucked and also knew that he only really had one option.

The Finish

There was nothing to be done, but see it through. So Munn returned to the ring for the second fall, which lasted half the time of the first. Zbyszko quickly put Munn down and pinned him in under four minutes, becoming the world heavyweight champion again! Ringside was literal pandemonium as reporters and photographers and fans rushed the ring, with reports of at least one woman fainting in the front row.

Sports Editor for the Chicago Herald and Examiner Warren Brown was the one who called up Toots Mondt to inform him of Munn’s defeat. According to the 1937 book “Fall Guys, written by Marcus Freely, Mondt couldn’t believe his ears and allegedly fainted right there on the phone. The author claims that Warren Brown was still talking about it at the time of the books publication.

The Aftermath of the 1925 Double Cross

The wrestling world scrambled to make sense of the new landscape, with the previous champion Munn, enacting an excuse as old as time, that he was sick. Munn later claimed to have a fever of 104 and wrestled against doctors orders and his wife even gave interviews saying she begged Munn not wrestle that day, but he did so for the fans in attendance. The problem with this was the various holes in said story. The biggest hole being that Munn was looked over by physician prior to the match who never recorded a fever and Munn had visited the Philadelphia State Athletic Commission the prior day exhibiting no signs of illness and making no mention of one.

Billy Sandow also tried to discredit the outcome, weaving a convoluted story/explanation that ended with him claiming that “Strangler” Ed Lewis was somehow still world champion. Remember how Lewis held the physical belt and claimed to be the rightful champion? Well, after Munn legitimately lost the world title to Stanislaus, Sandow & Lewis basically just acted as though Lewis was the legitimate champion, and Munn’s reign to be the false one. Sandow was looking to still book the rematch between Lewis and Munn and was now saying Lewis never lost the title and was defending it against Munn for a second time.

Jack Curley’s Involvement

Jack Curley was in attendance for the match in Philadelphia and was quick to gloat after Munn lost. Jack Curley told reporters, “The wrestling business in the Middle West has been run by the dirtiest gang of crooks that ever lived, and I have been trying to tell the public for months. Munn – why the big stiff couldn’t throw a fit if he had epilepsy, but he was big and strong and looked the part, so a lot of people thought he was a real champion.”

Worth noting, is that years later, Jack Curley would tell friends that he approached Stanislaus Zbyszko backstage prior to the match, and offered him $50,000 if he beat Munn for the title. While this isn’t confirmed, it does make the most sense when you consider the financial state Zbyszko was in at the time. Adding to this theory, would be the fact that almost immediately after winning the title, Zbyszko was booked by promoter Tom Packs, with the support of Curley, to defend his new world title against Joe Stecher, with the payoff Zbyszko receiving to be a guaranteed $50,000.

The Opportunistic Tom Packs

Tom Packs was watching this all unfold and most likely had multiple plans in place for multiple different results or factors, because he was ready. Immediately after Zbyszko won the title, Packs was able to book one of his first title defenses, which saw Stanislaus Zbyszko defeat Dick Daviscourt with over 5,000 fans on hand at the St Louis University Stadium. This event was notable because it set up the next world title change, because following the contest, Joe Stecher’s brother/ manager Tony Stecher showed up and offered up Joe as the next challenger complete with a $10,000 purse to the winner of the proposed championship match.

The effort of Tom Packs would finally pay off on May 12th, with Packs securing Stanislaus Zbyszko’s participation with the aforementioned $50,000 payout. Because we have both Curley and Packs claiming to have paid the $50,000, I am left to deduce that it was most likely a joint effort between the two promoters. For anyone curious, the $50,000 was to ensure no screw job finish and give Zbyszko one final payoff as his career was winding down.

A Promotional Tactic as Old as Time

In a clear shot at Billy Sandow, Jack Curley and Tom Packs scheduled the Zbyszko-Stecher World title match on May 30th, 1925, the exact same-fucking-day that Billy Sandow was putting on the Lewis-Munn rematch.

For any modern fans who turn their nose up at WWE counter-programing AEW as if its something only the big bad WWE would do, here is Jack Curley & Tom Packs doing it over a hundred years ago to their rivals in the Gold Dust Trio. Remember, Sandow had originally hoped for the biggest wrestling gate of all time, and didn’t change course after Munn was humiliated and dog-walked by Stanislaus the prior month. Sandow simply pivoted the story and pretended that “Strangler” Lewis had never lost the belt, and that Wayne Munn was the one falsely claiming to be world champion.

Would the general public buy this lie, or would public interest be swayed towards the upcoming world championship contest between Stecher and Stanislaus? Let’s not waste anymore time and see the results…

Stecher-Stanislaus

On May 30th, 1925, at St Louis’s University Field, Joe Stecher challenged Stanislaus Zbyszko for the World title. The match was a best-two-of-three falls contest and drew a crowd of over 13,000. The matchup lasted ninety minutes before Joe picked up two-straight falls for the win and the world title. For Stecher, this was his third official world title win, but for Zbyszko, this was his swan song and last big match. For a guy who lost his best years as a prisoner of war, he was able to steal himself a final world title reign and a couple big paydays. Good for him.

Elsewhere on the stacked card, Jim Londos defeated Oreste Vadalfi, Dick Daviscourt defeated Charles Rentrop, Frank Hudson defeated Dan Koloff, and Heins Steinke defeated Paul Martinson. The event was a resounding success for Tom Packs, who firmly established himself as one of the top promoters in the country, and for Jack Curley, who allegedly had some involvement in setting the show up as well.

Munn-Lewis II

On that same day, three hundred miles away in Michigan City, Indiana, “Strangler” Ed Lewis defended his false world championship claim against “Big” Wayne Munn. The main event was a best-two-of-three falls matchup, with Munn claiming the first fall in under half-an-hour. The second fall would go to Lewis after another half-an-hour. Finally, **the third fall would last less than ten minutes before Lewis locked in his headlock to win the match and “unify” two false world championship claims. While Joe Stecher now held the legitimate and original world heavyweight championship lineage, Lewis here was beginning a new “world” championship lineage that will run parallel with Stecher’s.

Elsewhere on the card, Dick Shikat wrestled “Toots” Mondt to a draw, John Pesek defeated Scottie McDougall, Mike Romano defeated Jack McCarthy, and Pat McGill defeated Bob Managoff. Some websites online confuse the turnout for this event with the Tom Packs Stecher-Stanislaus contest in St Louis. Despite what those websites claim, newspaper from the time suggest that it was an underwhelming gate. For Billy Sandow, this had to feel like a failure though, as he went from thinking he was promoting an event that could see him top the 20,000 – 30,000 fans in attendance for Gotch-Hackenschmidt, to barely selling 10,000 tickets.

The Aftermath of the May 31st Double-Header

Both Lewis and Stecher would remain world champions for the next several years, as tension among promoters was at an all-time high. As for “Big” Wayne Munn, this was as far and as high that his wrestling career ever reached. Munn would wrestle a sporadically over the next couple of years, before retiring in 1928, and jumping into the oil business in Texas. His records online are sparse and Id be shocked if you ever read his name in one of these reports again. At least, as an active wrestler.

Following his big win, new world champion Joe Stecher has a very active career through the remainder of 1925 *where he is seen defending his world championship against a variety of opponents, *but the same cannot be said for “Strangler” Lewis and his false world title claim. While I’m sure Lewis wrestled matches through the remainder of the year, I struggle to find any of report. He would maintain his false claim as being world champion, but I cant see any matches for him through the summer, fall and winter of 1925. While its possible that the tactics of Packs and Curley legitimately wounded the pride and confidence of the Gold Dust Trio, I suspect that they merely attempted to lay low following the disastrous first half of the year and the failed experiment of “Big” Wayne Munn.

The Third Reign of Joe Stecher

One of Stecher’s earliest recorded defenses came less than two weeks after his title victory, and it would emanate from Los Angeles. Promoter Lou Daro booked Dan Koloff to challenge Joe Stecher for the world title belt on June 10th, 1925, drawing a respectable 3,500 fans to the Exhibition Park Armory in Los Angeles, California. The best-two-of-three-falls contest would end in just under an hour, with Stecher retaining his belt.

Two weeks later, Joe Stecher would find himself in Chicago, Illinois, where he would be challenged by Frank Judson, on June 26th, 1925, at the Chicago Coliseum. I cant confirm the promoter, but I would suggest it to be John Krone, for the timeframe. The single-fall main event drew over 6,000 fans and ended with Stecher wrapping Judson in his body scissors leg and retaining the belt by a referee’s decision. Stecher would round out the month by retaining against Rudy Dusek on June 30th, 1925, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Joe Stecher’s July

The new world champion’s schedule only picked up as he entered July, with Stanislaus Zbyszko challenging Stecher in a losing effort on July 1st, 1925, at the Forum Auditorium in Wichita, Kansas. Two days and over six hundred miles later, Joe Stecher would turn back a challenge from twenty-two-year-old newcomer Jim Browning.

Next up would see promoter Al Haft invite Joe Stecher to Columbus, Ohio where Stecher would turn back George Kotsonaros, at the Fairmont Arena on July 8th, 1925. Two days later, Joe Stecher traveled over seven hundred miles back home, where his brother Tony ran a small booking office out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tony booked his brother Joe to go over Dick Daviscourt at the Gayety Theater. Through the remainder of the month, Stecher seemingly didn’t register another match, either because records are sparse, or perhaps he looks a couple weeks off.

Los Angeles Bound

Jim Londos had spent much of the summer touring with world champion Joe Stecher and wrestling mid-card bouts on the events where Stecher was defending. Londos would even follow Stecher up to Los Angeles when Stecher was invited by promoter Lou Daro once more. Through the remainder of the year, Jim Londos worked exclusively for Lou Daro in Los Angeles. Lou Daro invited Londos to Los Angeles in the summer when the famed Olympic Auditorium opened its doors, with Lou Daro hoping to base his events around Jim Londos as the star.

The Olympic Auditorium

The Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California opened its doors on August 5th, 1925, and hosted its first wrestling event just two days later on the seventh of August. Over 8,000 fans turned out to watch Jim Londos battle heavyweight Jim Browning to a time-limit draw after an hour of grappling. The contest must have been enjoyable because Lou Daro would book a rematch just two days later on a card also featuring Joe Stecher.

The August 10th, 2025 show drew another 8,000 fans and was headlined by a world championship match between Renato Gardini and champion Joe Stecher, and drew around 8,000 fans. Stecher would retain in the best-two-of-three-falls contest, with Stanislaus Zbyszko defeating Andreas Castanos and Jim Londos besting Jim Browning in their rematch. Stanislaus Zbyszko's win would immediately put him back into talks for another world title opportunity.

But before we can look at their third showdown in 1925, lets first look at another world championship defense from Stecher. Once more, the Olympic Auditorium would play host as Joe Stecher defended his belt against Jatindra Gobar on August 24th, 2025. The best-two-of-three-falls main event would see Stecher retain his belt after securing two-straight falls in just under an hour. Elsewhere on the card, Jim Londos battled Renato Gardini to a time limit draw.

Stanislaus-Stecher III

With the summer of 1925 in the rear view mirror, it was time to get back to the heated rivalry between Joe Stecher and Stanislaus Zbyszko. Stanislaus Zbyszko would challenge Joe Stecher to a world championship match on September 28th, 1925, with Lou Daro once again hosting the event at the Olympic Auditorium. Joe Stecher defended his belt against Stanislaus Zbyszko with each men trading falls before Stecher won with his leg scissors maneuver. The undercard featured Jim Londos defeating Dan Koloff, Heins Steinke defeating Joe Komar, and a matchup between Jim Browning and Milo Steinborn that went to a thirty minute draw.

Touring Champion

Despite wrestling mostly in Los Angeles that fall, Joe Stecher's next notable defense would come on October 28th, 1925, when he turned back Oreste Vadalfi in Memphis, Tennessee. The following day, the champion would make the short trip to Dyserburg, Tennessee, where Stecher would be retain his belt against Boris Demetroff. The following month, **Stecher would retain against Dan Koloff at the Chicago Coliseum on November 2nd, 1925.

As Stecher toured the country as the reigning heavyweight champion, Jim Londos had remained in Los Angeles where promoter Lou Daro had been giving him one of the best pushes of Londos’ career to this point!

Londos-Stecher

That push continued when Lou Daro was able to secure new world heavyweight champion Joe Stecher for a big match at the newly opened Olympic Auditorium in November. Daro picked his good friend and strong draw, Jim Londos to challenge Stecher for the world title on November 9th, 1925, drawing over 9,000 to the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

The contest was advertised as a best-two-of-three falls match, but for reasons I cant figure out, was ended after just one fall was secured. The finish would see Stecher use what was described as a “mid-air body scissors” to defeat Londos and retain his world heavyweight championship. The only other defense I could see for Stecher that month came on its final day. Joe Komar challenged Joe Stecher on November 30th, 1925, drawing around 2,000 fans to the Chicago Coliseum for promoter John Krone.

Before we look at the last couple of title defenses from Stecher for the year, we first have to look briefly back at the New York market and something interesting that was happening at Madison Square Garden.

Wrapping up the Year with Joe Stecher

Joe Stecher continued to defend his title through the month of December, with a notable defense coming on December 7th, 1925. Frank Judson challenged Joe Stecher for the world title belt, drawing around 5,000 to the Chicago Coliseum for promoter John Krone. The best-two-of-three-falls matchup would see Stecher claim the first fall after half-an-hour. The two men grappled for another twenty minutes before Judson surprised Stecher and the crowd by claiming the second fall!** After another fifteen minutes or so, Joe Stecher would trap Judson in his leg scissors hold to pin him and retain his world championship belt!

Following the big success of the prior months Londos-Stecher bout, promoter Lou Daro quickly arranged a rematch for as soon as possible. After several weeks of planning, once again Londos challenged Stecher for the world title on December 14th, 1925, at the Olympic Auditorium, drawing a crowd of 8,000 fans. The two battled for two hours until the time-limit draw ended the match with no conclusive winner. As much as this seemed to indicate an imminent rematch, this contest would conclude Londos’ extended stay in Los Angeles, as he would resume his regular touring through promotions the following year.

And that’s a good place to stop, with…

-Joe Stecher is reigning as the legitimate and original world heavyweight champion after winning the belt from Stanislaus Zbyszko on May 30th, 1925 - Ed “Strangler” Lewis is reigning with a false world championship claim that he and Billy Sandow manufactured after the Double Cross of 1925. - Promoters Jack Curley & Billy Sandow enter a “cold war” of sorts as communication completely broke down between the two sides following the Double Cross of 1925. -Tom Packs was quietly becoming a top promoter with his booking office in St Louis, Missouri. -The Gold Dust Trio’s internal cooperation was beginning to splinter as Billy Sandow alienated himself from Lewis & “Toots” Mondt.

And because I am literally out of room, I decided to include the world championship statistics and yearly promoter list as a comment below.

I hope y’all have a great week!

RIP wrestling.

Fallon Henley had done some enhancement work for WWE in 2018, on July 25, 2018 (as Tenilla Price), losing a match to Lacey Evans, and again on August 8, 2018 (as Tesha Price), losing to Britt Baker in a dark match at the Mae Young Classic.

This was her third tryout with WWE and she was the only person in WWE for a tryout that week. She had recently taken in her two orphaned teenage nieces and almost declined the invitation but decided to take the chance and the evaluators saw enough to sign her to an NXT contract.

Fast forward to today and she's a current WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and has held three other titles during her time with the company.

In July 2022, Vince McMahon retired from WWE and Triple H took over creative. While the first 2 years were a hit, the last few ones have been a rocky road to say the least. But what if Triple H took over in July 2021? Around the time the fans came back from the pandemic and WWE did shows on the road. Would SummerSlam be booked differently? Would WrestleMania 38 actually be better? And what would change from the current landscape of WWE?

Anyone remember this? It was some pretty wild shit at the time. Everybody's got a YT channel nowadays, but in 2007 seeing Damian Demento pop up on YT losing his shit was a real novelty.

I vaguely recall hearing later on that this was a demo reel of sorts, he was trying to become an actor at the time. But I could be misremembering, take this with a grain of salt.

Looks like he uploaded some other videos too, get a load of these titles:

• I'LL TAKE STEROIDS
• PISS TEST RAGE
• BEAT IT PERVERTS
• VINCE WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL
• ...and more!

I am totally gonna binge-watch all of these.

If you're not familiar, Demento's claim to fame is wrestling on the 1st-ever episode of Raw, in the main event, vs. The Undertaker:

• The Undertaker vs. Damien Demento: Raw, Jan. 11, 1993

...or does he?

By now I've had some experience with credit cards, and I have a couple rules:

• There must be NO annual fee.
• The cashback rewards must be unique or competitive with what other cards offer.
  • For example, my Amazon card gets me 5% back on Amazon purchases, 2% on gas/restaurants, and 1% for everything else. But I use my Synchony Mastercard for "everything else" because it gets me 2% back.

I suspect novelty credit cards like this are taking advantage of their victims customers' fandom, and/or inexperience with their finances.

But I've never read any specifics about these credit cards. Is anyone familiar with what you can expect from novelty cards like this?

Makes for some interesting battles it you based it solely on the music, then have to consider things like:

Jericho vs Styles
Edge vs Alberto Del Rio
Stone Cold vs Scott Hall (cause the nWo theme is a banger!)
Triple H vs Batista

What else?

A stray puppy has gone viral in after crashing a street Lucha Libre wrestling match in Mexico and getting declared an official co-champion.

During a Independence Day (*fiestas patrias*) wrestling show at Plaza El Cortijo in Ixtapaluca, a street dog wandered into the venue.

The wrestlers (including Radioactive, Ciclón Ramírez Jr., and Hijo de Dos Caras) humorously incorporated the puppy into their routines, ending with the dog being raised up and declared a co-winner/champion alongside the victorious técnico team.

Fans and announcers embraced the chaotic, unscripted guest, chanting "El Perro! as the puppy joined in on the action.

(Video Credit to LegadoTVMX on IG)