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Joe Stecher (April 4,
1893 -
March 29, 1974), sometimes spelled
Joe Stetcher, was a professional wrestling and multiple time World Heavyweight Champion.
Childhood
The son of Bohemian immigrants, Joseph Stecher was born on April 4, 1893 on a 400-acre farm in Dodge, Nebraska. 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.
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 Burns, 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.
World Heavyweight Champion
In the following years, the young phenom continued his ascent by defeating established grapplers like Jess Westergaard, Ad Santel, 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 Lewis (wrestler). 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 Caddock; 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 13, 1920, Stecher finally emerged victorious in a double elimination
tournament, defeating Caddock at the original
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. 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 1920's, 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, where as 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.
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 Depression 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 1930’s. 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 80, with his legacy ultimately suffering in comparison to Lewis due mainly to Lewis’ outgoing personality and greater longevity.
Profile
Notable Feuds
- Ed Lewis (wrestler)
- Stanislaus Zbyszko
- Earl Caddock
Championships and accomplishments
*NWA World Heavyweight Championship (
List of NWA World Heavyweight Champions)
Trivia
- Verne Gagne was quoted as saying that Joe Stecher could burst sacks of grain with the pressure from his leg muscles.
External Link
- Link to film Stecher-Caddock Wrestling Match (30 January 1920)
Joe Stecher (
April 4, 1893 - March 29, 1974), sometimes spelled
Joe Stetcher, was a professional wrestling and multiple time World Heavyweight Champion.
Childhood
The son of Bohemian immigrants, Joseph Stecher was born on April 4, 1893 on a 400-acre farm in Dodge, Nebraska. 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.
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 Burns, 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.
World Heavyweight Champion
In the following years, the young phenom continued his ascent by defeating established grapplers like Jess Westergaard, Ad Santel, 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 Lewis (wrestler). 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 Caddock; 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 13, 1920, Stecher finally emerged victorious in a double elimination
tournament, defeating Caddock at the original
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. 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 1920's, 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, where as 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.
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 Depression 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 1930’s. 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 80, with his legacy ultimately suffering in comparison to Lewis due mainly to Lewis’ outgoing personality and greater longevity.
Profile
Notable Feuds
Championships and accomplishments
*
NWA World Heavyweight Championship (
List of NWA World Heavyweight Champions)
Trivia
- Verne Gagne was quoted as saying that Joe Stecher could burst sacks of grain with the pressure from his leg muscles.
External Link
- Link to film Stecher-Caddock Wrestling Match (30 January 1920)
