In December 1877, sportsmen in Detroit were trying to organize a match between James Owens of Vermont and Col. James H. McLaughlin. Owens had recently challenged McLaughlin to a bout with a $2,500 side, plus the championship. According to news reports, McLaughlin wanted to engage in a match, but had an important gig with the Lansing Railroad. He'd need as much as five weeks to train for Owens, and didn't know if he could get the time off. A recent request for 60 days vacation was denied. In January, however, he was going to put in a leave of absence and then wanted to wrestle Owens and then McMahon, or vise versa. The McMahon bout would be for a $2,500 to $5,000 side bet. According to the Boston Globe (12/2/1877), McLaughlin said: "I have held the championship since 1868, been to the Pacific (unreadable word), and defeated all comers. Owens defeated me in Boston last December because I had a sprained foot, and he is the first man that ever put me on my back. If he does so again, I will retire from the arena." McLaughlin had heavy Detroit financial backers behind him willing to put money up that he could beat Owens, as much as $10-20,000. Owens, at this point, claimed the championship based on his Boston victory. In Detroit on August 27, 1879, Col. McLaughlin beat Andre Christol with the first and third falls at Whitney's Opera House. Christol won the second fall under Greco-Roman rules. McLaughlin's first fall win was catch-as-catch-can and third was collar-and-elbow. Wrestler Jack Carkeek married Gusie Stratman and planned to live in Republic, Michigan in October 1886. In 1891, J.C. Comstock was a well known wrestler known as the "Michigan Giant." He stood 6' and weighed around 187 pounds. He was about 24 years of age. He held the Michigan state championship. Evan Lewis beat Comstock in Grand Rapids on November 26, 1894, winning the first, second, and fourth falls. Comstock took the third with a stranglehold. 2,000 fans saw the match. At Grand Rapids on January 16, 1908, Charles Hackenschmidt beat Ali Manogoff in two-straight falls before a large crowd. Manogoff was also known as the "Terrible Turk." In January 1913, Stanislaus Zbyszko beat "Yankee" Rogers in Battle Creek, winning two-straight falls. That May, Zbyszko defeated Demetral in two-straight falls at Detroit. On February 20, 1925, Floyd Fitzsimmons of the Blue Sky Arena in Michigan City, MI offered $50,000 to secure a Wayne Munn-Ed "Strangler" Lewis match. Both Munn and Lewis claimed the World Heavyweight Title and Fitzsimmons wanted to end the controversy. The arena had a capacity of between 18-20,000 and the promoter wanted to stage the show on Memorial Day. Matty Matsuda died in a Battle Creek sanitarium on August 15, 1929 after a week-long illness. He had been injured during a Cincinnati match against Basanta Singh, which was believed to have contributed to his death. Matuda was a Japanese grappler who held both the lightweight and welterweight championships of the world. Adam Weissmuller was a former wrestler turned promoter in Detroit in the 1930s, and cousin of the famous swimming champion and "Tarzan," Johnny Weissmuller. Born on May 18, 1899 in Austria-Hungary, he came to America in 1902 and wed Marie Kindlinger on May 27, 1922 in Chicago. Having lived in the "Windy City" for a time and working for a truck company, he wrestled as a welterweight, and may have also boxed. He earned a pair of cauliflower ears the hard way, and had the mind to jump to the business side of the business and promote lighter-weight grapplers in the Detroit area. He worked as part of a "trust" with Al Haft of Columbus, and featured many wrestlers who were overlooked by the major promoters because they were smaller. The lighter wrestlers were extremely fast and their performances were often electrifying. Weissmuller built a stable operation that grew in stature as years passed. His Arena Garden Club was very successful by the mid-1930s. On March 8, 1937, at the age of 37, Adam Weissmuller passed away of carcinoma of the stomach at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. The YMCA Council awarded the national wrestling championship tournament to Detroit in 1940, sponsored by the Western Branch. Louis Klein of Western Branch, was the national YMCA 175-pound champion. Klein had only been wrestling for two years, and won the championship last April in Akron, Ohio. Klein was also holder of the city, state, and inter-state Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and YMCA wrestling light heavyweight titles for 1939. Don L. "Farmer" Marlin owned a bar-restaurant and motel in Niles, Michigan in 1961. He lived in Howard township in Cass County. In January 1963, Leo Donaghue promoted wrestling in Flint, Michigan. Donaghue was a former wrestler, having held the Michigan Welterweight championship 1933. He may have also attended Michigan State University. Frank Scoma was a longtime referee in Michigan and lived in Benton Heights. He was born on March 17, 1917 and passed away on April 6, 1981. Scoma worked the Lou Thesz-Killer Kowalski match in Detroit for the Barnett-Doyle group. He also promoted in Benton Harbor, Grand Rapids, and other cities. He reportedly gained his license in 1956. The January 13, 1985 edition of the Detroit Free Press (page 4D) included a sort of where are they now for a number of wrestlers. George "Crybaby" Cannon was living in Windsor and promoted wrestling for CBET-TV (channel 9) and at the Joe Louis Arena. The Sheik "was having trouble walking and was scheduled to have an artificial hip joint inserted." Haystacks Calhoun was living in New Mexico, Pampero Firpo was in San Jose, and Wilbur Snyder was living in Indianapolis. Al Costelo was said to be a "security director at the Book Building in downtown Detroit." Larry Chene, Antonino Rocca, and Lord Athol Layton were all said to have passed away. Research by Tim Hornbaker |
Michigan Wrestling Territory |
Results Wrestlers Television History Promoters Obituaries |