Savoldi was a former Notre Dame Football Star and innovator of the flying dropkick.  He
played for Notre Dame’s famous football coach, Knute Rockne, on the coach’s last team
before being killed in an airplane crash.  The Chicago Bears were fined by the president of
the National Football League, Joe F. Carr, on November 29, 1930 for playing Savoldi, who
was a still a student in college, before his class at college had graduated.  The Bears did win
their Thanksgiving Day Game versus the Cardinals with Savoldi scoring the only touchdown.

Joe soon entered the professional wrestling ranks and the wildness of Mr. Savoldi followed.  
A 30-day suspension was placed on Savoldi by the California State Athletic Commission on
February 25, 1931.  The reasons were listed as ignoring the referee’s warnings on repeat
usage of the head-butt in a match against Howard Cantonwine.  Savoldi’s opponent was
under the scrutiny of a doctor for several hours after the bout.  He was reinstated on March
5th in Los Angeles.

In one of the biggest news-stories of the 1930s, Savoldi beat Jim Londos in only 20 minutes,
26 seconds to lay a strong, but controversial claim to the World Heavyweight Title.  Several
unmistakable earthquakes hit the wrestling world after this April 7, 1933 match at Chicago
Stadium in Illinois.  First of all, the Illinois State Athletic Commission banished all wrestling in
the state on April 10th due to the bout.  The possibility of a double-cross and the SAC
recognizing no championships or champions in the state.  All matches were being billed as
exhibitions, and Londos was not regarded as any such title-holder, nevermind the World
Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.  On April 26th, the Pennsylvania State Athletic
Commission announced that Savoldi’s claim as champion was denied and Londos was still
champion.  But it was three days earlier when Savoldi offered Londos a rematch in Boston
under promoter, Paul Bowser.  Bowser was apart of a rival group to Londos, and that was
what had brought talk of a double-cross in Chicago.  Savoldi aligned himself with Bowser of
Boston and promoters in the west.  The rematch would be in Massachusetts with Londos
getting 12 and a half percent of the purse.  The time of the offer, six months.

Savoldi made several appearances in New York, the region in which Jim Browning was the
champion, and was never billed as the champion himself.  He did establish a firm victory
over Ed Lewis at Madison Square Garden on May 22, 1933 in a one-fall bout in 43:07.  An
estimated 5,000 witnessed the event.  Savoldi got married in Buchanan, Michigan on May
21st.  The following day, Savoldi strengthened his position as the top grappler with a victory
over Ed Lewis in New York at Madison Square Garden.

It didn't take many months and moons before Savoldi's championship days were over.  Jim
Browning scored a victory over Savoldi in New York's Yankee Stadium on June 12, 1933, in
front of 6,000 spectators.  He defeated Paul Boesch at the New York Coliseum on June 20,
1933.  Joe lost to Browning again on October 9, 1933 in New York City in front of 10,000 at
Madison Square Garden when Savoldi knocked himself out after delivering a drop kick,
which he made famous.  He failed to regain the title.  On January 1, 1934, Savoldi defeated
Richard Stahl of Germany if two-straight falls at Portland, Maine.  A Los Angeles referee,
Dan McDonald, disqualified Savoldi in a title bout against Jim Browning when he delivered
an illegal dropkick.  This being the second title bout in which the dropkick cost him regaining
the championship.  The match took place on January 17, 1934.  

The California State Athletic Commission threatened hastily to suspend Savoldi if he did not
agree to face Browning in a return match to clear up the controversies from their last bout.  
It suppositively took place on January 24th.  He lost to Jim Londos in Chicago in front of a
record crowd on January 31, 1934, nearly a year after his defeat over the World Champion
in what Londos called an “exhibition.” In a story out of New York on April 10, 1934, Savoldi
became the father of a 10-pound baby boy.  The senior quickly wired Notre Dame, entering
his son with the freshman class of 1954.  He was defeated by newly crowned World
Champion, Dave Levin on June 29, 1936 in Philadelphia, in one-fall.

Savoldi arrived in Denver for a May 13, 1946 match-up against Tom Zaharias and
immediately made an impact.  Zaharias won the initial over Savoldi in 16:27.  Joe won the
second in 10:55 and was disqualified when he refused to let his foe reenter the ring after
nearly eleven minutes of the final fall.  The illegal tactics shot a rift through the crowd and
marked Savoldi.  But nevertheless, Savoldi was to stay.  In Denver on the 20th, 3,500 fans
watched Savoldi beat Zaharias in a rematch.  The win earned him a title shot versus
Everette Marshall for the Rocky Mountain Regional Crown on May 27th.  A huge crowd
watched Savoldi and Marshall lock-up and wrestle to a 60-minute draw without a fall.  It was
a classic match between the two longtime performers.  The feud was not over, but just
beginning.  But it proved at the end of their June 3rd match-up that there was no hatred.  
There was respect.  In Denver, the two met for two-of-three-falls, title on the line.  After 29:
50 of the first, Savoldi made a huge mistake by missing a flying dropkick and sailed over the
top rope.  He was knocked out when he landed on his neck.  The official called the bout and
Everette Marshall carried Joe to the dressing room where he would need medical attention.

Savoldi received a shot at World Heavyweight Champion Bronko Nagurski in St. Paul, on
March 4, 1940 and was beaten in under a half-hour.  He went undercover in World War II
and ended up being a war hero for his actions in Italy.  After the war, Savoldi turned to
promoting.  He also returned to the ring soon after.  Savoldi teamed with former college
champion and upstart, Verne Gagne and captured the NWA Texas Tag Team Title.  The two
appeared in Omaha on Monday, March 20, 1950.  The match signed by Max Clayton for the
Legion Club was the Texas Tag Champs against Ernie and Joe Dusek.  A title bout away
from Texas.  Joe Dusek pinned Verne in 3:27 of the third fall to capture the tag title.  Savoldi
had surrendered the second fall via submission to Ernie Dusek’s Boston Crab.

On April 3, 1950, Gagne and Savoldi in Omaha beat Jack Conley and Joe Dusek in two-of-
three-falls at the City Auditorium.  On April 10th, Joe Dusek beat Savoldi with the second
and third falls of a three-fall bout.  Savoldi was disqualified in the final bout for repeated eye-
gouging in 1:45.  Joe Dusek had the favor returned on April 17th in Omaha as Savoldi
pinned Dusek in 7:20 of the third to beat him.

Joe Savoldi died in Cadiz, Kentucky on January 24, 1974.  His athletic career speaks for
itself.

Copyright 2010 by Tim Hornbaker
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Other Historical Notes:


In early February 1931, Savoldi was in Los Angeles training for his professional wrestling
debut.  He wanted to earn enough money to send his brother to college and had thoughts
about attending law school.  "Puss" Halbriter was his manager and his pro debut was
expected in the next three weeks.



Following his controversial victory over Jim Londos, Savoldi signed a three-year contract
with Joe Corcoran, a Toronto promoter for the Queensbury Sports Club.  The
announcement was made in the Chicago Daily Tribune on April 13, 1933.  Reportedly Bob
Managoff Sr. had signed on to officiate many of Savoldi's upcoming matches in Canada.  
The same newspaper (4/14/33) stated that Savoldi's wife, Daisy Florence Savoldi of Los
Angeles was granted a divorce from Joe following her testimony that the only way she had
any idea where her husband was, was from newspaper reports.  They had wed on August 4,
1931 and separated on October 10, 1932.  Savoldi was going to pay $25 a week alimony for
two years.


On March 19, 1934, Savoldi was given a week by the Maryland Athletic Commission to
explain why he wasn't going through with a scheduled bout in Baltimore on March 20 or face
a suspension.



The New York American newspaper (3/23/36) stated that Joe's 19-year-old brother Louie
was one of his training partners for his upcoming bout with Yvon Robert at the 71st
Regiment Armory.  Joe said:  "The kid will go far in this game.  Louie - that's his name -
leaps like I do and that is a valuable asset, especially when attempting to apply a headlock
or flying scissor on a taller opponent."
Joe Savoldi Wrestling History
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