On July 26, 1940, Nick Lutze obtained a license to book wrestling talent in Southern California by the California Athletic Commission. The issuing of a license to Lutze drove a knife into the heart of the flailing monopoly - the established group run by Jack Daro and "Toots" Mondt - which was about to crumble. Lutze reportedly had the support of many of the local wrestlers, who were fed up with the treatment doled out by Mondt and Daro. It was said that many wrestlers had not been paid for their work by Mondt, and the grapplers even established the American Wrestlers' Association to show their unified support of each other. Lutze, only recently retired from the mat, was considered to be more in-touch with the needs of wrestlers, and expected to help turn the struggling business around. Shockingly, wrestling at the Olympic was $20,000 in the red over a six month period from January-June 1940, but the honchos behind the scenes to include Lou and Jack Daro, and "Toots" were receiving payments. Jack Daro, however, wanted to drop his wrestling interests entirely after upwards of $70,000 loss. The Oakland Tribune on September 11, 1940 reported that Lutze had bought Mondt's booking agency for $2,000. Lutze owned an auto garage in Beverly Hills and resided at 11090 Strathmore Drive in West Los Angeles. Lutze died on December 23, 1955 in Los Angeles. He was 54. He was buried in the Chicago area. He was survived by his wife Charlotte, mother Anna, and sister Grace Morse. Research by Tim Hornbaker |
| Nick Lutze Wrestling History |
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