Switzerland (CH) Wrestling Archive FINAL EDITION Professional Wrestling: GR = greco-roman Style F / CACC = freestyle, catch-as-catch-can The freestyle of Switzerland pro-wrestling was often named “Freistilringen” = freestyle wrestling Amateur Wrestling: GR = greco-roman Style Lutte suisse (also named “Schwingen” or “Swing Style”) => this was the freestyle of the Swiss amateur scene, not of the professional scene Tournament Winners Start Final 13.12.1900 19.12.1900 Geneva Armand Cherpillod Grand Prix of Geneva F/CACC 12.05.1901 Payerne Armand Cherpillod Championship of Switzerland F/CACC Emil Kocher Swing Style 01.02.1903 08.02.1903 Zurich Martin Birkeneder Championship of Zurich F/CACC Ludwig Grammer GR 21.10.1904 01.11.1904 Geneva Paul Pons Championship of Geneva F/CACC 10.1905 10.1905 Geneva Jess Pedersen Tournament F/GR (?) 01.11.1905 04.11.1905 Lausanne Jess Pedersen Tournament GR 10.1906 23.10.1906 Geneva Ivan Poddubny Tournament GR 01.07.1907 14.08.1907 Zurich Heinrich Eberle Tournament GR 18.10.1907 10.1907 Geneva Ernst Siegfried Tournament GR 01.06.1908 30.06.1908 Zurich Nicolai Petroff Tournament GR 01.07.1908 12.07.1908 St. Gallen John Sullivan Tournament GR 14.07.1908 02.08.1908 Bern ? Grand Prix of Switzerland GR/F/CACC 22.12.1908 31.12.1908 Geneva Ivan Poddubny Tournament GR 27.03.1909 04.1909 Geneva ? Tournament GR 24.04.1909 14.05.1909 Basel Walter Eigemann Tournament GR 05.1909 06.1909 Basel John Pohl (Abs II) Championship of Switzerland GR 01.06.1909 30.06.1909 Zurich Heinrich Weber Tournament GR 01.07.1909 17.07.1909 Bern Armand Cherpillod Tournament GR/F/CACC early May 1910 12.05.1910 Basel Armand Cherpillod Tournament GR 01.06.1911 03.07.1911 Zurich Iwan Romanoff & Raphael Grenna Tournament GR 19.08.1911 20.08.1911 Zurich John Lemm Tournament F/CACC 01.06.1912 30.06.1912 Zurich Giuseppe Massetti Tournament GR 01.06.1913 06.1913 Zurich not finished Tournament GR 03.04.1915 01.05.1915 Bern André Cherpillod Tournament F/CACC 16.05.1921 31.05.1921 Bern Carl Grunewald Tournament GR 05.1921 05.1921 Schönenberg ? Tournament GR 10.1923 10.1923 Geneve ? Tournament GR 01.06.1924 01.07.1924 Zurich Hans Kawan Tournament GR 16.10.1924 31.10.1924 Geneva ? Tournament F/CACC 07.1925 07.1925 Zurich ? Tournament GR 08.1928 Geneva ? Tournament GR 02.12.1929 18.12.1929 Bern Otto Huhtanen Tournament GR 1932 Basel ? Tournament GR 01.03.1932 15.03.1932 Zurich Gottfried Grüneisen Tournament GR 21.12.1932 08.01.1933 Zurich Theodor Sztekker Championship of Switzerland GR 01.07.1933 28.07.1933 Zurich Jaan Jaago Tournament GR 01.02.1933 02.1933 Basel ? Tournament GR 19.03.1933 06.04.1933 Zurich Gottfried Grüneisen Tournament GR 25.09.1933 20.10.1933 Zurich Gottfried Grüneisen Tournament GR 04.10.1933 25.10.1933 Basel Peter Ferestanoff Tournament GR 20.01.1934 24.02.1934 Zurich Theodor Sztekker Championship of Switzerland GR 08.03.1934 05.04.1934 Zurich Rudolf Grüneisen World Olympics GR 08.1934 08.1934 Basel ? Tournament GR 06.10.1934 18.10.1934 Zurich August Ahrens Tournament GR 05.12.1934 22.12.1934 Zurich Karl Stöckli Championship of Switzerland GR 15.01.1935 01.1935 St. Gallen Fritz Kley Tournament GR 17.01.1935 04.02.1935 Zurich Gottfried Grüneisen Tournament GR 02.1935 02.1935 Basel Gottfried Grüneisen Tournament GR 03.03.1935 15.03.1935 Lausanne Jan Krumin & Karl Stöckli Tournament F/CACC 24.07.1935 10.08.1935 Zurich Peter Ferestanoff Tournament GR/F/CACC 06.08.1935 01.09.1935 Zurich Alexander Garkawienko Tournament GR 03.01.1936 24.01.1936 Zurich Willi Müller Championship of Switzerland GR/F/CACC 03.1936 27.03.1936 Zurich Armas Vichtonen Tournament GR 03.1936 27.03.1936 Zurich Bernhard de Ferm Tournament F/CACC 17.08.1936 15.09.1936 Zurich Herbert Audersch European Championship F/CACC 09.1936 10.1936 St. Gallen Herbert Audersch Tournament F/CACC 10.1936 10.1936 Monthey ? Tournament F/CACC 06.01.1937 24.01.1937 Zurich Willi Müller Championship of Switzerland GR 29.01.1937 Zurich Herbert Audersch Championship of Switzerland F/CACC 06.1937 06.1937 Basel Herbert Audersch Tournament F/CACC 09.1937 09.1937 Basel ? Tournament GR/F/CACC 23.03.1938 07.04.1938 Zurich Peter Ferestanoff Tournament GR 01.07.1939 16.07.1939 Zurich Gottfried Grüneisen Grand Prix of Zurich GR 1946 Basel ? Tournament GR 1946 Zurich Jean Jourlin Tournament F/CACC 02.1946 02.1946 Zurich ? Tournament GR 07.04.1947 16.05.1947 Zurich Yvar (Jan) Martinson Tournament F/CACC 22.09.1947 03.10.1947 Zurich Axel Cadier Tournament F/CACC 15.07.1948 30.07.1948 Zurich Yvar (Jan) Martinson Tournament F/CACC 15.11.1948 19.11.1948 Zurich Felix Kerschitz Tournament F/CACC 20.10. (1949 ?) 31.10. (1949 ?) Biel ? Tournament F/CACC 18.05.1951 01.06.1951 Zurich Axel Cadier World Freestyle Championship F/CACC 16.01.1952 21.01.1952 Zurich Josef Vavra Tournament F/CACC 02.1953 02.1953 Basel Fritz Müller Jr. Grand Prix of Basel GR Paul Berger Grand Prix of Basel F/CACC 05.06.1956 10.06.1956 Zurich Francois Miquet Tournament F/CACC 26.12.1956 01.1957 Zurich ? Tournament F/CACC 22.02.1961 Geneva Tino Moltoni Tournament F/CACC March 1973 Basel ? Tournament F/CACC Promoters / Management main promoters: Paul Favre (1932-49) Gottfried Grüneisen (1933-39; 1946-57) Paul Berger (1948-53; 1958-59; 1980-81) - during the 1930s Favre and Grüneisen toured across Switzerland; each with his own troupe; both became the most influence promoters - in the 1930s Zurich was one of the major wrestling cities in Europe ------ Heinz Pippert (Zurich 1933) Henri Chevalley (Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva; 1920s) Max Seibt (Basel & Zurich; 1932-35) Franz Doberl (Basel 1933; Zurich 1933 & 1936) Heinz Pippert & Paul Berger (Zurich; 1948-49) Robert Girot (Geneva; late 1940s - early 50s) ------ promoters of Zurich Hallenstadion: Emil Keller (1947-59) & Gottfried Grüneisen (1947-56) - working relationship with Raoul Paoli (Paris) Emil Keller & Paul Berger (1958-59) Heinrich Hächler (1960-1976) & Maurice Durand (Paris) Josef Voegeli (1980s) & Paul Berger (1980-81) Internationale-Ringer-Union (Zurich; 1933-34) = „Union Internationale des Lutteurs (UIL)“ fictional association, not existed Landesverband der Schweizerischen Berufsringer = LSB (Zurich; 1933-38; 1946-47) = National Association of Swiss Professional Wrestlers Verband-Schweizer-Berufsringer (VSB.; 1948) - president: A. Hirzel (1936) - main promoter: Paul Favre - main professional wrestling association in Switzerland during the 1930s - inactiv from 1939 until 1946 - parent association / supervision => Athletic Commission of S.F.A.V. (Schweizerischer Fußball und Athletik-Verband) Organisation de Lutte Suisse (1948-53) - Paul Berger - Berger was banned by Favre out of the Verband-Schweizer-Berufsringer; he founded his own promotion; beginning in late 1948 he worked together with Heinz Pippert of the Zurich City Hall and promoted his first wrestling shows Swiss Wrestling Federation (SWF; 2000-04) - Promoter: Fabio Sessa World Wide Pro Wrestling (WWPW; 2007-10) - Promoter: Jamie Gardner Swiss Wrestling Entertainment (SWE; since 2014) - Promoter: Steffen Semmet - Management: Steffen Semmet, Markus Wymann & Michael Ludwig 1932, 33, 34 Theodor Sztekker and troupe in Zurich 1933, 36 Jaan Jaago and troupe in Zurich (Association: Internationale Berufsringerloge, IBL, Vienna) IBL ---- VDB/Welt-Union --- Paul Favre Situation in Zurich & Basel 1933-36: Two rival associations promoted wrestling in Zurich and Basel since 1933. Before 1933 there was a working relationship between the IBL and the old IRV. The relationship ended after the seizure of power by the National Socialists and the developments in all of German sport. Paul Favre, the main wrestling promoter in Switzerland, had a working relationship with the VDB/Welt-Union. Date City Results 1835 Switzerland „Championship of Switzerland“ Halpenau drew Wollreigh - according to historian Tom Gannon late (November ?) 1844 Zurich - a french wrestler made an open challenge and was defeated; called himself “First Athlet of France – undefeated” (Charles Arpin ?) August 1848 Basel - a french wrestler called himself “König der Ringkämpfer” (King of the Wrestlers) appeared in Basel 18.09.1848 Zurich - a wrestler named Türk lost a match (said to be undefeated until this contest) June 1853 Chur Anna König (Vorarlberg) def. Luise Ferralli (Italy) 22.01.1854 Bern / Reitschule Lutte suisse / Schwingen „Toreador“ (Spain) def. Pertuiset (Geneva) „Schwingerkönig“ Beer drew „Toreador“ („King of Schwingen“ = swing style / lutte suisse style) 02.12.1855 Bern / Kavallerie-Kaserne Mathias Widmer def. Virgile Jurand (France) October (?) 1862 St. Gallen William Stark def. Singethaler (Switzerland) - the Circus of William Stark traveled across Eastern Switzerland and Western Austria during late 1862 and early 1863 25. & 26.10.1870 St. Gallen Women's wrestling October 1874 - the Circus of Jean Lüttgens toured across Switzerland; Athletic-, acrobatic- and wrestling shows were held up in Bern (mid October), Fribourg, St. Gallen and Basel (late October) mid October 1874 Bern / Museumssaal Drexler (Luzern) def. Viktor Fremont (France) - Management: Jean Lüttgens (Germany) - open wrestling challenge by Viktor Fremont on 15.10.1874 - Fremont traveled with the circus-troupe of Jean Lüttgens; Fremont was in Bern during mid October 1874 - Fremont lost a second match in St. Gallen shortly after this contest 21.11.1874 Bern / Circus Stolperkrone open wrestling challenge by Thomasini 1883 > 1888 Switzerland Wladyslaw Pytlasinski appeared in Switzerland (lutte suisse / swing-style) = freestyle of the amateur wrestling scene Pytlasinski reached his first placements in Schaffhausen and Winterthur 1885 – Schaffhausen/Switzerland local Lutte suisse festival (=Schwingfest) with Wladyslaw Pytlasinski 1885 – Winterthur/Switzerland local Lutte suisse festival with Wladyslaw Pytlasinski 1886 – Basel International Lutte suisse contest = tournament winner: Wladyslaw Pytlasinski [1st place; Honor wreath/Ehrenkranz] 1888 – Biel Lutte suisse festival = tournament 2nd place = Pytlasinski late 1888 Pytlasinski left Switzerland and moved to Paris 08.08.1897 Basel / Circus Sidoli Johann Meyer (Basel) def.