Lakehead University Knowledge Commons,http://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca Electronic Theses and Dissertations Retrospective theses 2007 Headlocks at the Lakehead : wrestling in Fort William and Port Arthur, 1913-1933 / by Charles Nathan Hatton. Hatton, Charles Nathan http://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/3774 Downloaded from Lakehead University, KnowledgeCommons HEADLOCKS AT THE LAKEHEAD: WRESTLING IN FORT WILLIAM AND PORT ARTHUR, 1913-1933 CHARLES NATHAN HATTON a thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER’S OF ARTS Lakehead University Thunder Bay, Ontario June 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 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Lakehead UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES NAME OF STUDENT: C. NATHAN HATTON DEGREE AWARDED: MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE ACADEMIC UNIT: HISTORY TITLE OF THESIS: "HEADLOCKS AT THE LAKEHEAD: WRESTLING IN FORT WILLIAM AND PORT ARTHUR, 1913- 1933" This thesis has been prepared under my supervision and the candidate has complied with the Master's regulations. Signature of Supervisor P- I , Q- O 0'~P D ate Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents Acknowledgements iv Introduction 1 1. Ups and Downs: The Early Development of the Lakehead 18 2. The Revival of Wrestling at the Lakehead 38 3. The Fighting Finns 56 4. The Spectacle of Wrestling 92 5. Staging and Sustaining Professional Wrestling 119 6. Requiem and Re-Birth 134 Appendix I: Professional Wrestling Cards at the Lakehead 151 Appendix II: Thunder Bay District Amateur Wrestling Champions, 1923-1933 174 Appendix III: Professional Wrestling Tournaments at the Lakehead 175 Appendix IV: Amateur Wrestling Cards Staged at the Lakehead 176 Appendix V: Professional Wrestling Playbills 181 Appendix VI: Photographs of Wrestlers 187 Bibliography 196 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgements The completion of “Headlocks at the Lakehead: Wrestling in Fort William and Port Arthur, 1913-1933,” is owing to more than my own efforts. Many individuals and organizations assisted in the completion of this project. First, I would like to thank wrestling researchers Mark S. Hewitt, J Michael Kenyon, Don Luce, and Vem May, who have spent countless hours unearthing the all-but-forgotten history of wrestling in early twentieth-century North America. In the same vein, I would like to acknowledge the work of Mark Hatmaker, Drew Price, Jake Shannon, and old-time carnival wrestler Billy Wicks, student of Henry Kolln, who continue to preserve the art of catch-as-catch-can wrestling into the twenty-first century. I would also like to thank the faculty and staff of the History Department at Lakehead University for their untiring support. In particular, thanks to my advisor Ron Harpelle, second reader, Ernie Epp, and my external reader Tom Dunk, who helped to further refine my work. Special mention must be made of David Ratz and Jane Nicholas for their guidance on a variety of issues, and to Samira Saramo and Taisto Kaipio for their help with translating Finnish documents. Additionally, thanks to Michel Beaulieu, without whose constant insight I would have been hard-pressed to accomplish my goals. The staff of the Chancellor Paterson Library and Archives have been of great help throughout the course of my research and writing, notably Kathy Crewdson, Trudy Maunacher, and archivist Jeremy Mohr. Acknowledgement must also be given to Tory Tronrud of the Thunder Bay Historical Museum and the staff of the Thunder Bay City Archives for their assistance with a variety of archival materials. I would also like to thank my coaches and mentors Brad Lundquist and Matt Richer and my training partners at the Leading Edge Gym, who took me from the theoretical to the practical, by teaching me the finer points of the art of submission wrestling. Mention must also be made of the Lakehead University Thunderwolves wrestling team, particularly Darren Manion and Chad Lee, who helped with technical issues related to amateur wrestling. Heartfelt thanks go out to my family for their constant support. There isn’t enough room to list what you have done for me. Thank you also to Susan Bourne, for all of your love and understanding, even when passion for a subject began to border on obsession! Finally, I would like to dedicate this thesis to Ottawa’s Bill Taylor, whose sixty- plus years of research into the subject of late nineteenth and early twentieth century wrestling in Canada, the United States and Europe have enriched the lives and understanding of everyone interested in the subject. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Int roduction Imagine a sold-out arena teeming with spectators. The curtain rises amidst a shower of red, white, and green fireworks. Emerging from the bevy of pyrotechnics, Mubar Hassan, “The Insanian Iranian,” strides menacingly toward the ring. A song which is a hybrid of traditional sitar folk music, heavy metal, and the theme from a horror film blares from the stadium speakers but is nearly drowned out by ten thousand fans chanting catcalls at the enormous muscle-bound Iranian grappler. Already in the ring is Oklahoma-bom Lee Stevens. Nearly a foot shorter than the giant Persian, Stevens bounces off the ring ropes and eyes his opponent with a look that suggests fear intermingled with repulsion. Hassan climbs onto the ring apron and steps over the top rope, accentuating his enormous size in the process. Just as he does so, Stevens rushes him and begins slamming forearms into the giant foreigner’s chest and face as the bell rings to signal the beginning of their match. The blows have no effect. Hassan grabs the Oklahoma boy by the neck and tosses him over the top rope and on to the announcer’s table at ringside. The audience responds with a chorus of boos and catcalls. Stevens, badly rattled but not defeated, tries to launch another attack but once again finds the Iranian impervious to damage. For five minutes, the relentless assault continues. Hassan strangles his opponent, throws him over the top rope, gouges his eyes, and picks him completely up over his head, only to let him flop unceremoniously on to the ring canvas eight feet below. The audience is incensed at the tactics of the giant. Some throw cups filled with beer into the ring while others threaten to jump over the barricade at ringside and enter the fray. The “Insanian Iranian” responds by screaming insults in Persian at his opponent and the crowd around him. Just as it appears that the audience is going to riot. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Lin coln Brody, the “Marine Machine,” decked in khaki pants, undershirt, and dog tags, emerges from backstage. The crowd, nearly half of whom are wearing t-shirts with his likeness or brandishing signs with his name, goes wild with cheers as he marches purposefully toward the ring. Hassan sees Brody and begins to shout anti-American slurs in his direction. With all of Hassan’s attention directed at the “Marine Machine,” Oklahoma’s Lee Stevens is able to recover his senses. He shakes his head clear of cobwebs, trips the giant Persian from behind, and rolls him into a pin. The referee counts three and the audience explodes in laughter and applause. Stevens runs quickly from the ring as Hassan explodes into a tantrum, tearing apart the tumbuckles, smashing television monitors at ringside, and swearing revenge on the American patriot, Lincoln Brody. Though a fictionalized account, most people in contemporary society are well acquainted with scenes like the one described above. Such histrionics are the dramatic stock and trade of the twenty-first century world of professional wrestling, a televised spectacle witnessed by millions of people every week and by tens of thousands of fans at live venues across the continent.