Pro-Wrestling Frank Gotch Page

Last updated 21 April 2015

Before reading these three articles, you might want to read some background from grapping historian J Michael Kenyon:

Frank Gotch announced many "retirements" over the years between 1910 and 1916. But he never really entirely quit the mat until suffering a broken angle in a Sells-Floto circus training bout with Bob Managoff Sr. at Kenosha, Wisconsin, in July, 1916. Less than 18 months later he was dead. The Stecher- Gotch match never happened, although Tony Stecher later revealed that, in Denver, a month after the Demetral bout in Los Angeles, Gotch agreed to meet Joe Stecher in the fall of 1916. It was not to be. By the mid-'20s, William Demetral tried to turn into a trust buster by "blowing the whisle" on Ed "Strangler" Lewis after a bout in Chicago. He claimed that Lewis had held a mortgage on his house as hostage to insure that he, Demetral, lose the bout. Demetral filed suit, but nothing ever came of it. Four nights after losing to Gotch, Demetral traveled up to San Francisco's Dreamland auditorium to meet Ad Santel. After about an hour, he got a strangle hold on Santel and refused to let go, causing Jess Westergaard, the referee, to disqualify him. After severely cautioning Demetral, Westergaard let the men come out for a second fall. Demetral persisted with his rough stuff, Westergaard halted the fall and declared the bout "no contest." Gotch, two days after his match with Demetral, went to San Diego and agreed to throw Herman Stroh, Jack White and Sam Clapham within 90 minutes. He pinned Stroh, an Army champion, in 14m. 30s., then dumped White, from San Francisco, in 7m. 30s., before putting away Clapham, the Brit, in 9 minutes flat. The bouts, held at the Savoy Theater, attracted a crowd of some 800 paying customers.

A Contrast: Mat Champions Enjoy Workout

Frank Gotch, the champion, and William Demetral, the challenger, worked out before large audiences at the Los Angeles Athletic Club yesterday and after watching them wrestle, opinion seemed evenly divided between the two.

Gotch went through a lightning workout with Tony Ball and then tugged around with Ferguson and Bill Huber, ending up with a five-minute tussle with Noah Young. In all the champion worked about an hour and he wasn't so thin that he couldn't perspire the whole time.

The Greek's workout was much on the same order and after he got through he appeared ready to wrestle the rest of the evening. If being in tip-top condition can decide the winner of tomorrow night's battle, Bill Demetral has the championship tucked away already.

When the men enter the ring they will be in marked contrast. Gotch -- stocky, bow-legged, hairy -- averitable dreadnaught of the arena, and Demetral -- sinewy, lithe, satin-skinned with muscle-ribbed stomach -- the very picture of full and perfectly conditioned manhood.

After all is said and done -- the men who have been working out with both wrestlers are best qualified to choose the winner. The majority choose Gotch. They say he is faster, more scientifics, just as strong and in good enough condition.

Others pick Demetral, more because of his superb condition than anything else. He is remarkably fast for a big man, has a thorough knowledge of the game and is a "comer." He is staking everything on this match and believes that he can beat the champion.

General opinion seems to be that the affair will not take more than an hour no matter who wins. Gotch's supporters insist that he will throw the Greek in twenty- five minutes each time, while Demetral's boosters insist vehemently that Gotch cannot come back and that their man will prove it in a few minutes on the mat.

Gotch manifestly has been training himself to meet speed on the part of Demetral. He has chosen men of the type of Ball, Ferguson, Huber and Daggett, who have made him move his ponderous frame with unwonted zip and speed.

He seems to have no fear of Demetral's strength. He gives Noah Young, admittedly one of the strongest men in the world, a hold on him with one shoulder on the mat and the other not two inches above it. Noah heaves and strains for about five minutes without result and then, the moment he lets up, Gotch grabs his toe and Noah looks up at the ceiling.

Those who figure that Gotch will throw Demetral in less than half an hour fail to explain how he, after four years in retirement, is going to do what he only accomplished once in 58 minutes when he was in his prime.

Gotch himself talks and acts as though he expected to throw Demetral any time he wanted to, while Demetral does the same. It is a plain case of nobody knows the answer.