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My 1000 Hours Podcast covers the pioneer era of pro wrestling and presently we are going through my latest book DragonKingKarl's Pioneer Era Pro Wrestling Omnibus. Col. James H. McLaughlin rules the American wrestling landscape. John McMahon and Homer Lane are trooping across the country and pro wrestling is gain popularity from coast to coast. The rise of Prof. Thiebaud Bauer and Prof. William Miller and their brand of entertainment style wrestling is also sweeping the country, but the newspapers are starting to get weary of their antics. YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put “1000” in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 90.
Hour 67 of the 1000 Hours Podcast takes a look back at the very first 'undisputed' champion in pro wrestling. As I continue a study through my latest book: DragonKingKarl's Pioneer Era Pro Wrestling Omnibus: The Bible of the Pioneer Era of Wrestling, we have just studied the 1870 Detroit International tournament which set up the recognized rules of wrestling and crowned Col. James H. McLaughlin as champion. But McLaughlin wasn't yet the official American champion, that was Homer Lane, but McLaughlin verses Lane decides who pro wrestling's first undisputed champion would be. YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put “1000” in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 89.
My pioneer era podcast returns this week with a look back at 1886. 1886 was a year of change in professional wrestling. Clarence Whistler had been one of the top stars of the last few years but died while on tour of Australia in late 1885. Col. James H. McLaughlin had returned to wrestling after multiple retirements and a young and dangerous wrestler named Evan Lewis was earning his nickname of 'The Strangler' and poised to become a major star. YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put “1000” in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 83. For more stories like these, check out my new book: DragonKingKarl's Pioneer Era Pro Wrestling Omnibus: The Bible of the Pioneer Era of Wrestling from Amazon. Order here - https://amzn.to/3Z3rlVN
I have a tremendous show for you today on our 1000 Hours series which is all about the pioneer era of pro wrestling (pre-1900). For some time, we have been focusing on the era of Col. James H. McLaughlin, John McMahon and his family, and Andre Christol. Moving forward into the 1880s we get into the era of William Muldoon and his archrival (and sometimes business partner) Clarence Whistler. The two men had a very complicated relationship and toured the country wrestling each other. Then, for some reason, it got real, and the two split up. Muldoon sets up in San Francisco for a long time and becomes a major star there too. One this, hour 56 of 1000 Hours, let's dive deeper into William Muldoon. YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put “1000” in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 74.
As my research into the pioneer era of pro wrestling continues, I am now into the 1880s which is the era dominated by 'The Solid Man' William Muldoon. What is the reality of William Muldoon? Should he be held in higher esteem than the dominate wrestler of the 1870s, Col. James H. McLaughlin? What was Muldoon's deal? He started out as a policeman in New York but ran afoul of the Police Chief and Commissioners because he wrestled for money in Greco-Roman which had a terrible reputation at the time. So how did William Muldoon become the most popular star in the country and the most recognizable name of the pioneer era and... was he on the level? This is hour 55 of 1000 Hours.
I am back with what is essentially a part two of last week's 1000 Hour's podcast as I look more at the original first family of wrestling- John McMahon, James Owens, Peter Owens, and Ed Cox. Plus, the trilogy of Col. James H. McLaughlin verses John McMahon concludes. What was real and what wasn't between the two biggest stars of the 1870's? Lucian Marc meets the real Andre Christol, and he isn't happy... or so the story goes. More works, scams, fakes, and bears as we continue our look into the pioneer era of American pro wrestling. This is Hour 53 of 1000 Hours. YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put “1000” in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 70.
I return with the 1000 Hours podcast series which focuses exclusively on the pioneer era of pro wrestling or the era before Frank Gotch. I am looking back today at 1875 and 1876 which was dominated by the American heavyweight champion Col. James H. McLaughlin, pro wrestling's first major star. McLaughlin won pro wrestling's first big championship tournament in 1870 in Detroit and had dominated until, out of nowhere, a relative unknown Michigan wrestler named Jacob H. Martin showed up and held McLaughlin to a draw- twice! And one of those lasted almost eight hours. Is there more to the story? I discuss it on this episode. This is hour 50 of 1000 hours. YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put “1000” in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 67.
I have recently spent many hours digging through hundreds of pages of 1870 newspapers from Detroit, Chicago, Ontario, and beyond chronicling the real story of the biggest tournament in history of American pro wrestling in the pioneer era. The 1870 Detroit International tournament awarded an ornate championship belt to its winner Col. James H. McLaughlin, but McLaughlin did not become the American champion, at least not yet, but I give you that story too. Also, McLaughlin may have killed Barney Smith, but it probably did not happen here either. I also clear up a number of other myths and errors that history books have recorded about this milestone in pro wrestling history. This is hour 46 of 1000 hours.
I mean, Barney Smith was probably dead under the best of circumstances. He went to the finals of American pro wrestling's first ever major championship tournament in 1870 but, as we have been researching for a long time now, there seemed to be no clear evidence he died at the hands of Col. James H. McLaughlin in that 1870 tournament. Now, however, two well-known wrestling historians, Jason Campbell and Mark Hewitt, have independently found a source fourteen years after the tournament that alludes to Barney Smith's death and some details on it. Today on 1000 Hours we look at this new information. This is hour 38. YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put “1000” in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 55.
It's hour 36 of 1000 Hours, the podcast all about the pioneers of pro wrestling. On this episode we do a lot of research on pioneer era wrestling including some new tidbits about Col. James H. McLaughlin which leads us back to our most enduring mystery- did Col. McLaughlin kill Barney Smith? If yes, then why is there not a shred of evidence to support it aside from Barney Smith disappearing from the record, and if not, then why does the story even exist? It's time to resolve the Barney Smith story once and for all. YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put “1000” in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 52.
The 1000 Hours podcast series explores the pioneer era of professional wrestling, that is to say, pro wrestling before 1900 or the era of Frank Gotch. Gotch didn't appear out of a vacuum, a history of over fifty years of pro wrestling had already been sown in the United States and further back than that in Europe. Names like William Muldoon, Col. James H. McLaughlin, Jim McMahon, and H.M. Dufur were the original wrestling stars of America. In this episode, host Karl Stern takes a look at one of his favorites: Prof. Theobaud Bauer, a worker (ie: con man) of the highest order and this time the story involves bears. This is hour 31. YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put “1000” in the note). As soon as it is received, I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 47.
1000 Hours is a podcast about the pioneers of pro wrestling, that is, pro wrestling before Frank Gotch and 1900. Today we further examine a mystery that has been plaguing us. Despite the story of Col. James H. McLaughlin killing Barney Smith in the 1870 Detroit International tournament having tremendous detail in it's telling over the years there seems to be not a shred of evidence uncovered so far that it actually happened. Wrestling historian Karl Stern tries digging deeper in the past to uncover anything about Barney Smith and the 1870 tournament. This is hour 24. YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put “1000” in the note). As soon as it is received I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 34.
Well, I mean he is dead for sure now. He lived 150 years ago but the question is did Col. James H. McLaughlin kill him? In the early 2000s when I first really dug into the pioneers of pro wrestling, I was led to believe that in a famous wrestling tournament in Detroit, MI in 1870, Col. McLaughlin wrestled Barney Smith in the finals and Smith died the day after. There were many specific details to the incident told to me by a historian. Problem is, over 20 years later and with access to all the major newspapers of the day there doesn't seem to be a shred of evidence to support it. What happened to Barney Smith? This is hour 21 of 1000 Hours. YOU CONTROL THIS SERIES! It will only run as long as it is supported. In order to get another hour of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either PayPal or CashApp (Please put “1000” in the note). As soon as it is received I will produce a new hour. Presently, we are funded up to hour 28.
Who was the pioneer wrestling legend John McMahon? Was he related to the later McMahons? How did he compare to contemporaries like William Muldoon and Col. James H. McLaughlin? On today's episode of 1000 Hours, host Karl Stern dives into the life and career of one of the top stars of the pioneer era of pro wrestling: John McMahon. This is Hour 7 or 1000 Hours. To get a new hour of 1000 Hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either Patreon or CashApp in the next 72 hours. As soon as it is received I will produce a new show. Currently we are funded through hour 13.
There have been several wrestlers and promoters over the years who have gone rogue and spilled the beans on pro wrestling. We all know the famous story of Jack Pfeffer and the New York Daily Mirror in the 1930s, Eddie Mansfield on 20/20 in the 1980s, and others. However, in the 1880's former champion wrestler Duncan C. Ross gave an earful to the newspaper as well exposing the lives of several former major champion wrestlers including Col. James H. McLaughlin, William Muldoon, and straight up call one former wrestling star a fat bum. All this and much more on the podcast YOU the listener keep going as long as you like. 1000 Hours, the pioneers of pro wrestling. This is hour 4. We already have a sponsor for hour 5 next week but in order to get an hour 6 of 1000 hours we need a new Patreon supporter at any level or a cash donation via the front page of WhenItWasCool.com to either Patreon or CashApp in the next 72 hours. As soon as it is received I will produce hour six.
What is the Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling at When It Was Cool? The history of professional wrestling from it's earliest inception to the year 2000 is being indexed at WhenItWasCool.com. Learn about people like Col. James H. McLaughlin, William Muldoon, Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, Tom Jenkins, George Hackenschmidt, Strangler Lewis (both of them), Lou Thesz, Gorgeous George, Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, and more.
What is the Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling at When It Was Cool? The history of professional wrestling from it's earliest inception to the year 2000 is being indexed at WhenItWasCool.com. Learn about people like Col. James H. McLaughlin, William Muldoon, Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, Tom Jenkins, George Hackenschmidt, Strangler Lewis (both of them), Lou Thesz, Gorgeous George, Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, and more.
What is the Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling at When It Was Cool? The history of professional wrestling from it's earliest inception to the year 2000 is being indexed at WhenItWasCool.com. Learn about people like Col. James H. McLaughlin, William Muldoon, Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, Tom Jenkins, George Hackenschmidt, Strangler Lewis (both of them), Lou Thesz, Gorgeous George, Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, and more.
This is the second collection of Long Form History of Wrestling podcasts, edited and updated. This covers the years 1882-1900 and such names as William Muldoon, Col. James H. McLaughlin, the original Strangler Lewis, Farmer Burns, Tom Jenkins, the early days of Frank Gotch, and much more. The pioneers of pro wrestling.
DragonKingKarl's long running Long Form History of Pro Wrestling at Wrestling Observer is now re-edited and being released for free on this podcast feed. This is the first installment which is take from the first 5 episodes of the Long Form History of Pro Wrestling covering from the ancient past until 1881 and discussing such wrestlers as Abraham Lincoln, William Muldoon, Col. James H. McLaughlin, John McMahon, Prof. Theobaud Baur and others. The history of pro wrestling begins here.
Karl Stern presents five full length pro wrestling biographies of the pioneers of wrestling. G.W. Flagg, William Muldoon, Col. James H. McLaughlin, Frank Gotch, and George Hackenschmidt. These are five of the men who laid the foundation of pro wrestling as one of the most successful forms of entertainment for the next 100 plus years.