Joe Stecher (April 4, 1893 â€" March 29, 1974), sometimes spelled Joe
Stetcher, was an American professional wrestler and three-time World
Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Known for his ferocity, tremendous leg
strength and extensive knowledge of the sport, Stecher is considered
to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. In 2000, Stecher was
inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall
of Fame.The son of Bohemian immigrants, Joseph "Joe" Stecher was born
on April 4, 1893 on a 400-acre (1.6 km2) farm in Dodge, Nebraska. Joe
was the youngest of the family’s eight children, and as a youth, he
excelled in numerous sports, including swimming, golf, tennis, and
baseball. While the boys were still young, Frank Stecher enrolled his
three sons in a wrestling course at the local Fremont YMCA, and Joe's
older brothers soon emerged as accomplished amateur grapplers. Joe's
eldest brother, Lewis, would earn a commission to Annapolis, and as a
Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, he was eventually recognized as
the National Intercollegiate Light Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.
Moreover, Anton ("Tony") Stecher starred as the premier wrestler at
Fremont High School; and as a result, Joe was determined to follow in
his brothers' large footsteps. From the moment he took the mat, it was
clear that Joe was a natural wrestling talent, as he utilized his
strong body and long limbs to outclass his opponents. Then in 1909, as
a high school senior at just age 16, he nearly defeated "Doc" Benjamin
Roller, one of the world's top turn-of-the-century grapplers, in a
hard-fought exhibition bout while Roller was touring the Midwest.In
1912, both Joe and Tony Stecher decided to join the professional
ranks; and Joe easily defeated Bill Hokief in his first pro match.
After a few months, it soon became apparent that Joe, who was taller
and heavier than his older brother, was also the clearly superior
grappler. However, Tony possessed greater savvy for the business; and
so he subsequently became Joe's trainer and co-manager along with Joe
Hetmanek (who had previously served as the Dodge postmaster). During
this time, he also developed freakishly strong leg muscles as he
practiced squeezing 100-pound sacks of grain on the farm until they
would ultimately burst. He was also said to have practiced said
squeezes on pigs and even a mule. As a result, Stecher soon became
renowned for his feared leg scissors submission hold, which
subsequently earned him the nickname of "The Scissors King".
Nevertheless, Stecher would not gain national awareness until
attracting the attention of the fabled "Farmer" Martin Burns, the
former American Heavyweight Champion who was also the mentor to the
now-current World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, Frank Gotch. While
touring the area, Burns planned to sucker the area gamblers by
offering cash to any local wrestler who could defeat his "strongman",
who just happened to be world-class hooker Yussiff Hussane, one of
wrestling's feared "Terrible Turks". This was a standard con for
Burns' group, and when young Stecher accepted the offer, nobody
anticipated that he would pose a legitimate challenge. However,
Stecher proceeded to outwrestle the great champion, and when he
finally slapped on his patented scissors hold after 45 minutes, a
desperate Hussane was disqualified for biting Stecher’s leg.In the
following years, Stecher continued his ascent by defeating established
grapplers like Jess Westergaard, Ad Santel, Bob Managoff Sr., Marin
Plestina, and Adolph Ernst, all in straight falls, and all in 15
minutes or less. Then with Gotch in attendance on July 5, 1915 in
Omaha, Nebraska, Stecher defeated the reigning American Heavyweight
Champion, Charles Cutler to claim professional wrestling's world
heavyweight championship. At just 22 years old, Joe Stecher became the
youngest world champion in history up to that point, yet he remained
in the vast shadow of Gotch, who had retired a couple years earlier
without ever losing the title and was thus still acknowledged by the
public as professional wrestling's true champion. As a result, a Gotch
vs. Stecher "dream match" was arranged for July 18, 1916 and was
promoted as being professional wrestling's biggest matchup since
Gotch's battles with George Hackenschmidt a decade earlier.
Unfortunately, the bout never materialized, as Gotch broke a fibula in
his leg while wrestling Managoff as part of a traveling circus, and
his health deteriorated until he eventually died on December 16, 1917.
Stetcher, was an American professional wrestler and three-time World
Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Known for his ferocity, tremendous leg
strength and extensive knowledge of the sport, Stecher is considered
to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. In 2000, Stecher was
inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall
of Fame.The son of Bohemian immigrants, Joseph "Joe" Stecher was born
on April 4, 1893 on a 400-acre (1.6 km2) farm in Dodge, Nebraska. Joe
was the youngest of the family’s eight children, and as a youth, he
excelled in numerous sports, including swimming, golf, tennis, and
baseball. While the boys were still young, Frank Stecher enrolled his
three sons in a wrestling course at the local Fremont YMCA, and Joe's
older brothers soon emerged as accomplished amateur grapplers. Joe's
eldest brother, Lewis, would earn a commission to Annapolis, and as a
Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, he was eventually recognized as
the National Intercollegiate Light Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.
Moreover, Anton ("Tony") Stecher starred as the premier wrestler at
Fremont High School; and as a result, Joe was determined to follow in
his brothers' large footsteps. From the moment he took the mat, it was
clear that Joe was a natural wrestling talent, as he utilized his
strong body and long limbs to outclass his opponents. Then in 1909, as
a high school senior at just age 16, he nearly defeated "Doc" Benjamin
Roller, one of the world's top turn-of-the-century grapplers, in a
hard-fought exhibition bout while Roller was touring the Midwest.In
1912, both Joe and Tony Stecher decided to join the professional
ranks; and Joe easily defeated Bill Hokief in his first pro match.
After a few months, it soon became apparent that Joe, who was taller
and heavier than his older brother, was also the clearly superior
grappler. However, Tony possessed greater savvy for the business; and
so he subsequently became Joe's trainer and co-manager along with Joe
Hetmanek (who had previously served as the Dodge postmaster). During
this time, he also developed freakishly strong leg muscles as he
practiced squeezing 100-pound sacks of grain on the farm until they
would ultimately burst. He was also said to have practiced said
squeezes on pigs and even a mule. As a result, Stecher soon became
renowned for his feared leg scissors submission hold, which
subsequently earned him the nickname of "The Scissors King".
Nevertheless, Stecher would not gain national awareness until
attracting the attention of the fabled "Farmer" Martin Burns, the
former American Heavyweight Champion who was also the mentor to the
now-current World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, Frank Gotch. While
touring the area, Burns planned to sucker the area gamblers by
offering cash to any local wrestler who could defeat his "strongman",
who just happened to be world-class hooker Yussiff Hussane, one of
wrestling's feared "Terrible Turks". This was a standard con for
Burns' group, and when young Stecher accepted the offer, nobody
anticipated that he would pose a legitimate challenge. However,
Stecher proceeded to outwrestle the great champion, and when he
finally slapped on his patented scissors hold after 45 minutes, a
desperate Hussane was disqualified for biting Stecher’s leg.In the
following years, Stecher continued his ascent by defeating established
grapplers like Jess Westergaard, Ad Santel, Bob Managoff Sr., Marin
Plestina, and Adolph Ernst, all in straight falls, and all in 15
minutes or less. Then with Gotch in attendance on July 5, 1915 in
Omaha, Nebraska, Stecher defeated the reigning American Heavyweight
Champion, Charles Cutler to claim professional wrestling's world
heavyweight championship. At just 22 years old, Joe Stecher became the
youngest world champion in history up to that point, yet he remained
in the vast shadow of Gotch, who had retired a couple years earlier
without ever losing the title and was thus still acknowledged by the
public as professional wrestling's true champion. As a result, a Gotch
vs. Stecher "dream match" was arranged for July 18, 1916 and was
promoted as being professional wrestling's biggest matchup since
Gotch's battles with George Hackenschmidt a decade earlier.
Unfortunately, the bout never materialized, as Gotch broke a fibula in
his leg while wrestling Managoff as part of a traveling circus, and
his health deteriorated until he eventually died on December 16, 1917.
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