Post by Turnbuckle Zealot(Phil) on Sept 22, 2013 2:00:51 GMT -5
Professional Wrestling is of course the producer of holds designed to inflict pain, or simply reposition the body more adequately to be pinned. Certain holds such as headlocks, Nelsons, ankle locks, shoulder locks, & wrist manipulations are byproducts of ancient grapplers & their affinty for manipulating the contours of our bodies, &/or their desire to achieve victory.
However, certain holds, throws, & takedowns are simply ingenius inventions of smart businessmen hoping to entertain their audiences such as Ed "Strangler" Lewis, & Tootz Mondt who are believed to have developed the "Headlock takeover/Head Scissors/Return to standing" sequence that is seen in virtually every major match between technicians.
The question of a wrestling technique's origins is an enticingly, challenging one for any mat-historian, but one in particular conjures visions of an inventor working tirelessly on a device, only to fail in his original plan, though succeeding by accidentally causing a revolution. This very idea of accidental inventions leads me to Ad Santel.
The quintessential "Hooker". A master of illegal holds due the threats of death they put upon their victims, who will gladly cripple, even kill wrestlers using these holds for the right price. The single most dangerous wrestler of the pioneer era, & one-fourth of the famed "Gas-Light" Quartet, the four greatest wrestlers of the transitional period between the Nineteenth, & Twentyeth century. George Hackenschmidt, Frank Gotch, "Rough" Tom Jenkins, & of course, Santel.
Ad Santel was one of the few men in wrestling that history struggles to romanticize their skill to the level of hyperbole, even though he is often discussed in history as the "Grim Reaper" of Wrestling's legitimacy when he was hired by members of Gotch's training camp to injure Hackenscmidt in a sparring match while the "Russian Lion" was preparing for their rematch to determine the World's Champion in 1911. Not to mention he defeated more world Judo champions & 4th/5th degree black-belts who studied under the founder of Judo than any wrestler of the period, & by extension history as a whole.
The original "world's most dangerous wrestler" heel hooks his way into the discussion with a very compelling photo taken almost ten years before wrestling became a "carnival act", & transitioned into the "worked-shoot" era of the 20s through the early 60s. It appears that he is draping an opponent over his thigh while he holds him in a traditional "high crotch" variation.
The photo leads me to a question that I'm not sure has ever been asked on this forum.
"Did Ad Santel invent the backbreaker?" An irrelevant question to most, but it opens many worm-cans of maneuver genealogy.
To contemplate & deduce the true strategies from which the holds we find commonplace are derived allows us a greater understanding of the often hopelessly confusing realm of professional wrestling psychology from the perspective of the wrestlers themselves in terms of their characters.
Considering Santel rarely left his feet given the mat-based, scientific style of the age. However, Santel battled all comers including fighters of every style, thus leading to him potentially inovating dozens of techniques to subdue such opponents. We must also take into account that the legendary Hooker was the predominant mentor of Lou Thesz. The best pure wrestler of the 50s & 60s. Granted, Thesz' career was primarily working in theatrical matches for the polictical "hot potato" that was the NWA championship, but Thesz began training in as authentic a manner any wrestler could with the intent to defeat men no matter their wills, & functioned in this mindset his entire life until meeting Ed "Strangler" Lewis in 1932. We cannot forget the words of Lou Thesz when he described, Santel, Gotch, Farmer Burns, & other great champions as to why they allowed men to hire them as hitmen or "Hookers"... "They all did to make money" were Lou's exact words on the subject.
This occurrence of wrestling history gives anyone great reason to believe Santel, as ferocious as he could be was not above wrestling "works".
Which means he may have been one of the very first wrestlers to use flashy, crowd pleasing moves to draw crowds & enhance gate reciepts, thus leading to the creation of the backbreaker.
To think that even such theatrical techniques as "Drop-kicks" & " Backbreakers" that have become texkbook for the stars of today connect us to the pioneers of the artform. The humble beginnings of the passion play that we all hold dear.
To conclude, feel free to posts any information, questions, or theories you may have in relation to the origins of famous techniques, & the authentic psychology behind their use in matches.
Thank you,
Wildman's Philsopher
However, certain holds, throws, & takedowns are simply ingenius inventions of smart businessmen hoping to entertain their audiences such as Ed "Strangler" Lewis, & Tootz Mondt who are believed to have developed the "Headlock takeover/Head Scissors/Return to standing" sequence that is seen in virtually every major match between technicians.
The question of a wrestling technique's origins is an enticingly, challenging one for any mat-historian, but one in particular conjures visions of an inventor working tirelessly on a device, only to fail in his original plan, though succeeding by accidentally causing a revolution. This very idea of accidental inventions leads me to Ad Santel.
The quintessential "Hooker". A master of illegal holds due the threats of death they put upon their victims, who will gladly cripple, even kill wrestlers using these holds for the right price. The single most dangerous wrestler of the pioneer era, & one-fourth of the famed "Gas-Light" Quartet, the four greatest wrestlers of the transitional period between the Nineteenth, & Twentyeth century. George Hackenschmidt, Frank Gotch, "Rough" Tom Jenkins, & of course, Santel.
Ad Santel was one of the few men in wrestling that history struggles to romanticize their skill to the level of hyperbole, even though he is often discussed in history as the "Grim Reaper" of Wrestling's legitimacy when he was hired by members of Gotch's training camp to injure Hackenscmidt in a sparring match while the "Russian Lion" was preparing for their rematch to determine the World's Champion in 1911. Not to mention he defeated more world Judo champions & 4th/5th degree black-belts who studied under the founder of Judo than any wrestler of the period, & by extension history as a whole.
The original "world's most dangerous wrestler" heel hooks his way into the discussion with a very compelling photo taken almost ten years before wrestling became a "carnival act", & transitioned into the "worked-shoot" era of the 20s through the early 60s. It appears that he is draping an opponent over his thigh while he holds him in a traditional "high crotch" variation.
The photo leads me to a question that I'm not sure has ever been asked on this forum.
"Did Ad Santel invent the backbreaker?" An irrelevant question to most, but it opens many worm-cans of maneuver genealogy.
To contemplate & deduce the true strategies from which the holds we find commonplace are derived allows us a greater understanding of the often hopelessly confusing realm of professional wrestling psychology from the perspective of the wrestlers themselves in terms of their characters.
Considering Santel rarely left his feet given the mat-based, scientific style of the age. However, Santel battled all comers including fighters of every style, thus leading to him potentially inovating dozens of techniques to subdue such opponents. We must also take into account that the legendary Hooker was the predominant mentor of Lou Thesz. The best pure wrestler of the 50s & 60s. Granted, Thesz' career was primarily working in theatrical matches for the polictical "hot potato" that was the NWA championship, but Thesz began training in as authentic a manner any wrestler could with the intent to defeat men no matter their wills, & functioned in this mindset his entire life until meeting Ed "Strangler" Lewis in 1932. We cannot forget the words of Lou Thesz when he described, Santel, Gotch, Farmer Burns, & other great champions as to why they allowed men to hire them as hitmen or "Hookers"... "They all did to make money" were Lou's exact words on the subject.
This occurrence of wrestling history gives anyone great reason to believe Santel, as ferocious as he could be was not above wrestling "works".
Which means he may have been one of the very first wrestlers to use flashy, crowd pleasing moves to draw crowds & enhance gate reciepts, thus leading to the creation of the backbreaker.
To think that even such theatrical techniques as "Drop-kicks" & " Backbreakers" that have become texkbook for the stars of today connect us to the pioneers of the artform. The humble beginnings of the passion play that we all hold dear.
To conclude, feel free to posts any information, questions, or theories you may have in relation to the origins of famous techniques, & the authentic psychology behind their use in matches.
Thank you,
Wildman's Philsopher
