Yussif Hussane (LOC), originally uploaded by The Library of Congress
From the New York Times, 27 January 1918:
Four leading heavyweight wrestlers will take part in finish bouts at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night. The program calls for engagements between Wladek Zbgszko of Poland and John Olin, the mammoth Finn, and Joe Stecher, the Nebraska grappler of scissors-hold fame, and Yussif Hussane, a Balkan.
No titles will change hands on the results of the matches, but the grapplers are rated among the the country's leading exponents of the mat sport.
Zybsko, because of his triumph over Ed "Strangler" Lewis, a Kentuckian, in a tournament held recently at a local theatre, has laid claim to title vacated by the death of Frank Gotch. This claim is disputed by Stecher, Olin, and Earl Caddock, the Iowa wrestler, who is now in the national army. The match with Olin, therefore, will enable Zbyszko, in the event that he is successful, to eliminate a formidable foe in his chase for championship glory. Olin has compiled a creditable record, among his achievements being a two-hour drawn battle with Stecher.
The other bout, between Stecher and Hussane, will work the same effect for the Western grappler if he is successful. The Nebraska athlete, with his dangerous scissors hold, is favorably looked upon as a titular contender. His last appearance was against the "Masked Marvel," Mort Henderson, and in this contest Stecher easily and quickly demonstrated his superior ability. The Nebraskan depends almost entirely on his famous leg scissors on an adversary's body. In fact, the major portion of the Nebraskan's victories on the mat have resulted from this hold.
In Hussane, Stecher will be facing a worthy foe, though one perhaps less known. The Balkan has shown excellent ability, and in the few matches in which he engaged scored convincing victories.
All the grapplers are now in this city, putting on the finishing touches to their training work. Up to the day of the match they will work out in light training at some of the local gymnasiums.
Rats! Just when I was getting into this, I can't turn up the outcome of the Hussane-Stecher match in the NYT archive. I did find these breathless headlines from a few years later, though:
Joe Stecher Takes Heavyweight Wrestling Title at Madison Square Garden.
SCISSORS HOLD WINS MATCH
Loser Escapes from Many Dangerous Grips Before Falling Victim in 2 Hours 5 Min.
CROWD OF 10,000 ATTENDS
Followers of Grappling Game Pay Prices Ranging from $2 to $20 to See Contenders Perform.
Stecher Is Relentless.
10,000 See the Spectacle.
Stecher Goes Down First. Stecher's Strength Seems Greater.
Grappling De Luxe.
* * *
So, were these matches staged, in the manner of modern "pro" wrestling, or not?
This interesting youtube video of the Stecher/Caddock match ("Oldest Pro Wrestling on Film: Caddock vs Stecher, 1920") suggests that it might have been real, but that everything soon became staged after that.
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