One evening in Manhattan's old Hippodrome twelve years ago, Ed ("Strangler") Lewis was trying to pin Lee Wykoff to the mat with some purely scientific holds. It was an honest wrestling match without any phony dramatics. It was also horribly dull to watch. At the end of two boring hours, the Hippodrome was nearly empty —and legitimate wrestling was dead.*
Last week, wrestling was alive, kicking and frankly show business. Are some of the matches "fixed"? Certainly, but not in the sense that some wise guys think.
Today's wrestlers are conscientious showmen who often allow the audience to pick the "hero" and the...
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