Editing George Hackenschmidt (section)

== Professional wrestling career ==
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2020}}
In late 1897-early 1898, Hackenschmidt suffered a minor hand injury at the factory and consulted a doctor who was acquainted with Dr. Vladislav Krajewski, who was in the service of Emperor [[Nicholas II]] of Russia. Krajewski was the founder of the [[Saint Petersburg]] Athletic and Cycling Club, with Grand Duke [[Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia|Vladimir Alexandrovich]] as president. While observing Hackenschmidt's arm, Krajewski noticed the athlete's physique and invited him to Saint Petersburg and offered to stay with him, as he saw in him the potential to become a [[Professional wrestling|professional wrestler]]. Krajewski trained Georg Lurich for some time and told Hackenschmidt that he had the potential to become the strongest man in the world.<ref name=":0" />

Despite his parents' objections, Hackenschmidt left for Saint Petersburg in the spring of 1898. In 1898, Hackenschmidt trained at Krajewski's and was supported by Count Georges de Ribeaupierre. In April, the club organized a competition in weightlifting for the title of Russian champion, which Hackenschmidt won. In late April, in Saint Petersburg he defeated the French wrestler Paul Pons in 45 minutes. In preparation to performing in front of an audience, Krajewski sent Hackenschmidt to [[Riga]], where he performed under an assumed name as a weightlifter and wrestler. During this period Hackenschmidt still noted his lack of wrestling technique, which he made up for with strength.<ref name=":0" /> In the summer of 1898, Hackenschmidt travelled to Vienna to compete at the [[World Weightlifting Championships]] and [[European Wrestling Championships]], which were held together. The weightlifting championships were a decathlon (ten events consisting of: one-hand [[Snatch (weightlifting)|snatch]], simultaneous press of two [[Dumbbell|dumbbells]], simultaneous [[Clean and jerk|jerk]] of two dumbbells, one-hand press in [[Military press|military style]], one-hand press in straddling style, one-hand press continuously in military style with 50.2 kg, one hand press continuously in straddling style with 50.2 kg, two-hand press, two-hand jerk, and two-hand press continuously in military style with 100 kg), with Hackenschmidt taking third place overall.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=World Weightlifting Championships 1891 - 1992 |url=https://sport-record.de/gewichtheben/weightlifting-iwf-comp-h.html |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=sport-record.de}}</ref> The wrestling championships were an openweight competition in the Greco-Roman style, with Hackenschmidt winning the championship.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=unofficial European Championship |url=https://whatsmat.uww.org/daten.php?wkid=F587AB39F1D14F339CB8E39C86BDC96F&gkl=1 |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=whatsmat.uww.org}}</ref>

In January 1899, he had to serve in the army: he was assigned to the Preobrazhensky Regiment. Demobilized five months later, on May 16 of that year Hackenschmidt defeated Alexander von Schmelling in a fight for the title of Russian champion of 1899. On 19 May he defeated von Schmelling again and was crowned Russian champion of 1899. In September, despite an arm injury, Hackenschmidt travelled to [[Paris]] for the World Wrestling Championships. There he received his moniker, "The Russian Lion". After a few matches, he aggravated the injury and went home. Doctors treated him [[Electrotherapy|electrically]] for six months, but it did more harm than good.<ref name=":0" />

In May 1900 Hackenschmidt returned to weight training. In July 1900, Hackenschmidt took part in a forty-day wrestling tournament in [[Moscow]], making his first appearance as a professional wrestler in Russia. He competed for two prizes, and won both, becoming champion of Moscow and Saint Petersburg. During the tournament he competed almost daily against 3-5 opponents. At the [[Chemnitz]] tournament, Hackenschmidt met [[Georg Lurich|Lurich]] for the first time in his professional career. According to Hackenschmidt's memories, Lurich bragged widely about his former victories over him. This led Georg to challenge Lurich to a match, which he usually never did. When Hackenschmidt took the stage, Lurich ran backstage. The next morning Lurich left Chemnitz.<ref name=":0" />

In March 1901, Hackenschmidt suffered the death of his mentor Krajewski, whom he considered his second father. On 30 November 1901, the World Championship of Wrestling opened at the [[Casino de Paris]] with 130 wrestlers. Hackenschmidt won first place, received two gold medals (for the lightweight tournament and the heavyweight tournament) and 3000 [[French franc|francs]]. After that Georg went to the town of [[Alsleben]] to the trainer Siebert, who helped him to gain weight, which dropped due to the heavy schedule. During this time, he jumped 100 times over a table with his feet tied together.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> He won tournaments everywhere he wrestled, and toured England in 1903 [[Manager (professional wrestling)|managed]] by the flamboyant [[C. B. Cochran]] to confront the country's best wrestlers in the [[Catch wrestling|catch-as-catch-can]] style which was regaining popularity. They created a music hall boom in professional wrestling, and Hackenschmidt became a major superstar and [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#D|drawing]] [[Card (sports)|card]]. He wrestled in opera halls, music halls and theaters. As the wrestling boom took hold in England and wrestlers came in from all around the world for the grand tournaments that had become the rage, he remained the dominant grappler, defeating every man he met. Cochran polished his act until Hackenschmidt was a major attraction. He might take on five wrestlers in the same evening, defeating them all.

Handsome as well as powerfully built, Hackenschmidt was adored by women and admired by men. Personally a soft-spoken, cultured and intellectual young man, he could speak seven languages fluently and became a noted author, speaker and philosopher. United States President [[Theodore Roosevelt]], himself a proponent of physical culture and exercise, proclaimed, "If I wasn't president of the United States, I would like to be George Hackenschmidt".<ref>[[#Chapman|Chapman]], pp. 146–155.</ref>
[[File:Geo. Hacken Schmidt LCCN2014680730.jpg|thumb|Hackenschmidt on a press photo (1900)|left|224x224px]]
Hackenschmidt continued touring England and defeated the local favorites [[Tom Cannon (wrestler)|Tom Cannon]], Tom Connors, Tom MacInerney, Jack Baldwin and Tom Clayton. However, when he defeated the Italian Antonio Pieri twice, Pieri sought revenge by trying to find a wrestler who could beat him. He thought he had found such a man in Ahmed Madrali, called the "Terrible Turk", who faced Hackenschmidt at the [[Olympia London]] on 30 January 1904. Because of all the ballyhoo, the Olympia was packed and traffic was jammed from the Olympia back to Piccadilly. Hackenschmidt picked up Madrali and threw him down onto his arm, dislocating his shoulder. The contest had lasted about two minutes.
[[File:Daily_mirror_2july1904.jpg|thumb|268x268px|Hackenschmidt and Jenkins on the front page of the Daily Mirror, July 2, 1904]]
On 2 July at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], Hackenschmidt faced the [[American Heavyweight Championship|American heavyweight champion]] [[Tom Jenkins (wrestler)|Tom Jenkins]], a wrestler who would prove to be Hackenschmidt's toughest opponent to date, under [[Greco-Roman]] rules. Nevertheless, he [[Pin (professional wrestling)|pinned]] Jenkins in two straight falls. Hackenschmidt left Cochran's management to tour Australia where he defeated the Australian [[Cornish wrestling]] champion Deli Nelson in 1905, amongst others.<ref name="TBI06021905">''Cornish Wrestling'', The Bendigo Independent (Vic), 06 February 1905, p3.</ref> He then sailed to the United States for an extended tour and a rematch with Jenkins at the [[Madison Square Garden (1890)|Madison Square Garden]] under catch-as-catch-can rules, which Hackenschmidt by now preferred. Jenkins put up a hard battle, but Hackenschmidt again won in two straight falls, the first in 31 minutes, 14 seconds, and the second in 22 minutes, 4 seconds.  He was declared the inaugural [[World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (original version)|World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion]] and subsequently most major league US versions of this title in the 20th and 21st centuries trace their roots back to this match. He then wrestled in Canada and returned to England for a long list of music hall engagements.

On October 28, 1905, Hackenschmidt faced Scottish champion [[Alexander Munro (athlete)|Alexander Munro]] at the [[Ibrox Stadium]] in [[Glasgow]] with an audience of 16,000. Munro was 7 cm taller and 5.5 kg heavier. Heavy rain throughout the performance hindered both wrestlers. The first fall ended after 40 minutes and 22 seconds when Munro surrendered from a [[Nelson hold|half nelson]]. Ten minutes later, the second bout began, which Hackenschmidt successfully finished in 11 minutes, 11 seconds. For the next 6 months, Hackenschmidt performed in music halls, after which he agreed to a rematch with "Terrible Turk" Madrali by [[catch wrestling]] rules to show the English public that the first victory was no accident. He took extra catch lessons from Jack Gromley at [[Shepherd's Bush]]. Hackenschmidt defeated Madrali at the Olympia London in just four minutes, but noted that the Turk was one of the toughest men he had ever faced.<ref name=":0" />

He then sailed to the United States to fulfill his obligation to meet a new challenger from Iowa by the name of [[Frank Gotch]].<ref>[[#Fleischer|Fleischer]], pp. 153–177.</ref><ref>[[#Kent|Kent]], pp. 148–161.</ref>

=== Rivalry with Frank Gotch ===
[[Image:Frank Gotch vs Georg Hackenschmidt 1908.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Frank Gotch]] vs. George Hackenschmidt in their rematch at Comiskey Park (September 4, 1911)]]
Wrestling historian Mike Chapman wrote "In all of athletic history, there are a mere handful of rivalries between individual stars that have become almost as large as the sport itself. In boxing, such matchups as [[John L. Sullivan|Sullivan]]–[[James J. Corbett|Corbett]], [[Jack Dempsey|Dempsey]]–[[Gene Tunney|Tunney]], [[Joe Louis|Louis]]–[[Billy Conn|Conn]] and [[Muhammad Ali|Ali]]–[[Joe Frazier|Frazier]] are a part of boxing folklore. In wrestling, there is only one: [[Frank Gotch|Gotch]]–Hackenschmidt".<ref>[[#Chapman|Chapman]], p. 57.</ref>

After defeating Jenkins in 1905, Hackenschmidt held the [[Professional wrestling championship#World championships|world title]] and remained undefeated until he and Frank Gotch finally squared off on 3 April 1908, at the [[Dexter Park (Chicago)|Dexter Park]] Pavilion in Chicago. Showing his contempt for Gotch and for American wrestling in general, Hackenschmidt was not in the best condition. Refusing to train publicly at the Chicago Athletic Club in spite of arrangements having been made for him to do so, he was barred from the club and spent his time either in his hotel room or taking long morning and evening walks along Lake Michigan. By neglecting his training, he lost his endurance, which had never been a factor in his previous matches because he ended them so quickly. Against Gotch, who was in peak condition, it would be decisive.<ref>[[#Chapman|Chapman]], pp. 60–61.</ref>

Gotch used his speed, defense and rough tactics to wear the champion down and then assume the attack. The wrestlers stood on their feet for two full hours before Gotch was able to get behind Hackenschmidt and take him down. While on their feet, Gotch made sure to lean on Hackenschmidt to wear him down. He bullied him around the ring, and his thumbing and butting left Hackenschmidt covered in blood. At one time, Gotch also punched Hackenschmidt on the nose.<ref name="sandowplus">{{cite web|last=Gentle|first=David|url=http://www.sandowplus.co.uk/Competition/Hackenschmidt/hack-intro.html|title=George Hackenschmidt|work=sandowplus.co.uk}}</ref> Hackenschmidt complained to the [[Referee (professional wrestling)|referee]] of Gotch's foul tactics and asked that Gotch be forced to take a hot shower to rid his body of an abundance of oil, but the referee ignored the complaints and told Hackenschmidt he should have noticed the oil before the match began. The match continued until the two-hour mark, when Hackenschmidt was forced against the ropes. Gotch tore him off the ropes, threw him down and rode him hard for three minutes, working for his dreaded toe hold. Hackenschmidt had trained to avoid this hold, which he did, but the effort took his last remaining strength. Hackenschmidt quit the fall. "I surrender the championship of the world to Mr. Gotch", he said, and stood up and shook Gotch's hand. The wrestlers then retired to their dressing rooms before coming out for the second fall, but Hackenschmidt refused to return to the ring, telling the referee to declare Gotch the winner, thereby relinquishing his title to him.<ref>[[#Fleischer|Fleischer]], pp. 98–104.</ref><ref>[[#Chapman|Chapman]], pp. 65–70.</ref> Although he at first called Gotch "the greatest man by far I ever met", and explained how his muscles had become stale and his feet had given out, and that he knew he could not win and therefore conceded the match, Hackenschmidt later reversed his opinion of Gotch and Americans in general, claiming to have been fouled by Gotch and victimized in America, and calling for a rematch in Europe.<ref>[[#Chapman|Chapman]], pp. 68, 73–74.</ref>
[[File:Tatler cover 5feb1908.jpg|thumb|249x249px|Georg Hackenschmidt vs. Joe Rogers on the cover of Tatler magazine]]
In August 1907, Hackenschmidt suffered pain in his knee and returned to Russia for rehabilitation. Hackenschmidt failed to heal his knee and was sent back to England. By 1907 the situation in the wrestling world had changed, Hackenschmidt noticed the emergence of four strong wrestlers: Constant Le Marin, [[Stanislaus Zbyszko]], [[Ivan Poddubny]] and Joe Rogers. All four challenged Hackenschmidt, and he agreed to compete against the strongest of them, which should determine the tournament. In England, Hackenschmidt attended a match between Zbyszko and Poddubny, which Zbyszko won. Rogers was unable to compete due to [[sepsis]] and demanded a rematch from Hackenschmidt for the loss in USA. The contest was held on February 6, 1908, at [[Oxford Music Hall]], where Hackenschmidt defeated Rogers in a short bout. Hackenschmidt was then scheduled to face Zbyszko, but the match was canceled due to knee problems. The wrestler went to [[Aachen]], where he underwent knee surgery, followed by a long recovery. During his rehabilitation, Hackenschmidt wrote that the only opponent he was interested in was Frank Gotch.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Gotch - Hackenschmidt Wrestling Match for World's Championship Sept. 4, 1911, Chicago (cropped).tif|left|thumb|Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt in 1911]]
Hackenschmidt and Gotch met again on 4 September 1911, at the newly opened [[Comiskey Park]] in Chicago, which drew a crowd of nearly 30,000 spectators and a record gate of $87,000. The rematch is one of the most controversial and talked about matches in professional wrestling history, as Hackenschmidt claimed to have injured his knee against Dr. Roller, his chief training partner. Years later, professional wrestler [[Ad Santel]] told [[Lou Thesz]] that he was paid $5,000 by Gotch's backers to cripple Hackenschmidt in training, and make it look like an accident.<ref>Thesz, Lou, & Kit Bauman, Mike Chapman, editor, ''Hooker, The Authentic Wrestler's Adventures Inside the Bizarre World of Professional Wrestling'' (Wrestling Channel Press, 1995–2000), p. 67.</ref> However, according to Hackenschmidt himself, the injury was accidentally inflicted by his sparring partner, Roller, when trying to hold Hackenschmidt down onto his knees in the down position. Roller's right foot struck Hackenschmidt's right knee, which in 1904 had developed "[[Housemaid's Knee]]", requiring treatment, and had acted up again in 1907. Furthermore, according to Hackenschmidt, his sparring partners for this match were Americus (Gus Schoenlein), Jacobus Koch, [[Wladek Zbyszko]] and Roller. Ad Santel is not mentioned in any account of Hackenschmidt's training by either Hackenschmidt or Roller, both of whom offered their insights and accounts.<ref>[[#Fleischer|Fleischer]], pp. 122–124.</ref>

Whatever the case may be, Dr. Roller did not consider the injury to be serious, and referee Ed Smith dismissed it as inconsequential. Hackenschmidt himself ignored it completely in declaring, the day before the match, that he was "fit to wrestle for my life" and was "satisfied with my condition and confident of the outcome". However, Gotch, tearing into Hackenschmidt with a vengeance, discovered the weakness quickly and took advantage of it. Hackenschmidt was easy prey for Gotch, losing in straight falls in only 20 minutes. Gotch clinched the match with his signature [[toe hold]], which forced Hackenschmidt to concede.<ref>[[#Fleischer|Fleischer]], pp. 114–120.</ref><ref>[[#Chapman|Chapman]], pp. 91–102.</ref>

[[Image:Gotch and Hackenschmidt program, 1911.JPG|thumb|Program from Hackenschmidt vs. Gotch on 4 September 1911]]