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Mark S. Hewitt

Catch Wrestling: A Wild and Wooly Look at the Early Days of Pro Wrestling in America Paperback – May 1, 2005

by Mark S. Hewitt (Author)

9 ratings

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Anything-goes catch wrestling from England merged with the rough-and-tumble fighting of the American frontier to spawn one of the most lethal fighting arts ever - North American catch-as-catch-can wrestling. This book chronicles the exploits of an elite group of wrestlers who took on all comers in packed arenas, carnivals and dirt lots all across America. Contains matches featuring wrestler, boxers and jiu-jitsu practitioners and a superb collection of old photos, poster and ads.

Print length

296 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Paladin Press
Publication date

May 1, 2005
Dimensions

5.43 x 0.91 x 8.27 inches
ISBN-10

1581604734
ISBN-13

978-1581604733
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Paladin Press (May 1, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 296 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1581604734
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1581604733
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.43 x 0.91 x 8.27 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,415,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,175 in Wrestling (Books)
- #8,973 in Martial Arts (Books)

Customer Reviews:
9 ratings

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Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5

9 global ratings

5 star		31%
4 star		41%
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2 star		28%
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fred vallongo

A "Must" For The Serious Wrestling Fan

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 15, 2009

Verified Purchase

Mark Hewitt has done a fantastic job of tracing the development of Pro Wrestling from its roots to the beginning of the modern era. From the tough "Lancashire" style brought by British immigrants, and adapted by local "champions" taking on all comers, right through the development and refinement of the "worked" sport we know today.

I particularly enjoyed the anecdote by Karl Von Hess, a top star of the '50s, and 60's. He describes a match with John Peseck (one of the famous "shooters" of the early '20s) then over 60 years old. Von Hess decided to test the old man to see what he had. In no time Peseck had the younger man flat on the mat, and twisted like a pretzel!

Peseck whispered to his foe "don't f--- around kid!" Having learned a valuable lesson Von Hess hastly agreed not to "f--- around." This book is full of stories from primary sources detailing Pro Wrestling's evolution.

Modern fans might be surprized to learn that in earlier times, pro wrestling looked a lot like modern Mixed Martial Arts, complete with Japanese Jiu Jitsu experts challengin the Catch wrestlers in a bid to determine which style was superior.

This is a terrific book. I reccomend it highly!

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Adam Stroud

Page Turner

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

This book was a page turner that I could hardly put down. If you are interested in the history of wrestling you will not be disappointed with this book!

Helpful

Trent

Disappointed By The Historical Recounting

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

I bought this because I'm doing research for a graphic novel idea I have about a wrestler in the American Civil period. The writing is amateurish and the interior design is bad. The accounts of famous bouts read like hyper-violent bouts of grab ass. It's very hard to picture the wrestling as scientific. I recommend " Say Uncle"

One person found this helpful

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Gene

Worth buying.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 28, 2016

Verified Purchase

Good brief history of catch. I enjoyed it

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David Chapman

If you love catch wrestling this is for you

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 22, 2010

Verified Purchase

This is all about the history of this great almost forgoten sport. Before MMA or ju-jitsu in America there was catch. Learn the real history in this book.

One person found this helpful

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BrittanyC

new isn't always better

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 30, 2014

Verified Purchase

purchased a brand new copy and the first twenty pages and front cover were bent badly. other than that book was in good condition

Helpful

Hector Rico

better than the 2nd book.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 1, 2012

I found this book a whole lot better than the 2nd one. In truth I think it was rare that a catch wrestler stay in the game for like almost 50 years. A lot of them had to go on and do works in Japanese promotions. Both books cover stories of catch wrestlers. Mostly the buildup and story of their biggest match. I guess the rules changed depending in what state you lived in. These matches could/would last hours. I would honestly say I couldn't read it twice. MMA has changed so much through the years. Its a neat history book. I hope your not expecting a blue-print for how to catch wrestle.

Helpful

matmanhatton

Well researched, great read. Essential for early wrestling history

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 26, 2011

A lot of books on pro wrestling seem to repeat the same old accounts of events from the sport's early past again and again, without trying to trace down whether they got the story right in the first place. Not this one. Mark Hewitt has devoted copious time to actual research and his skills as a writer, researcher, and legit historian of early wrestling shine through. The book is NOT a survey of wrestling history but instead a collection of detailed stories concerning some of the most interesting (but forgotten) events from the sport's past. What makes Hewitt's work stand out is that it is based on thorough archival investigation, all of which is cited in the book. For the stats oriented, he also has compendiums devoted to known mixed style matches, all staged decades before the UFC was ever conceived of. If you are interested in getting acquainted with some of the major figures in early wrestling history as well as their adventures on and off the mat, this is an essential read.

2 people found this helpful

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