The History of Pro Wrestling as told by Blank.
Chapter 2: Fixing a Sport: How Wrestling Became Predetermined
Pro Wrestling became fixed by three men. Professional wrestler Ed "Strangler" Lewis, his manager Billy Sandow, and creative visionary Toots Mondt (all of them were wrestlers, but only Lewis was a wrestler during the years it became fixed). The three would be called The Gold Dust Trio.
Ed Lewis was an exceptional wrestler. One of the best ever. He was so good that he could defeat anyone in the ring. In the 1920s Sandow was looking for a new Sparring partner to train with Lewis. Fellow pro wrestler Toots Mondt would be hired to fill this role.
Catch Wrestling was in a decline of popularity since Frank Gotch, the first pro wrestling superstar. Fans were tired of the deliberately slow pace of the matches.
That's when Mondt came up with Slam Bang Western Style Wrestling. Mondt would include in this aspects of boxing and other contact sports. He would also invent radical new moves like body slams, suplexes, and more. Mondt would also begin and perfect the art of the finish, the scripted end to a match.
The combination of Lewis' star-power and wrestling prowess, Sandow's business savvy practices, and Mondt's creative vision for wrestling would quickly take over professional wrestling and become the standard for the scene.
The group would dissolve in 1928 but would leave a lasting impression on the sport that still persists to this very day.
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