The Gold Dust Trio was a group of promoters who controlled the world of professional wrestling during the 1920s while also making several fundamental changes to the industry's business model and operations that would ultimately change the direction of the sport toward pseudo-competitive exhibition. The Trio was composed of the era's dominant World Heavyweight Champion Ed "Strangler" Lewis and his manager Billy Sandow , as well as fellow wrestler and creative visionary Joseph "Toots" Mondt .
48-511: Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Key moves in the evolution of professional wrestling are often credited to Joseph "Toots" Mondt . Born in Iowa on January 18, 1894, he grew up in Greeley, Colorado , where he learned the art of wrestling through a correspondence course administered by grappling guru Martin "Farmer" Burns , who had been
96-585: A heart attack . He was buried at the Highland Cemetery outside Ravenna. A bronze statue of Pesek with two greyhounds was being created at the time of his death, and it was unveiled in front of Ravenna Bank on May 28, 1978. Although lesser known than some of his contemporaries, John Pesek is recognized today as one of the best wrestlers of his era. He was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005, as well as
144-447: A "trustbuster" in his own right. It turned out that none of the titles he did hold were either won or lost in the ring. From 1931 to 1933, he was the recognized Midwest Wrestling Association (MWA) champion, until he forfeited the title to wrestle for another promotion. Later, Pesek was recognized for a time as National Wrestling Association champion . He was belatedly given the vacant NWA championship on September 13, 1937, as he had been
192-502: A New York Times article dated November 15, 1921. New York's athletic commission refused to award Pesek his prize money and banned him from wrestling in the state, but the Tiger Man had done his job. On another occasion, Pesek was hired to give Lewis' ally, Boston -area promoter Paul Bowser , a hand in his battle with rival promoter Jack Curley . Curley was aggressively promoting Olympic wrestling medalist Nat Pendleton and issued
240-525: A failed gamble when he was defeated by veteran grappler Fred Beell . He then barnstormed throughout the South while guiding such wrestlers as Marin Plestina and Billy Jenkins; and upon trouping through Kentucky , he even wrestled Lewis in a handicap bout. But by late 1914, Lewis parted ways with his manager Jerry Walls; and he and Sandow then formed a business partnership that would eventually propel Lewis to
288-713: A partnership with Philadelphia promoter, Ray Fabiani. The new combination wasted little time and found their new title holder in Dick Shikat , a former circus strongman from Germany. Once Dick Shickat's title reign had run its course, Mondt and Fabiani made Jim Londos their new champion and continued their hold on the Northeast. They soon expanded onto New York City, Hartford, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Toots/Fabiani were unsuccessful because rival New York promoter Jack Curley prevented them from promoting in NYC for years, and it
336-466: A recipient of its Legacy Award. John Pesek John Pesek (February 21, 1894 – March 12, 1978) was an American professional wrestler and greyhound racing dog breeder. Nicknamed 'The Nebraska Tiger Man' for his ferocity, aggression and catlike dexterity, Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medallists Robin Reed and Russell Vis both regarded Pesek as the greatest wrestler they ever met. He
384-455: A series of haughty challenges, among them boasting that Pendleton could beat Lewis and any other wrestler on the same night. Pesek was enlisted to face Curley's protégé, and in a legitimate contest held on January 25, 1923, Pesek defeated and injured Pendleton to claim an $ 8000 purse and give Bowser a major financial and publicity victory. Pesek would memorably cross paths with Joe Stecher again, wrestling him three times in 1926. Stecher, now
432-484: A severe beating (through continual fouling) that Plestina was hospitalized. All three falls of the match were forfeited due to repeated head butting and eye gouging by Pesek. His repeated fouling caused a near riot. The New York Times credits Plestina with "intensified fairness" in the face of Pesek's continued fouling. This is the reason Pesek was banned from wrestling for life in New York. These comments are taken from
480-453: A sparring partner and trainer, Toots Mondt helped Ed Lewis develop new holds and counters. The working relationship and unity amongst wrestling promoters was beginning to wear thin and crowd attendance was still low. Toots conceived a solution and combined features of a boxing ring, Greco-Roman, freestyle wrestling, and the old-time lumber camp -style of fighting. Toots had called it ’Slam Bang Western Style Wrestling’. Toots Mondt's second plan
528-643: A territory in Washington, D.C. Around this time, he also tried his hand at acrobatics. However, this was an unsuccessful move and Toots returned to wrestling matches. Toots received his big break when he was discovered by wrestling pioneer Farmer Burns during one of his scouting trips. The nickname ‘Toots’, had to do with either his small feet or his relative youth and baby face . Mondt was the youngest wrestler in Farmer Burns' camp. Until 1919, wrestling matches were slow-moving exhibitions mainly confined to
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#1732776881180576-433: Is said that Mondt personally invented 90% of the finishes and 60% of the finishing holds; and in the process, he also invented the concept of the "no contest", which included such innovations as time-limit draws and double countouts. Consequently, it was this exaggerated new ring style that necessitated the industry's gradual shift away from its legitimate roots and toward full-time exhibition of holds and maneuvers to entertain
624-506: The traveling carnivals of the era. His first high-profile match was in 1914 when he defeated Wladek Zbyszko . Pesek was nicknamed "The Nebraska Tiger Man" for his ferocity and catlike dexterity. He was also legitimately strong and could hold his own on the mat against opponents that frequently outweighed him considerably. Pesek is recorded as losing only about 20 matches in his entire career, which he began undefeated until January 16, 1920, when he lost to fellow Nebraskan Joe Stecher . Among
672-590: The "Gold Dust Trio" controlled the course of professional wrestling in North America. Their product was moved out from venues such as burlesque theaters and back alley halls to the major sports venue in each city. All new talent was tested in Billy Sandow's private ring while routines and finishes were carefully determined by Toots. The Gold Dust Trio later dissolved from a power struggle between Toots Mondt & Billy Sandow's brother Max. Mondt then formed
720-555: The New York territory. Toots sold off his share to McMahon in the mid-60s. McMahon reduced Mondt to salaried employee for Capitol. Mondt died on June 11, 1976, at the age of 82 after a long battle with an illness. Since then, he has been inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2008 and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017 as
768-489: The Northeast as one of wrestling's top territories. Moreover, Mondt would later serve as the mentor for Vince McMahon, Sr. , with whom he teamed to form the World Wide Wrestling Federation (now WWE, Inc.) in 1963, and it was Mondt who pushed Bruno Sammartino as the company's first real star, though he sold his WWWF stake to McMahon prior to his death on June 11, 1976. Damien Sandow , who had
816-524: The WWWF would not be seen as an enemy. Toots and Vince were also in the middle of fighting off an invasion by Jim Crockett Promotions from promoting in the WWWF territories. When Buddy Rogers was crowned NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Toots controlled the bookings for Rogers’ title defenses. Toots would rarely allow Buddy Rogers to defend the title outside the Northeastern region. This would be one of
864-524: The World Heavyweight Title just a few years later. In the early 1920s, Sandow was looking for a grappler to serve as Lewis' sparring partner and fill-in opponent; and with Burns' recommendation, Mondt was hired as the group's "enforcer", disciplining Lewis' opponents as to the bout's rules while helping to prevent the champ from any injury as a result of foul tactics. At the time, pro wrestling consisted primarily of mat grappling; and while
912-411: The addition of fisticuffs ) combined with traditional mat grappling to create what has essentially become the modern form of pro wrestling. The new style was an instant success with the fans; and although many bouts had been "fixed" in prior years, it was Mondt who perfected the art of the "finish", a scripted conclusion to matches that gave fans an exciting show and inspired them to come back for more. It
960-731: The belt, and so Lewis agreed to occasionally "put over" a popular challenger to generate renewed interest (especially since he was skilled enough to regain the belt any time he pleased). Thus became the practice of "working" a match, and wrestling "programs" (a series of bouts meant to build up a specific wrestler as a suitable contender) were born. In the process, the Trio established a hierarchy for their talent, as only legitimate grapplers were ever considered as champions; though inferior wrestlers who possessed charisma or ethnic appeal were often "pushed" as challengers to attract specific fan bases or regions. As feared "hookers", Mondt and John Pesek served as
1008-450: The best of terms during his tenure with the company, with Bruno suggesting it was due to the fallout over the promotion's handling of Buddy Rogers. Changing times and the rise of television saw Mondt's influence in the sport diminishing. Mondt was an arena booker and was never able to get a handle on television like McMahon. That fact coupled with Mondt's gambling problems allowed his business-minded partner to muscle him out of ownership of
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#17327768811801056-473: The camp of the great Ed "Strangler" Lewis . Perhaps the most dominant pro wrestler ever, Lewis (real name: Robert Friedrich) was born on June 30, 1891, and was a rising contender throughout the early 1910s before meeting Billy Sandow in late 1914. Born Wilhelm Bauman in 1884, Sandow was a 155-pound champion in the early 1900s, taking his name from the famous 19th century strongman Eugen Sandow . Sandow had operated several health clubs, but he lost his business in
1104-592: The circuit's "coppers" who would rough up anyone who ever betrayed the pre-arranged plan, yet such events were infrequent as wrestlers now made far more money under the Trio than they ever had before. The Gold Dust Trio eventually dissolved in 1928 when Mondt engaged in a power struggle with Sandow's brother Max Bauman, and Lewis and Sandow soon split up as well when Sandow objected to Lewis' lack of conditioning. Sandow later managed such championship grapplers as Everett Marshall and Roy Dunn , and he ultimately died on September 15, 1972, at age 88. Ed Lewis retired in 1947 as
1152-512: The crowd. Lewis, Sandow, and Mondt (later deemed "The Gold Dust Trio" in the 1937 book Fall Guys ) looked to promote wrestling's new style on a much greater scale, and they soon took over the bookings of their own matches. As interest grew, cards moved from old burlesque theaters to major sports venues; and due to the larger gate receipts, Sandow was able to recruit hundreds of grapplers to join their stable. A shrewd business manager, Sandow signed wrestlers to exclusive contracts (a radical move for
1200-664: The factors which led to the World Wide Wrestling Federation splitting from the NWA. In April 1963, Buddy Rogers was awarded the WWWF World Heavyweight title, supposedly for winning a tournament for the title in Rio de Janeiro , a fictitious storyline created by Toots Mondt. In 1965, Toots Mondt stepped down as promoter at Madison Square Garden and Vincent J. McMahon took over. When Bruno Sammartino
1248-465: The few other men to ever defeat Pesek were Jim Londos and Ed "Strangler" Lewis . A true "hooker" who believed in professional wrestling as legitimate competitive sport, Pesek disliked the wrestling "trust" that emerged in the 1920s for its booking of pre-determined match outcomes. His reluctance to co-operate with promoters isolated him from the wrestling mainstream for much of his career. One important wrestling figure with whom Pesek did agree to work
1296-500: The financial backings. Bernarr McFadden helped Toots promote in NYC and gain access into Madison Square Garden. In 1948, in the main event of the first card held in MSG for 9 years, Gorgeous George defeated Ernie Dusek. In that same year Toots Mondt was in search for another champion. After several failed attempts, Toots Mondt found Antonino Rocca, who brought in more Latino fans to the matches which financially favored Toots. Mondt, however,
1344-554: The first 5-time World Champion in history, and he later served as the trainer and manager to eventual 6-time World Champion Lou Thesz before he ultimately died at age 76 on August 7, 1966. Meanwhile, Toots Mondt would become one of the industry's most powerful brokers, as he partnered with Ray Fabiani in promoting the rise of legendary champion Jim Londos while also training such future stars as Antonino Rocca and Stu Hart . After Jack Curley 's death in 1937, Mondt then worked with Rudy Dusek , Jack Pfefer , and others in establishing
1392-592: The first to book ongoing storylines while promoting the same bouts as the circuit traveled from city to city. Within a year, the Gold Dust Trio took complete control over the pro wrestling industry. Easily the world's elite shoot wrestler, Lewis held the World Title throughout the 1920s; and with the promotional backing of Sandow and Mondt, he soon became a national superstar. Yet, the Trio recognized that fans would eventually grow tired of one man dominating
1440-599: The gimmick of an intellectual pedant , adopted his ring name in honor of Billy Sandow. The name of Dustin Runnels' wrestling gimmick of Goldust was partially inspired by the Gold Dust Trio, and partially by his father Virgil's ring name, Dusty Rhodes . In turn, Goldust served as inspiration for Dustin's brother Cody 's ringname, Stardust. Toots Mondt Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Joseph Raymond "Toots" Mondt (January 18, 1894 – June 11, 1976)
1488-417: The mat and lasting on an average 60 minutes. Crowds no longer found this to be suitable entertainment and accordingly, they began to dwindle. Wrestling matches slowly and eventually became pre-determined. Toots Mondt joined the camp of Ed "Strangler" Lewis with the recommendation of Farmer Burns. Toots served in many capacities as a sparring partner, trainer, sometimes as an opponent and as a police officer. As
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1536-429: The nation's leading stables. He won several national titles, and the pedigree of one of his greatest dogs, Australian-born "Just Andrew", could be found in 95 percent of American greyhound stock by 1975. Pesek semi-retired from professional wrestling by the early 1940s to focus on his greyhound racing career, but he continued to appear occasionally in special exhibition matches through the 1950s, long enough to wrestle on
1584-414: The nation's preeminent professional wrestler during the late nineteenth century. At age 16, Mondt made his debut on the carnival circuit; and a few years later, he toured with Burns himself, where he was given the nickname "Toots" (since he was the youngest member of the group). Under Burns' expert direction, Mondt became one of the sport's most dangerous " hookers ;" and he was eventually recruited to join
1632-522: The only man to post a $ 1000 bond for a proposed tournament one year earlier. However, he was soon stripped of the title when he refused to meet two challengers. Pesek was again awarded the vacant MWA championship in 1938, but was stripped of it in June 1940 for, once again, failing to meet the top contenders. By the end of the 1920s, Pesek had begun turning his focus towards racing greyhounds, and on 800 acres (3.2 km ) of his Nebraska farm he built up one of
1680-417: The same card as son Jack, who would go on to enjoy a lengthy wrestling career of his own. He wrestled his final exhibition match in 1965. Pesek married Myrl Mahoney (died 1966) on February 14, 1921. The couple had seven children: Elizabeth, Jack, Virginia, Mary Lee, Kevin, Catherine and Steve. Jack Pesek went on to become a professional wrestler like his father. Pesek died at his home on March 12, 1978, from
1728-541: The sport had flourished a decade earlier under Frank Gotch , the fans had since grown tired of the painfully deliberate pace of the bouts. Mondt discovered a solution that would completely transform the industry, as he convinced Lewis and Sandow to implement a new form of wrestling that combined features of boxing , Greco-Roman , freestyle , lumbercamp fighting, and theater into what he deemed "slam-bang Western-style wrestling". This new style of action (which included radical moves like body slams , suplexes , arm drags , and
1776-405: The time); and he subsequently decimated the talent pool for rival bookers. As the central agency for the touring wrestlers, the Trio thus established themselves as the industry's first nationwide promotion, and they gained credibility by paying their wrestlers on time (which was uncommon for the era). Moreover, they came up with the idea of presenting pro wrestling as a packaged product, and they were
1824-485: The title. Stecher was said to have cried after the match. Despite making a good living in America, Pesek eventually grew tired of backroom politics and opted to go overseas for a while in 1929. Traveling to New Zealand and Australia , he became a sensation there, winning 47 consecutive bouts. Pesek's reputation as a maverick held him back from holding many championships in his career, and he has been characterized as
1872-433: The world champion, won the first meeting on April 29, and the second match on August 25 ended in a draw. Then, on October 6 at Los Angeles ' Olympic Auditorium , subbing for Ed Lewis, Pesek diverted from the planned result and trapped Stecher in a wrist lock. Stecher appeared to submit, but in order to save face the referee disqualified Pesek under the pretense that he had used an illegal choke hold, allowing Stecher to retain
1920-406: Was Ed Lewis, for whom he became a "policeman" to ward off the so-called "trustbusters", outlaw wrestlers who posed threats to promotions and their champions by refusing to co-operate (fix matches) during matches. On November 14, 1921, Pesek squared off against one of the most prominent trustbusters, Croatian -born wrestler Marin Plestina at Madison Square Garden . Pesek proceeded to administer such
1968-481: Was a one-time National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Champion . Pesek was born to Bohemian parents near Ravenna, Nebraska , the fifth of seven children, and grew up in a small town in the Midwestern prairie. His father Martin died in an accident when John was twelve. Pesek originally planned a career in boxing but took to professional wrestling instead, with which he became familiar by attending
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2016-518: Was an American professional wrestler and promoter who revolutionized the wrestling industry in the early to mid-1920s and co-promoted the World Wide Wrestling Federation . Some of the stars Mondt helped create from the 1920s through the 1960s included Wayne Munn , Jim Londos , Antonino Rocca , Bruno Sammartino , Stu Hart and Cowboy Bill Watts . Joseph Raymond Mondt was born in Garden Grove, Iowa , on January 18, 1894. Joseph (Joe) Toots
2064-414: Was brought into the WWWF, Vincent J. McMahon predicted that he would be a midcarder for two or three years at best. Toots called Sammartino the future of the company because people instantly liked and responded to him. Toots convinced Vincent J. McMahon to build the company around Bruno Sammartino. In a June 2012 Wrestling Observer Radio podcast, Bruno acknowledged that Mondt and Vincent J. McMahon were not on
2112-437: Was during this time that he came around an up-and-coming Lou Thesz , with whom Mondt had a bad history. As Jack Curley was on his deathbed, Toots realized that New York wrestling would fall apart. So Toots & Fabiani immediately formed an alliance with fellow booking heavyweight Rudy Dusek. This formation to take over New York was kept a secret. At Curley's funeral, one of his sons approached Toots about taking over New York and
2160-627: Was his professional name. Toots' father, Frank, was a farmer and building contractor. The Mondt family moved to Weld County, Colorado , in 1904. Toots Mondt made his wrestling debut in Greeley in 1912 at the age of 18 in a carnival/wrestling style match, a match he would wrestle in for many years. Stu Hart claimed he ran into Toots by chance while wrestling in New York City and that Mondt said he received his first wrestling lesson in 1916 from Jack Taylor , and Mondt tried to recruit Hart into
2208-650: Was not able to keep Rocca happy and Vincent J. McMahon was brought into the scene by Ray Fabiani. In 1954, Mondt signed up Rafael Halperin a rabbi from Israel who wrestled in a blue and white costume emblazoned with the Jewish star . In 1963, Toots Mondt and Vincent J. McMahon broke away from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), renaming Capitol Wrestling Corporation to the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). Toots Mondt parted ways with NWA President Sam Muchnick on good terms so that
2256-565: Was not aware that Toots had a plan. Toots also gained help from other bookers such as Jack Pfeffer , the Johnston Brothers and Jess McMahon . Jess McMahon worked for boxing promoter and New York Rangers hockey franchise founder Tex Rickard , who despised wrestling and prevented bookings in Madison Square Garden (MSG) from 1939 to 1948. Toots found former wrestler turned millionaire Bernarr McFadden, who gave Toots
2304-506: Was to promote this new style of wrestling on a much higher scale. Toots convinced Ed Lewis and his manager Billy Sandow of forming their own promotion as opposed to having different promoters controlling them. The team of Mondt, Lewis and Sandow used their connections to convince many other wrestlers to sign up. Under the control of Mondt, Lewis and Sandow, they served as bookers and agents. Toots also instituted time limits as wrestling matches would often go three or four hours. Within six months,
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