Tragedy
Jim Wango: Wrestling’s First Modern Martyr
#PWHS #Article #Tragedy #JimWango #ModernMatyr
While scanning through an English Heritage site and trying to understand why they used that round system, I came across an article that infuriated me. I researched it further and the following tragic story is truth. Remember the name of Jim Wango and never forget it. Remember bigotry has no place.
Jim Wango had been a black star billed from Marseilles (actually from Congo) that had entertained audiences throughout Europe. He was athletic and was entertaining to watch as his bulging eyes would stop wrestlers in their tracks. He would then raise his large palms into his opponent’s face and threaten to hypnotize him. His name had gotten so famous that it name guaranteed filled venues in several countries.
There was a several week tournament to be held in Nuremberg, Germany in March 1935 at the Herkules Velodrome. (Remember that this is one year before the infamous 1936 Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany and the urban legend says Hitler snubbed America’s Jesse Owens) Wango was invited and was defeating every wrestler he faced, who all were white. Julius Streicher, local governor and German representative, attended one night and made the following speech:
“We are in favor of sporting contests," he began, "including wrestling in the compass of sports involving strength. What we oppose is the linking of sport with dirty business interests and sales gimmicks. It is a sales gimmick, an appeal to inferior people, to sub-humans, to put a negro on view and let him compete with white people. It is not the spirit of the people of Nuremburg to let white men be subdued by a black man. Anyone who applauds when a black man throws a white man of our blood to the ground is no Nuremberger."
Alan Best goes on to write:
“The Frankish Zeitung, a Nazi newspaper, reported: ‘It was interesting to observe how the wrestlers reacted when freed from the burden of the negro's participation. There were no more bad performances. Racially valuable and beautiful people turned in wonderful, good sporting, aesthetically perfect bouts.'"
Jim Wango found himself ostracized by the inhabitants of Nuremberg to the extent that they would not even sell him food. Wango's manager, realizing they would get no help, transferred him to Berlin, where Wango is reported immediately to have fallen ill. (my note: Evidence now shows that the French authorities claim Wango was roughed up in Berlin also) On entry to the hospital, he was diagnosed as having a severe kidney disorder. It was too late, Jim Wango died a few hours later.”
Later that year, Jews were by law reduced to second class citizens. There was great fury raised by this incident and because of the politically-charged air. The Olympics went on in Germany, and an American black man Jesse Owens was the star.
Sorry to say there is more to this story of bigotry but not germane (no pun meant at all) to the theme of this story. May another story like this never have to be penned again concerning pro-wrestling.
Jim Wango had been a black star billed from Marseilles (actually from Congo) that had entertained audiences throughout Europe. He was athletic and was entertaining to watch as his bulging eyes would stop wrestlers in their tracks. He would then raise his large palms into his opponent’s face and threaten to hypnotize him. His name had gotten so famous that it name guaranteed filled venues in several countries.
There was a several week tournament to be held in Nuremberg, Germany in March 1935 at the Herkules Velodrome. (Remember that this is one year before the infamous 1936 Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany and the urban legend says Hitler snubbed America’s Jesse Owens) Wango was invited and was defeating every wrestler he faced, who all were white. Julius Streicher, local governor and German representative, attended one night and made the following speech:
“We are in favor of sporting contests," he began, "including wrestling in the compass of sports involving strength. What we oppose is the linking of sport with dirty business interests and sales gimmicks. It is a sales gimmick, an appeal to inferior people, to sub-humans, to put a negro on view and let him compete with white people. It is not the spirit of the people of Nuremburg to let white men be subdued by a black man. Anyone who applauds when a black man throws a white man of our blood to the ground is no Nuremberger."
Alan Best goes on to write:
“The Frankish Zeitung, a Nazi newspaper, reported: ‘It was interesting to observe how the wrestlers reacted when freed from the burden of the negro's participation. There were no more bad performances. Racially valuable and beautiful people turned in wonderful, good sporting, aesthetically perfect bouts.'"
Jim Wango found himself ostracized by the inhabitants of Nuremberg to the extent that they would not even sell him food. Wango's manager, realizing they would get no help, transferred him to Berlin, where Wango is reported immediately to have fallen ill. (my note: Evidence now shows that the French authorities claim Wango was roughed up in Berlin also) On entry to the hospital, he was diagnosed as having a severe kidney disorder. It was too late, Jim Wango died a few hours later.”
Later that year, Jews were by law reduced to second class citizens. There was great fury raised by this incident and because of the politically-charged air. The Olympics went on in Germany, and an American black man Jesse Owens was the star.
Sorry to say there is more to this story of bigotry but not germane (no pun meant at all) to the theme of this story. May another story like this never have to be penned again concerning pro-wrestling.
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Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Tragedy.
Author: Terry Kent.
Published: July 2014.
Article: #26.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Tragedy.
Author: Terry Kent.
Published: July 2014.
Article: #26.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Rudolf Zurth brought Wango to Germany after some of the french officals from Paris sent a telegram to him. Zurth moved to Paris and visited a show with Wango. He had two black wrestlers in his kader: John Essaw and William Thomson. Both of them were injured and couldnt wrestle for a long time. So Zurth needed a new black wrestler and replaced them with Wango. Orginally Wango should have wrestled in Bremen not in Nuremberg. Zurth switched to Nuremberg because the Bremen venue was closed and being renovated. In the background of this tournament there were a history between Streicher and Zurth himself. The latter published his opinion in a autobiography from 1954 and a large newspaper article from 1959. Later, Zurth has booked him for another tournament in Riga but Wango became ill. During a train ride from Nuremberg to Berlin with Janis Leskinowitsch his health became very bad and he was taken to Berlin Charité Hospital on 31. March, Wango passed away on April 3, 1935, of pneumonia. Some sources claimed he was murdered.
The truth was, Zurth played with his life if Wango had won this tournament. A really dangerous situation for him. What was now in the background? Streicher sent him a silvertrophy for the winner. Only for a white wrestler with aryan blood not for wrestlers like Wango. Now the tournament had began and ran for three weeks as Zurth "meets" Streicher at Nuremberg Grand Hotel. This was not a normal meeting, because Streicher threatened and warned him. Wango wrestled and beat germans, also in the past tournament before Nuremberg, in Stettin, Wango was a superstar for Zurth where he lost against Gustl Kaiser in the final match. For Nuremberg, Wango would wrestle against much bigger and stronger opponents like Peter Kop. But Kop was not a german in the dreams of Streicher. Zurth booked him against a wrestler from Cologne named Willi Müller. On March 8, 1935 Wango was banned from the tournament, on that evening Streicher and sixty SA soldiers comes to visited the wrestling show. Another dangerous situation for Zurth, his brother-in-law Anderl Bauer wants to throw Streicher out of the hall. Streicher didn't pay for a ticket. Streicher had a tantrum and warned Zurth again, speaks in the middle of the ring while he visited the show. Wango did not wrestle anymore in Nuremberg. Peter Kop won this tournament as he beat Gustl Kaiser in the final match.
While our purpose is to preserve wrestling history as accurately as possible, it would be remiss of us not to try and be as accurate as possible in other areas that come up. Therefore we just want to point out that Adolf Hitler actually snubbed all athletes at the Olympic Games, not just Jesse Owens. There's a lot more to that story though which I'm sure has been covered on a website which documents such matters.
The truth was, Zurth played with his life if Wango had won this tournament. A really dangerous situation for him. What was now in the background? Streicher sent him a silvertrophy for the winner. Only for a white wrestler with aryan blood not for wrestlers like Wango. Now the tournament had began and ran for three weeks as Zurth "meets" Streicher at Nuremberg Grand Hotel. This was not a normal meeting, because Streicher threatened and warned him. Wango wrestled and beat germans, also in the past tournament before Nuremberg, in Stettin, Wango was a superstar for Zurth where he lost against Gustl Kaiser in the final match. For Nuremberg, Wango would wrestle against much bigger and stronger opponents like Peter Kop. But Kop was not a german in the dreams of Streicher. Zurth booked him against a wrestler from Cologne named Willi Müller. On March 8, 1935 Wango was banned from the tournament, on that evening Streicher and sixty SA soldiers comes to visited the wrestling show. Another dangerous situation for Zurth, his brother-in-law Anderl Bauer wants to throw Streicher out of the hall. Streicher didn't pay for a ticket. Streicher had a tantrum and warned Zurth again, speaks in the middle of the ring while he visited the show. Wango did not wrestle anymore in Nuremberg. Peter Kop won this tournament as he beat Gustl Kaiser in the final match.
While our purpose is to preserve wrestling history as accurately as possible, it would be remiss of us not to try and be as accurate as possible in other areas that come up. Therefore we just want to point out that Adolf Hitler actually snubbed all athletes at the Olympic Games, not just Jesse Owens. There's a lot more to that story though which I'm sure has been covered on a website which documents such matters.
Other articles by Terry can be Read Here.