The Magnificently Mysterious Masked Mat Men
A Hooded History - Part Two
#PWHS #Article #Magnificently #Mysterious #Masked #MatMen #MMMMM #AHoodedHistory
September 8, 1867 - La Culture Physique 1928
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As promised this part is devoted to the most well known early hooded wrestler, other than possibly the 1915 Masked Marvel in America, and near enough certainly the most internationally known wrestler to go incognito until the Lucha Libre guys rose to super-stardom approximately a whole century later.
Exactly why this one had so many words attributed to him in various newspapers across the globe it is hard to say. Maybe some of the others did too, but the articles about them have simply been lost over time or not digitized just yet. Even weirder to me is that the international press, for the most part at least, only ever covered a single "L'Homme Masque" or "Masked Man" to those of us not living in Paris, France. I mentioned in part one how Phil Lions uncovered that there were actually three men donning cloth to obscure their facial features all in the latter half of 1867.
In fact so far other than than the information provided by Phil from contemporary French newspapers only a couple of others mention of multiple masked men has been uncovered. The main one being in a San Francisco newspaper during 1902 by an old French wrestler claiming he was the most famous one. He does not mention a third though, just two. A man in a black mask and one in a red mask. We will take a look at his story a little later in this ongoing article when we get to the suspected wrestlers. First I suppose I should tell you the story.
It all started with a letter, or so Marseille Sr., the director of the Arène Athletique, told the newspapers anyway. Within its content was a request from a man claiming to be an amateur wrestler to take on all of the professionals. That was not all he wanted though. He wished to remain incognito. To only arrive in a "closed off [horse drawn] car." He would be in his attire upon arriving in said car, which included a black mask on his face and a pair of gloves. Sr. stated that he initially refused those rather unusual terms, but changed his mind and allowed the unknown to step upon his mat.
The very first match that he took part in was against Dumortier on August 19, 1867. Only three minutes elapsed before Dumortier found himself with the sufficient points of his body pressed to the floor. If Dumortier had managed to win he'd have received 100 francs for the victory. The masked man was described as arriving wrapped in a black cloak with a veil over his head. Underneath he was attired in a silk suit with black velvet pants, but white shoes. The show took place on a Monday evening and was the first of the week. Two more would be held during that week on Wednesday and Friday respectively, a format that continued until at least January 1868 and possibly since the wrestlers arrived at the arena back in June.
The mainly black clad athlete next appeared two days later on the Wednesday show. This time it was against Marseille Jr. who didn't fair much better losing in a little over three minutes. At the next and final show for that week he defeated Faouet, no time is noted. That was his first week completed at the famed Arène Athletique in the Rue Le Peletier district of Paris.
The aforementioned letter was actually reported in an August 28 newspaper edition. With it is also another result of him defeating Marseille Jr., again in three minutes. However, the way the article is written gives the implication that the match took place on Tuesday, August 27. So, they either had an extra show in the second week of the hooded Hercules, the match actually took place on the Monday or the write-up was in reference to an earlier match between the two, most likely the August 21 contest that we already know of.
It was then not until Sunday, September 8 that another listing for our mysterious marvel pops up. No. Wait. Scratch that. That listing is not for our original man, nor is it at the Arène Athletique. We now have to take a short walk over to the nearby Hippodrome venue. Of course there is no mention in the advertising that this was a different grappler in disguise. We only know it is a different man due to a situation that was reported on nearly a full month later; something else for us to come back to. Because of the later report we also know that this was the very first appearance for the Hippodrome version. One paper stated he would be facing the winner of a bout between Vincent and Beranger, while another that he would attempt to throw both men. As best as Phil could tell whatever the eventual match was the Hippodrome's unknown lost this debut bout.
Exactly why this one had so many words attributed to him in various newspapers across the globe it is hard to say. Maybe some of the others did too, but the articles about them have simply been lost over time or not digitized just yet. Even weirder to me is that the international press, for the most part at least, only ever covered a single "L'Homme Masque" or "Masked Man" to those of us not living in Paris, France. I mentioned in part one how Phil Lions uncovered that there were actually three men donning cloth to obscure their facial features all in the latter half of 1867.
In fact so far other than than the information provided by Phil from contemporary French newspapers only a couple of others mention of multiple masked men has been uncovered. The main one being in a San Francisco newspaper during 1902 by an old French wrestler claiming he was the most famous one. He does not mention a third though, just two. A man in a black mask and one in a red mask. We will take a look at his story a little later in this ongoing article when we get to the suspected wrestlers. First I suppose I should tell you the story.
It all started with a letter, or so Marseille Sr., the director of the Arène Athletique, told the newspapers anyway. Within its content was a request from a man claiming to be an amateur wrestler to take on all of the professionals. That was not all he wanted though. He wished to remain incognito. To only arrive in a "closed off [horse drawn] car." He would be in his attire upon arriving in said car, which included a black mask on his face and a pair of gloves. Sr. stated that he initially refused those rather unusual terms, but changed his mind and allowed the unknown to step upon his mat.
The very first match that he took part in was against Dumortier on August 19, 1867. Only three minutes elapsed before Dumortier found himself with the sufficient points of his body pressed to the floor. If Dumortier had managed to win he'd have received 100 francs for the victory. The masked man was described as arriving wrapped in a black cloak with a veil over his head. Underneath he was attired in a silk suit with black velvet pants, but white shoes. The show took place on a Monday evening and was the first of the week. Two more would be held during that week on Wednesday and Friday respectively, a format that continued until at least January 1868 and possibly since the wrestlers arrived at the arena back in June.
The mainly black clad athlete next appeared two days later on the Wednesday show. This time it was against Marseille Jr. who didn't fair much better losing in a little over three minutes. At the next and final show for that week he defeated Faouet, no time is noted. That was his first week completed at the famed Arène Athletique in the Rue Le Peletier district of Paris.
The aforementioned letter was actually reported in an August 28 newspaper edition. With it is also another result of him defeating Marseille Jr., again in three minutes. However, the way the article is written gives the implication that the match took place on Tuesday, August 27. So, they either had an extra show in the second week of the hooded Hercules, the match actually took place on the Monday or the write-up was in reference to an earlier match between the two, most likely the August 21 contest that we already know of.
It was then not until Sunday, September 8 that another listing for our mysterious marvel pops up. No. Wait. Scratch that. That listing is not for our original man, nor is it at the Arène Athletique. We now have to take a short walk over to the nearby Hippodrome venue. Of course there is no mention in the advertising that this was a different grappler in disguise. We only know it is a different man due to a situation that was reported on nearly a full month later; something else for us to come back to. Because of the later report we also know that this was the very first appearance for the Hippodrome version. One paper stated he would be facing the winner of a bout between Vincent and Beranger, while another that he would attempt to throw both men. As best as Phil could tell whatever the eventual match was the Hippodrome's unknown lost this debut bout.
Meanwhile various newspapers around the world told their readers about the wrestler with the well guarded identity in Paris. One such newspaper in Newcastle, England said of the original, "His superiority to those champions previously esteemed invincible, is so great that they stand but a minute or two before him." Another based out of Dublin, Ireland reported, "The fights begin amid dead silence. The masked man tries to lay hold on the athlete. After three minutes of parrying the unknown man succeeds in grasping the athlete, bluntly bends his back and throws him on the ground. The crowd frantic; a thunder of applause salutes the victory of the modern Samson, who quietly wraps himself in his black cloak and exits by a side door. Who is he? No one can tell."
The reports all gave a similar description of the gentleman, plus the Dublin one also covered the details of the letter. These were not small write-ups. They were lengthy, especially considering most papers did not cover wrestling or most sports in any major way at the time. It was not as if the articles were confined to sporadic publications either. There are enough articles printed in various papers to suggest that those that carried such a thing would more than likely have also printed them even if we do not currently have copies of them.
The same Newcastle based publication had the following to say on September 9, which kind of explains why there are no results at the Arene Athletique for a couple of weeks, "The masked wrestler, after creating a sensation in Paris, has vanished from the scene, his incognito maintained to the end, and has left the barefaced professionals whom he so pitilessly overthrew to rub their bruised shoulder blades and revenge their discomfiture upon one another."
All is quiet. No further Hippodrome appearances are known of until early October. Before that happens the Arène Athletique masked chap re-emerges on September 18, a Wednesday. There are no matches billed for him, just that he has returned to take on the top wrestlers. He is scheduled to face "The Giant of the Alps", Bonnet-Lebœuf on the Friday and "The Fierce Beast of the Jungles", Faouet on the Wednesday after. Neither result is recorded. A trend that continues.
A very interesting article was printed on October 2 in Birmingham, England which went:
"Two proprietors of shows, each exhibiting a wonderful masked wrestler, whose face has never been seen by mortal man, had a dispute the other day as to which might claim the honour of the original idea, as to which was really the 'proprietor' of the real mysterious man. The matter came before a judge. 'Do you mean to say,' said one to his rival, 'that you have never seen the face of your wrestler?'
'Of course, I do,' replied the other, too wary to be trapped into a confession that would have given the lie to his advertisements. 'Then the case is settled,' said the other, 'for I assert that your man is my man. I defy you to prove the contrary; and I demand that you instantly give him up; and further, since neither of us has ever seen my man, I defy you to prove that he is a counterfeit.'"
On the same day French papers were covering the story in a much more detailed manner. They were saying that the director of the Arène Athletique, a Mr. Julian, not Marseille Sr. as previously stated, was suing the director of the Hippodrome, Mr. Anault, for stealing his idea of using a masked wrestler, something Julian claimed to have the rights to. Basically he claimed that it had cost him money and wanted to receive 12,000 francs in damages for the situation. Plus he insisted that Arnault should cease using his masked man going forth. Ultimately the case was thrown out. Julian's claims that Arnault tried to disparage his incognito grappler were proven false and furthermore his future shows actually drew more money than the previous. Which meant two L'Homme Masque it was to be going forward.
Also on that day a young Perrier was advertised to be at the Hippodrome where he issued an open challenge to the original masked man. Having read a bit about Perrier it is my opinion that the "young Perrier" and "Alfred 'the Parisian Model'" are the same man. That is not confirmed though.
On the following day the earliest reports currently known of in America are printed about the original masked man. No new information is to be gathered from those reports though. They were sent over via the English press.
The Hippodrome showing that it had come out of the court appearance unscathed announced that, "The Masked Wrestler will be wrestling versus the winner of the previous four combatants." Exactly what the schedule for the night was is not clear, but that is what was billed for the Sunday, October 6 show. It was also implied that it was the same arrangement for the next day, but the Hippodrome normally only held shows on a Sunday evening. Possibly that was just a case of French papers reporting out of date information which was often the case around the world at this point. Regardless, no results were recorded so the matter will stay unknown for now. Going forth the outcomes of events remain sparse, so I will just gloss over the next few shows.
Friday, October 11:
Arène Athletique - Vs. Marseille Jr.
Sunday, October 13:
The Hippodrome - Vs. Perrier
Monday, October 14:
Arène Athletique - Vs. 1 -Bonnet le Bœuf
Wednesday, October 16:
Arène Athletique - Vs. Marseille Jr.
Then on October 18 things are once again given a shake up. As it is a Friday we're talking about the Arène Athletique and it's a battle between "Red Mask" and "Black Mask." We know that the original one wore a black mask and there have been no other mentions of a masked man at this particular venue, so it would seem that this is the first appearance of the "Red Mask." Again it should be pointed out that he may have performed prior to this date, I can only go off the information that has been discovered thus far. If there was one match-up where a result would be beyond useful, this would be it. Unfortunately no mention of an outcome has been come across. Really we should be thankful that they covered so much in comparison to other countries instead of wishing for more.
The reports all gave a similar description of the gentleman, plus the Dublin one also covered the details of the letter. These were not small write-ups. They were lengthy, especially considering most papers did not cover wrestling or most sports in any major way at the time. It was not as if the articles were confined to sporadic publications either. There are enough articles printed in various papers to suggest that those that carried such a thing would more than likely have also printed them even if we do not currently have copies of them.
The same Newcastle based publication had the following to say on September 9, which kind of explains why there are no results at the Arene Athletique for a couple of weeks, "The masked wrestler, after creating a sensation in Paris, has vanished from the scene, his incognito maintained to the end, and has left the barefaced professionals whom he so pitilessly overthrew to rub their bruised shoulder blades and revenge their discomfiture upon one another."
All is quiet. No further Hippodrome appearances are known of until early October. Before that happens the Arène Athletique masked chap re-emerges on September 18, a Wednesday. There are no matches billed for him, just that he has returned to take on the top wrestlers. He is scheduled to face "The Giant of the Alps", Bonnet-Lebœuf on the Friday and "The Fierce Beast of the Jungles", Faouet on the Wednesday after. Neither result is recorded. A trend that continues.
A very interesting article was printed on October 2 in Birmingham, England which went:
"Two proprietors of shows, each exhibiting a wonderful masked wrestler, whose face has never been seen by mortal man, had a dispute the other day as to which might claim the honour of the original idea, as to which was really the 'proprietor' of the real mysterious man. The matter came before a judge. 'Do you mean to say,' said one to his rival, 'that you have never seen the face of your wrestler?'
'Of course, I do,' replied the other, too wary to be trapped into a confession that would have given the lie to his advertisements. 'Then the case is settled,' said the other, 'for I assert that your man is my man. I defy you to prove the contrary; and I demand that you instantly give him up; and further, since neither of us has ever seen my man, I defy you to prove that he is a counterfeit.'"
On the same day French papers were covering the story in a much more detailed manner. They were saying that the director of the Arène Athletique, a Mr. Julian, not Marseille Sr. as previously stated, was suing the director of the Hippodrome, Mr. Anault, for stealing his idea of using a masked wrestler, something Julian claimed to have the rights to. Basically he claimed that it had cost him money and wanted to receive 12,000 francs in damages for the situation. Plus he insisted that Arnault should cease using his masked man going forth. Ultimately the case was thrown out. Julian's claims that Arnault tried to disparage his incognito grappler were proven false and furthermore his future shows actually drew more money than the previous. Which meant two L'Homme Masque it was to be going forward.
Also on that day a young Perrier was advertised to be at the Hippodrome where he issued an open challenge to the original masked man. Having read a bit about Perrier it is my opinion that the "young Perrier" and "Alfred 'the Parisian Model'" are the same man. That is not confirmed though.
On the following day the earliest reports currently known of in America are printed about the original masked man. No new information is to be gathered from those reports though. They were sent over via the English press.
The Hippodrome showing that it had come out of the court appearance unscathed announced that, "The Masked Wrestler will be wrestling versus the winner of the previous four combatants." Exactly what the schedule for the night was is not clear, but that is what was billed for the Sunday, October 6 show. It was also implied that it was the same arrangement for the next day, but the Hippodrome normally only held shows on a Sunday evening. Possibly that was just a case of French papers reporting out of date information which was often the case around the world at this point. Regardless, no results were recorded so the matter will stay unknown for now. Going forth the outcomes of events remain sparse, so I will just gloss over the next few shows.
Friday, October 11:
Arène Athletique - Vs. Marseille Jr.
Sunday, October 13:
The Hippodrome - Vs. Perrier
Monday, October 14:
Arène Athletique - Vs. 1 -Bonnet le Bœuf
Wednesday, October 16:
Arène Athletique - Vs. Marseille Jr.
Then on October 18 things are once again given a shake up. As it is a Friday we're talking about the Arène Athletique and it's a battle between "Red Mask" and "Black Mask." We know that the original one wore a black mask and there have been no other mentions of a masked man at this particular venue, so it would seem that this is the first appearance of the "Red Mask." Again it should be pointed out that he may have performed prior to this date, I can only go off the information that has been discovered thus far. If there was one match-up where a result would be beyond useful, this would be it. Unfortunately no mention of an outcome has been come across. Really we should be thankful that they covered so much in comparison to other countries instead of wishing for more.
Then nothing. Neither the Arène Athletique nor the Hippodrome make any mention of a masked wrestler for nearly a full month as far as available papers show. All of a sudden on Monday, November 18 the Arène Athletique pick back up where they left off. Again results are not presented for the large part so I shall simply list the bouts.
Monday, November 18:
Arène Athletique - Vs. "The Shepherd" Etienne - Which one it is not stated
Wednesday, November 20:
Arène Athletique - "The Shepherd" Etienne and Dubois will be wrestling as well as "The Masked Wrestler" and "The Masked Man" - I'd guess red and black mask
Friday, November 22:
Arène Athletique - Red Mask defeats Marseille Jr. and Black Mask defeats Etienne
Monday, November 25:
Arène Athletique - Vs. Faouet - Which one is not stated
Something quite unusual happened next. A French publication dedicated to political satire featured a cover picture of a red masked man throwing a white masked man. They were capitalizing on the whirlwind of attention that professional wrestling had garnered from the masses. It was also the last edition ever to be printed of "La Lune" ("The Moon"). The police and government officials said they had taken it too far. After all the magazine had already been warned for it's disparaging pictures and text aimed toward the ruler, at the time, of the French populace. The red masked man was a caricature of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the favored ruler by French revolutionists. The other, naturally given the white mask was symbolic of all that they loathed, the Pope. It was too much for the French government to take. The magazine was stopped permanently, while the editor was not only fined, but sentenced to a month imprisonment.
Maybe that incident had something to do with once again the wrestling scene going quiet in Paris when it came to those who wished to remain incognito. By this time the Hippodrome's grappler simply appears to have faded away after that last listing in October. The Arène Athletique had continued to host their men, but neither of whom were seen again until late December.
As a brief side note I should also point out that the second picture in this article also came from a magazine released around the same. It did also feature political satire, just not on as heavily as La Lune. It was entitled "Actualités and was quite a popular publication. In the background can be seen, faintly, some men wearing what appear to be French revolutionary outfits with the masked wrestler yelling, "AVENIR!" Roughly translated it means "to come up" or to "rise up." As in the the revolution will rise up against the Pope and his associates. Unlike La Lune this was never proven and some people still feel that too much is being read into the picture and it was simply designed to show exaggerate the strength and power of L'Hommer Masque.
Back to the topic hand. It could be questioned if the two masked wrestlers who were to meet the Colossus brothers on December 23 were even the same two men after such a lengthy period of absence. Likewise it could be questioned if the same two in November were the same of October and those two the same as September and before. Then again it could just be a lack of newspaper coverage on them available to us and they were around somewhere. Either way, once again no results were recorded for the match on the above date.
Another possibility has occurred to me during the process of writing this. Were there actually three masked men? Myself and Phil had thought there must be. It only made sense, two at the Arène Athletique and the one at the Hippodrome. However, given that the October 13 contest is the last we know of the Hippodrome mystery man is it possible that when the "Red Mask" arrived at the Arène Athletique, he was actually the Hippodrome masked man? He did arrive just five days after the last showing of the one at the Hippodrome. We were never given a color of the Hippodromes mask either.
Had he jumped ship from Mr. Anault's outfit to the other? Were the two promoters really rivals or had the whole lawsuit been a clever concoction to eventually receive a big pay day when the two unknown wrestlers finally met and faced off? I wish I could be like Daniel Bryan and shout, "YES! YES! YES! YES!" Unfortunately I am stuck with the less catchy catchphrase of, "I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW!" It is certainly a possibility though.
The wrestling season at the two venues ended in early January 1868. The masked wrestlers were not forgotten though. A very famous stage performer known as Madame Felicia Thierret was entertaining audiences with her, I guess, impersonations of said mat men. This is said in a London, England newspaper's update on life in Paris, France: "I must not omit to mention, at the Bouffes [Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens], in the character of an athlete, Madame Thierret, who is supposed to be one of the famous wrestlers masked." I'm not positive how that would have worked as the Bouffes was known for operettas, maybe it was a comedy based around them.
We're coming to the end, but first some utterly twisted teasing. On Friday, February 7 there was one final mention. Of course that's not the part that is pure torture. Not only is it announced that the masked man from the Hippodrome is appearing at the Arène Athletique, which may upset my theory, but anyway, it is announced he is wrestling sans-mask. Yes, that is right we're going to find out who is underneath that mask. Actually, no we're not. Rather we're left like a woman following a short date with a new partner; unsatisfied and frustrated.
That's right. What you would think was a huge moment that fans and reporters had been awaiting for for six months was not reported on. Again it could just be because material has been lost or simply that the whole process dragged on too long with too many stretches of time elapsing with the masked men appearing, vanishing, re-appearing, disappearing and re-emerging time and time again.
In much the same way as this article has ended up being so long, I am going to make you all wait to see who I think the main possibilities could be until the next part is typed up. It will be a worthwhile read. Not only will I cover the likely suspects, I will also give you details of the interview with the one claimant from the San Francisco 1902 newspaper that I spoke of right at the beginning of this. Plus we will review what each man, if known, achieved following his alleged time in Paris as one of the Marvelously Mysterious Masked Mat Men that this series of articles focuses on.
Monday, November 18:
Arène Athletique - Vs. "The Shepherd" Etienne - Which one it is not stated
Wednesday, November 20:
Arène Athletique - "The Shepherd" Etienne and Dubois will be wrestling as well as "The Masked Wrestler" and "The Masked Man" - I'd guess red and black mask
Friday, November 22:
Arène Athletique - Red Mask defeats Marseille Jr. and Black Mask defeats Etienne
Monday, November 25:
Arène Athletique - Vs. Faouet - Which one is not stated
Something quite unusual happened next. A French publication dedicated to political satire featured a cover picture of a red masked man throwing a white masked man. They were capitalizing on the whirlwind of attention that professional wrestling had garnered from the masses. It was also the last edition ever to be printed of "La Lune" ("The Moon"). The police and government officials said they had taken it too far. After all the magazine had already been warned for it's disparaging pictures and text aimed toward the ruler, at the time, of the French populace. The red masked man was a caricature of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the favored ruler by French revolutionists. The other, naturally given the white mask was symbolic of all that they loathed, the Pope. It was too much for the French government to take. The magazine was stopped permanently, while the editor was not only fined, but sentenced to a month imprisonment.
Maybe that incident had something to do with once again the wrestling scene going quiet in Paris when it came to those who wished to remain incognito. By this time the Hippodrome's grappler simply appears to have faded away after that last listing in October. The Arène Athletique had continued to host their men, but neither of whom were seen again until late December.
As a brief side note I should also point out that the second picture in this article also came from a magazine released around the same. It did also feature political satire, just not on as heavily as La Lune. It was entitled "Actualités and was quite a popular publication. In the background can be seen, faintly, some men wearing what appear to be French revolutionary outfits with the masked wrestler yelling, "AVENIR!" Roughly translated it means "to come up" or to "rise up." As in the the revolution will rise up against the Pope and his associates. Unlike La Lune this was never proven and some people still feel that too much is being read into the picture and it was simply designed to show exaggerate the strength and power of L'Hommer Masque.
Back to the topic hand. It could be questioned if the two masked wrestlers who were to meet the Colossus brothers on December 23 were even the same two men after such a lengthy period of absence. Likewise it could be questioned if the same two in November were the same of October and those two the same as September and before. Then again it could just be a lack of newspaper coverage on them available to us and they were around somewhere. Either way, once again no results were recorded for the match on the above date.
Another possibility has occurred to me during the process of writing this. Were there actually three masked men? Myself and Phil had thought there must be. It only made sense, two at the Arène Athletique and the one at the Hippodrome. However, given that the October 13 contest is the last we know of the Hippodrome mystery man is it possible that when the "Red Mask" arrived at the Arène Athletique, he was actually the Hippodrome masked man? He did arrive just five days after the last showing of the one at the Hippodrome. We were never given a color of the Hippodromes mask either.
Had he jumped ship from Mr. Anault's outfit to the other? Were the two promoters really rivals or had the whole lawsuit been a clever concoction to eventually receive a big pay day when the two unknown wrestlers finally met and faced off? I wish I could be like Daniel Bryan and shout, "YES! YES! YES! YES!" Unfortunately I am stuck with the less catchy catchphrase of, "I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW!" It is certainly a possibility though.
The wrestling season at the two venues ended in early January 1868. The masked wrestlers were not forgotten though. A very famous stage performer known as Madame Felicia Thierret was entertaining audiences with her, I guess, impersonations of said mat men. This is said in a London, England newspaper's update on life in Paris, France: "I must not omit to mention, at the Bouffes [Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens], in the character of an athlete, Madame Thierret, who is supposed to be one of the famous wrestlers masked." I'm not positive how that would have worked as the Bouffes was known for operettas, maybe it was a comedy based around them.
We're coming to the end, but first some utterly twisted teasing. On Friday, February 7 there was one final mention. Of course that's not the part that is pure torture. Not only is it announced that the masked man from the Hippodrome is appearing at the Arène Athletique, which may upset my theory, but anyway, it is announced he is wrestling sans-mask. Yes, that is right we're going to find out who is underneath that mask. Actually, no we're not. Rather we're left like a woman following a short date with a new partner; unsatisfied and frustrated.
That's right. What you would think was a huge moment that fans and reporters had been awaiting for for six months was not reported on. Again it could just be because material has been lost or simply that the whole process dragged on too long with too many stretches of time elapsing with the masked men appearing, vanishing, re-appearing, disappearing and re-emerging time and time again.
In much the same way as this article has ended up being so long, I am going to make you all wait to see who I think the main possibilities could be until the next part is typed up. It will be a worthwhile read. Not only will I cover the likely suspects, I will also give you details of the interview with the one claimant from the San Francisco 1902 newspaper that I spoke of right at the beginning of this. Plus we will review what each man, if known, achieved following his alleged time in Paris as one of the Marvelously Mysterious Masked Mat Men that this series of articles focuses on.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
A Hooded History: Chapter Two.
Author: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: August 26, 2016.
Article: #150.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
A Hooded History: Chapter Two.
Author: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: August 26, 2016.
Article: #150.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
A Hooded History: Chapter Three - Read Here.
A Hooded History: Chapter One - Read Here.
Other articles by Jimmy can be Read Here.