Ad Santel
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Ad Santel, (born Adolph Ernst 1887 - 1966), was a practitioner of catch wrestling. Ad Santel fought one of the early clash-of-the-styles matches in modern martial arts history against Tokugoro Ito, a 5th degree black belt in Judo from Japan. Santel defeated Ito when a slamming takedown rendered the Judoka unable to continue the point and proclaimed himself the World Judo Champion. Tokugoro Ito went on to avenge the loss a few months later on June 10, 1916 by defeating Santel with a choke hold, being one of very few to ever defeat Santel[1]). The founder of judo, Professor Kano sent further challengers from 1914 to 1921. These judoka included 4th degree black belt Daisuke Sakai and Taro Miyake, whom Santel defeated. Ad Santel drew with 5th degree black belt Hikoo Shoji. He also drew with matches with Reijiro Nagata, Tsutao Higami, and Setsuzo Ota. The challenge matches stopped after Santel gave up on the claim of being the World Judo Champion in 1921 in order to pursue a career in full time professional wrestling. The impact of these performances on Japan was immense. The Japanese were fascinated by the submissions taught in catch wrestling. Japanese fighters traveled to Europe in order to either participate in various tournaments or to learn catch wrestling at European schools such as Billy Riley's Snake Pit in Wigan, UK.[2]
Years after the famous 1911 match between Frank Gotch and Georg Hackenschmidt, Santel told Lou Thesz that he was paid $5000 by Gotch's backers to cripple Hackenschmidt in training, and make it look like an accident.[3] However, according to Hackenschmidt himself, the injury was accidentally inflicted by his sparring partner, Dr. Roller, when trying to hold Hackenschmidt down onto his knees and Roller's right foot striking Hackenschmidt's right knee. According to Hackenschmidt, his sparring partners were Jacobus Koch, Wladek Zbyscko and Dr. Roller. Ad Santel is not mentioned in any account of Hackehschmidt's training by either Hackenschmidt or Roller, both of whom offered their insights and accounts.[4]
Santel lost his World Light Heavyweight Championship to Gobar Goho of Calcutta (now Kolkata), India on 30 August 1921 in San Francisco.[citation needed]
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[edit] Championships and accomplishments
[edit] Judo
- World Judo Championship (self-proclaimed)
[edit] Professional wrestling
- World Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
[edit] External links
- A copy of the original "The Japanese Pro-Wrestling / Reality Based Martial Art Connection" article by Sam Chan
- History of Puroresu : The Pre-J.W.A. Period
- A New Dawn for an Old Style by Drew Price
- Japanese women learning real Fast by Tatsuo Shimoda. Ring Wrestling, April, 1965
- The Japanese Pro-Wrestling/Reality Based Martial Arts Connection by Sam Chan
[edit] References
- ^ "Ito threw Santell (sic) around the ring like a bag of sawdust… When Ad gasped for air, the Japanese pounced upon him like a leopard and applied the strangle hold. Santell gave a couple of gurgles, turned black in the face and thumped the floor, signifying he had enough." -- Howard Angus, Los Angeles Times, 1 February 1917
- ^ http://bjj.org/editorials/19980215-prowrest
- ^ Thesz, Lou, & Kit Bauman, Mike Chapman, Editor, Hooker, The Authentic Wrestler's Adventures Inside the Bizzare World of Professional Wrestling (Wrestling Channel Press, 1995-2000), p. 67
- ^ Fleischer, Nat, From Milo to Londos (The Ring, Inc., 1936), p. 122-24.
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