Effganic Genesis: The History of Professional Wrestling

[Bobby Barrows]

March 1920

So, you wanna know about the history of Professional Wrestling, eh? It all begins here, at this time, as the formation of Professional Wrestling is sourced from the carnivals, one in particular, known to the world as "Monaghan's Marvelous Travelling Circus". The owner, an Irishman names Sorley Monaghan, ran his carnival across Europe and the United States, with a bevy of attractions, the two most popular being the German strongman Friedrich Herzog, and the proclaimed "World Champion", Englishman "Sir" Anthony Henry. During one of their US tours, two gentlemen were extremely interested in this idea of athletics and showmanship... These two men would be the owner and President of Loomis Munitions, Don Loomis, and the highly respected boxing promoter Frank Morris. Together, the two of them offered Sorley Monaghan an offer to purchase the rights to Anthony Henry and Friedrich Herzog... but in truth, Monaghan was deeply in debt, evading loan sharks and unable to keep up payments... so Monaghan convinced Loomis and Morris to not only purchase his stars, but also his carnival and his services as their manager. With that... the key pieces of what would become Southern Professional Wrestling.

With their major pieces, the new startup company was still in search of some talent to kick things off. Starting within North America, the first name that came to mind would be a former boxer of Frank Morris: Joe Boone. Though he was a middling boxer, he had a style and charisma that made him an undeniable attraction at the box office. The second man would be an incredible Olympic hopeful, the French-Candian Daniel Loiselle. Because of the Great War, Daniel was unable to compete in 1916, and sadly he was defeated in a shocking upset to lose his qualification for the 1920 Olympics. Following this, Loiselle decided to look for new avenues to showcase his talents, and Frank Morris saw great potential in him. The final signee would be a retired veteran of amateur wrestling, the incomparable Jay Lutter. The former wrestling head coach for the Southern Mississippi University Maroons, Lutter had created a great contender, but personal demons left him bereft of a job. Don Loomis demanded that Lutter be given a job within his new company, and he became the right-hand man to Morris and Loomis.

The international talent would come later, each with its own incredible backstories. The first would be an Australian actor out of Los Angeles by the name of Levi Andrews. Andrews, of dubious "fame", tried to make it big in Los Angeles as a film star, yet when that plan failed he somehow managed to meet Don Loomis and Frank Norris... which ended in Andrews somehow getting a job as a wrestler; Neither Loomis nor Norris could explain how or why it happened. Secondly came former sumo wrestler and notorious cheater Saita Kuroki, who had been exiled from Japan and would fight strangers on the street for money. Seeing the potential in a character, Loomis snapped him up immediately. The final star would be the member of the legendary Mexican dancing family, Emilio Sanchez. Sanches never wished to be a dancer, instead searching for something more. When Frank Norris toured Mexico and met Suarez on one of his crazy nights, his talents were so impressive that Norris actually helped Emilio flee Mexico and his legacy to become the great masked wrestler: El Espiritu.

With all the pieces in place, Southern Pro Wrestling opened in February 1920 and began running shows the next month. That was how wrestling had begun... several disparate people from different backgrounds, each coming together in a strange conglomeration of Greco-Roman wrestling, Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling, Sumo, boxing, powerlifting, showmanship, and even some acting. It was odd and it was sudden, but Professional Wrestling was born... what would happen through the years, as wrestling would come to grow into what we know it to be today?​

 

[Sonny912]

Don't stop now, keep going! I wanna hear more about the lore of this universe you got.