On June 23, 1986 at the Hotel Sofitel, the “Wild Polynesian Man works on Chris Carter!”

Pro wrestling has a long history in Toledo, by the 1890s the Blade’s archives had regular notices of matches between beefy brawlers like Al Woods, Clarence Meade, brothers Walter and Johnny Billiter, Chief Two Feathers, and Dummy Smith.

But the earliest mention of wrestling advertises a Feb. 26, 1879, contest: Lizzie Lough vs. Madame Gunsalus in three falls of a “collar and elbow” match.

Toledo venues that hosted pro wrestling over the decades were as varied as The Terminal Athletic Club on Cherry Street, the Valentine Theatre, the Coliseum Theater and the Commodore Club in Perrysburg, the Sports Arena, and the Hotel Sofitel.

BLADE PHOTO BY JACK ACKERMAN

Reprints are full resolution on archival paper without watermarks. Frames are simple, 1.25” black wood frames with single soft white matting and tempered glass.