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A STORY FROM THE 1930s
– Dick Steinborn
November 2, 2008
Back then, the only true World Heavyweight Champion was recognized by the National Wrestling Association, and it was Strangler Ed
Lewis.
Travel in those days was accomplished by automobile or by the trains crisscrossing America.
Wrestling in Florida was purely seasonal. No wrestling was promoted in the state of Florida until October through February. The local
promoters relied on the tourists to support whatever entertainment that was featured in those warm summer months.
Each year a Portland, Oregon, wrestler drove from the northwest to the Sunshine State for a working vacation. He got himself booked so
he could deduct his trip on his income tax, and he enjoyed the Florida sunshine. I can’t recall his name, but let me call him Joe Smith.
Joe Smith spent three winter seasons in Florida, and became a hit with the fans each year. He worked on Thursday in Jacksonville,
Florida. He always showed up to that town on his trip across America for his first appearance. Then there were bookings in Mimi, Fort
Lauderdale, St. Petersburg, and Tampa.
Remember now, there was no TV back in those days, just radio interviews and place cards in windows.
The promoter in Jacksonville was a former wrestler named George Romanoff. He got a call from Joe Smith saying that he would arrive
on the opening night in Jacksonville sometime in early October.
Back to World Champion Ed Lewis. Lewis traveled from St. Louis to Oregon to defend his NWA title in the northwest area. When he
arrived there, he had heard that Joe Smith was killed the week before in a tragic automobile accident. It was sad news for those who
followed Joe in his career from his home state of Oregon.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis, Missouri, office, which controlled the champion, called Romanoff in Florida, offering the promoter an
appearance of the champion exactly one week before Romanoff was supposed to have his official opening.
The grapevine in those days on information about wrestlers was not as prominent as it is today. Joe Smith’s demise was not
broadcasted that well across the USA. And so, the champion shows up in Jacksonville for his title defense, seven days before Romanoffâ
€™s official opening.
As Ed steps into the ring that Thursday night, and while standing in the corner signing autographs, Romanoff came into the ring holding
a telegram in his hand and started to announce an important announcement about the next week’s Thursday night wrestling card. Of
course, the fans would have been happy to hear that Joe Smith would be returning on that card.
As Romanoff held up that telegram, the promoter’s way of publishing some news in his own way, he announced that the telegram
revealed that Joe Smith would be returning next Thursday night.
When Ed heard this, he walked to the middle of the ring and mentioned to Romanoff, “Are you talking about Joe Smith from Oregon?â
€� The discussion was not in the range of the microphone. The promoter told the champion, “Yes, he’s the same one from
Oregon. He’s a crowd favorite down here".
Lewis stated, “He’s dead. He was killed in an automobile wreck about three weeks ago in his home state.�
Naturally, Romanoff was horrified. There he was, holding a telegram from a presumably dead person.
The promoter went back onto the mic and started revealing to the fans that their famous Florida star had been killed in an automobile
wreck three weeks ago in Oregon.
Just then, the crowd drew silent, in shock of the sad news that was just delivered to them. Then one of the fans shouted loud enough in
that small arena a statement that brought the crowd to laughter. The fan hollered, “Hey, Romanoff! Where did you get that telegram?
From up there, or down there?�
– Dick Steinborn
November 2, 2008
Back then, the only true World Heavyweight Champion was recognized by the National Wrestling Association, and it was Strangler Ed
Lewis.
Travel in those days was accomplished by automobile or by the trains crisscrossing America.
Wrestling in Florida was purely seasonal. No wrestling was promoted in the state of Florida until October through February. The local
promoters relied on the tourists to support whatever entertainment that was featured in those warm summer months.
Each year a Portland, Oregon, wrestler drove from the northwest to the Sunshine State for a working vacation. He got himself booked so
he could deduct his trip on his income tax, and he enjoyed the Florida sunshine. I can’t recall his name, but let me call him Joe Smith.
Joe Smith spent three winter seasons in Florida, and became a hit with the fans each year. He worked on Thursday in Jacksonville,
Florida. He always showed up to that town on his trip across America for his first appearance. Then there were bookings in Mimi, Fort
Lauderdale, St. Petersburg, and Tampa.
Remember now, there was no TV back in those days, just radio interviews and place cards in windows.
The promoter in Jacksonville was a former wrestler named George Romanoff. He got a call from Joe Smith saying that he would arrive
on the opening night in Jacksonville sometime in early October.
Back to World Champion Ed Lewis. Lewis traveled from St. Louis to Oregon to defend his NWA title in the northwest area. When he
arrived there, he had heard that Joe Smith was killed the week before in a tragic automobile accident. It was sad news for those who
followed Joe in his career from his home state of Oregon.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis, Missouri, office, which controlled the champion, called Romanoff in Florida, offering the promoter an
appearance of the champion exactly one week before Romanoff was supposed to have his official opening.
The grapevine in those days on information about wrestlers was not as prominent as it is today. Joe Smith’s demise was not
broadcasted that well across the USA. And so, the champion shows up in Jacksonville for his title defense, seven days before Romanoffâ
€™s official opening.
As Ed steps into the ring that Thursday night, and while standing in the corner signing autographs, Romanoff came into the ring holding
a telegram in his hand and started to announce an important announcement about the next week’s Thursday night wrestling card. Of
course, the fans would have been happy to hear that Joe Smith would be returning on that card.
As Romanoff held up that telegram, the promoter’s way of publishing some news in his own way, he announced that the telegram
revealed that Joe Smith would be returning next Thursday night.
When Ed heard this, he walked to the middle of the ring and mentioned to Romanoff, “Are you talking about Joe Smith from Oregon?â
€� The discussion was not in the range of the microphone. The promoter told the champion, “Yes, he’s the same one from
Oregon. He’s a crowd favorite down here".
Lewis stated, “He’s dead. He was killed in an automobile wreck about three weeks ago in his home state.�
Naturally, Romanoff was horrified. There he was, holding a telegram from a presumably dead person.
The promoter went back onto the mic and started revealing to the fans that their famous Florida star had been killed in an automobile
wreck three weeks ago in Oregon.
Just then, the crowd drew silent, in shock of the sad news that was just delivered to them. Then one of the fans shouted loud enough in
that small arena a statement that brought the crowd to laughter. The fan hollered, “Hey, Romanoff! Where did you get that telegram?
From up there, or down there?�
