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Frank Gotch
| Frank Gotch | |
|---|---|
 Gotch in 1917 | |
| Birth name | Frank Alvin Gotch |
| Born | April 27, 1878 Humboldt, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 1917 (aged 39)[1] Humboldt, Iowa, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Uremia poisoning |
| Spouse(s) | Gladys Oestrich (1891 - 1930) |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Frank Gotch Frank Kennedy |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Billed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Trained by | Martin Burns |
| Debut | 1899 |
| Retired | 1913 |
| Part of a series on |
| Professional wrestling |
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Frank Alvin Gotch (April 27, 1878 – December 17, 1917) was an American professional wrestler.[1] Gotch was the first American professional wrestler to win the world heavyweight free-style championship, and he is credited for popularizing professional wrestling in the United States. He competed back when the contests at championship level were largely legit (see catch wrestling), and his reign as World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion (from 1908 to 1913) is one of the ten longest in the history of professional wrestling. He became one of the most popular athletes in America from the 1900s to the 1910s. Pro Wrestling Illustrated described Gotch as "arguably the best North American professional wrestler of the 20th century".[2]
- ^ a b "Frank Gotch Dies After Year Of Illness". Classic Wrestling Articles. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
- ^ "Wrestling History: 1894". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
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