J. H. McLaughlin

However, he also excelled at the rougher, undisciplined catch-as-catch-can style which was then prominent, and three opponents are known to have died as a result of wrestling McLaughlin.

[2][3] Newspaper accounts of the time are sometimes exaggerated, and even in the late 19th century, numerous fans and reporters already regarded the burgeoning sport's credibility with skepticism.

However, contemporary reports of McLaughlin's earnings, including the side bets that were commonly several multiples of his official pay, indicate that he was phenomenally well-compensated.

McKee fought for the Union Army during the war, while continuing to pursue wrestling, which was a popular pastime among the troops.

The remorseful McLaughlin gave his tournament winnings to Smith's widow, saying "I forgot I was so wicked strong."

It was at this point that McLaughlin publicly declared his intention to restrict his future fights to collar-and-elbow rules, rather than the anything-goes style that led to those in-ring tragedies.

McLaughlin gained a substantial amount of weight during his sabbatical, but was lured out of retirement in November 1878 against the formidable John McMahon.

Muldoon won the rematch, and assumed McLaughlin's spot as the nation's preeminent wrestling star.

The other wrestlers, primarily future star Frank Gotch and Joe Carroll, used pseudonyms, but McLaughlin's name was still a draw after forty years.

Their alleged antipathy included the first high-profile "three way" match, in which McLaughlin, Gotch and Carroll wrestled one another in five different styles, purportedly to determine which of the three was the most versatile.