Then in September 1893, he was hired by promoter/manager P. J. Carroll to run his local gym; and Curley assisted many of the fighters in their training, most notably including World Welterweight Champion Tommy Ryan.

As a result, Curley became the manager for "Doc" Benjamin Roller, one of the era's premier grapplers; and in 1909, he was named the athletic director for the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition in Seattle, where he emerged victorious in a promotional war against Joe Carroll.

However, as law enforcement reduced the gambling influence on sporting results, pro wrestling bouts fell into a trend of long, tedious contests that frequently ended in draws or no-decisions.

Consequently, Curley revolutionized the industry by placing a greater reliance on one-fall matches in his territory, which subsequently reduced the length of the average matchup and lent to increased fan interest.

Previously, the majority of big matches had been held in rural towns throughout the Midwest, but this agreement proved influential in that it facilitated pro wrestling's relocation to the urban centers of the East Coast, where matchmakers could promote bigger gates in the cities' lucrative sports venues.

Moreover, after the Trio split up following a 1928 financial dispute, Curley then formed an alliance with Toots Mondt and Ray Fabiani, with the New York territory refusing to recognize Lewis' title claim.

Curley then organized a meeting of the nation's top promoters in November 1933, forming a new Trust agreement with Toots Mondt, Ray Fabiani, Tom Packs, Ed White and Paul Bowser that stipulated that they share profits evenly while extending their collective powers across all of the North America.