2021/08/16
Welcome to AustralianWrestling.org!
The website devoted to preserving the history of Australian wrestling.
We're in the process of renovating and moving some things around so some things may look a little strange but the aim is to minimise disruption.
This website was designed in 2012 with a scope of covering present and past wrestling in Australia.
The scope will change to prioritise the older stuff and make that a bit more accessible.
Thank you for your patience.
I also have another website (with my good buddy Greg) The Wrestling Roadshow which has more of a global scope. We have a podcast by the same name too and discuss all sorts of wrestling.
-CD
Clarence Whistler
Name: Clarence Whistler
Born: February 24, 1856
From: Delphi, Indiana, USA
Died: November 6, 1885 (Pneumonia)
Trained by: Andre Christol
Debut: February 1879
Also known as: Kansas Cyclone, Kansas Demon, Wonder of the West, Omaha Demon
Clarence Whistler was a strongman who began wrestling in 1879, had a high profile fued with William Muldoon. He was billed as a Catch-as-Catch-Can champion. After winning the St Louis World tournament, Whistler travelled to Melbourne for a match with Professor William Miller for the World Championship. On September 26, 1885 at the Theatre Royal he beat Miller in a match that went two hours. During celebrations of his victory, Whistler – demonstrating a party trick – drank a glass of champagne, and then ate the glass. This pierced his gullet and combined with excessive alcohol consumption and pneumonia, led to his untimely death. He was buried in Melbourne Cemetery.
Major titles held: Catch-as-Catch-Can Heavyweight Championship, St Louis International Wrestling Tournament winner (Greco-Roman), World Heavyweight Championship
Credit: 100 Years of Australian Professional Wrestling by Libnan Ayoub, Chris Dalgleish, Wikipedia
Photo credit: Wikipedia (public domain), Geoff Brown
