Stanislaus Zbyszko

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Stanislaus Zbyszko in Night and the City (1950)
Stanislaus Zbyszko in Night and the City (1950)

Stanislaus Zbyszko (Polish: Stanisław Jan Cyganiewicz) (born April 1, 1879 - died September 23, 1967) was a professional wrestler popular in the United States during the 1920s. The surname Zbyszko was only a nickname, which was given him by friends due to his bravery when he was a child - it was the name of a legendary medieval Polish knight. He was the brother of Wladek Zbyszko.

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[edit] Career

Zbyszko was of Polish extraction and extremely popular in the Polish-American community. Zbyszko was a legitimate "hooker" in the ring, possessing a vast knowledge of holds that could inflict pain on his opponent. He captured his first World Heavyweight wrestling Title in 1921, by defeating the great "Strangler" Ed Lewis. His reign was a failure at the box-office and he dropped the Title back to Lewis less than a year later. He joined Lewis' syndicate, the Gold-Dust Trio, in hopes of making more money.

The most infamous moment of Zbyszko's career came on April 15, 1925. Zbyszko was allegedly supposed to lose to the Gold-Dust Trio's own handpicked champion, Wayne Munn, a former football star, in an effort to give Munn credibility. Zbyszko balked at the idea of losing to an unskilled wrestler, and secretly jumped to the Joe Stecher camp (Stecher was the real-life rival of Lewis). Zbyszko used his hooking ability to legitimately defeat Munn, capturing his second World Heavyweight Title. This resulted in what is known in pro wrestling parlance as a shoot, and, from Munn's standpoint at least, a screwjob. This was one of the last times a World Title changed hands legitimately.

He suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the legendary Indian wrestler The Great Gama, as did his compatriots Benjamin Roller and others.

After retiring, Stanislaus Zbyszko scouted talent in South America where he discovered the Brazilian acrobat Antonino Rocca.

Zbyszko died from a heart attack on September 23, 1967.

[edit] Profile

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

[edit] Trivia

  • Zbyszko appeared in the 1950 film Night and the City playing a famous wrestler. His performance was highly regarded by critics, but it was his only dramatic film appearance.
  • Zbyszko is referred to in the play The Hairy Ape by esteemed American playwright Eugene O'Neill, but is not its subject.
  • He is not related to former wrestler Larry Zbyszko.
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