The Inventor Of The Chokeslam In Wrestling Is… Abraham Lincoln?

It can be difficult for fans to think of wrestling as something that existed before Vince McMahon popularized the sports entertainment industry 40 years ago. Vince inheriting WWE from his father and turning the company into a global entity is often assumed to be the origins of professional wrestling, but that simply isn’t the case. Evidence that people wrestled suggests it has been a thing for thousands of years, and even pro wrestling is around 200 years old at this point.
Abraham Lincoln: Professional Wrestler

While there is proof that people partook in and enjoyed pro wrestling as far back as the 1860s, more than 100 years after Vince McMahon took it to new heights, there’s also evidence to suggest the artform’s origins extend back even further than that. That evidence has even been shared on WWE.com and focused on Abraham Lincoln’s love of wrestling. Yes, that’s Abe Lincoln. The man who would eventually go on to become one of the most famous presidents in US history.

In 1831 though, Lincoln was a humble store worker by day, and a keen wrestler in his free time. An innovative one too, as the man who would become president is credited by many as the inventor of the Chokeslam. One of the most popular moves in pro wrestling history, and despite potentially being in the mix for 190 years, it hasn’t been watered down like the Superkick and the DDT.
So, how and why did some people claim Lincoln invented the Chokeslam? Well, it stems from a match he was challenged to by some locals in 1831. A local gang called The Clary’s Grove Boys heard Lincoln bragging about his wrestling prowess, and the gang’s leader Jack Armstrong challenged him to a match. It’s believed that Lincoln was supposed to take on everyone in the group, but due to the way the opening bout went down, the multi-match card came to an abrupt end.

The story goes that after a bit of back and forth between Armstrong and Lincoln, the latter began to dominate. The match conclusion when Lincoln grabbed his opponent by the throat, lifted him in the air, and after holding him there for a second, you guessed it, the store worker slammed Armstrong to the mat. Rather than go through that with the entire gang, legend has it Lincoln shocked Armstrong’s hand and the two became firm friends after that.
Other Claims To The Chokeslam Crown

So there you have it. The first recorded use of the Chokeslam. However, there’s no footage or even a photo of the event since it happened almost 200 years ago, not to mention the very few people in attendance. This wasn’t a WrestleMania-level event. This was a match in the woods with a handful of people watching on. There probably wasn’t even a ring. That means even though it’s fun to think Lincoln invented the Chokeslam, many fans prefer to believe it wasn’t really invented until the McMahon era was well underway.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *