Earliest Wrestling Footage: 1908 Hack vs. Rogers Review

Throughout the development of professional wrestling, certain milestones stand out for their profound impact on how the sport has evolved. The recent unearthing of 1908 footage featuring George Hackenschmidt—often hailed as the first universally recognized world champion wrestler—and Joe Rogers may well be the most significant archaeological find in wrestling history. Not only does this remarkable discovery provide our earliest glimpse of a legendary figure in action, but it also captures the sport at a defining point in its transformation from regional exhibitions to a global spectacle.

To guide us through this remarkable piece of history, we have Ruslan C. Pashayev—renowned historian and author on 19th- and early 20th-century wrestling—ready to offer a blow-by-blow review through his unmatched historical lens. Discover why this footage may be the most significant wrestling artifact ever unearthed!

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“There were also wrestling matches, and “Dockham” (Adam Ridings of Bury, Lancs) and many other powerful men took part in them. The object of the wrestler was to place his antagonist on his back, and in this style of contest no throw was counted unless both shoulders of the fallen man fairly touched the ground. Any kind of rough usage was permissible. The wrestlers were of sturdy build, below rather than above the middle height, with powerful limbs, massive neck, and bullet-headed.”

— Wm Robertson, Rochdale and the Vale of Whitworth

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The Earliest Footage of Professional Wrestling Discovered

There has been much discussion lately about a remarkable historical find: the earliest known footage capturing top-level professional wrestling. Filmed at the Oxford Music Hall on Oxford Street and shown at the Alhambra Theatre in Leicester Square on January 30, 1908, it showcases two bouts, including the famous Hackenschmidt vs. Rogers match. This is believed to be the only surviving video of George Hackenschmidt, considered by many the first universally recognized world champion wrestler.

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Did you know? While this historic footage was shown at the Alhambra Theatre, the actual Hackenschmidt-Rogers match took place at the Oxford Music Hall on Oxford Street – a historic entertainment venue whose location is now occupied by a Primark department store.

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The second match features Lancashire champion Joe Carroll of Hindley, renowned as the greatest catch wrestler of the 1890s and early 1900s. This discovery is symbolic because it features Hackenschmidt representing modern pro wrestling, paired with the authentic Lancashire catch style perfectly exhibited by Carroll.

Thanks to Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision (the New Zealand Archive), which has safeguarded this nitrate film for decades, viewers can now see the best-quality version available online. Its restoration involved careful stabilization, plus dust and damage repair, preserving images from a 110-year-old print. By watching through Ngā Taonga’s site (as highlighted on Reddit), you directly support the archive responsible for making it accessible for future generations.

The nitrate film itself has naturally deteriorated over time, but digital tools were used to stabilize and lightly restore the imagery. The video offers an unprecedented glimpse into the sport’s transition from regional exhibitions to a worldwide spectacle. Below, Ruslan C. Pashayev—author of the acclaimed book The Story of Catch: The Story of Lancashire Catch-as-catch-can Wrestling and widely regarded as the leading historian of 19th- and early 20th-century wrestling—shares his blow-by-blow review of this incredible relic, shedding new light on the origins and evolution of professional wrestling.

Professional Wrestling in Edwardian London

During the late 1800s, Lancashire catch-as-catch-can wrestling was largely a local phenomenon centered around Greater Manchester. Despite its popularity in these mill towns, it had yet to captivate the capital city of the British Empire—London.

In Lancashire, matches still took place in old-fashioned ways, often on grassy grounds in local multisport arenas. One of the largest outdoor wrestling events happened at Manchester’s White City Stadium in 1907, featuring a multiweek tournament that crowned Tom Jones of Aspull (also known as "Burgy Ben") as the 9-stone catch-as-catch-can champion of Britain. It was no coincidence that the 9-stone division headlined this tournament; catch wrestling was historically dominated by lighter, agile wrestlers—nicknamed "little demons"—who excelled at acrobatic moves. Most were colliers by trade, working in coal pits to earn a living. Heavier competitors simply didn’t have the speed or flexibility for this brand of wrestling, inspiring the local saying, "Big men don’t catch!" (They were more suited for Cumberland or Greco-Roman styles.)

By the 1890s, Lancashire’s style of pro wrestling began appearing in music halls and theaters, first in Manchester, then on circus stages throughout Europe and the United States. The main difference elsewhere was that wrestlers in the U.S. typically used a 24-foot roped ring under the Police Gazette rules.

One prominent venue for major matches was London’s Oxford Music Hall. In 1904, an open-to-the-world wrestling championship took place there, drawing top catch wrestlers from across the globe. The American star Jack Carkeek ultimately claimed victory. Hosting wrestling indoors was an important step forward for the sport, but it also drove up ticket prices, placing prime seating within reach mostly of English nobility—well-known wrestling enthusiasts. Sixpence to a shilling was a typical admission for a decent wrestling show, while a pint of beer cost around threepence.

By the early 1900s, many English wrestlers adopted the American (Police Gazette) rules, which recognized only pinning falls, in contrast to Lancashire’s acceptance of flying, rolling, and pinning falls. Safety concerns were a major motivation; flying falls (essentially bodyslams) had led to serious injuries, while rolling falls often sparked disagreements between wrestlers and referees. Promoters also hoped for slightly longer bouts, without lightning-fast finishes. Tom Connor, famously known as the "American Wiganer," was among the first to introduce and popularize these American rules in Britain.

George Hackenschmidt vs Joe Rogers: Paving the Way for a Historic Showdown

When we approach the subject of George Hackenschmidt, it’s crucial to remember his extraordinary beginnings as an amateur wrestler. At the age of 21—essentially on his birthday—he won the European Championship in Vienna, Austria, an international Greco-Roman wrestling tournament with eleven competitors from Austria, Russia, and Germany.

As a native Estonian of Baltic German ancestry representing the Russian Empire, Hackenschmidt was awarded a gold championship belt for that victory, often seen in his promotional photographs. This belt, adorned with a thick gold chain and a large, intricately designed buckle featuring Hercules, would be a priceless wrestling artifact if ever rediscovered.

Without a doubt, Hackenschmidt was the most iconic pro wrestler of his generation. In fact, Frank Gotch himself aimed to share in Hack’s glory. That’s precisely why American promoters singled out Hackenschmidt—above all others—to face Gotch in 1908 for the world’s wrestling title.

Although this famous match had little direct lineage to Hack’s 1905 championship (beating American catch champion Tom Jenkins), it mattered immensely because Hackenschmidt was the global face of professional wrestling. He practically invented the "world champion" image: arrogant, self-centered, and driven by money. Even now, countless wrestlers mimic that persona.

By 1908, however, Hackenschmidt was semi-retired. He focused on modeling and bodybuilding, wrestling only when promoters could afford his steep asking price. The title he’d won in 1905 had long since faded from memory. So, the Hackenschmidt vs Rogers match on January 30, 1908, was a tune-up before Hack traveled to meet Gotch for the undisputed world heavyweight championship.

American promoters bankrolled that London spectacle to rehabilitate Hackenschmidt’s reputation, since, by 1908, fans in the U.S. no longer viewed him as a legitimate champion. They needed a credible name for Gotch, who by then had run out of worthy heavyweight challengers on American soil. No matches, no money, no business. Hence, we saw Gotch frequently tease retirement after seizing the world title.

Hackenschmidt was only the first in a series of foreign heavyweights brought over by American promoters to challenge Gotch. Most left empty-handed, serving as short-term attractions that lost to Gotch, then disappeared. A handful—like Stan and Wladek Zbyszko—did find success, eventually capturing the world title in the U.S. When Gotch passed away in December 1917, it was Wladek Zbyszko who claimed a major open tournament victory in New York City, part of a new lineage meant to replace the retiring champion.

Before Hackenschmidt could head stateside, though, he needed a high-profile American opponent to demonstrate his abilities. Enter Joe Rogers, a classic "rough and tough" heavyweight, tall, strong, and internationally recognized as co-winner of one of North America’s largest pro Greco-Roman tournaments (1905–1906 in Montreal, Canada). Although not especially technical, Rogers was exactly what fans expected from a heavyweight: big, imposing, and physically powerful. He was the ideal warm-up fight for Hackenschmidt—an exhibition meant to prove that Hack was still formidable and ready to face Gotch for the undisputed world crown.

George Hackenschmidt vs. Joe Rogers: A Tale of Two Champions

Before diving into their match from January 30, 1908, it helps to compare the basic stats of these two formidable early 20th-century wrestlers:

Measurement	George Hackenschmidt	Joe Rogers
Age	30	26
Height	5’8″	6’2″
Weight	14st 12lbs (208 pounds)	17st 12lbs (250 pounds)
Chest	52″	53″
Waist	33″	43″
Neck	20″	19 1/2″
Biceps	19″	18″
Forearm	15″	15 1/2″
Thigh	28″	29″
Calf	17″	16 1/2″

Despite having spent extended periods out of the ring, Hackenschmidt was still more than capable of putting on an impressive show—a key reason promoters paired him against Rogers before the high-stakes Gotch confrontation. Local press described their encounter as a "one-sided struggle," with Rogers mostly in a defensive posture and Hackenschmidt dominating from start to finish.

It’s likely that Hackenschmidt and Rogers were simply very different types of wrestlers—one representing the Euro-Continental tradition, the other embodying the classic "All-American" heavyweight style. Their match, however, needed little rehearsal: its primary aim was to highlight Hackenschmidt’s technical and tactical superiority in front of a London crowd that preferred a cleaner, more "amateur" presentation. Any use of Rogers’s typical "rough-and-tough" approach might have jarred British audiences accustomed to polished displays of technique—and promoters, mindful of revenue and betting interests, took those preferences seriously.

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The Cultural Significance of Hackenschmidt vs Rogers

Newspaper reports confirm that filmmaker Charles Urban captured this entire wrestling bout and screened it at the Alhambra Theatre. The Alhambra was another prominent London venue where, around the same period, a world heavyweight wrestling championship tournament took place. That event included three weight divisions—heavy, middle, and light—governed by English catch wrestling rules.

In addition to the Hackenschmidt vs Rogers match, the second segment of this archival footage features English catch wrestling’s top middleweight, Joe Carroll of Hindley, and an opponent who may have been Peter Gotz, a Londoner of German birth. The film ends with the presentation of the Lord Lonsdale Cups to the new champions—a strong indication that Carroll defeated Gotz in the World Cup final.

Carroll’s historical significance runs deep. He became Britain’s first official catch-as-catch-can champion in 1899 by defeating the famed Tom Connor in an open tournament for all British wrestlers. Before Carroll claimed that honor, catch-as-catch-can titles were local and regional, mostly centered in Manchester promotions. Carroll’s triumph won him the Big Gold Belt of Catch Wrestling, often described as the oldest continuous trophy in professional wrestling.

The belt changed hands many times, eventually landing with notable figures like the American champion Jack Carkeek, the renowned Wigan-born wrestler Jim Parr (who settled in Buffalo, New York, and later moved to Ohio), and even the Demetral Brothers—known as the Golden Greeks—who traded it back and forth. This treasured belt became a defining centerpiece for American catch wrestlers in the middle and light-heavyweight divisions during the early 1900s.

As for the footage itself, its recent rediscovery ranks among the most valuable video finds in wrestling history—second only to potential film of the legendary Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt or Hackenschmidt vs. Jenkins matches, which some belief may still exist, waiting to be revealed.

For now, this 1908 film stands as a cornerstone of wrestling’s rich heritage, offering a vivid look at an era that helped shape the global spectacle of professional wrestling.

George Hackenschmidt vs. Joe Rogers (1908): Blow-by-Blow Notes

Below are my unfiltered observations as I watched the newly discovered 1908 match between George Hackenschmidt and Joe Rogers. Feel free to follow along with the match footage (found here).

Match Overview:

Rogers appears noticeably bigger than Hackenschmidt. Hack, on the other hand, looks every bit the "Greek God"—fit and defined.

They shake hands, and the match begins with Hack trying neck and wrist holds, aiming to force Rogers to his knees and get behind him. Rogers manages a double-leg hold first, but Hack escapes.

In that scramble, Hack loses a shoe and never bothers putting it back on. Working a similar strategy, Hack finally gets Rogers on all fours, side by side on their knees. Hack attempts to turn Rogers onto his shoulders with various holds—wrist and body, neck and body, wrist and foot, elbow and foot—but finds little success.

Rogers, flat on his stomach, resists well. Hack tries everything: elbow-and-body holds, full-body clutches, even pressing Rogers’s neck into the mat. Eventually, Hack secures a hammerlock and flips Rogers, who rolls over and springs back to his feet.

Under Lancashire rules, Rogers would have lost by rolling onto both shoulders, but the Police Gazette rules require an opponent to be fixed on his back.

Frustrated, Hack again attacks with neck-and-elbow holds, bringing Rogers to his knees. Rogers stands, attempts a front chancery hold, but can’t maintain it—Hack’s too strong.

Hack then distracts Rogers by grabbing both wrists in a very "old Lancashire" style and shoots for his thighs, taking him down. He transitions into a Nelson-type hold, rolling Rogers onto his back, though his shoulders aren’t fully pinned.

Hack tries a hammerlock and a wrist press, then plants his knee onto one of Rogers’s wrists. Rogers turns his head, twisting his body so only one shoulder remains fully on the mat. Hack eventually forces the other shoulder down with his free hand, scoring the first fair back fall—"crucifying" Rogers.

There is no roughness or showboating. Both men keep an even pace. At one point, we see Hack on top, pressing Rogers as he bridges and then returns to his knees. Hack tries to secure a hold from behind, but Rogers, although exhausted, manages to stand. Hack stays aggressive, often working side-to-side on their knees. He repeatedly attempts wrist-and-body, wrist-and-leg, or full-body holds, but Rogers uses his size to resist.

While Hack tries a hammerlock, Rogers counters with a headlock. Several restarts happen when Rogers’s legs dangle off the ring; each time, they begin again in the center, with Hack in the dominant position. Eventually, Hack outsmarts Rogers, secures another hammerlock, turns him halfway, and presses down the free wrist while adding body weight.

Rogers tries bridging but can’t manage it. Hack flattens him out and pins both shoulders, securing the second fair back fall and a clean victory.

I must note that the match is clearly “a work” but designed to appear more authentic by avoiding "rough" tactics or flashy moves. The crowd sees it as legitimate from the opening handshake to the final pin.

With this triumph, Hackenschmidt appears primed to face Frank Gotch for the world’s title. The American press covered Hack’s win over Rogers in vivid detail, fueling enthusiasm for the reigning champion’s upcoming defense on U.S. soil.

Joe Carroll vs The Unknown (Peter Gotz): Ruslan’s Ringside Notes

Below are my observations of the second match featured in the archival footage.

Opening Scene:

The film opens on the World Cup trophy, displayed on a press table for all to see. This gleaming cup represents the peak of international catch wrestling supremacy—every professional wrestler’s dream prize. Who will claim it tonight: Carroll or his Teutonic rival?

Organized by A.F. Bettinson at the National Sporting Club in Covent Garden and patronized by the Right Honourable Earl of Lonsdale (provider of the championship cups), this world championship tournament spans multiple weight classes.

The match we’re viewing pits the greatest English catch wrestler of the era, Joe Carroll of Hindley, Lancashire, against an "unknown" opponent who may be Peter Gotz, a German-born Londoner.

The film concludes with English nobility presenting Lord Lonsdale Cups to the victors, confirming that Carroll defeated Gotz in the final.

First Bout: Carroll’s Agility vs Gotz’s Defense

Carroll initiates by rushing in with neck-holds, but Gotz easily shoves him away. Unfazed, Carroll attacks a second time—this time successfully—executing a single-leg takedown on Gotz’s left leg and maneuvering behind him, arms locked around his torso.

Carroll tries wrist, elbow, and body holds, but Gotz seems slippery, escaping each attempt. Both men drop to their knees, drawing cheers from the crowd as they crawl and grapple. Gotz attempts a headlock to flip Carroll, but it fails. Carroll remains dominant, though he can’t secure a definitive pin.

At one point, Gotz appears bored, rubbing the mat with his hands. But Carroll suddenly grabs Gotz’s leg, nearly overturning him. Gotz persists with headlock defense, rolling over Carroll and temporarily gaining a dominant position for the first time in the match.

Undeterred, Carroll quickly scrambles back to his feet, escaping Gotz’s waist hold. They reset with a new neck clinch, and surprisingly, Gotz tries to "leg" Carroll—an old Lancashire tactic that belies his German origin.

They trade wrist, neck, and potential chancery holds. Ultimately, Carroll snares a half-nelson and leg hold, flipping Gotz onto the mat in classic Lancashire style. He keeps his advantage, pinning Gotz’s shoulders. Carroll then helps his opponent up, offering a handshake—a true display of sportsmanship.

Second Bout: The Unexpected Finish

Gotz goes on offense, attempting a firm neck hold and repeatedly "legging" Carroll. Carroll dodges, catches Gotz’s leg, and takes him down. Carroll locks his arms around Gotz’s waist while Gotz tries headlocks and leg entanglements.

The crowd is thrilled by the back-and-forth on the mat. At one point, Gotz moves behind Carroll and wraps him in a full hug, apparently looking to lift Carroll off the mat. He does manage to get Carroll aloft, but Carroll quickly grapevines his right leg.

Gotz loses balance, crashing onto his back—both shoulders hitting the mat at once. The resulting "flying fall" wins Carroll the final, crowning him world middleweight champion. Gotz appears hurt, prompting doctors to rush in.

In a nice coda, we see Carroll’s nephew, Jack Carroll, later receiving one of the Lord Lonsdale Cups for his own victory in the lightweight division.

This match is almost certainly a "work," yet it’s expertly staged. Gotz performs the "heel" role beautifully—attempting to irritate and provoke—while Carroll stays calm and wins decisively with superior technique.

The audience believes they’re witnessing an authentic contest. No flashy "Lanky-special" head-walking occurs, but the dynamic action and technical displays keep the crowd fully engaged, likely with significant betting on the outcome. It’s a prime showcase of scientific catch wrestling at its finest (and I am sure the spectators were heavily betting on the outcome of this beautiful game!).

A Lasting Legacy in Wrestling History

This newly surfaced footage is a prime example of early 1900s professional wrestling. In just a short reel, we see Hackenschmidt’s European style mixing with Rogers’s American approach, and Joe Carroll’s Lancashire mastery clashing with a German challenger. It’s a vivid snapshot of pro wrestling’s colorful evolution—and we’re fortunate it survived. As fans, we owe a huge debt to the archivists and librarians who preserved and shared this remarkable piece of history.

For decades, debates have raged about what catch wrestling truly was—some claiming "catch submissions" or linking it directly to modern MMA. Misrepresentations still swirl online, as groups try to recast pro wrestling’s story to fit their own narratives. However, this footage shows that catch wrestling’s legacy belongs to international professional wrestling. The video effectively silences the detractors, reaffirming the style’s identity as "touch-fall" freestyle grappling, just as Jim Parr of Wigan, Lancashire, once described:

"In Lancashire, where the Lancashire or catch-as-catch-can game, as it is called, originated, all falls count when the shoulders touch the mat together. It makes no difference whether you throw a fellow over your head and let go of him, or whether you press him down with a hammerlock or roll him: it is a fall every time the shoulders strike together."

I call this Parr’s Own 3:16! Hence: Long life to Pro Wrestling, dear friends!

This priceless film brings us closer to its authentic roots, and we can only hope more treasures like this will come to light in the years ahead.

These stories may also interest you:

• The Story of Catch: Uncovering Wrestling’s Hidden History
• 19th Century Wrestling: 30 Untold Facts Revealed!
• Evan Lewis: The 19th Century’s Most Feared Wrestler

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