Joe Stecher Joe Stecher ( April 4 , 1893 - March 29 , 1974 ) , sometimes spelled Joe Stetcher , was a professional wrestler and three - time World Heavyweight Champion . Stecher is the first wrestler to regain the original version of the World Heavyweight Championship . Childhood . The son of Bohemian immigrants , Joseph Stecher was born on April 4 , 1893 on a 400 - acre ( 1 . 6 km2 ) farm in Dodge , Nebraska . Joe was the youngest of the family ’ s eight children , and as a youth , he excelled in numerous sports , including swimming , golf , tennis , and baseball . While the boys were still young , Frank Stecher enrolled his three sons in a wrestling course at the local Fremont YMCA , and Joe ’ s older brothers soon emerged as accomplished amateur grapplers . Joe ’ s eldest brother , Lewis , would earn a commission to Annapolis , and as a Lieutenant Commander in the U . S . Navy , he was eventually recognized as the National Intercollegiate Light Heavyweight Wrestling Champion . Moreover , Anton ( “ Tony ” ) Stecher starred as the premier wrestler at Fremont High School ; and as a result , Joe was determined to follow in his brothers ’ large footsteps . From the moment he took the mat , it was clear that Joe Stecher was a natural wrestling talent , as he utilized his strong body and long limbs to outclass his opponents . Then in 1909 , as a high school senior at just age 16 , he nearly defeated “ Doc ” Benjamin Roller , one of the world ’ s top turn - of - the - century grapplers , in a hard - fought exhibition bout while Roller was touring the Midwest . Professional wrestling career . Early career . In 1912 , both Joe and Tony Stecher decided to join the professional ranks ; and Joe easily defeated Bill Hokief in his first pro match . After a few months , it soon became apparent that Joe , who was taller and heavier than his older brother , was also the clearly superior grappler . However , Tony possessed greater savvy for the business ; and so he subsequently became Joe ’ s trainer and co - manager along with Joe Hetmanek ( who had previously served as the Dodge postmaster ) . During this time , Joe Stecher also developed freakishly strong leg muscles as he practiced squeezing 100 - pound sacks of grain on the farm until they would ultimately burst . As a result , Stecher soon became renowned for his feared leg scissors submission hold , which subsequently earned him the nickname of “ The Scissors King . ” Nevertheless , Joe Stecher would not gain national awareness until attracting the attention of the fabled " Farmer " Martin Burns , the former American Champion who was also the mentor to the now - current World Heavyweight Champion , Frank Gotch . While touring the area , Burns planned to sucker the area gamblers by offering cash to any local wrestler who could defeat his “ strongman , ” who just happened to be world - class hooker Yussiff Hussane , one of wrestling ’ s feared “ Terrible Turks . ” This was a standard con for Burns ’ group , and when young Joe Stecher accepted the offer , nobody anticipated that he would pose a legitimate challenge . However , Stecher proceeded to out wrestle the great champion , and when he finally slapped on his patented scissors hold after 45 minutes , a desperate Hussane was disqualified for biting Stecher ’ s leg . World Heavyweight Champion . In the following years , the young phenom continued his ascent by defeating established grapplers like Jess Westergaard , Ad Santel , Bob Managoff Sr . , Marin Plestina , and Adolph Ernst , all in straight falls , and all in 15 minutes or less . Then with Frank Gotch in attendance on July 5 , 1915 in Omaha , Nebraska , Stecher defeated the reigning American Champion , Charles Cutler , to claim pro wrestling ’ s World Heavyweight Championship . At just 22 years old , Joe Stecher became the youngest World Champion in history up to that point , yet he remained in the vast shadow of Gotch , who had retired a couple years earlier without ever losing the title and was thus still acknowledged by the public as pro wrestling ’ s true champion . As a result , a Gotch vs . Stecher “ dream match ” was arranged for July 18 , 1916 and was promoted as being wrestling ’ s biggest matchup since Gotch ’ s battles with Georg Hackenschmidt a decade earlier . Unfortunately , the bout never materialized , as Gotch broke a fibula in his leg while wrestling Managoff as part of a traveling circus , and his health deteriorated until he eventually died on December 16 , 1917 . Despite having never faced Gotch ( though it is speculated that he had dominated the aging champion in an impromptu sparring session ) , Joe Stecher reigned as the sport ’ s elite star while also beginning a legendary rivalry with a new wrestling sensation named Ed “ Strangler ” Lewis . Stecher and Lewis wrestled for the first time on October 20 , 1915 , when a then - unknown Lewis was counted out after over 2 hours when he fell out of the ring and hit his head on a chair . The two then rematch on July 4 , 1916 , where they grappled for nearly five hours before the match was finally ruled a draw . After a third draw in 1918 , Lewis had achieved notoriety by again managing to avoid being pinned by Stecher , though he was widely criticized for employing a defensive / avoiding style , while Stecher was usually the dominant aggressor . Nevertheless , it was Stecher who would win the majority of their contests over the course of the next five years . Retirement and post - career . He retired for good in 1934 , but later suffered an emotional breakdown and was institutionalized in the St . Cloud Veteran ' s Hospital in St . Cloud , Minnesota , where he remained for 30 years . He died on March 29 , 1974 at age 81 .