When you think about WWE, what it is, what it was, and where it came from, there's one name you think of... McMahon. Jess McMahon helped found it all, and when he passed away, it was his son, Vincent James McMahon, who stepped in to run the empire. Of course, he would be followed by his son, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, who everyone knows today as "Mr. McMahon". You don't really hear much about Joseph "Toots" Mondt, who co-founded Capitol Wrestling Federation with Jess McMahon. About a year after the CWF joined the NWA, Jess would pass away, and Toots would go on to run the company with Vince Sr. for a full decade, before the World Wide Wrestling Federation was formed in 1963. Teaming with Ed "Strangler" Lewis and Billy Sandow, Mondt would help to change the way pro wrestling would forever be presented. Before Mondt, wrestling matches had no time limits, and many would last for hours without a winner. He helped to create the combination of Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling that takes place in a boxing-style ring. He also took wrestling events out of burlesque halls and placed them in larger venues in each city. It was Mondt that began booking shows at Madison Square Garden, which would go on and become the WWF's "home" for decades to come. Bruno Sammartino? Antonio Rocca? Stu Hart? Bill Watts? They all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mondt for helping create their characters. As time went on, and the business continued to evolve, Toots found difficulties in doing so himself. Due to a terrible gambling addiction, Vince Sr. would become increasingly frustrated in his business partner, and would eventually muscle him out of the business by buying his share of the company from him. Mondt would pass away in 1976, essentially penniless, blowing all of his money at race tracks through the years. It's beyond time that his contributions to the business are rewarded. There aren't many people you can say this about, but it's true about Toots Mondt... without him, we might not even be here, discussing the product that we all know and love so much today.
Columnist/Podcaster/Director at LordsOfPain.net for nearly seven years, with nearly 2000 total columns written. Interviewed and/or involved in interviewing the likes of Tyler Black/Seth Rollins (twice), Diamond Dallas Page, Jimmy Jacobs, Christopher Daniels, Uhaa Nation and more.
