Władysław Cyganiewicz (November 20, 1891 – June 10, 1968), better known by the ring name Władek Zbyszko (), was a Polish catch wrestler,

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

and

strongman In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. Thes ...

. "Zbyszko" was his older brother Stanislaus's childhood nickname, borrowed from a fictional medieval knight in the novel ''

Krzyżacy ''The Knights of the Cross'' or ''The Teutonic Knights'' ( pl, Krzyżacy) is a 1900 historical novel written by the Polish Positivist writer and the 1905 Nobel laureate, Henryk Sienkiewicz. Its first English translation was published in the s ...

''; both brothers used it as their

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Personal life

Władysław Cyganiewicz was born in 1891 in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. He studied at the University of Krakow and would later receive a degree in Law from the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

. Besides his exploits in the ring he was also considered an excellent pianist.

Professional wrestling career

Cyganiewicz followed his other brother

Stanislaus Zbyszko 'Jan Stanisław Cyganiewicz'' (April 1, 1879 – September 23, 1967), better known by his ring name, Stanislaus Zbyszko, was a Polish strongman and professional wrestler. He was a three-time World Heavyweight Champion at his highest profile in t ...

into a career in

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

adopting the "Zbyszko" surname as his

. He began his career in Europe but emigrated to the United States of America in the 1910s, where he was billed as the "Youngest European Champion" ever. He made his American debut on January 17, 1913 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

defeating his opponent, Alexander Angeloff, in short order. On January 8, 1917, Zbyszko defeated

Ed "Strangler" Lewis Robert Herman Julius Friedrich (June 30, 1891 – August 8, 1966), better known by the ring name Ed "Strangler" Lewis, was an American professional wrestler and trainer. During his wrestling career, which spanned four decades, Lewis was a four-ti ...

to win the

American Heavyweight Championship The American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship was the first heavyweight professional wrestling championship in the United States. The title existed from 1881 through approximately 1922. Title history See also *Professional wrestling in the ...

, considered one of the original nationally recognized championships in professional wrestling. Zbyszko claimed the Boston version of the

AWA World Heavyweight Championship The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the highest ranked championship in the defunct American Wrestling Association (AWA). All AWA trademarks, including the AWA World Heavyweight C ...

after defeating the champion Ed Lewis in one fall on June 5, 1917. After the match Zbyszko claimed to be the champion while Lewis disputed that claim. On July 4, 1917 in Boston he lost to Lewis, only to defeat him again on December 22, 1917 in New York to further his claim to the championship, a claim also made by

Joe Stecher Joe Stecher (April 4, 1893 – March 29, 1974), sometimes spelled Joe Stetcher, was an American professional wrestler and three-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Known for his ferocity, tremendous leg strength and extensive knowledge o ...

and Lewis. Zbyszko lost his version of the World Heavyweight Championship to

Earl Caddock Earl Caddock (February 27, 1888 – August 25, 1950) was an American professional wrestler and World Heavyweight Champion who was active in the early portion of the twentieth century. As the first man to bill himself as "The Man of 1,000 Holds" ...

on February 8, 1918 in Des Moines, and lost again to Ed Lewis on May 19, 1918 to end his claim to the championship. Wladek Zbyszko was still billed as the American Heavyweight Champion as late as September 22, 1922 after which that title was abandoned in lieu of various "World" Championships. Over the years the Zbyszko brothers would toured both through Europe as well as South America, at times bringing with them a troupe of American wrestlers to put on shows. During one such tour of Brazil, Zbyszko had a match against

Hélio Gracie Hélio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also ...

on July 28, 1934, which went to a draw. Historian

Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...

described the bout as "one of the most famous matches in Brazil of that era, and a key in the building of the Gracie legacy. It is unknown whether the match was a

work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an animal tr ...

, a

shoot In botany, a plant shoot consists of any plant stem together with its appendages, leaves and lateral buds, flowering stems, and flower buds. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the spri ...

, or something in between." Zbyszko faced Helio's brother

George Gracie George Gracie (ca 1747 – November 25, 1807) was a Scottish-born merchant, shipowner and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Shelburne County in the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia from 1798 to 1806. He emigrated to Boston, ...

on October 6, 1934 in a "similar style match"; that resulted in Zbyszko defeating George Gracie by

armlock An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that Anatomical terms of motion#General motion, hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow, elbow joint or glenohumeral joint, shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the ...

."Karol Nowina Biography"
''World Submission Wrestling Federation (WSWF)'' Zybszko wrestled as late as 1950 before retiring to a farm in

Savannah, Missouri Savannah is a city and county seat of Andrew County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,069 at the 2020 census. History Savannah was founded in 1841. The city was named after Savannah Woods, the child of a first settler. A post offic ...

. He died on June 10, 1968, aged 76.

Championships and accomplishments

* American Wrestling Association (Boston) **

(''Boston version'') (3 times, disputed) * Other Titles **

(1 time) *

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum is an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas currently closed to water leaks. The museum was founded by Tony Vellano in 1999, and was previo ...

** Pioneer Era: Class of 2009 *

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of t ...

Class of 2010 The 2010 general election took place on 6 May 2010 and saw each of Parliament's 650 constituencies return one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons. Parliament, which consists of the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zbyszko, Wladek 1891 births 1968 deaths American male professional wrestlers American catch wrestlers American male sport wrestlers People associated with physical culture People from Savannah, Missouri Polish male sport wrestlers Polish professional wrestlers Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Sportspeople from Kraków 20th-century professional wrestlers