Dick Axman (February 28, 1891 – December 8, 1969) was a pioneer American sports publicist,

sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

, magazine creator and magazine editor. Dick began his career in 1927, writing a column about

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

, and is most notable for his promotion of

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 ...

. In 1946, Dick was the co-creator of the earliest wrestling publication ''Wrestling As You Like It'', and he was the

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

from 1946 to 1955.Dell, Chad. ''The Revenge of Hatpin Mary: Women, Professional Wrestling and Fan Culture in the 1950s''. Peter Lang, 2006. (pg. 47-76, 138) Beekman, Scott. Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. (pg. 97) From 1951 to 1953, Dick was the Editor of the official magazine of the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

, ''N.W.A. Official Wrestling''. In 1953, Dick co-founded ''Wrestling Stars'' with Jim Barnett.Hornbaker, Tim. ''National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling''. Toronto: ECW Press, 2007. (pp. 90, 314) Dick Axman was the lead publicist for the promotional push of 1961 which resulted in record-breaking $125,000 ticket sales on June 30, 1961, for the Roger–O'Connor N.W.A. Heavyweight Championship fight at

Comiskey Park Comiskey Park was a baseball park in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-southwest side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 through 1990. Buil ...

—the first time ticket sales for a single match had exceeded $100,000.

References

1891 births 1969 deaths Professional wrestling promoters American magazine editors Professional wrestling journalists and columnists {{US-prowrestling-bio-stub