Richard I. Shikat (11 January 1897 – 3 December 1968) was a German professional wrestler and World Heavyweight Champion who was active in the early portion of the twentieth century. Shikat was considered to be one of the most dangerous 'hookers' ( catch wrestlers) of his era and had memorable bouts with Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Wladek Zbyszko, and Jim Londos. Over his long career, he wrestled under 3 successively simplified versions of his surname, namely Schickat, Schikat, and Shikat. One of Shikat's most notorious moments was on 2 March 1936, when Danno O'Mahony lost his National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship to Shikat at New York's

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

. Shikat used his wrestling ability to genuinely hurt and punish O'Mahony, who tried to quit twice before the finish of the match. Shikat reportedly made the decision on his own, and following the win immediately put his title up for "sale" to various promoters. He eventually reached a deal with Sandow. Bowser, who held a management contract on Shikat, retaliated by booking him into various states without informing him. When Shikat failed to appear, he was frequently suspended by the local commissions. Later in March of that year, the Tennessee Athletic Commission suspended him, which triggered simultaneous suspension in 23 other states affiliated with the National Wrestling Association. In the aftermath of this, the behind-the-scenes negotiations were exposed in a court case, no fewer than five wrestlers were being billed as champions, and the sport's popularity fell.

Championships and accomplishments

* Professional Wrestling ** World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (original version) * National Wrestling Association ** World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * New York State Athletic Commission ** NYSAC World Heavyweight Championship (2 times) *

Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida professional wrestling promotion, wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it close ...

** NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum **Class of 2013

References

External links

* * 1897 births 1968 deaths People from Tilsit German male professional wrestlers German Navy personnel Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum 20th-century male professional wrestlers NWA Florida Heavyweight Champions {{prowrestling-bio-stub