"The American corn-belt states have always produced great wrestlers. One of their first was Clarence Whistler of Omaha, Nebraska, who was perhaps outstanding among early champions. After Whistler came Tom Jenkins of Cleveland who ruled until he ran afoul of another corn-belter, an Iowa farm boy named Frank Gotch. After defeating Jenkins, Gotch vanquished opponent after opponent until he won more than one hundred matches and retired in 1915. The irritable Gotch is usually conceded to be the greatest of all the American champions, although some fine wretslers, among them Joe Stetcher, Earl Caddock, Ed "Strangler" Lewis and Stanislaus Zbyszko, held the world's title after him. None of them, however, held it for more than three years at a stretch."