Alex Munro - Partial Career Record of Scotland's Biggest Wrestling Star of the Early 1900s

Match results and general information on Alex Munro, who was the top British wrestling star in the early 1900s.

Alexander Munro (1870-1934) from Scotland is an overlooked figure in European pro wrestling history who deserves more attention. I haven't researched his career in full, but what I do know about it is enough to convince me he was an important wrestler back in his day, especially in his native Scotland. From 1903 onward and for the next several years there was a big wrestling boom in the United Kingdom, particularly in terms of the catch-as-catch-can style. The boom was largely due to foreign stars ("The Russian Lion" George Hackenschmidt being the main one) and there weren't many notable UK stars at the time. Scotland, however, did have a big native superstar and that was Alexander Munro. With there being no big English stars at the time you could say Munro was the biggest UK wrestling star of the era.

Alex Munro

The earliest mentions that I've seen of Alexander Munro (Alec or Alex Munro for short) are from early 1898 in Scotland. Back then he was competing in, and winning a good few, local tournaments in the catch-as-catch-can style and the traditional Scotch wrestling style, as well as other non-wrestling competitions. These were usually part of the traditional Highland games events, which are big outdoor athletic events and feature a number of sports. Even after he turned pro Munro continued competing in such local events. Throughout his pro wrestling career he was also working as a policeman in Glasgow.

The earliest mentions of him as a professional wrestler that I've found are from late 1900 in Scotland. Among his early opponents in 1901 were guys like Tom Cannon and G. M. Ross. 1902 and especially 1903 is when he really rose to fame in Scotland, and this coincided with the UK wrestling boom, which was starting. In 1903 he gained recognition as the champion of Great Britain and defended that claim on a number of occasions over the years.

I won't write about his career in detail. I'll let the results below speak for themselves. What I will say though is this. Overall his record was pretty good in a sense that he worked in front of some big crowds, lost very rarely and when he lost it was usually to a bigger star. He mostly wrestled in Scotland, but he did have some matches elsewhere in the UK, in Paris (as part of a World Championship tournament) and also faced Frank Gotch for the World Title in the United States.

As his pro career was winding down Munro competed in the 1908 and 1912 Olympics, the teams he was part of winning a pair of medals in tug of war.

Below I've listed Alex Munro's most notable matches. At least the ones that I know of. The "failed to defeat" ones were handicap matches where one wrestler had to defeat the other wrestler in a certain time frame. The reported attendance is listed as well, if I know it.

ALEX MUNRO NOTABLE PRO WRESTLING MATCHES:
= 7 May 1902 (Dundee, Scotland): Jack Carkeek failed to defeat Alex Munro
= 16 December 1902 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Victor Ajax
= 27 June 1903 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Matt Steadman [Mixed Wrestling Championship of Great Britain win]
= 1 August 1903 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro drew Ahmed Codjali
= 8 August 1903 (Glasgow, Scotland): Hassan Murad def. Alex Munro
= 12 August 1903 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Joe Carroll (Att: 4,000)
= 13 August 1903 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Lacrenzi (Att: 5,000)
= 14 August 1903 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Jean Calvet
= 15 August 1903 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Jack Carkeek def. Alex Munro [Tournament final] (Att: 10-12,000)
= 4 January 1904 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Alfred Kramer [Mixed Wrestling Championship of Great Britain defense] (Att: 10,000)
= 20 January 1904 (Glasgow, Scotland): Jack Carkeek failed to defeat Alex Munro
= 21 January 1904 (Glasgow, Scotland): Jack Carkeek failed to defeat Alex Munro
= 22 January 1904 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro failed to defeat Jack Carkeek
= 12 February 1904 (Glasgow, Scotland): Tom Cannon failed to defeat Alex Munro
= 26 March 1904 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Francois de Ridder
= 16 April 1904 (Glasgow, Scotland): Tom Jenkins failed to defeat Alex Munro
= 28 May 1904 (Glasgow, Scotland): Tom Jenkins def. Alex Munro (Att: 12,000)
= 18 June 1904 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Alfred Kramer
= 9 July 1904 (Larkhall, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Victor Welsche & Pat Connolly
= 16 July 1904 (Ayr, Scotland): Alex Munro def. James Morrison
= 30 July 1904 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. K. A. Houta (Att: 4,000)
= 13 August 1904 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Francois de Ridder [British Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship defense]
= 7 September 1904 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Fred Johnson (Att: 3,000)
= 8 September 1904 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Pat Connolly
= 9 September 1904 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Alfred Kramer
= 10 September 1904 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. W. L. Ross & Ackbar Ackmuch [Tournament final] (Att: 7,000)
= 8 October 1904 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Charles McIntosh, Victor Cudell & Safo Petroff (Att: 10,000)
= 13 January 1905 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Yukio Tani failed to defeat Alex Munro
= 8 April 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Willie Withers Bain [British Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship defense]
= 22 April 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Dennis Gallagher
= 10 May 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Emile Deriaz
= 13 May 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Emile Deriaz
= 3 June 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Ivan Romanoff
= 24 June 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. H. Aberg
= 8 July 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. A. A. Cameron
= 19 July 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Georg Strenge failed to defeat Alex Munro (Att: 4,000)
= 22 July 1905 (Kilmarnock, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Michaelevich
= 29 July 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Georg Strenge
= 5 August 1905 (Newcastle, England): Alex Munro def. Franz Josef
= 12 August 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Albert Sturm
= 19 August 1905 (Greenock, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Franz Josef (Att: 3,000)
= 2 September 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Georg Oettinger (Att: 4,000)
= 23 September 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Tom Jenkins via disqualification
= 30 September 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Georg Oettinger
= 14 October 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Tom Jenkins
= 28 October 1905 (Glasgow, Scotland): George Hackenschmidt def. Alex Munro [World Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship match] (Att: 15,000)
= 4 November 1905 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Max Muller (Att: 10,000)
= 7 November 1905 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Yan Kosski failed to defeat Alex Munro (Att: 10,000)
= 9 November 1905 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro failed to defeat Yan Kosski (Att: 8,000)
= 11 November 1905 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Yan Kosski (Att: 12,000)
= 25 November 1905 (Perth, Scotland): Charles Fengler failed to defeat Alex Munro
= 9 December 1905 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Yan Kosski (Att: 10,000)
= 10 January 1906 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Meiler (Att: 10,000)
= 12 January 1906 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Ahmed Madrali failed to defeat Alex Munro (Att: 10,000)
= 13 February 1906 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Harry Lauder
= 8 March 1906 (London, England): Ahmed Madrali def. Alex Munro
= 18 August 1906 (Dublin, Ireland): Alex Munro def. Max Muller
= 6 October 1906 (Belfast, Northern Ireland): Alex Munro def. Clorento
= 8 November 1906 (Paris, France): Alex Munro def. Said Kahouta
= 10 November 1906 (Paris, France): Alex Munro drew Ivan Poddubny
= 12 November 1906 (Paris, France): Ivan Poddubny def. Alex Munro via disqualification
= 8 December 1906 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. W. Foster, Alexander Nelson, Bob Strachan & Alfred Edmonds
= 2 January 1907 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Louis Burgions
= 27 April 1907 (Dublin, Ireland): Alex Munro def. Pat Connolly [British Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship defense]
= 16 October 1907 (Glasgow, Scotland): Ivan Poddubny failed to defeat Alex Munro
= 19 October 1907 (Glasgow, Scotland): Ivan Poddubny def. Alex Munro via disqualification
= 29 November 1907 (Glasgow, Scotland): Taro Miyake failed to defeat Alex Munro
= 21 February 1908 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Harold Pagos
= 17 April 1908 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Matt Steadman
= 6 January 1909 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Yukio Tani failed to defeat Alex Munro
= 8 January 1909 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Yukio Tani failed to defeat Alex Munro
= 12 February 1909 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Yukio Tani
= 3 July 1909 (Rothienorman, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Jack Driscoll (Att: 6-7,000)
= 9 July 1909 (Glasgow, Scotland): Alex Munro drew Pat Connolly
= 24 July 1909 (Kilmarnock, Scotland): Alex Munro def. Jack Bain
= 24 June 1910 (Glasgow, Scotland): Pat Connolly def. Alex Munro
= 27 December 1911 (Kansas City, MO): Frank Gotch def. Alex Munro [World Heavyweight Championship match] (Att: 8,000)

ALEX MUNRO AT THE OLYMPICS:
= 1908 (London, England): Bronze medal in tug of war
= 1912 (Stockholm, Sweden): Silver medal in tug of war