Big European Pro Wrestling Crowds (1880-1914)

A list of over 110 big European pro wrestling crowds from the 1880-1914 period.

Here I’ve put together a chronological list of all the big European wrestling crowds of the 1880-1914 period that I’ve been able to find. And as you will see below, there was quite a few of them across a number of different countries. All of the numbers (and quotes) below are newspaper estimates. As you will see in certain cases there is quite a lot of discrepancy between the newspaper estimates, but they’re all we’ve got to go on so take them for what they’re worth.

The list is not full by any means. Far from it, in fact. These are just the numbers that I’m aware of. I’m certain there were other big crowds that I don’t have an estimate for and ones that I’m not even aware of. Some of the numbers come from the research of Ronald Großpietsch.

I’ve chosen attendance of 4,000 as the cut off point for my list, because I thought for this particular era 4,000 is a good cut off number.

Below I haven’t provided any details about the matches themselves as I wanted to focus on the numbers. Details about a lot of the matches you can find in other posts of mine elsewhere on the forum.

It’s good to mention that the late 1890s and especially the first decade of the 20th century is when Greco-Roman pro wrestling’s popularity was booming in Europe as a whole, but the thing you have to remember is that back then continental Europe was largely based on the tournament format (i.e. nightly cards at small to mid-sized music halls, theatres and circuses) so because of this even though the business was booming there weren’t necessarily more big crowds than usual.

The other thing I have to point out is the uniqueness of the Scottish crowds (Edinburgh and Glasgow in particular). There were a lot of big crowds in Scotland, but usually wrestling wasn’t the sole attraction. I’ve pointed it out where this was the case. In those cases you can’t 100% attribute the crowd to the wrestling, but wrestling was the headline attraction and likely a big reason why most of the crowd was there so you have to count those cards too. Keep that in mind, however, when looking at Alex Munro’s stats below, for example.

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Before we get to the list of crowds itself here are some statistics that I put together based on the list.

Total European cards with attendance of 4,000 (or least potentially 4,000) and above in the 1880-1914 period:
114 cards from 12 countries

Most cards with attendance of 4,000 (or least potentially 4,000) and above:
Magnus Bech-Olsen (21)
Alex Munro (19)
Jack Carkeek (12)
Tom Cannon (11)
Antonio Pierri (10)
Tom Connors and Tom Clayton (7)
Charles Green and Yan Kosski (6)
George Hackenschmidt, Paul Pons, Georg Lurich (5)

Most cards with attendance of 10,000 (or at least potentially 10,000) and above:
Alex Munro (12)
Magnus Bech-Olsen (11)
Antonio Pierri and Paul Pons (4)
George Hackenschmidt, Ahmed Madrali and Yan Kosski (3)

Most consecutive years with the top drawing European match of the year:
Magnus Bech-Olsen (6 years, 1896-1901)
Alex Munro (3 years, 1903-1905)

Left to right: Magnus Bech-Olsen, Alex Munro, Jack Carkeek, Tom Cannon, Antonio Pierri

Obviously, the big two standouts in the statistics above are Bech-Olsen and Munro. However, as I mentioned before, while Munro’s drawing record may look impressive at first glance you have to keep in mind what the cards he headlined were like (wrestling cards that were either part of a carnival, an athletics event or preceded by a football match). That said, even though his matches were not solely responsible for drawing all those crowds, they were certainly a big part of the draw so in general Munro should get more recognition as one of the bigger stars of the era. As for Bech-Olsen his drawing record in Denmark speaks for itself. For the several years when he was at his peak I don’t think there was a better drawing wrestler anywhere in the world in terms of being able to attract big crowds.

Carkeek is kind of an underrated guy. Before Hackenschmidt burst onto the UK scene Carkeek was the top catch-as-catch-can star in the UK (and Europe as a whole by default). But just like Munro, his numbers are bumped up by the fact that he headlined some big carnivals and athletics events in Scotland.

Cannon was one of the top stars, if not the top star, on the UK scene throughout the 1890s and he also did some international stuff. He never really headlined in front of any super big crowds like Bech-Olsen or Munro, but he was pretty consistent and drew crowds against a number of different opponents.

Pierri was the type of guy who could go into any country against the local top star or another international star and draw a crowd. He’s one of the first truly international pro wrestling stars.

Connors and Clayton are an interesting case. Their feud was the top catch-as-catch-can feud in the UK in the 1890s and drew some crowds, but they both also benefited from just being around for a long time (Connors especially). Connors’ record is also propped up a little bit by him working Edinburgh shows where there was no clear headline match and Connors just happened to be in one of the more prominent matches on the card. Green also benefited from the same thing as well as being around for a long time.

Kosski exemplifies the biggest issue with my rankings above - that they're far from complete. I just happen to have numbers for his run so he ranked well in the ranking, but in reality if I had more numbers for other guys he would be far lower than he is now.

Some may be surprised that Hackenschmidt isn’t at the top of these rankings, but that shouldn’t be surprising if you know his UK career well. He was the epitome of a music hall wrestler as the majority of his matches were in smaller and mid-sized music halls and theatres. He was without question the biggest star in the UK from 1902 onward, but he never really headlined a lot of big open-air shows like other stars of the 1880-1914 period did. He did have a six-day carnival run in Edinburgh, which probably drew some big crowds, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to find estimated numbers for those cards. That same reason (never having the opportunity to headline a lot of big open-air cards) is also why Greco-Roman greats like Pons, Zbyszko, Pedersen and Poddubny aren’t ranked high on these rankings either. In the case of Pons he did work some Edinburgh carnival shows, but I don’t have all the numbers for them.

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Big European pro wrestling crowds (1880-1914):

Here are the dates updated to the European format (**Day Month Year**).

24 July 1880
Oldham, England
Higginshaw Grounds
12,000 fans
James Chessworth def. George Stansfield

30 April 1881
Farnworth, England
Larkhill Grounds
6,000 fans
Ike Smith def. Joe Acton

2 July 1881
Wigan, England
Ince Recreation Grounds
8,000 fans
Joe Acton vs. Ike Smith ended without a winner

19 November 1881
Chadderton, England
Moston Park Grounds
7,000 / 8,000 fans
Joe Acton drew Ike Smith

11 February 1882
Wigan, England
Ince Recreation Grounds
4,000 fans
Joe Acton def. Charles Green

14 June 1882
Tbilisi, Georgia
Did-Ube field
up to 10,000 fans
Kula Gldaneli def. Gogadze

8 July 1882
Oldham, England
Borough Grounds
6,000 fans
Tom Connors vs. Ike Smith was stopped due to rain

3 March 1883
Audenshaw, England
Snipe Inn Grounds
6,000 fans (out of which 4,017 were paid)
Sam Moores drew James Barker

4 July 1887
Redruth, England
Redruth Recreation Ground
3,000 / 5,000 fans
World Cornish Championship: Jack Carkeek def. John Pearce

27 August 1888
Wigan, England
Ince Recreation Grounds
4,000 fans
Charles Green def. John Connor

4 July 1890
Manchester, England
Free Trade Hall
4,000 fans
World Greco-Roman Championship: Antonio Pierri def. Tom Cannon

2 August 1890
Bridge of Allan, Scotland
Public Park
10,000 / 12,000 fans
Antonio Pierri drew George Steadman

21 August 1890
Grasmere, England
Pavement End
5,000 to 6,000 fans
Antonio Pierri drew George Steadman (2:2 falls)

13 June 1891
Farnworth, England
Larkhill Grounds
6,000 fans
Tom Clayton def. Tom Connors

25 July 1891
Berlin, Germany
American Theatre
8,000 / 10,000 fans
Carl Abs def. Tom Cannon

30 July 1891
Berlin, Germany
American Theatre
8,000 fans
Tom Cannon drew Carl Abs

4 February 1893
Hamburg, Germany
Flora Palace
7,000 fans
Antonio Pierri def. Carl Abs

13 May 1893
Audenshaw, England
Snipe Inn Grounds
7,000 fans
World Catch-as-catch-can Championship: Tom Connors drew Tom Clayton

3 September 1893
Budapest, Hungary
Circus Salamonski Hippodrome
10,000 fans
Auguste Robinnet def. Antonio Pierri

13 October 1893
Liverpool, England
Hengler's Circus
5,000 fans
World Catch-as-catch-can Championship: Tom Cannon def. Tom McInerney

29 March 1894
Liverpool, England
Hengler's Circus
5,000 fans
World Greco-Roman Championship: Tom Cannon def. George Rasso

27 August 1894
Liverpool, England
Hengler's Circus
5,000 fans
World Mixed Wrestling Championship: Tom Cannon def. Tom McInerney

12 April 1895
Farnworth, England
Larkhill Grounds
3,000 / 4,000 fans
World Catch-as-catch-can Championship: Tom Connors def. Tom Clayton

25 May 1895
Leeds, England
Moorfield Recreation Grounds
6,000 fans
World Catch-as-catch-can Championship: Tom Connors drew Tom Clayton

10 August 1895
Morpeth, England
10,000 / 15,000 fans
George Steadman def. Charles Green

16 November 1895
Paris, France
Cirque d'Hiver
nearly 4,000 fans
Yousouf def. Trillat / Nourlah vs. Kara Osman

25 January 1896
Farnworth, England
Larkhill Grounds
3,000 / 3,500 / 4,000 fans
Tom Clayton def. Kara Ahmed

28 April 1896
Liverpool, England
Hengler's Circus
5,000 fans
World Greco-Roman Championship: Tom Cannon drew Antonio Pierri

19 July 1896
Copenhagen, Denmark
St. Thomas
4,000 / 5-6,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. John Pohl

27 September 1896
Copenhagen, Denmark
St. Thomas
4,000 / 10,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Memisch Effendi

1 November 1896
Gothenburg, Sweden
cycling track
at least 10,000 fans
Carl Gustafsson def. Memisch Effendi

4 July 1897
Oslo, Norway
Bygdøy cycling track
4,000 fans
Carl Norbeck def. Carl Hansen

17 July 1897
Bolton, England
Burnden Park
6,000 fans
World Catch-as-catch-can Championship: Evan Lewis def. Joe Carroll

22 August 1897
Ordrup, Denmark
Ordrup Velodrome
5-6,000 / 6-7,000 / 7-8,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Heinrich Niemann and Postümer

26 September 1897
Ordrup, Denmark
Ordrup Velodrome
6,000 / 7,000 / 10,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Antonio Pierri

3 October 1897
Ordrup, Denmark
Ordrup Velodrome
10,000 fans
World Greco-Roman Championship: Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Antonio Pierri

24 April 1898
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
8-9,000 / 10,000 / 10,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Tom Bradley

16 May 1898
Oslo, Norway
Bygdøy cycling track
3-4,000 fans
Carl Norbeck def. Antonio Pierri

30 May 1898
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
5,000 / 6,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Tom Cannon

17 July 1898
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
10,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Leon Masson

30 July 1898
Liverpool, England
Everton Football Grounds (Goodison Park)
5,000 or 6,000 fans
World Greco-Roman Championship: Tom Cannon def. Paul Pons

14 August 1898
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
3,000 / 5,000 / 7-8,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Charles Green

21 August 1898
Oslo, Norway
Bygdøy Cycling Track
10,000 / 10-12,000 fans
Carl Norbeck def. Camillus Ewertsen

9 October 1898
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
4,500 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Heinrich Niemann and Camillus Ewertsen

20 August 1899
Namur, Belgium
Velodrome
10,000 fans
Constant le Boucher def. Charles le Meunier

21 August 1899
Namur, Belgium
Velodrome
6,000 fans
Raoul le Boucher drew Clement le Terrassier

22 August 1899
Namur, Belgium
Velodrome
12,000 fans
Constant le Boucher def. Clement le Terrassier

27 August 1899
Florennes, Belgium
Chateau de Beaufort
10,000 fans
Constant le Boucher def. Charles Fengler

1 October 1899
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
20,000 fans
World Greco-Roman Championship: Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Paul Pons

2 October 1899
Liverpool, England
Hengler's Circus
5,000 fans (sold out)
World Greco-Roman Championship: Tom Cannon def. Jack Carkeek

8 October 1899
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
12,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Paul Pons

30 October 1899
Liverpool, England
Hengler's Circus
5,000 fans
World Greco-Roman Championship: Jack Carkeek def. Tom Cannon

4 February 1900
Paris, France
Salle Wagram
6,000 fans
Kara Ahmed vs. Nourlah ended without a winner

5 March 1900
Liverpool, England
Hengler's Circus
3,000 / 4,000 fans
Tom McInerney def. Jack Carkeek

13 April 1900
Farnworth, England
Larkhill Grounds
4,000 fans
Tom Clayton def. Jack Carkeek

19 May 1900
New Brighton, England
New Brighton Tower Grounds
5,000 fans
World Catch-as-catch-can Championship: Jack Carkeek def. Tom McInerney

12 August 1900
Paris, France
Hippodrome de Montmartre
6,000 fans
Gullam def. Court Dereli

12 August 1900
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
10,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Paul Belling

16 September 1900
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
15,000 / 16,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen drew Ernest Roeber

23 September 1900
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
15,000 fans
World Championship: Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Ernest Roeber

22 September 1901
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
6,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Jakob Koch

29 September 1901
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
10,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. Dirk van den Berg

5 January 1903
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
6,000 fans
Jack Carkeek def. Carl Beck and Victor Ajax

26 April 1903
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
15,000 fans
Nourlah def. Magnus Bech-Olsen

12 August 1903
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
4,000 fans
Jack Carkeek def. M. Bain and Matt Steadman

13 August 1903
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
5,000 fans
Alex Munro def. Lacrenzi

15 August 1903
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
11,000 / 17,000 fans
Jack Carkeek def. Alex Munro

20 September 1903
Charlottenlund, Denmark
Charlottenlund Racetrack
4-5,000 fans
Magnus Bech-Olsen def. George Hackenschmidt

5 December 1903
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
8,000 fans
Jack Carkeek def. J. J. Miller

7 December 1903
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
5,000 fans
Louis Chorella def. Joe Carroll

9 December 1903
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
4,000 to 5,000 fans
Charles Green def. Willie Withers Bain

12 December 1903
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
11,000 / 14,000 fans
Alec Bain def. Jack Carkeek

4 January 1904
Glasgow, Scotland
Ibrox Stadium
10,000 fans
British Mixed Style Championship: Alex Munro def. Alfred Kramer

4 January 1904
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
8,000 fans
Raoul le Boucher def. Eduard Ritzler

7 January 1904
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
10,000 fans
Paul Pons def. Anastace Anglio

9 January 1904
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
15,000 fans
Paul Pons def. Simon Antonitch

30 January 1904
London, England
Olympia
20,000 fans
George Hackenschmidt def. Ahmed Madrali

23 April 1904
London, England
Crystal Palace Stadium
6,000 fans
Jim Mellor def. Hugh Lannan

28 May 1904
Glasgow, Scotland
Ibrox Park
12,000 fans
Tom Jenkins def. Alex Munro

2 July 1904
London, England
Royal Albert Hall
5,000 fans
George Hackenschmidt def. Tom Jenkins

9 July 1904
Glasgow, Scotland
Meadowside
12,000 fans
Georg Lurich vs. A. A. Cameron

30 July 1904
Glasgow, Scotland
Ibrox Park
4,000 fans
Alex Munro def. K. A. Houta

10 September 1904
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
7,000 fans
Alex Munro def. Ackbar Ackmuch and W. L. Ross

2 October 1904
Copenhagen, Denmark
Østerbro Stadium
5,000 fans
Jess Pedersen def. Magnus Bech-Olsen

8 October 1904
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
10,000 fans
Alex Munro def. three opponents

14 January 1905
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
15,000 fans
Yukio Tani def. three opponents

28 April 1905
Paris, France
Hippodrome de Montmartre
6,000 fans
Jakob Koch def. Laurent le Beaucairois

16 July 1905
Bergen, Norway
race track
6,000 fans
Carl Norbeck drew Magnus Bech-Olsen

2 September 1905
Glasgow, Scotland
Ibrox Park
4,000 fans
Alex Munro def. Georg Oettinger

28 October 1905
Glasgow, Scotland
Ibrox Park
30,000 fans
World Catch-As-Catch-Can Championship: George Hackenschmidt def. Alex Munro

4 November 1905
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
10,000 fans
Alex Munro def. Max Muller

6 November 1905
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
7,000 fans
Yan Kosski def. Robertson and Peterson

7 November 1905
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
10,000 fans
Yan Kosski failed to beat Alex Munro

8 November 1905
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
5,000 fans
Yan Kosski def. Max Muller

9 November 1905
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
8,000 fans
Alex Munro failed to beat Yan Kosski

11 November 1905
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Scotland
12,000 fans
Alex Munro def. Yan Kosski

9 December 1905
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
10,000 fans
Alex Munro def. Yan Kosski

10 January 1906
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
10,000 fans
Alex Munro def. Meiler

12 January 1906
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
10,000 fans
Ahmed Madrali failed to beat Alex Munro

13 January 1906
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
12,000 fans
John Sutherland failed to beat Taro Miyake

28 April 1906
London, England
Olympia
12,000 fans
George Hackenschmidt def. Ahmed Madrali

30 June 1906
Glasgow, Scotland
Celtic Park
25,000 fans
Georg Strenge def. Gustavus Rennart

15 February 1909
Milan, Italy
Theatre Dal Verme
4,000 fans
Giavanni Raicevich def. Kara Mustapha

16 February 1909
Milan, Italy
Theatre Dal Verme
4,000 fans
Giavanni Raicevich def. Paul Pons

3 April 1909
Edinburgh, Scotland
Waverley Market
10,000 fans
Alex Munro vs. several opponents

3 July 1909
Rothienorman, Scotland
7,000 fans
Alex Munro def. Jack Driscoll

3 July 1909
Hull, England
Hull Football Ground
5,000 fans
George C. O’Kelly def. Jimmy Esson

10 September 1910
London, England
Shepherd’s Bush Stadium
7,000 / 8,000 / 8,000 / 16,000 fans
Stanislaus Zbyszko drew The Great Gama

16 July 1911
Davos, Switzerland
Davos Skating Rink
5,000 fans
John Lemm failed to beat Wladek Zbyszko

1 June 1913
Prague, Czechia
Slavia-Place
7,000 fans
Gustav Fristensky drew Josef Smejkal

2 July 1913
Vienna, Austria
Kaisergarten
4,000 fans
Stanislaus Zbyszko def. Georg Lurich

16 July 1913
Vienna, Austria
Kaisergarten
4,000 fans
Stanislaus Zbyszko def. Gustav Fristensky

2 August 1913
Hamburg, Germany
Variete Wilhelm Sagebiel
5,000 fans
Stanislaus Zbyszko def. Fred Marcussen

15 August 1913
Prague, Czechia
Slavia-Place
4,000 fans
Georg Lurich def. Heinrich Eberle

24 August 1913
Prague, Czechia
Slavia-Place
5,000 fans
Georg Lurich def. Gustav Fristensky


Acknowledgements: Thank you Ronald Großpietsch for providing some of the crowd numbers above.