Joe Acton

While the match was not billed for the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship, that's really the match between Edwin Bibby and Duncan C. Ross is considered the first match for the title, which established the title.

And then Joe Acton defeated Bibby for it.

And then Evan the Strangler Lewis defeated Acton.

And it was really Evan the Strangler Lewis that established the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.

Bubby was very, very skilled at catch-as-catch-can wrestling.

As a matter of fact, he and his number one rival, who came a few years, came to the United States a couple years after him, Joe Acton, they were so far ahead of most of the American professional wrestlers, even though they were both very small.

So Joe Acton was 5'4", 5'5", and weighed about 155, 160 pounds.

Edwin Bibby was 5'4", and he weighed about 145 pounds, soaking wet with rocks in his pockets.

But he was so skilled, he easily defeated heavyweights well over 200 pounds.

Since that time, Bibby has defeated Duncan C. Ross to claim the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.

Even though they didn't call it that at the time, that was the first recognized catch-as-catch-can wrestling championship in the United States.

Joe Acton would defeat Bibby for it in 1882.