Tom Packs
Encyclopedia
Thomas Nicholas Packs (August 15, 1894 – October 22, 1964), born Anthanasios Pakiotis, was a Greek-American professional wrestling
promoter. He was one of the top promoters over the first half of the 20th century and was responsible for building one of the nation’s most prestigious wrestling territories in St. Louis.
on August 15, 1894, though he would eventually become part of the flood of turn-of-the-century Eastern European immigrants when his parents brought him to the United States
in 1907. Upon entering the country, his name was anglicized to Thomas Nicholas Packs; and his family then settled in Chicago, which subsequently played host to a pro wrestling boom period during his teenage years (as Packs thus witnessed the sport’s two high-profile encounters between Georg Hackenschmidt
and Frank Gotch
). Moreover, one of Packs’ relatives, John Contos, had begun promoting wrestling matches in St. Louis during the early 1920s, and Packs subsequently joined him in 1922 as a partner at age 28.
in the early 1920s, Packs astutely recognized the industry’s emerging shift from legitimate contests towards worked results; and he began engaging in the practice of “trading” the world title with other promoters. In return for a fee, Packs would instruct his region’s “champion” to drop the belt to a grappler from another territory, thus boosting the new champion’s credibility with fans while concurrently earning additional revenues for himself. Regardless, Packs retained control over the title itself, and he was not above stripping the belt from a dishonest competitor who failed to go along with the pre-arranged plan. Consequently, Packs was able to raise fan interest while also increasing the gate receipts; and before long, he incorporated Tom Packs Sport Enterprises, which soon established itself as the area’s top sports franchise while promoting both wrestling and boxing events. Then in 1930, Packs officially joined the National Wrestling Association, a division of the National Boxing Association that maintained control over various state athletic commissions.
By the early 1930s, the professional wrestling industry was in transition following the break-up of the Gold Dust Trio
and amidst the economic vacuum left by the Great Depression
. Nevertheless, the industry soon discovered a new gate attraction in Jim Londos
, who had emerged as the sport’s premier superstar while competing in the New York
territory. After defeating Dick Shikat for the World Heavyweight Title in June 1930, Londos’ drawing power was in high demand; and his manager Ed White
consequently commanded a hefty price from New York promoters Jack Curley
and Toots Mondt
for Londos’ services. As a result, when White and Mondt became embroiled in a bitter contractual dispute in 1932, Tom Packs swooped in and formed an alliance with White, who was also a chief promoter in the Chicago
territory along with Charlie & Willie Johnson. The end result was a vicious promotional war for wrestling supremacy, with Curley and Mondt heading up the Eastern contingent, while Packs and White ruled the Midwestern territories. However, while Packs’ group flourished with Londos selling out arenas across the nation, Mondt was eventually forced to turn to an aging and out of shape Ed Strangler Lewis as his primary talent. Consequently, the New York territory was crippled following Londos’ exit, and Curley was eventually forced to broker an agreement with Packs that established a working “Trust” between the country’s various wrestling territories.
By the time of Jack Curley
’s death in 1937, Tom Packs had already emerged as arguably the industry’s most powerful promoter; and over the years, he subsequently helped groom a number of the sport’s top wrestlers, including Bill Longson
, Abe Coleman
, Orville Brown
, and Fred Blassie
. However, it was Packs who was responsible for nurturing maybe the greatest champion ever when he recruited a young grappler named Lou Thesz
to his territory in 1936. The top student of renowned “hooker” George Tragos, Thesz was just 20 years old when he first arrived in St. Louis, yet Packs immediately recognized his superstar potential; and he subsequently protected his investment by keeping him away from the region’s most dangerous opponents while he honed his ring skills. As a result, Thesz eventually became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history when he defeated Everett Marshall
on December 29, 1937; and for the next quarter century, he would reign as the industry’s undeniable premier grappler.
to serve as his main publicist. Muchnick had previously worked for the St. Louis Times, where he met Packs while covering the area’s events. But after the Times merged with St. Louis Star, Muchnick rejected a management position when one of his close friends was bumped from the staff; and he instead agreed to join Packs’ promotion handling the company’s finances and public relations. For nine years, Muchnick served alongside Packs as his right-hand man and chief apprentice; however, their relationship took a sour turn after Packs promoted a heavyweight boxing bout between Joe Louis
and Tony Musto on April 8, 1941. The fight was a huge success, selling out the Kiel Auditorium
as Packs collected $67,000 in revenues while earning $14,000 in profits. However, Muchnick took exception when Packs issued him a paltry $200 bonus for the event (as opposed to the standard 10% commission); and he consequently left Packs to start a competing promotion. Nevertheless, Packs used his vast industry connections to prevent Muchnick from securing any of the sport’s big names; and with Packs controlling all of the premier superstars, Muchnick was thus forced to enlist aging veterans for his shows. As a result, it was Packs who continued to maintain his dominance over Muchnick at the box office throughout the decade.
, Packs was eventually forced to relinquish his promotion after losing $350,000 in the stock market. And so, in 1947, he sold Tom Packs Sport Enterprises, Inc. to the Mississippi Valley Sports Club, which was headed by Lou Thesz
and his father, Martin. In subsequent years, Thesz would eventually merge the operation with Sam Muchnick’s group after the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance
; and the two Packs protégés would eventually go on to rule the sport for the next three decades while establishing St. Louis as the capital of the wrestling world. Meanwhile, Packs continued to stay involved in event promotions as he ran the Thrill Circus throughout the 1950s before he died on October 22, 1964. Though his name is not well known amongst today’s fans, his place in history remains secure as the foremost pioneer of wrestling’s celebrated St. Louis territory.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
promoter. He was one of the top promoters over the first half of the 20th century and was responsible for building one of the nation’s most prestigious wrestling territories in St. Louis.
Youth
Anthanasios Pakiotis was born in Poulithra, Arcadia, GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
on August 15, 1894, though he would eventually become part of the flood of turn-of-the-century Eastern European immigrants when his parents brought him to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1907. Upon entering the country, his name was anglicized to Thomas Nicholas Packs; and his family then settled in Chicago, which subsequently played host to a pro wrestling boom period during his teenage years (as Packs thus witnessed the sport’s two high-profile encounters between Georg Hackenschmidt
Georg Hackenschmidt
Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt was an early 20th-century Estonian strongman and professional wrestler, and the first free-style heavyweight champion of the world. He launched his professional career in Russia and lived most of his life in London, England, where he gained the nickname of 'The...
and Frank Gotch
Frank Gotch
Frank Alvin Gotch was an American professional wrestler of German ancestry, the first American to win the world heavyweight free-style championship, and credited for popularizing professional wrestling in the United States...
). Moreover, one of Packs’ relatives, John Contos, had begun promoting wrestling matches in St. Louis during the early 1920s, and Packs subsequently joined him in 1922 as a partner at age 28.
Wrestling career
Though just starting out in the business, Tom Packs quickly distinguished himself as a crafty promoter and a shrewd businessman. After the rise of the Gold Dust TrioGold Dust Trio
The Gold Dust Trio was a group of promoters who controlled the world of professional wrestling during the 1920s while also making several fundamental changes to the industry's business model and operations that would ultimately change the direction of the sport towards a more pseudo-competitive...
in the early 1920s, Packs astutely recognized the industry’s emerging shift from legitimate contests towards worked results; and he began engaging in the practice of “trading” the world title with other promoters. In return for a fee, Packs would instruct his region’s “champion” to drop the belt to a grappler from another territory, thus boosting the new champion’s credibility with fans while concurrently earning additional revenues for himself. Regardless, Packs retained control over the title itself, and he was not above stripping the belt from a dishonest competitor who failed to go along with the pre-arranged plan. Consequently, Packs was able to raise fan interest while also increasing the gate receipts; and before long, he incorporated Tom Packs Sport Enterprises, which soon established itself as the area’s top sports franchise while promoting both wrestling and boxing events. Then in 1930, Packs officially joined the National Wrestling Association, a division of the National Boxing Association that maintained control over various state athletic commissions.
By the early 1930s, the professional wrestling industry was in transition following the break-up of the Gold Dust Trio
Gold Dust Trio
The Gold Dust Trio was a group of promoters who controlled the world of professional wrestling during the 1920s while also making several fundamental changes to the industry's business model and operations that would ultimately change the direction of the sport towards a more pseudo-competitive...
and amidst the economic vacuum left by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Nevertheless, the industry soon discovered a new gate attraction in Jim Londos
Jim Londos
Christos Theofilou or Christopher Theophelus better known as "The Golden Greek" Jim Londos, was a professional wrestler who was one of the most popular stars wrestling offered during the Great Depression.-Career:Jim Londos was born Christos Theofilou in 1897 in Argos, Greece. as the youngest of...
, who had emerged as the sport’s premier superstar while competing in the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
territory. After defeating Dick Shikat for the World Heavyweight Title in June 1930, Londos’ drawing power was in high demand; and his manager Ed White
Ed White (wrestler)
Edward J. "Ed" White was a Canadian professional wrestler, best known as Moondog King of the Moondogs when he joined the World Wrestling Federation in the early 1980s. White won 48 championships in Canada and around the globe...
consequently commanded a hefty price from New York promoters Jack Curley
Jack Curley
Jack Curley was a sports promoter of the early 1900s. He managed several high-profile boxing events around the turn-of-the-century and he also established professional wrestling as a viable business in the big city, and he eventually built the New York office into an industry power while...
and Toots Mondt
Toots Mondt
Joseph Raymond "Toots" Mondt was a former wrestling promoter who revolutionized the wrestling industry in the early to mid 1920s and co-promoted the World Wide Wrestling Federation...
for Londos’ services. As a result, when White and Mondt became embroiled in a bitter contractual dispute in 1932, Tom Packs swooped in and formed an alliance with White, who was also a chief promoter in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
territory along with Charlie & Willie Johnson. The end result was a vicious promotional war for wrestling supremacy, with Curley and Mondt heading up the Eastern contingent, while Packs and White ruled the Midwestern territories. However, while Packs’ group flourished with Londos selling out arenas across the nation, Mondt was eventually forced to turn to an aging and out of shape Ed Strangler Lewis as his primary talent. Consequently, the New York territory was crippled following Londos’ exit, and Curley was eventually forced to broker an agreement with Packs that established a working “Trust” between the country’s various wrestling territories.
By the time of Jack Curley
Jack Curley
Jack Curley was a sports promoter of the early 1900s. He managed several high-profile boxing events around the turn-of-the-century and he also established professional wrestling as a viable business in the big city, and he eventually built the New York office into an industry power while...
’s death in 1937, Tom Packs had already emerged as arguably the industry’s most powerful promoter; and over the years, he subsequently helped groom a number of the sport’s top wrestlers, including Bill Longson
Bill Longson
William Longson was a professional wrestler, who spent most of his career in St. Louis, Missouri under the ring name "Wild Bill" Longson...
, Abe Coleman
Abe Coleman
Abe Coleman, born Abbe Kelmer, was a Polish-American professional wrestler who was, at the time of his death, believed to be the oldest member of his profession in the world. His wife, June Miller, who he married in 1939, died in 1987...
, Orville Brown
Orville Brown
Orville Brown was a professional wrestler. Born in Sharon, Kansas, Brown was a former NWA Champion, and was recognized as the first NWA champion in 1948. Brown's pro-wrestling career ended on November 1, 1949, when he suffered severe injuries in an automobile accident.-Biography: Orville Brown was...
, and Fred Blassie
Fred Blassie
Frederick Kenneth Blassman , better known as "Classy" Freddie Blassie, was an American professional wrestling villain and manager born in St. Louis, Missouri. Renowned as "The Fashion Plate of Professional Wrestling" , Blassie was a master at antagonizing the crowd, and inspired legendary animosity...
. However, it was Packs who was responsible for nurturing maybe the greatest champion ever when he recruited a young grappler named Lou Thesz
Lou Thesz
Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was a United States professional wrestler and 18-time world heavyweight champion, most notably holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times. Combined, he held the NWA Championship for 10 years, three months and nine days , longer than anyone else in history...
to his territory in 1936. The top student of renowned “hooker” George Tragos, Thesz was just 20 years old when he first arrived in St. Louis, yet Packs immediately recognized his superstar potential; and he subsequently protected his investment by keeping him away from the region’s most dangerous opponents while he honed his ring skills. As a result, Thesz eventually became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history when he defeated Everett Marshall
Everett Marshall
Everett Marshall was an American professional wrestler who was best known for his work in the late 1930s with what is now National Wrestling Alliance.- Biography :...
on December 29, 1937; and for the next quarter century, he would reign as the industry’s undeniable premier grappler.
Power Struggle
In 1932, Tom Packs would also hire a young sportswriter named Sam MuchnickSam Muchnick
Sam Muchnick was an American professional wrestling promoter from St. Louis, Missouri. He is often deemed as wrestling’s equivalent of Pete Rozelle , and he was instrumental in establishing the National Wrestling Alliance, which became the industry’s top governing body, in 1948...
to serve as his main publicist. Muchnick had previously worked for the St. Louis Times, where he met Packs while covering the area’s events. But after the Times merged with St. Louis Star, Muchnick rejected a management position when one of his close friends was bumped from the staff; and he instead agreed to join Packs’ promotion handling the company’s finances and public relations. For nine years, Muchnick served alongside Packs as his right-hand man and chief apprentice; however, their relationship took a sour turn after Packs promoted a heavyweight boxing bout between Joe Louis
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
and Tony Musto on April 8, 1941. The fight was a huge success, selling out the Kiel Auditorium
Kiel Auditorium
Kiel Auditorium was an indoor arena, in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It was the home of the Saint Louis University basketball team and hosted the NBA's St. Louis Hawks, from 1955-1968....
as Packs collected $67,000 in revenues while earning $14,000 in profits. However, Muchnick took exception when Packs issued him a paltry $200 bonus for the event (as opposed to the standard 10% commission); and he consequently left Packs to start a competing promotion. Nevertheless, Packs used his vast industry connections to prevent Muchnick from securing any of the sport’s big names; and with Packs controlling all of the premier superstars, Muchnick was thus forced to enlist aging veterans for his shows. As a result, it was Packs who continued to maintain his dominance over Muchnick at the box office throughout the decade.
Later years
Following World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Packs was eventually forced to relinquish his promotion after losing $350,000 in the stock market. And so, in 1947, he sold Tom Packs Sport Enterprises, Inc. to the Mississippi Valley Sports Club, which was headed by Lou Thesz
Lou Thesz
Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was a United States professional wrestler and 18-time world heavyweight champion, most notably holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times. Combined, he held the NWA Championship for 10 years, three months and nine days , longer than anyone else in history...
and his father, Martin. In subsequent years, Thesz would eventually merge the operation with Sam Muchnick’s group after the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
; and the two Packs protégés would eventually go on to rule the sport for the next three decades while establishing St. Louis as the capital of the wrestling world. Meanwhile, Packs continued to stay involved in event promotions as he ran the Thrill Circus throughout the 1950s before he died on October 22, 1964. Though his name is not well known amongst today’s fans, his place in history remains secure as the foremost pioneer of wrestling’s celebrated St. Louis territory.
Championships and accomplishments
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of FameThe Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to the sport. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is not...
(Class of 2007)