Dick Shikat

Dick Shikat
A publicity photograph of Shikat (in long trunks) from the early 1930s
Birth name	Richard I. Schikat^[1]
Born	(1897-01-11)11 January 1897^[2]^[3] Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany
Died	3 December 1968(1968-12-03) (aged 71)^[2]^[3]
Family	Paul Schikat (brother)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Dick Shikat Richard Shikat^[4]
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)^[2]
Billed weight	220 lb (15 st 10 lb; 100 kg)^[2]
Trained by	Joe Toots Mondt^[3]
Debut	1918^[5]
Retired	1953^[2]

Richard I. Shikat (11 January 1897 – 3 December 1968) was a German professional wrestler and World Heavyweight Champion who was active in the early portion of the twentieth century.^[6]^[7] Shikat was considered to be one of the most dangerous 'hookers' (catch wrestlers) of his era and had memorable bouts with Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Wladek Zbyszko, and Jim Londos.^[8]

One of Shikat's most notorious moments was on 2 March 1936, when Danno O'Mahony lost his National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship to Shikat at New York's Madison Square Garden. Shikat used his wrestling ability to genuinely hurt and punish O'Mahony, who tried to quit twice before the finish of the match. Shikat reportedly made the decision on his own, and following the win immediately put his title up for "sale" to various promoters. He eventually reached a deal with Sandow. Bowser, who held a management contract on Shikat, retaliated by booking him into various states without informing him. When Shikat failed to appear, he was frequently suspended by the local commissions. In the aftermath of this, the behind-the-scenes negotiations were exposed in a court case, no fewer than five wrestlers were being billed as champions, and the sport's popularity fell.^[9]