The Inventor Of The Chokeslam In Wrestling Is... Abraham Lincoln?
Matthew Cannon 
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It can be difficult for fans to think of wrestling as something that existed before Vince McMahon popularized the sports entertainment industry 40 years ago. Vince inheriting WWE from his father and turning the company into a global entity is often assumed to be the origins of professional wrestling, but that simply isn't the case. Evidence that people wrestled suggests it has been a thing for thousands of years, and even pro wrestling is around 200 years old at this point.
Abraham Lincoln: Professional Wrestler
While there is proof that people partook in and enjoyed pro wrestling as far back as the 1860s, more than 100 years after Vince McMahon took it to new heights, there's also evidence to suggest the artform's origins extend back even further than that. That evidence has even been shared on WWE.com and focuses on Abraham Lincoln's love of wrestling. Yes, that Abe Lincoln. The man who would eventually go on to become one of the most famous presidents in US history.
RELATED: 5 Wrestlers Who Successfully Used The Chokeslam (& 5 Who Failed With It)
In 1831 though, Lincoln was a humble store worker by day, and a keen wrestler in his free time. An innovative one too, as the man who would become president is credited by many as the inventor of the Chokeslam. One of the most popular moves in pro wrestling history, and despite potentially being in the mix for 190 years, it hasn't been watered down like the Superkick and the DDT.
So, how and why do some people claim Lincoln invented the Chokeslam? Well, it stems from a match he was challenged to by some locals in 1831. A local gang called The Clary’s Grove Boys heard Lincoln bragging about his wrestling prowess, and the gang's leader Jack Armstrong challenged him to a match. It's believed that Lincoln was supposed to take on everyone in the group, but due to the way the opening bout went down, the multi-match card came to an abrupt end.
The story goes that after a bit of back and forth between Armstrong and Lincoln, the latter began to dominate. The match concluded when Lincoln grabbed his opponent by the throat, lifted him in the air, and after holding him there for a second, you guessed it, the store worker slammed Armstrong to the mat. Rather than go through that with the entire gang, legend has it Lincoln shook Armstrong's hand and the two became firm friends after that.
Other Claims To The Chokeslam Crown
So there you have it. The first recorded use of the Chokeslam. However, there's no footage or even a photo of the event since it happened almost 200 years ago, not to mention the very few people in attendance. This wasn't a WrestleMania-level event. This was a match in the woods with a handful of people watching on. There probably wasn't even a ring. That means even though it's fun to think Lincoln invented the Chokeslam, many fans prefer to believe it wasn't really invented until the McMahon era was well underway.
If we could all agree Lincoln invented the move then it would make things far simpler, as there are a number of instances all hovering around the early '90s fans argue over to this day. All Japan's Akira Taue is one wrestler who can stake a claim. He would slam his opponents to the mat neck first in a number of ways, but the move was never actually labeled a Chokeslam. The same can be said of The Undertaker, a man who would quickly become synonymous with the move. The Deadman has been grabbing people by the throat and slamming them to the mat since 1992. However, much like Taue, it didn't look like a typical Chokeslam, and also wasn't labeled as such.
If you choose not to believe Lincoln invented the move, then the next best candidate is ECW's 911. Not only was it the first time the move was referred to as a Chokeslam, but 911 also appears to have been the first to put his opponent's arm over his shoulder as he executed it. 911 would also hold his opponent in the air, much like Big Show would when he started using the move years later, to make it look even more devastating.
The debate over who invented wrestling's Chokeslam will likely rage on for years to come. Personally, even though there will never be a way it can be officially confirmed, I think believeing Lincoln was the first to use it is the best theory. Hey, as innovative as Honest Abe was, perhaps he himself saw the move used by someone else before that. As for who has performed the move best since its invention 200 years ago, Kane gets my vote, but that's likely a discussion that will generate even more debate than the one surrounding who came up with the move in the first place.
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