# Joe Acton > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Joe_Acton > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Joe_Acton.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Acton > Source revision: 1329703977 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Joseph Acton** (8 March 1852 – 26 June 1917[1]), known by his ringname **"Little Joe"** or **"Limey Joe"**, was a British professional wrestler and world champion who competed in England and America during the late 19th century. Acton is one of a handful of wrestlers credited with introducing "[catch-as-catch-can](/source/Catch_wrestling)" wrestling (also known today as [free-style](/source/Free-style_wrestling)), with its roots in old [Lancashire wrestling](/source/Lancashire_wrestling), to the United States. Wrestling under the name Joe Acton, and nicknamed "The Little Demon," Acton was considered one of the top wrestlers of his era. ## Career Acton began wrestling in his native Great Britain during the 1870s defeating [Tom Cannon](/source/Tom_Cannon_(wrestler)) to become the first [World](/source/World_Championship) [Catch-as-Catch-Can](/source/Catch_wrestling) [Heavyweight](/source/Heavyweight) [Champion](/source/Champion) on 12 December 1881. He toured the United States that same year facing several prominent wrestlers including [Edwin Bibby](/source/Edwin_Bibby),[2] Arkansas Heavyweight Champion [Clarence Whistler](/source/Clarence_Whistler),[3] and [Matsada Sorakichi](/source/Sorakichi_Matsuda)[4] as well as several rematches against Tom Cannon and was widely regarded as the best wrestler in America by 1887, although he lost the [American "Catch-as-Catch-can" Championship](/source/American_Heavyweight_Championship) bout to [Evan "Strangler" Lewis](/source/Evan_Lewis_(wrestler)) on 14 March 1887 in one of the biggest matches of the decade.[5] Acton would also face Australian bare-knuckle boxer [William Miller](/source/William_Miller_(Australian_athlete)) in a series of wrestling matches in [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania](/source/Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania) between March and July 1888[6] as well as [Bob Fitzsimmons](/source/Bob_Fitzsimmons) in 1891.[7][8] Although retiring close to the turn of the century, he did agree to several exhibition matches while a student instructor at [Multnomah Athletic Club](/source/Multnomah_Athletic_Club) in [Portland, Oregon](/source/Portland,_Oregon).[9] In one of his final matches, at age 59, Action faced [Tokugoro Ito](/source/Tokugoro_Ito) in a jacketed wrestling match at the [Grand Opera House](/source/Grand_Opera_House_(Seattle,_Washington)) in [Seattle, Washington](/source/Seattle,_Washington) on 11 May 1911. Although he had previous experience in jujitsu-style fighting having faced British judoka Yukio Tanai in 1904, he lost to Ito in two bouts, in three and two minutes respectively.[10] ## Championships and accomplishments - **[Catch wrestling](/source/Catch_wrestling)** - - American Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship (1 time)[11] - - European Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship (1 time)[11] - [World Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship](/source/World_Catch-as-Catch-Can_Championship) (1 time) - **[Collar and Elbow wrestling](/source/Collar-and-elbow)** - - Dublin Collar-and-Elbow Championship (1 time) - **[Professional Wrestling](/source/Professional_wrestling)** - [American Heavyweight Championship](/source/American_Heavyweight_Championship) ([1 time](/source/American_Heavyweight_Championship)) - [World Middleweight Championship](/source/World_Middleweight_Championship_(National_Wrestling_Association)) (1 time)[12] ## References 1. ["Gary Will: Deceased Pro Wrestlers - A Tribute to Mat Stars of the Past"](http://www.garywill.com/wrestling/decwres.htm). Gary Will's Pro Wrestling History. 2003. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20150523154127/http://www.garywill.com/wrestling/decwres.htm) 23 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 June 2007. 1. "A Big Wrestling Match Arranged". *The New York Times*. 8 June 1882. 1. "The Garden in an Uproar.; An English Champion And The "Kansas Demon" Provoke Hurricanes of Hisses". *The New York Times*. 19 December 1882. 1. *Bismarck Tribune*, 20 June 1884 1. ["Lewis And Acton: The Strangler Finally Gets The Better of His Famous Adversary"](http://www.wrestlingclassics.com/wawli/REDUXNos.51-60.html). *[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune)*. 12 April 1887. Retrieved 18 June 2007. 1. Callis, Tracy & Mike Attree. ["Cyber Boxing Zone: William Miller"](http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/WilliamMiller.htm). CyberBoxingZone.com. Retrieved 18 June 2007. 1. "The Wrestlers.; Joe Acton Downs Bob Fitzsimmons at San Francisco. The Pugilist Secures One Fall, but the "Little Demon" Proves Too Much for Him in the Two Other Boats". *Los Angeles Times*. 28 November 1891. 1. "Sporting Notes From Frisco". *The Washington Post*. 20 September 1908. 1. "Current Notes Picked Up From Sporting Arena". *The Washington Post*. 20 September 1908. 1. Svinth, Joseph R. (2006). ["Tokugoro Ito"](http://ejmas.com/jalt/2006jalt/jcsart_Svinth_0706.html). *InYo: Journal of Alternative Perspectives*. Retrieved 18 June 2007. 1. ["World Catch-as-Catch-Can Heavyweight Title (19th Century)"](http://www.wrestling-titles.com/world/catch-h.html). Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Retrieved 18 June 2007. 1. ["WORLD MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE"](https://www.wrestling-titles.com/world/world-m.html). Retrieved 27 December 2025. ## External links - [Deceased Superstars: Joe Acton](https://web.archive.org/web/20041213092002/http://bodyslamming.com/deceased/joeacton.html) - [Family tree records](http://genforum.genealogy.com/acton/messages/544.html) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Joe Acton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Acton) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Acton?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.