During the 1915 New York International Wrestling Tournament started in the Manhattan Opera House, the crowds had become a bit bored with the action and attendance began to wain when suddenly a masked man walked through the crowd and was seated near the stage. The hooded man sat for a while and the issued a challenge to the other wrestlers, demanding the opportunity to enter the tournament. The crowd roared with approval and the press was in a frenzy. Soon, news of the masked wrestler circulated throughout the newspapers and word of mouth until the Opera House was filled to capacity.
The Masked Marvel became an overnight star, performing well in his matches and entertaining the vast crowds. The discussion of who the masked man was rivited wrestling fans and much of New York City. While rumors ran rampant, the Marvel was actually a very unspectacular person, journeyman wrestler Mort Henderson from Rochester, New York.
The Masked Marvel’s stardom faded after he was defeated by the great Strangler Lewis in just 11:50. His real identity was finally revealed and he died in 1939.
