Zefir

We are bringing back the George Hackenschmidt Invitational Cup in 2026 to honor the first recognized world champion in professional wrestling history.

George Hackenschmidt was born in the late 1800's in Estonia and became known as one of the most celebrated sports figures of his time. Back then, Estonia was under Russian rule and Hackenschmidt became popular under the nickname "The Russian Lion" due to the geo-political landscape of the time.

In 1905, George Hackenschmidt defeated Tom Jenkins in NYC to be crowned the inaugural world champion in the annals of professional wrestling lore. He also became the father of the bench press and Hack squat, exercises that are world-renowned at every gym across the planet nowadays.

Even Teddy Roosevelt famously stated back in the day that "If I were not the president of the United States, I would like to be George Hackenschmidt."

In 2022, we at SLAM! Wrestling ran the first George Hackenshmidt Invitational Cup tournament and that year in May in Tallinn, Estonia, Paul "Tucker" Gallagher of Northern Ireland upset Estonia's own Mikk Vainula to win the trophy.

This year in 2026, we are bringing back this prestigious tournament for the second time and a new champion will be crowned.

The first round of the George Hackenschmidt Invitational Cup will be held at various SLAM! Wrestling events in during the first three months of 2026. The semifinals and grand finale will be held at Paavli Kultuurvabrik in Tallinn, Estonia on May 2.

Already entered into the tournament, winning his first round match, is "Polish Eagle" Zefir, who defeated "The Boxer" Miika Forsström of Finland and Omar Prince of Italy in a Triple Threat back on January 16 in Kauhajoki, Finland at SLAM! Frostbite, signaling the start of this year's tournament matches. Therefore, Zefir is now heading into the semifinals on May 2nd in Tallinn.

Other names scheduled for this year's George Hackenschmidt Invitational Cup include:

- Scott Malloy of Ireland
- Ozzy Miller of Sweden
- Espen Olsen of Norway
- Artur Arder of Estonia
- Eemi Helén of Finland
- plus one wild card spot for an international talent that will be raffled off this month in February

Coming first round matches and dates for the 2026 George Hackenschmidt Invitational Cup are as scheduled as follows:

- Ozzy Miller (SE) vs. Scott Malloy (IR) at Stockholm SLAM! II - wrestling show at Telefonfabriken, March 7

- Artur Arder (EE) vs. Espen Olsen (NO) at SuperSLAM! III on March 27 in Vantaa, Finland at Lumosali

- Eemi Helén vs. TBA international opponent

STAY TUNED FOR DEVELOPMENTS!!!

🇪🇪 Estonia debut for SLAM Wrestling Entertainment.

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