 As a result, a Gotch vs. Stecher "dream match" was arranged for July 18, 1916 and was promoted as being professional wrestling's biggest matchup since Gotch's battles with George Hackenschmidt a decade earlier.Unfortunately, the bout never materialized, as Gotch broke a fibula in his leg while wrestling Managoff as part of a traveling circus, and his health deteriorated until he eventually died on December 16, 1917.Despite having never faced Gotch (though it is speculated that he had dominated the aging champion in an impromptu sparring session), Stecher reigned as the sport's elite star while also beginning a legendary rivalry with a new professional wrestling sensation named Ed "Strangler" Lewis.