 From the moment he took the mat, it was clear that Joe was a natural wrestling talent, as he utilized his strong body and long limbs to outclass his opponents.Then in 1909, as a high school senior at just age 16, he nearly defeated "Doc" Benjamin Roller, one of the world's top turn-of-the-century grapplers, in a hard-fought exhibition bout while Roller was touring the Midwest.In 1912, both Joe and Tony Stecher decided to join the professional ranks; and Joe easily defeated Bill Hokief in his first pro match.