 In the following years, Stecher continued his ascent by defeating established grapplers like Jess Westergaard, Ad Santel, Bob Managoff Sr., Marin Plestina, and Adolph Ernst, all in straight falls, and all in 15 minutes or less.Then with Gotch in attendance on July 5, 1915 in Omaha, Nebraska, Stecher defeated the reigning American Heavyweight Champion, Charles Cutler to claim professional wrestling's world heavyweight championship.At just 22 years old, Joe Stecher became the youngest world champion in history up to that point, yet he remained in the vast shadow of Gotch, who had retired a couple years earlier without ever losing the title and was thus still acknowledged by the public as professional wrestling's true champion.