The Ring—News and Notes

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 126, 23 November 1935, Page 26

The Ring—News and Notes

NEED FOR A COMMISSION OF CONTROL

SAFEGUARDING THE FUTURE OF WRESTLING

■•. '•■;. •'■■;•■ - .'.■ '■ ■' -(By "Aeneas."} ''■''■.'■ :'■■"'..'■■.' " In concluding last week's article in regard to the present position of the control of wrestling- in' the Dominion it was pointed out that there appeared a need for better control of the wrestlers themselves and the suggestion was made that the matmen should be subjected to some form of authority under a commission: Today it is intended to offer ■some suggestions'as to the. constitution of the proposed commission and the scope of its power." An attempt will be made to show that such a body would have it in its power to safeguard the interests; of the various controlling bodies, of the wrestlers themselves, and also of the paying public upon whom the success of the game undoubtedly depends. , . As a matter of actual fact the general position has become so entangled that the setting up of such a body has become a matter of urgent necessity! particularly to deal with the matter -which was discussed last week—domination of the sport by the wrestlers.

Those closely connected with the 6port have become increasingly of the opinion that if recent developments which, as has been shown, had their counterpart in earlier seasons, are allowed to continue unchecked, there is a real danger of the public, as well as the promoting bodies, being placed entirely in the hands of the wrestlers. With so many "vested interests" at stake among the latter the whole future of wrestling may be placed in jeopardy in the scramble for power which would be an inevitable subsequent stage of the cycle. It has been pointed out that wrestlers belong to the category of artists, each with varying powers of attracting, public favour and patronage. So far, as New Zealand is concerned they are of an' exclusive class and cannot be picked up like pebbles on the beach. If, as the sport grows older in New Zealand, more native professionals of the Blomfleld type are produced, the position may be altered to some extent but up to the present New Zealand has had to rely upon importations to satisfy the demand' for matches. GROWTH OF A "RACKET." Unfortunately in these circumstances the sport lends itself rather easily to what is known in the country from which most of the matmen come as racketeering., a state of affairs even the existence of which most New Zealanders would hesitate to recognise. The danger in such' a state of affairs lies in the possibility of selfappointed "dictators" such as were referred to last week. Events have shown that neither monopolised control by one body nor divided control with different organisation each having a camp of wrestlers under their banners has proved capable of avoiding this development. The section of the public which interests itself in the sport but which has no intimate knowledge of the machinery employed has good reason to be bewildered by the ineffectiveness of the demand for competition among obviously outstanding wrestlers. Of course good reasons are sometimes given for the non-acceptance of matches but it is more than a coincidence that during this season as well as last certain men could not be induced to meet in the ring despite the Dig "gates" awaiting them. This year some of the men, by medium of a willing Press, have regaled the public with challanges and cross-challenges. If it is all bluff what is behind it? Surely the promoting bodies are not parties to what has assumed the complexion of childish absurdity. REGULATING RING TACTICS. Another aspect of the sport on which the uniformity which might be expected from a commission is desirable relates to the limits to which the men are allowed to go in the ring. It is well known that the restrictions .in "all-in" wrestling are very elastic, and it is known also that the limits are tighter drawn in New Zealand than in most other countries. Coming here from places where the old boxing saying of "hit him with everything but the bucket" has practically a literal meaning, and where even the bucket and other ring equipment are sometimes brought into play, some wrestlers have found difficulty in conforming with New Zealand standards. Their difficulties do not end there, however, for they have found to their discomfiture that opinions differ from place to place in the Dominion. Tactics which raise no objections from the referees and the police at one centre are severely frowned upon at another until the wrestler, in his efforts to impress the public to the best of his ability, is in a proper quandary. Nor is his position made easier when ne finds varying viewpoints on different nights at the same centre. The last two matches staged in Wellington provide a case in point. On Saturday night a police official found occasion to speak to the referee in regard to the behaviour of one of the contestants at the Show Stadium, but almost identically similar tactics at the Town Hall on Monday produced no police reprimand (though one of the wrestlers was Heard to say that the police had warned him before he entered the ring). If uniformity could be secured in this respect it would make matters much more satisfactory for everybody. Without exhausting the points of reference for the proposed commission one could perhaps mention another matter which could come within its scope. This concerns the credentials of'the men who arrive here. Publicity is all very well and is harmless enough but the claims made by the men would carry much greater weight if it was generally known that they had been investigated and approved. It would serve to prevent the gullibility of the public being. strained by the self-assumea honours of a man claim-

ing to be the champion of a country which he had never visited. POINTS OF POLICY. \ The writer recommends the following as points of policy to be observed:— ' r 1. The right to secure permits to remain unrestricted, as at present. 2. A commission to be set up under police authority. 3. Wrestlers to be licensed by such a commission, and only those1 so | licensed to be allowed permits. 4. Referees for professional contests to be licensed. 5.-The commission to exercise general control over all matters affecting conduct in matches, the relations between wrestlers and the controlling bodies under which they are operating, and generally to act as a safeguard for all parties. Such a system of control could be expected to produce results beneficial to the wrestlers as well as to the bodies controlling them. The men would know where they stood, and, with the possibility of a sharp reprimand or suspension hanging over them,.they could be expected to be more amenable to discipline. A CORRESPONDENT'S VIEW. The fact- that there is a feeling among the general public for some of the improvements which have been suggested here is indicated by the following letter from a correspondent ("Stick to Wrestling"). "It would be interesting to know who is really supposed to be in control of wrestling (he writes).' 'One moment we hear of the police adopting that role, and the next it seems to-be assumed by one of the wrestling associations." The writer goes on to say that, according to reports, tactics which were not permitted in Wellington were used by a wrestler at Auckland to.take a fall off another who had".not previously had a fall given against him in New Zealand. "Would it not be better," asks the correspondent, "for the referees to have definite instructions as to what is permitted by the authorities throughout New Zealand and what is not? 1 venture to say that elbow jabbing is more injurious than the 'rabbit punch,' which is barred."