WRESTLING HIGHLIGHT FOR DUNEDIN

Evening Star, Issue 23355, 26 August 1939, Page 4 (Supplement)

WRESTLING HIGHLIGHT FOR DUNEDIN

WRIGHT TO MEET M'CREADY FORMER AMERICAN AMATEUR CHAMPIIN [Br Hookp.r.] Former American amateur heavyweight wrestling champion, Rube Wright, who won the title at Chicago in 1933, has arrived in New Zealand in search of matches against M'Cready, Blorafield, Bhu Finder, and other stars of this season’s wrestling team, and he makes his Dunedin debut against Earl M'Cready on Monday night. Wright, who is 29 years of age. 6ft 2in in height, and weighs 17st 101 b, wasted little time before he tested Wellington’s hills, as he is eager to get acclimatised and in wrestling shape to meet the strong competition in New Zealand this season.

He has been working out with Jim Oryden, New Zealand amateur heavy-weight champion and Olympic prospect, and is keen to have the assistance of any big men to work out with him in the gymnasium.

In six years of professional wrestling Wright has met most of/ the stars. Numbered among those to fall victim to his jolts are Joe Savoldi (former world champion, who was *eaten in seven minutes at New York and 17 minutes at Norfolk, Virginia). Ed. Don George (another former world champion, three. times) ; Jack Forsgren, Howard Cantonwme, Gus Sonnenburg, and three of the Dusek “ Riot Squad.” In 1936 Wright visited England, but found English wrestling at a low ebb, so went across the Channel to Paris, where he met Henri de Glane and Dan Koloff, defeating both men in rapid time.

It was as a result of this visit that he was chosen by an English promoter to wrestle Earl M’Cready, British Empire champion, in the first wrestling match to be staged at the Royal Albert Hall (London), for more than 30 years. The English promoter had seen Wright in action in France and had been favourably impressed. But Wright is not satisfied with his English venture. First of all, he did not arrive in England until a few days before'the match, und then found the refereeing too strict. In an effort to establish clean wrestling—in contrast to the rather unpleasant type of ‘‘all in ” wrestling that had brought the sport into disfavour with conservative English sportsmen—the referee, who entered the ring in evening dress, made it clear that nothing of a rugged or tough nature would be allowed.

“ That was a definite handicap to me,” said Wright when interviewed. “ I like to wrestle in a tough manner—nothing dirty, but I am partial to sending out jolts and tackles, and the referee thought this not desirable. As a result, my style of wrestling was cramped, but I held M'Cready to the full distance.

‘‘ 1 want to meet M'Cready in New Zealand, where the rules allow rugged wrestling but put a stop to the dirty tactics—of which T am never guilty. But I want to get properly acclimatised this time, and will then do my best to prove that my showing against M'Cready in England, _ although it earned banner headlines in the London sporting Press and was considered the greatest match in 30 years, could have been even better bad 1 been allowed my usual freedom.”