PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21446, 22 September 1931, Page 8

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

A HEATED ATTACK CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL (Special to Daily Times.) CHRISTCHURCH, September 21. Describing the sport as they had seen it in a professional contest in the Municipal Concert Hall on September 7 as “ a diabolical business ” and “ an abomination,” members of the Christchurch City Council to-night made a strong and heated attack on professional wrestling. They made even more unkind comments on professional wrestlers. The By-laws Committee reported::—“After the meeting of the council on September 7 several councillors witnessed a professional wrestling contest in the Municipal Concert Hall, and came to the conclusion that the council should not encourage these contests by letting the theatre for this purpose. The committee considered the matter, and recommends that the council decline to let the theatre for such contests in the future." The attack was led by the Rev. J. K. Archer, who said that the wrestling ns ho had seen it was a brutalising business to those who took part in it, and degrading to those who witnessed it. There was no strength in it, and no skill. It was simply brute force suitable for bullocks or baboons, particularly the latter. The aim of the wrestlers was simply to humiliate each other through pain. The contest was not only degrading to the wrestlers, but to the public. The expressions of the audience during the contest were absolutely unprintable. The contestants were advised by the people to inflict on each other every possible type of injury short of murder. Cr A. E. Armstrong defending wrestling and the wrestlers, said that much of the so-called pain was not pain at all. ‘lt looks like pain when you see one man pulling another's arm and standing on his face,” said Cr Armstrong. “ The men gave horrible groans, but I don’t think it was pain.” “They ran, squealed, kicked, and bit and did all sorts of things that looked like that, anyhow,” said Cr Butterfield. He was informed, however, that most of it was make believe. Cr Evans moved as an amendment that the council should warn the Wrestling Association that if the contests were not better conducted in the future the lease of the hall would be refused. The Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan) said the contest was an abomination. Perhaps there was some pretence, but some of it could hardly be pretence. Even as a display of mimicry, however, it was still an abomination. He had come away from the contest sick and disgusted. Other councillors spoke for and against wrestling. All approved of amateur wrestling, but were either wholly opposed to professional bouts or were less certain about them. The amendment was defeated by nine votes to eight, and the clause of the report was rejected on the same vote. KARA PASH;A DEFEATS BURESH. (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, September 21. A professional wrestling contest tonight between Kara Pasha and Stanley Buresh was won by the former by two falls to one, Buresh gained a fall in the fourth round with a body press. Kara Pasha's falls were a submission in the fifth round with a hammerlock and in the final round with a body press.