Wrestling.

Southland Times, Issue 19054, 12 February 1921, Page 9

Wrestling.

THE WORLD’S CHAMPIONSHIP. The latest world’s champion wrestler is “Strangler” Ed. Lewis, who put Joe Stecher in the shade with his famous head hold after one hour and forty minutes’ work at New York on December 13. Steelier won the title from Earl Caddock, of Omaha, New York, in 1919 and in 1920 he successfully defended his title against Lewis after three hours of sensational wrestling in which victory hung in the balance until the end. Two minutes before Stecher wound his vise-like legs around the Strangler’s body the latter had the champion staggering from the effects of the punishing head lock. Then Stretcher got his legs in action and won him the laurels. In December last Lewis succeeded in wealing down his lighter opponent and, following a series of headlocks, the Strangler managed to obtain a head and hip lock on Stecher from which ehe latter was unable to extricate himself. The contest was exciting from the outset, when Stecher succeeded in getting Lewis with his famous scissors, but the wily Lewis managed to squirm free. Stecher followed this with a wristlock and scissors, but Lewis again got out of danger after many minutes of severe tussling. Stecher again got what appeared to be a perfect scissors on Lewis after an hour of wrestling, but could not hold his advantage against the heavier man. Both men came into a head clash at the end of one hour and fifteen minutes of work and Stecher w'as very groggy as he resumed operations. Lewis worked his head hold, but could not hold the slippery Stecher. At the end of one hour and 38 minutes Lewis again employed his head hold, but again Stecher freed himself and getting a scissors had Lewis in jeopardy. The two men were at it with a vengeance and Lewis worked a series of headholds from which Stecher returned very tired. Lewis leaped at Stecher near the end, continuing to work his deadly headlock, while Stecher appeared almost unable to defend himself. Finally Lewis grabbed the lighter man with a head and hip lock and held him until he slowly worked his shoulders to the mat. Lewis’s headlock is evidently a severe form of punishment. Wladfix Zbyssko, a younger brother of the famous heavy-weight wrestler, Stanilaus Zbyszko knows something about it. The Polish grappler met Lewis shortly before the latter’s bout with Stecher and as a result was compelled to rest in the dark room of an Eye and Ear Hospital. “I have wrestled Lewis many times,” said Zbyszko, ‘but never did he squeeze my head so hard or leave me in such a terrible condition as after our match the over night.” Then Zbyszko opened his eyes and displayed two optics that were bloodshot and almost invisible. “I am sure Lewis spent all summer inventing something - te add to the terror of his hold,” continued Zbyszko, “but what that is 1 don’t know. Of course we will solve it some day. Lewis is married to a famous doctor in San Jose, Califorrya, and perhaps she explained to i him the proper way to paralyse the nerves j

in the face. I must say (hat I am suffering as I never suffered before. In fact, fof the past few days I feared I would lose my sight. I am far from well, and my physician tells me that I mu: t pay close attention to treatment, but I feel that in a few weeks I will have fully recovered.” Zbyszko indeed showed the effect of the terrible headlock. His head was badly swollen and his condition was so poor that he was forced to call off his matches scheduled for the next few weeks. In fact the treatment he received from the “Strangler” was so severe that Zbyszko will spend th< next few months trying to solve the headlock. Zbyszko declares that he is positixr a defence can be found for this deadly hold, but up to date ttohe has been fortunate enough to fiflei a scheme to offset this grip. After reading of Zbyszko’s experience it is not surprising to learn that Stecher, a day or two following his contest with Lewis, was in hospital suffering from neuritis of the neck and left arm. Lewis shortly after his defeat of Stecher met Caddock (on January 25), and his head hold gave him victory after the challenger had outclassed him, except during the last five minutes of the battle. Several times Caddock almost won, but Lewis secured a head-lock, and, after 90 minutes, rendered Caddock unconscious. Lewis weighed 16st 41b, and Caddock 13rt ..lb.” A message from New York to Sydney last week stated that Jack Curley, promoter of most of the wrestling matches there, had announced that he would not stage any more bouts in which the headlock hold was permitted. He said he was bowing to the demands of the public and the Press. And as a conformation of Curley’s statement came a message from Kansas City stating that the police had to escort Lewis to his dressing-room through an angry crowd, after he had applied the head-lock to Gustav Sulzo, thereby winning the second fall,”