Brutal Wrestling Makes Crowd Groan In Match At Melbourne Stadium.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17877, 19 June 1926, Page 11

Brutal Wrestling Makes Crowd Groan In Match At Melbourne Stadium.

In the “Australasian/* “Left Lead n gives the following description of a recent wrestling match in Melbourne : I came from the Melbourne Stadium on Saturday feeling sick and sad. I had witnessed a degrading and disgusting exhibition of cruelty and brutality. I had seen a strong and gallant athlete, a visitor to our country, subjected to torture so that he writhed at one period for four minutes in awful agonju I had seen an Australian champion, just returned from America, display all his newlyacquired tricks and jiu-jitsu and crippling holds, while at the same time he was permitted to wrestle with unbridled roughness. I have enjoyed the splendid displays of real champions, but the exhibition on Saturday combined the torture of the Spanish Inquisition with the cruelty of the Spanish bullfight. Ringsiders, who so bitterly expressed

1 their disgust at this exhibition, must agree that the referee (Mr “ Alf ’* Bridges) could, and should, have checked the brutality at the outset and firmly discountenanced jiu-jitsu grips. Until the end, however, the referee did not “enter the picture.” The wrestlers passed from roughness to brawling and from brutality to cruelty as they pleased. “ Billy ” Meeske, Australia’s cruiser-weight champion, was the main and primary offender. He seemed anxious to demonstrate how much he had learnt abroad, and part of his campaign seemed to be to terrorise his opponent by rough handling and cruel holds. His opponent. “ Mike ” Yokel, of Wyoming, U.S-A., held the world’s middleweight title for five years. He was wrestling his first match in Australia. For six rounds the American sufferedwithout transgressing the code of clean sport; although goaded to retaliation. Finally, tortured tieyond endurance, he leapt at Meeske in the sixth round, delivered two " rabbi t-killer n blows j

with the edge of the open hand on the spinal column at the nape of the neck, and while his tonnenter reeled and staggered under the blows Yokel brought off his advertised “ aeroplane spin.”. Picking Meeske up and "holding him high above his head. Yokel spun him round thrice and crashed the Australian to the canvas. Meeske lay unconscious while the referee apparently allowed the fall, for he placed a hand on Yokel and retired to his comer. Mr Bridges had not moved a hand to check the “ rabbit-killer,” though he had had ample opportunity. He now pondered a moment while* Meeske lay unconscious in his corner. Then he crossed dramatically to the Australian’s corner, raised both hands above him, and left the ring. Most of the onlookers—in fact everyone—thought that Yokel had won, but Mr Bridges announced that he had. disqualified the American for the “ rabbit-killer” blows. It was. an amazing decision, though fundamentally just. Mr Bridges, however, should have intervened immediately the first illegal blow was delivered, and not waited for the development of the “aeroplane" spin. And it may as logically be argued that he should have dealt drastically with Meeske on half a dozen occasions earlier in the “fight,” for blows struck with fist and foot. So the amazing result of this ex-' hibition was that the American, who had wrestled fairly and gamely until he delivered his “ rabbit-killers,” was at the.ia6* disqualified for these blow**

whereas Meeske, whose roughness was appalling in its ferocity, won the match. Meeske became delirious when he regained consciousness, and three brawny supporters had to pin him in his seat. Meeske had won a fall in the fifth round by a series of gruelling headlocks which ended in Yokel, half unconscious, being pinned on the mat. Meeske won a sensational hold in the fourth round, when he applied the “ splits,” levering Yokel's legs apart in a terrible rack of agony. For four minutes th® American suffered this torture, while the crowd groaned. The gong gave him respite on the verge of collapse. The most objectionable feature of Meeske’s wrestling was the manner in which he countered a double wristlock and the half-arm scissors (two of the finest and cleanest holds in wrestling) by venomously jabbing his thumb twice into Yokei’s body abo\"e the groin and once into the jugular vein in the neck. Idu not think Mr Bridges saw two of these •jiu-jitsu tricks, although it was his business to do so, but he was moved to intervene against the pressure on the jugular vein—after it had accomplished its purpose. Slinging his opponent- over the ropes,

5 ' grabbing him by the hair, and pulling - back, elbow , jolts, and a vicious 1 iunge with his foot at Yokel’s body 1 we re further objectionable acts of i Meeske, who at times seemed trans- | formed by sheer ferocity. lie ,has t been duly warned by the management that unless he controls himself he will not appear at the Stadium again this year. In the meantime he has dealt . the sport a blow from which it will be ; . long in recovering.