Acton lluita grecoromana
Dilluns, Març 26, 1888, Joe Acton, especialitzat en catch wrestling, va lluitar el professor William Miller, un lluitador australià, i lluitador de premis a nus nus, en un partit de lluita grecoromana de dues de tres caigudes. Els dos camps masculins creien que lluitar el partit d'aquest estil assegurava la competició més justa entre ells. Els homes van lluitar per $500.00 un costat.
1,500 fans, una gran multitud per a l'època, turned out to see the contest at Philadelphia’s Elite Rink. Miller weighed 210 lliures, a huge weight advantage over the 158-pound Acton. Acton possessed the wrestling advantage. Miller built his athletic reputation as a boxer not a wrestler.
Joe Acton from a 19th Century Illustration (Domini Públic)
Acton no longer claimed the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship but could claim to be the best catch-as-catch-can wrestler not named Evan “Strangler” Lewis. While Acton wrestled catch-as-catch-can matches since immigrating to America, he had wrestled Greco-Roman matches in England.
Referee Frank Hall started the Monday night match at 9:00 p.m. Acton started the match on offense using a body hold to lift Miller from the mat. Miller slipped out of the body lock and was standing to his feet. Acton caught Miller around the waist, as Miller stood up, and pushed Miller back to the mat. Acton pushed Miller’s shoulders to the mat for the first fall at four minutes, fifty-one seconds.
Professor William Miller, Australian bare-knuckle prizefighter and professional wrestler (Domini Públic)
After the fifteen minute intermission, Miller desperately pressed the offense in the second fall. Miller secured a body hold on Acton. Acton slipped the hold near the edge of the mat. Miller fell off the mat and his momentum carried him off the elevated platform that the men wrestled on. The fall did not injure Miller.
Miller climbed back up on the platform, stepped back onto the mat and secured another body hold on Acton. Miller worked the hold for five minutes before releasing the hold. As both men stood back up, Acton displayed his speed advantage by securing his own body hold on Miller. Acton used the hold to throw Miller onto his back. Acton worked Miller over for eight seconds before referee Frank Hall signaled that Acton won the second fall and match.
Fan questioned whether Acton scored the second fall as Miller attempted to bridge out of his precarious position. Miller said the second fall was a “flying fall” and not a clear shoulder pin for one second as both men agreed upon. Miller did tell newspaper reporters that Acton was “the cleverest wrestler” Miller ever faced.
Acton offered Miller a rematch although after winning two straight falls it would be harder to draw a big audience for the rematch.
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Sources: The Philadelphia Times (Philadelphia, Pennsilvània), Març 27, 1888, p. 1
