Ernst Roeber Claims Vacant Title

Thaum William Muldoon txijnkawm li lub ntiaj teb Heavyweight Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion hauv 1889, Muaj tug tsis npaj successor rau lub championship. Evan “Strangler” Lewis yog qhov zoo wrestler nyob hauv lub teb chaws As Mes Lis Kas tsis hu ua William Muldoon tab sis nws specialty yog catch-as-catch-can wrestling. Qhov zoo Tshaj Plaws American Greco-Roman wrestler, Clarence Whistler, had died in Australia lub sij hawm 1885.

Muldoon’s handpicked successor was German-born Ernst Roeber. Muldoon had trained Roeber for several years and thought he would be the perfect successor. Txawm li cas los, the American public was slow to adopt Roeber as the new champion.

Chiv, Roeber was billed as the American Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion. Nyob rau hauv 1892, Roeber was matched against Monsieur Apollo, the current European Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion. I believe Apollo was actually Louis Uni, a French wrestler. He wrestled as both Apollon and Apollon le Colosse. Apollon was in the United States during 1892.

I’ve not been able to verify that Apollon was the European Champion, Txawm li cas los. His billing could have been a promotional tactic to solidify Roeber’s credentials as a World Champion.

Nyob rau lub Xya hli ntuj 25, 1892, Roeber met Apollon at the Academy of Music in New York for the vacant world title. The match was scheduled for 2 tawm ntawm 3 falls. The match itself was relatively short.

Apollon secured a body lock and threw Roeber in 5 feeb, 47 vib nas this. After the typical 15 feeb, Roeber returned the favor by throwing Apollon in 5 feeb, 6 vib nas this.

At a fall apiece, the third fall would decide the match. After only 2 feeb, Apollon claimed his side hurt and he could not continue. Apollon then ran off the stage. Roeber was declared the World Heavyweight Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion. Los yog nws?

The fans and pundits don’t seem to have bestowed this recognition on Roeber. When he wrestled Evan “Strangler” Lewis for the undisputed American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship in 1893, Roeber was still billed as the American Heavyweight Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion.

The odd end to the match obviously hurt his claim. Instead of defeating him cleanly, Apollon retiring from the match so strangely probably put the stench of a “hippodrome” or worked match on their meeting. Even though most matches in this era were contests, I also wonder if this match was not a work.

While William Muldoon would have liked to see his protégé as the World Champion, the fans determine whether a hand-picked successor was accepted or not. The promotor or manager couldn’t make it happen despite their best efforts.

Koj yuav tawm ib saib los nug cov lus nug txog qhov no los yog tej tsev xa rau kuv Facebook phab los sis Twitter profile.

Qhov chaw: The Los Angeles Times, Lub Xya hli ntuj 26, 1892 ib tsab, p. 1 and Wrestlingdata.com

 

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