Lewis and Roeber Unify Title

When William Muldoon retired from professional wrestling in 1889, he intended for his protege, Ernst Roeber, to become the new World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. Since Muldoon always defended his championship in the Greco-Roman wrestling style, his choice made sense. Roeber was arguably the best Greco-Roman wrestler in America at the time.

Tuy nhiên, the wrestling fans and journalist, covering the sport, were not quick to recognize Roeber as Muldoon had hoped. Đầu tiên, catch-as-catch-can wrestling was becoming the dominant American style. Many fans and pundits considered Evan Lewis, the current American Heavyweight Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling Champion, to be the best overall wrestler.

Lewis had given Muldoon a tough tussle in Muldoon’s final match. It took Muldoon 45 minutes to throw Lewis in Muldoon’s specialty of Greco-Roman Wrestling. Due to Lewis’ reputation, Roeber was recognized as the American Heavyweight Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion but not the world champion.

Both men defended their individual titles for the next few years, while demand built for them to meet and unify the championships. Trong 1893, the match would finally happen. On March 2nd, Lewis and Roeber would meet at the Olympic Athletic Club in New Orleans, Louisiana to unify the titles.

The match was 3-out-of-5 falls. Falls were often contested in different styles during the 19th Century until catch-as-catch-can became the dominant American style in the late 1890s.

The men entered the ring at 9 p.m. Muldoon was announced as Roeber’s second in the weeks leading up to the match. Tuy nhiên, he wasn’t in New Orleans for the match. A coin was tossed to select the style for the first fall. Lewis won the toss and unsurprisingly chose catch-as-catch-can for the first fall.

Roeber did have Lewis’ stranglehold banned for the match but it didn’t help him in the first fall. Lewis had Roeber on his hands and knees almost immediately. Lewis turned Roeber onto his shoulders to win the first fall in 7 phút, 56 giây.

Roeber won the second fall, contested by Greco-Roman wrestling rules, trong 28 phút, 52 giây. Đối với một số lý do, the third fall was Greco-Roman wrestling even though Lewis had won the toss. Lewis proved his wrestling skill though by winning the third fall.

Roeber was desperate entering the fourth fall. He pinned Lewis in a foul-filled fourth fall at 20 phút, 43 giây. Roeber’s tactics weren’t wise. You didn’t want to make Evan Lewis angry in a wrestling match.

Lewis won the final fall, contested under catch-as-catch-can rules, trong 1 minute, 3 giây. The newspapers don’t say how Lewis won but a quick submission sounds likely. If you made Lewis mad, you better tap quick when he secured a submission hold. Lewis would injure wrestlers on purpose, if they made him angry.

Roeber continued wrestling but Evan Lewis became the major star of the 1890s. He and Martin “Nông dân” Burns would take American professional wrestling into the 20th Century.

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Source: The Standard Union (Brooklyn, New York), Diễu hành 3, 1893 edition, p. 3

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