Mike Romano Namatay sa Ring

Ang mga propesyonal na wrestler na namamatay sa ring ay bihira ngunit paminsan-minsan ay nangyayari. Sa 1936, 5,000 mga tagahanga ng wrestling sa Washington, D.C. hindi sinasadyang na-boo ang isang patay sa pagtatapos ng Mike Romano vs. "Irish" Jack Donovan laban sa Griffith Stadium noong Huwebes, Hunyo 25, 1936.

Ang 40-taong-gulang na si Romano ay inilagay si Donovan sa isang nakatrabahong laban. Newspapers inaccurately reported Romano as 46-years-old. Romano was born Mike Malulich in Italy during 1896.

Romano and Donovan wrestled evenly for the short five-minute match. Romano suddenly arched his back in an unusual manner when Donovan applied a head scissors. Romano tried to balance himself with his feet, but his legs were unnaturally ridged.

A woman at ringside yelled, “That man is really hurt! Look at his face!” Romano’s face was distorted as his eyes bulged. Romano suddenly went limp.

Donovan released the hold. Referee Cyclone Burns quickly raised Donovan’s hand as officials piled into the ring.

The fans outside of ringside did not realize what happened. The fans cheered Burns and started booing Romano. The fans did not know they were booing a dead man.

While officials carried Romano from the ring on a stretcher, the police arrested “Irish” Jack Donovan and Cyclone Burns. Promoters did not smarten police up to worked nature of professional wrestling. It was not unusual for police to arrest wrestlers for assault based on action in the ring. Prosecutors quickly dropped the charges when the “aggrieved wrestler” decline to prosecute his opponent.

In this case, the coroner told the prosecutor to drop the charges. The coroner found that Romano had advanced coronary disease. It was only a matter of time before Romano experienced a heart attack.

Romano’s death turned out to be unwelcome news for Joseph “Toots” Mondt. Mondt, a dangerous shooter and hooker, spent most of his time after the 1920s involved with booking and promoting wrestling.

Romano owned a championship belt which Romano let Mondt use for one of his current wrestling champions. When Romano died, his wife asked for the belt back or for Mondt to buy it from her. Romano and his wife had two daughters. Romano’s widow worried about taking care of the family.

Mondt, who was not to be moved by the plight of the widow, refused to return the belt. Romano’s wife sued Mondt, who put up a feeble defense for why he wanted to keep the belt without paying for it. I wrote about Mondt’s career in I-double-Crossing ang Gold Dust Trio.

Wrestlers dying young outside the ring is an epidemic. Sa kabutihang-palad, deaths inside the ring remain rare.

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Sources: The Washington Herald (Washington, D.C.) Hunyo 26, 1936, p. 21

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