, 1925-02-06
By HENRY L. FARRELL.
Omitted Press Sports EDITOR

1A sROAN 4hR
NEW YORK, FEB. 8. When
Wayne Dig Mum. giant former Ne
braska football star. tossed Strang.
Ter Lewis around and Jared the
heavyweight wrestling crown from
his head, it was generally accepted
that Jack Curey's wrestling trust
mad been broken beyond repair.
curley had been credited for sew
eral years with having control over
Caddock. stecher and Zbyszkos,
Lewis and other prominent wrest.
iers. and hat the championship was
passed around among them on u
carefully arranged schedule.
Other wrestlers claimed that they
couldn't get work unless they agreed
to follow instructions from Curley
and accepted the bookings that he
arbitrarily made for them. They COM
planned that Curley demanded the
right to tell them just what they
were to do in every match.
Whether 1t was true or not. the
| claims and counter-claims were great
publicity.
AS the champion and the bull ele-
plant of the trust herd, Lewis met
Big Mum and was defeated by a
grappler who vas thought to be a
non-union worker of the Glars and
his victory was heralded as an over
@helmjng defeat OF the trust.
II wish VI did have a trust" he
says, III l had the power that some
people think / have over the wrest.
ling camel couldn't have done any
thing better for the game than to
have Mum beat Lewis. Mum Is a
new type In the game and you
know that any promoter In sports or
theatricals is always after something
new.
NUNS victory will boom inter
est In a game that hasn't been up to
much in the last three years. Fans,
are talking about wrestling and
when they talk about anything they
make business good.
Listen TO the things they are say
ing about Mum. They say he's a
novice, that he doesn't know two
good holds md that he has nothing
but size and terrific strength. His
career reads like a piece of fiction.
He started as a star football player,
turned into a fighter. and was
knocked out In his first fight; tried
his hand at medicine and found the
money too slow coming. and then
took up wrestling and became the
champion in about a dozen bouts.
Could any promoter even dream of
better publicity for an athlete? Yes.
cir. II l had a trust I couldn't have
found a better champion for tho
business than Big Mum"
Mum, perhaps is the most color
full champion that has come up In
any sporting class in years. He has
everything that should draw crowds.
wrestling faded during the regime
of Lewis. because OF his inactivity.
The game needed some new life and
some new faces. and Mum did the
trick.
Perhaps lewis was a union man
and Mum was n trust-breaker. but
his victory does nto mea that the
trust was broken. II there was such
n thing. To make any money out OF
his title. the new champion viii have
to mingle with the hcadiiners of the
mat game. and most OF them are re.
ported to be members OF tho trust.
or course. Mum may not have 70
take orders about the duration OF HIS
reign as a champion. but II he is
such a novice as the critics say he
is, he may lost tho title without any
arrangements being made.
Lewis was ready TO be taken By
any good wrestler. Other alleged
members Of the trust were complain.
ing that he wouldn't accept matches
with them because he knew that he
was at tho end OF his string. Lewis
had been living easily. and enjoying
himself and lie had found that It
is Just as necessary for a wrestler
TO keep in shape as 1t is for a boxer
to train and live properly.
Leading wrcstlers feel that Mum
IS also ready 10 be taken because
he is considered a raw novice In the
freak class. They claim II Lewis had
not fallen out OF Munn'e hands and
crashed down on the concrete floor
outside the ring. that ne would not
have lost his title. They call Munn's
best hold the shot.put."
All the talk resulting from the out
come of the match is, as Curley says.
great publicity for a game that needs
a lot OF publicity to get back on It's
feet.
curley is TO wrestling what Tex
Richard is to the boxing game, but
that is as close ms they can be classi.
lied. ns they are both rendy for a
quick draw every time they meet