The Washington times., 1935-11-25
Ring Sees
Mew Era
Here
By KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

After being kicked about
from pillar to post, squatting
where they might and being
pushed on and out by the
changing, shifting realty tides,
boxing and wrestling in Wash
ington are finally going to have
their own home-an edifice
dedicated fundamentally to
their stalwart influences and
the culture of the cauliflower
appendage.
Thanksgiving night, if the
carpenters and plumbers and
painters will condescend to accept
a little overtime work 'twixt now
and then, the Joe Turner Arena,
Just off Fourteenth Street on w,
will swing wide its doors for the
first time, the attraction being
plain and fancy wrestling between
assorted sizes of muscle benders
and bone cruSherS-mostly heavy
weights.
A Long, Narrow Road
Thus a milestone will be reached
In affairs having to do with the
squared circle in Washington.
The road up to the opening OF
Turner's tiny emporium of grunt
and swat, has been a long, narrow,
Zigzag and bizarre trail Of out
lawed, bootleg fighting and added
attraction wrestling held off bur
lesque theater wings after the
regular shows were done and COM
pleted.
Within half dozen years, man
haS been jailed for promoting
fights in the District of Columbia.
Such is the type of Stymie which
has been hurdled in order to
make possible the building OF q
house especially designed for fight
ing and its step-brother, wrestling.
The old Bijou, Kernans, Strand
and Gayety Theaters were the
First homes of wrestling in Wash.
tngton. After the Sliding Billy
Watson and McFadden's Flats
presentations were over. the Joe
Turner's and the Rob Roy Mac
keys used to drag out their mats
III thrill the late-stayers with
their feats of all-around leverage,
The Good Old Days
The old timers will tell you
there were wrestlers then.
In their time only the rough
uncouth and uncultured coulc
afford TO have the house lights
60 up and find their faces smirk
ing or scowling in the reflection
thereof.
That was before the days Of
high-powered gymnastics, flips,
face-making, gutteral accompani.
mentS and long-whiskered arti
sans.
That was also the days before
five-figered gates, the Jim Lon
doses, Ray Steeles and Duseck
Brothers, say nothing Of the
Garibaldis who seem to have such
an unbreakable wise on the gull
1ibilities of some of the public.
Elegant, dignified, imposing
Federal edifices designed to etch
the Substantiability of this Gov
eminent in the eyes of the world
now occupy the sites of several
Of wrestling's strongholds of a
quarter of a century ago when
Joe Turner was middleweight
champion Of the world and hao
the Richard K. Fox Police
Gazette belt to prove it.
A Proud, Proud Moment
But this week, by dint Of
Joe's confidence and perseverance,
wrestling boasts a modernistic
portecochere with his name en-
blazoned in Neon red, displaying
to the wide. wide world that Joe
Turner, in person, has arrived.
Shortly after dedicating his
brainchild building Thursday, to
the tender trust of wrestling, Joe
will stage a second opening-an
offering-up to the gods of Fisti-
ana.
His nilnble matchmaker, Goldie
Ahearn, is already busying him
self with a card Of boxing calcu-
lated to fill every one Of the $500
pewS-more or less.
There won't be a bad seat ir
the plant, as there are no pillars,
posts nor columns, except, of
course. the one which forms to
the left.