page_title: Billy Meeske
section_title: Second reign as Heavyweight Champion
hierarchical_section_title: Billy Meeske / Biography / Second reign as Heavyweight Champion
caption_attribution_description: English: Billy Meeske, 1927
context_page_description: Billy Meeske was an Australian professional wrestler who was three-time Australian Heavyweight Champion and one time Pacific Coast Light Heavyweight Champion.
  He was an active professional wrestler from 1922 to 1938, and he was credited as being a major influence in re-establishing professional wrestling in Australia following the First World War. During his professional wrestling career he also performed as part of vaudeville acts demonstrating feats of strength, such as supporting the weight of five men, feats of agility, and Russian dancing.
  While he achieved his greatest fame in professional wrestling he was also an all-round sportsman competing in many sports at the amateur and professional levels, and served in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War with the rank of Sergeant.
context_section_description: Meeske retained the cruiserweight championship of Australia after becoming heavyweight champion, and as such calls for him to wrestle Sam Clapham, who by this time was being billed as the world cruiserweight championship, continued throughout October 1926, however Clapham's schedule was already full up until he was to depart the country making it impossible to schedule a bout.
  In early October 1926 Meeske wrestled Mike Yokel and lost after retiring due to being thrown out of the ring onto the steps and then the stone floor, which did not cause a change in the heavyweight title as Yokel did not qualify as an Australian. Weber challenged Meeske for another shot at the heavyweight title late in November and it was suggested a rematch could take place before the end of the year, however Meeske wrestled Yokel a second time instead to close the year's wrestling season in an 'all-in' match in which ju-jitsu holds were allowed. 
  Meeske wrestled Con Keatos in a demonstration to promote the Yokel match, which took place in early November 1926 and was won by Yokel, with one spot featuring Yokel pointing to Meeske's trunks to imply they were falling and tackling him when he looked. During the match the referees shirt was ripped off when he tried to separate the fighters and Meeske tackled the referee once and threw Yokel out of the ring several times reflecting the 'all-in' nature of the match. The match was well-attended and a rematch was swiftly organized for the following week, shortly before Yokel was to return to America, and tickets to the rematch sold well. Yokel beat Meeske again in the match which was well-received by the crowd, but some felt it incorporated too much ju-jitsu at the expense of wrestling holds which was a criticism leveled at the direction professional wrestling had taken in general over the year. In December Peter Limutkin challenged Meeske to a match.
  In April 1927 Meeske opened his year by wrestling Canadian champion Billy Edwards, billed as the roughest wrestler in the world, and lost by appearing to be rendered unconscious by a headlock and carried from the ring. The match was 'all-in' featuring biting, gouging, and assault of the referee from Edwards, however Meeske wrestled cleanly. In late May Meeske wrestled Ted Thye and lost due to being pinned, and while the match impressed some critics its clean nature and lack of brutality bored spectators. 
  In June 1927 Clarence Weber accused Meeske of ignoring his challenge despite agreeing to defend the title against him in January, and announced that if Meeske did not respond in fourteen days he would claim the heavyweight title for himself by default, which prompted Meeske to agree to schedule a bout. They wrestled in August and the match went the full rounds and was drawn on points with Meeske retaining the title, however the match was of very low quality with the lack of athleticism, particularly due to Weber's age, making spectators suspect that the contest was staged and it was suggested that the match may lead to a collapse in professional wrestling in Melbourne. In September Meeske made acrobatic vaudeville appearances and it was suggested that he could make a career outside of wrestling as an entertainer. 
  In October 1927 Meeske wrestled John Kilonis in Melbourne and won after Kilonis was disqualified for kicking him in the face and throwing him out of the ring. After the disqualification Meeske and Kilonis fought an impromptu boxing match which resulted in Kilonis being knocked out of the ring onto the press seats, however it was observed that he was sent out of the ring by a light tap and the match was described as "a huge joke", although it was also reported it received a positive reaction from the audience. Before the end of the month they fought a mixed boxing/wrestling rematch with Kilonis winning the wrestling match and Meeske winning the boxing bout but punching Kilonis after receiving the decision resulting in a short scuffle.
caption: Billy Meeske, 1927.
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