92 Facts About Billy Meeske

Billy Meeske was an Australian professional wrestler who was three-time Australian heavyweight champion and one time Pacific Coast light heavyweight champion.

Billy Meeske was an active professional wrestler from 1915 to 1947.

Billy Meeske achieved renown as an all-round athlete in his youth, particularly for cycling, wrestling, weightlifting, swimming, gymnastics, and as a motorcyclist.

Billy Meeske began competing in amateur wrestling after his hiatus and became the Australian middleweight champion, holding the title from 1912 to 1914.

Billy Meeske began his professional wrestling career in 1915 wrestling on an athletic program in April that year at a Melbourne event held to raise money for Belgium.

Billy Meeske showed an aptitude for boxing and in July 1916 he sparred with twenty men in one evening at the Royal Park Camp.

Billy Meeske was valued for his ability as a physical trainer and as such his superiors were reluctant to deploy him however he wished to serve at the front and was finally deployed with the Railway Unit in early 1917.

Billy Meeske wrestled a Russian soldier during the voyage to the front, and while boxing competitions took place during the voyage Meeske was banned from participating due to his skill.

Billy Meeske was back in Australia in 1920 and became an instructor at the Victorian Railways Institute and at some point became physical instructor for the Essendon Football Club.

In September 1922 to promote the match Billy Meeske antagonized Bailey by having ten pounds delivered to him via the newspaper the Sporting Globe as a wager and suggesting that Bailey may not show due to cowardice.

Billy Meeske later sent an additional fifteen pounds to Bailey saying he would wrestle him at any time and any location with ten days notice.

Billy Meeske defeated Smith with the victory being described as easy, and decisive with the match lasting just three minutes.

Billy Meeske's manager demanded that Kopsch wager twenty-five pounds ahead of their match, accusing him of not drawing large enough crowds to his matches, and Billy Meeske instead wrestled and defeated Scotsman Jim McMurdo in April 1923.

In late August Weber and Billy Meeske participated in vaudeville acts to promote their match, demonstrating feats of strength, and they finally wrestled on 1 September 1923 before a crowd reported to be from 8,000 to 9,000 strong with Weber dominating the match and winning the championship.

Billy Meeske claimed to have been hampered by injuring his knee during training, and limped from the ring, but declined to release a medical certificate due to 'medical etiquette'.

Billy Meeske gave wrestling exhibitions in Melbourne alongside Weber, and their joint promotional work was credited with greatly increasing the popularity of professional wrestling in Melbourne.

In November 1923 Billy Meeske announced his knee had recovered and he was ready to wrestle again, and a match against Jim McMurdo was scheduled for the cruiserweight championship with Billy Meeske describing it as a chance to have "another chance at Weber".

Billy Meeske then accused Weber of avoiding a match against him, and reiterated that he felt he had only lost due to his leg injury.

In March 1924 Billy Meeske was scheduled to fight Peter Fatouros, a Greek wrestler, in his debut in a challenge match in which he had to throw Fatouros out of the ring twice.

Billy Meeske claimed to have cut open his hand on a kerosene tin full of soap ahead of the match, which was postponed as Meeske was booked to wrestle the visiting American wrestler Walter Miller after Weber pulled out of a match against him.

The bout was promoted as being a test of the standard of Australian wrestling relative to America, and a test of whether Billy Meeske deserved to challenge for the world championship.

Miller defeated Billy Meeske, badly injuring his shoulder in the finish resulting in tension between both wrestlers camps, Billy Meeske demonstrating discontent with his own team for throwing in the towel after his injury, and Miller being heckled as he left the ring.

In late May 1924 Billy Meeske expressed that he wanted a no-rules rematch with Walter Miller before he returned to America and then a title match against Weber.

Miller invited Billy Meeske to come to America with him when he departed Australia.

In October 1924 Billy Meeske visited Brisbane, Queensland, to assist a team of amateur boxers and wrestlers and during his time there he trained for a match against Peter Limutkin.

The Limutkin match was scheduled to take place in Sydney, New South Wales, and was the first major professional wrestling event in the city since before the war began, and the first time Billy Meeske had wrestled in Sydney.

American light-heavy champion wrestler Ted Thye visited Australia in late 1924 and Billy Meeske was scheduled to wrestle him in Sydney in December although he needed to secure leave of absence from his position with Victorian Railways to make the trip.

The match impressed a manager to the extent that they immediately arranged a rematch, suggesting that as Billy Meeske was Australian cruiserweight champion and Thye was American cruiserweight champion it could be billed as a world championship match, although a report did note that there was not a full house in attendance.

When he returned to Melbourne after the match Billy Meeske told reporters there was no ill will between him and Thye, noting that they had soaped each other's backs in the showers after the bout.

In January 1925 Billy Meeske lost to Al Karasik in Melbourne in a wrestling match which devolved into a brawl with a dozen men reportedly being required to separate them to end the match.

Weber retorted that Billy Meeske had kept him waiting for several months before their first championship match.

Billy Meeske did not follow through on his threat to leave the country after wrestling Burmister as Walter Miller had issued a general challenge to all Australian wrestlers which he intended to accept, and in preparation he renewed his challenge to Karasick.

In October 1925 Billy Meeske departed Australia for America with his wife on the ship Aorangi, and he was fare-welled by colleagues of the Railways Institute at an evening in his honor and given a travel rug by the South Melbourne Football Club upon his departure.

En route to America Billy Meeske visited New Zealand and won two wrestling matches, against a Brown and Simpson, in Auckland.

Billy Meeske first arrived in Vancouver, staying for two days, before travelling on to Chicago through Seattle and Portland.

On 18 February 1926 he had his first loss in America to Billy Meeske Edwards in a match in Portland, dropping the Pacific Coast Light Heavyweight Championship, due to kicking Edwards in the chin during the bout which he claimed was an accident.

In total Billy Meeske wrestled twenty-eight matches and won twenty-six of them while in America.

Billy Meeske noted that American wrestling audiences were very hostile to him as a foreigner, and after one match he assaulted a fan who was abusing him as he left the ring and was pursued by police, but after explaining the situation he was not arrested, although on another occasion he claimed a local chief of police threatened to run him out of town.

In one match a fan invaded the ring to interfere and drew a gun when Billy Meeske hit him, but was swiftly rushed by several people and disarmed.

Billy Meeske's successful run in America was noted as an indication he would be an even competitor with the rest of the touring wrestlers.

Billy Meeske visited New Zealand before arriving back in Australia, and wrestled H Anderson, the New Zealand light-heavyweight champion, three times winning twice and losing once.

Billy Meeske arrived back in Melbourne on 22 April 1926 and resumed employment with Victorian Railways and as a trainer with the South Melbourne Football Club.

The American 'rough-house' style was not well received by audiences and Billy Meeske adopted more conventional wrestling in a match against Martin Ludecke the following week, which he lost.

Emphasis was placed on the fact Billy Meeske had improved from their last bout by enhancing his technique in America in the leadup to the match, although general sentiment was reportedly that Weber would retain the title.

The crowd reaction to the Weber-Billy Meeske match was described as unprecedented and prompted the manager of the stadium where the match took place to launch an inquiry, during which fellow wrestlers Mike Yokel and Martin Ludecke explained that such blows easily occur in wrestling by accident, with Yokel showing injuries to prove it.

Weber stated that Billy Meeske had apologized to him and asked for leniency.

Billy Meeske was training wrestlers as of 1926 and in late August he gave an exhibition with his students at a carnival in Northcote.

Billy 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 Billy 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.

Billy 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 Billy Meeske's trunks to imply they were falling and tackling him when he looked.

Yokel beat Billy 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 October 1927 Billy 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.

In January 1928 Billy Meeske served as a referee for wrestling matches at the South Melbourne Carnival, and toured performing a vaudeville act and feats of strength into February and March.

In November 1928 Billy Meeske relocated to Perth and defeated George Boganski with media reports noting the match was likely to increase interest in professional wrestling in Western Australia, and in early December he wrestled in Perth again against Louis Pergantes with Billy Meeske winning despite interference from Sam Burmister to promote their upcoming Perth match.

Billy Meeske defeated Burmister a week later in a match at the Subiaco Oval which reportedly had the largest attendance of any professional wrestling event in Western Australia up to that point, however the match was described as one of the most disappointing matches held in Australia.

The Irslinger bout received positive media coverage, and Billy Meeske remained in Perth into 1929 losing in a match to Pergantas early in January.

In mid January 1929 Billy Meeske announced he intended to embark on a tour of Canada, the United States, and England to wrestle, although ultimately he remained in Australia and late in the month he wrestled in Mildura, Victoria, defeating Hugo Jorgenson to retain the heavyweight title.

Billy Meeske returned to Melbourne in May 1929 and opened a gym where he began coaching boxing, wrestling, and general fitness, and the business quickly became successful.

In 1930 a report noted that Billy Meeske had found it difficult to earn money through wrestling in recent years as foreign wrestlers had dominated bookings in the Australian industry, and he did not wrestle again until February 1930 when he lost to Italian Leone Labriola in Sydney in a bout which reportedly restored Stadiums Ltd.

Billy Meeske wrestled in Sydney again before the end of the month losing to Russian Tom Lurich.

In late July 1930 Billy Meeske issued a public request to be booked for matches, prompting comments that he was still being underutilised by Stadiums Ltd.

In February 1931 Billy Meeske wrestled in Victoria again defeating Jim McMurdo in Warrnambool, with McMurdo breaking ribs due to being thrown into an orchestra pit during the match.

Billy Meeske relocated to Rockhampton, Queensland, in May 1931 and early in the month he wrestled and beat Canadian Jack Savaloff in what was regarded as an extremely exciting match with good attendance.

Savaloff defeated Billy Meeske winning the cruiserweight title, and he reportedly attempted to immediately leave the country with Billy Meeske confronting him at the Rockhampton train station and convincing him to book a rematch.

Billy Meeske wrestled a draw against Tom Lurich in Sydney in January 1932 in what was described as a rough match, and won a match against Walter Browning the following week which featured Browning diving over a group of police officers standing ringside.

In February 1932 Billy Meeske returned to Rockhampton, Queensland, to wrestle, and defeated Alec Lundin before a sellout crowd.

At the close of May 1932 Billy Meeske briefly relocated to Newcastle, New South Wales, wrestling a draw against Walter Browning which featured grappling with the referee, before returning to Sydney in June where he lost a match against Tom Lurich during which the referee appeared to be knocked unconscious.

Billy Meeske then wrestled Leone Labriola during which he was disqualified prompting a brawl which was halted by police intervention.

Billy Meeske returned to Brisbane before the end of the month wrestling Martin Bucht in a match ruled a draw when the referee appeared to be knocked unconscious, and the crowd invaded the ring.

Billy Meeske participated in the tournament and he was eliminated by Sam Burmister in a semi-final, however as title holder the final was scheduled to be between him and Jack Savaloff and he retained the title.

Billy Meeske was booed by the crowd after winning, and his shirt was stolen from his dressing room later being recovered at a thrift store.

In January 1933 Billy Meeske made appearances to perform vaudeville in Melbourne, before returning to Brisbane to wrestle a draw against Ted Gill, and another victory against Krupps Miller.

Billy Meeske then went to Rockhampton and wrestled a draw with Joe Dawson with the match being delayed from its initial date due to poor ticket sales, however when it did take place it saw strong crowd reactions with the crowd supporting Dawson.

On 18 March 1933 Billy Meeske faced Joe Dawson in a title match in Brisbane and lost after being disqualified for throwing punches with the crowd cheering enthusiastically for Dawson becoming the new heavyweight champion of Australia, and he then went to Rockhampton where he lost again to George Tiki.

In late May 1933 Billy Meeske made arrangements to wrestle in Perth from June onwards, and in response Stadiums Ltd.

Billy Meeske defeated Johnny Lewis in Perth later in the month and was billed as the ex champion in reports of the bout reflecting that he had been stripped of the title.

Late in the month Lurich issued a five hundred pound challenge for Billy Meeske to wrestle him in Brisbane or Sydney to settle the matter of the title, however Billy Meeske remained in Perth, defeating Con Grivas, expressing that he would face Lurich once his commitments in Perth were completed.

Billy Meeske lost in a rematch against Johnny Lewis with the match again being criticized in what was his final match in his Perth sojourn.

Billy Meeske returned to Brisbane at the end of July 1933 and defeated Leo Demetval, and Paul Egel.

In November 1933 Billy Meeske returned to Sydney in order to complete his contract with Stadiums Ltd.

Billy Meeske then went to Newcastle and wrestled a draw with Joe Gotch, then made his return to Sydney where he was defeated by American Jack Clarke.

In January 1934 Billy Meeske was invited to tour the United States by American wrestling promoters, but instead opted to remain in Australia losing to King Elliott in Brisbane, and defeating Whiskers Blake in what was billed as a title match for the heavyweight championship in Mackay that month.

Billy Meeske acknowledged Bucht as the legitimate heavyweight champion of Australia after the match gifting him one hundred pounds after the loss.

Billy Meeske was back in Queensland in April 1934 and wrestled in Ipswich where he defeated Whiskers Blake, then drew with Jack Clarke in Brisbane.

In January 1935 Billy Meeske returned to Melbourne where he was cast as an actor in an adventure film set on the Great Barrier Reef, but in February he returned to Brisbane where he resumed wrestling, being billed as the British Empire heavyweight champion again.

Billy Meeske toured Australia extensively wrestling in Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney throughout the rest of the year.

Billy Meeske maintained a busy active wrestling schedule in 1937 competing in Brisbane, Adelaide, Port Pirie, and Melbourne.

Billy Meeske wrestled extensively in 1938 notably in Adelaide, Brisbane, and Sydney.

In 1940 Billy Meeske wrestled several matches in Carlton, Victoria, in what was billed as his return to professional wrestling, promoting himself as never having been beaten for the heavyweight championship, and in 1941 he wrestled in Adelaide.

In 1946 Billy Meeske made another comeback to wrestling in Sydney taking part in matches from May that year to January 1947.

In 1953 Billy Meeske volunteered to assist the New South Wales Amateur Boxing and Wrestling Association as a coach and talent scout working for free in order to assist preparations for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.

Billy Meeske died in 1970 in a home for war veterans in Sydney.