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MASKED MARVEL HADTO TAKE OFF MASK -Wrestler Was None Other Than Louis Pergantas, Formerly of Gary, Ind. Three Times Before He had Been Defeated by Myre. When Hel-mer Refused a Fourth Challenge, He Came as Man of Mystery. Over Five Hundred Fans Turned Away After S. R. O. Sign Was Out at Idle Hour Theatre.Helmer Myre compelled the Masked Marvel to take off his mask.| And what do you know about it! , 1 The Man of Mystery proved to be none other than Louis Pergantas, formerly of Gary, Indiana, thrice be-! fore defeated by Myre. He is known nationally among the top notchers in the wrestling game.This fourth contest was staged at the Idle Hour theatre Monday evening. At four o’clock in the afternoon j every seat was sold and the S. R. O. sign was out. More than five hundred. who failed to get tickets early ! were turned away.Since Pergantas' third defeat at Ma-son City last September he had retoe hold.The Masked Marvel limped off the mat up to his dressing room and was absolutely worn out. As soon as he I could get his breath he said: “I’m all in. I have taken off too much flesh to meet Myre. 1 will concede the contest to my oppon at and will take off my mask.” But he put in an “if.” “If I can have another chance to meet \ Myre when I take on more weight.”This was denied him and when time ; was called, both men were ready. It , took just two minutes for Helmer to | clamp on a toe hold and the match | was over. Calls for “Take off Your j Mask” came from the audience and the stranger stepped to the front of | the stage and pulled it off.Lcuis Pergantas Unmasked, Formerly ter Newpeatedly challenged Myre, but as he | had been fairly defeated and because ^ he was of the heavy weight class, j weighing over 180 pounds, both Myre and his manager had refused him for a fourth match. Pergantas in his de- | termination to meet Myre want east, worked under the guise as a Masked Marvel and threw out his challenge. !“One thing is sure,” said Helmer I after the match, never again will I take on a masked man. I ain liable to get a man that can put up no fight at all and on the other hand I may got a wrestler who has been fairly beaten before, as in this (aso. Pergantas had no license to challenge me, although j he is one of my strongest adversaries. . ! I will admit that he put one over on Ryan and myself. Probably the Fans do not realize it, hut I had the great- i I ost handicap of my life at this match, j The mask Pergantas wore was made of cord, similar to fish cord, but much j , heavier. Kvery time I got. a hold on his nerk, this cord would roll. This | w ould cause my arm to slide over his ! head, at the same time burning my■ flesh. I can truthfully say that after I had wrestled a short time at the beginning of the first round. I suspicion* ed my opponent was Pergantas, but after the first hour was up, I was at sea. I didn't believe it was Pergantas.I was just as surprised as Ryan or any one else in the audience, when hej lifted the mask after the second fll and was introduced as Pergantas,I The referee of the match was Leon Hood of Mason City, welter weight champion of the U. S. Navy during Hie World War. The Masked Marvel■ started out fast and furious and for | the tirst twenty minutes had Myre 1 working on the defensive. Then Myrewas the aggressor. Both wrestlers worked on the1 wrist and toe he’d. Not j until one hour and forty-two minutes 1 had elapsed did Helmer win writh avGary, Indiana Bay, Now of Manchtes- € Hampshire.It w’as the same old Pergantas who t threw Myre in twenty one minutes * and twenty-live seconds with a head f lock in the first fall at Mason City on c Thursday evening, Sept 30, 1920. 1At this MAson City match in Sep- d tember (the third contest) Helmer 8 came hack in the second and in thirty one minutes flat he pinned the Greek’s shoulders to the mat with a head and wrist lock. In the third fall Myre won in eighteen minutes wMth a , 1 headlock. As soon as the match was j over Pergantas challenged Myre for a ( match at any time and at any place, winner take all. Myre refused. At that time Pergantas remarked that sometime, somehow’ he was going to I meet Myre again and defeat him decisive! v. He met him all right—but * I hto his sorrow. jOne thing is sure the fans will have . ^ to hand it to Pergantas for being a ! real sport. He stood punishment of | „ the worse kind without whimpering w hen Myre got the toe hold. He ad- j mils Myre Is the best man he has | ever tackled in his years of wrestling. ! ^ Now it's up to Ecklund to take on ; Helmer in Albert Lea. Eeklund claims ‘ the title, but has been sidestepping a match for several months. ®LATER.liPergantas called on the Tribune j g Tuesday morning and said: “I have j j(been wearing ray mask for months I g with the one hope of meeting Myre. I ' p knew he wouldn't take me on again j c unless I was disguised. I won from ^ forty-one opponents. successively, I ^ w restling as a Masked Marvel. Myre j is the first to throw me. From now j j, on 1 will wrestle with my mask off. I 8( challenge Myre to another match, j c catch as catch can, winner take all, but I will not reduce my weight..”Manager Ryan informs us that he I t, will not take on Pergantas again tin- j s der any consideration. ^
Newspaper Details
Albert Lea Times Enterprise
Albert Lea, Minnesota, US
Wed, Jan 12, 1921
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Jason T.
USA 24 Mar 2024
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