With the face of a Roman patrician ... Bashny.Net

Now their popularity is difficult to imagine.
The audience were relatives monarchs and favorite ice cream.

When leaving the arena clowns and acrobats, it began the third branch - the fighters and athletes. Tights discovered mounds of muscles. Curled mustache captivated the heart.
The popularity of the French struggle in the beginning of the century is now difficult to imagine.
First All-Russian public appearance fighters held in 1897 in the arena Count G.I.Ribopera. And then captured the fascination of all.
In 1904, the circus Ciniselli "gave the championship." Success was fantastic.





Statements preceded the "parade": a bravura music arena went athletes. They lined up in a semicircle, and the arbitrator presented them to the public.
Incidentally, in the invention, the splendid title for his players imresssario themselves do not hesitate, and at one stage could be 3-4 while world champion.
Also, each fighter was created Role - comic lover, savage.
Strong Bambula (pictured below), a black native of Martinique, was a comedian: goggles gulp drank a bottle of brandy in the arena, showing somersaults.



The organizer of the championships Franz Benkovski (Cyclops) wrote: "A good fighter, he never was, but frightening all and all their size and athletic stunts." In the life of a good-natured man, he played Cyclops in the arena beast, liberally distributed "pasta" (sonorous slaps his hand on the neck and back of the enemy), and growled. Angered by his behavior in the public arena threw sticks, umbrellas, binoculars and potatoes, required police intervention.
Organizers have demonstrated what forces they should keep the "savages", so they did not break the audience and the wrestlers with the image after the speeches were afraid to walk the streets.
Strongman giant Temirbolat Kanukova (pictured below is behind), nicknamed "Mount Kazbek, & quot; (growth - 228 cm, weight- 220 kg) was offered for promotional purposes before performances to drive through the streets in chains. It did not work: humble and shy highlanders Ossetian absolutely not given a ferocious expression.



There were heroes-lovers - peasant Ivan Zaikin, cocky and handsome Franz Miller Hirsch Brodsky "with the face of a Roman patrician," as the newspapers wrote about it, a Jewish boy who has not got violins



Among the organizers of the championships it was not equal "Uncle Vanya" - IV Lebedev



Dreaming of a theater, a former law student at St. Petersburg University Lebedev directed championships, arranging them from the whole show. Uncle Vanya spoke several languages, was an educated man and - most importantly - a fine businessman.
It was he who introduced the parade at the start of the competition, he began to pursue the fight to the music included in the program of various competitions and attractions silo¬vye, invent roles, spectacular titles and nicknames. He invents a time, and most men: in 1907, after the recent war with Japan, Uncle Vanya decided that it lacks the arena Japanese. Whom it is easily built from the Chinese, the remaining without a job owner Burned facilities. Billboard reports: "The famous Japanese jiu-jitsu fighter Sarakiki Kutsukuma summoned all the participants of the championship and bet against any 1000 rubles!".



Uncle Vanya attracted to their championships giants, fat people, sometimes physically weak and not very incapable to fight, but impressive-looking in the parade.
The fighters led them to championships began to constantly fight the masks ("under-stocking," "under the tent"), this even more intriguing the audience. Wrestler removed his mask, if it turns vanquished.
Uncle Vanya attracted to their championships giants, fat people, sometimes physically weak and not very incapable to fight, but impressive-looking in the parade.



Circus wrestling had no division into weight categories. They fought all the others. She also denied a draw, count only the victories and defeats. The first fight was usually 20 minutes, the second 40, the third, unlimited - up result. The winner was to force the enemy to not only touch the carpet, but keep it on the blades for three or four seconds.



Neither athlete was unable to conduct a daily fight with multiple opponents 20-40 minutes. Therefore, all the fights were painted forward and the result, and even used tricks. Fighting advance foregone conclusion called "chic." She opposed the "drill", then there is a real struggle. There have been failures - in the heat of battle is one of the opponents could "start to drill," that is to go from chic to the drill.



Bouts interspersed with athletic numbers. They tore up the chain of flat steel knitting "ties" and "bangles", raised the horse with rider, squeezed post in hollow balls which are placed on the person who broke the horseshoe and bent coin.



Particularly popular was the issue of "Hell's Smithy." On the chest of the athlete put the anvil, and her sledge hammer forged iron. Or smash chest athlete a huge stone.



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Fighters of the time has a phenomenal physical abilities. For example, Paul Stupin and weighs 145 kg made difficult acrobatic jumps and somersaults. Small Peter Krylov (pictured below), the "king of weights" (height - 170 cm, weight - 88 kg) lifted and threw almost an equal weight.



Max Dantag squatted six thousand times within three hours. Ivan Chekunov raised anvil weighing 560 kg. Hermon Gerner, holding in each hand, 50 kg, ran a hundred meters in 18, 4 seconds! 17letny Georg Lurich (pictured below) blindfolded easily juggled-pound weights.



Genre of circus wrestling demanded to give the viewer a lot - but by the same people. So it had to go to the tricks. Writer Kuprin, a connoisseur and lover of the French struggle, wrote in this regard: "The public yearns to see how broken, maimed, ditching a fighter ... and the power of her surprise. But there is spectacular, it is not difficult, but the eye-popping numbers, when after the elusive whisper winner "give up" the entire audience bites into the last chord of the struggle, some "bra steering wheel" or "Tour de tête».

match between Emil Voss and V.Pytlyasinskim, in 1900 the prize of 2 thousand brands



The wrestlers were divided into champions, and the apostles yashek. Champions endowed with great strength and possessing fighting techniques, claimed the prize. Apostles - textured fighters with good figure - was allowed the champions to show their skills. Yashka sometimes scornfully called lining were elderly / inexperienced young fighters who were instructed to lay down on the blade.



On a woodcut "Gladiators Paris" Marcel, Jr., Tom Connon, Pietro Del Masso, Felix Bernard, Francois Bambulla, Cross, Sebastian Miller. Magazine "Illyustrasion", Paris, 1890

The first generation of fighters come to the circus of the village. These were the children of peasants, accustomed to work and endowed with extraordinary force. For example a wrestler Ivan Zaikin, the family Burlacu, before you get into the circus, in 9 years went a guide to the blind, then stayed working at the mill, a loader at the marina. In the arena Zaikin carried on the shoulders of an anchor weighing 25 pounds, his shoulders bent iron girders and even broken telegraph pole. Zaikin enter the arena under the "Oh, Dubinushka, Uhnem" in the Russian shirt and sandals, and carried on the shoulders of a huge barrel. Twine circle arena. I photographed, telling his life story to the public - both from Saratov movers pier got to the championship and became the world champion.

But there were other options. "King weights" Krylov was the son of a factory manager, graduated from high school, a technical school, and after - marine classes, specialty navigator. But that was not for him. Throwing navigational thing Krylov began performing in the shed. He worked avidly: luxurious showed exercises with weights, called to fight on belts all comers; the day appeared to 15ti time.
P. Jankowski (Daddy), who comes from an impoverished family of the Polish nobility, athletics became engaged in the Life Guards Lancer Regiment, where he served as sergeant.
Nikolai Vahturov (pictured below), one of the few students Poddubny, a man of phenomenal strength, the struggle met in St. Petersburg, serving in the Grenadier Regiment. Becoming a professional athlete, Vahturov wrote: "I love fighting more than anything else, I love the way the artist loves his painting, music composer loves his child, the actor - his winning role."



Fighters were not part of the circus troupe, worked for gonorary.Privozil organizer of the championship, having received from the director of the circus% of the collection.
the demand was great, and the presence of talents that were the case advantageous: the result of his intense activity of the same Uncle Vanya were two apartment own home in St. Petersburg and its dealing with the many thousands of revolutions.
But Uncle Vanya was not only a businessman - he was a true fan of circus wrestling. At his own expense he has since 1912 published the magazine "Hercules»



He was happy to come out to the young fighters, sharing the arena with all his secrets. Willingly gave to feel the muscles - they Uncle Vanya to old age were hoo.

The last major championship was the championship in the State Circus in Moscow in 1922 with the participation of the Poddubny. His appearance in the parade heralded with great fanfare: Poddubny out after the presentation of the championship; wrestlers met him, standing in two rows as uniformitarians.



By the way, Poddubny 53 has successfully fought at the age of 54 years successfully defended his title in America.

Hiding behind the brand different organizations, Uncle Vanya managed to organize the championships before 40s. Invited athletes in circuses, where the number of "head of the artistic part».

The popularity of the French fight lasted almost until the war. In the Main Department no lack of applications from different parts of the country to "give to the circus championship." On the front of the circus fighters left almost in its entirety. Not all have returned home.
In 1971, he disbanded last wrestling championship whose level does not stand up to scrutiny.



Here they are, the fighters of the past.

via honestlil



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