By Graeme Cameron
A British History of Australian Wrestling
By Graeme Cameron
Part 2: The Rise of The Professor
When wine and spirits merchant Alexander Miller and his wife, Sarah Ann, chose to immigrate from Cheshire to Australia with their four-year old son, William, they could have had no idea that their little boy would grow up to become one of the foremost multi-sport athletes of the late 19th century or that he would play the central role in establishing professional wrestling as an attraction in Australia in the 1880s, becoming Australia’s first wrestling star. What made this all the more remarkable is the fact that he didn’t set foot in a wrestling ring until he was 25 years old.
William Miller was born in Cheshire in the tiny village of Liscard, now part of the Merseyside town of Wallasey on The Wirral peninsula. William grew up to be quite a talented athlete. Following in his father’s footsteps, he took up sword fighting, also competing in boxing and gymnastics. He earned a living working as a telegraph instructor and station manager for the Melbourne and Hobson Bay Railway Company. He defeated a Sgt. Stevens of the Light Horse Hussars to win the Australian Broadsword Championships in Melbourne in 1872, then won a weightlifting competition. That same year he married Liz Margery, the daughter of an American Baptist Minister. In 1874, he won a Greco-Roman wrestling competition in Melbourne. He used his winnings from sword fighting to book passage to America where he took up a position as a physical fitness instructor in the San Fransico Olympic Club.
It was there that he met French pro wrestler, Dr. Thiebaud Bauer and the two toured around California wrestling each other. This attracted numerous students to the Olympic Club. It was all going well until people figured out that the matches were staged, at which point, Miller quit his job and went on tour around America with Bauer. Miller and Bauer clashed in a number of staged matches for a self-created American Greco-Roman title, taking turns to win, which allowed Miller to claim the American Greco-Roman title. Miller moved on to work with the World Collar-and-Elbow style champion, Col. James McLaughlin. Together, they created a hybrid Greco-Roman/Collar and Elbow style, which they again took on tour around America, wrestling each other a number of times. Miller also had a match with the legendary William Muldoon, a New York police officer, a draw at the original Madison Square Garden, becoming the first Australian wrestler to appear there.
Miller didn’t confine his activity to wrestling. He defeated another Collar-and-Elbow wrestling champion and multi-sport athlete, Scotsman Duncan C. Ross, in a long-distance walking race, drew with American champion Richard Fenell in a weightlifting contest, and fought a number of boxing matches. He engaged in a number of exhibitions matches in both boxing and wrestling against Canadian John J. Dwyer, but he did clash with and defeat American Bare Knuckles champion Joe Goss in a genuine contest. He took a break from competing to work as a physical training instructor at the Calle De Prado Club in Havana, Cuba. He returned to America for more boxing and wrestling matches against much the same opponents before heading home to Australia 1880. His wrestling record overall was 2 wins, 2 losses, 3 draws and a No Contest. Seeing him off at the docks was none other than William Muldoon.
Graeme shares his memories of Sydney 2000
Page added 28/01/2024
Wrestling Heritage 