Samuel (Sam) Burmister(1897-1962) was a professional wrestler from Estonia. He was also a trainer of wrestlers, and performed in vaudeville and sideshows as a strongman.
| Samuel Burmister | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Salomon Burmistrovich [1] |
| Born | 5 January 1897 Pärnu, Estonia[1] |
| Died | 4 October 1962[2] Brisbane, Australia |
Early life
editBurmister was born in Pärnu, Estonia on 5 January 1897 to a Jewish family. Sam's obituary writer claimed he participated in the 1912 Olympics for Russia[3] and served as a pilot in the Imperial Russian Air Force in World War I.[3] The writer confused Sam with August Kippasto, Russia's Estonian lightweight wrestling representative at the 1912 Olympic Games, who later migrated to Australia and wrestled professionally. Sam stated he served with the 432nd Company of the 180th Division of the Russian infantry during World War I.[4] As the situation in Russia worsened for Jews after the war, Burmister left Russia on a world tour across Asia and the Pacific and America. His tour took him to Australia in 1925, and found the local wrestling scene so receptive that he decided to return permanently. Burmister emigrated to Brisbane in 1937.[3]
Wrestling career
editBurmister had an active career in professional wrestling from 1925 to 1934, including winning the 1929 Australian Heavyweight title.[5] He was also World Jewish Wrestling Champion several times.[citation needed] The press described him as "a low-set, bull-necked, heavily torsoed fellow",[6] and he was well-known and popular with audiences for his "vigorous methods"[7][failed verification]
In addition to his professional wrestling career, Burmister was also a vaudeville performer and sideshow strongman, under the stage name "The Modern Samson".[8] Anecdotally, one of the highlights of his routine included driving nails into a pine board with his fists [3] and allowing a motor car to be driven across his chest.[9] He also had a small cameo role in the 1925 Australian film "Those Terrible Twins"[8] Burmister switched from competitor to trainer in the late 1940s, training Australian rugby league and rugby union star Bob McMaster when the latter made his foray into professional wrestling.[citation needed]
Death
editHe died unexpectedly on 4 October 1962 in Brisbane, and is buried in the Jewish section of the Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane.
Championships and accomplishments
edit- Professional wrestling
- Australian Catch-as-Catch-Can Championship (1 time)[10][11]
- Western Australian Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Salomon Burmistrovich (aka Sam Burmister) - Naturalization". National Archives of Australia. 1932–1935. p. 18. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Sam Burmister". Wrestlingdata.com.
- ^ a b c d "The Sydney Morning Herald - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ "Sam was a Russian Spy". Truth. No. 1358. Western Australia. 22 September 1929. p. 6. Retrieved 15 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com - The World's Largest Wrestling Database". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ "Wrestling. Sam Burmister v. George Pencheff". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 13 January 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ "To-night's Contest". Classic Wrestling Articles. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ a b "The Mystery of 'Those Terrible Twins' (1925), Part 4 - The Production". brooksiescollection.tumblr.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ "Sam Burmister, Strong Man". Barrier Miner, Broken Hill (NSW). 18 December 1925.
- ^ "Wrestling In Perth - 29.06.1934". CageMatch.net.
- ^ "Show @ Perth". Wrestlingdata.com.
- ^ "Western Australian Heavyweight Championship - Title Holders". CageMatch.net.