Wim Ruska

Ruska was born in Amsterdam on August 24, 1940.

He started learning judo at the Dutch Navy, later traveling to Japan for further training. In the 1960s and 1970s, under the training of Jon Bluming,Donn F. Draeger, Jon Bluming, Letters to the Editor, Black Belt magazine, December 1966 he won seven European titles, five in the +93 kg category (1966–67, 1969, 1971–72) and two in the open category (1969 and 1972).[http://www.wimruska.nl/behaaldeereplaatsen.html Obtained results (dutch)]. Wimruska.nl. Retrieved on 16 November 2012. He furthermore won two world titles (1967 and 1971) and two Olympic titles.{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Wim Ruska |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ru/wim-ruska-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203215956/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ru/wim-ruska-1.html |archive-date=3 December 2016}} His success at the 1972 Summer Olympics was overshadowed by the Munich massacre that took place days before.{{cite web|url=http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1021/Meer-sport/article/detail/3851629/2015/02/14/Wim-Ruska-op-74-jarige-leeftijd-overleden.dhtml |title=Wim Ruska op 74-jarige leeftijd overleden |language=nl |publisher=Algemeen Dagblad |date=14 February 2015 |access-date=14 February 2015}}

He retired after the 1972 Olympics and later took part in professional wrestling.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/34306 |title= Wim Ruska Biographical information |language=en |publisher=olympedia.org |date= |access-date=2021-08-18}}

{{Infobox professional wrestler

|billed = Amsterdam, Netherlands

|trainer = Antonio Inoki

|debut = June 2, 1976

|retired = December 1, 1996

}}

Ruska competed between 1976 and 1980 for the New Japan Pro-Wrestling and World Wide Wrestling Federation promotions. He had over 150 pro wrestling matches, in some of which he was the tag team partner of fellow judoka Allen Coage.{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=5938&page=4|title=Matches « Willem Ruska « Wrestler-Datenbank « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm}}

In 1976, during a tour through Brazil, Ruska was slated to fight a special, high-level bout against Ivan Gomes, a famous vale tudo fighter and former NJPW wrestler himself, on August 7 at the Maracanã Stadium. Previous negotiations about the match's results and length were troublesome, and as a result, there was tension between the parts.

During the bout, refereed by Mr. Takahashi, Gomes attacked Ruska, attacking him with real strikes and illegal closed-fisted punches, which Ruska answered by landing a similar right punch, and the match became a shoot right after. The slightly heavier Brazilian dragged Ruska to the ground with a guillotine choke, but Ruska escaped and mounted him. After becoming entangled with the ring ropes, a bloody Gomes captured Ruska's back and tried a rear naked choke, to which Ruska grabbed the ropes to break action as per the match's rules. However, the Brazilian refused to release Ruska, so the referee, upon observing most of Gomes' body was outside the ropes, called for countout on him in order to end the match at 9:03.Keisuke Shibusawa, Gracie Jiu Jitsu no Itsusashu, 1995, Nihon Sports There was controversy about whether the choke and the rope escape were effective or not.Ken Yanagisawa, 1976 Antonio Inoki, 2007[http://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/ivan-gomes Ivan Gomes], BJJ Heroes

The event's crowds believed Gomes had been wronged with the decision, and a riot almost broke out until NJPW president Antonio Inoki came out and calmed them down. Still, repercussion in Brazil was negative, with pundits arguing about who should be considered the victor, even although some acknowledged Gomes had started the affair with an illegal move.{{cite book|author=Marcial Serrano|title=O Livro Proibido do Jiu-Jítsu Vol. 6|date=June 15, 2016|publisher=Clube de Autores|isbn=978-85-914075-8-3 }} As a consequence, the Athletic Commission of Rio de Janeiro banned Takahashi and Ruska from all sport competitions.Shinji Ishii, Martial Arts Death Battle - The stormy story of the fools who wanted to be the strongest, Takarajimasha, 1994 The Japanese considered Ruska the winner, as Gomes had to receive nine stitches around the right eye for damage suffered in the brawl, while Ruska was comparatively in much better condition.Keishuke Shibusawa, Mat World Scandal, 2006 It was also reported Inoki secretly gifted Ruska a money bonus to compensate his ban from competing.

A 90 seconds excerpt of the brawl was shown in 1995 in NJPW's TV show, World Pro Wrestling. During the show, Inoki compared the match to a mixed martial arts fight from Ultimate Fighting Championship.The Fierce! History of Violence in Matches (壮絶！喧嘩マッチ烈伝) DVD box

Ruska was a close friend to sambo world champion Chris Dolman, also a Bluming understudy. They had a falling out after Dolman joined Akira Maeda's Fighting Network Rings while Ruska was part of Antonio Inoki's New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but they mended it in September 1997, when Inoki visited Holland along with Naoya Ogawa. They stayed in contact until Ruska's death in 2015.{{cite web|url=http://kakutolog.cocolog-nifty.com/kakuto/2015/02/post-4fc3.html|title=ウィリアム・ルスカとクリス・ドールマンの物語～日本マット界に多大な影響、大親友としての別離と氷解 - プロレス/格闘技 カクトウログ}}

In 2001 Ruska suffered a major stroke which left him physically disabled.

In 2013 he was inducted in the Hall of Fame of the International Judo Federation.{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraaf.nl/telesport/23685300/__Judolegende_Ruska_overleden__.html |title=Judolegende Wim Ruska overleden |language=nl |publisher=de Telegraaf |date=14 February 2015 |access-date=14 February 2015}}

Ruska was admitted to a nursing home in 2014. Ruska died on 14 February 2015 at the age of 74 and was survived by his wife, two children and five grandchildren.{{cite web|url=http://judotalk.com/profiles/blogs/judo-news-the-great-dutch-judo-champion-willem-wim-ruska-has|title=JUDO NEWS: THE GREAT DUTCH JUDO CHAMPION WILLEM "WIM" RUSKA HAS PASSED AWAY}}

File:Wim Ruska 1968.jpg|Ruska in 1968

Wim Ruska with family 1972.jpg|Ruska with family in 1972

{{Reflist|refs=

[http://www.thomasrap.nl/web/Artikelpagina/Ruska.-Triomf-en-tragiek-van-een-judokampioen.htm Ruska. Triomf en tragiek van een judokampioen] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214224323/http://www.thomasrap.nl/web/Artikelpagina/Ruska.-Triomf-en-tragiek-van-een-judokampioen.htm |date=14 February 2015 }}. thomasrap.nl

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Category:1940 births

Category:2015 deaths

Category:Dutch male judoka

Category:Dutch male mixed martial artists

Category:Heavyweight mixed martial artists

Category:Mixed martial artists utilizing judo

Category:Dutch male professional wrestlers

Category:Judoka at the 1972 Summer Olympics

Category:Olympic gold medalists for the Netherlands

Category:Olympic judoka for the Netherlands

Category:Olympic medalists in judo

Category:Martial artists from Amsterdam

Category:World judo champions

Category:Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics

Category:Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan

Category:20th-century Dutch sportsmen