Wim Ruska

In 1976, during a tour through Brazil, Ruska was slated to fight a special, high-level bout against Ivan Gomes, fellow NJPW wrestler and famous vale tudo fighter, 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 raked Ruska's eye with a palm strike, which Ruska answered by landing a punching combination, and the match became a shoot right after. The Brazilian, who enjoyed a 15kg weight advantage, 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 signal Takahashi to break action. The Brazilian refused to release Ruska, but the referee, upon observing most of his body was outside the ropes, called for countout in order to end the match at 9:03.[7] There was controversy about whether the choke was effective or not.[8][9]

The event's crowds believed Gomes had been wronged with the decision, and a riot almost broke out until Inoki came out and calmed them down. Still, repercussion in Brazil was negative, with viewers commenting Ruska should be considered the victor, even although some acknowledged he had started the affair with an illegal move.[10] As a consequence, the Athletic Commission of Rio de Janeiro banned Takahashi and Ruska from all sport competitions.[11] The Japanese considered Ruska the winner, as Gomes had to be hospitalized and received nine stitches for damage suffered in the brawl while Ruska was in much better condition,[12] and it was reported NJPW president Antonio Inoki secretly gifted Ruska a money bonus to compensate his ban from competing.[11] A 90 seconds excerpt on the brawl was shown in NJPW's TV show, World Pro Wrestling.[13]

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.[14]