One of Cape Town's most enduring sports figures retired on Monday night. Louis Meyer, alias Hiptoss Louis, a regular in the city's wrestling tournaments for the past 15 years, ended his career in a manner appropriate to his name.
Hiptoss, 43, was thrown from the ring in Parow's Civic Centre while defending his Royal Rumble title.
The Rumble is a free-for-all and at one stage there were 13 wrestlers in the ring at the same time. Last night Hiptoss did not last long, he was first to be tossed out in a free-for-all that was eventually won by Rollerball Danny.
It was not quite the ignominious finale that it seems, however. Earlier in the night Hiptoss beat Rollerball Danny by two falls to one in a more conventional one-on-one encounter.
Hiptoss, a former railway repairman who is now a bodyguard for the rich and famous, started out in amateur wrestling as a young man and also took part in judo. When he noticed an old schoolfriend making a success of wrestling as Tolla the Animal, he decided to try his luck in the professional arena too.
He was a master of various holds, but says pro wrestling has changed much "with lots of flying introduced" (in the ring, that is).
Hiptoss is the father of daughter René, 19, and son Reuben, 17, who attends Goodwood College and is one of a group of young wrestlers that Hiptoss and fellow wrestler Shaun Koen are training to be the next grunt 'n groan generation.