Durban - THE South African wrestling fraternity suffered a loss last week when the legendary Danie Brits, who was known as “The Fighting Springbok”, died after a heart attack. He was 59.
Brits, who was an accomplished amateur wrestler and an expert in judo, entered the professional wrestling circuit in the 1980s and was best known by fanatics for his sting as the Masked Tornado. In his heyday, Brits was pitted against Indo-Canadian wrestling legend Tiger Singh.
Speaking to the POST, Singh said he was shocked to hear about the death of Brits who he knew to be in good health.
Singh, 65, said that some of his best bouts were against Brits.
Mano Singh, a local wrestling promoter and the director of World Wrestling SuperStars, said Brits was a fierce competitor in the ring.
“The name Danie Brits or SA Tornado stands out in my mind as a true champion and legend in the wrestling business. Brits fought some 100-odd matches inclusive of a world championship match against Gama Singh. These two rivals had a feud for over 20 years and whenever they fought, the memories of packed stadiums stand out.
“May this great legend be honoured for his contribution to the wrestling fraternity.”
Another wrestler who had epic bouts against Brits in the 1980s was Akam Singh, and the two also had championship fights in 1999.
“Outside the ring, he was classy and a true gentleman. He was a tough opponent and well respected by the international wrestlers who knew him. He was a true professional inside and outside the ring,” said Akam Singh.
Brits also helped develop others. He had a notable impact on his nephew, 12 time Springbok wrestler Steve Eeden, who regularly features at wrestling events throughout the country.
“At the age of five, Danie Brits and Danie Voges brought me into amateur wrestling.
“They were coaches at Ruiter Amateur Wrestling Club. They trained me to become a provincial champion and a national champion. Later, I was honoured to follow in their footsteps and become an amateur Springbok wrestler. He was a humble wrestler, who always took time with wrestlers to show them the right techniques,” said Eeden.
Voges was the half-brother of Brits and the duo reigned for a period as tagteam champions.
Eeden said that Brits was a “very technical wrestler” whose style was akin to Kurt Angle, a former Olympic gold medalist and WWE legend.
“He was one of those wrestlers who could make any match look good.
“I had the honour to wrestle against him and it was an amazing match. We could work in a lot of amateur wrestling moves like headlocks, hip-tosses, fireman carries and so on.”
In the latter years of his career, Brits had a stint with World Wrestling Professionals (WWP) Thunderstrike where he held the WWP Tag Team World Title together with his nephew Ananzi.
He is survived by his two daughters.
POST