| Lofty Blomfield | |
|---|---|
 Lofty Blomfield at Leichhardt Stadium in 1937 | |
| Born | 10 July 1908 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Died | 29 June 1971 (aged 62) Whangārei, New Zealand |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Lofty Blomfield Walter Browning |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Billed weight | 224 lb (102 kg) |
| Debut | 1932 |
| Retired | 1949 |
Sgt. Major Meynell Strathmore Blomfield (18 July 1908 – 29 June 1971); also known as Lofty was a New Zealand professional wrestler, also known by another ring name; that of Walter Browning.[1] Lofty was arguably the country's most popular wrestler during the 1930s and 40s. He competed primarily for promoter Walter Miller and the Dominion Wrestling Union for nearly 20 years where he defended the NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship against many of the top stars of the National Wrestling Association from 1936 until his retirement 1949. He is credited for inventing "The Octopus Clamp", an early version of the Scorpion Deathlock, and is the longest reigning heavyweight champion in the history of professional wrestling in New Zealand.
In addition to the national title, Blomfield also held the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship and the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship. In 1938, he became the first New Zealander to wrestle for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship when he fought then champion Bronko Nagurski to a time-limit draw. He also had a successful amateur career winning the Auckland and New Zealand heavyweight titles prior to becoming a professional wrestler. Blomfield wrestled 490 matches in New Zealand and an estimated 1,200 matches in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, Canada and the United States between 1929 and 1949.
Blomfield became a successful hotelier in the years after his retirement, as Publican of the Whangarei Hotel, as well as being a noted sportsman. He was a member of the Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club, a founding member of both the Northland Trotting Club, the Whangarei Powerboat Association, and sponsored countless athletic organisations in Whangārei and Northland, most notably, Whangarei Inter-house rugby. He was also involved in numerous charity fundraisers and organizations, especially those involving mentally handicapped children, and served as president of the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Association. He later founded the Northland IHC and the Blomfield Special School and Resource Centre in Whangārei, the latter institution being named in his honour.
In 1990, Blomfield was officially inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. He is the first and only wrestler, amateur or professional, to be an inductee.[2] He was also profiled in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography and featured in a special editorial by the Northern Advocate in 1999. In 2009, Blomfield was named one of the "Top Ten New Zealand Born Wrestlers" by Fight Times Magazine and ranked #1 of the country's top ten favourite wrestlers by The New Zealand Herald.
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "Wrestlingdata.com". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "Lofty Blomfeld (1908-1971)". Wrestling. New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. 1990. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2010.