Wrestling Heritage welcomes memories, further information and corrections.
100
What better way to kick off than with a scene that encapsulates, in one moment, the very essence of professional wrestling. After merciless injustices, the hero finally gets to extract revenge on the unscrupulous baddie. The referee strives to put an end to the instant justice, much to the spectators’ frustration. Pat Barrett, Roy Bull Davis and Tiny Carr work in perfect unison.
99
Unfortunately it more often than not has taken their deaths for the household wrestling names of the Heritage years to make the national press since the mid-eighties. This is from Giant Haystacks’ obituary in the London Times. The Giants of rings gone by will feature large in this countdown…
98
…. and this is how we prefer to remember them. One of our absolute favourites, Wild Angus was seen again in the 2012 BBC Timeshift documentary. Here he is in ring-wrenching slam-bang activity with the wrestler known as HP only, since mentioning his full name was certain to bring very bad luck.
97
More hard-hitting action as Alan Kilby reels from Lee Sharron’s onslaught. Few wrestlers hit as hard and were prepared to take it as hard as Alan Kilby. Even the referee looks absolutely astonished!
96
The enigma that was the German Tournaments. British fans were largely unable to experience the very strange and foreign format, but the nationwide German and Austrian set-up provided a workplace for visitors and a fine source of talent for the British winter season throughout the sixty central years of the 20th century. The wrestlers stayed together for periods of about a month and wrestled each other nightly on a round robin basis. Here, Bob Sweeney, Tibor Szakacs and Geoff Portz mix with continental greats including Micha Nador, Horst Hoffmann, Dr Adolf Kaiser, Hermann Iffland, and noted promoter Gustl Kaiser.
95
The Royal Brothers sprang to nationwide stardom after 1963’s first televised tag match. The sixties jet set embraced them and their peers enthusiastically. This shot of the boys with pop idol Adam Faith will not be the last time you see V.I.P.s from outside wrestling keen to be seen linked, here literally, with the stars of the squared circle in this Wrestling Heritage countdown.
94
Fans delighted in the misery of hated ring villains. Here, Alan Bardouille extracts satisfying retribution on Cry-Baby Breaks. Few villains made such a masterful hook-up with the audience as Jim Breaks, with every second of his bouts designed to antagonise.
93
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s second night out at his local wrestling venue, in 1968. Stories of his wife practising wrestling moves are well recorded, and many members of the Royal family have shown similar enthusiasm for professional wrestling down the years. Promoter Jackie Dale ensures things go with a bang
92
Look into my eyes, look into my eyes! As if the Polish Eagle’s not in enough 1968 trouble, Royal Albert Hall Tournament Trophy winner, Wolfgang Starck, seems to be hypnotising him, too. But surely there’s no place for hypnotism in serious professional wrestling….?
91
The action hots up as we include the first photo of tag action. The controversially helmeted Black Diamonds took evil doing to new heights, and blue-eyed foes like the Cortez Brothers were ideal victims.
90
Moves where the elevated wrestler is the aggressor always fascinate, especially where heavyweights are involved. Geoff Portz’s short arm scissors springs readily to mind. Here, The Outlaw’s side headlock prevents Gwyn Davies’ aeroplane spin.
89
How unusual to see a wrestler wearing glasses. Gaby Calderon was a successful hooker in the fifties and popped up occasionally in British rings ten and fifteen years later, reincarnated as Professor Adi Wasser. A real tough dude by all accounts.
88
As a sport fit for a family audience the sight of blood was something of a rarity during the Heritage Years of wrestling. It wasn’t quite so rare when Dangerous Danny Lynch was in the ring. Why Dangerous? Presumably because he was such a hard man. Or was it that just a stern look at his forehead seemed to split it open. No white shirts on the front row gentlemen.
87
Never mind the pixels. The Wrestling Heritage Plasma photographer has the benefit of the pause button to capture some spectacular and precise moments from bouts gone by. Many Armchair Corner reviews contain exciting shots. This is certainly amongst the best as, on his final UK appearance, Flemish master Bert Mychel sends 20 stones Bruno Elrington flying with an outstanding monkey climb.
86
A believable villain. Here’s a front view of the same Bruno Elrington, who never let a bout pass without demonstrating his boxing background. What we loved about Bruno’s performance was how he, in general, started out clean each time he fought. He then portrayed a dangerous type with a very short fuse. He would be outwitted by a more agile and technical opponent and would get visibly frustrated, to the crowd’s delight and further antagonism, before finally snapping and breaking every rule in the book.
85
No collection of British wrestling photos could be complete without over the shoulder action attracting more interest than the foreground, as avid fans squint to decipher the delights of posters from a bygone age. Pipe-smoking promoter Les Martin discusses programme content with our esteemed forefather, Charles “Spider” Mascall, clearly an emancipated technical whizz before his years.
84
Nagasaki had just started appearing on television, the mystery surrounding his identity was intense. But another layer was added to the cake of curiosity with this enticing first sighting of George E. Gillette. George struck an imposing and elegant figure in his first months on the scene, and provided that all-important accessibility for hundreds of fans. His persona would develop in a direction that ensures we remember his initial impact with most affection.
83
Tibor winced and grimaced in every situation, but just look what his knees are going through here. He’s supporting the full weight of British and European Heavyweight Champion Billy Robinson, just on his shins. There’ll be several photos like this in our countdown that you can show to all those clever dicks who dismiss professional wrestling as “All fixed.”
82
Bobby Barnes on his first northern jaunt, displaying his ring mastery with a combined back-breaker and side headlock. Terry Jowett can feel this one.. Northern members of Joint Promotions selected their southern targets carefully.
81
Blurred and out of shape. But this rare photo of Les Kellett in the 1980s is a fascinating study of how a leading professional wrestler’s career could go on and on. Shun the temptation to compare professional wrestling with other sports, the magnificence of enduring pensionable aged wrestlers is something to rejoice in.
80
No collection of 100 photos reflecting British Professional wrestling could be complete without inclusion of the Granny Brigade. Their involvement was integral in setting wrestling apart and on high in comparison with other sports. Farmer Johnny Allan here in Brighouse, Yorkshire, is on the receiving end, but of which Coronation Street star’s aggression?
79
Splits seconds. It’s impossible to convey through the split second of a single snapshot the drawn-out excitement in those 20 and 30 second long balancing acts that invited full audience participation. Dave Barrie’s in the engine room here, but Judd Harris milks it for all its worth … and the fans’ entertainment.
78
The first to execute the big splash in British rings. Klondyke Bill, billed exotically from Alaska, made the most of his 32 stone bulk. With less nepotism and more reward for commitment, this could and should have been the face and belly of seventies professional wrestling.
77
Ok, you all know the photo. But the evocative tale of Heritage favourite Judo Al Marquette’s 1969 ride to the Royal Albert Hall and match up with snarling Steve Logan can have been lost on no true fan. Alf returned to Kensington the following year to right all wrongs. His mastery of completely innovative holds was quite breathtaking.
76
Ouch indeed! Peter Szakacs does what pros do best – and we still believe him 40 years on. Even though it was the Wrestling Heritage mission at the site’s 2007 launch to highlight the work of the undercarder, their work was often so skilful that it still gives us the slip.
75
39 stones of skilful action. Big Bruno Elrington wouldn’t go into the ring if he couldn’t take a rolling throw. Prince Kumali always favoured these flowing manoeuvres. Years later, an ample presence was all that was required by superficial promoters. In the sixties, wrestling prowess was indispensable.
74
Tag mayhem. Mick McManus gives the audience what they came to see. He’s positioned dangerously and trustingly. Logan fumbles feebly and and not very commitedly to free him from this entertaining and original predicament.
73
The mystery of Zollie’s 3-in-1 rivals anything Trinity Sunday can offer. Who is suffering more, Al Miquet or the Hungarian himself?
72
We can’t think of any other British wrestlers who executed the military press in the sixties. Dangerous Danny Lynch seems to be relishing the moment, but is Bob Kirkwood living on borrowed time?
71
The Ghoul was the first to put his opponent’s limbs back into joint, and Catweazle continued the trend well into the seventies. Here the healing powers are bestowed on Mike Marino at a Nottingham spectacular with Spaniard Carlos Moll about to make a miraculous recovery.
70
The flying tackle provided some of the most exciting and drawn-out moments to involve the audience with edge-of-the-seat excitement and participation. Johnny Kincaid’s momentary expression conveys the energy he was expending trying to topple Roy St Clair. It’s rather appropriate that we shall never know who won this mini-battle.
69
It would be all too easy to let the final of wrestling’s three Royal Shows slip under our Countdown radar. But we present this set in Wimbledon green to make HRH The Duke of Kent feel at home. Jim Breaks is the proud recipient of the welterweight trophy but seems, as usual, still to have plenty to beef about with ringside seaters
68
Smash! We followed Wild Angus Campbell from the small halls of northern independent promoters to the bright lights of North America (through the pages of The Wrestler magazine of course). What a brute he could be, with clever use of the flowing locks to emphasise the power of the blow. Well, it seems like Carlos Belafonte was well and truly convinced anyway.
67
The excitement of a masked man being pinned. See the roar from our sole spectator on the left, and magnify it by a thousand to imagine the electric atmosphere of professional wrestling at its best, as Dazzler Joe Cornelius displays an all-out will to win with the massive but ever-photogenic Zebra Kid spreadeagled helplessly.
66
Guess who! A fascinating pose which conveys an aggressive and almost neanderthal character quite at odds with the wrestler’s famed in-ring persona. Stories of the injury he would inflict upon his own hands are legion.
65
An exhilarating speciality manoeuvre. Jim Breaks’ fortunes have gone downhill since photo 69, and here he is on the receiving end of the memorable swinging back-breaker of Julien Morice.
64
Christmas Crackers. When Jackie Pallo took a 1958 televised posting face on, legs apart, the outcome was not for the squeamish. ITV switchboards were jammed with concerned viewers. From then on, Mr TV was never off the small screen and his career was set fair.
63
Alan Dennison hoists Jon Cortez. Dennison used his strongman persona meaningfully in the sixties, particularly in numerous tag encounters. Cortez winces in a way that defies anyone to say wrestling was fixed.
62
The subjects are two Heritage legends who each played prominent roles in changing the face of British wrestling. Nothing could epitomise the phrase “Ring of Friendship” more accurately than this photograph of former rivals Paul Lincoln and Joe D’Orazio.
61
It was all about leverage my boy, leverage. There was no finer exponent of the philosophy than the masked man of many years Count Bartelli. Bartelli, seen here in one of the rare photographs from his twenty year masked career, is seen in action here against Wigan’s Ernie Riley.
60
Colin Joynson was the original British Bulldog. Bulldog Joynson hurried his way around our rings whilst Davey Boy was but a nipper. Always busy, always on the offensive, Colin was always one of our favourites, and we think this photo of him readying himself to smash Peter Stewart shows why.
59
Masambula’s celebratory head-stand on the cornerpost simply invited foul-play from his villainous victim. But he was ready with all manner of counters. In this Scottish scenario, it rather seems like a spider entering a king’s web.
58
Bob Kirkwood supplied Wrestling Heritage with one of its most enjoyable quotes when he told us: “Alfie could make a broomstick look good.” Here’s why. The youthful Judo Al Hayes, Britain’s youngest heavyweight champion in 1950, has every vein bursting at his mistreatment by an evil fifties foe.
57
Who needs a gimmick when God is with you? All evidence leads us to believe that the Reverend Michael Brookes was a 100% legitimate Methodist minister. A fast and skilful middleweight, too, who leapt to top-of-the-bill status in tag action alongside the likes of Les Kellett. In wrestling’s heyday, no matter how many outlandish characters there were, more came along to add further spice to the mix.
56
The Match of the Century. Hackenschmidt v Gotch 1908. We readily bend the rules to go outside the strict Heritage years to include the two greatest pre-war names and originators of professional wrestling something like we loved it sixty years later.
55
Negotiating the rules. The Klondykes manage to look thoroughly bewildered. Can you imagine the din that accompanied this scene?
54
Age shall not weary them. Once again. 100+ combined years do nothing to diminish the blistering impact of the full on body-check shared here by Les Kellett and Jumping Jim Hussey. A painful, risky and jarring move if performed whole-heartedly – and with these two could there be any doubts about that?
53
Laydeez and Gennelmeen, this is a four ten minute round staring contest between Jackie Mr TV Pallo and Judo Al Hayes. The pre-contest preliminaries were an essential part of Heritage Years wrestling, with the pep talk from the referee Cunningham reinforcing once again that we were about to witness a genuine sporting contest.
52
Pat Roach was never in a dull bout and ensured a variety of aerial moves for the spectators’ enjoyment. Mike Marino looks justifiably concerned at what might be coming down to land on him.
51
Pass the claret. Who remembers Henry Cooper famously bleeding from the eye in seemingly most bouts, often resulting in unjust losses? Wrestling just lapped this up! Mike Marino had similarly dodgy eye tissue. But whether the blood was spilt unintentionally or not in any bout, the golden rule was to ensure it was spread out as visibly as possible and to ensure no over-zealous seconds cleaned it away.
50
We enter the Top 50 with two Heritage favourites, Jumping Jim Hussey and Albert Rocky Wall. No aerial dynamics but a fine example of the energy that went into every stage of so many wrestling bouts in their era.
49
Ok, ok, ok. It says Top 100 Photos. No wrestling listing is complete without an exception. This is a magnificent life-like portrait by Heritage fan Sir Peter Blake. Actually, it is a photo … of the portrait!
48
Every wrestler’s dream? Josef Zaranoff enjoys an idyllic retirement surrounded by family members and the trappings of a glittering career.
47
Just occasionally it was entertaining for the referee to get embroiled in the action. When the plimsolled official in question was dressed in formal Olympic white, all the better to the delight of fans.
46
The risks big men take. 6’4″ John Kowalski wasn’t worried about keyhole surgery to the knee years later. This is just another typical example of the commitment and dedication shown by the majority of professional wrestlers.
45
Publicity photos were a staple of the Heritage years, and were distributed and even autographed free of charge, hard for some 21st century fans to comprehend. This example of the genre perfectly whetted the appetite for visiting foreign arrogance.
44
The peripatetic workstyle of a professional wrestler. Laughing Les Kellett acknowledges the holiday scenario, whilst referee D’Orazio plays the very straight bat to keep it formal. Wrestling took place in all manner of venues, particularly in summer.
43
On Jean Ferre’s final UK tour, the Franco-Bulgarian had developed into an out and out villain, scarcely recognisable from his later André the Giant career. Joe Hill and Rocky Wall have trouble shifting the colossus in 1969.
42
How to enjoy your wrestling career. Alan Garfield cast aside his arrogant Lord of the Manor and upper-crust toff, perfected in UK and USA, and became bearded bumpkin Yukon Rex in South Africa, playing out the rôle to the full.
41
The importance of professional wrestling as a competitive sport. With the whole 1966 presentation shown live through the miracle of closed circuit at cinemas throughout the country, a select group of interviewees were lined up for the interval. Boxing commentator Reg Gutteridge leads off with Lou Marco, whilst Johnny Dale and the interviewer’s cousin, Jackie Pallo, wait their turns.
40
News-starved fans of the 60s and 70s craved details of how Britain’s best were faring overseas, and were wondering whether Charles Mascall’s assertion, that British was best in every sense, was really true. So it was reassuring to see Billy Robinson gracing the cover of an American magazine.
39
A fine illustration of how weight, and here height differences can be overcome in wrestling. So often the temptation was to compare weights with boxing, and decide a catchweight bout was a mismatch. Here, the shorter wrestler uses his height advantage to masterful effect.
38
Wrestling was big business by the late sixties. The troupe of 50+ers let the business ride in cruise mode through the early seventies, and let their fame both attract, and bathe in the reflected glory of, stars from other spheres, here Sir Norman Wisdom. This was harvest time indeed, but the crops hadn’t been resown.
37
Wrestling Heritage fans explore with fascination the true menace that was Assirati’s 50s’ destruction of allcomers. The British and European Heavyweight Champion stood just 5’6″, but this photo in some way conveys the force of his top-heavy frame.
36
The earliest in-ring photo to hand of Kendo Nagasaki, seen here facing his very frequent 1965 foe, Big John Cox of York. Cox claims the notable first ever recorded defeat of Nagasaki, that same year.
35
Here we see the great Bernard Murray in one of his final bouts. It’s a rare shot showing him to have been an early clown prince of the ring.
34
The unseen role of the promoter. Visiting talent needed to be looked after throughout their stay. The Relwyskows’ Leeds home was a starting point for the many. Here George takes his latest star turns for a local sightseeing tour.
33
Clashes of tag partners fascinate wrestling fans. Here, two original Black Knights, Masambula and Ezzard Hart, are paired in an unusual singles match. Fallout between tag partners was a ploy scarcely used in British wrestling, with The Rebels providing the only high profile barney.
32
Seldom was a sixties edition of the TV Times published without coverage of professional wrestling. Wrestling Heritage reproduces some items for our 21st Century Members. It was great to see Judo Al Hayes in the 1971 limelight, albeit in gingham.
31
Perfect Harmony. Three pros typify the trust between each other in executing the blindside move, at the very heart of professional wrestling. Steve Viedor is masterfully helpless, referee Mancelli makes it look like he wants to intervene, and all the perpetrator needs to do is hold his ground and let the others react.
30
Heritage favourite N’Boa the Snake Man. Whilst latter day imitators would be restricted by health and safety, Bob Elandon used his pet with delightful versatility, including occasional escapes into the audience. This magnificent sight shows the intimacy of their rapport!
29
Britain’s biggest mid-sixties pair in entertaining action. Big Bruno Elrington makes the most of the spectacle while Wild Ian Campbell focuses on the task in hand. The pair can still be seen on grainy black and white footage wrestling as a tag team.
28
The surfboard is a spectacular set-piece move and one of those that seldom ends up being applied properly. No such luck for Adrian Street here as Al Miquet hoists him majestically. Street, trusting Miquet wholeheartedly, sells the move magnificently.
27
The most misappropriated photo in wrestling? Heritage favourite The Executioner of Béthune visited Britain several times in the early to mid-sixties. His impressive publicity portrait was nabbed by many an occasional masked man.
26
Tag Team mayhem! The Silent Ones create uproar in the dress circle as villainous Doug Joyce comes a cropper. Meanwhile the referee is delightfully sidelined by tag-rope trivia with the victim’s brother. Scenes like this graced many halls nightly.
25
The art of selling an opponent’s offensive. Gilbert Leduc enhances his opponent’s terror in true professional style.
24
Marketing hype 1962-style. The White Angel signs on the dotted line for his “Loser To Unmask” showdown with Doctor Death. Such scenes whetted the wrestling fan’s appetite for a major match-up, which would be played out in various venues.
23
Monocle, scar and a name to die for. We stay in 1962, arguably wrestling’s peak if you consider attendances, but still with World War II fresh in the memory and visible on British bombsites. Dr Adolf Kaiser’s stare is one of the most imposing portraits to have graced the cover of The Wrestler magazine.
22
Certainly amongst the most photogenic of Heritage favourites, Quasimodo can be seen in many other colourful photos with his cap and bells. True beauty, however, requires no adornment. What an exciting international headline spectacle he was for those lucky enough to see him on his British visits between 1962 and 1972.
21
True menace. Bert Assirati set the model for 50+ers to remain credible invincible bill-toppers. He still was by the late 1950s, for real. He fell out with the promoters and taunted the new wave of heavyweights. He was feared for his bone-breaking aggression in the ring, some opponents remained glued to their dressing room seats. This photo gives just some idea of the pleasurable revenge vintage Bert took out on the industry at large as the referee pleads for release.
20
French heavyweight Maurice Tillet wrestled as The Angel and packed halls both sides of the English Channel in the immediately post-war years. This most gripping illustration of the bearhug needs no words to describe the terror aroused.
19
No, this is not a Hollywood character actor. The steely glint in the eye is genuine, and belongs to the founding father of Wigan’s famous Snakepit gymnasium, Billy Riley. Demanding excellence made a solid bed of credibility for post-war British wrestling.
18
When the top two smile-raising wrestlers of the sixties meet, it is quite exceptional. In their 13 recorded sixties match-ups, never did Les Kellett get the better of Ricki Starr.
17
The photographer’s skill comes to the fore as we proceed through the Top Twenty. Dick Conlon and Adrian Street have similar ideas. The double-drop-kick was a dangerous unplanned outcome.
16
The Flying head Scissors was one of those oft attempted moves but the result was frequently minimal contact leaving the victim with work to do. Al Miquet was the master of this move and leaves little doubt that Rene Ben Chemoul will have to go with the flow in this well-snapped shot.
15
The Fab Six? The Beatles were amongst many sixties stars who sought fame alongside the great wrestling stars of the day. Here, the Royal Brothers had just sprung to instant nationwide fame on the back of the first televised tag match in which they had defeated Ivan Penzecoff and Alan Colbeck.
14
The man Nagasaki avoided? Canadian powerhouse Georges Gordienko dropped hardly any sixties verdicts to anyone and was widely feared and respected. Here the Butcher of Budapest, Josef Kovacs, finds himself minced by Gordienko’s head chancery.
13
Wrestling’s greatest night?
At the end of a seven-bout Royal spectacular, Mr TV finally ends up in amongst the luminaries. Promoter Johnny Dale looks on approvingly but you get the feeling brother Jack will have something to say to his Highbury namesake in the dressing room afterwards.
12
Formidable Irish Heavyweight Champion Ivor (Pat) Barrett carried all before him in 1968. But he’s on the receiving end here of an Oriental onrush from Heritage favourite Chati Yokouchi, in a quite literally breathtaking action photograph.
11
1966 saw the monthly award of the Cloak of Gold, as voted for by coupon-clipping TV Times readers. This Golden Gown was a prestigious award, reserved mostly for the glamour boys, here Vic Faulkner. No more glamour boys, no more Coat of Gold, and the award fizzled out in 1967.
10
FA Cup Final Day in the 1960s was one of the few chances each year for soccer fans to see a live match screened . The day was huge with both channels showing live extended coverage. At the peak of all this in 1964, professional wrestling, officially the appetiser, stole the show. The TV Times featured it above the big match because they knew from previous years that the wrestling would outstrip the soccer ratings-wise.
09
Get ready, set ……. We are all older, possibly wiser, but can’t we all still get excited as we see once again this action shots of two lightweight favourites with Steve Grey putting the pressure on Johnny Saint? It’s incredible that decades after this photo was taken these two Heritage favourites still had the skill and fitness to take to the ring in 2012.
08
History happening. The magical 26-year masked career of the legendary Count Bartelli finally comes to a close in Stoke in 1966. He is unmasked by referee Rylands but little did fans realise that this was merely a half-way point in a career that would go on and on.
07
McManus selected this image for inclusion in his 1970 Wrestling Book. It portrays perfectly the way he wanted to see his rivalry with Pallo portrayed. His own superiority triumphing over a fallen enemy. In time, Pallo would retaliate in various ways. With further time we at Wrestling Heritage will see how their respective careers and merits are recorded more impartially.
06
It’s still hard not to think that Jean Ferre could have been exploited better on his three 1969 UK tours. He went on to great fame as André the Giant in other countries; but short stayers in the UK had a tough time as invincibility was reserved for those who could pack halls nightly.
05
What a sight for first-time fans as they witnessed the African Witchdoctor waiting in his corner! Masambula had all the gimmickry and trickery going and was one of the most popular wrestlers ever to grace a British ring. His death coincided with our site launch in 2007 and we are pleased still to dedicate our work to his memory.
04
This evocative photo from the 1960s shows the Queens Hall in Leeds on the night Don Robinson staged a Mike Marino versus Dai Sullivan world title match. Look carefully and see how the huge crowd snaked its way all around the vast arena. Those were the days!
03
Cunning photography led us to believe The Wild Man of Borneo was much taller and generally bigger than he in fact was. The Society Boy (not The College Boy as erroneously stated elsewhere on the web) remains seated to enhance the spectacle. The tag pairing filled houses throughout the Paul Lincoln empire.
02
Dirty Dominic Pye doesn’t want to know about restraint. The use of props in wrestling matches became commonplace after the Heritage years, with the bell, steel chairs and “foreign objects” of all kinds coming into play. Years ago, however, television producers strictly forbade such atrocities so when sixties fans saw this photo in the 1968 Pictorial History of Wrestling, well, we were flabbergasted.
01
It seems only right that we should select an action photo for the Top Spot as this typifies our main interest in professional wrestling.
It’s fortuitous that we can select a photo that features a couple of popular veterans, Steve Logan and Johnny Czeslaw, without the need to favour them by virtue of their age alone.
But most of all, it’s satisfying to be able to choose a photo that highlights the sheer skill of the photographer. A stunning action shot that just begs the question: “How precisely is wrestling fixed?”
Wrestling Heritage 