Wrestling Heritage welcomes memories, further information and corrections.

 

Abe Ginsberg

How could a black leather helmet arouse such anger amongst the wrestling public? But it did. The helmet, black leather cape, the leotard and the beard were enough to alert the fans to the presence of a first class villain even before the opening bell rang.

Not long into the first round Abe Ginsberg’s tactics would confirm the fans’ suspicions, and soon they would be protesting to the referee and screaming at his opponent to remove the helmet. Enthusiast Palais Fan, who watched Abe at Wimbledon in the 1960s told us, “He was a superb heel. I especially enjoyed watching him in tag matches, as part of The Black Diamonds, with either John Foley or Eric Cutler. They had distracting the referee, blind-side moves and dirty tricks, off to a fine art. And just what was it they hid in those leather caps? Not a lot I suspect but we believed it was a nasty weapon of some kind, and they really got the crowd going.”

Abe’s tactics certainly didn’t make life easy for the referee as both Graham Brook and Eddie Rose testified, with Eddie recalling, “The worst moment I ever had with him was an occasion when I was pressed into service as a referee at Telford for Wryton Promotions: Ginsberg versus Kellett and both of them in really obstreperous moods determined to make the referee the villain of the show. I’d no chance with two such strong characters!”

That was only half the story, with Eddie continuing, “He was such an entertaining guy with a legion of stories – most of them told in a deprecating way but very funny.”

For Peter Abel Ginsberg life was a real rags to riches story. Born to a young mother in one of the more deprived areas of Manchester on the 31st December, 1935, at the time of his death he was a successful business man who owned a Rolls Royce and lived in the prosperous Cheshire village of Prestbury.

Sporting interests for the young Abe included boxing, judo and wrestling, mostly boxing. The boxing interest he pursued when he was taken on as a resident on a fairground boxing and wrestling booth, with wrestling eventually taking over. He turned professional around 1960, that being the first year we find records of his bouts. In February of the following year Abe made his television debut against another novice of the ring, Roy St Clair. This was to be the first of regular televised appearances, more than thirty of them, over the next fourteen years.

By 1963 Abe was working most nights of the week but it was an event in the autumn of that year that was to raise his profile to a higher level that he was to maintain for over a decade. In September, 1963, tag team wrestling, which had been around for over ten years, was broadcast on television for the first time. It was a huge success and fans wanted more. Three months later, four days before Christmas, Abe and John Foley teamed up to wrestle the Royal Brothers on television. Abe had previously tagged with a variety of opponents, but the partnership with Foley, soon to be known as the Black Diamonds, was to transform the fortunes of both men. The Black Diamonds were to establish themselves as one of the most enduring and successful tag teams of the country. Although there were a number of personnel changes Abe Ginsberg remained a constant and ensured the on-going success of the team. Foley left in 1966, followed by the even more successful Abe and Eric Cutler partnership, and in the 1980s Eddie Rose and Tony Francis.

Tony Francis was a very good friend of Abe’s, “Peter Ginsberg, in my opinion, was a master of his art, a superb showman, brilliant wrestler, and best of all, had the respect of his peers.” Tony had much to thank his friend for, being the first to confess that when he was promoting with Bobby Barron making the shows work, and make money, was proving difficult, “Peter worked the Blackpool Pleasure Beach for me and my partner, Bobby Baron for three seasons, and it was his idea to turn the show into a ‘Booth.’ He made us all, including the wrestlers, a lot of money.”

Abe’s daughter told us that his final wrestling match, other than the occasional guest appearance, was in 1983.

But wrestling would not take a youngster living in a council house to a large home in Prestbury. Abe’s fortune was the product of an astute business mind. As he travelled the country fulfilling his wrestling engagements he would buy and sell antiques, adding to his stock by providing a house clearance service. The profits he made were invested in Manchester property which he rented out, mostly to students. Other sidelines included bit parts in television soaps Coronation Street and Brookside, and presenting a radio programme on Piccadilly Radio.

After retiring from wrestling he opened antique shops in Prestbury and Bollington and, in 1997, opened an Auction House. That Abe Ginsberg was a collector of antiques, a successful businessman, and a highly intelligent and well-read man should not surprise any of his admirers. Nothing he did would surprise them, inside or outside the ring.

Abe Ginsberg died of a heart attack at his home in Prestbury on 6th November, 2001.

My Friend, by Tony Francis

Peter Ginsberg died on November 6th 2001, at home in Prestbury, Cheshire.

He was a remarkable man, a fine wrestler, and a terrific showman. Born in pre war Manchester, he was brought up by his Granny until he joined the Navy as a very young man. After leaving the navy, he found himself fighting on the fairgrounds against all comers, a wonderful education for the career he was about to undertake.

A chance encounter with the legendary Jack Atherton led to “ABE” becoming the founder of the legendary Black Diamonds tag team. Wrestling fans of a certain age will remember that his first partner was John Foley. a dour Wiganer ,who complemented Ginsberg perfectly. His second partner was Eric Cutler, himself a highly skilled grappler, and I was honoured to be chosen as the last member, after Eddie Rose.

Peter had a special gift…when he spoke, everyone listened. I can hear him now, with that distinctive lisp, doing his Pied Piper act outside the wrestling booth that me and my partner, (the wonderful Bobby Baron) ran at the Pleasure Beach in Blackpool. He often had crowds of hundreds hanging on his every word, as he introduced the motley crowd of wrestlers awaiting challengers.

I was delighted to be his best man when he married the love of his life, the beautiful Pauline, in a marvellous wedding in his home town, with the fabulous reception in a vast marquee at his home. Peter went on to father two lovely children, Adam and Beth, who were the light of his life.

It was an honour and to have known Peter Ginsberg, he taught me a lot about the wrestling business, about life, and people.

To me, he was the perfect mentor.

More importantly, he was my friend.

Page revised 01/11/2023

1102