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26 October 1937
All-In Is Out
Henry Irslinger had been in at the beginning. It was he and Ben Sherman that had travelled to the United Kingdom in 1930 and persuaded Atholl Oakeley and Ben Sherman that the new style of wrestling that had gained popularity in America and South Africa had a future in Britain.
The rapidly growing popularity of professional wrestling had given rise to a number of less honourable promoters. Men like Oakeley, Relwyskow, Bankier and others were decent men who put on reliable shows, but there were others that cashed in on the opportunity to make a quick profit by using inexperienced wrestlers, questionable business practices and matches that relied more on blood and guts than any sort of skill. The result was that councils around the country had started to ban wrestling in the halls they controlled.
To combat this promoters re-styled wrestling as Free-Style or, as in this case Modern Catch as Catch Can (a name Irslinger had used as early as 1931). This was often a superficial re-branding with the wrestling continued much as before, whilst on other occasions it was a serious attempt to make a real change.
Both Irslinger and Ben Sherman had grown disillusioned with the way the sport had developed and voiced their disapproval.
Henry Irslinger returned to Britain in 1937 and was promoter of what he claimed was the first serious modern catch-as-catch-can show at the Empress Stadium Earls Court. Main event was to be between the American based Greek, Jim Londos, and Australian George Pencheff. Londos was well known to British fans as his major fight results were often publicised in the regional and national press.
Billed as World Champion, Manchester promoter Kathleen Look voiced her disapproval as she billed Jack Sherry as the rightful world champion.
The contests that evening were described as “decidedly not All In.” You might remember a similar claim had been made three years earlier at the National Sporting Club. Henry Irslinger and Jim Londos promised there would be no kicking, biting or gouging.
Irslinger promised “No pantomime” before the show, though it was reported that as Tommy Nilsen beat Joe Campbell the spectators were puzzled as they attempted to notice the difference between the two styles. The Master of Ceremonies reminded the two men that this was not All-In Wrestling.
Six thousand spectators watched what The Daily Mirror reported as a clean and gruelling contest following which barefooted victor, Londos, was carried shoulder high back to the dressing room. In a match scheduled for one hour Londos beat Pencheff with a reverse headlock in the 49th minute. The match between Johannes Van Der Welt and Karol Nowina was also said to have passed without any rule breaking, Van Der Welt the winner in 26 minutes. The show was universally acclaimed a success by the press, who were usually reluctant to offer any praise for wrestling. The Daily Mirror stated the Londos-Pencheff encounter was the best wrestling match for years.
Irslinger presented a second show at Earls Court two weeks later, when Jim Londos and Johannes Van Der Welt returned to wrestle a sixty minute draw.
In what is believed to be his only match outside of London Londos defeated Jack Pye at Liverpool Stadium, a contest promoted by William Bankier.
Page added 26/10/2025
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