Wrestling Heritage welcomes memories, further information and corrections.
Wrestling fans with memories going back to the 1950s remember a turbulent wrestling family from Yorkshire, Hooker Alf Rawlings and his two talented sons, Bill and Jim.
Son of Alf and Sarah Rawlings, born in 1932 Alfred William Rawlings used the name Bill when he joined the professional wrestling ranks.
Bill was a stocky mid heavyweight more in the mould of his famous dad than brother Jimmy. Despite having skill and capable of creating more than a flicker of excitement in the British rings of the 1950s and 1960s Bill failed to capture the imagination of the fans in the way his father did. Sometimes it’s just hard when you’ve got a famous dad.
For a short time in the late 1950s all of the Rawlings clan settled in Hamilton, Canada, where Bill and his brother worked in a nail factory. They continued to wrestle and worked out at the Al Spittles gymnasium. Apart from his father Ernie Baldwin was a big influence on the young Rawlings, training him at his gymnasium in Tingley. Bill was a familiar figure to television fans in the 1960s yet is remembered as a more than competent worker seen at his best as part of the three man Rawlings team described by Grizzled Veteran above.
Bill retired from wrestling in the early 1970s.
Alfred William Rawlings (known as Bill), died on 22nd August, 2021.
13053
Wrestling Heritage 