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British wrestling has repeatedly tried to give the illusion of a Governing Body but no such organisation has ever existed. In 1931 when The London Sports Club (commonly known as Lanes) stated, “Promoters advertising all-in wrestling with nothing barred are liable to prosecution. All-In wrestling means a combination of three styles and has definite rules which can be obtained from the British Board of Control,” the Board referred to was the British Wrestling Association, which, according to Atholl Oakeley, was set up by Henry Irslinger as an independent controlling body. It was more of an attempt by Oakeley, Irslinger and a few associates to control wrestling in Britain, and an attempt that was to prove futile. Atholl Oakeley met French Champion Francois Berthod on 21st October, 1931, at the London Sports Club (Lanes Club) in the first tournament to be held under the auspices of the “controlling body”.
Henry Irslinger, forever linked with Atholl Oakeley in both their personal and professional lives, was an Austrian born naturalised American. Irslinger and Oakeley became good friends from the day the two men were introduced to each other by Benny Sherman. A wrestler of more than twenty years experience he was one of the pioneers who introduced the new style of professional wrestling into Britain in 1930, having already done so in South Africa.
Oakeley credits Irslinger as the man behind the matches at the New St James Hall, Newcastle and the New Victoria Hall in Nottingham, though unsurprisingly we have no sign of his name on the posters other than in the capacity of wrestler.
For many Atholl Oakeley is the first name to come to mind when thinking of British wrestling, hardly surprising because the only source of information about pre war wrestling was, until recently, Oakeley’s book, Blue Blood On The Mat. Although we believe our Years of Wrestling series gives a more balanced view Oakeley certainly played a leading role in developing pre war wrestling in Britain. He was a leading figure in the re-introduction of pro wrestling in Britain in December, 1930 and a member of the group of London promoters known as the International Wrestling Syndicate. Oakeley brought to the United Kingdom wrestlers he had met on his visit to America, including Karl Pojello and Jack Sherry. He was also a fanciful creator of colourful characters, including Carver Doone and The Angel. Atholl Oakeley has much to be thanked for the development of British wrestling in the 1930s, but he was also responsible for introducing some of the less savoury elements of the sport, such as wrestling in mud.
Post Second World War Atholl Oakeley continued to use the British Wrestling Association Banner. Oakeley attempted to continue where he had left off, a very different offer for the paying public than that offered by the British Wrestling Promoters Association. They had the backing of Lord Mountevans and the new rules that bore his name, a clear attempt to distinguish their new fangled modernised wrestling from Oakeley’s product.
Oakeley was critical of wrestlers and promoters who had remained active during the war, on the grounds that a man fit to wrestle was fit to fight for his country. Whether or not these were sincere sentiments or resentment at his inability to re-establish himself after the war must remain the subject of speculation.
His wrestlers wrestled according to his “International Catch as Catch Can” rules that had been introduced to Britain by Irslinger and Oakeley in 1930. Three ringside judges decided matches that ended without a deciding fall, a count of twenty was allowed for a wrestler ejected from the ring, and championship tournaments were open to all comers.
Oakeley’s shows were not run of the mill affairs staged weekly, fortnightly or monthly at low prices. Oakeley produced big shows for big stadiums, like the Harringay Arena and the Royal Albert Hall. He brought in big names, such as boxer Jack Doyle, who he matched with Bucht at Harringay in February, 1950, and later with Eddie Philips, and Two Ton Tony Galento, brought over specially from the United States. Other big names brought to Britain by Oakeley included European heavyweight champion, Alex Cadier, American Frank Sexton, and the gargantuan German, Kurt Zehe.
Almost 10,000 attended Oakeley’s first post war Harringay show, five thousand filled the Royal Albert Hall, but by his own admission numbers soon fell dramatically. By the end of 1954 Oakeley had concluded that the world had moved on; Joint Promotions had established a modern version of the sport he had re-introduced to Britain a quarter of a century earlier. There was to be no more wrestling from Atholl Oakeley or the British Wrestling Association.
Read our tribute to Atholl Oakeley
Read our tribute to Henry Irslinger
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