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The British Wrestling Promoters Association was formed in March 1949. Membership of the association comprised of four professional wrestlers and a Manchester business man:
- Norman Morrell
- George De Relwyskow
- Ted Beresford (Globe Promotions)
- Wryton Promotions
- Dale-Martin Promotions
All names that sound familiar to wrestling enthusiasts, being the very same group that were to cement their relationship further in 1952 with the formation of Joint Promotions. Secretary of the group, according to Combat magazine in December, 1949, was Norman Morrell, who you may recall had previously formed the British Wrestling Federation in October, 1943.
The practices we later associated with Joint Promotions, to limit the work opportunities of the wrestlers, were common place long before the promoters formally constituted Joint Promotions, even before the BWPA, as illustrated in the contractual obligation sent to wrestlers by Norman Morrell in 1946. Furthermore wrestlers working for the group were prohibited from working within a ten mile radius of any of the halls at which they promoted.
Hostilities arose between members of the new Association and those who were excluded. In Aberdeen local promoter Alex Bannerman complained, in August, 1949, that he was being pushed out of business by the new organisation. Both Bannerman and Relwyskow Promotions had promoted in Aberdeen for some years. Bannerman said he had attempted to join the new organisation but his letters had gone without reply. He contended that the new organisation’s intention was to divide the country into areas and prevent wrestlers from working for non members of the organisation. His prediction turned out to be spot on, though the BWPA and it’s 1952 successor, despite their vigorous efforts, failed to eliminate the opposition promoters.
The BWPA did not have things all their own way as there were numerous other rival promoters of variable quality.
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