Also known as Bill Bryden, The Masked Gladiator
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The eldest of the Bryden brothers William took the wrestling name Bruce Welch, he was a fan of the guitarist and The Shadows.
Eddie Rose wrestled Bruce many times and was an admirer, telling us that Bruce sometimes wrestled in a mask and his brothers would joke that he frightened the fans more when wrestling without it. That’s brothers. “The Brydens wrestled on all the very best shows from Dumfries Drill Hall to the very far north,” Eddie told us.
Bruce’s martial arts interest lay initially in judo. He found that greater success lay in wrestling. Following the formation of the Mossblown gym, where he learned alongside brother Dale, he began training the less experienced members, many of whom went on to wrestle professionally on a part-time basis.
When Bruce turned professional his first opponent was a very experienced welterweight, Fred Woolley of Salford. Fred was co-owner of Cape Promotions, along with Danny Flynn, who was co-incidentally the first opponent of brother Andy. At the time he weighed around twelve stones and was very strong, a result of both his training and working in the local coal mine.
His full time work commitments prevented him travelling south of the border very often, but we should we should have no misconceptions that these Scottish wrestlers didn’t travel – for Bruce Ayr it was return journeys of 300 miles from Ayr to Aberdeen, 266 miles to Dundee, 260 miles to Forfar, 220 miles to St Andrews, and so on. This was the sort of mileage equalled by many English wrestlers.
Over the years Bruce filled out to light heavyweight yet always remained very fit and lean. He could often be seen in tag action with brother Andy, Dale Storm. Naturally a regular worker on Spartan Promotions bills Bruce worked for many other independent promoters and occasionally Joint Promotions members Max Crabtree and Jack Atherton. A welcome name on any poster Bruce’s interpretation of the rules did not always meet with the approval of the fans.
A couple of opponents that are still clear memories for Bruce are Ezra “Sugar ray Do-Do” Francis and Andy Robin, but for very different reasons. Ezra because he was a very funny opponent whose antics caused difficulties for opponents and Andy, not for the laughs but the pain. The match with Andy Robin was a a Charity Fund Raiser for a child who required treatment abroad.
Like all those we celebrate on Wrestling Heritage Bruce still has the memories, and is a popular attendee at the Scottish Reunion each year where he meets up with many Ayrshire wrestlers who are grateful to Bruce for the training they received.
We mentioned Bruce Welch in a mask. For Spartan Promotions the Masked Gladiator was always Bruce Welch.
Page added 13/09/2020
Page reviewed 04/10/2026
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