Ron Historyo
Billy Robinson and the Bizarre idea to Bill him as Bill Kenton. Was this in keeping with the Snake Pit where Billy Joyce was Bob Robinson? Ernie Riley was Jack Fay, Jack Dempsey was Tommy Moore.
Once and for all, there was no real pattern to Bill Kenton. The window completely overlapped with Bill Robinson.
Three examples here, two of the very earliest and the last time I can find Billy before he gives up on Kenton.
The same month Nov57, shown now as Bill Robinson. And at Bolton in 1958 Kenton, but with Robinson in brackets. What’s all that mean.
Sadly Billy went all over the world, rarely came back and was badly missed. The last bouts I can find before he went was the Nelson show in 1968.
Wonder if he could have helped make a good bout with Gargantua. And finally a show , the same month in Hull.
Anglo Italian
I took objection to Tony Charles’s bouts with Les Kellett. Neither could show their skills and it wasn’t what the public wanted. Various dumb promoters thought we deserved this medicine.
Yes, the Wiganites’ choice of names is quite laughable. How they move from one dull name to an even duller one. How they choose another wrestler’s hidden real name and use it as a ring name (Robinson.)
How Bob Robinson chose Joyce when the Joyce family had been around for 25 years.
And how from nowhere Tucker Moore decided to become US boxing great Jack Dempsey.
None of it makes any sense at all so we must, very grudgingly, give them the benefit of the doubt that, at that time, they knew what they were doing.
Mind you, in all fairness, the Dale Martin family is also mind-blowingly confusing, riddled with double names and pseudonyms.
And in spite of all this, those involved were some of the top twentieth century players.
I maintain it all had a great deal to do with preventing Mr Tax Man from seeing where they were all working.
Hack
Wrestlers names are all over the place, often no apparent reason, well not to us fans anyway. Bill Kenton seems particularly odd as it was so sporadic. Riley we could see if he didn’t want to be associated with his dad. But it’s all beyond us.
Not to worry Anglo Italian. When you were watching Robinson, Dempsey and Joyce you were watching the best.
Anglo Italian
You’d need to define “best,” Hack. So many qualities make a great professional wrestler. They certainly had dourness on their side.
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