Ron Historyo
Giant Haystacks today and a chance to shoot me down in flames. Some sites have him in the late sixties. Certainly the name is there and sometimes the 30 stone plus weight. But I believe that if these were our man, the vital selling point would be the inclusion of the height, normally inflated to six eleven.
When I did pick our man up, for a short while they did battle to come to a decision on the best name.
Here are the earliest. That’s him six eleven. Can’t find him in 1973. The myth that his real name was Luke McMasters coming from these bills.
In with Shirley shown here before the coming of Big Daddy.
1996, not his last match but probably the year that he finished. More than 20 years in British rings and in total mass plus height, probably never been equalled here.
Best matches that I saw him in were with Nagasaki and also Pat Roach.
Hack
I think you’re right with a 1970s start Ron. Well. until we are both proven wrong. I did see him on a Blackpool independent bill at the Central Pier, must have been 73 or 74. A much better performer than Shirley, able to last longer, more versatile and more realistic I would say. I didn’t see him towards the end when he was very ill. Haystacks and Klondike Bill, the most moneysworth of the super heavies.
Anglo Italian
Dire stuff in Croydon. I wonder who came up with “Popular” Steve Casey. Not.
He couldn’t even get the champion’s name right in the title match.
Jungle Boy, whose roots we traced back to 1952 earlier this year: can this really be him in with Haystacks 44 years later? I remember that as Jungle “Boy” he was already knocking on 30. So he’d be well over 70 for this bout.
Why oh why am I wasting my time trying to make sense of Crabtree rubbish?
Hack
Croydon in 1996 looks All Star. Still dire.
Ron Historyo
What intrigues me more, is who attracted Haystacks to wrestling.
It was a good spot and must have took some development of the man. But when you boil it all down a very vital figure in British Wrestling History.
He did better than Carver Doone and Jim Moran and no other British worker came close in height to those three.
I might add, that question was one of my first ever posts on Heritage, I think about 15 years ago now.
Hack
Fifteen years and you’re still waiting for an answer Ron. Years ago I was told Haystacks was brought in by Mancunian wrestler Billy Graham, though I don’t know if that’s true.
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