Ron Historyo
Looking at Johnny Saint. Correct me if I am wrong, I thought Johnny started out as a ring erector and trainee for Danny Flynn and Fred Wooley. Similar to Adrian Street who started in the 50’s but we have no bills for him, I can’t pick him up that early. I can beat WD.com and show Johnny in 1961.
They seem to have an urge to bill him from London.
Clearly in with Gentleman Jim Lewis is a good way to learn.
Like many wrestlers Johnny has done a feature on Youtube and I suppose it’s understandable to talk about the Glory, but these guys seldom give us their early days. Manchester had a nightclub scene, Johnny and others like Streiger and Les Thornton worked that period along with shows for the likes of Jack Taylor and Cape promotions. Again at Crewe here with Jim Lewis.
Some will know that Johnny Saint was really John Miller. Did he ever wrestle as Johnny Miller??
Well Hack will be all over this if I have it wrong, but keep in mind these bills below are Cape Promotions who he worked for.
A long way from home and into his career, it’s a strange thing to switch to Johnny Miller with a Dundee billing.
But I don’t see a Dundee Johnny Miller having a career. I think this is Johnny Saint.
To finish, there is a late bill 1998, but with the odd outing Johnny Saint went into the new Century.
Great wrestler, one of the Clean and Clever guys who could rough it. Him and Bert Royal were so watchable.
Hack
Deffo Ron.Johnny Saint did drive the van and erect rings for Danny and Fred in the 1960s. As far as I know he didn’t use the name John Miller, though never say never. The name Johnny Saint was suggested by the wife of a fellow wrestling friend, Colin McDonald. It was Colin McDonald he wrestled in his first match in Tynemouth.
There is a bit of mystery about that, only to be solved if we find an advert. My interview notes from the time gave the date of 29th June, 1959. In recent years this has often been changed by others to 29th June, 1958. Some years ago I asked Johnny which was correct. He said that in all honesty he couldn’t remember. Another internet myth is that he received training from George Kidd. Definitely not true, though he does admit to learning a lot from Kidd when frequently wrestling him 1959 – 61 when Kidd was working for the independents.
Yes, Johnny Saint always billed from London when I saw him the 1960s, but was living in Fallowfield. London sounded glamorous to us northerners at the time, Saint and Dundee is an oddity. There was a John Miller in 1954 on an Aberdeen show, definitely not Johnny Saint.
That could be Johnny Saint as John Miller in Scotland, though we know the Johnny Saint name was already in use. Without more adverts it’s hard to know if the Saint name was widespread from the start. It always seems to have been assumed it was. I can’t see any Saint or Miller earlier than yours.
Ron Historyo
Those Miller bills are rare, I have plenty on Saint, quite busy right from the word go.
I feel sure that’s him, they are Cape bills.
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