Ron Historyo
Today, KUMALI.
There are a few big men about, very impressive when they came to the ring. John Lees, peeling off his jacket to show that Mr Universe Body and Kowalski another big guy, but when it came down to it they were not great like Albert Wall. I saw Kumali a few times and he was big alright, but I could never pin, what was his speciality. And by the time I saw him he was not coming to the ring in the Zulu costume.
But looking on YouTube you could body check him and come off second best. He had power.
I can get him back to 1957 and all the Indy promoters grabbed him, and had him as box office.
Seldom had “Prince” in the name until 1960.
He went in with the best. Shown here with Assirati in Croydon but also the same year at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester.
Sharing the glory here with an early Dr Death.
They all used him and after 5 years Joint Promotions grabbed him in 62. He had just come back from India.
Who better to put him over at Belle Vue than Jack Pye?
My conclusion is that I missed his best years. I saw him live round about 1970. I last find him in 1978, over 20 years in the business.
Very impressive pictures on those bills shown.
SaxonWolf
I found a listing for Prince Kumali wrestling in South America in the late 60’s. A real globe trotter.
Anglo Italian
Yes, seventies Kumali was a very very light worker, all finger-wagging and Clark Gable moustache. I shudder to think of him in with Assirati.
Cutler vs Ginsberg of course catches the eye. Great contributions, gents.
Great contributions, gents. I have to say that that Clifton poster, albeit as recent as 1978, is one of the finest we have seen.
Hack
Kumali was certainly a globetrotter and seemed to have great success overseas. A quietly spoken man he told me that his first match was in Germany before making his British debut in 1956, but I haven’t found him that early. An interesting bit of Heritage gossip. His wife was a former stripper with business interests in Uganda, running a fruit export business, and named Idi Amin as one of her friends.
Ron Historyo
Kumali comes across quite well in a YouTube video with Nagasaki. It’s just two minutes of balanced action.
On another one with Veidor he sold so well. Back in the day we would have believed it but looking now, Kumali could have held Veidor’s flying tackle, topple and pin all day. But near the end of his career, he just dutifully sold to Golden Boy Steve. A very viable big man much needed by the industry. Wish I had seen him back circa 1962.
SaxonWolf
Oseem to recall reading that he split up with his wife due to him being away from home so much, travelling as a Wrestler. Not sure if that was the lady you mentioned, Hack, or someone else.
EDIT: Found the info, see below.
“…Sadly, with all the travelling that Prince Kumali undertook, the marriage to Sheila did not survive and he left their Alexandra Park home to move into a flat above one of Wayne Bridge’s pubs .
Shortly after which he took a public house called the George Canning in Efra Road Brixton. This venture was then followed by taking a café further up the same road.
Finally Gordon invested in an upstairs 4 bedroom apartment opposite the pub, where he stayed until his death….”
Hack
That’s the lady, Sheila Sands.
Anglo Italian
Kumali vs Kowalski was an appealing match-up of equally sized wrestlers.
Neither was aggressive physically, but Kowalksi could protest till the cows came home and Prince Kumali wagged his finger violently. A great show that promised much.
The Ost
Prince Kumali wrestled in Australia in 1975 so he definitely travelled the globe.
James Morton
Going back to Kumali he told me he had been trained by Ray Apollon when they were both in Kismet. His first English bout was, so he said, when he subbed for Apollon at Belle Vue against Kiwi Kingston.
Ron Historyo
I do think Apollon and Kumali were friends. They were in India together in 1962
Ron Historyo
A great response on Kumali, pieced together, a very good picture of his time.
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