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Oh how the nation cheered the blond Adonis as he took the battle towards the man we loved to hate, Mick McManus, on our television screens in November 1965. That was not enough for the Golden Greek and he returned for further punishment from Mick’s rival, Jackie Pallo, in April of the following year. With the benefit of hindsight we know the results were inevitable, but the British public took the young Greek to their hearts, shown once again when he suffered a knock out loss to Mick’s tag partner, Steve Logan, at the Royal Albert Hall.
Don’t allow our dwelling on these high profile defeats disguise the fact that here was a good technical wrestler who could hold his own with Europe’s best middleweights of the time. Born in Greece George’s father took the family to live in South Africa when the youngster was in his mid teens. It was there that George took an interest in wrestling and turned professional when he was twenty years old.
George told us that when he first arrived in the UK in 1960, a raw young athlete from South Africa and having no clue how to go about getting matches it was Reg Trood, Peter Rann, Linde Caulder and Tony Cassio that took him in as a friend and taught him a great deal. “I had no clue about how to get matches,” said George.
They introduced him to Paul Lincoln and soon he was working around southern England for the independent promoters. Frankie Hughes was another help. He Got George into cleaning windows! “Frank came up to me in the gym and said ‘You are a Greek so I am sure you can help me clean windows.’ I don’t know what Greek has got to do with cleaning windows.” He gave me a job and I must say we had such laughs that had he not paid me that would have been fine, but he did. I only worked with him for less than a month, but he taught me to laugh “
Our earliest find is of George wrestling the experienced South African Fred Van Lotta at Burnt Oak in February, 1961, though there were most probably earlier matches. Fred and George were to remain lifelong friends up to the time of Fred’s death in 2023.
More opponents on Lincoln bills included veteran Bob Sherry and newcomers Bob Kirkwood, Reg Trood and Bobby Barnes. George worked for the main independent promotions: Paul Lincoln, Frankie Price, Twentieth Century, Lew Phillips, Len Britton, Tony DeMarto and the rest. Paul Lincoln at the time was building up his wrestling empire to challenge the might of Dale Martin Promotions, and overseas visitors like George played a vital part to complement Lincoln’s emerging stars.
It wasn’t just the fans that took notice of George. When he returned three years later it was at the invitation of Dale Martin Promotions. George’s extended visits that covered most of 1965, 1966 and 1967 were for Dale Martin Promotions and their Joint Promotion partners, which brought higher profile opponents such as Les Kellett, Johnny Kwango and Steve Logan.
Working for Joint Promotions also brought the opportunity to reach a national audience through television. In November 1965 George made his television debut. No favours from Dale Martin with the opponent Mick McManus and the inevitable lucky win for Mick. In the years that followed George impressed the fans but received mixed fortunes from promoters. A win over Pallo in the halls, but a loss on tv; wins over Rann and Joyce with losses against lesser known names. Another example of Joint Promotions not really knowing what to do with a man of class.
For two more years British wrestling fans continued to enjoy the stylish Greek who disappeared from our rings in 1967. Gone, but certainly not forgotten.
George Passalaris died on 25th December, 2024.
Page added 19/05/2024
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