Eddie Rose reflects on his long wrestling career.
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An old friend phoned me last week for a talk about our shared time in wrestling. We are both in our eighties and it was good to recall people and events of some fifty years ago. We chatted about mutual friends, events we had in common for two or three minutes and then the topic changed: who were the tough wrestlers, the hard men we had encountered. Some of the names that cropped up were of well known stars but, on the other hand, some were lesser known wrestlers but respected by their ring colleagues. I would also apologise or not mentioning a whole host of other wrestlers who would qualify in this category
The first name mentioned was that of Keith Williamson (or Martinelli as he was often billed). Keith was local to me, from nearby Bolton and was nicknamed “Blood Boots”. He was a very likeable lad – outside the ring! In the ring he was very skilful, a quick mover and literally hit you with everything from forearms, head butts, dropkicks; every move was done at speed and with full power. Even his monkey climbs were fearsome from the point of just how powerful they were and how high in the air they sent you.
The first time I met him in the ring ended in a six round draw but by the end I was disorientated and concussed and I cannot think how I survived the six rounds. It was at Butlins in Pwllheli and I dashed back to the chalet we used for a changing room, locked the door behind me, and stood waiting for Keith with a chair in my hands! Seconds later the door handle was tried and remained locked. Then there was a knock on the window behind me and Keith waved his hand to me with a big grin on his face! We became good friends after that but on future occasions in the ring I was always very defensive and tried to match him with every move – with only occasional success.
Riley’s Gym in Wigan has produced dozens, maybe hundreds, of tough wrestlers, me of the calibre of Billy Joyce, Ernie Riley, John Foley, Jack Dempsey and Melvin Riss and I can personally vouch for the last three names on that list. Dempsey I respected most of all. I had a dozen bouts with him and every time he out thought, out wrestled and demonstrated terrific strength and stamina that always left me defeated physically, mentally and, at the same time, admiring this superb wrestler.
Three other Wigan wrestlers also came in to this category. They were heavyweights Jack Beaumont and Arthur Ricardo and lightweight Cliff Belshaw who were, I believe, brothers whose wrestling skills and physical strength were legendary. I was present at Bill Kerfoot’s club in Manchester the night Jack collapsed and died of a heart attack. Arthur was landlord of a city centre pub, also in Manchester, the Robin Hood on London Road. Cliff was a very skilful tumbler or acrobat and used to demonstrate his skills with breathtaking ease during his bouts.
You can count any Wigan-trained wrestler in the “tough category”. Jack Atherton used to bring Jack Fallon and Alan Woods to Wryton Stadium on Sundays for the training sessions; his aim was to use them to toughen up the aspiring wrestlers at these weekly sessions. It was a valuable but sometimes a painful experience!
The Manchester wrestlers used to be in awe of Bob Sherry (Jimmy Niblett) who was a quiet, almost kindly man. He was also an ex-miner, ex-quarryman, ex-Para from World War Two and an ex-Riley’s gym regular. He was a tough as they come and a very skilled wrestler. He did not go looking for trouble but he met it head-on if it came along. A young wrestler, fresh from his first TV show and whose name I will with hold, bounced into the changing room and shouted to the promoter “Who’s on with me?” The promoter told him, “ First bout. With Bob Sherry.” The you man said “Never heard of him! This is what we’ll do!” And he went on to outline his thoughts on the bout. Bob Sherry just looked at him but made no comment. The rest of us remained silent and wondered what would happen in the ring for we all knew Bob.
They went into the ring (and several of us wrestlers watched from the back of the hall). Bob took the presumptuous new lad in series of quite painful submission holds starting with a painful grovit hold. He held the lad in these very uncomfortable holds for three full rounds and the audience grew quite unsettled by the lack of action. He then took submissions in rounds four and five. The lad was crying in the changing room and Bob walked over to him and simply said, “Show a bit of respect next time kid.” Bob was a one-off and competed in quite difficult fell races whilst in his seventies and we all loved him in a guarded way!
There were many other tough men too, of the calibre of Eric Taylor (Bradford) and Abe Ginsberg (Manchester) but two of the lesser known lads deserve a mention. Firstly, Bill Blake, often referred to as “Battling Billy” and ex-rugby league lad from St Helens. You could hit Bill as hard as you liked and he only shook his head briefly and said “Is that the best you can do?” before hitting you back with interest. I never saw him flinch or back down. The other one is “Dirty Dave” Reynolds. a Burnley bully boy, who just grinned when some one whacked him the came back immediately at full speed. Dave learned his trade on the booths where he gained reputation for sorting out the “Saturday Night Heroes” fresh from the nearest pub and full of booze fuelled heroics.
People have various opinions about wrestlers and wrestling but I can personally vouch that there were many very strong, tough and skilled men in the rings of the UK during my time some fifty years ago. I still have the aches and pains from those bumps and bangs.
Eddie Rose
Wrestling Heritage 