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Harold Lane was an entrepreneur who popularised wrestling by presenting shows at the London Sports Club (popularly known as Lanes) initially in King Street and later Baker Street London, which he managed.
He was keen to stage the first of the new style of wrestling, which he achieved with his friend Atholl Oakeley. The first exhibition of All-In was arranged by Harold Lane when matches between Atholl Oakeley and Bill Garnon, and Georges Modrich and George Boganski were staged at the London Sports Club on 13th November, 1930.. The exhibition at Lanes Club, with a large press itinerary invited, omitted any of the violent tactics present with the official launch two weeks later.
In February 1931 Lane promoted the first British heavyweight championship in which Douglas Clark defeated Atholl Oakeley.
Harold Lane’s significance in wrestling history should not be underestimated, offering wrestlers who took part the training facilities of the club and went on to stage wrestling four times a week at Lanes Club, which was itself a major factor in reviving the sport in London. Two thousand guests filled the Club three times a week to watch the all-in wrestling shows.
Lane did not have a wrestling background and it seems that professional wrestlers provided vital support in managing the events, Bob Gregory was matchmaker for Lane at one time. His enthusiasm for wrestling was, however, instrumental in popularising the sport on Britain.
Lane ran into trouble with the law for promoting wrestling shows on Sunday in contravention of the Sunday Observance Laws. Apart from the London Club Harold Lane was also promoter at other venues that included the Beresford Arena, Haringey; Olympia, Kensington; and Vale Hall, Kilburn, London.
When he died in December 1941, aged 54, he was described in the press as “The Tsar of Wrestling.”
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