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We have two Joe Pyes for you, and only one is definitely a member of the Pye family.
The first of our two Joes remains a bit of a mystery. We are not entirely sure he was a member of the famous family, on balance thinking it likely, but his was a much lower profile than the rest of the family. He wrestled in the 1930s, and we have matches recorded from 1935 until August, 1939. In September, 1939 it was announced in the ring that he had joined H.M. Forces, and after that we have only one recorded match, in May, 1941. Ron Historyo has found that Jack Pye did have a younger brother Joe. Surprisingly in the fifty plus adverts we have found for Joe about three quarters state Blackburn as his home, a town not associated with the Pye family. On only one occasion is is stated that Joe is a brother in the wrestling family, in September, 1939 when he is part of a Pye Team alongside Harry, Frank and Tommy.
A member of the younger generation of the Pye family our second Joe was the nephew of the Doncaster Panther himself, Jack Pye. He had a short lived career in the 1970s, opponents including Max Raeger and Honey Boy Zimba. After losing to Zimba by straight falls at Blackpool Tower in 1975 he reported “Zimba body slammed me eleven times.” Around 1970 we did see a wrestler (just the once) billed as Cousin Pye, tagging with Dominic. We’ve no idea whether he was the creation of the promoter, a family member, or could it have been Joe Pye?
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