Questions and More Questions

Little is known about John Wade, a name occasionally seen on wrestling programmes in the early 1960s. though we feel there is more to discover. Wade was said to weight 24 stones, which co-incidentally happens to be the same weight as masked man The Monster. The Monster is usually acknowledged as Blackpool’s Jim Green, but we think there is more to it than that. John Wade came from Halifax and appeared on the scene around the same time that Max Crabtree started promoting. As both men came from the same town they would certainly know each other. A masked man who appeared on early Crabtree shows was The Monster.

Why should we think the original Monster was a Crabtree creation with Wade in the mask? When Crabtree began promoting in partnership with Joint Promotions in 1962 The Monster, and a hoodless John Wade, also began working for Joint Promotions. Finally, we have two unmaskings of The Monster, by Shirley Crabtree in Edinburgh and one witnessed by Heritage member Tom H. On each occasion The Monster unmasked and was revealed as John Wade.

Tom H recalled:

“In 1961 at Ilford Baths I saw The Monster beat Don Mendoza. His next bout was with Shirley Crabtree it ended up a no contest. A return match took place with a KO win for Crabtree, The Monster removed his mask and the MC named him as Big John Wade. The Monster returned a few weeks later to face Johnny Peters. He came into the ring wearing his mask but was ordered to remove it before the match began.”

In 1964 John Wade and The Monster left Joint rings to be seen occasionally on independent shows. Jim Green most likely took to The Monster mask following Wade’s 1962 departure to Joint Promotions.

And then there is Ivan The Monster and Ivan Kalmikoff, no mask but two more 24 stone giants seen in the early 1960s. Photographic evidence from Heritage member The Ost has proven that John Wade was Ivan The Monster, and Adrian Pollard demonstrated that Wade was Ivan Kalmikoff.

Heritage detectives live in hope that one day a relative of John Wade will get in touch and tell us more.

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