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Joint Promotions evolved from the British Wrestling Promoters Association, a group of post war promoters with grand plans to revitalise the sport and create a family friendly product acceptable to enthusiasts of all ages.
They divided the country into territories that one of the group would control employing wrestlers who were willing to work exclusively for their organisation. They were to be successful in their aims for a quarter of a century.
Joint Promotions consisted of:
Dale Martin Promotions
Norman Morrell Ltd
Globe Promotions (Ted Beresford)
Morrell-Beresford Promotions
Relwyskow & Green Promotions
Wryton Promotions
Bill Best Promotions
Best Wryton Promotions
Joint Promotions were formed in March 1952, with the registered office in Toller Lane, Bradford. The four directors at the start were Norman Morrell, Ted Beresford, George De Relwyskow and Arthur Wright. Dale Martin Promotions and Bill Best were to become members of the organisation in January, 1953, with John Abbey (John Dale), Bill Best, Leslie Martin and Arthur Green joining the Board of Directors.
The Directors, or their representative, met once a month to discuss management issues and determine the bookings of the organisation’s main event wrestlers. They managed the organisation with efficiency, some would say ruthless efficiency.
Over the years Joint Promotions attracted criticism from their competitors and some of those who worked for them. The wrestlers who worked for Joint Promotions were only allowed to work for the cartel, and anyone failing to abide by this rule could be summarily dismissed. Promoters setting up in opposition to Joint Promotions could expect vigorous reprisals. Whilst much of the criticism was valid the fact remains that the Joint Promotion members were responsible for the huge commercial success of professional wrestling in Britain for a quarter of a century. Their vision was to create a mass market sporting entertainment that was inoffensive and would appeal to a family audience. They sought to produce a high quality product that was accepted as a legitimate sport, replacing disorder with national organisation and discipline. In this respect they were very successful.
The Directors were mostly men with successful amateur careers and a passion for professional wrestling. By clearly acknowledging their wrestling credentials on their programmes these men aligned themselves personally to any criticism of the professional wrestling business and fiercely rebuked such critics. When Lisners and Branch exposed them in the News of The World they aggressively and publicly challenged the accusers, and when Atholl Oakeley criticised the modern style they took legal action to acquire a public apology. Their passion for bringing real change extended to creating a new identity for wrestling by changing the rules of the sport to attract more followers.
Quality posters advertised their tournaments, there were frequent reminders of the origins of the Lord Mountevans rules and the authority these suggested, MCs wore dinner jackets, officials had an air of authority, and the ring and layout of the hall were always of a high standard.
Through innovation, consistency and quality Joint Promotion became the standard bearers for professional wrestling, and their position was cemented when they were awarded an exclusive contract to provide tournaments for independent television.
Each of the companies was independently owned until 1964 when the Hurst Park syndicate bought the biggest member, Dale Martin Promotions. Fortunately for wrestling the current owners, the Abbey and Martin families, were to remain in operational control until 1971.
Directorship of Joint Promotions was to remain remarkably consistent for seventeen years. Arthur Green resigned in November, 1969, followed in 1972 by Arthur Wright, Bill Best, Norman Morrell and Ted Beresford. The men with vision and passion were reaching retirement age and relinquishing their roles. Most of those that replaced them, which included Mick McManus, Martin Conroy and Max Crabtree were men steeped in wrestling tradition, but things would never be the same again.
Independent promoter Max Crabtree was employed to manage the northern promotions from 1975, and a couple of years later he took over management of the Dale Martin shows, expanding the Dale Martin brand to the midlands and north.
Crabtree’s innovations brought a short lived revival to a business that was already ailing. With many of the biggest attractions joining the independents in the 1980s the influence of Joint Promotions began to wane and eventually their stranglehold on wrestlers’ exclusive contracts was broken. A management buy-out led to Max Crabtree taking ownership of Joint Promotions in 1986.
By then the decline in wrestling’s popularity was out of control, and in 1988 Joint Promotions lost their exclusive rights to televised wrestling.
Joint Promotions Ltd was dissolved on 27th October, 1992, along with it’s only remaining constituent parts: Dale Martin Promotions, Best-Wryton Promotions and Relwyskow-Green Promotions.
Joint Promotions Associates
A number of promoters were permitted to present wrestling shows in association with Joint Promotions, using Joint Promotion wrestlers. Many of those listed also presented their own independent shows at other times:
Jack Atherton
Joe Coates
Max Crabtree
Conrad Davis
Devereux
Jerry Jeary
Peter Keenan
Sammy King
Maurice Letchford
William Little
Johnny Peters
Billy Riley
Billy Shinfield
Frank Woodhouse
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