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He was London through and through but the wrestling fans of the 1960s were mostly oblivious to the fact that Kurt Jorgens had been born with the name Frederick Ernest Storer on 13th May, 1933.
The blond hair, athletic muscular physique and pronounced cheek bones were enough to transform Streatham’s Fred into the far more exotic sounding Kurt Jorgens, nicknamed the “Swedish Wonder Boy,”
It was a pro wrestling friend, no other than Bert Assirati, that encouraged Fred to take up wrestling. He trained in the now demolished boxing and wrestling gymnasium that could be found behind “The Gun” public house on Church Street, Croydon. The gym had been opened by former boxer Tom Fisher shortly after the war when his original gym on Gloucester Road had been destroyed in a wartime bombing raid.
In the colourful world of professional wrestling promoters were always seeking ways to add a touch of colour and glamour. So when Fred turned professional in the late 1950s looks like his would be wasted on a simple Fred Storer when he could easily adopt a new nationality and the name of a famous film star.
Jorgens became a regular on the independent bills of London and the South East during in the 1960s. A frequent opponent was his old rival, Bert Lamb. One fan with memories of Kurt told us that his over-riding recollection was of fans screaming abuse at the Scandic heavyweight villain as he punished Lamb by working on an old leg injury, something that seemed to happen with some regularity.
Although he gained frequent work Kurt Jorgens was to remain one of the lesser lights; one of the infantry without whom the likes of McManus, Pallo and all the other stars could not have existed. Called Fred or Kurt this Londoner is one of the unsung heroes that enriched Britain’s wrestling heritage.
Frederick Ernest Storer died on 30th May, 2017.
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