Eddie Rose reflects on his long wrestling career.
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SOLO BOUTS.
Looking back from the standpoint of some 35 years ago when I retired from wrestling after a career of some twenty years, certain bouts and wrestlers stand out in my memory.
In solo bouts I wrestled some legends like Count Bartelli at Liverpool Stadium on a couple of occasions. I was billed as The Assassin at that time and the thought of wrestling one of the most famous masked wrestlers ever – now without his mask since a defeat by Kendo Nagasaki – was quite extraordinary. Needless to say the Count prevailed!
I also wrestled Adrian Street on several occasions both in solo and tag bouts and, hidden under his extrovert and entertaining ring personality, he was a first class wrestler and the hell of a nice guy. He enraged me during a bout at Colne Town Hall by kissing me and leaving a great big GREEN imprint on my cheek. He saw I’d lost it and he jumped out of the ring. I jumped and chased him down the main isle of the hall. By that time we were both giggling like two soft kids. Talk about kiss and make-up!
Another memorable series of bouts was against Jack Dempsey of Wigan. He was truly a master wrestler of the Wigan School with an extensive range of moves and cruel submission holds. I wrestled him twice in championship bouts and each time I lost to his brutal single legged Boston crab. I can still feel the pain! He hurt me. However he also became a good and helpful friend for years afterwards.
A bout I really enjoyed and it stays in my mind quite vividly was a 1-1 draw versus Eric Taylor, for so many years British Light Heavyweight champion. For once the fates worked on my side. We were both finishing our warm-ups prior to entering the arena when we heard a loud, piercing scream. One of the wrestlers, Alec Burton (Manchester), had suffered a severely broken leg; his shin bone was bulging through the leather of his wrestling boot as he writhed on the canvas. Eric went a very sickly shade of white; a mixture of revulsion and horror. It seriously put him off his wrestling so that a bout he should have won with ease ended in a draw. A fabulous result for me, a relative newcomer. Again, a great wrestler and promoter and salt of the earth was Eric.
I wrestled many other top wrestlers over the years including Mike Dallas, Alan Miquet, Ian “Mad Dog” Wilson, Dale Storm, Jackie Pallo (both father and son), Alan Dennison, Alan Woods, Ivan Penzekoff, Tally-Ho Kaye, Keith Martinelli, Mike Jordan, Johnny South, Reg Ray, Pedro the Gypsy, Hans Streiger, Johnny Saint, John Kenny, Abe Ginsberg, Keith Martinelli, Romeo Joe Critchley, Melvin Riss, Cyril Knowles. And the list goes on… Good memories.
TAG TEAM WRESTLING
I trained with Ian Wilson for many years at Panther’s Gym in Manchester and met him in quite a few bouts too. He was an enthusiastic and very skilled wrestler. At the suggestion of promoter Jack Atherton we formed a tag team initially known as Les Diables Rouges which changed into the Red Devils, a partnership that lasted for about 18 years. Incidentally, Red Devils had nothing at all to do with a certain Manchester soccer team, rather it was connected with the originals, Salford Rugby League of the early post-war years when the club had its greatest successes.
We thought we were good but quickly were taught a lesson by a team comprising Melvin Riss and Ian St John in a bout at Blackburn. My feet rarely touched the canvas but my back did, violently. These two were so fast and skilled that they dominated us and, at the risk of being unmasked so early in our career, we had to resort to action that angered the referee and we beat a quick retreat after being disqualified.
We had several bouts versus the Royals, Bert and Vic, two great tag wrestlers and as it turned out, two good friends. With the Royals you were fighting a third partner, the crowd who just loved them. Other notable tag teams we encountered were Adrian Street and Bobby Barnes (also tough and uncompromising) and the agile Borg twins. We had our fair share of disqualifications but we never had to unmask in fifteen years.
1980 was not a good year and I spent several months on the injured list with a back injury. One day Ian Wilson rang me and invited me to go with him to Hindley near Wigan where he was wrestling at the Monaco Ballroom. “Do you good to get out and chat to the lads again,” he said.
I’d only been in the place two minutes and the promoter, Jack Atherton, took me aside. “Eddie I need you to go in the tag. Bert Royal’s ill and can’t make it.” I had no gear; Jack found some. I was not fit: Jack said I was! A brief chat with Vic and in I went: one half of the famous Royals tag team. Unbelievable! We were up against Bob Walls and a lad called Le Masque. No worries. Vic worked overtime and we came away with a win. Again, unbelievable!
Finally, I partnered Abe Ginsberg in the Black Diamonds during the last months of my career. That, too, was an exciting experience and my hardest opponent was Abe himself who used to get over excited if I made a mistake or gave a fall away and we finished up fighting each other on several occasions. He had a very strong forearm did Abe!
ODDITIES AND SURPRISES
I was billed to wrestle a lad called Ted O’Leary at Blackburn. I’d not met him before and, as the bell rang for the first round, he suddenly whipped off his wig and handed it to the second to everyone’s amazement and amusement; bald as they come!
Orig Williams matched Ian Wilson and me against Klondike Bill. I lasted just thirty seconds before Klon flattened me for the full KO count with one of his “belly flops”.
The ring slowly collapsed under us as we wrestled at Portishead, a venue just outside Bristol. We soldiered on through the debris. We thought we’d done an heroic job to keep the show going. Looking at the wrecked ring, the promoter did not thank us!
Lee Sharon, the great Leeds wrestler, taking me to the canvas in a headlock and whispering most unexpectedly in my ear “Eddie Rose. I love you!”
Catweazle losing his false teeth during a bout at Nelson and the ref kicked them to the side of the ring for safety where a hand came out of the shadows and grasped them. We never saw them again. I could imagine some old guy going home and telling his wife he had a new set of teeth.
So many bouts, so many opponents, so many happenings. I enjoyed it all and still treasure those memories and friendships now and I’m an eighty year old ex-wrestler with chronic arthritis!
Eddie Rose (Manchester) July 2020
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