By Ron Historyo
Wrestling Heritage welcomes memories, further information and corrections.
I hurtled through time landing on an area of the Potteries known as Hanley.
It was evening, a long time ago. So long ago now that the night is lost in the mists of time. It was a Monday night and for many wrestling fans tongues had been wagging all day, especially in the Pits for Hanley was a coal mining town. Hanley Deep Pit was the deepest of all the Pits in Staffordshire.
They liked their wrestling.
What was special about tonight was that the regular masked wrestler who had a long unbeaten streak had been challenged by another alleged unbeaten masked man. The man who of late had worn a Red Mask had been called out by a man in a Darker mask.
The loser would unmask and reveal his name and nationality. Six ten minute rounds was almost certain to make a winner likely. A few pundits tipped a draw of course, but whatever, it was not an ordinary night where the mask always came out victorious.
What would happen?
First round was edged by the challenger but no score. In round two the man in the Red mask, after a couple of body slams got the lead with a pin. The challenger recovered and applied pressure and finally in the fourth round got his equalizer via a pin. The crowd watched tensely as time got gobbled up and at the end of sixty minutes we had a draw.
Well was it a case of great marketing? Let the tongues wag in the mines and about town for a few weeks, because this thing was going to be settled.
Exactly four weeks later I was back mingling in the crowd for the return match. This time five minute rounds with one minutes rest. The bout would go on second with unlimited time.
Loser would unmask for sure.
Just one snag. By law and license the wrestling had to finish by 9.45 so if it was not decided by then, both men would unmask.
Can you imagine the tension as the fight began?
Who was behind those masks? Early in the fight the man in the red mask was punished by a hammer lock and in the third found himself hanging on again in a scissor grip. In round four the challenger got the opening fall with a body press.Pretty exciting after that and full value for the fans. It was the seventh when the man in the Red mask equalized. What a fight.
It all ended in the eighth round when the red masked wrestler went through the ropes and was hurt and unable to beat the count. The man in the red mask had to reveal his identity to the crowd and was duly unmasked in the middle of the ring with the crowd gasping.
Now call me a time detective or bandit for that matter, or a teller of yarns, but I bet up to now I might have a few Heritage Fans thinking that they have seen this story before.
Well, it is not what you think, or maybe you are pretty smart anyway and were not fooled. After all , did Bartelli have a Red Mask and why did I not mention Kendo’s Sword and attire?
The nights I am talking about were autumn evenings, yet Bartelli and Kendo had fought their famous fight in March.
So what the hell am I talking about?
Well, true I was in the past and I was in Hanley, but I was not at the Victoria Hall and what is more the year was not 1966. I was on the High Street at the Ideal Skating Rink. The Germans had invaded Poland, Britain and France had declared war on Hitler and the year was 1939.
So who were they? Well the Red Mask turned out to be a great amateur Champion from Wigan by the name of Bob Silcock. In previous years he had been helping run Manx wrestling for William Bankier and had had a long unbeaten streak as the Blue Mask. Finally he had lost his mask to George Gregory over there.
The challenger had been the Dark Owl, and although not named in the newspapers, Geoff Condliffe (Bartelli) had mentioned that this persona was handed down from Father to son by Billy Riley to young Ernie. Of course back in 1939 this would have been the one and only Billy Riley, also from Wigan, a friend of Silcocks and fellow matchmaker over on the Isle and many other places that depended on Lancashire Wrestlers.
This match it turns out must have been the blueprint, right down even to the way the ending came. My theory is , that on this night there were people there who remembered the idea. In the frame we have Billy Riley, Jack Atherton, Bartelli himself, maybe Arthur Wright or at least someone who was pulling a few strings at Wryton Promotions in 1966.
It was an absolute guaranteed template to get the fans in. It had never been forgotten up to 1966 and used again. However I think it was well on the way to being forgotten since 1966 until I managed to unearth the evidence.
Enjoy below the two bills for these two fights . The Ice Rink was no Flash in the pan, it was the regular venue in 1939.
1966 such was the expectation and anticipation of the fight to the finish between Bartelli and Nagasaki that the evening was advertised as far as 50 miles away.
Look at the script, one man must unmask.
Wrestling Heritage has come across another forgotten piece of history and legend.
Historyo
Wrestling Heritage 