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Mike Dallas was one of that multitude of talented 1960s wrestlers who had the skill, agility, looks, and regular television exposure, but never really made it as a regular top of the bill performer. It wasn’t just the fans that were impressed by Mike, these are the words of fellow wrestler Eddie Rose, “Mike was exceptionally athletic, worked with speed and precision and why he never became a genuine top of the bill wrestler I don’t know. I always learned from working with him in the ring.”
When it came to learning the business Mike didn’t have far to look. He was the son of wrestler Mick Millman and nephew of wrestler Ted Betley. Born in Warrington in 1947 Mike dropped the family name of Millman in favour of the more glamorous sounding Dallas, possibly to avoid confusion with his dad who was still wrestling when he made his debut. Or it might just have sounded a bit more flamboyant.
Sporting interests as a schoolboy included rugby, swimming and boxing. Mike turned professional when he was seventeen years old and was soon established as one of the country’s most popular middleweights. In March, 1967, only a couple of years after turning professional he made his television debut against Iron Man Steve Logan. This was the first of around a dozen televised matches which gained new fans in areas of the country he could not normally reach due to his full time job. Television opponents included Mick McManus, Jackie Pallo and Vic Faulkner.
Towards the end of 1969 Mike made the move to work for the independent promoters which brought to an end opportunities for televised work. .
In 1977 Mike disappeared from British rings and continued his career in Australia where he held the Australian Light Heavyweight Championship for two months in 1977. He defeated Harold Kalevoris on 5 February 1977 in Melbourne to win the title lost it on 26 March 1977 to Ken Medlin in Melbourne. Medlin was one of the greatest light heavyweights in Australia’s wrestling history..
Mike is fondly remembered in Australia for his series of matches against Ken Medlin. They clashed everywhere from Brisbane to Perth. Dallas got some measure of revenge with a non-title victory in Brisbane but when the belt was on the line, somehow it was always the villainous Medlin’s hand that was raised.
On his return to Britain in 1979 Mike had a few more matches, we found him in March, 1980 at Winsford, but life was moving on. He took over management of the Black Bear Public House in Knutsford Road, Warrington, and in 1983 moved on on to the Ring o’ Bells pub.
Mick Millman
With the benefit of television his son may have found greater fame but Mick Millman was a part of the wrestling scene for more than twenty years. He turned professional during the Second World War. Mick was already a wrestler in 1945 when his sister, Edna, married wrestler Ted Betley. Reports are of a skilful wrestler who moved up through the weights from tangling with the likes of lightweight George Kidd to heavyweight Robert McDonald and regularly appearing at Belle Vue, Manchester.
When not wrestling Mick plied his trade as a joiner around Cheshire. He began to reduce his wrestling commitments in the late 1950s but could still occasionally be seen in action until the mid 1960s. We have an unconfirmed report that when his son, Mike Dallas, made his debut in Worcester, Mick was also on the bill.
Page added 16/04/2023
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