Also known as Bob Russell
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A Touch of Colour Did The Trick
By 1949 the integrity of professional wrestling in Britain was on the way to being re-established and the sport was beginning to flourish once again. Numerous overseas wrestlers made their way to Britain, and amongst them was a young Maori named Bob Russell. Russell travelled from his home of Te Puke, in the Bay of Plenty area of New Zealand, to Britain in the autumn of 1949, accompanied by fellow Kiwis Ray Clarke and Russ Bishop. Despite wrestling top British wrestlers like Jack Beaumont and Eddie Capelli Bob Russell failed to engage with British audiences.
That was about to change.
Change occurred when he was reinvented as Prince Banu the jiu-jitsu expert and alleged son of a Maori chieftan,. This added touch of colour did the trick and he was rewarded with more bookings, wins over men of the calibre of Johnny Stead, Jim Mellor and Jim Holden, and a surge in the fans’ interest.
Not enough, though for Heritage member, Bernard Hughes, who saw Banu three times at Newcastle. “The most disappointing contest that I saw was the first time that Prince Banu came to Newcastle. After a nothing happening first round where I felt that he was being carried, he got behind his opponent and jumped onto his shoulders. By twisting his head backwards and forward and then side to side he forced him to the canvas. We then had two further rounds where he appeared to be boring his knuckles into his hapless opponents temples.Eventually he rose from his opponent and watched whilst Les Kellett ,the ref, counted to ten. Boring to unconciousness. The audience were asleep before the opponent.”
Obviously Banu could not please everyone. Fortunately for him his fortunes had changed and he worked regularly until leaving the country in 1951. En-route to New Zealand Banu, Clarke and Bishop stopped off in the United States and Mexico.
Page added: 25/06/2024
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