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Stan Rylands was a man known to every wrestling fan of the 1960s, and many of those of a couple of decades earlier as a professional wrestler. In the 1960s he was known nationwide as one of a handful of respected referees who officiated on the twice weekly televised wrestling shows. Whenever Wryton Promotions provided the televised event it was likely the referee would be Martin Conroy, Emile Poilve or Stan.
During the rest of the week Stan could be found officiating at Wryton tournaments around the midlands and north of England. He was a regular referee at Belle Vue, Manchester and the Victoria Hall, Hanley. At Hanley in the 1960s Stan alternated the weekly duties with Martin Conroy. Whether it be good fortune or good planning we don’t know, but it was Stan’s turn for duty at the Victoria Hall on one of the biggest nights in British wrestling.
5th March, 1966, is so long ago, but it is a date etched in the memories of British wrestling fans. This was the night that had begun with a long queue snaking around the Victoria Hall and ended with a battered and bloodied Count Bartelli having the strings of his mask untied by Stan Rylands. The student had mastered his teacher and Kendo Nagasaki had knocked out Count Bartelli.
Being a central figure in one of wrestling’s great nights must have been a highlight of Stan’s career, but there was much more to celebrate. So much more.
It was a career that extends back many years. George William Stanley Rylands was born on 30th June, 1923, the son of William and Lilian. Lilian’s maiden name was Sambrook, and it was this piece of information that started a train of thought that was confirmed by Stan’s daughter, Susan. There was a bit of wrestling blood in Stan’s veins, as Susan told us he was the cousin of Jack Sambrook, who wrestled as Jack Santos. It was cousin Jack that persuaded Stan to take up wrestling.
He was a contemporary of Jim Mellor, and the two of them trained together at the boxing and wrestling gym behind The Black Boy Public House in Cobridge. We find Stan wrestling in 1947 shortly after leaving the Royal Navy, where he served aboard the H.M.S. Hadleigh Castle. Opponents that included Red Callaghan, Alan Colbeck, Tommy Mann and Danny Flynn. Whilst those men went on to long and illustrious careers Stan was not so fortunate. Stan’s wrestling career was dogged with injury and finally cut short by a broken leg. His wife, Doris, was 96 years old when she told Heritage a specific recollection that one time he walked with a broken foot in a heavy snow storm hauling his heavy Navy kit bag that he used. She remembered his foot was hugely swollen, very painful and he was frozen to the bone.
On retirement from refereeing Stan went on to become the licensee of the Seven Stars on Lightwood Road, Longton.
We owe more gratitude to Stan, and wife Doris who he married in 1945, as they also bestowed on the grateful wrestling public his son, Bobby Ryan. George William Stanley Rylands died on 16th October, 1982.
Page added 30/07/2023
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