Wrestling Heritage

09 November 1937
Londos Held
It was a happy Birthday for South African tram driver Johannes Van der Welt when he held Jim Londos to a draw at the Empress Hall in London. The bout was scheduled for sixty minutes and went for the duration without any score.

09 November 1938
The End of the Lane
One venue that could pull in the punters on a regular basis was Harold Lane’s London Club, that had been staging wrestling throughout the decade. A Committee of London County Council were told that two thousand guests filled the Club three times a week to watch the all-in wrestling shows. The Committee were hearing an appeal by Lane against imminent closure. The L.C.C. were demanding additional exits to the club, which would cost £20,000 and leave room for a capacity of just 750. Lane’s efforts were in vain and the club closed at midnight on 9th November, 1938. Fifty members of staff were made redundant and wrestlers lost a source of regular bookings.

09 November 1955
The first ITV wrestling broadcast
First transmission of wrestling on ITV from West Ham Baths

09 November 1960
Oakeley Weds
It was fourth time to the altar for Sir Atholl Oakeley when he married a nurse, Shirley Church, at Tunbridge Wells Register Office.

10 November 1951
Baldwin Marches On
Champion Ernest Baldwin retained the British Heavyweight Title he had won just a week earlier when he defeated George Clark over seven rounds in Newcastle.

11 November 1932
A Wrestler Arrives
Lithuanian Karl Pojello arrived in Britain. It was an arrival resulting from the friendship he had formed with Atholl Oakeley when Oakeley had toured the United States in 1931.

He was accompanied by a younger American, Billy Bartush, who was nicknamed The Chicago Express.

11 November 1938
Sherry Wins
Jack Sherry defeated Douglas Clark when the Huddersfield wrestler retired with a cut eye as he challenged for the World Heavyweight title. Clark, the coal merchant and former rugby player was 45 years old and going for one of his last big pay days. A cut was opened above the left eye in the second round. By round seven blood was pouring from the cut and the referee stopped the contest.

11 November 1947
The Angel Pulls ‘em In
Newspapers reported that more than 1,000 fans were turned away from the Caird Hall in Dundee when The Angel was on the bill. Those who were admitted were said to be disappointed as his match against Abdul the Turk was the poorest of the evening. The Angel was on the defence for most of the match until Abdul was disqualified for punching in the third round. In the other matches Jim Anderson beat Maurice Letchford by two falls to one, The Farmer won over Black Butcher Johnson, who was disqualified and the contest between Jimmy Doran and Sonny Wallis ended in a double knock out. £23 17/- was raised for the Ex-Servicemen’s Limbless Association.

11 November 1961
Luther Lindsay on TV
It was just one short 1961 visit to the UK for American Luther Lindsay. Few visitors, if any, could boast a KO win over Mike Marino at the Royal Albert Hall, or destruction of Josef Zaranoff on television. Luther Lindsay could. In his native United States Luther Lindsay was one of the first African American wrestlers to achieve star billing, being billed as the Coloured American Heavyweight Champion. During the 1950s Luther took part in many inter-racial contests, which was something of a rarity in those days. He was a frequent challenger for Lou Thesz’s world title, often holding the champion to sixty minute draws.

11 November 1965
A Real Dazzler
The always popular Londonder Dazzler Joe Cornelius won the vacant Southern Area Heavyweight championship at the Assembly Hall in Walthamstow. The title had been declared vacant with the retirement of “The Blackfriars Thunderbolt” Tony Mancelli. Also taking part in the championship tournament were Bruno Elrington, Alan Garfield and Charlie Fisher.

11 November 1978
Roach Loses It (And Not Just the Title)
A draw earlier in the year and another chance for the British heavyweight title for Pat Roach against champion Tony St Clair at the Victoria Hall in Hanley. Scheduled for twelve rounds it was all over in the tenth when Roach was disqualified.

12 November 1934
The Show Must Go On
A large fire swept the top floor of a huge building in Leeds close to a wrestling show taking place at the nearby Brunswick Stadium. Fans were alerted to the outbreak of the fire but only three were reported to have left as the show continued.

12 November 1951
A Busy Champion
British heavyweight champion Ernest Baldwin was making the most of the British heavyweight title he had won on 3rd November when he made what was (at least) the second defence of the championship in nine days. He defeated Scotland’s Robert McDonald at the Eldorado Stadium in Leith. Following a difficult third round for the challenger, mostly occupied by Baldwin’s leg Scissors, he came into his own from the fourth round onwards. Baldwin put up little resistance to the Scots’ impressive throws in the fifth round and appeared very groggy at the start of the sixth. McDonald continued to dominate in the sixth round until finally securing the lead after 19 seconds of the seventh with a left arm submission. Sensing victory for the Scots challenger the fans were soon disappointed when a back stretch submission gave Baldwin the equaliser in round eight. At the start of the ninth round McDonald was in no position to continue and Baldwin was declared victor.

13 November 1930
A Tame Exhibition
In October an attempt to introduce a new style of wrestling into Britain by promoter Jeff Dickson had been scuppered due to the Home Office’s reluctance to grant work permits to overseas wrestlers. Although the Daily Mirror claimed there were at least twenty promoters competing to be the first to stage the new style of wrestling the shortage of British workers meant that the Home Office hurdle would need to be overcome.

Representatives of the Home Office were invited to the London Sports Club to observe the new wrestling and pass judgement. Two representatives attended to watch two wrestling matches which were part of a boxing programme organised by Sam Russell. The match, over three ten minute rounds, was between George Boganski and George Modrich and ended in a draw.

The second contest between amateur champion Atholl Oakeley and Bill Garnon ended after nine minutes with Oakeley winning.. Following the wrestling William Bankier, the Apollo of weight lifting fame, entered the ring and said he had a British wrestler who was willing to challenge and beat Boganski. Referee for the matches was Fred Davies

What the Home Office witnessed was nothing like the wrestling that would evolve in the ensuing decade. There was a lack of showmanship, theatre, grunts, groans or any excessive violence. P.J.Moss, writing in the Daily Mirror, described it as a delightful exhibition and that he had enjoyed every second.” The Daily Herald reporter was less enthusiastic and said that the wrestling was too uneventful to be of any interest.

P.J. Moss expressed his displeasure at seeing Oakeley working in a professional ring, and reported a private conversation following the match in which Oakeley said the new style wrestling would need to be more exciting and faster than the two contests exhibited that evening.

The one thousand fans present were appreciative and Sam Russell announced that all being well a tournament would be held at the National Sporting Club in December.

13 November 1933
A Double Challenge
At the Brunswick Stadium in Leeds British heavyweight champion claimant Douglas Clark stepped into the ring as that other British heavyweight champion claimant, Atholl Oakeley, was about to fight. Clark challenged Oakeley to a fight with £100 sidestakes and said he would wrestle Karl Pojello on the same night also with £100 sidestakes.

13 November 1964
Entry of the Samurai
Kendo Nagasaki’s first professional match, against Jim Hussey in Willenhall.

14 November 1981
Title Match Is Off
The World Heavy Middleweight title match at Hanley between Mark Rollerball Rocco (champion) and Marty Jones was cancelled. Marty Jones defeated Lucky Gordon, who substituted for Rocco.

15 November 1938
Another Board of Control
The introduction of men v women matches brought the call for regulation to the fore once again. London County Council threatened to ban all wrestling tournaments in the city unless the sport was regulated. Consequently on 15th November, 1938, yet another British Wrestling Board of Control was formed, along the lines of the British Boxing Board of Control. Chairman was A.F.Bell (of The Ring, Blackfriars), Vice Chairman Harold Lane, Secretary Jack Dale, treasurer F.E.Branstone, and boxing manager and promoter Victor Berliner adviser to the board. We have little evidence of the Board’s influence following it’s inauguration, though some halls, such as the Majestic Ice Rink at Preston, did advertise their matches were under the auspices of the British Wrestling Board of Control. In essence nothing had changed. Various governing bodies had been declared during the decade, but they were nothing more than veiled attempts to promote respectability by creating an illusion of structure and authority.

15 November 1947
Angel Revealed
The Black Angel wrestled Dave Armstrong at Newcastle, two men who had opposed each other many times before. The match ended in a draw and for some reason, we don’t know why, the Black Angel pulled off the hood to reveal Sandy Orford.

15 November 1952
Convincing Win For Champion Lawrence Keeps
Tony Lawrence beat Alan Colbeck by two falls to nil over nine rounds in Newcastle to retain the British welterweight title

15 November 1967
Hayes Wins Southern Crown
Judo Al Hayes won the vacant Southern Area Heavyweight title when he defeated Bruno Elrington in the final of a four man tournament at the Royal Albert Hall. In the semi finals Hayes had defeated Wayne Bridges and Elrington beat Don Stedman in one fall contests.

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