Travel back in time and discover what was happening this week in our wrestling heritage
Travel back in time and discover what happened this week
21 April 1903
Birth of Ernie Mack
Read our tribute to Ernie Mack
21 April 1934
Wrestling Goes West.
All-In wrestling made it’s debut in the Cornish town of St Austell promoted by boxing promoter Bob Lewis in the Public Rooms. Francis Gregory defeated Herbie Rosenberg by two submissions to one fall, Jack Bice beat George Burns by two falls to one submission, Red Jakes drew with Hiram Maxen.
21 April 1936
Birth of Keith Williamson
Read our tribute to Keith Williamson
21 April 1962
In The Beginning …
Jackie Pallo jumped into the ring at Wembley Town Hall on this Easter Saturday and challenged McManus prior to McManus’ match with Bob Anthony, which Mick won by two falls to one in round six.
21 April 1969
A Royal Night for Pallo
Jackie Pallo beat Bert Royal at the Nottingham Ice Rink to win the British Heavy Middleweight title. On the same programme Jim Breaks defeated Zoltan Boscik to keep the European lightweight title and George Kidd beat Jon Cortez to retain the World lightweight title.
21 April 1983
Breaks Regains Title
Challenger Jim Breaks took a submission and a fall over champion Steve Grey and his one fall, to win the British lightweight title in Colne.
21 April 2005
Death of Wild Angus Campbell
Read our tribute to Wild Angus Campbell
21 April 2020
Death of Taffy John Jenkins
Read our tribute to John Jenkins
22 April 1931
All Aboard.
Self proclaimed British heavyweight champion Atholl Oakeley boarded the Homeric and left for New York, a journey reported in the Daly Mirror.
22 April 1946
Death of Max Martin Schultz
Read our tribute to Max Martin Schultz
22 April 1961
Crabtree Holds Heavyweight Title
At the Granby Halls in Leicester BWF (independent) British heavyweight champion Shirley Crabtree retained the title against Roy Bull Davis.
22 April 1961
On The Same Day Joyce Holds Another Heavyweight Title
Lord Mountevans British heavyweight champion Billy Joyce faced a tough challenge from former champion Ernest Baldwin at the Barracks in Grantham. Baldwin took the lead in round five with a folding body press. Having just escaped from a Boston crab in round seven Joyce took advantage of Baldwin’s weakened state and took the equalising fall. An abrupt end came in the ninth round as Baldwin seemed to be getting on top of the champion when Joyce moved quickly to obtain the winning fall and keep the belt.
22 April 1961
Dempsey Keeps Welterweight Crown
Jack Dempsey retained the British welterweight title against Bob Steele at Belle Vue in Manchester.
22 April 1970
Boscik Best of Britain
Zoltan Boscik beat Jim Breaks at London’s Royal Albert Hall to retain the British lightweight title.
22 April 1976
Death of Steve Clements
Read our tribute to Steve Clements
22 April 1983
Too Big A Mountain For Saint
At the Northgate Arena in Chester Rollerball Rocco retained the World Heavy Middleweight title against Johnny Saint.
22 April 1986
Death of Sandy Orford
Read our tribute to Sandy Orford
22 April 2019
Death of John Quinn
Read our tribute to John Quinn
23 April 1890
Birth of Charlie Glover
Read our tribute to Charlie Glover
23 April 1903
Birth of Tom Blinkhorn
Wrestling was a second career for Tommy Blinkhorn. It is rugby for which the Wigan Highfield, Warrington, Broughton Rangers, England and Great Britain player is mostly celebrated. Born on 23rd April, 1903, in Wigan. With a rugby career behind him we find Tom wrestling in April, 1937 and in 1939 his occupation listed as a canal bargeman. Weighing around 14 stones Tom’s opponents include Leo Lightbody, Dick Wills, Carl Van Wurden, Billy Riley and Padvo Peltonin. Tom Blinkhorn’s last sighting was on 10th May, 1944, wrestling Cab Cashford in Hamilton. Tom Blinkhorn died in 1976, aged 73.
23 April 1931
Wedding Bells.
Harold Angus married Peggy Statham in Doncaster. Harold’s brother, Billy, was best man.
23 April 1932
Bert Assirati sailed to the USA
23 April 1937
A Close Shave
Three wrestlers were mistakenly reported dead when they were involved in a car crash between Paris and Calais. Bob Gregory was driver of the car with passengers Charlie Green and Billy Watson. The car skidded on gravel, turned a somerault and crashed into a tree. The three wrestlers were taken to Calais Hospital and thankfully lived to fight another day.
23 April 1958
Dempsey Outfoxes McManus
Jack Dempsey defeated Mick McManus at Kensington’s Royal Albert Hall to win the British welterweight title.
23 April 1962
War of the Roses
At the St George’s Hall in Bradford a War of the Roses as Wigan’s British Light Heavyweight title holder, Ernie Riley, retained the title despite being held to a draw by Bradford’s Eric Taylor.
23 April 1964
Passing The Test
The Daily Mirror reported that a ginger haired schoolboy from Sandbach had passed his driving test just three months after his seventeenth birthday. The boy was Barry Condliffe, son of Count Bartelli.
23 April 1966
Robinson Wins For Now
Billy Robinson had snatched the European heavyweight title from his tutor Billy Joyce in June 1965 but Joyce’s British title remained elusive. That changed on this night at Belle Vue in Manchester, albeit temporarily. Robinson and Joyce placed their respective belts on the line and it was Robinson that took the honours. His tenure as champion was short lived as Joyce was destined to regain the British title three weeks later.
23 April 1966
A New Champion
Geoff Portz and Bill Howes met at the New St James Hall in Newcastle to contest the British Mid Heavyweight title vacated by Norman Walsh following a car crash injury. Portz knocked out Howes to win the title.
23April 1977
Dynamite
Two title matches at Belle Vue in Manchester. Dynamite Kid defeated Jim Breaks to win the British lightweight title. Challenger Tony St Clair was closing in on the more experienced British heavyweight champion Gwyn Davies but tonight was not the night as the match ended inconclusively in a No Contest result.
23 April 1978
Death of Bearded Ken Davies
Read our tribute to Ken Davies
23 April 1983
Champions March On
Two title matches and both champions retained their titles at the Victoria Hall in Hanley. Tony St Clair defeated John Quinn to retain the World Heavyweight title and Mark Rocco knocked out Chic Cullen to keep the British heavy middleweight title.
23 April 1986
Bully
In Worsley Bull Blitzer beat Marty Jones two falls to one to win the World Mid Heavyweight title.
24 April 1916
Birth of Lou Thesz
Read our tribute to Lou Thesz
24 April 1927
Birth of Russ Bishop
Read about Russ Bishop in this week’s newsletter
24 April 1953
Ernie Keeps Title
Ernest Baldwin retained the British heavyweight title against Dave Armstrong at Levenshulme Skating Rink.
24 April 1954
Title Clash
Chic Purvey defended the British middleweight title against Frankie Hughes in Hanley. We have no result but this may have been the match Hughes defeated Purvey to win the title.
24 April 1976
Ryan Doubles Up
European lightweight champion Bobby Ryan added the British title to his collection by beating Jim Breaks in six rounds at the Victoria Hall in Hanley.
24 April 1979
Goldbelt Gold
Brian Maxine beat Bert Royal at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall to retain the British middleweight title.
24 April 1979
Breaks Beats Grey
A submission for Jim Breaks in round seven with an equaliser for challenger Steve Grey in round ten and a twelve round draw was enough for Jim Breaks to retain the British welterweight title in Guildford.
24April,1982
Marty Betters Martin
Marty Jones defeated Caswell Martin by two falls to one in eight rounds at the Victoria Hall, Hanley, to retain the British light heavyweight title.
25 April 1936
Gill On The Go
Mitchell Gill set sail on the Otranto from London to Sidney.
Read Mitchell Gill, Ambassador of Wrestling
25 April 1977
A Popular Win
A world lightweight championship clash in Bradford with the fans vocally supporting champion Johnny Saint against their local challenger Jim Breaks. Breaks fleeting acquaintance with the rules earned public warnings in rounds three and six. Saint took the lead in round five, Breaks equalising with a submission in the sixth. Saint retained the title when Breaks retired injured in round seven.
25 April 1979
Tony the Giant Slayer
Having lost the championship five months earlier Tony St Clair regained the British heavyweight title when he defeated Giant Haystacks at the Royal Albert Hall. The contest lasted just five of the twelve scheduled rounds. Haystacks had taken the lead in round three but his violent protestations at a St Clair equaliser in the fifth led to disqualification by referee Joe D’Orazio.
25 April 1982
Death of El Greco
Read our tribute to El Greco
25 April 2008
Death of Bob Bannister
Read our tribute to Bob Bannister
26 April 1923
Birth of Ken Joyce
Read our tribute to Ken Joyce
26 April 1924
Birth of Ray Apollon
Read our tribute to Ray Apollon
26 April 1934
Wrestling Promoters Fined
Promoters Jack and Maurice Bodinetz were fined £25 each for selling tickets to a wrestling show at Shepherd’s Bush without paying the entertainment tax
26 April 1935
Pye Has His Chips
Hopes of championship success were battered for Doncaster’s Jack Pye when he was outclassed by Douglas Clark in a British Heavyweight title match at the Olympia Hall, Bradford in front of 4,000 fans.
The result was hardly in doubt with the powerful defending champion having a two stones weight advantage over Doncaster Panther Pye.
The match was scheduled over six ten minute rounds but Clark needed just four of them. In fairness Pye was the more aggressive of the two in the opening two rounds, but his aggression made little impact and Clark never looked in trouble.
Clark began to take the upper hand in the third round and Pye sustained a cut to his back when he was thrown from the ring. The champion’s onslaught continued in the fourth as Pye wilted. Following an exchange of punches Pye was thought by many to have been counted out, but as he got back on his feet the referee ordered them to continue. Clark immediately unleashed a right hook to the jaw and it was goodnight Jack.
26 April 1971
A Great Night of Wrestling
At the Nottingham Ice Rink George Kidd held on to the World lightweight title when he knocked out Adrian Street, Andy Robin beat Steve Logan to retain the Commonwealth Mid Heavyweight title and Mick McManus became the new European middleweight champion by his defeat of Vic Faulkner.
McManus surprised everyone by wrestling within the rules, making the running with the earliest attempts to take a fall which paid off in round four when a shoulder press gave him the lead. In round six a Faulkner drop kick stunned the challenger and Faulkner followed it up to take the equalising fall. Round eight and Faulkner stepped up a gear. But the ringside fans must have known they could not dismiss McManus. A series of dropkicks from Faulkner and it took one sidestep from McManus for the champion to land awkwardly. McManus grabbed the challenger’s knee, a single leg lever, a submission and a new European champion.
The contrast of appearance and styles between World lightweight champion George Kidd and challenger Adrian Street could hardly have been greater. An over enthusiastic Street was warned for continuing after the bell at the end of the first round and received further warnings for transgressions in subsequent rounds from referee Joe Hill. Yet it was champion Kidd that took the lead with a shoulder press in round five.
Kidd continued on the offensive in round six, countered by an angry Street who hurled himself at the champion only to be tossed over the top rope and listened to the referee’s count of ten.
McManus’s tag partner Steve Logan wasn’t on best behaviour as he challenged Commonwealth Mid Heavyweight champion Andy Robin. He received a public warning for his efforts in round three before taking the lead with a body slam and press at the start of round five. A second public warning came Logan’s way before a couple of winning falls in 35 seconds of round seven and five seconds of round eight for Robin to keep the title,
26 April 1979
Death of Jim Hipkiss
Read our tribute to Jim Hipkiss
26 April 2013
Death of Billy Catanzaro
Billy Catanzaro is in the newsletter
27 April 1938
And Next The Wrestling, Look Away Now
With the fledgling BBC television channel showcasing Catch as Catch Can wrestling, the Daily Express sports reporter Henry Rose took a look at the match between Earl McCready and Anaconda. Maybe he shouldn’t. “This television is astonishing. This wrestling is nauseating.” He declared the sport neither a fitting or necessary form of entertainment.
27 April 1949
Kidd Defends British Title
George Kidd defended the British lightweight title against Alan Colbeck at the New St James Hall in Newcastle.
27 April 1959
A Close Call
Tommy Mann retained the World Middleweight title at Hamilton Town Hall, though was held to a draw by Joseph Ski.
27 April 1979
Ada Is Crowned
Following an indecisive result two weeks earlier for the World Middleweight title (independent promoters) Johnny Palance and Adrian Street tried again at the Liverpool Stadium with Street crowned champion.
27 April 1997
Death of Patrick O’Connor
Read our tribute to Patrick O’Connor
27 April 2011
Death of Sheik Michael Taylor
Read our tribute to Sheik Michael Taylor
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Wrestling Heritage 