These are our shorter biographical portraits which we would like to extend if you can provide information or memories.
Alex McDonald
Alex McDonald was a wrestler from Guisborough who learned the business at the St Lukes Club. His first engagements were in charity events put on by the St Lukes Club, but later he turned professional working for independent promoters in the first half of the 1960s.. He had his own gymnasium, the Alexandra Wrestling Club in Cannon Street, Middlesbrough. Alex died at too early an age, just 36.
Bob McDonald (Middlesbrough)
Bob McDonald was a part time wrestler who worked mostly in the clubs of North East of England for independent promoters that included Cyril Knowles, Tommy Stones and Ian Glasper. Born in Middlesbrough Bob was trained at the Alexandra Wrestling Club in Cannon Street, owned by his cousin Alex, and later St Lukes Amateur Matmen, Middlesbrough before starting his paid contests in 1969. He made a striking appearance in his trademark white jacket, white trunks and white boots. A coalman by day Bob was also a doorman at a number of Middlesbrough night clubs. He was for many years a pub licensee and the landlord of The Fountain in Ormasby and The Master Cooper at Acklam. Bob McDonald was born in 1949 and died on 26th April, 2020.
Colin McDonald
A hard man who gained the respect of world lightweight champion Johnny Saint. Manchester’ s Colin worked throughout the north and midlands for independent promoters in the late 1950s and 1960s. He was a bit of a tough nut in the ring and a man who we are told could turn his hand to all sorts of things outside. Colin and Johnny Saint became good friends in the late 1950s when both trained at Grant Foderingham’s gymnasium. Colin was already a professional and was Saint’s first professional opponent at Tynemouth in June, 1959. One claim to fame for this otherwise largely forgotten welterweight, he was the man who gave his young friend the idea of adopting the name Johnny Saint. Colin McDonald died suddenly at far too early an age.
Peter McGeown
We suppose it’s only natural for anyone coming from a small town to enjoy seeing someone from their “own neck of the woods” climb into the wrestling ring. So we were pleased to see Euxton’s Peter McGeown enter the professional ranks in 1970 and followed his early career in the independent halls of the north west. After an injury prone start to his professional life Pete quickly learnt from his early mistakes and took the decision over more experienced men such as Eddie Rose and Monty Swann. He had been taught the business by Alan Wood, and the two of them tagged for a while and were known as The Shamrocks, acknowledgement of Pete’s Irish origins. In 1973 Pete was signed up by Joint Promotions and was soon appearing in bigger halls against well known names such as Ray Steel, Johnny Czeslaw and Norman Walsh. We always expected Peter to go on to bigger and better things. Maybe he changed his name and did just that, but we lost touch with his career around the mid seventies. Another of life’s mysteries.
Scott McGhee
In March 1986 a youngster winged his way across the Atlantic and impressed British fans with his his fast and skilful style. Scott had a few years professional experience having turned pro in the early 1980s. He came with a good pedigree apparently because Gary was short for Garfield, and he was Garfield Portz, the son of British wrestling ambassador, Geoff Portz. He came to Britain having travelled extensively in the United States, winning the Florida heavyweight championship and defeated Tony Charles for the NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Championship. On television he beat Len Hurst before losing to Marty Jones in a four man knock-out tournament. Following his short visit McGhee returned to the USA but not long afterwards ill health (reportedly suffering a stroke) brought his career to a premature end.
Earl McGrath
We have matches recorded for heavyweight Earl McGrath, an Irish mid heavyweight, working for Norman Morrell Promotions in the first half of the 1950s; and in the second half of the decade working for independent promoters in Lancashire.
Ian McGregor
One of wrestling’s modern day heroes. A man we watched years ago who is still having an influence on the British wrestling scene.
Ashton under Lyne’s Ian McGregor was but a nipper in the Wrestling Heritage days. A nipper with bags of talent and an exciting prospect as a novice who made it onto television in the 1980’s, wrestled into the 1990s and along the way becoming a respected and successful wrestling promoter. Ian McGregor was one of the last of the wrestlers that many Heritage readers would consider a part of proper British wrestling.
In the second decade of the twenty-first century Ian is still in the business of keeping British wrestling alive.
Ray McGuire
The blonde haired middleweight from Wickford in Essex was a popular 1960s regular across southern England. Working as a baker in his father’s business Ray took an interest in wrestling and learned his trade at the YMCA and United Amateur Wrestling Club. He turned professional in 1958, working for independent promoters, mostly Paul Lincoln. With five years experience Ray caught the eye of Dale Martin management and joined Joint Promotions. National popularity came instantaneously when he was matched against Mick McManus on his television debut in September 1964. Ray continued to work regularly throughout the 1960s, meeting all the big names in the lighter weight divisions. In the 1970s Ray began to cut back on his appearances, taking part in his final contest in 1975. Ray worked as a taxi driver based at Stansted Airport up to his sudden death on 15th July, 2011.
Steve McHoy (Also known as Steve Casey)
Another wrestling son of a famous father, but in this case you’d probably never have guessed. Steve McHoy was the popular son of the notorious Wild Angus. The contrast couldn’t have been greater. Steve was tall and slender, muscular and good looking. Angus wasn’t. The fans loved Steve, especially when matched against villains such as Big Daddy or Rollerball Rocco (televised from the Royal Albert Hall), or partnering Marty Jones in tag matches. Steve McHoy turned professional in 1981, wrestling throughout Britain and on the Continent, working regularly in the German tournaments. Steve was one of the better stars of the 1980s and would have maintained a higher profile for longer if British wrestling had continued to have television coverage.
Red McKenzie
Long before lightweight Jim McKenzie won the hearts of 1960s and 1970s wrestling fans there was another Jim McMckenzie. “Iron Man” Jim McKenzie was at the opposite end of the weight scale to our 1960s lightweight champion.
Iron Man Jim, commonly known as Red McKenzie, was a fiery Scottish heavyweight, a big man indeed who tipped the scales at seventeen stones.. McKenzie, from Methil, worked British rings in the 1940s and 1950s. We have many recorded contests for McKenzie between 1947 and 1960, mostly south of the border against top class opposition that included Alan Garfield, Mike Marino and Martin Bucht.
Soccer and boxing were Red Mckenzie’s first sporting interests, until he volunteered for the army in 1939, serving overseas in the First Cavalry Division, serving in the Egypt, Palestine, Libya and Italy.
Spinner McKenzie
Spinner McKenzie is another of those wrestlers who just scrapes into the Heritage years. He was a teenager when he turned professional in 1984,but his youth and the twilight years of the Mountevans era did not prevent him from finding success as Big Daddy’s tag partner for a couple of years. Opponents ranged from speedy, skilled lightweight Danny Collins to the hardest of them all, Mark Rocco and Dave Finlay, to the biggest of them all, Giant Haystacks.
Jim McLaren
1960s worker for promoter Jack Taylor. Opponents included Pedro the Gypsy, Prince Barnu, Mick Collins and Jack Taylor.
Sandy McLaren
Scotland’s Sandy McLaren came from Coupar Angus and began wrestling around 1940, our first report of him being a draw against Bob Silcock in January, 1940. Sandy was said to be a skilful wrestler who remained cool and collected. Standing around 6 feet tall he filled out into a fully blown heavyweight.
He worked regularly in northern England and Scotland throughout the 1940s and was said to be a worthy opponent of top class men such as George Gregory, Francis St Clair Gregory and Dave Armstrong. With most of his matches in the north of England we suspect he may well have moved south and lived in northern England. Sandy seems to have disappeared from our rings in 1949.
Walter McRae
Old timer Walter McRae from Newcastle had a short career in the early 1950s yet had a more lasting impact on the wrestling scene. We have found him working fairly frequently in 1951 and 1952 in North Eastern England and Scotland against a wide range of opponents that included Les Kellett, Joe Hill, Geoff Portz, Alan Colbeck, Eric Taylor and Dennis Mitchell amongst others. Walter opened a gymnasium in Dean Street in Newcastle city centre. The gym was a primitive place underneath the railway arches. A ring would have been a luxury and training took place on mats with the concrete floor beneath, which was admittedly not uncommon at the time.. That floor made learning to fall correctly a matter of some urgency. Amongst those trained by Walter and going on to some fame were Frank Robb and Black Jack Mulligan.
Duncan McRoberts
We know very little about Duncan McRoberts other than we enjoyed watching him and he’s given us a bit of a headache. Billed from Scotland we suspect Manchester was closer to the mark. Our memory is of a solid, leotarded heavyweight who we watched in matches with the twenty stone Ed Bright and The Outlaw (independent promoters version). The headache started when Eddie Rose wrote that Duncan McRobert only weighed around 12 stones.We were surprised to say the least, but Eddie knows best so thought we must have been mistaken, or that the dastardly indie promoter had slipped in a different Duncan in the way those indies did on occasions. That all changed when Ron Historyo discovered advertisements for our heavyweight Duncan McRoberts working with Cowboy Cassidy, Dwight J Ingleburgh, The Ghoul and other independent heavies. We found our heavyweight Duncan working for Jack Cassidy, Dominic Pye and Cape Promotions. So, case solved? Well not exactly. Those matches were all in the 1960s. In the 1970s we found Duncan McRoberts still on the bill, but with lighter men that Included Ian Wilson, Pete Lindberg, Ian St John and Eddie Rose, “I worked with him often in the 70s both in solo bouts and tag matches. He was a regular on shows in the North West,particularly Jack Cassidy’s shows where he met the likes of Roy Fortuna, Mark Wayne, Ian Wilson, Mike “Flash” Jordan and featured in tag matches versus the Red Devils. A very solid wrestler and a good guy out of the ring.” So, were there two Duncan McRoberts? For even more confusion there was second or third wrestler, Duncan Roberts.
El Medico (Also known as Dave Finch)
Billed from Portugal the tanned skin and moustache made the popular light heavyweight look the part. Central Lancashire was more likely to be the place he laid his head because El Medico was Preston’s Dave Finch.
A regular worker for most of the independents Dave Finch was overshadowed by his friend and frequent opponent Bill Tunney. When not in opposite corners the two of them did join forces in a formidable tag partnership.
A Preston North End fan Eddie Rose tells the story of the time Preston played Bolton in the FA Cup and Bob Sherry managed to get Dave into the ground by passing him off as a disabled person in a wheel chair. Good plan, until Preston scored that is, and the over-excited Dave leaped out of the chair.
Reggie Meen
Quite a few professional boxers took advantage of the flourishing professional wrestling scene in the 1930s, and one of them was former British heavyweight champion Reggie Meen, holder of the belt for eight months in 1931. Not regarded as one of Britain’s greatest heavyweight champion the opportunity of having a big name sportsman to attract the fans proved irresistible. Newspaper reports reveal that Reggie wrestled and boxed simultaneously, retiring from both boxing and wrestling in 1939.
Reggie Meen made his professional wrestling debut in March, 1935, making his debut against a veteran of thirty years, Johanfesson, at the Granby Halls, Leicester. Six thousand fans were reported to have witnessed the match, with hundreds more left waiting outside, twice storming the doors of the hall to gain entrance to the already full stadium. Meen won the match when Johanfesson retired at the end of the first round.
It was a different story in July, 1936, when he faced the American Jack Sherry at Leicester, with Reggie lasting less than twenty seconds.
His success as a boxer made him a high profile and novel wrestler, but he was never destined to re-create his successes of the boxing ring in a wrestling career that lasted four years.
Chris Melissovas
Chris Melissovas may only have spent a short time wrestling in Britain but in every sense he was a giant of the wrestling world. A muscular and powerful Christos George Melissovas made a short visit to Britain in 1950, facing the likes of Ray St Bernard, Ron Jackson and Bob McMasters. Top class opposition that indicates the stature of the man. This was not his first time in England as Chris had been in London for the 1948 Olympic Games. London was a far cry from his birthplace in 1919. That was in northern Greece, a small village, Protopapas, near Ioannina. In 1991 more than 80 years after his birth the population of Protopapas was recorded as just 463. During a long career he wrestled all over the world. Following his visit to Britain in 1950 he sailed from London on 5th July, 1950, heading for Quebec, Canada. Chris was soon established in North America, though by now mostly using the name Chris Averiff. Our friends at wrestlingdata.com pick up his career in 1952 wrestling in the Chicago area. A long North American career ended around the mid 1960s.Chris Melissovas died in Atlanta, USA, in 1974.
Jean Menard
Skilled French middleweight visited Britain during the winter of 1965-6. In his mid twenties at the time he lost on television, and again at the Royal Albert Hall, to Mick McManus. Tagged on occasions with fellow French man Jean Corne.
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