These are our shorter Biographical portraits which we would like to extend if you can provide information or memories.
Little Toby
Londoner Peter Kinch wrestled as Little Toby and was a good friend and student of Dangerous Danny Lynch, a neighbour of his when he moved to Ashford. Toby learned his wrestling at an amateur club in Woolwich, and it was after he moved to Kent that the two men became friends in 1970 and Danny offered to train Toby in the professional style. Three years later Toby was deemed ready to hit the rings, and turned made his pro debut in 1973. Toby and Danny would often travel to venues together and Toby became a popular wrestler around the south in the 1970s, unsurprisingly naming his local Stour Centre in Ashford as his favourite venue. Toby unfortunately mislaid all his wrestling memorabilia some years ago, and would like to hear from anyone with any photos, programmes or posters featuring him
Roger Tofield
Lightweight Roger Tofield, from Bletchley, wrestled around the south and midlands of England in the 1970s and until the mid 1980s. He worked for a variety of promoters, including All Star Promotions and Jackie Pallo. He also worked regularly for a local promoter, South Midlands Promotions, which wasn’t surprising because he was the boss. The name South Midlands Promotions was revived by Roger’s son, Sean, and when Sean staged wrestling at their local Towcester Leisure Centre the Master of Ceremonies was an old favourite, Roger Tofield.
The Great Togo (Also known as Oddjob)
Less than two decades following the end of the second world war the Oriental features may well have been enough to make The Great Togo a hate figures amongst wrestling fans in the non politically correct Britain of the 1960s. Mind you, the rule bending tactics no doubt helped to make him a first class villain. Not to forget his salt throwing good fortune ceremony where salt could oh so easily find its way into his opponents eyes. Togo, real nameToshiyuki Sakata , was actually born in Hawaii, though he began to use the Westernised name of Harold Sakata after moving to mainland USA. His sporting career began as a weightlifter and he represented the USA in the 1948 Olympic Games. In North America he wrestled under the name of Tosh Togo where he tagged with his wrestling brother who was confusingly known as Great Togo. If three names, or is that four, wasn’t enough Harold added another when he achieved worldwide fame starring as Oddjob, the bodyguard to James Bond villain Goldfinger. The steel-brimmed bowler hat became a familiar trademark for the wrestler and was much parodied by later villains. Following his British wrestling tour Togo, now commonly known as Oddjob, wrestled around the world took part in numerous film and television series. Toshiyuki (Harold) Sakata died on 29th July, 1982 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Ted Tonking
Ted Tonking was a Cornish wrestler from Camborne who took up the All In style when it was introduced to the county in the 1930s. He turned professional in 1932 and was something of a local hero with wins over Doulas the Turk, Mike Howley, Bob Fife, Jack Atherton and other wrestlers from the north. Just about everywhere is north if you live in Camborne. In August 1938 he wrestled Harold Angus for the world middleweight championship, losing when he was disqualified in the third round. Having married a few weeks earlier Ted stuck to the promise he had made to his wife and retired shortly afterwards, our last sighting in 1939. Edward Victor Tonking died in 1938.
Ricardo Torres
Son of the original White Angel (see L’Ange Blanc), Torres also wrestled in France and Spain as the Little Angel. Though he toured Britain only briefly in 1971 and topped the Royal Albert Hall bill when going down to Mick McManus, the speed and agility of this Spanish welterweight left a very favourable impression. A measure of his stature was in his sole televised bout: he defeated the former British Lightweight champion Zoltan Boscik by a straight fall.
Janos Toth
Hungarian welterweight visited Britain in 1966 and 1967 working for Dale Martin Promotions. Results were not particularly impressive, going down to Len Hurst, Peter Rann, Bobby Barnes, Dick Conlon, Joe Queseck and others.
El Babri Lel Mamrouni Touhani (Also known as Black Salem)
A smiling Tunisian ,El Babri Lel Mamrouni Touhani, used the name Black Salem and visited Britain in 1962. He was a powerful heavyweight who held the undefeated masked man Count Bartelli, to a draw. Opponents also included Tony Mancelli, Ernie Riley, Bruno Elrington, Tibor Szakacs and Jack Pye. Made his only television appearance against Digger Rowell in November 1962 at Hull.
Frankie Townsend
The 1960s was the decade of a popular musical revolution and the years during which wrestling reached a mass appeal peak.One man combined them both, and that man was The Fighting Marine, Frankie Townsend. American heavyweight wrestler and former marine Frankie visited the UK during the winter of 1961-2. Known in the USA as the “Singing Wrestler” he released a UK record, “I’m the Greatest.” Fora man of 6’4″ and weighing around eighteen stone he was surprisingly nimble and his drop-kicks caused something of a talking point amongst Brtish fans. He came to Britain with a record that included drawn verdicts against Lou Thesz and Pat O’Connor at their best. Following his UK tour he went on to tour Japan in 1963 before meeting an untimely death in a 1965 boating accident, aged just 32.
Dennis Tracey
We have good memories of a clean and skilful Merseyside based welterweight working for the independents in the 1960s. That’s about all. We would like to learn more.
Brian Trevors
He was known as “The Keighley Strong Boy,” and for good reason, but Brian Trevors combined his strength with a great deal of wrestling skill. He attributed his amazingly strong stomach muscles to his employment as a timber feller before he took up wrestling. Trevors was known for his feats of strength, such as breaking six inch nails with his hands and, unbelievable as it may sound, placing a halfpenny in his eye and bending it by closing his eye! Heritage members told us of Brian’s reputation for being able to tense his neck and waist to resist being put in a Boston Crab. Ian Pringle recalls, “I can remember him well at St James Hall, Newcastle, being held by his legs by his opponent with his head on the mat and being wheeled around the mat like a wheelbarrow.” Brian lost at the Royal Albert Hall against Mick McManus and was a popular wrestler on television. A regular worker for Joint Promotions in the 1950s and 1960s he moved to Norfolk in the late 1960s where he opened a wrestling gymnasium in Fleggburgh. Brian was responsible for bringing into the wrestling world men such as Bad Bill Pye, John L Hagger, and Stephen St John. He became a well respected promoter, under the banner Anglia Promotions, and put on shows throughout the east of England.
Ivan Trevors
Respected wrestler of the 1980s, and unsurprisingly so because Ivan was trained by his father , strongman Brian Trevors. Ivan was immersed in wrestling from an early age with his father’s gym training some of the top wrestlers in East Anglia. A television win over Jimmy Ocean and participation in the ensuing Battle Royle brought him to the attention of fans nationwide.
Claude Trigeaud
Diminuitive French lightweight Claude Trigeaud stood only 5’7” tall and made a two week visit to to Britain in January 1964, getting time off from his work as a postman apparently. The young Frenchman was twenty-four years old at the time and had been a professional for six years, working in France and Belgium. He made little impression against mid class opposition. Brother of Roger Trigeaud.
Roger Trigeaud (Also known as Cheri Bibi)
Heavily built French heavyweight villain who made a short visit to Britain in September, 1957. Appeared in the 1961 film, World by Night, with Jacky Corn. He reappeared as a veteran aged 38 in his 1963 visit to Britain, tackling the likes of Judo Al Hayes and Bob Anthony. Born in Canapville on 7th April 1925 he was seventy years old when he passed away in Cannes on 19th February, 1996, aged 70. Roger Trigeaud was better known around Europe as Cheri Bibi.
Souris Tsickrikas
We’ve seen all sorts of colourful costumes in British wrestling rings, but only once can we remember Greek national costume as worn by Souris Tsickrikas and his tag partner, George Bouranis, collectively known as the Helenes. Souris made a ten week tour of Britain in 1967. Mostly tagging with partner George it was a singles match appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in which Souris lost to Kalman Gaston, an odd result to our minds. We are equally surprised that Dale Martin Promotions elevated the Greek to Albert Hall status because the vast majority of his matches were for the northern Joint Promotion members. In tag action the popular Greek pairing had some action packed matches with the Royal Brothers. On television was a victim of the 1967 push being given to Peter Preston following his giant killing defeat of Mick McManus.
Bill Tunney
Wrestling Heritage is all about memories, and where Bill Tunney is concenerned those memories are golden. Bill Tunney was certainly not one of the most well known names, but the Preston light heavyweight was one of those that proved Joint Promotions did not have all the best men. Tunney was a skilful wrestler and we can only assume that like quite a few others it was his choice to remain with the independents. He first appeared in our rings in the late 1950s, working nationally for the main independent promoters Paul Lincoln, Jack Taylor, Devereux, Cape Promotions, Don Robinson. Working for the opposition didn’t mean a lack of quality opponents – George Kidd, Joe Murphy, Reg Trood, Doctor Death, Andy Robin and Randy Turpin. Here at Heritage we always argue that quality wrestlers worked for the opposition, and few independent workers deserve your admiration more than Bill Tunney. The photo shows Bill receiving punishment from Frankie Price at the Ilford Baths for Premier Promotions.
Bill Turner (Also known as Boy Turner, Rory Campbell)
Professional wrestler 1955-1980s.
Jackie Turpin
Leamington Spa’s Jackie Turpin turned to wrestling in the mid 1970s following a boxing career of 28 fights over four years. The name Turpin did arouse interest, but in fairness Jackie could wrestle and deserved his place in the ring. The promoter’s didn’t cash in on the famous name, though Jackie was subject to the Big Daddy tag partnership! It was rather refreshing to see a famous name in the wrestling ring being given time to pursue his career in his own time and not subject of over-hype and abuse. We can only wonder whether or not Jackie would have been destined for greater wrestling glory if he’d come into the business at an earlier age.
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