Wrestling Heritage

1948

 

A Small Expolosion in Greenwich

1948 and the post war malaise was deepening with no end in sight. The optimism of a world at peace and the election of a post war Labour Government was beginning to fade as rationing continued and unemployment continued to bite. The railways were nationalised, the National Health Service got off to a shaky start, Mahatma Gandhi was murdered and the Olympic Games came to London.

 

In the wrestling world a tiny explosion in Greenwich was to lead to the emergence of arguably the biggest star of the post war wrestling scene. Emerging from the RAF and an embryonic career in the printing business Londoner Mick McManus entered the professional ring for the first time in 1948 at Greenwich Baths, holding Chopper Howlett to a draw. Who, if anyone, could have forecast that this man was to become arguably the most influential wrestler of the Mountevans generation?

 

Another newcomer to British rings was heavyweight David Jons. Jons, holder of the “Mr London” title, was a physical culturalist and caused something of a sensation amongst the post war fans. Within a year of turning professional he was matched with British heavyweight champion, Bert Assirati, in a title clash, and narrowly lost by the odd fall.

 

The new style of wrestling, the Mountevans style, was quickly becoming the norm around the country, and was succeeding in drawing back fans who had  grown tired of the pre war shenanigans. The formation of Joint Promotions was still a few years away, but the promoters who were to come together in this wrestling alliance were already the most successful promoters in the country. Athol Oakeley, amongst others, continued to try and revive the pre war style, but to no avail. Fans wanted something, new, something faster and more fashionable and, probably the most important of all, something believable. .

 

Some wrestlers worked both old and new style rules, for Oakeley and the promoters of the new Mountevans style. Oakley persevered with putting on impressive tournaments  in huge venues, such as Earls Court.and Haringey Arena. Other pre war venues, such as Belle Vue, had now been lost to the newcomers. Oakely staged a seven bout bill at Earls Court in November, 1948. Main event was billed as a European Heavyweight Championship contest between  Mile Brendel  and Milo Popocopolis .Others taking part in the seven bout all heavyweight tournament included  Estonian Martin Butch,  Con Balassis, Bert Mansfield, Frank Manto, Jim Hussey, Tiger DeLisle, Bob Robinson, and Man Mountain Bill Benny, the man who was to later introduce Al Marquette to professional  wrestling.

 

The wrestling world was shocked in August of the year when a tragic shooting accident resulted in the death of welterweight champion, Harold Angus. He was one of the greats of the modern wrestling world. Harold’s professional success had been preceded by world class success as an amateur, winning a silver medal in the lightweight division of the 1930 Empire Games.

 

Without any form of regulation champions could be named at the whim of a promoter, though there were individuals at each weight widely acknoeledged as champion. A new British lightweight champion, Joe Reid, emerged in 1948, though he was quickly succeeded later in the year by Jack Dempsey and then George Kidd, two men to remain at the top of the profession for another twenty odd years. Harold Angus was welterweight champion until his death left the title vacant until the following year.

 

Jack Dale seemed unassailable amongst the middleweights. Bill McDonald claimed supremity amongst the light heavies, though Lancastrian Jack Beaumont was another claimant of the crown. There was no doubt at all about the Heavyweight championship. Although the heavyweight division was the most fiercely contested there was one man who stood, figuratively speaking,  head and soldiers above the rest.  That man was, of course, Bert Assirati. Standing only 5’6” tall Bert was as wide as a tank and powerful as the proverbial ox. Fans winced and shared the pain when Bert punished his opponent with one of his Boston Crabs.  No one doubted Assirati’s superiority. He wrestled almost daily throughout the country and probably made more title defences than any other champion of the time. George Broadfield, commonly known as The Farmer continued to claim the World Mid Heavyweight title.

 

In July the Olympic Games raised the spirit of many Londoners. Amongst participants  who were to later gain fame in the wrestling ring were a young weightlifter named Harold Sakata (The Great Togo) and a Spanish boxer by the name of Vincente Castilla (Quasimodo). The Canadian Olympic wrestling team included Montreal’s Maurice Vachone. Arriving on British shores for good was a young Russian by the name of Josef Zaranoff, and a young Indian middleweight called Shem Singh.

 

Overseas visitors included a Canadian heavyweight, Bob “Legs “ Langevin, who claimed to invent the flying body scissors move. Also coming to our shores for a long stay was American college boy, Dean Rockwell. Pat Curry went into his second year in British rings. Going in the other direction was a young Yorkshireman, Harry Fields,who wrestled in Mexico.

 

One man who had visited Britain before the war, brought over by Karl Pojello, was the French Angel, Maurice Tillet (right). Tillet returned to Britain in October, 1948, and Charles Mascall reported that 12,000 fans filled Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium to see him lose to Bert Assirati.

 

Promoters Ted Beresford, Norman Morrell, Jack Atherton and Jack Dale, continued to combine successful wrestling careers with their developing promotional business.

 

Count Bartelli and The Ghoul remained the most successful masked men, but other hooded 1948 villains were The Hangman, The Masked Marvel  and the Red Shadow. Whilst rarely cheered by the fans the promise to unmask if beaten meant the appearance of a masked man on a bill was likely to draw the fans.

 

Heavyweights continued to reign supreme. Bert Assirati, Jack Pye, Dave Armstrong, Vic Hessle and the like were the dominant force in every sense of the word. There were signs of change, though. A young lightweight by the name George Kidd was beginning to make an impression, and others from outside the heavyweight rankings included Alan Colbeck, Jim Mellor, Johnny Summers, Jack Dale, Jack Dempsey  and Val Cerino.

 

The experience they were gaining was to serve most of them well when television came along to transform the professional wrestling landscape some seven years later. By the end of 1948 British wrestling was once again firmly established as a mainstream spectator sport. On the world political scene things were not so promising. Disagreements about post war Germany, communist governments established throughout eastern Europe, American aid to countries in the west and  tough speaking from politicians on all sides meant that by the end of 1948 the “cold war” was well and truly established.

 

Continue to the next year......