Wrestling Heritage

Autographs

Judging by the crowds that used to encircle the likes of Les Kellett in his farmer's cloth cap and cords, or the long long time Jackie Pallo used to stay in the ring after victory, sweat dripping, signing autographs and holding court, it would seem that many thousands of autograph collections are in existence.

This may not to be the case, however, and the majority of signatures must have ended up as beermats or doorstops.

So we share our humble offerings here with the greatest of nostalgia.  We are transported back in time to those exciting moments when we were up close and personal with the wrestlers themselves and in many cases were even able to have a chat with the great names of the time.  The collection is indeed the product of the chase, but the process was in truth the fulfilling part, and each autograph here reminds us of very special personal moments.

Much staking out of the territory was required to ensure prey was ensnared, though it is noticeable just how much difference of opinion there is about whose was easy and whose was difficult to obtain.

Consistency in pen is another feature by which to identify the serial autograph hunter.  Yet another was being prepared at every show with the most appropriate books and magazines, pages marked to locate targeted intended homes for individuals' autographs.

And as if the wrestlers themselves weren't hard enough to pin down, there was all too often the added obstacle of amateur collectors, invariably penless, with nothing more than tatty handbills to offer up as base material.  And they could throng in their scores.  All the serious preparation could not hold back the charge.

Occasionally subterfuge was required.  If a girl in a mini-skirt seemed to have particular success at securing her signatures, she too had to become prey, had to be convinced of her role on the side of righteousness, had to be won over to go on a mission to secure the booty.  At what price?  A quick flick through one's Who's Who would usually do the trick.

Some wrestlers' autographs seem hardly ever to have varied, Les Kellett and Steve Viedor spring readily to mind.  Others' vary according to the circumstances. We can whittle autographs down to three broad types:

The best version:  the wrestler is alone and does not feel threatened that he will have to sign too many times.  He has time to appreciate your preparation and a chat and a well considered signature are provided.

The mass-produced version:  the wrestler has a reasonable amount of time but there are a great number of fans seeking the same, so he has to speed things up, and quality suffers.

The sweaty version:  immediately after the bout, tired and dripping, on the walk back to the dressing rooms.  In the cases of reclusive wrestlers like Steve Logan, this was sometimes the only chance of contact, but quality was invariably poor.  In the case of some like Billy Torontos, whose best effort was still the scrawl of a drunken spider, these circumstances changed nothing.

We hope you enjoy the little sets we will assemble here for posterity.  Maybe the handwriting of some wrestlers will give you greater insight into their personalities.

 

Readers' Collection March, 2009

Publicity Portraits    A Wrestling Heritage Anniversary Update

Programme Covers     November 2007

True Covermen     October 2007

Yet More Signed Programmes   September 2007

The Covermen of Wrestling Part Two   September 2007

A Few of our Favourites     September 2007

 

More Signed Programmes        September 2007

 

Signed Programmes        August 2007

Home Made Publicity  July 2007

 

Tag Teams  June 2007

 

Signed Articles   May 2007

 

The Covermen of Wrestling Part One  April 2007