Wrestling Heritage

When Mike Marino returned to Joint Promotion rings in 1966 the independents offered another Anglo Italian mid heavyweight who was claimed to be the equal of Marino. Whilst the geographical credentials of Leno Larazzi may have matched Londoner Marino’s the wrestling ability fell some way short. Larazzi was, in fact, Nottingham’s Bob Abbott, who was to become a tall, lean popular heavyweight of the 1970s on the independent promoters circuit and later for Joint Promotions. He met most of the big names but never reached top status himself. He was not so popular when he sometimes wrestled  as one half of the Undertakers, a masked tag team who made an impact on both the independent and northern Joint Promotions circuit. . Whether he was Jonathan or whether he was Nathaniel may well remain a mystery for all time.

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Wrestling has never been short of colourful characters from around the globe. Abdul the Turks have appeared on professional wrestling bills from the 1900s to 1990s. Individuals with varying styles and skills, some from closer to Torquay than Turkey.  One of the more successful Abdul’s wrestled the likes of Bert Assirati, Dave Armstrong and Jack Pye, not to mention going out of the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament at Harringay in February, 1948, when he lost to Northerner Bert Mansfield.

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Cowboy ken Ackles, the swaggering Stetson wearing heavyweight billed from the mid wets of the United States was actually born in Nova Scotia, Canada, on 13th July, 1916. Most of his adult life was spent in the United States where he combined a wrestling career with that of actor in B movies.

Cowboy Ken brought his swagger and his rugged tactics to  Britain in the winter of 1963 when he  promised more than the over-rated Americans who preceded him. Whilst the boasting may have been real the achievements did not live up to expectation. A Royal Albert Hall loss against Tibor Szakacs and further defeats by lesser rated British heavies confirmed British fans' opinion of American wrestlers. 

Following a professional career that took him around the world Ackles died, aged seventy in Houston on 5th November, 1986.

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Wrestling tournaments of the twentieth century were peppered with unlikely sounding names from all corners of the globe. Many were from no further afield than Blackpool or Bognor.

Majid Ackra was the genuine article. A stocky, powerful Pakistani heavyweight, he would stride into the ring wearing his turban and white robe.

Born in 1937 he came to Britain in his mid teens and wrestled in the UK during 1960’s and early 1970s. Despite living in Manchester he was a genuinely national star, working around the country and as familar in the rings of the south as he was in the north of England and Scotland. 

Following a professional debut against Vic Hessle he went on to compete against wrestlers ranging in style and weight from middleweight champion Clayton Thompson to  heavyweight bruiser Johnny Yearsley.

He left the UK in 1967 for a three year tour of India and Pakistan, and boasted of defeating the great Dara Singh, though the former Indian champion must have been past his peak by this time.

Following a successful career in the UK he moved to North America in the 1970s, returning in the seventies as a much harder edged wrestler.

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The Oriental term Ate Waza denotes techniques that use impact to accomplish their goal. The Continental heavyweight Gaby Caldereon considered Professor Attewaza a fitting name to adopt when he entered British rings in the early 1960s.  The name quickly metamorphosised into the softer sounding Professor Adiwasser. Whatever the name the bespectacled barefoot Parisian became one of the main event favourites of the fledgling Paul Lincoln Promotions.  No doubt the exotic sounding name helped. He met the top independent heavies of the time: Alan Garfield, Dave Larsen, Docker Don Stedman, Dr Death and Judo Al Hayes. A second dan black belt judoka exponent, (known as “The king of Attewaza) this  popular technician was the scourge of heavyweight villains.  When the technician had worked his magic he would often finish off his opponent with his speciality sleeper hold.

Professor Adiwasser (2)
A masked Professor Adiwasser, not Gaby Calderon, made a few appearences on independent shows in the early 1980s.

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An agile Spanish welterweight who wrestled frequently in the UK during the 1950’s and 1960’s, most often in the south for Dale Martin promotions. He met the big names of the day such as Alan Colbeck, George Kidd, Mick McManus and Jackie Pallo; usually on the losing end but seemed to have a surprising number of draws against Pallo.

Modesto Aledo had some championship success and held the European Lightweight title for two short periods, in 1954 and 1967. In 1954 he lost it to the Frenchman Julien Maurice, and in 1967 to the Bradford wrestler Jim Breaks.

Towards the end of his career Modesto Aledo adopted a mask, was known as Kamikaze, and was dressed completely in black and nicknamed the Black Demon. Wearing the mask he was a far more aggressive character.

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One of the most prolific heavyweight performers of the 1950s and 1960s, and a regular of the tv screens in the first ten years or so of televised wrestling. Hassan Ali Bey wrestled, and sometimes defeated, just about every big name heavyweight of the time.

The red fez, spectacles and a white towelling robe were the hallmark of the “Strong man of the East” as he entered the ring. Hassan Ali Bey was actually Demera Mashavias, but he took his ring name from his father, a member of the British Embassy in Ankara.

Born in Turkey Hassan Ali Bey was educated in Britain. He turned professional in 1944, a tumultuous tussle  with Doncaster’s Jack Pye.

He continued wrestling until well into the 1960s, and on one occasion held the legendary Bert Assirati to a draw.

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They always called him  the Farmer, and why should we doubt it? Most wrestlers did need a second income to make ends meet despite the packed halls of the 1950’s and 1970’s, and Johnny Allan combined wrestling with running a small holding.

On leaving school at fourteen he began work at the Yorkshire Agricultural Committee and in his leisure time learned to wrestle. 

Farmer Johnny Allan was one of the great mid-heavyweights. He turned professional, aged 20, in 1951, after training as an amateur at the Greetland All Rounders Club. Within a short time he was matched with experienced men such as Carlton Smith, Steve Logan and Bob Archer O'Brien.

As a young middleweight he held both World middleweight champion Gilbert Le Duc and the light heavyweight champion  to drawn verdicts.  Growing in skill and size, from middleweight to a stocky, powerful Mid heavyweight, Johnny Allan  took the British Mid heavyweight title from Norman Walsh in 1964 and returned it to him in 1965.

Towards the end of his career Johnny Allan, still a classic wrestler, left Joint Promotions to begin promoting and wrestling on the independent circuit. His promotional patnership with Eric Taylor was liked and respected by fans and fellow wrestlers alike.

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Abergavenny’s Bert Alliday was one of the fan’s favourites throughout the south of England, working mainly in Wales and the South West, and a summer season favourite on the Anglia Promotion circuit.   This Welsh light-heavyweight of the 1970’s independent circuit was known as the “Welsh Wizard. ”

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The big body-scissors exponent was a star name in the 1930s and 1940s, cotinuing to meet the big names right up to his 1954 retirement. He was one of the first wrestlers to appear on British television, taking part in a number of contests that were shown on the BBC in 1938 and 1939.

This villain of the ring claimed to have held World Heavyweight Champion Jack Sherry to a draw.  He met all the big names of the time such as Bulldog Bill Garnon, Bert Assirati and Jack Pye, beating them on occasions.

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Anaconda 2
The name was resurrected by Alan Turner  in the 1980s when a villainous, bearded, tattooed  heavyweight Anaconda made a couple of televised appearances., a singles loss against Big Daddy at Leicester, and  27th August, 1988 he when partnered Rasputin against Big Daddy and Pat Patton.

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A short lived star of Northern and Midland rings of the 1970s, and even a couple of 1970 televised appearances exposed this tearaway to a wider and appreciative audience. The long, straggly hair, rule bending tactics and just a general disregard for just about anyone and everything made the Hippie a welcome name on any bill. He roughed it with contemporaries like Wonderboy Steve Wright as well as wily veterans like Bill Howes. Even giving away a couple of stones to a hard man like Howes Anderson showed no trepidation. His regular tag partner was Johnny South, but something of an accolade for the hothead to be partnered with Iron Man Steve Logan on occasions.

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Harold Angus was one of the greats of the modern wrestling world. A master of the Lancashire catch-as-catch-can style he was rated by wrestling historian Charles Mascall as the fourth greatest welterweight of all time. 

Usually billed from Doncaster Harold was actually born in Wigan, leaving both the red and white roses to lay claim to this pre war great.His death in 1948, the result of a tragic shooting accident, left Great Britain without a welterweight champion and the British Empire without a middleweight champion.

Harold’s professional success had been preceded by world class success as an amateur, winning the British featherweight title in 1928, and a silver medal in the lightweight division of the 1930 Empire Games in Hamilton, Ontario.

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Bob Anthony, the wrestling beatle, was a  popular welterweight that appeared for independent and Joint Promotions during the 1960s. If ever a young sportsman caught the spirit of the times it was "The Wrestling Beatle" as he was known.

His skill and agility enabled him to travel the world, meeting and beating the best in the business.

He was one of a group of wrestlers chosen by Paul Lincoln to take part in a prestigious tour of the Far East in the early sixties. 

Son of  Bob Archer O’Brien he had a notable 2-0 win over Alan Sargeant before the latter  took the British welterweight title.

Various televised appearances to his name brought national exposure to this fine wrestler who was based in the South.

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Wrestling fans of the sixties loved tag wrestling. They loved it even more when they had a couple of skilful brothers to cheer and will to victory. Romford’s Chris Anthony was not only a skilful welterweight he was also the younger brother of Bob Anthony and the two of them were favourites on the independent circuit of the early sixties before being signed up by Joint Promotions. Away from big brother Chris was more than capable of taking care of himself against the top wrestlers on both the independent and Joint Promotions circuits. Chris’s ability to wrestle was taken care of by his father, the skilful Bob Archer O’Brien.

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A villain of the first order. The black tights, the trimmed beard, the heavily tattooed arms,  and a snarl at the audience left few in doubt that here was a wrestling baddie. Those not persuaded at once were usually convinced as the first round opened with blind side moves, failure to break on the ropes and a few more snarls and complaints to fans and referee. Mark Anthony reached British shores in 1968, and again in 1972, travelling here from his native Australia as part of an extensive world tour. Anthony was rewarded with a 1968 Royal Albert Hall outing against Tibor Szakacs, which he dutifully lost. In fact, Mark Anthony did the right thing on most occasions, and made the British boys look good!.

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An earlier incarnation of Eric “Tubby” Hodgson. In those early days he was a popular light heavyweight who regularly tagged with Bob Abbott. For much of the early part of his career he wrestled for independent promoters, usually in the East of England. When working for Joint Promotions he travelled further afield, more often in the North and Midlands. Sometimes donned a mask and wrestled as one of the masked Undertakers who toured independent and later a few Joint promotion rings, but was he brother Jonathan or Nathaniel?

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A man with a presence.

When Ray Apollon was in the ring the ring shook.

A very powerful and strong heavyweight billed from Trinidad, but born in New York,  who gained fame and success in both the UK and America during the 1950s and 1960s.

He turned professional in June, 1952, and came to the UK for the first time in December of that year. His first UK contest was a loss to Ernie Baldwin, but he went on to meet, and beat, the best.

He moved around the ring with some grace for a man of his size.Billed on occasions as the Black Prince he met big names of the day such as Black Butcher Johnson, Jack Pye, Zebra Kid and Ian Campbell.

For thirteen years he topped bills around the country, popular with fans who appreciated his skill and agility for such a big man.

Ray did not fit the common brawny image of a heavyweight wrestler, being a universtity graduate with an interest in politics.   

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Spiros Arion, the Iron Greek, was a popular wrestler throughout the world. A powerful, muscular heavyweight he looked every part the world champion that he was recognised as at various times in Europe, Australia and America.

After wrestling in France, Canada, the USA and Egypt he made his first visit to the UK in March 1965, known in those days as Arion Manousakis. Within the first few days of embarking on his three month tour he had beaten Bruno Elrington, Ian Campbell, Paul Vachon, Gordon Nelson and Ramon Napoliatno, and drawn with John DaSilva at the Royal Albert Hall.

His career flourished in the 1970s (known by then as Spiros Arion) when he travelled throughout Europe, the United States and Australia, where he twice held the heavyweight title.

He later gained further success in the United States, with wins over top Americans that included his mentor and WWWF World Champion, Bruno Sammartino. He returned to Britain in the 1970s claiming a World Heavyweight Title of sorts, which he dutifully lost to the rising star, Wayne Bridges.

If anyone was to demonstrate that wrestling was more science than art it might well be Choppington’s Dave Armstrong, one of the greats of British wrestling.

It was in 1952 that Ernie Baldwin defeated Dave in a heavyweight tournament to win the British heavyweight championship.

One of the few heavyweights who spanned both sides of the Second World War he met some of the world’s greats, including Atholl Oakeley, Jack Sherry  and the legendary Karl Pojello at Harold Lane’s London Club in 1938.

Pojello described him as “The most scientific man in an English ring. “  A frequent opponent of Bert Assirati in the forties and fifties Dave Armstrong held the occasional victory over the great heavyweight. 

His career continued into the early 1960s. Legend has it that he was the first wrestler to wear contact lenses in the ring. 

Late in his career Dave took to wearing a mask and took the name of The Crusader.

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Discuss Dave Armstrong

Croydon heavyweight who appeared in 1978 and seemed headed for the moon after an initial dozen or so bouts against Dusty Miller.  He progressed, in the language of the time, to becoming a tag partner of Big Daddy's, and was set for a televised début against Haystacks and Big Bruno Elrington at the end of September.  We may never know what led to Armstrong's replacement by Gary Wensor in that bout, and Armstrong's career  soon fizzled out that autumn.

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Leeds heavyweight who seems to have wrestled mainly in the North and Midlands during the 1950s and 1960s.

Despite meeting some of the big names of the time, such as Jack Pye, Ian Campbell and Albert Wall,  Jim Armstrong never reached the heights of his more famous namesake.  He was recognised in the mid 1960’s as British Heavyweight Champion by the independent promoters.

Possibly his main claim to fame was appearing in the main event of BBC 1s first post war televised wrestling tournament. It was in May, 1964, that he wrestled Edouard Carpentier in front of the BBC cameras in Brighton.

On occasions Jim would pull on a mask, take on a limp, place a glove over his allegedly disfigured hand and (according to the posters) assume the strength of four men as the masked Rasputin.

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Bouncing centre ring, shadow boxing with every move exaggerated there was no mistaking the effervescent Leon Arras. The fierce expressions, the impatience to get on with the fight; everything was just that bit larger than life.

The fans would yell and boo, outwardly anyway, because Leon Arras always gave an inner smile.

Starting his wrestling career as Erik Tanberg, the blond from Sweden, until he took up the name of an absentee wrestler and became Leon Arras, the man from Paris.  Brian Glover, that was his real name, was known only to the pupils at the school he taught and wrestling fans throughout the North until he shot to fame in the 1966 film, Kes. 

Playing a  larger than life PE teacher, not unlike his ring persona, Brian Glover seemed a natural of the screen and from  that moment on the Barnsley wrestler became   Brian Glover the television and film star.

For quite a few years after turning to film and television work Leon Arras continued wrestling both in singles matches and with his tag partner, Bobby Graham, as The Untouchables. “Count im ref,” he would cry whenever his opponents shoulders neared the mat.

His over animitated boxing stance, mock confidence, cries of  “ ‘ow about that then,”  and gift of the Northern gab made him a favourite with the fans.

Born into a wrestling family, his father was wrestler Charlie Glover, the Barnsley ex boxer and wrestler who ran the Junction gymnasium and trained a multitude of professional wrestlers.

Leon Arras’ humour style of villainly made him one of the country’s most popular wrestlers. He died in 1997 at the age of just 63.  

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The bald headed Spaniard from Madrid was an obsessive globetrotter who travelled the rings of the world displaying his technical skill, though he could undoubtedly  mix it with the best of them. Arroyo was a regular feature of British rings in the 1950s and 1960s, tackling the best on offer, including losing to Tibor Szakacs at the Royal Albert Hall. The Spaniard was equally popular in Germany where he was a regular competitor in the German tournaments.

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Born in July, 1908, and named after his grandfather, Islington’s Bartolomeo Esserati grew up to become arguably Britain’s greatest ever heavyweight.

He was such a dominant real wrestler that it has been claimed many professionals of the day avoided facing him in the ring.

Having his first professional match in 1928 Bert Assirati’s career spanned both sides of the Second World War and both All-in and freestyle rules. In 1931 he wrestled in the USA and stayed until the following year.

He claimed the British Heavyweight belt in October 1945 and relinquished it in 1950 when he toured India. On March 4th 1947 he was crowned World Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Ivor Martinsen in the final of a championship tournament at Haringey. 

He added the European Heavyweight Title in 1949, which he also vacated on touring India. Shortly after returning to Britain in 1955 the Heavyweight Champion Tony Mancelli retired and Bert Assirati regained the title when he defeated Ernie Baldwin in a heavyweight tournament.

When the World Heavyweight Champion, Lou Thesz, visited Britain in 1957 he was challenged by Bert Assirati. Much has been speculated about the American's alleged refusal to meet Assirati but the bout was a non starter as Assirati was by then working for the independent promoters and not the Joint Promotions organisation for whom Thesz was working.  Bert Assirati held the British title until he was stripped of the title by Joint Promotions in 1958.

He continued to be recognised by a group of independent promoters, known collectively as the British Wrestling Federation, for a further two years. The BWF stripped Assirati of the title in 1960 whilst he was recovering from injury. After the BWF awarded the title to Shirley Crabtree an angry Assirati harassed and challenged Crabtree for much of the sixties.

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Discuss Bert Assirati 

Jack Atherton learned the trade as a pre war All-in wrestler. He continued to compete in the new post war freestyle rules until well into the 1950s before becoming a promoter in the North. In March 1938 Ring Magazine reported, … a supporting bout saw the "Brown Masked Marvel," a hooded light heavy, take two straight from Jack Atherton of Lancashire . . .” Most of his results were more fortunate than that because Jack was one of the wrestling greats. Wrestlers stories are testament to Jack’s characteristics as a promoter, when he combined generosity, kindness and fairness with an astute business brain.

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