C          

We reach the letter C.   

Pictured is one of the most popular heavyweight wrestlers of the

1950 and 1960, Dazzler Joe Cornelius.

He rightly has a place in our listings

Ten more names to remember, but have we chosen the right ten?  Let us know.

Angus Campbell

Unruly hair and unruly natured Wild Angus was one of the great heavyweight villains of  the mid to late twentieth century. Just when you thought he couldn’t get more villainous Angus had the tendency to do something even more outrageous, often resulting in an exit via the disqualification route. Following a successful career in the UK Wild Angus became an accomplished international traveller, gaining fame and notoriety throughout North America and Japan. Angus made his home in the USA before returning, via New Zealand to settle in Scotland, where he died in 2005.  Read more.... 

Ian Campbell

Dunfermline’s Ian Campbell was one of the post war giants of professional wrestling in more ways than one. A giant in the sense that he weighed  near 20 stones, but also in the sense that he successfully toured the USA in the 1950s when such visits by British wrestlers were almost unknown. In the USA he became good friends with a man who was to become Heavyweight Champion of the World, “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. On returning to the UK he became an instant star, sometimes accompanied to the ring by bagpipes before tackling all the heavyweights of the day. Softly spoken outside of the ring there was nothing soft about the man when he climbed through the ropes. A rule bender who infuriated fans in his early days Campbell later mellowed and showed that he was a capable wrestler who could work within the rules. Much of his time was spent wrestling overseas, particularly in Germany, although he also wrestled in Australasia, Africa and Asia. This monarch of the mat held the British heavyweight title for a short time in 1966 after beating Billy Joyce in Perth.

Eddie Capelli

London born Anglo Italian Eddie Capelli was a stalwart of British wrestling for around thirty years. Born in 1927 success came to the young Capelli in 1949 when he succeeded Harold Angus as the new British welterweight champion. Losing the title to Mick McManus three years later Eddie remained a popular wrestler but was never to reach the top again. In the 1960s and 1970s he remained popular, and his change of nature to become a baddie of the ring never quite seemed to ring true. He was usually found in the preliminary contests, often providing a stepping stone for future stars. Ken Joyce and Eddie Capelli were the European tage team champions.

Linde Caulder

The hugely popular Antiguan welterweight turned professional in 1958, working for the independent promoters, and was signed up by Joint Promotions in 1961. He had come to the UK as a child and shown a keen interest in many sports, including cycling, soccer, boxing  and swimming. Following completion of his national service Linde turned his hand to professional wrestling. His first contest was at Canning Town against Frankie Bell. Skill and speed combined together  to make him a popular and successful television performer, often seen in tag action with Johnny Kwango, and in later career with Leon Fortuna as The Sepia Set.   A regular in top of the bill bouts with McManus and Pallo at their peak, it was around 1972 that Caulder drifted off uheralded as so many before and after him.

Tony Charles

The small Rhondda Valley of Treorchy was famed for miners and singing, but not wrestling. Tony Charles did his best to change that, and as one of the top television stars of the sixties and seventies didn’t do a bad job. After becoming Welsh amateur welterweight champion and  representing Wales in the 1958  Empire Games he turned professional in 1959. Starting out as a welterweight he moved throught the weights up to mid heavyweight, challenging unsuccessfully for a British title all the way, against Jack Dempsey (welterweight), Tommy Mann (middleweight) Billy Joyce (light heavyweight) and Mike Marino (mid heavyweight). His speciality moves, a spinning toe hold and a drop kick gained him a place at the very top of British wrestling.

Steve Clements

Blond haired Steve Clements came from famous stock, being the son of Huddersfield’s ted Beresford. He was everyone's favourites mums, dads and the teenage kids. It was his wrestling skill, not his parentage, that made him such a popular and successful wrestler. In the 1960s he gained fame as a popular welterweight and as partner to Mick McMichael in the Yorkshire Terriers tag team. The team were an overnight success, quickly establishing themselves alongside top teams of the day such as the Riot Squad and Jet Set. In 1969 he went to Mexico where 46000 fans saw him defeat Karloffe Lagarde in the Pueblo stadium, Mexico, to take the World welterweight title. Shortly afterwards he travelled to the USA where he partnered Don Greene to take the Tennessee Tag Team Championships. On  returning to the UK he weighed over 14 stones, three stones more than when he had left. Tragedy lay in store and a sparkling career remained tragically unfulfilled due to Steve’s untimely death in a road accident.

Dazzler Joe Cornelius

The black tights and sequined capes were the trademark of the hugely popular Londoner, Dazzler Joe Cornelius From the moment he jumped over the top rope until the day he retired as undefeated Southern England heavyweight champion Dazzler Joe was a crowd pleaser throughout. Trained by Tony Mancelli and Joe D’Orazio the dazzler made his professional debut in Germany,  substituting for his injured mentor, Joe D’Orazio. Dazzler Joe combined wrestling with hairdressing, which was not the unique pairing that might have been expected. Fans were surprised and disappointed when Dazzler Joe hung up the sequined crown for the last time, whilst still Southern England Heavyweight Champion.

The elder (by two years)  of the sensational Dulwich brothers who turned professional for Paul Lincoln Management in 1960. After joining  Joint Promotions the brothers became instant television successes, often as a tag pairing, but Jon particularly was renowned in his own right. The tag pairing was cut short when Peter moved to Australia in 1972. Jon went on to gain equal, if not greater success, as one half of the Jet Set, partnering Al Miquet. Jon Cortez was the first winner of the ITV Golden Gown Award.

He was loved for his speed and agility, which may have disguised the fact that he was a very skilful technician to boot.

Pat Curry

When he started out with the independent promoters, following an amateur grounding at Bolton Harriers AWC,  Pat Curry was billed as “Smasher” Pat Curry of Canada. On occasions promoters even threw in a Pacific Coast Heavyweight Title for good measure. These are our fondest memories of Pat, a young, energetic, all-action golden boy in raucous bouts against the likes of Angus Campbell, Dominic Pye, The Ghoul and The Wildman of Borneo. In 1969 he caught the attention of the big promoters and signed to wrestle for Joint Promotions. The energy and skill were still there but, as was so often the case, Joint Promotions failed to capitalise on their new asset and Pat did not receive the push many Northern fans thought he deserved. That’s not to say that he didn’t have his moments. Pat was mixing it with the very best – Wall, Davies, Howes, Nagasaki and the like. His all-action style suited Kendo Nagasaki, a frequent early seventies opponents, to provide some exhilarating bouts. He even donned a mask, took the name Red Devil, and was ceremoniously unmasked after being knocked out by Nagasaki at Nelson in October, 1970. Career highlights must include appearances at the Royal Albert Hall, more than a dozen television appearances, the destruction of Hans Streiger to take the European Heavyweight Title at Liverpool in February, 1978, and an unsuccessful challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship against John Quinn in 1984.  Some members of Joint Promotions re-named Pat as Pete Curry, possibly to avoid confusion with the post war North American heavyweight, but to us he will always be Smasher Pat Curry.

Shirley Crabtree

Beginning his working life in the coal pits of Yorkshire Shirley Crabtree followed in the footsteps of his brothers and father, and entered the world of professional wrestling. He wrestled under various names such as The Blond Adonis, Mr Universe and The Battling Guardsmen. After becoming  the independent promoters British Heavyweight champion in 1960 he was harassed  by Bert Assirati, who resented him claiming a title that he believed to be his own.. In this first phase of his career Crabtree tended to rely on his strength though did show more wrestling skill than when he returned to the ring in 1972,  and soon to be transformed in to Big Daddy a couple of years later. Emotions run strong when the name Big Daddy is mentioned. Fans in equal parts seem to admire him as the man who saved wrestling in the mid seventies or destroyed it in the 1980s. Following a transitional period Big Daddy was firmly established as the Uks favourite wrestler by 1976. Wrestling became a diminishing feature of any Big Daddy bout and over-exposure led from Daddy arguably recruiting a fresh wave of fans to driving them all away, and the eventual withdrawal of television coverage.

Johnny Czeslaw

Not the original Polish Eagle but the best known, Cracow's Johnny Czeslaw was genuinely poular with all fans and could breathe life into the dullest of opponents.  We struggled to take him seriously when he played the villain's role.  Weighing in around the fourteen stone mark he was well placed to face all the great names of his era which spanned twenty years from 1957.  We were always puzzled that this man that crossed the iron curtain failed to travel to the far north of Lancashire and Yorkshire, but we loved him nevertheless.  An occasional tagster with Ivan Penzecoff, and the most profuse of sweaters and grunters - but his vaguely gystapo-style shouts of "Schwein!" were always well received.  Blazered Johnny Czeslaw was notable for always watching as much as he could of the other bouts... or perhaps he didn't like the dressing room atmosphere?  He also genuinely seemed to enjoy his wrestling.  Anyway, we all know this smiling shaven headed matman, so Wrestling Heritage is particular pleased to post this rarity of Czeslaw with hair.