J
We reach the letter J, for Joyce, Joyce and Joyce. We think you’ll rather like the remaining ones also.
Jacobo
Jacobo was a Spanish strongman type, domiciled in Argentina. Trained by Quasimodo.
He toured the UK in the early seventies at a time when many hispanic visitors appeared to be replacing the French and Germans who had regularly visited in the sixties. Unfortunately, this trend also brought with it a rise in no-shows that had been a rarity previously.
Black Butcher Johnson
He was known for his speciality,which was a ferocious savate kick that often collided with an opponents chin,
resulting in a knock out.
Arthur Johnson, known as Black Butcher, was one of the great characters of the pre and post war wrestling scene. He began his career working for Atholl Oakeley in the 1930s and was still wrestling regularly well into the 1960s when he also promoted under the name Ring Promotions.
In 1954 he defeated Norman Walsh in
Butcher’s brother, Bully Johnson, went on to great things in another guise, but you’ll need to keep reading our pages if you want to find out who he was.
Marty Jones
Marty Jones arrived on the wrestling scene in 1972, at a time when technical abilty was giving way to an excess of showmanship and gimmicks. This wasn’t the case for Marty Jones, who was one of a handful of 1970s newcomers that could have more than held their own with professionals of any age. The eighteen year old novice had been trained by Bill Robinson, and it showed. Younger fans will no doubt want to tell us that Marty was a great villain who could generate the wrath of fans through his deeds and microphone skills. Maybe so, but none of this should allow us to overlook the fact that Marty Jones was one of the last great real professional wrestlers, a man who didn’t just look as though he was hurting an opponent, but could really hurt him if he put his mind to it. Marty’s feud with Dave Finlay is the stuff of legends, matches that often ended in blood, sweat and maybe a few tears. Like so many of his generation Jones took the opportunity to travel and demonstrated his special brand of wrestling to the fans of
David Jons
Transatlantic travel was something of a rarity in the 1950s, but that didn’t stop
Mike Jordan
He was called Flash Jordan, and for good reason. Speed, skill and agility made a young Mike "Flash" Jordan something of an overnight sensation when he hit Northern rings in the early 1970s.
Over the following few years he matured into a fine wrestler who could hold his own with the best in the business.
A 1987 win over Johnny Saint at Croydon took Mancunian Mike out of the shadows and handed him the World Lightweight title.
Until that time Mike had spent the previous fifteen years as a popular lightweight, but largely ovserhadowed by the likes of Saint and Breaks.
The blond hair, athletic, muscular physique and pronounced cheek bones were sufficient to
transform Streatham’s
Born in 1933
In the colourful world of professional wrestling promoters were always seeking ways to add a touch of colour and glamour and
Despite frequent work
Terry Jowett
For many fans Terry Jowett lived in the shadows of his tag partner Johnny Eagles. Eagles was the more experienced of the two, and it was he that gave the name to their successful tag partnership, the White Eagles. None would say, though, that Jowett gave less than 100% and matched his illustrious partner in every aspect. Many would say that Jowett was the real worker of the team. Terry was one of the bright young stars of the early 1960s, a classy wrestler whose career stretched from the early sixties late into the 1980s. If covering your body in tattoos is considered a gimmick then Jowett was a gimmicky wrestler. The truth is he relied on nothing more wrestling ability and speed to make him a popular middleweight. He turned to wrestling following national service, losing to
Bill Joyce
Bill Joyce was arguably the finest heavyweight wrestler of our time. He was the man who taught the great modern day shooters, Bill Robinson and Karel Istaz (Karl Gotch), how to wrestle professionally. Furthermore, it would be hard to deny his technical superiority over other greats such as Bert Assirati.
For Joyce it was a case of the appliance of science over strength, as shown in his televised defeat of twenty stone Bruno Elrington. Two submissions with single leg Boston Crabs gave Joyce a 2:0 win over the Pompey giant. No one looked less the part of a professional wrestler than Joyce, who was light for a heavyweight, but nevertheless kept a firm grip on the British title for most of the time between 1955 and 1967.
In the twilight years of his career he dropped down a weight to establish himself as champion of the light heavyweight division. Billy Joyce was the epitome of substance over style, forever a great technician, but never a showman.
Undoubtedly, a true wrestling great. Read more about Billy Joyce in The Shy Shooter of the North.
Doug Joyce
Doug Joyce was the Canadian-born mid-heavyweight title challenger from Rushden, the rule-bending brother of rule-abiding Ken. He was also mischieviously and misleadingly billed also as Whipper Wilson, deliberately to confuse with fellow Canadian world champion Whipper Billy Watson. One of Doug’s major claims to fame was the time he flew headlong out of the ring in a televised bout only to smash right into Kent Walton causing him to have three stitches in the wound.
Ken Joyce
Ken Joyce. Canadian-born British and European welterweight champion, who also claimed European tag-team 
championship honours with Eddie Capelli, though he also tagged with brother Doug Joyce.
Rather interestingly relinquished his European Eelterweight Championship because he couldn't travel to Pairis to defend it.
Rushden-based craftsman and greatly respected both through his involvement at the heart of Devereaux Promotions and latterly as an energetic referee. See Armchair Corner, The Haunting.
Colin Joynson
Cheetham Hill blockbuster much appreciated by knowing fans without ever achieving high profile status though much sought after for German tournaments. A stocky all-action star who was handily weighted to share top-billing alongside opponents as diversely weighted as Mick McManus and Pat Roach.
Can lay claim to being the wrestler who opposed two exotic foreign stars on their sole British television appearances, Quasimodo and N'boa the Snakeman.
Tagged latterly as a Dangerman with Steve Haggetty (see Autographs) and occasionally with Romany Riley.