Jim McKenzie
In days when wild haired Peruvians, Stetson wearing Americans, and east Europeans with unpronounceable names were familiar features on our wrestling bills it seems ironic that such great interest could be aroused amongst fans by British wrestlers working outside their customary region. Such was the case when Scottish lightweight Jim McKenzie ventured south. McKenzie was an accomplished wrestler, a regular worker and popular performer who never quite made it to the dizzy heights of Saint, Breaks or Kidd. After nine years as an amateur, and winner of the Scottish championship, he turned professional and made his debut against George Kidd in
Mick McManus

Anglo-Irish cornerstone of the Dale Martin Empire from his forties début (left) right through to July 2007 and his appearance on an ITV nostalgia show alongside Dickie Davies as the face of wrestling. (See news section)The most featured wrestler of all time in television bouts. A carefully crafted ring persona was effective in arousing fans’ hatred over several decades and a full review appears in the Shining Stars section.
Mick McMichael
Mick McMichael was the youngest ever pro wrestler at the age of fifteen in 1958. He developed into a middleweight title contender with bouts against champion Bert Royal and had tag team success at the same weight when his Yorkshire Terriers pairing won the European title in
Peter Fanene Maivia
The wrestling world was full of colourful characters from seemingly all parts of the
globe. Not only was Maivia more colourful than most his facial features, and hose sprawling feet, made it apparent that he was indeed a genuine Pacific islander. He would counter any hold with a huge smile that would instantly remind fans why they loved him so much. From the American half of the Samoan islands, Maivia arrived in the
Tony Mancelli
Most readers recall Tony Mancelli as one of the finest referees of the sixties, a man who helped bring credibility and respect to the sport. Only those of more mature years remember Mancelli as one of the country’s most popular heavyweights, universally known as the Blackfriars Thunderbolt, a name which accurately reflected his all-action style. A long time holder of the Southern Area Heavyweight title and short lived British champion Mancelli met all the national and visiting international stars in a career that lasted from before the Second World war until the 1960s. When wrestling emerged from the war years and re-invented itself Mancelli’s style fulfilled the requirements of the new Mountevans rules and he was soon established as one of the country’s most popular and successful heavyweights.
Gori Ed Mangotich
The Lumberjack from Toronto will for ever be linked with his sixties tag partner and employer at Paul Lincoln Promotions, Doctor Death. The only title he can lay claim to is that of most applicable target for the much used rhetorical question about wrestlers: "Where on earth do they get the names from?"
Though he wrestled alongside all the Joint Promotions starlets in the early fifties, he broke away at the outset with rebellious Hunter and Lincoln.
Later on in the seventies, Gori Ed would don the Doctor Death mask himself chiefly for Devereaux Promotions. And he wound up back as himself, no more than a support wrestler on the independent bills that multiplied from 1975, this due to the fact that he never wrestled on television. In 1964 he had been the first professional opponent for newcomer Wayne Bridges.
Tommy Mann
Rugged, all action wrestler who knew all the holds in the book and a few more besides. Tommy began his wrestling career in the rowdy rings of the 1930s. His remarkable success started to reach a climax in 1952, when he beat the great Jack Dale to win the British middleweight title for the first of eight times. It was a roller coaster championship career from then on, until Tommy vacated the title in 1963 due to injury.He went on to run a well renowned restaurant in manchester. In addition to national success Tommy was twice holder of the World middleweight title, between 1954 and 1955 and again from 1961 until retirement. Like many others of the time Tommy's success as a wrestler found him work in the wider world of entertainment, and he appeared on the Benny Hill show.
Mike Marino
Mainstay of the professional game and an undoubtedly skilful Golden Boy of the fifties, who broke ranks to join Paul Lincoln Promotions from 1961 to the end of 1965. Faced many international stars in Royal Albert Hall main events, and claimed British, European and World Mid-Heavyweight championships right up to a tragic roadside death in 1982. Famed for his small package folding press, his submission leg stretch – and an idiosyncratically amazed look up after every throw he took. Faced a whole string of visiting stars and usually came out on top. A more mysterious feud of the silent type was perhap the one with Bristol's nortern based Billy Howes, a fellow and contemporary titel claimant.
Less mysterious was Mike's participation in one of the most famous tag matches seen in Britain when he and Steve Viedor defeated the evil Japanese twosome (from South America, by the way) at the Royal Albert Hall in 1966.
In later years he assumed the mantle of Dale Martin matchmaker and gave himself the labour or luxury of facing two opponents in the same Royal Albert Hall programme in 1975. He defeated first Big Daddy and then Mick McManus, each by two falls to one. Bled from thin eye tissue as profusely as boxing contemporary Henry Cooper. Oft billed as the Anglo Italian from
Judo Al Marquette
Al Marquette was the judo suited, barefooted wizard that literally tied his opponents in knots. The Stocport judo teacher was a mainstay of the independent circuit, using the name Amazing Mitsimoto, until being tempted to Joint promotions and the television exposure that brought national fame and popularity. Read more in Shining Stars.
Buster Martin

Wrexham tearaway who never bothered with niceties but gave a great mid-heavyweight villain's performanace unfailingly every time. Billed as Jack Martin in the north and Al Martin at other times. Long time independent stalwart with a successful Joint Promotions run in the early seventies and even a couple of Royal Albert Hall appearances to his name. Another great favourite of ours. Tagged unusually with Keith Martinelli in The Martinis, a pairing forced through by name rather than style. A regular and ideal television and halls opponent of Masambula and Les Kellett. Featured in our "Favourite" Autographs.
Caswell Martin
Cast-iron Caswell turned professional in 1970. He immediately struck us with his agility and La Savate k.o. kick, and prospects looked bright of a new black star amidst his ageing peers. But Cas seemed to get stuck in a rut somewhere down the line in spite of his athleticism, still going down rather unbelievably to a limited Steve Logan on WoS reruns from the late seventies, and surprisingly even for the commentator against Tom Tyrone. Whether this stifled potential was his own choice we will never know ... probably. He certainly looked capable of taking on and beating any of the top heavyweights who were around when he was.
This impression is confirmed by a far higher success rate in the principal German tournaments mid-seventies where he featured as one of the highest ranked foreign stars, outstripping many who enjoyed more clout in the UK. In Austria too he was winner of the 1976 Viennese All Nations Trophy, entertaining huge crowds over 40 nights. Caswell returned to Vienna to prove victory was no fluke by completing the double in 1977.
This variable status as exemplified by the results of Caswell Martin is one of the many mysteries we strive to resolve here at Wrestling Heritage.
Masambula
Our in depth feature on wrestling’s original African witchdoctor is aptly named The King of Charisma. The title says it all. Take a look…
Brian "Goldbelt" Maxine.
The
Resplendant in his velvet cloak and gold cardboard crown he would parade around the ring tossing out leaflets that proclaimed his greatness and challenging one and all. He established himself as welterweight and middleweight champion, enraging fans with his unruly tactics, arrogant manner and ruthless style until into the 21st century. Few other wrestlers can boast of entertaining fans at he highest level for five decades.
Most readers who saw Jim Mellor in action will remember a veteran of the ring with a career that spanned three
decades. He was a veteran who stood out from the crowd not just by wearing black tights (which was unusual in those days), but by cramming a huge amount of strength and wrestling ability into his small frame. The Stoke On Trent hard man’s interest in the sport began shortly before the war and he started learning the business in 1938. The outbreak of war put paid to hopes of a quick route to professional success. Nevertheless, Jim did get offered professional bouts during the early years of the war, meeting in those days wrestlers such as Bully Pye, Ray Raymond, Jack Santos, John Hall, Kid Dickson, Buddy Isles, George Goldie, Bill Ogden and Tiger Woods. Enlisting in the army and being taken prisoner of war proved something of an inconvenience, but no doubt gave Jim the determination, strength and courage that made him such a successful wrestler. Much of his immediate post war experience was in the
Don Mendoza
The hairiest chest in wrestledom. Maybe, maybe not, but certainly hairy enough to gain him the nickname Gorilla and make a lasting impression on us as young fans in the 1960s. Work as a cake decorator may seem a surreal springboard to a life in the ring, but it was this and army service during the Second World War which preceded Don Mendoza’s wrestling career. His first professional contest was against
Al Miquet
Speed, athleticism, skill and really bushy eyebrows are our memories of
The Northern golden boy was a popular figure in the 1960s wrestling rings before ultimately melting away, as so many did, in the shadows of the 1970s independent scene. Mitchell, commonly seen wearing white trunks and boots (but having discarded the mask worn at the start of his career) was surprisingly fast for a fully fledged heavyweight. He was a regular visitor to
Julien Morice.
French lightweight champion from
Feuded for a while with Mick McManus. Tagged for a short while with Al Miquet as the Entente Cordiale. His main tag claim to fame was participation alongside Zoltan Boscik in the first ever tag match at the Royal Albert Hall, where the international pairing went down to the Cortez Brothers.
Approachable to fans in his horn-rimmed glasses, we were always assured of stylish technique when this tiniest of wrestlers was on the bill. Slipped noticeably in stature in the seventies, losing at the bottom of a Royal Albert Hall bill to Al Nicol. Stoutly championed by a proud son-in-law on current day forums, who calls into doubt Morice's alleged interest in the occult.
Mr Big
Originally from
Iron Jaw Joe Murphy.
Dublin
Joe Murphy was the hardest forearm smasher of them all! And one of the shortest wrestlers around. Even though we may remember him as a seventies undercarder, it is notable that in opposition to Jack Dempsey he drew both in a well-recorded British Championship bout in 1962 and again in a 1965 televised bout, surely a measure of thoroughbred standing.
See him here locking up with Clive Myers from a Daily Mail feature on wrestling in the eighties.
Some evidence emerges in 2007 that he may have been an opponent Mick McManus avoided in the 1960s.