Wrestling Heritage

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Another collection of exotic sounding names, and Tommy Mann. 

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 Glasgow. In his third year working professionally he took the Scottish Lightweight title in 1964, holding it for many years apart from short lived losses to Jim Elder and Bill Ross.

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.

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 UK in 1963. His good humour, colourful trunks and all-action style made him an immediate hit with fans. Many will remember Maivia lying across the top corner ropes for his inter-round relaxation. We’d seen some gimmicks in wrestling, but no one  else could make lying down an attraction. Maivia left Europe in the late 1960s to concentrate on the promotional side of wrestling. Younger fans know Maivia as the grandfather of “The Rock.”  Older fans know him as one of the fathers of modern day wrestling.

Tony Mancelli

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

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 Milan, but actually resided Streatham.

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.

Brian "Goldbelt" Maxine.

The Ellesmere Port welterweight received little recognition until September, 1969, when he snatched the British welterweight title from Alan Sergeant. The sceptics said it would never last, but having re-styled himself Goldbelt Maxine’s career seemingly outlasted wrestling itself.

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.

Jim Mellor

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 Far East, where he became the South East Asian Welterweight champion. In those days Jim was often known by the name Young Aherne, or Brian Aherne; maybe army superiors disapproved of his nocturnal wrestling activities! The poster (right) hows Jim Mellor (using the name Brian Aherne) appearing at the Great World Stadium, Singapore, in 1945. On returning to Britain in 1947 Jim was immediately matched with latter day greats such as George Kidd, Alan Colbeck and Tommy Mann. For more than twenty more years he remained a regular feature of wrestling bills, mainly in the midlands and north. During that time he wrestled just about every other welter and middleweight in the country, and held victories over most, if not all. Promoters relied on him to put on a great performance whether against another well established mat man or helping to enhance the career of a promising young star.        

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 Wigan wrestler  Jack Sheppard. It was the start of a career that was almost short lived, with a ten month lay off following a bout in which he was injured aster being thrown over the ropes by  “Whiskers” Larry Laycock.  He was told he would never wrestle again, but come back he did and Don Mendoza went on to become a popular  post war heavyweight  from the war until the 1960s, when he handed the family laurels to his son, Al Miquet. Billed from Huddersfield or Venezueala Mendoza spent much of his life living in Southport, where he owned a shop in Duke Street. He was big, tough, not particularly exciting, as we recall, but was nevertheless popular with fans and missed when he retired from the ring.

Al Miquet 

Speed, athleticism, skill and really bushy eyebrows are our memories of Huddersfield lightweight, Al Miquet. Miquet was just seventeen years old when he turned professional, making his debut in Glasgow against veteran Tony Lawrence.  He went on to become one of the country’s most popular wrestlers, this goal being helped by an unfortunate televised loss to Jackie Pallo when the referee stopped the contest because of a cut above Miquet’s eye. The Yorkshireman didn’t need the fans’ sympathy to become a top performer as he had sufficient skill to take the British lightweight title from Jim Breaks. Miquet was amongst the top two or three lightweights when a serious car crash almost ended his career in 1971. Against all odds he returned to the ring, showing determination to regain his place as a top performer, this time at welterweight, and partnering Jon Cortez as one half of the Jet Set tag team    

 Dennis Mitchell

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 Germany, where he gained much of his early career experience. A Royal Albert Hall TournamentTrophy win in 1957 put him in the top notch of heavyweights, but never quite on a par with rivals Joyce, Robinson and Wall, though he was British Heavyweight Champion for a short time. Occasionally tag wrestled with his brother Don, a slightly smaller version of big brother.

Julien Morice. 

French lightweight champion from Toulouse but largely domiciled in Britain from 1961.  Real name Pierre Maurice Julien.  He had been lightweight weightlifting record holder of France 1950 to 1952 and went on in 1955 to defeat Modesto Aledo for the European lightweight wrestling championship.  Lost and regained his national and European titles, only to have to relinquish them when called up for the French army during the Algerian campaign in the late fifties.  A great success rate during his early sixties peak in the UK and a credible opponent for George Kidd in many lightweight classics.  His sapping backbreaker was legendary. 

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 Scarborough, Feltham’s Roy Parks was a multi-tattooed London Amatuer Wrestling Champion of 1964 who turned pro soon afterwards and had a baptism of fire when faced with Alan Garfield.   A stop-start career that saw a resurgence late seventies, see him here, and then a brief spell masked as The Big Brute managed by Kensington's Reg Trood.  After throwing down a challenge in the Royal Albert Hall ring one September, nothing materialsed and that was the end of Mr Big and The Brute. Mr Big sadly passed away in 2007,

Iron Jaw Joe Murphy.

Dublin tough guy and legitimate welterweight title contender during his early sixties heyday.  Seemingly a part-timer in the seventies but had a memorable run when tagging with Sid Cooper in the Roughnecks, and later tagged with Mick McManus.  His tag pairing with Jim Fitzmaurice in The Shamrocks seemed not to take off.  The tag partnership that brought him the European Tag Team title was perhaps the least well known one, alongside Fred Van Lotta.

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.