N
We move into the second half of our alphabetical merry-go-round, or as Kent Walton would say, "Round four, three to go."
N’boa the Snakeman
This was Bob Elandon from Leopoldville in the Belgian Congo who toured Brtain several times in the sixties, initially billed as Eladon the Headhunter. He brought with him to the ring a six-foot python, a gimmick subsequently copied by others. A colourful bare-footed and barely-toothed light-heavyweight baddie from wrestling’s golden era, who topped the Royal Albert Hall bill when he faced Steve Viedor.
Kendo Nagasaki.
Enigmatic masked ceremonial sword bearer whose career is unravelled in the Shining Stars section. Plagued by ear trouble following a June 1976 injury at the hands of Gwyn Davies at Belle Vue, Manchester, Nagasaki's career is one of the most varied and interesting we discuss.
Ramon Napolitano
This powerful heavyweight from Charlotte, North Carolina, (pictured against Tibor Szakacs) was a popular and familiar figure on the British wrestling circuit in the early 1960s. He was credited by Billy Two Rivers as the man who encouraged him to visit the UK, but we remember him as a fine heavyweight who tangled with the best.
John Naylor
Standing on the top rope facing the audience, a backwards summersault on to his astonished opponent and the
inevitable result was a pinfall for John Naylor. He is pictured scoring one of those pinfalls over Peckham's Steve Grey. Such moves were to become almost commonplace thirty years later, but in the early 1970s they helped make “The Golden Ace” John Naylor one of the new breed of wrestling stars. Wigan’s John Naylor brought a breath of fresh air to the northern wrestling scene when he appeared in the early 1970s. Here was someone with skill, style, speed, and a healthy amount of aggression. Having learnt the business at Riley’s gym he could certainly wrestle, and his early professional experiences came on weekend visits to France. Along with contemporaries Steve Wright, Dynamite Kid and Mark Rocco, John Naylor played just as significant part in changing the style of 1970s wrestling, but often seems one of the forgotten men of the new breed.
Gordon Nelson
Mighty Canadian heavyweight from St Boniface, Manitoba, who first came to Britain in 1956, shortly after winning the Canadian Amateur Heavyweight Championship, and settled for the best part of over ten years . Master of the inside leg grapevine. He claimed the prestigious Royal Albert Hall Tournament Trophy in 1964. After a few try-outs in 1964 both in Britain and America, the end of 1965 saw the emergence of a devastating masked phenomenon in the American Outlaw, (the one-off 1964 UK trial had seen The Outlaw improbably opposing Billy Torontos). A televison sensation right from his first televised defeat of Steve Viedor, the Outlaw was never beaten or unmasked, and disappeared frustratingly in 1968 after forging an occasional tag team with Kendo Nagasaki. Nelson continued wrestling stateside well into the seventies, as Mr America amongst other guises.
Al Nicol
The sheer depth of talent to be found in the pre 1980s wrestling business now beggars belief. That is why men such as Nottingham gravedigger Al Nicol are remembered by those that saw him wrestle but is missing from the mythology that surrounds that age. Nicol was a fine welterweight of the sixties, a Middleweight Champion of the Midlands, no less, but had to rely on the likes of McManus and Pallo for the rare Main Event appearance. Life is full of such injustices. Four years of amateur wrestling, and a splattering of judo knowledge, led to his professional debut against the vastly experienced Eric Sands. Following that predictable loss Nicol gained experience and respect amongst the wrestling community. Against the big named opponents he was usually the bridesmaid, but he did have the occasional moment of glory with the odd win over greats Tommy Mann and Jack Dempsey.
Phil Nieman
The man who beat the gong for Rank Cinemas from 1946-1955. You can learn such interesting facts here on Wrestling Heritage. Not just that professional wrestler of the 1940s and 1950s, Phil Nieman, was one of four men who struck the gong for Rank films over the years. Also, that the filming of this introductory sequence was filmed frequently because the film deteriorated so quickly, and that the sound was recorded separately because the gong was made of papier mache. Unfortunately we are unable to tell you much about the success of film extra, stuntman, and gong striker Phil Nieman as a wrestler.
Vicomte Joel de Noirbreuil
The dashing young French viscount toured Britain twice in the mid-sixties and is seen left with an armlock on Gentleman Jim Lewis. Born in Paris and mentored by Georges Cohen, he was trained for the ring by Albert Ben Chemoul, father of the European Middleweight Champion, René, and became a favourite on French televised wrestling. 5'5" Noirbreuil wrestled all over France and tagged surpisingly with N'boa the Snakeman, see above.
On his UK tour he challenged Alan Colbeck for the European Welterweight Championship and faced many of the UK's top middle and welterweights. His sole UK tv bout was against Jon Cortez. But his record shows four 1965 losses against Jackie Pallo, all at coastal locations.
Norman the Butcher
Although he did continue to wrestle in the post war Mountevans era Norman Ansell really belongs to the pre war wrestling scene. Until Wrestling Heritage turns its attention to the pre war years we just couldn’t resist including this great villain that was such a stalwart of the all-in era. Norman the Butcher worked regularly for pre war promoters such as Athol Oakley, Henri Irslinger and Kathleen Luke and helped form the landscape of our wrestling heritage. We should also mention that he also fathered one of the genuine Mountevans era stars, Lee Bronson. Norman was a regular fan at ringside in his later years, as pictured left, and was seen prominently in the BBC television wrestling documentary The Big Time.
Terry Nylands
A promising newcomer of early 1960s Northern rings Terry Nylands was destined to never achieve top of the bill status. He was, nevertheless, a popular and skilful welterweights and Terry did have his moments, including a win over Jack Dempsey when the Wigan maestro was at his best. That and an appearance (along with Chic Purvey and Ian Campbell) in Coronation Street. So he must have been somebody! Win or lose fans always appreciated the technical ability of the pride of Rochdale (who happened to be born in Bristol). He was trained by Jack Atherton and turned professional when 21 years old. By the late 1960s Terry seemed to have disappeared from the wrestling scene, and was one of those that we didn’t miss until sometime later we suddenly realised he wasn’t around any longer.
