Peter Rann
Controversial Doncaster-born middleweight whose career gets the full treatment in Shining Stars.
Sean Regan
When we think of rugby league players turned wrestler, earthy Yorkshire miner types instantly spring to mind. Here we have the language-teaching Ulsterman from the Irish Republic who had his first professional bout in Hastings against Charlie Fisher and won on his 1964 television debut against Gorilla Don Mendoza.
Initially defeated Dr Timmy Geoghegan for the Irish Heavyweight Championship in Belfast only to lose the belt to his tag partner Pat Barratt and then reclaim it for a run through the seventies. His stop-start seemingly part-time wrestling career fizzled out at the end of the decade behind a mask as a latter day Zebra Kid. Regan was a class act, based in Crawley and then Reading. His Indian Death Lock was one of the great special holds in its day, and had Kendo Nagasaki submitting in the sixties at the Royal Albert Hall.
His language skills were of little use in German rings where he cut no ice in regular summer holiday excursions to their international tournaments.
One of the eleven recording stars that sang "Tiptoe Through The Tulips". Leaves us with the feeling of unfulfilled potential.
Billy Riley
Arguably the father of modern day professional wrestling. There was a saying about putting your hand down a coal mine in
Ernie Riley
Romany Riley
The trunked wrestler and transport café owner from Staplehurst, left, developed into a spectacular all-round leotarded master of the wrestling craft in the late seventies and he is discussed in more detail in Armchair Corner.
Into the Fact or Folklore compartment we must put the claim that he drove his horse-drawn Romany caravan throughout Europe on a wrestling tour of Germnany, Spain and France.
Judo Pat Roach
Brummie Pat Roach, he of the Brummingem Bump, was a big, bruising heavyweight who despite reaching the dizzy heights of European Heavyweight Champion never really received the push he deserved from the promoters. He first came to our attention when he stubbornly resisted Billy Robinson as he punished him with successive
Judo Pete Roberts
Whilst younger fans refer to him as the Super Destroyer for those of the author’s age he will always be, quite simply, Judo Pete Roberts. He was the goodest of the good guys, in his early days wearing a judo outfit to remind us of his credentials. Years later we can think of no other wrestler for whom it has been said by fellow professionals so many times that here was one of the most underrated wrestlers in
Billy Robinson
No heavyweight could execute a suplex like Billy Robinson. In fact, no heavyweight could execute just about any move like Billy Robinson. Ask any Mountevans wrestling fan to name
Bert Royal
Photos exist of a young Bert Royal as a masked wrestler, which surprised us as much as his other fans. Royal was one of the big name middleweights from the 1950s until the mid seventies, a Middle and Heavy Middleweight champion of long standing. Very popular, though we would dare to suggest that much of that
popularity rubbed off from his far more youthful looking brother, Vic Faulkner. Dare we go further and ask, did Bert ever have hair? Hair or not, he was exceedingly well-liked, and an acrobatic, skilful wrestler, albeit criticised by Jackie Pallo for an unwillingness to allow opponents look good.
Terry Rudge
Long-term career mid-heavyweight who could wrestle clean or dirty, bald or hairy, tanned or pale. Blocked at the Royal Albert Hall by Mike Marino in his title bid, this was the story in the over-crowded Mid-Heavyweight division all along for the Dunstable utility wrestler, the Barry Douglas of the south. A surprising protegé of Wrestling's Most Influential, Leeds based Norman Morrell.
Can claim one of the most ourageous quotes: his toughest opponent was Tornado Torontos!
Tiger Jimmy Ryan
Ex-boxer from Cashel, Co.Tipperary who turned professional welterweight wrestler in 1959 and claimed many a notable scalp during his ten years in the game, including Jack Dempsey and Tommy Mann - though he was more likely to end up disqualified than ever feature in a bout with a clear cut result. The self-proclaimed Irish Welterweight Champion was perhaps taking revenge on Dempsey who had caused him to lose his front teeth from a drop-kick in an early encounter.
Moved to Croydon in 1966 and tagged with Ivan Penzecoff in The Rebels until they turned upon each other during a match to end the association.
Later tagged with Peter Rann in The Rioteers.
Bulked up to light-heavyweight and then disappeared abruptly and unheralded about 1971. He had always suffered from injuries, particularly to the eyes, and was a regular bleeder. We can only surmise that this characteristic contributed to the curtailment of his career. Went on to become a security officer.