Johnny Saint

We have followed Johnny Saint’s career since the early 1960s. Even in those early days on the independent circuit it was obvious that here was a wrestler with huge potential. Saint turned professional in 1959, having been trained in boxing by Alf Robinson  and wrestling by Bily Robinson. Although Bill Robinson’s professional career began only a year or so before Saint’s the young heavyweight had a huge influence on his career. After ten years on the independent circuit Johnny was brought over to Joint Promotions, and became an “overnight success” amongst Joint Promotion fans. Early wins over Breaks and Faulkner rapidly established Saint as one of the top lightweights. His epic battles with Jim Breaks are legendary, and it came as no surprise to anyone when Saint succeeded George Kidd as the World Lightweight champion. Saint was a hero of the fans throughout his career, combining technical skill with speed and acrobatic ability. His career spanned almost forty years, but his exploits are still discussed by wrestling fans around the world. Read Johnny Saint and Jim Breaks Get Verbal.

Ray St. Bernard

A pre and post war giant amongst heavyweights the 23 stone Ray St Bernard wrestled greats such as  The Angel, Strangler Lewis  and Jack Sherry. His finest moment probably came when he was just twenty-five years old when he tackled   former World Heavyweight Champion, Dick Shikat, in 1939 at the Tower Ballroom, Brighton.  This was a titanic struggle which lasted over fifty minutes before Shikat gained the upper hand and took  the bout. St Bernard continued his wrestling career after the war, and even had a bit part in the film “The Night and the City” (1950), in which he wrestled The Strangler (Mike Mazurki).

Roy St. Clair

Former British Light-heavweight champion billed from Redruth who is discussed in some detail in the Shining Stars section under Perfect Asymmetry.

As well as partnering brother Tony as described in detail there, Roy also regularly partnered Ricki Starr in tag on overseas trips.

 

 

 

 

 

Tony St. Clair

Youngest of the three wrestling St.Clairs whose early career is considered in Shining Stars under Perfect Assymetry. In solo action he went on to become a notable British Heavyweight Champion and maintained the title's status as an international level, including when triumphing in the 1978 Oldenburg tournament.

 

 

 

 

Pasquale Salvo

Bermodsey's Anglo Italian middleweight who tagged with Peter Rann as the Riot Squad, Salvo was a rule-breaking hell-raiser and hated by the crowds - except in Bedford and Peterborough where the large Italian migrant community related to the brickmaking industry gave him fully vocal support.

An ex-boxer who had a particularly noteworthy feud in 1964 Southend with British Champion Jack Dempsey and came out on top twice.

Latterly a petrol station proprietor, see Logan tanking up, right.

Petrol sales must have boomed for Pasquale disappeared from the fight scene late sixties.

 

 

 

Supertsar Sanders

Morden welterweight who appeared  on the scene as a twenty year old in the mid-seventies and enjoyed a dream Dale Martin push, beating McManus on television and relieving him of his European Middleweight Chammpionship and belt.  Nevertheless, his unsmiling manner seemed to block his elevation to the Great Golden Hope that the promotion needed at the time, and he settled more comfortably into a role to succeed McManus more style-wise than as title holder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eric Sands

A dour Yorkshireman and yet a dynamic and skilful wrestler. Eric Sands became interested in wrestling whilst he was serving in the Royal Navy, and he started to seriously study the amateur game, at Bradford’s Windmill Amateur Wrestling Club,  on discharge from the navy. His learning led to quick success after he turned professional, and culminated in winning the British Lightweight Title by defeating Johnny Stead on 30th May, 1953. Sands held the title for a year before losing the belt back to Stead, but his career continued until well in to the 1960s. A win over World Welterweight Champion, Jim Lewis, at the Royal Albert Hall in January, 1956, demonstrates the height of his success, with the demise signified by losing to  newcomer Leon Fortuna at the same venue in five months later.

 

 

 

 

Neil Sands

 

6��” heavyweight from Halstead in Essex whose career within the Joint Promotions network started in 1974 following five years training as an amateur and formative years wrestling for independent promoters, initially billed as Sky Churchill.  One of his final independent bouts has the distinction of being the final career bout of his opponent, the great Alan Garfield.

His 1975 television début against Steve Viedor is still regularly aired, a highly entertaining encounter from unpromising Gravesend which had commentator Kent Walton billing and cooing in admiration.  It would be fully 12 years before Sands would appear on the small screen once again, and then alongside Tony St Clair in tag.

In 1976 he appeared in an international tournament in Munster, Germany, gaining experience alongside fellow big-name entrants Horst Hofmann and Otto Wanz, and facing old pros Micha Nador and Josef Molnar.

Neil Sands made a notable Royal Albert Hall début on the infamously decimated bill and defeated Mal Kirk.  Went on to greater success and promotion in the period beyond that examined here, but a  wonderfully dedicated and civil contributor to all internet debates  over thirty years on.

 

Lee Sharron

Numismatist Lee, trained by George De Relwyskow, was one of several wrestlers who overcame extended teenage illnesses to be successful in the ring.  He took his ring name from daughter Sharron Leslie.  Debut loss in Withernsea 1962 against Les Kellett, and went on to appear extensively in Germany and the Middle East.  When Leon Arras reduced his appearances dramatically it was Lee Sharron who became an Untouchable alongside Bobby Graham. 

Widely billed as a Jewish Heavyweight, Sharron gained revenge for that début loss a decade later when scoring an upset 2-1 falls victory on television over Les Kellett.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiger Singh

Yorkshire and national amateur champion, who tried various names from his given name Gilbert, through Gil and Dalibir, to be known as the hard-working British Heavyweight Champion Tiger Singh.  Gained his international wings when part of the Yorkshire contingent in the 1974 German tournaments.  Never achieved much success at all in Germany  and even by 1978 he was losing there to Barry Douglas, whom he would have been expected to defeat every time in the UK.  In this sense he is the inverse of Caswell Martin.  Singh fueded regularly with the similarly styled Ray Steele.  Probably too regularly, an overdose of straight wrestling as antedote to the unbelievable excesses of Big Daddy and others.  One wonders whether the Crabtrees required their heavyweight champion to bottle any charisma to protect their elder member, or whether no bottling was required and the lack of appeal came naturally ....

 

Dino Skarlo

Welterweight son of the original Cockney Kid and tagged with Tony in the Cockney Kids, feuding long-term and in single combat with the Kellys.  Bright Bermondsey contender.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony Skarlo

Bermondsey's original Cockney Kid and lightweight contender of the early and mid sixties who resurfaced in the seventies alongside his son Dino to tag as ... The Cockney Kids.  A reliable ultility worker who continues to contribute much to the scene three decades later.

Both in singles and tag, the Skarlos will forever be associated with Peter Kelly, and his son Steve, for a working lifetime largely spent with the same opponents!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ricki Starr

Arguably the most sensational wrestler to impact the British scene in the sixties and a major player in those golden years, pursuing a glittering undefeated run and returning on several occasions, including long-haired and balding in 1974 on independent bills. 

Having boxed, and won 17 amateur wrestling titles, Starr turned pro wrestler in 1953 and combined the mat sport with a career as a ballet dancer, touring Europe with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and later appearing on Broadway in Paint Your Wagon and Annie Get Your Gun.  But it was when he started to combine his ballet with his wrestling that the spark came and he sold out Madison Square Garden on several occasions.

Even on our 1964 monochrome sets his golden ballet shoes caused a stir, and his prancing and pirouetting had audiences on the edges of their seats.  The fifteen-stoner invariably finished off his opponents with an aeroplane spin, and his defeat of Steve Logan - seconded by Mick McManus - on Cup Final Day 1965 is legendary.  Later scaled down to as little as 13 stone 2 pounds and, at this weight in his final three televised appearances, span not only light-heavyweights Czeslaw and Haggetty to knock-out defeats but also the 19 stones Mucky Mal Kirk.

In 1968 Ricki Starr was one of a number of wrestlers featured in the movie The Touchables.

The early seventies saw occasional UK glimpses of the new look Starr including Royal Albert Hall bill-topping appearances in which he sensationally knocked out Mr TV Pallo.  Dale Martin's precious emergent jewel proved a harder rock to crack and he only drew with Goldbelt Maxine.

His status was undiminished in European actions and in the marathon two-month Hanover tournament of 1974 with almost nightly action, he emerged undefeated - but was still placed only second overall by protectionist Germans.

Have you ever wondered where Richard Starkey got his name from when he became drummer for the Beatles ....

 

Docker Don Stedman

18-stone 5'6" Bermondsey heavyweight in the Georges Gordienko mould, proud of never being knocked out throughout his career. Wrestled throughout the early sixties on Paul Lincoln bills and made only limited impact for Dale Martins after the promotions fused, though he was one of the semi-finalists in the tournament to decide a Southern England Heavyweight Champion eventually claimed by Judo Al Hayes.

Feuded with Josef Kovacs, though two of his six televised bouts were against Pat Barratt.

 

 

 

 

Eugene Stezycki

 

Polish heavyweight Eugene Stezycki is best remembered for his feud with legendary British heavyweight Bert Assirati. Stezycki came to Britain after the war, and began wrestling in 1954. His early career was pretty unspectacular, but all that changed in July, 1956 when he gave Bert Assirati a tremendous tussle in Brighton, and once again at Belle Vue a few weeks later. From that time on Stezycki’s place in wrestling was established, and that place was often in the opposite corner of Assirati. He wrestled Assirati almost fifty times over the following three years, and was known as one of the toughest wrestlers in British rings. Stezycki died in July, 2007.

 

 

 

 

Jim Stockdale

The plumber turned wrestler from Stockton on Tess, Gentleman Jim Stockdale, entertained fans mainly in the north of England both under his own name and that of the villainous masked man The Blue Angel. Jim took an interest in wrestling during his teenage years whilst he was serving an apprenticeship at Head Wrightsons Apprentice School.  In his early twenties he began to wrestle professionally, and one of the highlights of his career came in November, 1956, when he was the plucky local boy who narrowly lost by a KO decision to Mike Marino at the New St James Hall, Newcastle. Opponents during a career which spanned the best part of two decades, from the early fifties to the end of the 1960s, also included well known names such as Steve Veidor, Dai Sullivan, Cyril Morris and Bobby Graham. Amongst the many wrestlers who were influenced by Stockdale were “Boy” Devlin, Tommy Stones and Arthur Openshaw all of whom were amongst those he trained at his gymnasium behind the Grey Horse Pub, where his father Charlie Stockdale was landlord. In 1968 Jim and his family left the North East and moved to Lincolnshire where his wrestling career continued for a few years more. As years passed by Jim’s fame moved into a new sphere as he left behind the world of championship wrestling to become the owner of champion pigeons!

 

Adrian Street

There was never any doubt that even if wrestling fans didn’t remember the   time they watched Adrian Street wrestle, which was unlikely, they would remember what he wore. Not that we are suggesting Adrian was anything but a fine wrestler, or how else could he have continued wrestling through five decades, right into the twenty-first century.

It all began in 1957 when a sixteen year old Adrian, or Kid Tarzan Jonathan as he chose to call himself, stepped into the ring for the first time.  He joined Joint Promotions in 1960, leaving behind the Tarzan name in favour of the less colourful Adrian Street. Within a couple of years the name was the only thing that was less colourful.

First came the dyed blond hair,  the sky blue trunks and matching boots, but it was the arrival of the velvet dressing gowns, each more outrageous than the previous one, which signalled the start of his  career really taking off. The facial makeup, minimal to begin with, became increasingly outlandish.  It was the 1970s, the glam rock era of Mark Bolan, Sweet, Gary Glitter, and Adrian Street. A superstar had been created, and maybe one that was too big for the British scene.

Our feeling at the time, and not one that has been magnified by hindsight, is that Adrian Street gave his all to British wrestling, and that was a great deal. Sadly we felt that his giving was not fully reciprocated and he never received the acknowledgement he deserved from Joint Promotions.

He transferred his allegiance to the independent circuit amd then continued on his way, across the Atlantic to  America, leaving behind a million memories. 

We leave it for our American readers to continue the story.

 

 

 

 

Hans Streiger

Few were rougher and tougher than the blond German, Hans Streiger, oft billed as the “Blond Bomber” or “Teutonic Terror.”  He wasn’t German, of course, and we have doubts about the hair colour, but the hardness was for real. Hans Streiger was “Country Boy” Clarke Mellor, and in the early days he did use that name, and he was as German as anyone else who comes from New Mills, Derbyshire. As far as his wrestling was concerned he was a first degree villain, sometime tag partner of Steve Haggetty, and a popular name on any bill. The style had been developed in the fairground booths of Britain, but it was a style that led to wrestling success which took him around the world. 

 

Mel Stuart

Real-life fire-fighter, deep-sea-diver and budgerigar-breeder, Pretty Boy Stuart was a Gravesend mid-heavyweight who appeared on the Dale Martin scene mid-seventies and proved adaptable to any opponent.  Particularly skilled at allowing the aged Les Kellett to shine in spite of deteriorated timing.  Tagged with any villain going, the only consistency being alongside Steve Haggetty in the Blond Bombers.  We got upset as sloppy emcees called him Mal, but his wrestling by any name could enliven any bill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Szakacs

Transylvanian welterweight and freedom fighter in his home country at the time of the 1956 Uprising who followed his brother Tibor into pro wrestling several years later.  Forever Tibor's little brother and equally unsmiling.  On a roll in the mid-sixties with a 1964 Royal Albert Hall victory over Al Miquet and two 1966 televised bouts against Mr TV Pallo, on both occasions coming within a whisker of victory.  Settled into an undercard role thereafter and tagged with Zoltan Boscik in The Magnificent Magyars, and only rarely with Tibor, a super rare autographed pairing is forthcoming.  Hip problems caused him prematurely to turn to refereeing and he remained active in the Dale Martin offices.

Tibor Szakacs

Record five-time winner of the coveted Royal Albert Hall Tournament Trophy, wrestling's F.A. Cup, Hungarian Army Officer Tibor fled to Britain in December 1956 and immediately started a career-long association with Joint Promotions, from his first professional contest in January the following year in Ramsgate against Billy Joyce.  A classically trained purist, he was nevertheless dour in his unsmiling approach and grimaced extensively, as left.   His counter holds were a pleasure to behold, and for one so skilful it was always rather anomolous that his speciality should have been a back-handed chop to the chest when he was the master of suplexes, flying tackles and other more scientific manoeuvres.

Right he is seen proudly receiving his 1963 trophy from HRH Prince Philip.

Only limited success on his rare ventures to the German international tournaments but a largely unvanquished Union Jack-flying defender in the face of visiting heavyweights, whether technicians like Tibor himself or rule benders.

Occasionally partnered Steve Viedor and brother Peter in tag, a rare twin autographed tag picture of the brothers is forthcoming on this site, but the most notable of his limited tag appearances was his 1966 pairing with Henri Pierrot in the match that led to Nagasaki and Bartelli falling out and The Count subsequently being unmasked.

Sustained a serious eye injury in a later solo bout against Kendo Nagasaki. 

His career ended with sad showings in silly tag bouts against the belly butt brigade, due to ignorant promoters being unable to showcase his undoubtedly slick skills in a suitably appealing manner.   Landlord of the Lord Palmerston in King’s Road Chelsea and  featured in a downbeat 2005 BBC radio programme from a snobbish yet terminally low-life Hungarian emigré who decided it was his preroragitive to make detrimental comments about fans and practitioners of the magnificent concept that was British Professional Wrestling.

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