Also known as Tony Bailey
Wrestling Heritage welcomes memories, further information and corrections.
The Blackfriars Thunderbolt
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. Yet he was a teenage wrestling prodigy before the war who developed in to of the country’s most popular heavyweights, universally known as the Blackfriars Thunderbolt, a name which accurately reflected his all-action style.
Born in South London, where he lived for most of his life, Tony was a friend of Tony Scarlo’s father and Tony told us that his father and friend Tony began taking him to the wrestling when he was about five years old.
Tony turned professional in the 1930s All-In days. As was the case of so many from his neighbourhood (D’orazio, Mancelli, Scarlo to name a few) promoters bestowed him with Italian blood. Tony was a regular at Lanes Club, a historically signifcant venue in the history of British professional wrestling. As early as 1932 Tony could be seen regularly working against the likes of Jack Pye, Bert Mansfield, Bob Gregory and Tony Baer. In fact Tony faced just about every heavyweight of note, not just in London and the south but extensively throughout the country. When Whipper Watson came to Britain in 1937 Tony featured in a series of exciting contests with the Canadian around the country.
With the outbreak of war and Italy taking the side of Germany the Italian whirlwind became an Anglo Italian, and by 1941 a Londoner and Blackfriars Thunderbolt. Whilst serving in the Royal Air Force he continued to wrestle whenever possible, and during the years of hostility won “The Ring” allied service championship. Althought the name Mancelli didn’t disappear a new name appeared as Tony used his birth name and it was Sergeant Tony Bailey of the R.A.F. on the posters.
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. A long time holder of the Southern Area Heavyweight title Mancelli met all the national and visiting international stars in a career that lasted from before the Second World war until the 1960s, a career span of thirty-four years. He was the man who never seemed to age.
As a day job Tony worked for the Daily Mirror as a maintenance engineer in their printing room. It was here he met a young lad called Joe Cornelius who he encouraged to take up wrestling.
Through the early sixties he gradually phased out of a wrestling role, appearances falling steeply from 1963 until his last regular matches in 1965. He did appear in grudge matches in 1966 and 1967 against Pietro Capelli and Johnny Yearsley respectively. By the he was a full-time referee, becoming one of the resident third men at the Royal Albert Hall. It is hard for any referee to make a mark, if they are not to interfere with the wrestlers’ work. In Tony’s case he was one of the best as he kept order whillst remaining almost invisible, letting the wrestlers get on with what they did best. Of the many important occasions in his career Tony was one of three referees chosen (the others being Lou Marco and Max Ward) to officiate at the Royal Albert Hall on June 8th, 1966 when wrestling was transmitted via a closed circuit to eleven cinemas around Britain.
Tony’s refereeing duties continued into the 1970s, five decades of a man in the limelight. Wrestling fans had much to thank him for.
Page added 25/04/2021
Revised 20/06/2023
1434
Wrestling Heritage 