W: Walton - Wasburg
Wrestling Heritage A-Z
Steve Walton
When we met up with Steve Walton he described himself as part of the Don Robinson family. Don Robinson was one of the major independent promoters of the 1960s and 1970s. Other members of the “Robinson family” included Klondyke Bill and Toma Hansom. Steve trained the dolphins at Don Robinson's Marineland in Scarborough and in his spare time wrestled on the independent bills of the north of England. Steve went on to become head trainer of dolphins at Windsor Safari Park and yet this was only the start of an incredible story. With forty years experience of marine life Steve is now the world's foremost authority on dolphin training, travelling the world and sharing his internationally acclaimed knowledge of marine wildlife as an adviser on animal care, wildlife and training.
Jim Wango
The 6'5” heavyweight French based Congolese was a sensation when he was brought to Britain by promoter Atholl Oakeley.He would bound over the top rope and mesmerise opponents with his bulging eyes. An immensely colourful attraction but it was all to end in tragedy. We will tell no more of the Wango story here, but direct you to our extended tribute “Wrestling's First Martyr.”
Read our extended tribute on www.wrestlingheritage.com in 1930-1945 Pioneers - The First Martyr of Wrestling?
Otto Wanz
The giant Austrian Otto Wanz weighed in around the 25 stones mark, Born in 1943 his first sporting love was boxing, and he had a nationally successful amateur boxing career.
He turned professional around 1970, establishing himself in European rings. He is mostly remembered by British fans for his epic clash with Ray Steele in the 1984 Royal Albert Hall Spectacular, when he successfully defended his CWA championship against the Yorkshireman. Otto subsequently gained international acclaim in North America, the Far East and Europe, winning the AWA World heavyweight championship. He later returned to Britain to work for promoter Orig Williams. Following retirement Otto settled back in his native country, Austria, promoting, acting and organising strong men competitions.
Johnny War Eagle
American Indian who visited Britain in 1974 to 1975 and gained victory in his sole Royal Albert Hall appearance over Johnny Yearsley.
Bearing a remarkable physical similarity to the more renowned Mohawk Billy Two Rivers, War Eagle was a harder hitting no-nonsense wrestler and we witnessed his humourless style in an angry televised clash with Johnny Czeslaw as well as live. In fact War Eagle had tagged with Two Rivers in North America in 1970.
Another North American tag partner familiar to British fans was Billy White Wolf . If that's not enough add Linda, the wife of Adrian Street, who was Johnny's partner in a mixed tag pairing when whe wrestled as Blackfoot Sioux.
In view of his name, hardly going down as one of the all time greats, we have to classify him as grossly under-rated - and possibly under-promoted due to the exaggerated nostalgic reverence the promoters had for Two Rivers' initial impact.
A hard-hitting 16 stoner in the Jon Cortez and Albert Wall school of very realistic fighters. When back in the USA he drew with big name champions Dory Funk, Eduardo Carpentier and Gene Kiniski before going on to take the North American tag titles alongside Billy Two Rivers.
Related article: Polish Polish in Armchair Corner on www.wrestlingheritage.com
Buddy Ward
The first time we saw Buddy Ward in action he struck us as a bit of a hard nut. We weren't wrong. An unsurprising assessment to those who saw the shaven headed whirlwind in action, but a little more surprising when we tell you he was facing Bob Sherry, one of the hardest men in the game. Liverpool born Buddy turned professional in 1959, and never went out of his way to make friends in the ring. Not the most scientific of wrestlers he was, nonetheless, a man with some skill who could hold his own with anyone in the ring. Some early bouts saw him billed as Woody Ward (reference to his family name of Woodward) and in the early sixties a frequent opponent was a young "German" who went on to become Steve Viedor, also from Ellesmere Port, the town that Buddy adopted. During the 1960s Buddy worked mainly in the opposition halls, but also made some appearances for Joint Promotions, and was a frequent traveller to the continent and Australia. In recent years he worked with Bob and Jean Bell, organising the Ellesmere Port Wrestlers Reunion. In April, 2010, Buddy surprised the wrestling fans when he came out of retirement, aged 75, to wrestle Johnny Saint in his local hall. A swift ending failed to subdue Buddy, phoning us the next day to tell us he was satisfied to have made the fans happy. No doubt just another of life's experiences that will add to Buddy's latest career change, that of after dinner speaker.
Buddy Ward died in June 2015, he was 81. One Heritage member was at the funeral and reported: “Buddy's big day was as good as he would have wanted it to be, great stories, loads of old Ellesmere Port Wrestlers that some I have not seen in 20 odd years.. A lot of the guys were saying how much they liked what you did for him on the site and contact info to your website on the huge photo board of his life starting when he was very young and definitely better looking, through his army days, early wrestling, heydays and some just 3 days before he left us. I was amazed at the numerous messages from wrestlers old and new thanking him for the help and encouragement he had shown right up to his passing. All in all as nice as those things can be and I am sure he will remain firmly in the folklore of British Wrestling for a long time to come.”
Jock Ward
The dark, wavy haired heavyweight was a post war protege of Athol Oakeley. He wrestled Ed Bright in 1952 for Oakeley's version of the British Heavyweight Title at the Royal Albert Hall and faced Tiger Joe Robinson at Harringay in another high profile match. Other memorable opponents included Bert Mansfield, Al Hayes and Gerry Hoggarth. It was against Hoggarth, at the Royal Albert Hall in April 1953, that Jock finally dropped his British heavyweight championship. Many of Jock's contests were for promoter Atholl Oakeley who, following the end of the second world war, strived to revive the all-in style of wrestling he had introduced to Britain in 1930, which included a twenty count for a knock-out.
Max Ward
The iconic Max Ward brought a touch of American style razamatazz as the referee wearing his trademark striped shirt. Before his unmistakable refereeing style was unleashed on the unsuspecting public by promoter Paul Lincoln Max Ward was a 1950s heavyweight wrestler working throughout Britain and travelling to Sweden, Germany and France. Coming from Halesowen, seven miles from Birmingham on the edge of the industrial heartland Max had the geographical legitimacy for his billing as Midlands Heavyweight Champion, but we have yet to find any reference to any championship matches. Max continued wrestling until the early 1960s, mainly for Paul Lincoln, one of the main independent promoters. In the early 1960s the bumps were beginning to take their toll on Max's body and he turned referee for Paul Lincoln Management, a role at which he excelled. With the 1966 merger of Paul Lincoln Management and Dale Martin Promotions Max became a popular tv referee and, around 1967 or 1968, became one of the regular referees at the Royal Albert Hall. Fans did witness Max back in the ring for a series of referee versus wrestler matches, in which he faced Cyanide Sid Cooper. In 2012 Wrestling Heritage bestowed upon Max Ward the title of Wrestling's Number One Official.
Sharky Ward
The big, bruising Australian Sharky Ward made his way into British rings during the winter of 1980 - 81. He faced an odd assortment of opponents ranging from Jeff Kaye to Wayne Bridges, losing to the kent wrestler in a World Heavyweight Title eliminator at the Royal Albert Hall in October, 1980. Sharky was Australian Phil Ward who used a variety of names in Australia, USA, New Zealand and Japan. In New Zealand he was appointed coach of the national sumo wrestling team.
Bill Warner
Chatham's Bill Warner survived a world war two prisoner of war camp and an 800mile trek through Germany to take his place in British wrestling rings as a light heavyweight in the post war revival. Born in Chatham in1919 Bill became interested in wrestling and joined the Luton Amateur Wrestling Club when he was sixteen years old. In 1939 on the outbreak of war he enlisted with the Royal West Kents and in 1940 was captured by the Germans. He endured the prisoner of war camp for five years, weighing just seven stones when the camp was liberated. On his return to the United Kingdom Bill pursued his career as a professional wrestler. Our last recorded match for Bill Was in 1951. His interest in wrestling continued, with Bill opening a gymnasium in Gillingham, with Alan Kitto and Tony Bates amongst his proteges. Bill Warner passed away in May, 2001, aged 82.
Steve Warren
See entry for Billy Sigworth
Eric Wasburg
Franco-Finnish wrestler visited Britain in 1957 and 1959, working for Joint Promotions, mainly in the midlands and north of England. First rate opponents included Bob Archer O'Brien, Ken Joyce and John Foley. He did venture south, in February 1959, to face Cliff Belshaw at the Royal Albert Hall. He returned twice more, in 1961 and 1962, this time working for Dale Martin Promotions in the south of England.
