Hello everyone, I'm looking for information about my grandfather, all I know is that he was a wrestler around the 1950s from the Ashton-under-Lyne/Dunkinfield area. His name was William Frederick Potter but I don't know his wrestling name. Any information would be gratefully received. Thank you.
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Jim Potter clearly has a busy year in 1939 , but that's it. The war seem to stop him and no sign of him coming back.
Strange to be told he was a wrestler and absolutely nothing else. So what about height and weight/picture. A great anecdote but a strangely empty one.
Ron, Mr Potter was born in 1914, so his pro-career likely happened during the peak of all-in times, 1930s and 40s. Lightweight class was very competitive in the 1930s, champ was Relwyskow Jr. Other top people were Joe Reid and Johnny Nelson who just recently turned pros.
1938 Preston KO, for best lightweights, belt at stake.
But that is pros, may be he started with amateurs in Lanc County Am Wres Assn, they were running championships till mid or late 1930s. And again lightweights was most competitive class. Usually it was part of the Wigan Police Sports, or even of the Ashton-under-lyne Police Sports like in 1927.
my question would be - roughly how tall was he? was he short or rather tall?
Thanks, R
Okay, thanks. An earlier start would make some sense. We've still no reason for thinking the two are the same though. I'll look at Jim tomorrow and see if there are any clues. I'm not hopeful though as Jim is not a well known name.
Ian seems to think he wrestled in the 1950s, though he would be old enough to be working in 1939. But really no suggestion they are the same.
That would make him a lightweight so we await a reply to see if that is a fit.
The only Potter I can see Ron is a Jim Potter in 1939, billed from Manchester, Oldham and the USA.
Any ideas what weight he wrestled at and where he may have wrestled. Could it have been clubs rather than main wrestling halls. You seem to suspect that he wrestled under an alias. reasonable , but is there a particular reason.
In Life did he have a nickname
Thanks Ian. I only took my search back to 1915 so missed him. We use Births, Marriage and Deaths records.
Trouble is it doesn't get us far unless we come across a known wrestler with a known date of birth that matches. There were literally hundreds of wrestlers working at that time, most of them on a regional part time basis. Posters and programmes aren't over helpful as the home towns are often inaccurate. Anyone got any suggestions for moving forward on this one?
No, sorry, married May Mansfield dob 28/1/14. Thanks anyway.
No progress with the wrestling, but is this him? Might well be a bit early
Born 22nd February 1917, son of Sam and Rebecca
In 1939 working as an Iron Moulder
In 1942 married Elsie Berry.
Died 2000
I've also found another William Frederick Potter born around the same time in Oldham.
That's a bit of a needle in a haystack. Do you have a date of birth and death?