ASSIRATI Vs BALDWIN ROYAL ALBERT HALL 19TH OCTOBER 1955
Facts of Tonight`s Title Match
Probably the most important event in all the annals of English wrestling will be presented this evening when mighty Bert Assirati of Islington climbs into the Royal Albert Hall ring to joust with Ernest Baldwin of Wakefield to decide, once and for all time, the heavyweight championship of British wrestling. And how, you will ask, did all this come about ?
Nearly four years ago now, Bert Assirati, who had reigned for many years as the invincible monarch of the wrestling world in Europe, decided to make a world tour. For many years he had desired to test the reputed ability of the famous wrestlers of the Punjab, so, in the prime of athletic life, he went out to India carrying with him the British Heavyweight Championship. So that English wrestling would not be without a leader in the heavyweight class to defend our laurels and prestige against any invaders, it was decided by all promoters to sponsor a heavyweight tournament with the winner of this to be recognised as the "interim" champion. In Middlesborough, in the finals of a nationwide tournament, Ernest Baldwin defeated David Armstrong to open his reign as title-bearer.
Ernest Baldwin is a Yorkshireman, a dour one, and a first-class wrestler. In his amateur days he might have made the Olympic team but the question of £.s.d. came first and Baldwin turned professional instead. It can truthfully be said that, during this period of Baldwin`s reign he has never declined to meet any challenger for his wrestling diadem. He did, too, uphold the prestige of our wrestling against many foreign stars by defeating Ted Christy, Addi Berber, Herman Reiss and many others, Yes, Ernest Baldwin is a masterful tactician of the mat, not colourful perhaps but strictly a wrestler`s wrestler.
Assirati may seem to be an impregnable figure of a man, but history has proved that even the greatest one day meet their masters. Is the clever Baldwin superior to the Islington "Hercules". ?
This evening we shall see......
May the best man win! never before in the entire history of the wrestling sport in London has a contest meant so much.
This evening here in this stately stadium, scene of many championships since the beginning of this century, an official British champion will be crowned. And, a problem that has been perplexing the experts and the chroniclers will be solved to the satisfaction of the fans and the most ardent ringside authorities
Bert Assirati has the herculean "brute force" and Baldwin has both the strength and skill.
(the result of the match Assirati won by 1 fall, and 1 Substitute, to Baldwin`s 1 substitute)
I seem to remember that I swollowed the story that Bert had gone off on an extended tour of the Far East, been stripped of the title by Joint, "The Promoters", forces of darkness, whatever, but returned to sweep all before him. It was clearly a lot more complicated. Well, I was pretty young. But this thread has been so interesting. Thanks everyone.
Interesting points about clans, Ruslan. Throw in nepotism, too. Probably the way thousands of businesses and business sectors are run. Nevertheless, there was a definite appreciable shift: Dale Martin was a newbie and seemingly junior DM member in the fifties...and became far and away the dominant member just a few years later. In the end, DM was JP.
The circumstances that caused that shift of power continue to fascinate me.
Maybe the interesting Assirati comments here do shed some light.
But from that famous 1960 photo we always post, with all the belted champions, we know that all British champions at that time were from the north. So Ruslan's point about the north-westerners not wanting a Londoner champion holds even more truth in the reverse. Dale Martins seemingly accepted not having any British champions - and ironically they didn't want their very own Assirati either!
And in the face of all this Dale Martin's made a great go of their promotion and led the way through the gloriously televised sixties.
We discussed this a few weeks ago. My whimsical creating of MATSGA - Make The South Great Again - isn't really so whimsical. Dale Martin, under the direction of Mick McManus, went from having no British Champions to just about having them all in the course of less than ten years. This is a quite remarkable turn of events.
It all comes back to our wonderment at just how these various JP promoters managed to make it all work and grant concessions. The facts would seem to indicate that newbie JP promoter Dale Martin had little leverage in 1952; but the balance of power changed ten years later.
My impression is that it all had to do with the tv contract, which McManus seemed to command. But it could equally be that a tv producer, perhaps guided by Kent Walton, deemed these endlessly dour northen champions not good viewing and, to get on World of Sport in 1964, they had to promise Ricki Starr, Billy Two Rivers, An Outlaw, Les Kellett, Tag-Team-Time, and niggly Mick. Champions in themselves became much lower lights alongside these colourful bill-toppers.
ruslan-pashayev
"I just have to comment on this. They sure didn't want him, or anyone else...OUTSIDE their native lands, and I am talking about the native JPs lands, which is GREATER MANCHESTER (call it SOUTH LANCASHIRE) and WEST YORKSHIRE. The JP (I am talking the original JP without DM) functioned and was run and operated like a SICILIAN CLAN (call it MAFIA) because those were people, the families from the same areas, basically neighbors, who owned pro wrestling there for generations, and pro wrestlers profession often time was inherited the 50s 60s 70s stars were kids of the stars from the all-in era, the 30s. Yup Assirati didn't belong the NORTH WEST PRO WRESTLING clan hence... why on Earth they would want someone like him to be their main money making machine, again money should stay WITHIN THE FAMILY. Thank You, R"
You could well be spot on there Ruslan.
---More likely that the promoters just didn't want Assirati as champion because he was difficult to manage. 1951 was pre Joint Promotions. But in March 1949 the British Wrestling Promoters Association had been formed, membership of Morrell, Beresford, Wryton, Relwyskow, and Dale Martin (i.e just like Joint). They chose their own nominated champion, the Lord Mountevans Champion, and it looks like they did not want Assirati.---
I just have to comment on this. They sure didn't want him, or anyone else...OUTSIDE their native lands, and I am talking about the native JPs lands, which is GREATER MANCHESTER (call it SOUTH LANCASHIRE) and WEST YORKSHIRE. The JP (I am talking the original JP without DM) functioned and was run and operated like a SICILIAN CLAN (call it MAFIA) because those were people, the families from the same areas, basically neighbors, who owned pro wrestling there for generations, and pro wrestlers profession often time was inherited the 50s 60s 70s stars were kids of the stars from the all-in era, the 30s. Yup Assirati didn't belong the NORTH WEST PRO WRESTLING clan hence... why on Earth they would want someone like him to be their main money making machine, again money should stay WITHIN THE FAMILY. Thank You, R
I also find the use of the word interim to make the whole situation more interesting. Such interim champions are found in today's UFC (MMA) promotion. It's usually a way to promote another champion while the first one is out injured or suspended by the athletic commission. What's new is old.
ruslan-pashayev wrote
now I have a question to Hack..."it was decided by all promoters to sponsor a heavyweight tournament with the winner of this to be recognized as the "interim" champion." Are they serious about it?! Sounds a bit like another rasslin-myth...?! And finals in Middlesborough info is even more confusing? also when they say all promoters...do they mean JP or "something else". These all are genuine questions, by the way. Thanks.
Thanks Mike for the press preview and your comments about the heavyweight situation at that time.
Now, young Ruslan, I'm not sure why this question is directed at me. Is it because of a previous comment I've made and you think you've got me got me cornered? Or is it, as you say, a genuine question and want to know if I have the answer.
Let's assume the latter.
How the 'eck would I know? How would any of us "know"? None of us "know." All we have are opinions based on what we have read and what we are told. And we all know that all sources in wrestling should be treated with caution. What's that saying of "Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear." Or is it the other way round?
"Sounds a bit like another rasslin-myth...?" Goodness, you've become so much more sceptical since you first joined us. At least you've learned something.
Well, it sounds to me like a myth or a load of cobblers? (Hopefully a term you understand Ruslan. More crude variations are available).
The Middlesbrough tournament final in which Baldwin beat Armstrong in Middlesbrough was on 3rd August, 1951.
Did Assirati go to India in 1950? Ray Plunkett's listings include matches for Bert in the UK in every month of 1950. We know he left for for his extensive tour of Singapore, Malaysia, Ceylon, India, Pakistan and South Africa on1st August 1952. Mike will know if internet references to an India tour in 1950 are accurate.
If he did go to India in 1950 this could be an excuse to remove the title, but then the new champion would hardly be considered interim.
I find it hard to understand how the heavyweight tournament was a result of Assirati's absence. Myth or cobblers?
More likely that the promoters just didn't want Assirati as champion because he was difficult to manage. 1951 was pre Joint Promotions. But in March 1949 the British Wrestling Promoters Association had been formed, membership of Morrell, Beresford, Wryton, Relwyskow, and Dale Martin (i.e just like Joint). They chose their own nominated champion, the Lord Mountevans Champion, and it looks like they did not want Assirati.
So, the answer to "all promoters" would be the above, the BWPA (later Joint Promotions) members.
The oddity is the use of this term "interim." Pro wrestling promoters always presented their matches as competitive. Use of the word "interim" suggests this is a temporary arrangement and the re-instatement of Assirati has been pre-arranged. At best this is a clumsy choice of wording in 1955, used retrospectively in 1955 but would not have been used at the time Baldwin won the title.
Mike is by far the most knowledgeable Assirati person, some definite dates of travel and who was billing Bert as champion when and where would be helpful. But this is wrestling, we weren't meant to understand.
Yes it was decided by all wrestling promoters to have a tournament and pick an interim champion, one tournament was held at St James Hall Newcastle for an example. People must understand how wrestling was run in these time`s, it was all about EVERYONE making as much money as possible, Assirati went off for three years working abroad not four years, and while he was away he had offers to return to London to take part in matches, one was going to be against "Tiger" Joe Robinson, but they couldn`t agree terms, so all the promoters wanted to pick someone they could work with, and use and Baldwin fitted the bill, although other top British wrestlers beat him while he was the champion like B.B.Johnson and Francis Gregory who knocked him out, he was always billed as the champion. Joe D`Orazio covered the bout in the run up to the match, and the weeks after the match, in the Weekly Sporting Review, and I have written from his coloum, including the result. D`Orazio further contends that the match was for the undisputed British heavyweight championship, and belt, but no belt was presented to Bert at the end of the match, and no photo exists of Bert ever wearing a belt to my knowledge, it seems Dale Martins wanted to earn big money from this match, Bert was a big crowd puller, but still keep their champion, claiming the match was for the official championship, but did not include the Mountevans Belt, because they found it hard to work with Assirati, they wanted to keep using Baldwin, so we then had two champions, like when Douglas Clark beat Atholl Oakley in March 1931, and became the first official British Catch heavyweight champion, while Oakley claimed it was not for the "all-In" championship, and therefore he could still wrestle around the country wrestling his friends, and earning money, while conning the wrestling public, then when he was chased out of wrestling, and exposed he decides to drop the title to his friend Bill Garnon in 1934, who lost it in his first defence to Douglas Clark. You just couldn`t write it, no one would believe it..........Dale Martins stopped using Bert in early 1956, they tried to force him to retire, but he would have none of it and started his own wrestling promotions up, and down the country, and finally retired in May 1960.
I have the wrestling poster (above), wrestling programme, wrestling photo before the match with Lou Marco, and the write up from the Weekly Sporting Review............ nuff said.........
Best for now Mike............
now I have a question to Hack..."it was decided by all promoters to sponsor a heavyweight tournament with the winner of this to be recognized as the "interim" champion." Are they serious about it?! Sounds a bit like another rasslin-myth...?! And finals in Middlesborough info is even more confusing? also when they say all promoters...do they mean JP or "something else". These all are genuine questions, by the way. Thanks.
Mike, hello, thank you very much for sharing this priceless article. Do you have a match report article too in your collection? Thank you again.
Very interesting article Mike, Thank you.
In the last line, does "Substitute" mean what I would have called a "Submission"?