Bill Rawlings R.I.P.

It's only a couple of weeks ago we heard from the son of Bill Rawlings. He told us his father had good memories of the old days and was looking forward to meeting old friends in Leeds though he suffered from vascular dementia. Today we hear that Bill has died. We send our condolences to his son, Bill, and all members of the family.

Son of Alf and Sarah Rawlings, born in 1932 Alfred William Rawlings used the name Bill when he joined the professional wrestling ranks.

Bill was a stocky mid heavyweight more in the mould of his famous dad than brother Jimmy. Despite having skill and capable of creating more than a flicker of excitement in the British rings of the 1950s and 1960s Bill failed to capture the imagination of the fans in the way his father did. Sometimes it’s just hard when you’ve got a famous dad.

For a short time in the late 1950s all of the Rawlings clan settled in Hamilton, Canada, where Bill and his brother worked in a nail factory. They continued to wrestle and worked out at the Al Spittles gymnasium. Apart from his father Ernie Baldwin was a big influence on the young Rawlings, training him at his gymnasium in Tingley. Bill was a familiar figure to television fans in the 1960s yet is remembered as a more than competent worker seen at his best as part of the three man Rawlings team described by Grizzled Veteran above.

Bill retired from wrestling in the early 1970s.