I only saw Billy Two Rivers on television his bouts always ended up with the heel winding Billy up and Billy doing his war dance and then using the tomahawk chop to win by a KO. But I'm wondering was it the same around the halls. Did Billy wrestle anybody who wasn't a heel or did he face any of the masked wrestlers?. A match against the Outlaw or Zebra Kid would have been interesting.
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Saw hime live in a 1-1 draw against Dennis Mitchell;one of the top three bouts I ever saw. No heel involved but plenty of needle and all action; a draw being a fair result.
He had a double DQ with Doctor Death in 1972, and beat Kendo Nagasaki by DQ in 1973, can't see any sign of a meeting with Zebra Kid or The Outlaw so far.
Also, looks like he met plenty of good guys, like Mike Marino, Lee Sharron, John Cox, Pete Roberts, Johnny Czeslaw, Steve Veidor, etc.
Fantastic in 1959 and by 1975 awful.
One of the most sought after wrestlers ever both in the halls and on TV.
Sad to see him in decline working for Jack Cassidy.
When he arrived he fought Jack Pye , Garfield and Hans Streiger.
I am suspicious that Ian Campbell had something to do with him coming here.
Certainly they both arrived from North America to hit Tv in 1959.
If both of them were in Charlotte in 1959 then that would make sense Ron. Billy Two Rivers was in Charlotte for almost all that year, before he went to the UK. Ian Campbell and Billy Two Rivers faced each other a few times before that, in 1956 in Ohio.
Thanks to everyone who made their interesting comments. Billy Two Rivers was a much better wrestler than I thought. I assume when appearing on TV promoters thought viewers expected to see the war dance and tomahawk chop.
Most of the bouts in which I saw Billy Two Rivers in the early seventies saw him being fouled by a villain and responding with his tomahawk chops. I recall seeing him work for Morrell and Beresford (Lee Sharron at De Montfort Hall, Leicester, and Johnny Yearsley at Nottingham Ice Rink), Max Crabtree (The Mighty Yankee (Ian Glassmore) and Kendo Nagasaki on shows at The Sports Centre, Newark), Jack Atherton (Pat Roach at The Queen's Baths, Derby), Gordon Corbett (Hans Streiger at The Granby Halls, Leicester) and Martin Conroy/Wryton (Colin Joynson at Wryton Stadium and Pete Roberts at The king's Hall, Belle Vue).
Of course, the one that stands out and answers the main thrust of this thread is the bout with Pete Roberts which was very slow and boring. I recall being interested in seeing Two Rivers in a "clean" bout as a novelty but I wouldn't have wanted to see too many of them.
Sadly a great man had little to offer in the 1970's although I am still proud to have turned out to see him and it was all part of my wrestling education.
My write up about my early days explains that Ian Campbell and Two Rivers sparked a fascination that has lasted all these years.
It was a very similar thing to seeing Hercules Unchained in the 1950's with Steve Reeves. At 14 , quite a few years later ,I took up Weight Training and Power Lifting. This shaped my life. Fifty years of weight training and still Pumping Iron.
Saxon wolf, who do you suppose your 1972 Doctor Dearth was?
So a few novelty clean matches, but I bet he was kept clear of Billy Robinson?
I am not sure who was Doctor Death in that bout yet Anglo. 9th of November, in Wimbledon, Double DQ.
Oh and he met Billy Robinson in 1959 and 1960, Anglo
I saw him beat Albert Wall 2 falls to 1 at Morecambe around 1971.
I saw you were asking who Dr Death was v Billy Two Rivers at Wimbledon on the ninth of November 1972.i went that night as you see from the program Dr Death was a substitute. Gordon Corbett was on the bill,could he be the answer?