As We All Know-before Assuming The Mantle of The MASKED COUNT BARTELLI- GEOFF
CONDLIFFE Wrestled in The FAR EAST as JEFF CONDA!!- and did Very Well Especially in
SINGAPORE!! -Also as We Know BARTELLI Wrestled MASKED from Circa 1947 until he
'Came a Cropper' at VICTORIA HALL-HANLEY in MARCH 1966 to KENDO NAGASAKI!!
By Then hardly Anyone would have Remembered-or even Known of JEFF CONDA!!
BUT did He Wrestle during his Run WITHOUT The MASK??-As KENDO Confesses he did
in his Book??- Absolutely No-One would have Spotted or Clocked he was also The COUNT?-
Would they??
Below JEFF CONDA in 1946 in SINGAPORE!!
MAIN MASK
Possibly for British (when did Johnny Saint start out?, he was wresting up to at least 2015), but Lou Thesz was a lot longer, at least 10 years longer that Count Bartelli, I think.
Having turned Professional in 1939 and being undefeated since 1941 does Count Bartelli win the prize for the longest career?
I think the fact that we find Count Bartelli results on the same night that Conda is wrestling, pretty much rules out that they are the same man (Condliffe).
He must have been a fast mover to be the same man. And never with Arthur Wright's blessing.
It seems though that Hack has provided specific dates that negate Conda being Bartelli here. I think it is Taylor with a sense of Humour. A while back we found out there was a Masked Count and it ended up we got word he was Streiger. If anything it was more a private "Trade Joke" than a joke on the Public.
Great to debate it though MM
On 29th April 1961 Ray Plunkett lists Bartelli beating Zaranoff in Doncaster.
On 28th February 1961 he wrestled Kiwi Kingston in Kidderminster.
On 24th September 1960 he was on with Ernie Riley at Hanley.
I was and still am in the Doubting Thomas group. Bartelli was main eventing for Wryton and had a personal and professional relationship with Arthur Wright. Why would he risk that for a few preliminary matches for Jack Taylor? Independent promoters had form when it came to using similar sounding names, not that Conda would have much value by 1961.
This has cropped up before , I think I might even have a thread on it , and I was so convinced , yet it seems the consensus was that it was not. Can't remember why.
But here is one where the guy morphs into Jess Conda. and here is another one at Leicester
I think people thought it was promoters having a joke with inside knowledge. I am open minded to it being him because I think he had friends outside Joint Promtions. And he was not doing it in Wryton territory.
Again in July whilst your bill MM was in April 1961
Interesting stuff!
Jeff Conda - "Member of the Twentieth Century Board of Control"
Did he have a stake in the business, I wonder?
He is already claiming a "British Empire" belt.
Here's JEFF On a 1946 Bill at GREAT WORLD ARENA in SINGAPORE!!
- It Seems Hailing from MANCHESTER!!??-Close!!
MM