Every few years I start a topic on Masambula. It never goes far.
He was one of my favourites, just about kept his humour believable, was a captivating personality, suffered believably, and had a top-of-the-bill career over 24 years.
It was exciting two years ago when I found that he is on French youtube with the commentator saying he was from Trinidad. This was the first chink for me in his impenetrable armoury of privacy. I've asked wrestlers about him, but never get any content back
Many moons ago we had a one-post-wonder angrily posting that she was his daughter and we all knew nothing. She was spot on. And vanished.
We probably know most about his famous tv bout against Judo Pete Roberts, but even that remains shrouded in mystery.
So with so many knowledgeable new Members having joined us these past couple of years, and with Masambula popping up on so many of the bills that several of you have kindly been sharing lately, it's time for me to ask again what snippets we can piece together to profile this elusive witchdoctor?
He signed a beautiful autograph, but just mumbled unintelligibly. Ron says he knew someone who drove him. Bernard remembers his pre-leopardskin straw mask.
Any other details, anyone?
Thank you.
Here's MASAMBULA Making The Front Cover of Mat Review in 1953 +
A Couple of his Notable Bouts from 20 years Later at LIVERPOOL STADIUM and
QUEEN'S HALL WIDNES!!
MAIN MASK
Hi my wife's maiden name was Chelsea jeng and this was her grandad
Hi my wifes maiden name was Chelsea jeng and this was her grandad
Interesting story as ever Graham.
The beginnings of unbelievability.
What interests me is what infiuence could make a stalwart like Joynson have to put up with this hocus-pocus (later copied by Nagasaki)?
Who decided?
Joynson didn't want to do it?
The pomoter was probably absent.
Did Mas hold such sway?
I knew nothing of Masambula's background until I read this thread but he is one of the wrestlers that I saw the most regularly during my time as a fan. He had a multitude of tag partners including Les Kellett, Jon Guil Don, Honey Boy Zimba and Bobo Matu. With Kellett I saw him at the Ice Rink, Nottingham, against The Royal Brothers and the team of Mc.Manus/Logan. With Jon Guil Don I saw him against Alan Dennison and Peter Preston at The De Montfort Hall, Leicester, and with Bobo Matu against The Untouchables (Leon Arras and Bobby Graham) at The King's Hall, Belle Vue. Again at Belle Vue he partnered Zimba against The Dennisons (Alan Dennison and Ted Heath) and he and Zimba faced The Barons (Ian Gilmour and Jeff Kaye) at The Wryton Stadium Bolton.
By far the majority of times I saw him was in singles encounters. I saw him face Lee Sharron at both Kings Hall, Belle Vue, and De Montfort Hall, Leicester (both Morrell and Bersford promotions). At De Montfort I also saw him face Ray Steele, Ivan Penzekoff, Bill Torontos and Kevin Conneely. At Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, I saw him against both Bobby Barnes and John Lees. At the Gaiety Theatre in Rhyl I saw him face Bill Bennette and at the Victoria Baths, Nottingham, I saw him against Steve Logan and Pete Roberts. At the Sports Centre, Newark, I saw him against Johnny South and Al Martin and, at the Wirrina Stadium, Peterborough, Mick Mc.Manus.
By far the majority of his appearances before me were at the Kings Hall, Belle Vue, and a range of opponents included Steve Haggetty, Colin Joynson, Leon Arras, Bobby Graham, Peter Stewart, Mal Kirk, Johnny Czeslaw and Adrian Street. I am sure there are many more that I have forgotten.
Only once did I see him do the hypnosis routine. That was in his bout against Joynson. He hypnotised Joynson and instructed him to attack referee Lew Roseby. Roseby was running around the ring dodging Joynson and pleading with Masambula to bring him out of the trance which he eventually did by slapping Joynson across the face. I remember talking briefly to Joynson backstage that night and he didn't want to be there. He loved speedway and would far rather have been a punter himself next door watching the thrills of the speedway track. I found this incident so amusing that I copied it several years later when I promoted at The Parr Hall, Warrington, and persuaded The Witchdoctor (Ezra) to hypnotise his opponent Bill Clarke and turn him on his tag partner Rick Clarke (Rick Wiseman).
The photos I posted are from 1952-53 era.
Hi folks, sorry been away for 2 weeks and this is the first time that I have read this.
I have to correct you Anglo.(on your first post on this thread)
I did not say straw mask. I said that he had like a straw skirt and wore one of those large carnival heads, the first time that I saw him.
The photo posted by Ost must have been taken after he took the big heavy head off.
I also explained why the carnival head stunt was dropped on future visits, because Norman Morrell's boot on his Lincoln was big enough to hold it but other cars boots were not.
You hit the nail on the head, Saxonwolf....enough truths to make lies blend in plausibly. The key one being that he was African.
Amazing as I have the 5th January 1952 at Newcastle as my earliest bill.
Does not mention a debut though.
For a couple of years he was on a streak beating them all including Norman Walsh and Les Kellett.
Well, as always, in the "Mick McManus Book of Wrestling" there was some truth mixed in with the fiction.
According to that book, Masambula's father died in 1926, leaving his son enough money for a private education. That may or may not be true, but that would mean he was born around that year?
It also says that his real name is Mambuna Jeng.
It mentions him joining the police force in Gambia........hmmmm.
It says he landed in Hull in 1949 with two friends and in 1950, moved to Huddersfield, where he got a job as a foundry moulder.
He says that he took up boxing training to keep fit and look after himself, as he and his two friends were constantly getting beaten up because of their colour. Accommodation was hard to come by, again, because of the colour issue.
One of his friends gives up and goes back home, the other ends up in the RAF.
After two years of amateur boxing he takes up amateur wrestling as well, is eventually spotted by a promoter, who sends him away for three months to learn the pro-style and debuts in Newcastle in 1952.
It goes on to say that he now lives in Bradford, and runs two or three times a week to keep fit, he also loves Ballroom Dancing! His dream is to become a teacher and go back "home" to help other people.
So is this a mix of reality and pro-wresting hokum?
Quite clever in a way, drop in some truthful stuff and embellish it to make it look larger than life.
Anyway, just thought I would mention it.
Reading the report of Masambula's compensation in 1981 from his 1975 accident in the Belfast Telegraph , I can believe that he started wrestling in 1951 here in England, In 1975 he had done 24 years it stated .
I can actually find him in January 1952 so I think that is fact and also proves he was a late starter.
Slightly harder to believe but possible is that I have a bill here and the write up states that at this point Masambula was thirty one fights and unbeaten since leaving his native Africa Four months ago.
The earliest I have him is this. And this is what he looked like in those days.
Thanks Ed , you are right but hell it is frustrating , now we have Masambula as more a man of mystery than Kendo Nagasaki.
As so often happens there are people out there who know, such as family , but it is not so often they speak up.
Indeed not many people understand why wrestling should enchant those of us on here.
My congratulations to everyone involved in this thread.
Well done!
Beautifully written nonsense, thanks for sharing, The Ost.
The only true bit: "Very little information is forthcoming in coversations with Masambula..."
Haha, and that's where we started here. He spent a career not talking and pretending to be African. I'd love to remember whatever Kent Walton used to say about him.
As promised, here are a couple of images of Masambula with the early 50's headgear. The less said about the content of the articles, the better:
I'm 100% with Tom the Taxi - he just wouldn't speak clearly. But if he sounded like Charlie Williams , well, he had plenty to keep hidden.
I rather thought that French film was about 1956. Trinidad & Tobago all fits. I just reckoned he was a 1952 Windrusher. The UK promoters were fixated on billing the wrestlers from the wrong continent and leaving the boys to live the lie. Poor Kwango always getting asked about Nigeria. Alan Garfield from Sydney.
To have the CW accent, he must have grown up or lived a very long time in Yorkshire.
Interesting piecing this together together.
I get the feeling he wrestled in France before here. Had a look a day or two ago but could not find it. thinking of a Movietone Video if anyone can find it or Pathe.
But would that make the link French West African.
Tom the Taxi driver reckons Mas never spoke with him and acted as though he did not know the language. This now sounds Kayfabe seeing as Paul knew him better.
Yes 1974 , wrestling was never to be the same again especially if you were an Albert Wall fan like me.
Priceless, Paul!
It all fits that he'd had enough in 1974 and was looking for an exit route.
Plenty of others felt the same in 1974. Our Year of Wrestlng write-ups turn out to be spot on.
Anglo I'm happy to share what I know although got a feeling it'll only serve to further muddy the waters.
Yes that's the correct name,origins involved Tobago,lived near Buttershaw estate of Bob rita and Sue fame.seemed to have great knowledge of France,sounded like Charlie Williams,Honey boy was a reluctant tag partner.Great mates with Al Martin and Barry Cannon,toured Sweden with the independents in 74.
Strike me pink, look what I found on ancestry.com:
Name
Mambuna Matthew M Jeng
Birth
dd/mm/year
Death
mm/2007 city West Yorkshire England
We've got his full real name! Well done Ron, you were right earlier.