Last night (5th August 2025) I had a conversation with Johnny Palance for the second week running.
Living not far away, Johnny attends the weekly wrestling shows at Rhyl Town Hall during the summer season.
Last week we shared memories of the late Eddie Hammill who was a dear friend of Johnny (despite their hard hitting matches at Liverpool Stadium).
Whilst not deliberately cross questioning Johnny, I did discover several interesting points:
Johnny trained as a wrestler at a gymn in Crosby (north of Liverpool)
He had a day job as a qualified electrician, which he had throughout his wrestling career. He would work his wrestling engagements around his job as an electrical contractor, using holiday leave when he went on wrestling tours abroad.
Johnny had been planning to retire as a wrestler in the early/mid 1980's. However, Orig Williams persuaded him to stay on a little longer to wrestle on the early tapings of Reslo (the weekly wrestling programme on S4C). We agreed that it was great to have some video footage of John wrestling (there as well as on the Satelite Wrestling shows), but he pointed out that it was unfortunate that at this stage he wasn't at the peak of his powers as a wrestler.
Johnny only retired finally as an electrician in his late 70's.
Johnny came across as a very friendly and likeable man. He continues to be surprised and heartened that people remember him so fondly. He feels that although people booed him a lot, they respected him for his wrestling ability.
Robbie Stewart was Chic Cullen I believe
Thanks as ever, Ron!
Your thorough research always throw light on our investigations.
It has been an amazing privilege to me to be talking with Johnny Palance each Tuesday evening during August after seeing hom so many times at Liverpool Stadium.
Thanks again
Just for you 1978 Kid I managed to track down three write ups regarding Jake Foley in Stampede.
As usual with Stampede , a very small Roster , probably not much more than 20 or so wrestlers carefully rotated round the Loop wrestling six nights a week.
This first show at Calgary and two consecutive weeks at Regina in Saskatchewan.
Some very familiar names there.
They liked their tag as well.
Last night at Rhyl, I asked Johnny about his time at Stampede Wrestling in Canada.
He said that he went over in 1981 with Eddie Hamill at the invitation of Stu Hart who sent the airplane tickets.
Whereas Eddie was planning to stay a few months, Johnny could only stay a month as he was about to begin a new job as an electrician working for a local Health Authority. Johnny had made this clear to Stu but noticed that the airline tickets were only one way. He was worried that Stu Hart would not pay for his return flight if he was only staying from r a month.
Johnny said that he was asked to wrestle as Jake Foley, taking the role of John Foley's brother. The storyline went that John Foley had been estranged from their father and had fled to Canada. Their father had written John Foley out of his will. Jake (Johnny Palance) had come to Canada following the "death" of their father to generously give John half of the family estate as a way of bringing about family reconciliation. John Foley was apparently reluctant to accept the money and be reconciled.
In real life Johnny Palance got fed up with sustaining the long running story line through endless interviews and questions from members of the public who would approach him in the street.
Coming to the end of his month in Stampede, Johnny still didn't know where to find the money for the flight home. However, a friend sent money over so Johnny could come home. He was worried that Stu Hart, annoyed at Johnny's short stay in the territory, would alert the police on some bogus issue and cause Johnny to be stopped going through customs. Johnny had hidden his passport under a carpet in case Hart tried to use that to keep Johnny in Canada. Johnny said that he felt a great sense of relief as the plane took off!
Johnny said that he enjoyed his trip to Canada and confirmed that Dynamite Kid was in the Territory at the same time. Johnny said that he only wrestled Eddie Hamill a few times over there and people commented what good matches they were. This was because they had wrestled so often in the UK, whereas most of Johnny's opponents in Canada were new to him and they had to adapt to each others' different styles.
Johnny said a few other things about Eddie's involvement with females in Canada, but it is probably best not to share the details!
Johnny seemed to be very popular last night at Rhyl so I didn't get the chance to aski him about his time in Canada. I will try again next week.
If Johnny is there at Rhyl next Tuesday I will try to ask about memories of Canada. I am trying to tread carefully and not be too intrusive.
He has an excellent match on You Tube versus Johnny South another underrated wrestler
Good stuff. I would be interested to hear his thoughts on working in Canada, if you get the chance to ask him.