Kendo in Redruth 1966

Always interested in reading anything pertaining to Francis St Clair Gregory and Vic Hesselle so this is really interesting, thanks!

Yes Ron. Bkendo is providing the most incredible input. Presumably he was swatting for mock O-Levels at the time and it was well before his debut.

Tremendous to have an open wrestler-fan on here,

I believe most wrestlers were fans (well, not Viedor) but they generally get a bit precious about the punters. Nagasaki's book holds back at every corner.

We have to respect Paul because he, like the rest, feels shackled by the omerta. Not easy to open up.

With all the deaths, this is the last place to keep it all alive.

Hack and I were invited for tea with Mick McManus and his porcelain, unfortunately it all fell apart and he was dead three months later. RIP dear Mick.

Rowlands as the Professor is a great Heritage discovery. It's what I call fun history.

Trivial but Niche and over the years this site has collected enough to be the premier place to read , enjoy and learn.

Many thanks Bkendo1

Couple of points ,Hack Jack was doing stuff prior to 65 with joint it seems He the Rowlands professor was after the original version tho the bonnet and out fit had been used earlier but not as the proffesor.The reason I questioned the story of wrestler dying and Kendo not returning were,just not what Jack Atherton would use as publicity at this time public halls monitored a the gates and b reputation death wasn't a good selling point.Joint would have got wind it never ceased to amaze me what info Dales and especially Morrel would garner and sometimes they were fed what now would be called fake news.Nagasaki at this time needed to proceed cautiously too vicious a rep would limit opportunities and Geoff knew exactly the pitfalls his lad faced.The professor Jack didn't go on to be the big draw but this was largely due to the meeting with the Strangler Streiger it was brutal. Roger did a series of fights with Steve at this time and used the professor tag. Now Anglo your question about Vic Hesselle yes he was involved in promotion but I'm in midst of tracking that down so I'll update soon.

And Francis is on every single bill! No doubt who was pulling the Cornish strings.

So he's there with Riley, del Rel, Morrell, Dale, Atherton and all the rest.

Yet his name doesn't appear in JP terms.

But his sons got the biggest pushes, each with their own titles. Often makes me see similarity with Vic Hessle. Was he also a local promoter?

Francis Gregory had been a multi Cornish champ and local celeb due to Rugby as well. Cornish wrestling had thousand of followers as it was put on sparsely.

To enchant enough of these spectators it probably needed Francis Gregory otherwise I believe it could have failed.

Logistically it was hard but time has proved that wrestling went to Redruth, Truro , St Austell , Penzance , Newquay , Bodmin and Falmouth.

Almost like North Wales , it had a good presence. Look at this effort to promote in Cornwall in 1934.

Ron, you have discovered a microcosm!

In Darwinian terms, where life began.

But it didn't begin, just flourished.

A Great Cornish Barrier Wreef of Restling.

Just a bit of history on Redruth specifically. After the war Francis St Clair Gregory did many shows there , but in those days The Drill Hall. He was still going 1958 but by then The Flamingo Club was the place to be with a 2000 capacity. I believe it was eventually converted to a Morrisons and pulled down a few years ago.

Earlier bills show the promotional set up but the 1958 bill shows the Wryton Influence with Conroy there as ref. Such was the pull of the Gregory's Roy and Tony took over Dad's popularity there. See Tony Gregory on the 1967 bill.

Through the 1960's Dale Martins did a few but leaned towards regular shows at St Austell. Paul Lincoln was there and even early Brian Dixon with the Girls.

Other Independents as well.

It seems to me that the Entertainment Centre could provide a window for any wrestling promoter to put a show on. In other words "room for all)

bkendo1 slipped in yesterday this was Wryton show, and it does have the look. This is why the dates of Rowlands as a Professor matter. Were Wryton using two Professors simultaneously or was Rowlands brought in as s short term serial unmasked after Morris died. Neither would be the professionalism we would hope for.

As for the lightweight Professor, was it College Boy Roger Green. Though a bit far north for him. Maybe he was checking out colleges before settling on Leeds.

I keep coming back to Hack's question as to who the Redruth promoter was?

Very northern bias, in fact not a southerner in sight. Redruth is synonymous with the St-Clairs and they are Manchester - but no sign of them, either.

The differences within JPs are clear. Jack Atherton, even refereeing, could dictate how each bill went. Dale Martin bills were just churned out without any personal touch.

We have all become so used to not believing anything that we now haven't a clue ☺

Bkendo1, did Rowlands work as Professor whilst Morris was around or only after his death. Did he do much as Professor or just the sporadic ones we now know about?

I get what you mean about localised to Malvern but in my experience everything got back.I remember an incident in Hanley being discussed in the dressing room at Hanley.Ron Jack did bits earlier for Jack Atherton and Wryton he was that rarity a worker who left reappeared left again.Jack was far better known abroad than in England. The lighter weight Professor wasn't on joint bills exclusively but always used education based names.

Looking at Jack Rowlands , I get the feeling he was not with "Joint" until 1967.

More to the Professor than meets the eye.

Interesting Adrian I have the book but I haven't fully read it,I find the death of a wrestler stunt very unlike Jack Atherton and as an associate promoter with Wryton Joint it would be dangerous for future co operation.It would also if it did indeed keep Nagasaki off Malvern bills end a revenue stream.Plus DM would pounce on this at monthly Kirkgate meeting as bringing the game in to disrepute very odd indeed.

Firstly Steve's Bests opponent there was an Artist in name changes .Now I wonder if this helps remenising a while back I mentioned mask v mask bouts and my mate said was this one before your time,Wryton put on in the midlands a bout they thought had legs namely the Strangler versus the Professor but it ended in mayhem and was deemed to have no future.The Strangler was Hans Streiger the Professor was Jack Rowlands.

Just another twist to the Nagasaki V Professor bout at Redruth 26th Augurt 1966. Three days earlier on Tuesday 23rd August 1966 at Edinburgh Professor met STEVE BEST believe or not. Surely yet another Professor.

Regards to all.

Ian P.

Fantastic Paul , so many of these end up frustratingly tantalising .

There is a real history here in this fun. Kendo , it seems may have taken a second scalp in 1966. If he did , I wonder if he did it in a few places like he did The White Angel unmaskings in the 1970's.

A great push you would think for Kendo , and yet where would the news have actually traveled to.

Mouthwatering stuff Paul

It's a Wryton promotion more to follow.

That's an interesting find Ron. As you say that couldn't have been Cyril Morris and from what Main Mask says it sounds like it wouldn't have been anyway. Might well have been someone just put in place for the unmasking. Do we know the promoter?

A bit of a mystery is that Cyril Morris is in the A-Z strongly tipped as The Prof , but he died before that second grudge bout.

I had wondered if the second bout was a tribute to him.

But the guy you are telling us about was much bigger.

So who was the Professor and were there more than one.

Was the Cyril Morris rumour wrong.