It didn't happen very often but just occasionally TWO Quality MASKED Wrestlers
found themselves in opposite corners!!-Then ONE of them had to go!
Of course we all know of some of these EPIC Bouts:-
KENDO NAGASAKI vs. COUNT BARTELLI
COUNT BARTELLI vs. ZEBRA KID
DOCTOR DEATH vs. WHITE ANGEL
OUTLAW vs. ZEBRA KID
but who among you actually WITNESSED an EPIC MASK vs. MASK CONTEST?
Personally? What are your Recollections? Share your Memories!
MAIN MASK
Great stuff, Ron.
Like many wrestlers I bet Silcocks weight crept with age. 11-13 stones I would guess.
The papers have him as an expert wrestler and in my minds eye I have him as a trilogy of teachers/promoters along with Riley and Atherton in Lancashire.
They all mastered the art of showmanship.
In my opinion , his contribution had been somewhat overlooked until I unearthed his career.
As usual RON -you are ridiculously too Efficient!!-Many thanx for latest Info!!
Didn't know SILCOCK Wrestled as blue mask at all! Of course he wasn't the REAL
BLUE MASK-My Top Favourite MASKED MAN from the mid '30's to mid '40's and
regular at NEW ST.JAMES HALL NEWCASTLE!
You are an ORACLE RON!!
MAIN MASK
Hi Adrian. You should read the entry in the A-Z for Carl van Wurden to learn more about The Green Asp and early masked men.
Well HACK-I think the first MASK vs.MASK Contest of any significance was the 2 Bouts
in the mid 1930's between DARK OWL and RED MASK! with DARK OWL Winning the 2nd
Fight by K.O. after an inconclusive first Encounter!
Next up was the Conflict between-one of my Personal Favourites-BLUE MASK and the
GREEN ASP at NEWCASTLE in JANUARY 1940-ending with the Win for BLUE MASK!
The earliest recorded PROPER MASKED MAN in this Country is DARK OWL dating from
1931!
MAIN MASK
So, Main Mask, have you any idea when the first Mask v Mask wrestler was?
(Time to get back up into the attic).
Hi Adrian. Benny's mask was Black along with his singlet and tights.
Most of The Ghoul's matches followed a similar pattern. His opponent got a fall in the earlier rounds and then got knocked out about round 8. Normally with what they called the guillotine garrote, except the fight against Hassan Ali Bey when it was the stiff fingers of the left hand to the solar plexus.
I have seen some where The Ghoul roughed his opponent up after losing a fall and got 2 pin falls. Even some 1-1 draws where he was fighting a local favourite like Norman Walsh or where the promoter was pushing an up and coming man like Geoff Portz.
But I never saw the real Ghoul defeated.
Superb memories Bernard.
.I'm envious of both Bernard and Powerlock.
As Main Mask has stipulated QUALITY masked men I can't add to the list. . Nevertheless I was still excited to see the Outlaw unmask The Ghoul that did the rounds of the independents about 1968. Of course it wasn't the real Outlaw. And Bernard will be quick to remind it wasn't the real Ghoul.
It was still exciting.
I saw my friend The Ghoul vs The Vampire on the 8th August 1953.
The contest followed normal Ghoul lines.
Both big powerful men, The Vampire slightly taller and perhaps a little heavier.
As I remember he forced a submission on The Ghoul's right arm (his chopping arm) in about round 4 or 5. Not much floor work but quite a bit of struggling to see who appeared the stronger.
The Vampire got either over confident or a bit careless and in perhaps round 8 down came the hand and down went The Vampire.
Les Kellett did the honours and the loser was unmasked as Bill Benny.
Saw the Kung Fu vs Nagasaki mask match that did the rounds for a month or so before McManus unmasked Kung Fu on tv. It did well attendance wise if Newcastle City Hall was anything to go by and the City Hall held just under 2500