Quality MASKED MEN are rare in Professional Wrestling-Those good enough to have a
long run Undefeated! One of my Personal Favourites was BLACK MASK-with a 4 Year Span
from around 1958-1962!-Meeting and Beating our Best Heavyweights and even becoming
the 1st MASKED MAN to Appear on T.V.-He was a Very Tough and Rugged Wrestler in the
traditional mould of a MASKED Villain and was a great draw on Bills!-He finally came a
cropper against BILLY JOYCE in early 1962! JOYCE had to Work just as hard as in any of his Title Defences to gain the eventual Victory!-Programmes//Poster and a very Rare Photo to follow!
MAIN MASK
The Count was doing these kind of matches all over Wryton land in those days. Black Knight and Masked Marvel were other victims.
In 1939 Ben Sherman was going home probably because of the war. He unmasked at Liverpool after a long run as Black mask ( they said 9 years). He was not even beaten but failed to beat Jack McLaughlan who won a £20 challenge.
For anyone interested, which probably ain't many, I've been looking for our original Black Mask, W.A.Ord. This one match cited above is the only professional one I can find, unless he assumed another name. I did find references to him as an amateur until as late as 1933, one against Robert Cooke who wrestled in the Olympics. I also found a W.A. Ord playing rugby in Nottingham, who may or may not have been the same man.
A great Black Mask before his unmasking by Billy Joyce at Newcastle in May 1962.
But he wasn't the first Black Mask. The first Black Mask appeared in 1934. Newspapers reported a contest between Black Mask and Belgian Walter Magnee. In the third round the masked man voluntarily removed the mask to reveal himself as W.A.Ord, apparently “well known in Nottingham.” The now de-masked Black Mask won the contest, reportedly his first professional contest, in the fourth round.
The Newcastle Journal and North Mail of 6th October, 1943, Charles Elliot that he had previously appeared at the hall as "The Black Mask."
Just on the last theme.
The first time that I saw Shirley Crabtree at Newcastle, he was billed from Newcastle.
HI. I believe both CHARLES and CZESLAW lived in Bristol.
Regards, Ian Pringle
Fascinating to see Czeslaw billed in Bristol from Bristol. That's the only time I've seen that.
Even Tony Charles!
And then a new Polish name to me in Jean Fryziak?
Nice share, thanks Ost.
Just wanted to add this curio which has Nuthall appearing unmasked:
I think the money condition for the match was that if Billy Joyce lost he would hand out £100 or £200 pounds ( not sure which ) to the audience ( imagine the chaos).
Regards to all, Ian Pringle.
Billy Joyce beat the Black Mask at Newcastle in May 1962 for him to unmask and prove to be George Nuttall. I do believe that in the publicity there was a side stake mentioned but I can't remember how much.
An article on the Black Mask, I really get a kick out of the headline. Just wish i'd taken a better photo.
Also note it mentions he had appeared on TV:
So are we going to identify the German six? John Cox looks wrecked!
These Mondays in Melton do throw up mysteries, but it looks like the promoter being a bit mischievous...not a venue I had ever considered. Did you used to attend, Main Mask?
George Nuttall is the man mostly associated with Black Mask. He had the four year run that Main Mask refers to, evenually ended by Billy Joyce. There have been lots of other Black masks. The earliest I found was in 1934 and there's the story of his very unusual unmasking in his A-Z entry. The one against Campbell and the photo in Germany are most likely to have been Nuttall. If the German photo is the George Nuttall then I think this is the first photo I have seen of this 1958-62 version of the Black Mask. The one on the independent programme against Chick Elliott could have been anyone.
The one below is an independent show from 1961 promoted by Jack Taylor. Bang in the middle of Nuttall's Joint Promotion masked run so clearly an imposter cashing in on the Black Mask run. The "Japanese" Kito Tani was Joe D'Orazio. Les Wright, Spike O'Reilley and Chick Elliott were all Jack Taylor men. I don't know Guy Marie, but would guess he was a Taylor man too.