MELVYN RISS-BRITISH LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION!

That Coronation handbill is pure gold, Ron, with McManus probably running the show. On an Atholl Oakely bill? This must have been THE handover point. Historic.

Three title bouts, but not 10/6 - thirty bob! Really dear.

Quite possible that this night was the making of McManus, office-wise.

I have not got any Hanley in 1953 , but I have found over the years that when I find the earliest bills , in most cases the wrestler started one or even two years earlier.

A couple of comments on that is that a tryout could be done at a very small hall that slips our net. When the Russell Club cropped up in Hulme it helped enormously as this went in the Manchester Evening news.

My other point is that maybe , after a tryout , the matchmakers might have decided that a prospect needed more training before being unleashed , that is my speculation.

A quick check Ost tells me you are bang on with your RAH date and that seems to be some achievement on the part of Mel Riss. Can't understand why he is so quiet the rest of the year. Maybe Foley was his Mentor and they used him sparingly.

Maybe Ron can find this bill: January 24, 1953 at Hanley.

Mel Riss wrestled at the Royal Albert Hall in April 1953

I spoke too soon , I actually have a very late 53 showing at Belle Vue

At that time it was Dick Rogers , whose exact relationship with Wryton I do not know. Don't think Bartelli ever did anything with him. Not so sure The Ghoul did either. Strange set up.

Thanks for another great thread MM

It's amazing how Greater Manchester Wrestlers are kept away from Belle Vue and yet are slipped into major cities like Newcastle and Glasgow to cut their teeth.

That Glasgow archive is very precious as it does not come from the same source as many of my other stuff.

Of course 1953 there was no Bolton Wrestling so difficult to check where Riss could have worked a show. Too early for Wryton's Russell Club as well. Altrincham might be a good bet , but he ain't on the ones I have.

Hi MM , yes that looks like Buller at New Brighton because it matches his Cheshire Billing.

You ask about Mel Riss , well at first I found an Isle of Man bill in 54 stating he was just turned pro and a YMCA amateur Champ.

Looking hard I managed to just get into 1953.

It was Joe Critchley who introduced me to Melvyn Riss. His name was Harry Winstanley so why he chose "Melvyn Riss" of all the names he could have created I'll never know. It became locker room parlance, "I'm just going for a quick Melvyn." I assume he had previously been stung by the taxman for he was keen enough to wrestle but didn't want to pay tax. At this time he was running a little off licence/grocery shop in Upholland and agreed to appear as long as I didn't bill him as Melvyn Riss. I billed him as Mighty Mel and he seemed quite happy with that. He wrestled for me against Joe at the Town Hall, Sandbach, and against Pedro the Gypsy at Halton British Legion in Runcorn.

Hi MM . Nice tribute to Mel Riss.

The previous owner of the title also held it for about 4 years. Read about Johnny Stead in the A-Z.

Very hard to find Judo Buller but probably this chap.

Some new names (to me) on here, I don't remember Jack O'Reilly of Portland, USA, but he did exist, so that is another American to add to our list of visitors (if indeed, it is the same chap).

Main Mask You Just Made My Day!!!! Thanks for sharing this amazing material!!! On the famous champions photo Mel Rees is the only wrestler who ISN'T wearing new Mount Evans Belt, instead he's wearing a 1909 Gold Lord Lonsdale Belt. Which title it was when he held it I wonder. Prior to that in 1959 that belt was won by Al Nichol in multi week KO Tourney.

More great stuff MM, another Judo wrestler! You could almost do a topic "Wrestlers from Judo land" at this point.

Here's MEL RISS in 1957 at KIRKBY-IN-ASHFIELD against ROMEO JOE!

RISS is said to be a 'Future Champion' and the 'New Sensation'!

An Unknown-for me at least also on this Bill-One JUDO BULLER???

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