Very first wrestling in Newark was 1934. I don't have a bill for it but I can tell you that it was at Newark FC , outdoors and a crowd of almost 500. Jack Hickling of Mansfield was the Promoter.
Never heard of some of the wrestlers but for me the standout for skill would have been a bout between Jack Alker and his great mate Scotty Ambrose.
There was a follow up show then nothing until the war when some shows were done in the Ransome and Marles Canteen that I covered in another thread. After the war a few shows at the Corn Exchange were done before a long interval with no wrestling for many years.
By 1958 wrestling was entering a boom again due to TV Coverage under the guise of Sports enterprises. Again the Corn exchange was to be the venue.
But in 1960 Promoter Matt Lewis came along with another venue.
A little bit of info on these two venues is to be significant. You see , the Corn Exchange held 1500 spectators and yet the Palace Theatre or Cinema only held 630 seats. It's a bit strange how things worked out. Corn Exchange below left and the small Cinema on the right.
No sign of Jack Taylor on the 1950's bills but by 1960 he had for sure captured The Corn Exchange for a long run. Jack as a great Champion was star of his own shows.
So 1961 Jack Taylor is established in the big Venue.
Fascinating that Joint Promotions , Relwyskow and Green should challenge by going into the small venue known as the Palace. The March 4th bill even put Newark on the map as a TV Venue. And Look Mick McManus is there working for Relwyskow and Green. The people of Newark had a feast of wrestling with this choice.
Would that be Count Bartelli, as "Jess Conda" on the Feb 28th 1961 bill at the Corn Exchange?
Also, that 1960 poster!, has Jack Taylor gone a bit "over the top" with all those nationalities on one bill!