Nick McManners

Could not resist adding this one Mick McMillan on a Joint Show. Don't think it was deliberate ....or was it.

Anglo Italian

"It says Cape Promotions. Maybe that's fake too!"

Ha! ha! Trust Anglo Italian to go looking for the obvious. I've looked at that advert half a dozen times and not noticed.

Of course they weren't fake. Run by Danny Flynn and Fred Woolley, both more than competent welterweights who had long careers for Joint before turning to promotion.

My experience of their shows was that they were of good quality, and I chose them in preference to the Joint shows when dates were close by. The thing with the independents is that the majority of their wrestlers were good (most wrestled for Joint at one time or another) but the issues arose from the practices of the management, which we have discussed at length over the years. The use of these dubious names was one of them. Cape Promotions weren't averse to this. As I've mentioned previously I watched Buddy Rogers, Whipper Watson and Earl McCready. To anyone with a ha'pennyworth of wrestling knowledge it was obvious these would not be the famous North Americans as they were long gone. But the important thing is that all three of them took part in good matches and I doubt if anyone felt cheated.

My opinion, at the time and still now, is that Nick McManners was in a different class and this was an attempt to mislead the casual fan. It would have been very disappointing for anyone going along and expecting to see the man they had watched on the tele.

Anglo Italian:

So the question is: when Nick McManners was billed, and actually appeared, who turned up in the ring? Was he a McManus lookalike?

This was the point of the original post. It was a name that seemed to appear with some regularity. As I asked originally, "Did he ever show up? Who was he? "

Matey Dave

"How many like Haystacks used variations of American wrestlers? Does it really matter?...... So maybe Nick McManners was a tribute act doing the rounds."

Good point Matey Dave - Haystacks, Klondyke Bill, Steve Casey and more. Use of famous names. But as I said previously they did the job and left us no room to complain. Nick McManners was different. He was appearing in a hall at a time when those with little knowledge of wrestling could well believe they were about to watch the tv star. I'm not blaming the wrestler (if he existed) and he could have put on a good show that would please the crowd, I'd just like to know who he was.

grahambrookjazz:

"Fallon touring some of the furthest outpoints in Scotland which had never seen live wrestling and working as Mc.Manus"

If that is true that would be reprehensible. Fallon was a legitimate wrestler much heavier than McManus but as far as "the show" was concerned was not in the same league. Or even two or three leagues below.

All this talk of imposters has brought back a fuzzy memory from the seventies( when I was a promoter) involving Jack Fallon. Mick Mc.Manus rarely wrestled in Scotland and I have vague recollections of a story concerning Fallon touring some of the furthest outpoints in Scotland which had never seen live wrestling and working as Mc.Manus. I never met Fallon and I might be doing the gentleman an injustice and readily apologise if this is the case but I have vague memories of Joe Critchley (who did several shows for me) telling me something along these lines. It's a long time ago. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

It says Cape Promotions. Maybe that's fake too!

So funny we are collectively indignant at fake wrestling ☺☺☺ How many outsiders would understand us!

So the question is: when Nick McManners was billed, and actually appeared, who turned up in the ring? Was he a McManus lookalike?

Matey Dave has written:

Let us not forget that very few wrestlers wrestled under their birth names any more then Cary Grant did as a thespian.

How many like Haystacks used variations of American wrestlers? Does it really matter? Who really cares? What ever happened to the British undertakers and bushwackers?

Today we have so called rip-off artists doing shows of recording stars giving their lack of originality by claiming to be tribute performers. So maybe Nick McManners was a tribute act doing the rounds.

Maybe unethical in extracting urine from the punters but they should have seen it.

How many posters have ever brought a gold Rolex from a nice man down the pub for £25 because he needed the money to buy train ticket to see his dying mother in Balmoral.

Just remember nothing was real in wrestling

Re Widnes. This could certainly be Cape. Other than this Tankey Williams who I haven't heard of they used all the others, including Nick McManners.

They look like Sean O'Shea up to his usual hyperbole

So resourceful, Ron!

The more I see of this I just don't know what, if anything, to believe.

Nicky Stark the ballet dancer!

Seeing in 1965 Pat Roach on a bill is believable. Frank Hoy a proper local. But Joe Murphy, and Gordon Nelson, at the height of his Outlaw fame?

I believe one of these promoters' strategies was for one or more of the big names to no-show.

But it just makes you wonder which poor guy had to turn up to the boos of clearly not being The Dulwich Destroyer? It really is fraud, there must have been furious punters. Or was Dick/Mick/Syd/Nick a no-show every time?

I vaguely recall the no-show line from the MC as being along the lines of: "Nick McMannners was too afraid of this opponent/to cross the water to Ireland/to fly", all in line with the original evil McManus persona. Some audience members may have swallowed this and enjoyed doing so.

Johnny Saint could tell some tales...

I think Dale Martins threatened legal action because of the promoters behaviour on this tour of Ireland.

Above another variation and also a Two Rivers Rip Off. And another below.

Mick ,Nick , Dick and now Syd

and Logan Brothers also Billy Rivers.

It had been going on for years , even claiming that Syd was Tv's Bad man.

Not sure if the Irish tours were anything to do with Nick McManners or even Chris McManus. but as Anglo says a disgusting Rip Off.

Disgusting. Nick McManners was clearly a mere rip-off of Mick McManners.

Nick McManners vs Kurt Von Veeda in the Ultimate soundalike/who on earth were they? Sweepstakes:

I remember buying a girlie magazine when I was a teenager which I kept hidden under the bed in the mistaken belief that it would be well-hidden from my mother. I think it was Knave but I'm not sure. A photo feature had two young ladies wrestling and tearing the clothes off one another. The match was billed as Mick.Mc.Anus versus K*nt Walton.

Another Mick:

I don't know much about Chris McManus. He was from Leicester, don't know if he was one of Jack Taylor's.

This is the guy we are looking at. My problem is that I have seen so many variations.

Is he completely different from Chris Mcmanus. That's the one I see the most and he was knocking about for years.