After many years collecting bills I finally have some from Inverness. 375 miles from Manchester and sad to say , I have never been. The Empire Theatre was a 1912 Picture House , eventually used as a Theatre. It had a balcony and I think the whole thing sloped down to a stage. 1100 capacity gave it some sort of equal standing in size with the Wryton Stadium. But could it be equal in the quality of wrestlers that it could tempt to travel up there.
At the dawn of the 1960's Max Crabtree gave it a go , so influential in Scotland. My old friend Sitting Bull who I found in Madras was there. Shirley before he was famous , or was he famous as an alternative champion back then.
Early Andy Robin was up there. Good effort from Wall , Dennison and Breaks to go up there.
Champion Billy Joyce , Pallo famous as Mr TV. Kidd and Colbeck. Top Scotsman Ian Campbell. Kellet for sure.
Zebra Kidd.
The Hawaiian Prince , Mick McManus made the cut and super pro's The St Clairs and Royals. Albert Wall no doubt would have travelled with John Cox . Ricki Starr too.
An open air show at an alternative venue from the Opposition featuring Girls that went on to have great careers along with Broco Jack who got just about everywhere.
Conclusion must be that Joint promotions could do a show with about 1000 spectators putting in top liners with a strong mid card and still make money , and bring wrestling to Inverness. Great Effort. Nowhere was ignored.
Great shares and lovely presentation, thanks Ron.
I don't much fancy Dennison v Starr, a bit of a mis-match weights-wise.
Fascinating to see Cowboy Jack in 1964 on JP bills. We discovered him last year also in 1964 right down the other end of the country for Dale Martin a couple of times in Brighton. He's also on the 1966 indy bill!
I suppose we will never know how he came to wrestle for JPs nor why his stint was so brief.
It seems that Mick never had anyone do what he wouldn't do.
Sadly the Empire Theatre was before my time in Inverness but I did attend some of the Rose Street Hall bills in the 1970’s. Jackie Pallo also organised a couple of shows in Inverness at the social club of a local football ground but can’t remember if it was at the Caley or Clachnacuddin.
Just thinking about the Crabtree's making the journey up there, in 1961. It's before I was born, so I can't say what the road system was like, but checking today, it would take you six and a half hours, by car, from Halifax, and eight and a half hours, by train. I would think it would take you considerably longer back then. So either the venue was worth it, in terms of revenue, or it was an additional night on a tour, so you were closer to there, the day before and the day after?
The Empire closed in November 1970 but wrestling did continue and in the heritage list of where we watched wrestling Rose Street Hall, the Town Hall and Bught Park are also listed so there may well be other posters out there almost certainly independent shows.
Bit of an odd matchup in 1965 with Roy St. Clair and Alan Colbeck? Andy Duncan was (presumably) Andy Robin?