If you know of any anniversaries or have posters, programmes to display for this date please post them here.
We'll start off with marking the 80th anniversary of the untimely death of Harold Angus. The date of Harold's death was widespread incorrectly reported until Ron Historyo uncovered the correct date of death.
https://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/harold-angus
Hi Peter
McManus had a tv challenge bout with Jackie Pallo in May 1962, Certainly from that point on he was top of the bill,
The question remains whether that in itself was his watershed moment; or whether he had been nudging up the bill in the preceding months. He had been the British champion twice in the fifties and that seemed to be his peak, especially with so many other top welterwights emerging in the late fifties and early sixties.
He had his Southern Area title but we see very few bills with that ever at stake. If any at all. Same with Peter Rann at middleweight. Conversely the Heavyweight title was regularly fought for.
That Pallo McManus bout was superb. It clearly fascinated the nation, as a rematch was hurriedly inserted into the next Royal Albert Hall bill, the end of season spectacular with the RAH Trophy. I would love to see the poster for that bill to see what prominence the pair had alongside the heavies.
From then on, McManus was established, but largely only in combination with Pallo. McManus worked to extricate himself from this too-close Pallo association over the next few years.
I see the programme holder rated Mick's 1960 bout as only "fair."
My own opinion would be that Mr TV had become a far bigger name 1958 -1962 and McManus was envious. He had worked for Jack Dale for much longer. McManus wanted to elevate his own self by association with Mr TV, and then sought to prove to the nation that he was superior to Pallo in the ring. He also sought to lower Pallo's value by reducing his mid-sixties tv appearances.
Hardly surprising Pallo was so disgruntled a few years later.
If I am right, it is an epic tale of jealousy and plotting and revenge that Shakespeare would have been proud of. And it affected the whole wrestling business.
Hi all
(I realise the 1960 Royal Albert Hall bill was posted a couple of years ago, but I had not seen it before).
I was interested to see Mick McManus appearing in the opening bout. Pardon my ignorance but when did he start to become THE big wrestling attraction (and therefore not in the first bout on the bill) - obviously there were lots of star names, but he is perhaps the most recognisable name from the past?
Did it just evolve during the 1960's as when I started watching wrestling at Croydon and the Albert Hall itself in the late 60's, he was the top attraction?
I guess I have largely answered my own question but would be most interested in any comments from you experts about how and when he became a top-of-the-bill attraction.
Many thanks as always and with kind regards.
Peter
On This Day-26TH OCTOBER in 1963 at GRIMSBY-We See JACKIE PALLO in
with 'Substitute' BRIAN TREVORS rather than TOMMY MANN!! +
It Seems BRUNO ELRINGTON gets D.Q.d against The MASK!!+
My Friend TONY CASSIO is here too!!
MAIN MASK
26 October 1937
Golden Greek and former World heavyweight champion Jim Londos came to Britain to wrestle George Pencheff in a match described as "Catch as Catch Can," and “decidedly not All In" at the Empress Stadium, Earls Court, London. Promoter was Henry Irslinger and he promised there would be no kicking, biting or gouging. Six thousand spectators watched what The Daily Mirror reported as a clean and gruelling contest following which barefooted victor, Londos, was carried shoulder high back to the dressing room. In a match scheduled for one hour Londos beat Pencheff with a reverse headlock in the 49th minute.
Once again, great bills above.
Once again I take you to the other end of the evolutionary scale with perhaps the worst poster of them all.
Feel free to list what makes it so dreadful:
Wrestling overseas today, Don Vines defeated Josef Molnar, in Munich, Germany, on this day in 1973.
On our TV screens, on this day in 1963: -
Warnia Zarzecki (1) v Clay Thomson (0)
Steve Logan (1) v Don Branch (1)
Johnny Kwango (2) v Ron Oakley (0)
26 October 1940
Death of Harold Angus
Read our tribute
Well, it appears Main Mask is having "technical problems" as they say. So he's sent his pigeon our way to add these celebrations of 26th October.
Today at the Royal Albert Hall in 1960