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.