Peter Rann

george johnson

I was watching the dvd for the Tv series England,their England. The episode which was about Mitzi Mueller and is the only dvd I have ever seen which shows Mitzi wrestling. Anyway as the closing credits rolled it showed Peter Rann as dubbing mixer. Would this be the same Peter Rann who was the hard man of wrestling. Iknow he stopped wrestling in the mid 70's and this TV episode was about 1978.

ballymoss

Although obviously possible, I doubt if this was the same Peter Rann. He was indeed, a very hard man, and unusually for a wrestler, quite weatthy. He used to live in Chiswick, where I sometimes saw him, fashionably well dressed, sipping coffee in an upmarket trendy cafe. Because of his reputation, I a timid youth, lacked the courage to approach him.

His out of wrestling activities made him quite notorious, as he acted as a debt collector, notably for the late unlamented Peter Rachman. Despite this nefarious activity being widely reported in the national press, or perhaps because of, he was retained on Dale Martin's books. Not surprisingly Peter Rann became the subject of lively "banter" from some wrestling audiences, although this appeared not to bother him in the least, and few people would be brave enough to reproach him.

To his credit he was a wrestler of some ability and enjoyed a lengthy productive career and formed a successful partnership with Pasquale Salvo in a tag team, ofton termed the "Riot Squad". Peter Rann also had the repuation of being a practical "joker" and no doubt was kind to his family, friends and animals, but I have my reservations as to whether he in general, was a particularly admirable human being.

Anglo Italian

Did he ever win his Southern England Middlewight title from anyone?

Did he ever lose his Southern England Middlewight title to anyone?

Did he ever defendhis Southern England Middlewight title?

I bet there were plenty of wrestlers he never wrestled.

Look what happened when he did face up to Les Kellett - i remember those 1972 midweek tv shows so clearly.

Did he ever wrestle McManus or Logan? He seemed to have a small pool of opponents that included Clay Thomson and Billy Torontos and Johnny Kincaid. JK would be able to shed light on the real Peter Rann.

david franklin

He defended his Southern Area Title successfully quite a few times. I remember seeing handbills for title defences against Kalman Gaston and Jackie Pallo, both of whom had beaten him in non-title matches.

They did seem to keep him away from young inexperienced opponents who might “irritate” him with their lack of expertise. From what I hear an “irritated” Peter Rann was not something anyone wanted. ;)

I suspect that the Southern-Area title “died” when Peter Rann retired. I’m pretty sure he never lost the title in the ring.

Some interesting questions there, it would be certainly be good to get more answers.

james morton

I once saw him as a blue eyes on a Paul Lincoln bill against Linde Caulder. As for practical joker he apparently used to lead poor Mad Fred Rondel into all sorts of scrapes. I was told he was fond of egg sandwiches, used to practice his falls on the concrete in Kensington Gardens and went to iive in Blackpool where he died. I can't vouch for the accuracy.

ballymoss

Peter Rann did win the Southern Area Middleweight title after a tournament was held at the Fairfield Halls, Croydon.In the final he defeated Ken Joyce. He certainly defended the title successfully, and although I am far from certain it was for the championship, I can recall him having a couple of heated contests with a wrestler of similar style, the underated "Iron Jaw" Joe Murphy. I believe Murphy won the first and Rann the second, so it may have been for the title.

Peter Rann had a lengthy career from 1951 to 1974, but what is puzzling, is why he carried on so long,particularly after attracting adverse publicity as a Rachman "heavy" in the early !960's. Surely not for the money. He was rarely a wrestling headliner, but clearly a wealthy man, the bulk of which was obviously earned from his somewhat dubious outside activities.

He certainly continued living in affluent Chiswick after he retired, but without disparaging Blackpool, if he did die there, what were the circumstances- did he move there, on holiday- as truly fascinating character.

I agree I believe the Southern Area Middleweight title became extinct after Peter Rann retired.

SaxonWolf

"...and although I am far from certain it was for the championship, I can recall him having a couple of heated contests with a wrestler of similar style, the underated "Iron Jaw" Joe Murphy. I believe Murphy won the first and Rann the second, so it may have been for the title...."

Joe Murphy beat Peter Rann in a tournament final in London, 15th February 1965, Jack Dempsey had beaten him two days before in Eastbourne.

Graham Bawden

I remember Peter Rann from Kent Walton`s book, This Grappling Game. He was described by Walton as the likeable rule breaker.

Anglo Italian

And so in true Heritage tradition, one narrow thread based on the southern memories of a few can open up to the statisticians.

So it seems clear that Peter Rann was the only ever holder of the Southern England Middleweight title. That's quite something.

It's not going off topic: can anyone name any other British wrestler who was the only ever holder of their title?

Ray Fury?

Wild Ian Campbell?

Killer Ken Davies?

Wayne Bridges?

Jumping Jim Hussey?

Tony Costas ? (barring geography debates!)

even Alan Colbeck at European level?

beancounter

Hi Anglo:

Ted Hannon?

Jim MacKenzie?

Chic Purvey?

Lee Sharron? (Billed once on TV as "Jewish Heavyweight Champion")

Hack

Robert McDonald was champion before Ian Campbell, and both Sandy Orford and Bill garnon were champions before Ken Davies (I presume you mean Ken Davies father of Gwyn and not Killer Ken Davies off the independents).

Anglo Italian

No, I did mean the smaller Killer Ken Davies.

David Mantell

Tommy "Jack Dempsey" Moore was the only ever Empire/Commonwealth Welterweight Champion.

Won tournament to become the inaugural champion in '54.

Held for 12 years, by the end as a quadruple crown with the British/Euro/Wolrd (Euro version) Welterweight titles.

Vacated the lot when he had to retire suddenly in '66 and the Commonwealth Wwt title has remained vacant for 52 years.

frank thomas

Bill Clark. Much maligned "nagasaki clone" and later "king kendo" I saw him billed in a match with the late great gwyn Davies as "eastern area heavyweight chsmpion" think he was the only one in the eastern area in all probability..

December 18, 2017 at 8:55 AM Edit Delete Flag Quote & Reply

Bernard Hughes

Hi Anglo, carrying on from your post, can anyone think of a wrestler who never lost, and retired undefeated?

ballymoss

The sage of Hollywood- Doctor Death- was he ever unmasked, and I mean the real good Doctor- Paul Lincoln.

james morton

Plenty of times after he joined with Joint. I think the first was Peter Maiva in Chelmsford. But, Bernard, was The (real) Ghoul? I don't think so.

Ron Historyo

The masked men mentioned above are just one identity of a wrestler who started out and paid his dues.

It was great for masked men to have an unbeaten streak , but most started without the mask and lost many times as did famous wrestlers Mcmanus , Pallo, Pye, Assirati and all the rest

Lincoln and Bomber Bates had plenty of losses. Nagasaki of course started with a mask , but on the quiet lost a few times in the 1960's.

In the Wrestling Industry , I doubt if anyone ever was unbeaten. You are required to Learn , Peak and Fade and give to the business.

Or am I wrong

Geoff Shoots

You have probably seen the only Peter Rann match on you tube Vs Johnny Kincaid, here is the link to part 1 anyway. Interestingly Kent Martin says he was born in Doncaster and now lived in Chiswick so he was a Yorkshireman!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on4U2jN_G2w

I saw Rann Vs Clay Thompson in Hastings White Rock Pavilion must have been at the back end of his career. They must have fought each other so many times and made for a great match up with Rann generating more heat than any heel I ever saw live. He threw Thompson through the top 2 ropes and Thompson dangled there with his neck in the twisted ropes for quite a time as I remember. Probably my top live wrestling memory from the good old days!

Anglo Italian

Yeah, that quiet tv bout with Johnny Kincaid isn't representative of what Peter Rann was really like. He had blue hair for a start! He did that knee-kick reperatedly and crowd hated it. Although he was regional champ, he used to lose more than he won. The title was enough on the posters.

james morton

Ron, I should have said Bomber Bates as The Ghoul never lost - or did he?

Bernard Hughes

James you are right, Bates as The Ghoul did not lose in that guise and retired undefeated.

Yes Bomber Bates lost many times, but The Ghoul didn't

I think that all other masked men did lose with their mask on.

Bernard Hughes

Now Anglo, going back to your query, for ignorants like me, would you kindly give us a list of wrestler and the title that you are talking about.?

Then we can try to give some answers.

Anglo Italian

I doubted myself, Bernard, but see this time for once I wasn't befuddled.

Peter Rann and his Southern England Middleweight Championship.

Apart from the fact he was from Doncaster, was he a southerner who never wrestled up north? Is he quite unknown to northerners?

djmask

I believe Peter Rann was well known 'up North' as this photo in the following link shows him and other wrestlers, in 1966, (Including Paul Luty) watching Ernie Baldwin training some youngsters in Morley, Leeds; http://www.leslieoverend.com/20th_anniversary_0016.html

david franklin

I can definitely remember seeing a poster with Peter Rann working in Scotland (in the main event) against none other than George Kidd.

palais fan

Between 1954 and 1969, Peter Rann wrestled 59 times at The Wimbledon Palais, and I was there for most of them! As people have said he seemed and was, a very hard man, who normally wrestled in a rough and tough style, and clearly knew what he was doing in the ring.

My best memories of him are in tags with Pasquale Salvo, a very under rated villian, in my opinion.The pair of them enlivined any bill they were on and had a little feud going with The Silent Ones (1969 version) at one stage. I also remember him tagging with other partners against Doug and Ken Joyce. Entertaining singles bouts I recall, were agasinst Karlton Gaston and Ken Joyce.

I can't remember the source of the story but it was said that he frightened some would be tough huys at a chippy on the way home from wrestling one night, by brandishing a weapon he just happen to be carrying. A man not to be crossed, in or out of the ring, I suggest.

Re title bouts I have a note of Peter Rann beating Ken.Joyce for the Southern Area Middleweight title, in August 1967, at the Wimbledon Palais.

Anglo Italian

Some of these regional title holders would lose regularly but assumed majestic invincibility in title bouts.

Dave Sutherland

Although I never saw him live I was certainly well aware of Peter Rann and from his televised performances he epitomised the uncompromising hard man. While he could mix it by either fair means or foul, when the going got rough against him I never saw him make any effort to hide from his opponent; thus my disappointment at never seeing him in the flesh. He did however, according to Ray’s essential list of results, appear twice at Newcastle and losing on both occasions; in 1954 to Brian Trevors and in 1955 against Jim Lewis; both well before my time there.

grahambrook

I only saw Peter Rann live on two occasions, both in the early seventies at the tail end of his career. I saw him lose to Les Kellett at the De Montfort Hall, Leicester, and I saw him draw with Brian Maxine at The Brent Town Hall in Wembley in what was billed as a "battle of the middleweight champions". Rann was the blue-eye (or, at least, bluer-eye) but this was no surprise for I also saw Maxine fight Mick Mc.Manus (at The Royal Albert Hall) and Steve Logan (at The Fairfield Hall, Croydon) around this period and both Logan and Mc.Manus were the blue-eyes on those occasions also.

Hack

I only saw Peter Rann on television, but even there he seemed to stand out as a hard man and an exciting wrestler to watch.

grahambrook

I only saw Peter Rann live on two occasions, both in the early seventies at the tail end of his career. I saw him lose to Les Kellett at the De Montfort Hall, Leicester, and I saw him draw with Brian Maxine at The Brent Town Hall in Wembley in what was billed as a "battle of the middleweight champions". Rann was the blue-eye (or, at least, bluer-eye) but this was no surprise for I also saw Maxine fight Mick Mc.Manus (at The Royal Albert Hall) and Steve Logan (at The Fairfield Hall, Croydon) around this period and both Logan and Mc.Manus were the blue-eyes on those occasions also.

I was also at the Brent Town Hall when Peter Rann took on Goldbelt Maxine. I was about 14 at the time and was out with my parents walking around Chiswick Park about 4 days later, when i spotted Peter Rann walking his Doberman and puffing a cigarette. I walked up to him and told him that i thought he had been robbed in the contest at Brent Town Hall on the previous Monday night and the Ref was out of order. He smiled and asked me if i enjoyed the show. I replied "Yes" and he just gave me another smile and said, "See ya son " and walked away. I'll always remember that moment.

frank thomas

Just read on a dedicated web page to Peter, that he moved to Blackpool with his family, and died there aged in his early 60s, this was authenticated by a family member. My interest in Peter was reawakened by reading Adrian Streets book, "so many ways to hurt you". Remember sneaking downstairs as a kid to watch his first bout with Les Kellett, that was deemed too gory for family viewing on World of Sport, and Les winning the return a time later.

David Mantell

Tommy "Jack Dempsey" Moore was the only ever Empire/Commonwealth Welterweight Champion.

Won tournament to become the inaugural champion in '54.

Held for 12 years, by the end as a quadruple crown with the British/Euro/Wolrd (Euro version) Welterweight titles.

Vacated the lot when he had to retire suddenly in '66 and the Commonwealth Wwt title has remained vacant for 52 years.

PETER

Peter Rann was one of those mid card wrestlers in fact better than some of those at the top of the card

The Ost

Kid Pittman was the Southern Area Middleweight titleholder in the mid 1950's.

ballymoss

Peter Rann has always been one of the most fascinating characters in Wrestling and one who has attracted great interest in this forum. I always wondered why he was allowed to continue to wrestle for Dale Martin after such adverse publicity concerning his out of ring activities, and why he decided to leave affulent Chiswick in West London for Blackpool. True he was a Northerner by birth, but that was Doncaster.

A true hard man in the ring, Peter Rann remains an enigma. By the way I was told on good authority that his son became a solictor!!