Let's Escape our Current Woes and climb aboard the TARDIS for another Journey Back
to a Time when Professional Wrestling was Golden!:-
Destination:-MANCHESTER U.K.
Time Zone- Late 1950's-Early 1960's.....
Wrestling in the NORTH WEST after the War was Buzzing!- With 2 Major Venues at
LIVERPOOL STADIUM and KINGS HALL BELLE VUE-plus plenty of Satellite Towns
Staging Shows-Fans were spoiled for choice for Options to see Live Wrestling!!
But there was ANOTHER Venue-in CENTRAL MANCHESTER Operating thru this Period
which was a Direct Rival to JOINT's Big Arenas!
We are going to visit some Independent Shows at the FREE TRADE HALL on PETER ST.
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Yes, agree Pete Slapper would have been Piet Slabbert. When I was young his was a name that intrigued me, though I never saw him. I think Kurt Von Vidor may well have been Steve. He used variations of the name and it's not a huge jump from Steve Bell/Kurt Von Vidor to Steve Veidor (or Viedor).
Peter Slapper would've been Piet Slabbert most likely.
Great programmes MM, thanks for sharing.
Well Kurt Von Vidor ("Von" being German) was highly unlikely to be "Norwegian" with a name like that!
Some treats here Main Mask that had passed me by for the last few days.
Great revelations from bkendo1.
Tony McDonald is of interest. Robert McDonald was popular in Manchester. "Another famous brother." Reminds of a mention on here some time back of a somebody Royal "One of a famous wrestling family. There was a Tony McDonald around in the 1930s and again in the 1950s. Could they all have been the same.
I wouldn't have thought Frank Robb was Frank Robinson. He wasn't Mr Great Britain and was working for Joint Promotions at the time.
Mike Landis was a promoter around Manchester (Colin Joynson started with him). I don't know what name he used for his promotion but he might well have been Apollo Promotions.
I've not come across Len Jackson either. Have seen him listed as a referee also around Manchester.
The Frank Robb entry says his real name was Frank Robinson. Could it have been him?
I have found the Masked Count yet again.
Well thats a new one , Streiger in a hood and yes there was a German Count Bauer. I shall keep an eye out for other instances.
Well done Sax....................Nice one Paul
Well spotted Saxonwolf ,he did not print the posters but was involved heavily in these promotions whilst contracted to Joint! I was told he made a few appearances as the Count only second time Iv seen it on a poster,the initial name used was Count Bauer but was dropped good one country boy Clark never averse to a bit of moonlighting.
Hans Streiger, based on the fact that bkendo1 mentioned a clue was in the printer of the program, and it shows a phone number in New Mills, near Stockport.
Drat,......... last guess Mangotich or Jack Cassidy or could even Streiger have worked under a bonnet
James and Ron I promise to unmask the Count soon other clue he was alleged to be from foreign parts.
Back to the Masked Count.
I am starting to wonder , Paul Lincoln , Al Hayes , Mike Marino.
I don't see Len Jackson in the Wrestlers A-Z . Was he one of the other Jacksons or is my eyesight going? Let us out of our misery about the Count please.
I'd like to know more about Frank Robinson , 1960 Great Britain winner.
Who?
The masked Count was very famous but wasn't Bartelli and did he do the printing of the programme, the clues are
Bet the Masked Count was not Bartelli.
They knew how much they could get away with so stopped short.
10/6
Our First Port of Call takes Us to FEBRUARY 1963 to View a Nite Staged by
APOLLO Promotions-with this Show's Programme Cover Featured below!...
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