The Belle Vue Trophy 1963

Marino defended his European Mid Heavyweight Title against Carlos Moll on 17th November, 1969, at Nottingham Ice Rink, promoter Ted Beresford.

Telling me your photo was Carlos Moll made me search out the one I was thinking of. Mike Marino defended his European Mid Heavyweight title against Bert (Jacques) Mychel at Nottingham Ice Rink, 23rd September, 1968. Promoter Ted Beresford in the photo.

I think the Marino photo is with Bert Mychel after Marino defended his European Mid Heavyweight belt at Nottingham

Thanks Ron, appreciate, I will have to look it up, I do have some Scottish Trophies records in my archives, but can't remember them all. I never studied Scottish or Irish Wrestling Ring history enough. My main focus was Historical English and then British Ring. May be they followed English fashion and used "old" trophies for new champs as well.

I am assuming photo from the same event. But this sure wasn't open weight competition.

Ron, thanks, yes looks like an unusual monster tourney, and the top men like Joyce, Davies, Wall, Walsh, Mitchell, Allan, Szakacs, and many others were in it, amazing find, I would say for me personally IT IS TRULY A GREAT FIND. When I was looking at it, some memories of the great early 1900's tourneys came back, Alhambra, Palace Theatre, Crystal Palace etc. Yes Belle Vue truly is a Mecca of Catch Wrestling. Looks like in the modern era such tourneys weren't popular, instead they would have a one-night tourneys for a trophy. One fall, one submission, or a knockout governed those contests.

Very interesting that it was discontinued after 1965. If it was annual tourney then yes I would think winner keeps trophy till next year, if it was just a single tourney then more likely they advertised that the winner keeps the trophy, because that's what historically it was with such elimination tourneys.

I sure will try to find images of Davies with the belt. As for the description, not surprised about it. Gold and Silver Belt was a typical championship belt description used by our old friends Joe Smith and William Kay in the early 1900's and Jolly Jumbo in 1899.

Now my concern is how big is the chance that Marino won similar Belle Vue Tourney. Who is on that photo of him with famous Relwyskow Belt?

I can't add anything about the belts , in so much detail they have never cropped up before.

After 1965 these tournaments seem to end at Belle Vue.

So many heats was incredible. No masked men of course.

Davies had started in 1952 and was a second generation wrestler , a great servant and seems to have been singled out to receive this reward.

It seems you win it , you don't defend it and perhaps after a year it goes back to the promoter , or did the promoter keep it anyway.

Was there just the one "GOLD AND SILVER Belt

I don't believe that many of these belts had an uninterrupted lineage. I would call them a marketing tool.

Or this one - the most mysterious belt of British wrestling in XX century.

Here's Mike Marino with it...any ideas when/where this photo was taken?

Ron Historyo THIS IS A TERRIFIC RESEARCH !!! Thanks so much for sharing those results. Much appreciated. Multiple rounds (Sept 25th-Nov 27th), exactly what I thought about the 1973 Wryton Belt Tourney. Those KO Tourneys for the belts weren't just semis and the final but instead long multi rounds elimination series.

By the way The Wrestler calls Steve Wright's 1971 Belt the Open Belt Championship.

Geo Relw Sr was man of many belts, just like his buddy Peter Gotz. I wonder which belt that was? Any ideas? Two options. This very famous one:

The above bill should read Bobby Steele and he beat Joynson in the final.

Colin Joynson commented in one of my galleries that Bobby Steele had been a great mentor as far as he was concerned.

Is the one on the left (Purvey Cup) George Rel Jr........help please......!!!!

trying to identify these two individuals

Ron, how big is the chance that the same physical trophy (let's call it Silver Trophy) was used for different KO Tourneys (Belle Vue, Wryton at Bolton Stadium etc.)? Do you recognize man who is giving the cup to Purvey on that photo.

By the way the 1963 cup featured some toughest "little demons" (historical name for lighter weights) Colbeck, Dempsey, Purvey and Foley. All legit wrestlers of championship class.

Dear Ron, You Are Peerless !!! Thanks again for all your help. You definitely deserve a gold diamond studded belt, or at least a cup. Which newspaper was it? I failed on BNA, hahaha

Belle Vue Catch Weight Cup...same as the one won by our old friend Mr. Ray Hunter...huh, very interesting. Who was running shows at Belle Vue in the 60s?