Following on from the Features on BERT ROYAL and VIC FAULKNER-I offer an Interesting
Look at their Father-VIC HESSELLE!
At the very beginning of his Wrestling Career-VIC HESSELLE was Billed as a 'Great VIENNESE HEAVYWEIGHT!!-Appearances at VICTORIA BATHS NOTTINGHAM in mid
OCTOBER-17TH- and late NOVEMBER-28TH-have him Hailing from the AUSTRIAN Capital!!-Was it because he was 'TEUTONIC' Looking with his Blond Hair?-Was it an effort
to make him look EXOTIC?-In the NOVEMBER Battle-VIC Fights for the EUROPEAN
HEAVYWEIGHT Championship against the Holder KARL REGINSKY over 15 Rounds!
REGINSKY is described-and I just Love this!-as 'So tough-he chews nails and spits out rust'!
HESSELLE is Billed as 'A marvellous Wrestler'!-weighing in at 14 and half Stone-Which doesn't qualify him as a Heavyweight at all!!
So even back in the 1930's Promoters were carving out Character Histories for-especially new- Wrestlers!!
After the War HESSELLE suddenly 'changed' his Nationality and his Home Town to the less
Fashionable BOLTON-and no Disrespect here!!-Of course he could no longer Originate from
the 'Greater German Reich'-for obvious reasons!!
At all the Big Venues he was now a LANCASTRIAN and we find him Promoted as such in our example Programme at the KINGS HALL BELLE VUE MANCHESTER in early 1956!
Note on the Featured POSTER for 1953 for the PUBLIC ROOMS ST.AUSTELL on SATURDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER-we find HESSELLE Sharing the Bill with his Son-BERT
ROYAL!!
During the late 1950's-VIC HESSELLE was the Main Trainer for Both his Sons-and the Photo
Shows all 3 in Session looking at ARM LEVERS!
So the Father was a BOLTONIAN all along-NOT an Exotic 'Continental'-but I bet this Tag
helped fill Seats back in those pre-War Days!
BERNARD MUST have seen 'VICKI' Wrestle-so what does he think of his Style and Skills?
Programmes/Poster/Photos to follow!
MAIN MASK
Still waiting for Ruslan to tell me who promoted on the bills displayed.
Please !
Many thanks Bernard , invaluable and a precious piece of footage.
I can see a bit of Bert and Vic in that style. Nice and loose and rubbery and also doing the drop kicks.
A showman by the looks of it , that could wrestle a fair bit.
Within 5 seconds I knew that the wrestler was Vic Hesselle, as he was normally billed at Newcastle.
Good technical wrestler if he wanted. Not averse to a little skullduggery, but always all action.
He was a good watch, pity that he was never a full heavyweight.
Withregard to the bills above, please could you tell me the promoter Ruslan,
that might explain a lot.
I think we could do with Bernard to look at this footage. There is a suggestion that we are watching Vic Hessell
Vic Hesselle father of The Fabulous Royals Bert and Vic, wresting royalty.
Great post The Main Mask, yes tons of his bills call him Austrian, actually from Vienna.
I am trying when he won the Belle Vue Cup. I have some clips. Need your help my friend.