Whilst doing a bit of digging about Wrytons origins I have come across what I feel must be the most obscure titles and belts,it's so bizzare I had to share.Now my memory of an old silver belt with red roses bordering the centre which lay in the old office at Wryton Stadium had Ruslan champing at the bit and I couldn't give any further info.Well after discussions with Old timers even older than me,the subject of belts presented to Burke of Tyldesley,woods of Farnworth and a Grogan of Walkden these belts were for Lancashire area championships ,silver belts provided and manufactured by Berry a Bolton jeweller.Now Westhoughton is famous for Houghton weavers a Russian wrestler and a luddite event,but these belts it seems were presented well before Ronnie Pennington became Ivan.Itvseems this small town had ambitions to build and fund a cottage hospital and a local promoter,more on the Wryton origins later put on matches which drew large crowds to raise funds and became a regular event and the Westhoughton nursing and cottage hospital association presented belts. The cottage hospital was never built the association became defunct in theb1950s but according to my source the belts were silver and had red roses at the side of the centerpiece,it sounds like the one gathering dust at higher bridge Street all those years ago was one the wna belts.Ruslan I wished I'd looked closer in hindsight.Hope this hasn't bored you all to death but it was such a strange one felt it needed sharing.
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Dear Paul bkendo1 does this belt look familiar to you?
Thanks, R
Thankyou so much Ron Historyo , i think the only very old wrestlers i used to see and train with down at the club were Bob Greenalgh ( The Bearded Monk ) and Jim Foy ( Elmo ) I i was not on the mat and messing about and jim was around you were getting his walking stick round the head hahaha
Have you a photo Jonathan ?????
Wow thankyou so much. Weird thing is I wrestled for bolton Olympic wrestling club from being six and after I left school I was gonna take up pro I trained with Rob Brookside for a while then just discovered beer and women lol and gave it up. Thanks so much sir.
Thought I would find Grogan in his home town of Bolton. Two poor images as they are not from digital newspapers but the library with poor viewers. Both 1936 working for local man William Isherwood who converted an old Iron Foundry into a stadium but had to give it back for the war effort.
Hi buddy I was born farnworth too. I will see if we can find a picture I don't know much about him myself twas just I was passing his old collery house and asked got talking to the gent that lived there now. When I used to watch the wwf as a kid when Lord Alfred would come on telly my mum would say that's Al Hayes he was always round at my grandads I will see if I can get a pic never seen a pic before so I was hoping same. See what I can do. Hey thanks
Jonathan , working off your info , indeed James Grogan was a Colliery worker and a deputy at the colliery in 1939. Home address 80 Ash Grove Walkden.
He seems to have been born next door in Farnworth , son of a colliery worker.
Can't find him wrestling after the war and really I don't think we know much about him. On this thread I have managed to find him on the Preston Bills and New Brighton and of course the promoters will elaborate on any fame or titles as a selling point , in particular Oakeley who promoted at the Tower , New Brighton.
After the war I don't think they ever pushed Bantam weight again but there was plenty of wrestling in the war such as at Belle Vue , but it stopped in Bolton and I think Preston. Would love to hear more from you about the man , maybe a photo ?
Wow fantastic. He used to train wrestlers too my uncle just said they would stay over at bolton he lived at the house on Lahore by the canal he was also pit manager. He also trained Lord Alfred Hayes. Hey thankyou I would love more info
Couple of great memories of Jimmy Grogan here at New Brighton. World Bantam Champion even.
hello, i believe the Jimmy Grogan wrestler was my great grandfather, also i think there was one of them belts on show in a jewellers and coin shop in the daubhill area of bolton, i remember seeing one similar inside the shop in a frame.
Paul, in your original post you have mentioned the WNA title holders, namely: Burke of Tyldesley, Woods of Farnworth and a Grogan of Walkden and the silver belts given to them which were manufactured by Berry a Bolton jeweller. By any chance do you have a photo of any of those 3 champs with WNA belt on?
I wonder if these middleweight tournaments gave Brian Dixon the idea for the 7 bout KO tournaments for the World Middleweight Title at places including Liverpool Stadium in 1978 and 1979?
I know why the tickets for matches at Wryton Stadium were available from the Top Bull in Breightmet as I believe Vic Hessle/Mr Faulkner senior was landlord there.
(I lived in Breightmet during the early/mid 90's when I was Minister at Breightmet Methodist Church (now sadly closed).
I wonder what the connection with the Woolshop on Bradshawgate (in Bolton Town Centre) was? Maybe one of the ladies of the family worked there?
Ruslan there were several incarnations of The Wryton Belt tourneys only one sticks in my mind and that was won by Keith Martinelli who to my mind was one of the hardest lads in the game.
Paul, by any chance could you please help to find out who won this multi-month tourney called Wryton Middleweight Belt October 1972- May 1973 (also referred to as Annual Wryton Belt), I am assuming it was the same trophy you saw in 1971 at the Wryton office.
I had to post a VERY WELL DONE to those that contributed to this subject. Riveting stuff! There are so any aspects as well as sub-sections 1 to 100 in wrestling history, so much so that I’ve never delved into the murky world of promoters to any great degree. Nor have I been swayed by the siren call of Championship Belts (aside from their aged beauty) but I lift my hat off to those that do and say please keep up the great work!
p.s. Steve Wright is a great favorite of mine and his matches on the ’Tube, especially the ones in Japan need to be seen by anyone who values pro wrestling.
Paul, could you please ask that person who shared with you info about the WNA belts to share with you a photo of wrestler with the WNA belt. I hope they have it and won't mind you sharing it here. It has been a mystery for so long. Wryton Belt was around forever (1940-1970) and no one could identify it. We are finally getting close to the answers, thanks to you for that.
Paul, hi, thanks again, answered, and added more photos, have a look. It is in reply to your reply to my question, Page 1 of this thread.
Talking of Arthur Wright taking over from Jack Cullen , here is the time frame and the earliest I have evidence of Wryton. May 1942 Jack Cullen promoting at Hanley at the Skating Rink but that was to finish soon with Wryton moving into the Victoria Hall by August. I don't know about a buy out , Cullen soldiered on for about a year but the Ice rink seemed doomed.
Great stuff, very interesting.
Not sure if we have made this connection but Lawrence Wright was Arthur Lawrence Wright.
In checking this I noticed that Norman Morrell won a Libel against him in 1946 that cost Wright £75.
Bad Blood ...I wonder.
Wright buying Cullen out makes sense to me , their rosters looked so similar.
Wrights address in 1946 was High Street Manchester,
Cullen lived in Atherton