Wrestlers Who Never Won

Not sure whether The Artful Dodgers ever won?

there are records of roy bull Davies winning plus tug Bolton and peacock chap on the ITV list. also Mick McMichael

Mention of the late ‘Gaylord’ Steve Peacock leads me to wonder if he should be included here? If we include tag teams, Pete LaPaque and Tommy Lorne?

Mick McMichael has one win on You Tube versus Peter Kaye

For all his TV appearances, I never saw Al Nicol win a match.

and meanwhile there was always billy stock, the people's champion

Who never won?

Eric Turner of Leyland (no, not Eric Taylor).

After 15 years I'm still waiting for you to get back Eric (last seen in the British Legion, Leylnad).

Mick McMichael was the most successful loser getting into the top five for TV appearances

Yes, you've jogged my memory.

I've remembered a little bit more. I'm pretty sure his surname was Thompson.

Also, slightly off topic, but I think it was Steve Fury who bought up a lot of Dale Martin's memorabilia.

I think Steve Fury used to post on here, years ago?, someone can remind us if that is correct.

Edit:

Here he is -

Steve Fury

The decision of  teenager Steve Fury to leave home and move from his Lancashire home town of Leyland to the seaside resort of Blackpool proved a fortunate one for the youngster who was keen on wrestling. In Blackpool he discovered that one of his friend's father was none other than the wrestler and promoter Bobby Barron. Steve began working for Bobby putting up the ring, setting out the chairs and all those other behind the scenes jobs. Bobby started teaching Steve a few wrestling moves until one day he was a wrestler short and asked Steve to step into the ring and begin his career as a pro wrestler. Steve admits his opponent was kind to him that day, so much so that he didn't realise just how much he had to learn. It was John Naylor that taught him that lesson! Soon Steve was working every day of the week, often more than once on the same day, wrestling on Blackpool Pleasure Beach, holiday camps around the north and Scotland, and the halls of the independent promoters. Eventually Max Crabtree asked Steve to work for Joint Promotions, and this led to television appearances against Peter Kaye, Lucky Gordon, Steve Peacock, Rollerball Rocco,  and a tag match partnering Ringo Rigby. In the years following his retirement Steve has remained involved with wrestling in various ways and is now one of the organisers of the Wrestlers Reunion Leeds.

I recall Lucky Gordon having a TV win against Steve Fury. I don't know the lad's real name but he turned up at one of my shows in Bollington once with Bobby Barron. Not only was Bobby wrestling for me that night (against Eddie Rose) but he was also providing the ring and "Steve Fury" was there to help set it up. I recall him trying to sell me a watch (he had a suitcase full of them) and when I told him I wasn't interested, he went round the audience trying to flog them. He also made quite an impression on two young ladies from Bollington that night as I saw with my own eyes when I entered the dressing room unexpectedly. He still seems to be around and the last I heard of him was a few years ago when he was organising a Q and A session in a social club somewhere in Blackpool with Billy Robinson.

I notice that I made a couple of contributions to this debate when it first appeared a while ago now. I don't know why, but I did not contribute the fact that John Lees only worked for me once but he went over that night against a masked Kevin Cawley at The Parr Hall, Warrington.

Some wrestlers never won because legitimally not very good. Pete Wilson never seemed as tough as his brother and seemed to lose by submissions. Remember him with his head tied in the ropes which looked very realistic to me.

Pete Collins was always in the shadow of Danny and has a match on You Tube loosing to Steve Speed as recently as 2011 at Cheltenham Town Hall

Think I might have found a win for Mulligan; August 16, 1987 in Great Yarmouth: KO;Brooks bt McGregor; Mulligan bt I.Trevors

F;Brooks bt Mulligan

And I was there! Maybe strange to let him win as Ivan Trevors was the local boy but it probably made a better final.

How about Lucky Gordon? He seemed to be another good at making others (especially youngsters) look good.

Peter Wilson and Pete Collins I don't think I ever saw win.

What about that big fella... whatshisname.... Big Daddy, did he ever win? Can't recall any wins!!! 😜

I do agree with you Anglo. Apparently Tug (Tommy) Holton was a former professional boxer and he often used to square up to his opponent in the style of a fighter. Boxing was probably his first love. Being billed from Waterloo is interesting ,as up to around the 1970's the area around Waterloo was a very tough working class environment, far removed from nowadays where luxury flats, offices and expensive "cottages" prevail.

Bermondsey is a similar gentrified area and look how many wrestlers hailed from that part of South London.

Incidentally Holton earned the prefix Tug as he worked as a lighterman on the river Thames. I never really felt Tug Holton really had his heart in wrestling but it obviously supplemented his income.

Hi The Ost

Great research by the way with "I might have found a win for Mulligan; August 16, 1987 in Great Yarmouth."

Since this thread reverses all logic, I am going to comment:

Ah yes, but he was quite old then and way past his prime; that's why he started winning.

I don't recall ever having seem Mick McMichael win a match. Granted he was quite young when I first saw him back in 1963 onwards but even later as an old hand on TV he still lost when I saw him. Very good wrestler nontheless.

Powerlock says these losers could give anyone a good match, and he's right. That was their job and they performed it well. It's a peculiar business where success is demonstrated by apparent failure. Is there any other work where we could get away with that. And why did the promoters chose the likes of poor old Larry and Tug to be the ones going down night after night?

Did any of us consider them perennial losers at the time? I think not. I certainly didn't. It never occurred to me that the unfortunate loser on one night was an unfortunate loser every night. Thank goodness for them.

One man who was very capable, but very seldom won was Bernard Murray.

He taught a lot of others and was one of Norman Morrell's right hand men at one time.

I think that they must have had a disagreement , because he went South to

DM land I believe.

Let's be honest , these 'losers' could give anybody a good match and make them look a million dollars. these gentlemen were the backbone of the sport

Ah yes, but as opposed to a moral victory, this counts as a moral loss.

Having to wrestle through to the final of a tourney and still lose ...

We have seen these days, on some stonking posters and programmes, that young Gwyn Davies regularly won tournaments in the early sixties. He was happy to sweat his way through three bouts, for the glory.

Garfield was showered and dressed after an enthusiastic early dq.

Larry seems to be our man, with Tug Holton at his heels.... Ballymoss, would you agree with me that Tug never seemed suited to wrestling? I can't imagine what made Wryton want to use him. His billing from Waterloo was strangely exciting: "Which platform?"

Perhaps not a long-termer, but at least he wrestled on tv: Mick West. His tattoos did the talking, rather than his wrestling. He was a DM regular for a couple of years. I don't think he ever won. I believe he also had a brother, Jim. I think Jim was less skilled, but I don't recall seeing him in action.

Think I might have found a win for Mulligan; August 16, 1987 in Great Yarmouth: KO;Brooks bt McGregor; Mulligan bt I.Trevors

F;Brooks bt Mulligan

I am pleased Tug Holton did manage to win somewhere. I saw him several times during the early to mid 1960's and he always lost, usually to an up and coming "blue eye". Two other wrestlers I never saw win were "Bully Boy" Muir and Ed Haystacks Bright. Two great "heels" but seemingly habitual losers.

Anglo, I can find wins for Tug Holton, but Larry "Blackjack Mulligan" Coulton must be the winner here!

I have gone back as far as 1965 ("Lawrence Coulton") and the lad still lost back then! Even Sid Cooper won sometimes!

I recall Jake telling me about his encounter with Bartelli when I was refereeing him and John Brown for Bobby Barron at the two Pontin's camps in Prestatyn. It was Mike Judd's idea for Jake to go over and, according to Jake, Bartelli did everything short of getting on his knees and begging to try to persuade Judd to change his decision.

As for "Tug" Holton, although he didn't get many wins from Dale-Martin, I do recall on one of his occasional sojourns up north that Martin Conroy for Wryton had him taste vicory against Mike Dallas at Liverpool Stadium.

So Tug Holton and Larry Coulton are the Champions?

Hey Anglo

"...Did Klondyke Jake ever win?..."

Looks like he beat Count Bartelli at the Royal Albert Hall in 1975!

"...John Lees..."

Plenty of wins in the 1960's!

Roy Bull Davies made it to the semi-finals of the 1966 Royal Albert Hall Tournament, so he must have beaten people on the way to that!

He actually had a few career wins in Japan as well.

I can see wins for him in the UK, every year in the 1960's, except for 1968, when I only see results from Japan (but sure he would have won over here at some point).

"Obo" had a famous tv victorty, did he not? Now, who was the victim...Ct Bartelli, I think.

But my way of thinking is that all these Cornish wrestlers were domiciled (Kent Walton word) in Manchester. 3 x St Clairs + 2 x Northys. So Roy Bull wasn't actually burning up the M6 faster than they could tarmac it.

Did Klondyke Jake ever win?

When Max Crabtree started getting involved in the South, he started billing wrestlers such as Klondyke Jake as being from "The North". (He also gave him 5 extra stones) I distinctly remember my final years, with cynical co-fans, as we decided "The North" was anywhere upwards of Tunbridge Wells....because you just couldn't believe a word the promoters were writing at the time. Now I realise that the promoter's grasp of geography didn't extend beyond 'Alifax.

Very odd given that they were operating nationwide. They clearly managed the logistics of travel. But they, Max, decided that fans were all morons and not as wise as himself, and you could feed them any nonsense. Reason Number 119 why wrestling failed.

He underestimated. Maybe there was no www internet at that time, but our own wrestling internet was in place and was priceless. In aiming for non-discerning casual fans (as The Ost's irate 1962 Belle Vue letter today says about the audience being made up of people waiting for a bus) Max Crabtree spurned those of us who had invested in so many ways in our passion. Once we decamped, the writing was on his wall.

10/6.

Ooooh Noooo. Bull Davis beat Rocky Wall!!!

As President Tusk said: "What kind of place waits in hell for those who make these decisions without even planning the future."

I believe any wrestler from south of Crewe was billed from London?

Great resources as ever, Main Mask!

You are quite right. John Lees was always a "credible contender"..........in this thread he's a contender again.

Here's 3!!! Wins for ROY 'BULL' DAVIS for you ANGLO!-You'll know where!.....

KINGS HALL BELLE VUE MANCHESTER

ROY 'BULL' DAVIS vs. ALBERT WALL-SATURDAY 14/4/1962-Win 2-1

ROY 'BULL' DAVIS vs. 'FRICKEY ALBERTIE'-MONDAY-15/4/1963-Win 2-1

ROY 'BULL' DAVIS vs. PEDRO LA CHAPELLI-SATURDAY-27/7/1963-Win 2-1

Notably ANGLO on All the above ROY is Billed from LONDON!!

He came up from the SOUTH to KINGS HALL on other Visits in the Early 1960's

just to be Disqualified!-NORTY NORTHEY!!

MAIN MASK

Mulligan was technically on a winning team on one TV match (February 1st 1986 (Cleckheaton, taped 9/1/86, Mike Bennett/Blackjack Mulligan/Bernie Wright V Greg Valentine/Samson Ubo/Mike Jordan). However, it was an elimination format and Mulligan was defeated during the match so he wasn't around at the end to celebrate!

Larry Coulton was knocked out by Ray Steele metamorphized into Black Jack Mulligan and lost to Kid McCoy in 1988