Wrestlers you never saw smile ☹️

Streiger had the odd outing with Dale Martins. The Manchester bill for Chetham Public Hall may well have been Streigers debut. The People exposure of 1965 stated that 8 years previously the Cheetham Hall was raising money for the Jewish Community and someone came up with the idea of calling Clark Mellor Schrager and shouting some German with Nazi salutes. It was arranged that he would be thrown from the ring and take a heavy loss to give the crowd justice.

From then on they tweaked the name and kept the gimmick. Don't know if Jefferson remained the opponent but the opponent was set up to be Jewish.

All fair game in 1965.

Streiger was still boxing in 1956 but I have a bill with him wrestling in 1957.

It was that Bill Benny , Bomber Bates , Paul Jefferson nightclub scene that he was first into. He went on to complete 25 years in the wrestling ring.

Great story Dave and what detail from Paul.

Ok Paul, you convince us that Hans Streiger wrestled stiff, broke rules, upset referees, opponents, promoters and even picked on you, four stones lighter.

It goes against all we know that all of these colleagues would have put up with him. How on earth did he have ongoing JP work over so many years?

I believe he never worked for Dale Martin or at the Albert Hall. This would reconfirm what you say.

Anglonglo you are right that anyone consistently going native would have found their career curtailed,but and it's s big but,this was Streiger he was an enigma.I got on with him others didn't the nice guy driving kids on his horse drawn cart in hayfield with a foul mouthed mynah bird in the garden is a far cry from the unliked guardian of right of way in railway cottage.Hebconstantly pushed the patience of joints promoter played one of against the other embarked on foreign tour when made bankrupt,did a labour club show in Manchester when working for joint ,roughed up a continental after being warned precisely not to.Alwaysbwrestled stiff loved intimidating newcomers but offer advice.loved intimidating a certain referee and always telling a certain company man knowing this would get back to the promoter .Good old Clarke punched me full on after his bout before mine to get the crowd on my side.Graham said he was wary of him that's what Streiger would have wanted ,I did a Sunday for Cassidy at the Royal pavillion Blackpool and he was tagging with against a couple of faux Scots they started a riot Streiger shouting remember Culloden.

I saw Streiger three times and on the first occasion, against Francis Sullivan, he produced a piece of pumice stone from somewhere and began using it on Sullivan's forehead while on the referee's blind side. He then hurled it towards the balcony where we were seated and having caught it the woman sat behind us took it from us and set off to show the referee. She was intercepted by the officious chief steward who took it from her and no further action was taken, much to our annoyance! The bout ended in a double knock out.

It was some years later, when I was working in St Helens, that I last saw him when he was billed to fight Albert Wall but a bill change saw him against Honey Boy Zimba. This would have been quite acceptable but the match degenerated into a complete farce with Zimba battling against both Streiger and the referee.

Streiger, as Clarke Mellor, as stated above was no stranger to controversy outside the ring as well.

Thanks for so much elaboration, Ron. You have built up a really clear picture.

We can't allow that Streiger was wrestling seriously and initimidatingly over a 15-year career. He would have been out. But from what you say he may have wrestled stiff and been a really good actor.

Sorry all that should have said DEMPSEY.

You got few smiles out of JACK DEPSEY .

Re Streiger , it's amazing what you can now dig out. I can even give myself my own virtual match to shoot down all that I saw with my own eyes.

This bout was reported in the local paper and you don't beat Ian Campbell in 1962 up in Scotland. It was one each and had been really rough stuff. Streiger Punched , eye gouged and raked and pulled Campbell's Beard until he finally flipped. The winning submission was mercilessly rung out of Streiger when Campbell got to boiling point.

Of course this would not have reached us in England. Lo and behold Danny Lynch is on this bill to boot.

So without a doubt Streiger must have lost many a match just following the script for an evenings pay. With Him it was so real.

Ron, the bout you show for 21st November 1969, with Danny Lynch on the bill, wonder if it was Lynch who made the arrangements for him to come over? Danny Lynch was heading towards winning the Stampeded Wrestling title at the the end of 1969.

Didn't Danny Lynch also take Streiger over to Lebanon as his tag team partner as well?

Oh, and the Canada matches in 1969 appear to have Streiger taking on Gordienko, in tag matches, now that would have been fireworks!

I deeply regret, several decades on, that I never promoted Streiger and it was because I was genuinely quite frightened of him. Funnily enough, he attended my first ever promotion in January 1976 at The Public Hall, Wilmslow. He wasn't on the bill and I recall being a little taken aback when I entered the dressing room and there he was large as life chatting with Lee Sharron who tried to make mischief by saying, "You've got to do something about this. He hasn't paid to come in."

I won't repeat anecdotes about Streiger which I've shared previously on the site but, like Alan Garfield, Bertie Topham and Joe Critchley, he was totally unique. The only thing I will repeat which sums things up quite nicely is that Streiger's last TV appearance was an unwelcome one for him as he was filmed unknowingly by a documentary team for Roger Cook's "The Cook Report" which ran an expose on the dodgy selling of stolen caterpillars.

It's a strange thing that in my whole time in the halls , I saw some people fight multiple times and yet could I catch some of the matchups that I craved.

Here years later I now have the proof how I missed these matches.

I never saw Streiger with the top heavies. I saw him paste a certain Guardsman at Buxton.

I can only guess that Streiger was a step up from Steve Logan. When required Logan would be beaten and it could look easy and he faked shock at a quick roll up or the like.

I never saw this with Streiger , if it was not going his way it was a punch.

I looked at his boxing career. He got some knockouts but his losses were low punches or DQ for Holding.

He seemed just the same wrestling. I have missed something though. He was a perfect foil for Billy two Rivers and must simply have sold to that chop.

Maybe he did not care what happened as long as his money was good.

I also note how popular he was when it came to his funeral. HIs bio would be a great book , we forget all that he did. Billy Robinson said his forearm smash was the hardest he ever received. I heard Young kendo was wary of Streiger working off script , he would not have been as easy to get on top of as Les kellet had been for Kendo. But this is talk behind the halls.

You make a fair point that he could not have been as Maverick as the picture I paint , and my defence is that they said he was the next Jack Pye , he did it that well.

Went to America before most of our guys too. Yes I was a fan. Would love some footage.

I don‘t recall ever seeing Streiger, so thanks Ron.

However, even within the context of it all being a work, so often we end up with the wrestler under discussion being described as one not to mess with. The list of such wrestlers seems to be heading for half of all those we discuss.

When I leaf through all those northern posters, I see Streiger regularly facing the likes of Robinson, Joyce, Nagasaki, Mitchell, Wall. Are you saying that Streiger would paste all these guys, no-sell their offensives, and then allow himself to lose but only by disqualification?

Tell us straight Ron. Were you a fan?😀

Saw a lot of Streiger. Ex boxer who many wrestlers have stated not to upset.

The people in his village were very wary of him as well.

I am not even sure if so many of the wrestlers called him "Clark" , I have often heard him mentioned as Streiger. I never actually saw him "Sell"

He seemed to come into the fold very late and do well in his veteran years.

Early years he was in and out of the Independents and the night club scene.

Almost like he could not hold down regular work with Joint , although in his defence , he may not have been prepared to suffer any nonsense from Promoter double crosses.

We may never have been given a full picture from the wrestlers on this one.

And despite all , he was one of my favorites , only spoilt by getting disqualified too soon in many bouts.

Some of these just looked like he was only there to give somebody a quick pasting and take the purse quickly for the trouble.

Streiger was Old School.

What convinces you so much, Ron?

For sure STREIGER.

He was not like McManus , Streiger really did project the personality that he had.

There was very little showman in this guy.

Alan Colbeck and Alf Rawlings were always pretty grim faced.

But Alf was a nice chap out of the ring.

Tibor Szacs, Al Nicol, Joe Zaranoff .....

Ray Steele, never recall seeing him smile.