There's a fascinating history of wrestling in Hanley developing in the Galleries. Ron Historyo has uncovered the wrestling bills of the hall from the 1930s and 1940s. Incredible stuff going back to the earliest outings of Count Bartelli, and even earlier.
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Great to unearth the emergence of the world-famous Ct Bartelli, thanks Ron!
Just reinforces what nerve the promoters had to serve up a known wrestler like this, almost deliberately and cheekily to see what they could get away with.
2019 looks as if it will be the first year for many years with no Professional Wrestling at Victoria Hall
Another fantastic piece of Ron research.
https://www.wrestlingheritage.com/hanleygrappling
Proud to have found the first wrestling in Hanley in 1931 and most of all the start of the Victoria Hall on 3rd August 1942 by Wryton.
Kendo Nagasaki was in his first year when it all started at The Victoria Hall ,A nice 80 year milestone coming up in 2022
Also Wryton's early masked wrestlers.
https://www.wrestlingheritage.com/hanleygrappling
I lived in Salford for 4 years. I was the only one who pronounced it Sawlford, everyone else was saying Sollford. It's a city with a lovely Catholic cathedral.
Now the BBC is based in Sawlford, my pronunciation is finally catching on ☺
As for SOCCER, in Australia there are 4 codes of football: AFL, Rugby League, Rugby Union and Soccer. Soccer stuck with me but it didn't have to try very hard because when I was young and still interested in that game (abandoned all interest in 1970) Jimmy Hill's weekly tv show in the UK was called Star Soccer.
All the ones I mentioned have councils and are in Greater Manchester.
Even the City of Salford is in Greater Manchester.
I also find that strange although some Boroughs are very odd in Manchester,
Bolton , Wigan , Rochdale , Bury , Salford , Oldham , Stockport , Manchester are all council Boroughs with those names as the main town.
But we also have Trafford and Tameside Boroughs , but they are not names of towns and it would be hard to pick the main town of those Boroughs.
For some reason Hanley got a lot of investment and the main shopping centre.
So why do we say Hanley and not Stoke?
Or why is the soccer team called Stoke City and not Hanley?
Stoke on Trent Borough consists of the amalgamation of six towns in the Potteries one of which was Stoke. I believe the town of Hanley is now regarded as the Town centre of the entire Borough.
I think the Victoria Hall happens to be the Town Hall.
We could do with a local to maybe clear this up.
Can someone please define for me what Hanley is?
Coming soon , the story of how and where wrestling got going in Hanley.
The first match at the Victoria Hall.
Early promoters.
June 23, 1945 Team Match. Same teams as those which wrestled for the very first Wryton Belt in Jan-Feb, 1946.
May 23, 1947 - The World's Heavyweight Champion - Bert Assirati.
1947 - Jack Beaumont Light Heavyweight Champion of Europe.
July 25, 1947, Legs Beckley=Ted Betley.
April 25, 1947, fight to a finish, no rounds, time limit, cannot be a draw, first fall wins...wow...unorthodox, huh.