While several US territories thrived on recruiting NCAA wrestling champions, a surprisingly low number of amateur titleholders went on to have professional careers in the UK. This is partly because the pro style stemmed more from submission-based Lancashire/catch wrestling, though it’s also possible that with amateur wrestling much lower profile on these shores (it’s virtually non-existent as a school or college sport), those involved were more resentful of the professional industry’s success. That said, several amateur champions did go on to play professional roles.
George DeRelwyskow was Britain’s only Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, taking the lightweight title at the 1908 London Games, along with silver in the middleweight division. Whether down to a particularly strong team or the home field advantage (which had added significance in an era of prohibitive travel costs), Britain took 11 of the 15 medals available in wrestling that year. The Olympic performance capped off two consecutive years when DeRelwyskow won both the lightweight and middleweight national titles. He went on to train the Army in grappling as a combat style before dying in Burma during the second world war.
As a promoter in the professional game, DeRelwyskow gave in-ring comedian and real-life hardman Les Kellett his first break. His son, also named George, went on to be a leading figure in Joint Promotions, partnering with Arthur Green in Yorkshire where he successfully lobbied local authorities in Leeds and Sheffield to lift bans on wrestling shows. A grandson wrestled as both Barry Douglas and the masked Battle Star.
Norman Morrell, who lifted the British featherweight title from 1933-1936 consecutively, and competed in the 1938 Berlin Olympics, was best known for his involvement in the Mountevans Committee which established the ‘official’ rules of British wrestling after the second world war, lending the industry some much needed credibility.
Morrell was by then a full-time professional wrestling promoter who generally operated in the North and Midlands, though also ran the Lime Grove baths venue in London – an odd set-up as this was deep in the heart of Dale Martin territory. Based in Yorkshire with partner Ted Beresford, his regular performers included the aforementioned Les Kellett, while he also provided work for a young Shirley Crabtree, the man who would one day become Big Daddy. He also served as a trainer, with his protégés including lightweight legend George Kidd.
The 1956 British lightweight amateur champion Jack Taylor (who also held Commonwealth and European titles) turned professional for Joint Promotions but joined a lengthy list of grapplers who quit in the early 60s to promote independently. His International Promotions, based in Leicester, was part of both the British Wrestling Federation and the Wrestling Federation of Great Britain, each a rival to the Joint Promotions set-up. As well as writing for RingSport (a newsstand magazine which included coverage of the independent promotions), he wrote the Wrestling Whirl Newsletter. Having run shows in the 21st century, he likely rivals Orig Williams as Britain’s longest-running promoter.
Harry Kendall, winner of the 1958 British light-heavyweight title (and capturing Commonwealth Games bronze as a middleweight four years earlier) went on to professional fame as one half of the Silent Ones with Mike Eagers (and later Danny Hagen), billed as a ‘deaf and dumb’ team. He also had a long run in New Zealand. After losing touch with many former colleagues, he made an appearance at last year’s summer reunion in Kent where he met referee Joe D’Orazio for the first time in 20 years.
Keith Hayward, who won the British welterweight amateur title four straight times from 1975-8 turned professional and made several television appearances throughout the 1980s. While his no-frills technical style was arguably a little bland for British promoters during the Big Daddy era, he found a second home in Japan’s ‘shoot-style’ UWF promotion alongside fellow Brit Pete Roberts.
The most recent amateur champion to join the pro ranks is a female, Lucy Clayden. Sister of national team member Buster Clayden, she is a regular trainer at the Dropkixx academy. Despite appearing for a variety of promotions, she continues learning her craft, splitting her training schedule between pro wrestling, freestyle amateur grappling and mixed martial arts.
