Ricky Starr

Ricki Starr

Arguably the most sensational wrestler to impact the British scene in the sixties and a major player in those golden years, pursuing a glittering undefeated run and returning on several occasions, including long-haired and balding in 1974 on independent bills.

Having boxed, and won 17 amateur wrestling titles, Starr turned pro wrestler in 1953 and combined the mat sport with a career as a ballet dancer, touring Europe with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and later appearing on Broadway in Paint Your Wagon and Annie Get Your Gun. But it was when he started to combine his ballet with his wrestling that the spark came and he sold out Madison Square Garden on several occasions.

Even on our 1964 monochrome sets his golden ballet shoes caused a stir, and his prancing and pirouetting had audiences on the edges of their seats. The fifteen-stoner invariably finished off his opponents with an aeroplane spin, and his defeat of Steve Logan - seconded by Mick McManus - on Cup Final Day 1965 is legendary. Later scaled down to as little as 13 stone 2 pounds and, at this weight in his final three televised appearances, span not only light-heavyweights Czeslaw and Haggetty to knock-out defeats but also the 19 stones Mucky Mal Kirk.

In 1968 Ricki Starr was one of a number of wrestlers featured in the movie The Touchables.

The early seventies saw occasional UK glimpses of the new look Starr including Royal Albert Hall bill-topping appearances in which he sensationally knocked out Mr TV Pallo. Dale Martin's precious emergent jewel proved a harder rock to crack and he only drew with Goldbelt Maxine.

His status was undiminished in European actions and in the marathon two-month Hanover tournament of 1974 with almost nightly action, he emerged undefeated - but was still placed only second overall by protectionist Germans.

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