By Nathan P Hunt
Steven Mitchell was a second generation professional wrestler who has now moved on to become an author (under the nom de plume of Mitch Tempest). The son of Dennis Mitchell, who was one of the all-important first generation of British wrestlers to emerge after the end of World War II, Steven is currently working on a biography of his father, which in itself will be extremely welcome news to wrestling fans around the world. Dennis had carved out an extremely successful career, travelling the world and working with some of the most influential and renowned names in worldwide professional wrestling history. Serving as an inspiration to his sons, two out of the three (John & Steven) would follow in his footsteps by becoming pro wrestlers themselves, and became a well known family within the ranks of the sport around the world.
Steven was gracious enough to grant me an interview so that we discuss his and his father's tenures in professional wrestling, as well as the British wrestling scene in general and his upcoming book titled 'March Of The Gladiators'. Having spent his whole life around the wrestling business, and one of its biggest stars of the golden age, his perspective and memories are quite unique.
"We always had the wrestlers around our house. They would all set off from my mum & dad's house because she would cook for them or make them sandwiches up & my dad always had big cars, so they would want to travel with him for speed & comfort. Why become a wrestler myself? Because it's all I ever knew & I wanted to be like my dad."
"He was liked by the other wrestlers because he was able to put them over (either in a good way or a bad way, [depending on] if he liked them or not) because to him, the bout itself was the most important thing to him, and in turn that the crowd got their money's worth. Geoff Portz once said to me (at my dads funeral actually) "give your dad a wooden chair and he could make it look like a world champion in the ring". [There is] no finer compliment that could be given in wrestling's world of egos."
Born in 1929, Dennis had been a teenager during the war years and would utilise his natural toughness and athleticism to earn extra money for himself and his family by competing on the travelling fairground boxing booths. He had worked on Bradford markets as well as in the local mines and even served in the Royal Marines before being spotted by Norman Morrell, a Bradford wrestler who had been part of the committee to write the Lord Mountevans Rules of wrestling. Morrell, along with Admiral-Lord Mountevans, radio broadcaster A.B. Campbell and Member of Parliament Maurice Webb, were trying to reinvigorate professional wrestling in this country after it had halted during the war, and Morrell saw Dennis Mitchell as a highly promising prospect. Dennis would train alongside Les Kellet, George Kidd, Eric Taylor and others before taking the wrestling world by storm.
"He was aged 19 [when he made his debut] and wrestled on and off until he was 46. It was damned hard [back then]! The old timers screwed them into the mat. My dad had two cauilflower ears and a broken nose on 5 occasions in the first few months of training with Mike Delaney, Norman Walsh and such like... Amateur wrestling was the essential grounding for anyone back then to do pro wrestling. It was done in our house on the carpet in front of the TV every night with my brothers. If my dad was around, he'd train us; it certainly was a tough childhood because my dad, away from the gym, was a loving father - a protector - but in the gym he was a different person altogether. He used to say " in the gym you work your arse off, to make it easier out there!" - meaning in the ring, or on the mat and on the streets. He took no prisioners, and if anyone messed around in his training sessions, he would hook them out and show them the door; son or no son included...
He loved the crowds and was able to milk the atmosphere and work the audience - especially the women - as he was known as the "Golden Boy" for his gladiator looks. He felt comfortable in front of the crowd within 6 months, he had said."
"He worked under 3 names - Dennis Mitchell (Golden Boy), OK1 (as a masked competitor in Germany) and Kilmeister (as a masked man in the UK)...Athletic, skillful and a true worker, he was a wrestler's wrestler, if that makes sense. [He] normally worked as a blue eyes, but with a ruthless streak if he was put on by the heel in the match!"
As The Golden Boy's career unfolded, he would work some of the biggest and most historically significant venues around the country and started travelling the globe to ply his craft.
"He worked Royal Albert Hall and won the trophy there on one occasion [February 29th 1956 - he defeated Alex Wenzl, Judo Al Hayes - who would go on to international fame as WWF's Lord Alfred Hayes - and Jim Olivera in a tournament to win the trophy]; he loved it there. He loved the local Yorkshire halls such as Leeds Town Hall and his own town venue - St George's Hall. He also loved Newcastle, the tournaments in Germany and Austria (where it could be 20,000 people in the audience back in the day). He wrestled in Toyko, Beruit, Paris and many other large venues, but he loved the up-close and in-your-face venues where he could interact more with the crowds... He grew to hate the schedule and travelling. Because he was such a popular wrestler, he would be used by promoters up and down the UK. In those pre-motorway days it was hard and the average week was 6 days; he wouldn't tend to work Sundays unless it was Summer when he would have a seaside job where he could take us as a family too. Travelling was 95% of the business, with upwards of an hour or two in the ring or dressing room only being a part of the day in the life of the wrestler."
"Billy Robinson, Josie Kovacs, Gideon Guida, Ian Campbell, Sky Hi Lee, Ricky Starr, Geoff Portz, (any/all of the Bradford wrestlers as a group), Masambula and many overseas wrestlers who we knew as kids on tour [were all memorable & colourful characters].. Obviously my dad was well liked in Europe and the Far East. He, Billy Robinson, Geoff Portz, Eric Taylor ... the list [of those who made a big impact on the sport worldwide] could go on and on. Then there were the guys from the late 60's & early 70's like Colin Joynson, Tony St Clair, Mark Rocco, Pete Roberts etc... {Unfortunately] the World Of Sport days are done. It was killed off by the people of the day who ran wrestling in the 80's. That's all I am prepared to say for legal reasons, really. Would it ever be as strong? Who knows? I dont really know, but hand on heart, no would be my honest answer. There are too many bad promotions nowadays... I don't watch it now. Sadly, [even British wrestling] is too much like the US style; wham-bang type wrestling, which is not my thing. I completely understand that they have to follow suit these days because of the strength of the WWE styles, but its a shame because there really is room for the European style, old time wrestling so much these days... It was known as a no-nonsense style, especially the shooters. It stood up there along side the Japanese shoot style and superceded the US & European styles; the likes of Germany etc."
[You have to] learn your trade first, don't rush into it because if you start as a bad wrestler, it's likley you will always be a bad wrestler in terms of skills, working abilities and being able to work safely with your opponent. Also, train for fitness and care about your appearence in plying your trade."
As a footnote to the interview, Steven would humbly add "I have answered in both my own experience of the business, and moreso of that of my dad's time in the game. I was not good enough to fill halls, or stand alongside the stars in the game of the time, and I found it easier to make a living outside of the ring. So I took that as my reason to leave the wrestling to those who could do it much better than I could, because as my dad said "if you cant do it justice son, go do something else where you can. Don't just try to live off my name, earn your own way in life son. It's the only way to be counted as a man!" He was right of course, and I did just that. I think he would be proud of me, but sadly he didn't see that happen; he left too soon for that."
Steven has successfully moved on from professional wrestling into a career as an author under the name of Mitch Tempest. Most of his novels follow a character called Scott McGhee who becomes a hitman, while his other is a crime novel revolving around a UK police officer who is also secretly a vigilante serial killer. The chronicles following the McGhee character have now reached three volumes.
"Scott McGhee was the wrestling name of my old pal Gary [Garfield] Portz, the son of Geoff Portz, who wrestled for WWE, or WWF as it was back then. He is based in the States, but retired because of ring injuries."
(Garfield Portz is also a former brother-in-law of legendary American wrestler Ric Flair. Having trained with Flair, Ricky Steamboat and Buddy Rogers, he was working as a referee for Jim Crockett Promotions (the company which would later become WCW) in the 1970s and began wrestling for the group as a substitute when scheduled competitors failed to get to shows. He worked the wrestling territories throughout North America throughout the 1980s, starting the decade by winning the Tag Team Championship with partner Barry Windham. He also held the NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Championship, regularly teamed with legendary names such as Dusty Rhodes, Blackjack Mulligan & Curt Hennig as well as having feuds with Harley Race, Ric Flair, Kevin Sullivan & Superstar Billy Graham. His time in the WWF was not quite as successful in terms of accolades and status on the card, but Portz would work against some equally legendary names in his time there. It must be considered a touching tribute to his career that a friend in the business would name a character after him, carrying the name into a completely new arena and in a sense, preserving it even years after Portz's career came to an end.)
"Writing is something I do as a venting tool, when I need to let off steam in my personal or work life. It's been pretty good, writing for the last 2 years, and I enjoy the achievement of doing it - particularly as someone who left school with no qualifications. [I have used] experiences and names from my time involved with the military, oil & gas, debt collecting, door work, wrestling & life expereinces in general etc. As a young man, I was involved in things I am not neccessarily willing to put in to print about myself, but through my characters, it allows me to do so."
Steven is currently working on a book about his father's life and outstanding wrestling career. Titled 'March Of The Gladiators', this will be an essential journey for fans of any generation as it will feature the trials and tribulations, successes and challenges of a highly decorated wrestling career through the 1950s, 60s and 70s, including his relationships and conflicts with some of wrestling's biggest names and most influential figures. In the meantime, Mitch Tempest's books can be easily found on Amazon and more information on his novels can be found on his goodreads.com profile here.
Steven was gracious enough to grant me an interview so that we discuss his and his father's tenures in professional wrestling, as well as the British wrestling scene in general and his upcoming book titled 'March Of The Gladiators'. Having spent his whole life around the wrestling business, and one of its biggest stars of the golden age, his perspective and memories are quite unique.
"We always had the wrestlers around our house. They would all set off from my mum & dad's house because she would cook for them or make them sandwiches up & my dad always had big cars, so they would want to travel with him for speed & comfort. Why become a wrestler myself? Because it's all I ever knew & I wanted to be like my dad."
"He was liked by the other wrestlers because he was able to put them over (either in a good way or a bad way, [depending on] if he liked them or not) because to him, the bout itself was the most important thing to him, and in turn that the crowd got their money's worth. Geoff Portz once said to me (at my dads funeral actually) "give your dad a wooden chair and he could make it look like a world champion in the ring". [There is] no finer compliment that could be given in wrestling's world of egos."
Born in 1929, Dennis had been a teenager during the war years and would utilise his natural toughness and athleticism to earn extra money for himself and his family by competing on the travelling fairground boxing booths. He had worked on Bradford markets as well as in the local mines and even served in the Royal Marines before being spotted by Norman Morrell, a Bradford wrestler who had been part of the committee to write the Lord Mountevans Rules of wrestling. Morrell, along with Admiral-Lord Mountevans, radio broadcaster A.B. Campbell and Member of Parliament Maurice Webb, were trying to reinvigorate professional wrestling in this country after it had halted during the war, and Morrell saw Dennis Mitchell as a highly promising prospect. Dennis would train alongside Les Kellet, George Kidd, Eric Taylor and others before taking the wrestling world by storm.
"He was aged 19 [when he made his debut] and wrestled on and off until he was 46. It was damned hard [back then]! The old timers screwed them into the mat. My dad had two cauilflower ears and a broken nose on 5 occasions in the first few months of training with Mike Delaney, Norman Walsh and such like... Amateur wrestling was the essential grounding for anyone back then to do pro wrestling. It was done in our house on the carpet in front of the TV every night with my brothers. If my dad was around, he'd train us; it certainly was a tough childhood because my dad, away from the gym, was a loving father - a protector - but in the gym he was a different person altogether. He used to say " in the gym you work your arse off, to make it easier out there!" - meaning in the ring, or on the mat and on the streets. He took no prisioners, and if anyone messed around in his training sessions, he would hook them out and show them the door; son or no son included...
He loved the crowds and was able to milk the atmosphere and work the audience - especially the women - as he was known as the "Golden Boy" for his gladiator looks. He felt comfortable in front of the crowd within 6 months, he had said."
On the British Wrestling Heritage website (wrestlingheritage.co.uk), Dennis is described as "one of wrestling's first golden boys." adding that "his trademark white trunks, white boots and boyish smile were a clear sign to even the least knowledgeable of fans that the hero of the night was entering the ring." They also cite that he looked very young when he debuted and did not seem to age much over the years, still appearing much younger than he actually was towards the latter days of his career, adding "Here was an eternal youth who captured the hearts of wrestling fans up and down the country." They summarise his career and ability by stating "Dennis Mitchell was arguably the perfect heavyweight, more rounded in his performance than contemporaries Joyce, Elrington, Campbell, Veidor and the like. Some were individually more skilful, others more aggressive, or stronger, or faster; but few, if any, could combine all the qualities of a professional heavyweight wrestler to the extent of Dennis Mitchell."
Steven would speak of his father's in-ring names and style advising that, like many wrestlers of the time, Dennis tried a few different names/personas throughout his tenure in pro wrestling, but it was under his own name that he found the greatest success:"He worked under 3 names - Dennis Mitchell (Golden Boy), OK1 (as a masked competitor in Germany) and Kilmeister (as a masked man in the UK)...Athletic, skillful and a true worker, he was a wrestler's wrestler, if that makes sense. [He] normally worked as a blue eyes, but with a ruthless streak if he was put on by the heel in the match!"
Dennis chose to leave Joint Promotions in 1960 in favour of working independently (a move which many would make and prefer, due to the freedom and ability to earn more by obtaining a higher number of bookings). He would even turn his hand to promoting shows alongside Eric Taylor before scaling back his in-ring career over time and retiring from the ring. His retirement would not last, and after a 14 year hiatus from the company, Dennis would return to Joint Promotions under a mask:
"In the UK, he had a love-hate relationship with Joint Promotions, especially Norman Morrell. He liked working for Relwyskow & Green Promotions out of Leeds and he worked for Gustl Kaiser in Germany for many seasons. He liked him, but again it was a difficult relatonship at times. My dad was one of the leaders of the wrestlers' strike in the UK and so he was black-balled for a long time until he fell back in to line, like the rest had to do sadly; just due to having mouths to feed etc...He worked as an heel/villan as Kilmeister for a short period in 73/74, before going back to his own name."As The Golden Boy's career unfolded, he would work some of the biggest and most historically significant venues around the country and started travelling the globe to ply his craft.
"He worked Royal Albert Hall and won the trophy there on one occasion [February 29th 1956 - he defeated Alex Wenzl, Judo Al Hayes - who would go on to international fame as WWF's Lord Alfred Hayes - and Jim Olivera in a tournament to win the trophy]; he loved it there. He loved the local Yorkshire halls such as Leeds Town Hall and his own town venue - St George's Hall. He also loved Newcastle, the tournaments in Germany and Austria (where it could be 20,000 people in the audience back in the day). He wrestled in Toyko, Beruit, Paris and many other large venues, but he loved the up-close and in-your-face venues where he could interact more with the crowds... He grew to hate the schedule and travelling. Because he was such a popular wrestler, he would be used by promoters up and down the UK. In those pre-motorway days it was hard and the average week was 6 days; he wouldn't tend to work Sundays unless it was Summer when he would have a seaside job where he could take us as a family too. Travelling was 95% of the business, with upwards of an hour or two in the ring or dressing room only being a part of the day in the life of the wrestler."
Dennis Mitchell met Billy Robinson while touring in Germany and the two became close friends. The two would work as partners and opponents, with Dennis taking the talented Robinson under his wing and helping his early career in pro wrestling to flourish. Billy had been a successful amateur wrestler, having won the British National Wrestling Championship and European Open Light Heavyweight Wrestling Championship before being trained by the legendary Billy Riley at famed training ground The Snakepit in Wigan. Renowned for producing some of the best shooters in the world, the Snakepit also produced some great performers in professional wrestling.
"Billy Robinson was without a doubt the best shoot wrestler of his time, but he needed pro wrestlers to work with him to cover for his lack of storytelling in the ring. He wanted to do the ground game or suplexes and not really give the other guy in the ring anything, which is referred to in the game as "taking it all". But he worked with my dad & others like Geoff Portz etc, and they schooled him in pro wrestling and in turn, he would train them in shoot wrestling. I knew Billy Robinson since I was a boy of 4 and I spoke to him the week before he passed away. We had talked about issues I had with him, about the latter days of his relationship with my dad (details of which will be outlined in my book), but one thing I would say is that he definitely changed as a person over the years."
Billy would continue to teach Catch wrestling for the rest of his life, as well as authoring a book called "Physical Chess: My Life in Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling". He would lead a successful pro wrestling career throughout the world, having worked for Joint Promotions in the UK, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Stampede Wrestling owned by Stu Hart, the AWA (owned by Verne Gagne), Jerry Jarrett's CWA promotion out of Tennessee and Championship wrestling from Florida (promoted by Eddie Graham). "Billy Robinson, Josie Kovacs, Gideon Guida, Ian Campbell, Sky Hi Lee, Ricky Starr, Geoff Portz, (any/all of the Bradford wrestlers as a group), Masambula and many overseas wrestlers who we knew as kids on tour [were all memorable & colourful characters].. Obviously my dad was well liked in Europe and the Far East. He, Billy Robinson, Geoff Portz, Eric Taylor ... the list [of those who made a big impact on the sport worldwide] could go on and on. Then there were the guys from the late 60's & early 70's like Colin Joynson, Tony St Clair, Mark Rocco, Pete Roberts etc... {Unfortunately] the World Of Sport days are done. It was killed off by the people of the day who ran wrestling in the 80's. That's all I am prepared to say for legal reasons, really. Would it ever be as strong? Who knows? I dont really know, but hand on heart, no would be my honest answer. There are too many bad promotions nowadays... I don't watch it now. Sadly, [even British wrestling] is too much like the US style; wham-bang type wrestling, which is not my thing. I completely understand that they have to follow suit these days because of the strength of the WWE styles, but its a shame because there really is room for the European style, old time wrestling so much these days... It was known as a no-nonsense style, especially the shooters. It stood up there along side the Japanese shoot style and superceded the US & European styles; the likes of Germany etc."
The business was still quite strong when Steven decided to follow in his father's footsteps, and become a professional wrestler himself, although it would suffer in later years. A childhood illness had left Steven with one leg shorter than the other, which could have stood in the way for most people or hampered their desire to succeed, but Steven was not to be deterred:
"No, it made me want to achieve things even more. The doctors said 'you can't do sports, ride a bike etc.' But I rode anyway (& still do at 56), and I trained my arse off in judo, wrestling, boxing and American football. I suffer for it now, but I wouldn't change a thing really."[You have to] learn your trade first, don't rush into it because if you start as a bad wrestler, it's likley you will always be a bad wrestler in terms of skills, working abilities and being able to work safely with your opponent. Also, train for fitness and care about your appearence in plying your trade."
As a footnote to the interview, Steven would humbly add "I have answered in both my own experience of the business, and moreso of that of my dad's time in the game. I was not good enough to fill halls, or stand alongside the stars in the game of the time, and I found it easier to make a living outside of the ring. So I took that as my reason to leave the wrestling to those who could do it much better than I could, because as my dad said "if you cant do it justice son, go do something else where you can. Don't just try to live off my name, earn your own way in life son. It's the only way to be counted as a man!" He was right of course, and I did just that. I think he would be proud of me, but sadly he didn't see that happen; he left too soon for that."
Steven has successfully moved on from professional wrestling into a career as an author under the name of Mitch Tempest. Most of his novels follow a character called Scott McGhee who becomes a hitman, while his other is a crime novel revolving around a UK police officer who is also secretly a vigilante serial killer. The chronicles following the McGhee character have now reached three volumes.
"Scott McGhee was the wrestling name of my old pal Gary [Garfield] Portz, the son of Geoff Portz, who wrestled for WWE, or WWF as it was back then. He is based in the States, but retired because of ring injuries."
"Writing is something I do as a venting tool, when I need to let off steam in my personal or work life. It's been pretty good, writing for the last 2 years, and I enjoy the achievement of doing it - particularly as someone who left school with no qualifications. [I have used] experiences and names from my time involved with the military, oil & gas, debt collecting, door work, wrestling & life expereinces in general etc. As a young man, I was involved in things I am not neccessarily willing to put in to print about myself, but through my characters, it allows me to do so."
Steven is currently working on a book about his father's life and outstanding wrestling career. Titled 'March Of The Gladiators', this will be an essential journey for fans of any generation as it will feature the trials and tribulations, successes and challenges of a highly decorated wrestling career through the 1950s, 60s and 70s, including his relationships and conflicts with some of wrestling's biggest names and most influential figures. In the meantime, Mitch Tempest's books can be easily found on Amazon and more information on his novels can be found on his goodreads.com profile here.
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