By Nathan P Hunt
What are your earliest memories of being a fan of pro wrestling, and what made you want to be part of the business?
In the early seventies I started going to shows with my late father. We went to Assembly Hall at Tunbridge Wells on a Monday and Maidstone Market on a Saturday. My dad got to know Mick McManus and a few others and I started to enjoy the shows even more, because I started to chatting to the lads who were having a drink after the show.
How did you start training and what are your main memories of training to become a wrestler?
I got chatting to Frank Bond one night and he said 'would you like to do this job?' I said 'I'm not fit etc.' so he said to go running with him the next day at Ladywell Park in London. So I did and after a few weeks he invited me to Dale's gym. I couldn't believe I was training with Mike Marino, John Hall and a few others.
When did you debut and what are your memories of your earliest days in the business?
I went to Dale's Gym for training for about 6 months, then I was told Mal Stuart had a gym in Snodland in Kent so I went along to that as well. That was a hard gym to go to, but I got my break for the holiday camps there after a phone call from Jimmy Hagan to ask Mal if he had anyone ready for a week's work on camps. I went to Camber Sands and I was scared because this was my first job. I got there and the ring was already up and the first 2 were on. I was on next, but I didn't know who I was working with. Then Butch Mason [also known as Crusher Mason, or occasionally The Mighty Chang] walked in. He asked if I was working with him and I thought 'shall I leave now?' Haha. We actually worked together for a long time, he was a lovely fella' with a big heart.
How hard was it to start building a name for yourself and get bookings early on?
It was hard to get bookings for a while. When I first started, I was doing one a week, then 2 and so on. When I was on camps it was 13 or 14 a week, which at the beginning was hard, but it got easier and easier until it became a walk in the park, as they say. All I got were 'sub jobs' for the first 2 months, then when I got my first job sheet I couldn't believe it! 14 jobs in a month, as well as a full time job. I was getting home sometimes at 4 or 5am, then had to be up for 7am for my day job. I then thought to myself that wrestling is what I want. I rang the Dale Martin office and asked for more bookings as I wanted to go full time. Mick was in the office and said that to be honest, I would be better off on camps if I wanted regular, full-time work. So I worked on the holiday camps for 20-plus years, with working for Max and Brian Crabtree and others in the winter.
It was really hard to get into the job then, as so many lads were doing it. Today it seems a lot easier to get into the job, but I loved it. I had 20-plus years in the business and they were the best times of my life.
How did it feel to walk out in front of a crowd for the first time, and how long before your confidence grew to a point of feeling comfortable in front of an audience?
When I got my first job for Dale Martin, which to me meant that I had made it, I was booked at Croydon Fairfield Halls. I was scared when I looked out into the hall - it was packed. I thought 'Bloody hell, who am I on with? etc. etc.' I found Max Ward and asked him and he said I was on first with Mike Bennett. I went and got changed, found Mike and had a quick chat, then went on. I didn't look at anyone in the hall, just shut off and worked. After the match I felt that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, so after that the bigger crowds didn't bother me at all.
I worked on camps for 9 months of the year, then after the summer I had to get work for the other 3 months. That's when it hit me hard. I was working with the likes of Mike Bennett, Flash Jordan, Tony Scarlo and John Hurley, which was good training but I didn't find it easy at all. Gladly the lads took to me and I felt more relaxed in the matches I was having.
Promoters seemed to treat names, roles and characters as more interchangeable back then. Were you ever given any names or roles which you particularly liked or hated?
Max Crabtree started billing me as Tommy The Demon [a name first used by Tommy Hooton in the 1950s] or the 'West Country Whirlwind'. I didn't care what names the promoters gave me because work was work as far as I was concerned. Max asked me if I fancied the regular job of working the Big Daddy tag matches; 'You would be good for the tag little fella, with our Shirley'. At the beginning it was hard to get to grips with, because then I really thought I had made it big time, being in the tag match as the main events, but after about 20 or so of those matches I asked if I could work again in singles, which I did.
Which were your favourite places to work (venues, locations or promotions) and who were some of your favouite opponents throughout the years?
I have worked with some of the best: John Hurley, Tony Scarlo, Flash Jordan, Pete Kelly, Butch/Crusher Mason, Mal Sanders, Billy Stock, Mel Stuart, John Riley... There are too many to name them all.
Did you ever wrestle in any strange or unusual venues?
I've worked in a few funny places. Outside, next to a swimming pool at Barton Hall in Devon - I finished wrestling then dived straight into the pool to cool down! I worked in front of 2000 and in front of 2 kids (that was me and Mal Stuart) but we treated it like the Albert Hall.
Did you prefer working as a villain or a blue-eyes (babyface)? Did you ever have any trouble with over-excited fans trying to get into the ring or attack you?
I loved working blue eye, but also loved working as a villian because I found it easier. I had a few people that used to come up and have a go, but I didn't worry about it.
Were you usually paid fairly by promoters or were there times when you felt underpaid? Who were the best and worst promoters to work for?
For me, the best payer was Jimmy Hagan. The wages were always there, along with expenses. Max Crabtree was good as well, and so was Brian, but by far the worst was Jackie Pallo; giving us cheques sometimes that bounced like rubber balls! He still owes a few lads!
Who were some of the most outrageous characters (inside or outside the ring) that you have met in the business?
I've met some good and interesting people through the job: Chris Colt, John Quinn, The Wild Man Of Borneo... so many. Outside the ring there has been Shane Richie, who used to referee for us, plus I've met Joe Pasquale, John Lowe, Eric Bristow, Ray Readon, Jimmy Tarbuck, Charlie Williams etc through my time working on the camps. They were great times.
Do you think British wrestling has lost its identity and become too Americanised? What are the biggest differences between the business now, as opposed to the World Of Sport era?
To be honest, to me there is only one guy running his own shows and training his lads to be the best, which is Ricky Knight. I have been to a few shows run by Kris Kay, Jonny Rose and Sanjay Bagga, who all run good shows as well.
I wouldn't want to be in the job I loved now, with no story-telling at all. You watch the first match and the last match and they're the same. When I was doing the job, the first match was pure wrestling, the second was more of a cowboys and Indians type of match, the third match would be the real top of the bill, then the last match had a bit of everything with comedy added in. That is why the halls were packed every night. The job is dead now because of the American scene. You can say to the lads of today 'what's a double leg and a monkey climb?' and they don't know what you're talking about. Most young lads of today couldn't or wouldn't put the ring up 14 times a week and take it down as well, I'm sure.
Which British wrestlers do you feel have made the biggest impact on the sport worldwide?
For me today, I think Marty and Johnny Saint doing their training seminars is fantastic. I have been to a few with them and it's like old times. You can really see the pain that they are going through. When I was working, I would say Dave Finlay, Mark 'Rollerball' Rocco, and of course Marty. To this day Marty and me get on so so well, we chat at least 4 or 5 times a week. I go to Oldham and stay for 3 days every couple of months, he's a great mate to have.
Nigel Hanmore is a regular at the British wrestlers reunions and still has many friends from his time in the business. I mentioned to Tarzan Boy Darren Ward, who organises the Northern Reunions, that I had done this interview and he had nothing but good to say about him:
I've become really good friends with Nigel over the last few years, a very nice and honest guy. He has Crohn's disease, the same as my dad, and we've had a few conversations about that over the last year. He must be in some real pain, I know that. It's quite a common illness that is not really widely known about.
In the early seventies I started going to shows with my late father. We went to Assembly Hall at Tunbridge Wells on a Monday and Maidstone Market on a Saturday. My dad got to know Mick McManus and a few others and I started to enjoy the shows even more, because I started to chatting to the lads who were having a drink after the show.
How did you start training and what are your main memories of training to become a wrestler?
I got chatting to Frank Bond one night and he said 'would you like to do this job?' I said 'I'm not fit etc.' so he said to go running with him the next day at Ladywell Park in London. So I did and after a few weeks he invited me to Dale's gym. I couldn't believe I was training with Mike Marino, John Hall and a few others.
When did you debut and what are your memories of your earliest days in the business?
I went to Dale's Gym for training for about 6 months, then I was told Mal Stuart had a gym in Snodland in Kent so I went along to that as well. That was a hard gym to go to, but I got my break for the holiday camps there after a phone call from Jimmy Hagan to ask Mal if he had anyone ready for a week's work on camps. I went to Camber Sands and I was scared because this was my first job. I got there and the ring was already up and the first 2 were on. I was on next, but I didn't know who I was working with. Then Butch Mason [also known as Crusher Mason, or occasionally The Mighty Chang] walked in. He asked if I was working with him and I thought 'shall I leave now?' Haha. We actually worked together for a long time, he was a lovely fella' with a big heart.
How hard was it to start building a name for yourself and get bookings early on?
It was hard to get bookings for a while. When I first started, I was doing one a week, then 2 and so on. When I was on camps it was 13 or 14 a week, which at the beginning was hard, but it got easier and easier until it became a walk in the park, as they say. All I got were 'sub jobs' for the first 2 months, then when I got my first job sheet I couldn't believe it! 14 jobs in a month, as well as a full time job. I was getting home sometimes at 4 or 5am, then had to be up for 7am for my day job. I then thought to myself that wrestling is what I want. I rang the Dale Martin office and asked for more bookings as I wanted to go full time. Mick was in the office and said that to be honest, I would be better off on camps if I wanted regular, full-time work. So I worked on the holiday camps for 20-plus years, with working for Max and Brian Crabtree and others in the winter.
It was really hard to get into the job then, as so many lads were doing it. Today it seems a lot easier to get into the job, but I loved it. I had 20-plus years in the business and they were the best times of my life.
When I got my first job for Dale Martin, which to me meant that I had made it, I was booked at Croydon Fairfield Halls. I was scared when I looked out into the hall - it was packed. I thought 'Bloody hell, who am I on with? etc. etc.' I found Max Ward and asked him and he said I was on first with Mike Bennett. I went and got changed, found Mike and had a quick chat, then went on. I didn't look at anyone in the hall, just shut off and worked. After the match I felt that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, so after that the bigger crowds didn't bother me at all.
I worked on camps for 9 months of the year, then after the summer I had to get work for the other 3 months. That's when it hit me hard. I was working with the likes of Mike Bennett, Flash Jordan, Tony Scarlo and John Hurley, which was good training but I didn't find it easy at all. Gladly the lads took to me and I felt more relaxed in the matches I was having.
Promoters seemed to treat names, roles and characters as more interchangeable back then. Were you ever given any names or roles which you particularly liked or hated?
Max Crabtree started billing me as Tommy The Demon [a name first used by Tommy Hooton in the 1950s] or the 'West Country Whirlwind'. I didn't care what names the promoters gave me because work was work as far as I was concerned. Max asked me if I fancied the regular job of working the Big Daddy tag matches; 'You would be good for the tag little fella, with our Shirley'. At the beginning it was hard to get to grips with, because then I really thought I had made it big time, being in the tag match as the main events, but after about 20 or so of those matches I asked if I could work again in singles, which I did.
Which were your favourite places to work (venues, locations or promotions) and who were some of your favouite opponents throughout the years?
I have worked with some of the best: John Hurley, Tony Scarlo, Flash Jordan, Pete Kelly, Butch/Crusher Mason, Mal Sanders, Billy Stock, Mel Stuart, John Riley... There are too many to name them all.
Did you ever wrestle in any strange or unusual venues?
I've worked in a few funny places. Outside, next to a swimming pool at Barton Hall in Devon - I finished wrestling then dived straight into the pool to cool down! I worked in front of 2000 and in front of 2 kids (that was me and Mal Stuart) but we treated it like the Albert Hall.
I loved working blue eye, but also loved working as a villian because I found it easier. I had a few people that used to come up and have a go, but I didn't worry about it.
Were you usually paid fairly by promoters or were there times when you felt underpaid? Who were the best and worst promoters to work for?
For me, the best payer was Jimmy Hagan. The wages were always there, along with expenses. Max Crabtree was good as well, and so was Brian, but by far the worst was Jackie Pallo; giving us cheques sometimes that bounced like rubber balls! He still owes a few lads!
Who were some of the most outrageous characters (inside or outside the ring) that you have met in the business?
I've met some good and interesting people through the job: Chris Colt, John Quinn, The Wild Man Of Borneo... so many. Outside the ring there has been Shane Richie, who used to referee for us, plus I've met Joe Pasquale, John Lowe, Eric Bristow, Ray Readon, Jimmy Tarbuck, Charlie Williams etc through my time working on the camps. They were great times.
Shane Richie & Nigel Hanmore
To be honest, to me there is only one guy running his own shows and training his lads to be the best, which is Ricky Knight. I have been to a few shows run by Kris Kay, Jonny Rose and Sanjay Bagga, who all run good shows as well.
I wouldn't want to be in the job I loved now, with no story-telling at all. You watch the first match and the last match and they're the same. When I was doing the job, the first match was pure wrestling, the second was more of a cowboys and Indians type of match, the third match would be the real top of the bill, then the last match had a bit of everything with comedy added in. That is why the halls were packed every night. The job is dead now because of the American scene. You can say to the lads of today 'what's a double leg and a monkey climb?' and they don't know what you're talking about. Most young lads of today couldn't or wouldn't put the ring up 14 times a week and take it down as well, I'm sure.
Which British wrestlers do you feel have made the biggest impact on the sport worldwide?
For me today, I think Marty and Johnny Saint doing their training seminars is fantastic. I have been to a few with them and it's like old times. You can really see the pain that they are going through. When I was working, I would say Dave Finlay, Mark 'Rollerball' Rocco, and of course Marty. To this day Marty and me get on so so well, we chat at least 4 or 5 times a week. I go to Oldham and stay for 3 days every couple of months, he's a great mate to have.
Nigel Hanmore is a regular at the British wrestlers reunions and still has many friends from his time in the business. I mentioned to Tarzan Boy Darren Ward, who organises the Northern Reunions, that I had done this interview and he had nothing but good to say about him:
I've become really good friends with Nigel over the last few years, a very nice and honest guy. He has Crohn's disease, the same as my dad, and we've had a few conversations about that over the last year. He must be in some real pain, I know that. It's quite a common illness that is not really widely known about.
Darren Ward & Nigel Hanmore
To learn about Crohn's disease or to make a donation to a UK charity in support of the condition, please visit http://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/
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To keep up to date with details of other interviews, reviews & articles from Eye On Wrestling, as well as news and trivia, please follow on Twitter and like the Facebook page.