By Nathan P Hunt
Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world. Referenced in the Bible, cave drawings, Egyptian hieroglyphics and a plethora of ancient historical texts, it is now more famously a word to describe a form of entertainment rather than what is considered by the majority of the population as a legitimate sport or fighting style. While the art of grappling is exercised in many forms around the world and is considered by its participants, patrons and supporters as the ultimate form of combat, most people now associate the word with the fireworks and soap opera of WWE rather than with the Olympics or professional fighting. This is starting to change as the world is being reintroduced to perhaps one of the most effective and deadly fighting styles ever devised (and one of the main precursors to what professional wrestling would become), Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Generally referred to simply as ‘Catch wrestling’, this art of submission grappling is comparable to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in terms of its skills set and effectiveness, getting its name from the practice of ‘catching’ your opponent in holds and locks in any way possible, on any available limb. While not as widely practiced and publicised, the sport has seen a significant resurgence in the last decade and the exponential growth seen recently could start to rival BJJ in years to come if the trend continues. This has naturally also led to a reinvigorated interest in the sport from the professional wrestling scene, with performers again seeking the credibility and skills that come with being versed in this unique form of combat.
At one time, the UK was renowned throughout the world for being pioneers in wrestling, producing some of the premier grapplers who ever locked limbs, but the exposure of the entertainment form by the same name contributed to making wrestling almost a dirty word amongst the fighting arts. Regarded less and less of a serious threat over the years, partly due to miscomprehension about what the sport actually offered, plus being overtaken by the popularity and availability of striking sports and Eastern martial arts, it eventually reached a point where the general consensus in the fighting world was that British fighters generally had no ‘ground game’. Even after the success of the Gracie family in the inaugural UFC events causing the global explosion of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, British fighters tended to lag behind on the trend, lacking skill and experience when fights went to the floor and falling short against the likes of American Freestyle wrestlers or proponents of BJJ. This was a far cry from decades earlier, when our wrestling was so respected that athletes from all over the world would travel to Britain to learn their craft from the most successful and respected masters of the mat. Perhaps the most famous and influential of these was Billy Riley, whose teachings were so effective that his influence is still evident throughout the world to this day and continues to grow and evolve in a variety of ways.
Riley was an industrial worker (a moulder) in Wigan, which was largely a mining community. He would train and spar with the local miners, who famously challenged each other to grappling contests between shifts to keep in shape, settle arguments and as a means of entertainment for themselves and each other. The Catch-As-Catch-Can style, which evolved in the 1800s and was the chosen mode of combat for the local region, was more violent and vicious than its contemporary counterparts such as ‘Scottish Backhold’ or ‘Cumberland and Westmorland’ wrestling (where participants begin in a bear-hug type position and win by forcing their opponent to the ground), focusing on the art of submission rather than just overpowering an opponent. Riley was considered a natural at the sport and gained notoriety as a submission expert who could break the arms of his opponents at will. Wanting to utilise his talents to make some money, Riley shifted into the world of professional wrestling, but always remained true to his roots by continuing his Catch training and incorporating those techniques into his professional bouts. He became one of the first international ambassadors for Catch wrestling and went on to hold the British Middleweight Championship in the 1920s, plus the World Middleweight title from 1919-1923 (losing the crown to Waino Ketonen of Finland). His aptitude for wrestling gave him the opportunity to travel and compete abroad, including a trip to Africa in the 1930s where he won the British Empire championship from Jack Robinson. After retiring in 1946, Riley continued to be involved in professional wrestling alongside legendary promoter Jack Atherton, co-promoting and refereeing on shows for several years.
Transitioning into training others, Riley purchased some land in the 1950s and built a gym in his hometown of Wigan. It would be in this role as a teacher and mentor that he would have his most profound impact, not only producing some of the greatest wrestlers in the world, but eventually influencing the genesis of MMA. Amongst his trainees were the likes of Karl Gotch, Bert Assirati, Billy Joyce and Billy Robinson, each of whom became huge names in the wrestling world and, in some cases, beyond.
The gym itself was famously spartan; little more than a shed built on an allotment, with reports that there were no toilets, no heating or anything else which could be considered a luxury or convenience. The floor was apparently just concrete with a canvas sheet laid out over the ground, although they would later invest in some thin gym mats. According to Andrea Wood (whose father, Roy, trained directly under Riley at the original gym) some of these stories are exaggerated, perhaps giving a false impression of the gym, which she explained further in a 2011 interview for an MMA website:
“The building was very basic and rough. There have been suggestions from others that there was no shower or such basic facilities but this is untrue. In fact Billy was always adamant that everyone must shower after training. This was a compulsory rule of the club.”
It was not only the training environment that was tough and unforgiving, but the training itself offered by Riley would often be too much for potential students, with many failing to return for a second lesson. He taught his students that no opponent should ever be underestimated and that anyone who walked through the doors should be treated with the respect and competitiveness of a world class champion. This meant that a novice would be grappled with the same ferocity and killer instinct as a veteran, forcing many who lacked the necessary aptitude for the sport to quit before they had even really begun to learn. It would only be the most tenacious students who would last at the gym, but those who stuck it out for long enough to improve would become among the best and most respected grapplers in the world, surrounded by equally impressive and skilful training partners, meaning that their abilities and expertise would continue to mature and develop. Despite the rough and brutal nature of the style, Riley encouraged his students to be respectful, gentlemanly and sportsmanlike in their approach to training.
Riley’s legacy would also live on through the generations of pro wrestling in the western world, with Robinson training the likes of Johnny Saint and Marty Jones, who then trained William Regal – the current head trainer for WWE’s development system in Florida. Both Johnny Saint and Marty Jones are still respected trainers in pro wrestling to this day, imparting the knowledge and skills they had learned from one of Riley’s star pupils onto the wrestlers of today and tomorrow.
A rejuvenated interest amongst the public has allowed Catch wrestling to start regaining its former glory over the last decade or so. It has been proven to be successful in Mixed Martial Arts competition, where the likes of Ken & Frank Shamrock, Dan Severn, Kazushi Sakuraba and Josh Barnett have all credited Catch training for their success (the latter two being direct students of Billy Robinson). Sakuraba was an especially important figure in the resurgence of the sport after four high profile wins over members of the world-famous Gracie family, proving the style to be comparable (or arguably even superior) to the effectiveness of BJJ. The two disciplines are often compared due to their submission-based nature, but while Jiu Jitsu is nicknamed ‘the gentle art’ due to its patient and somewhat calculated approach, Catch has begun earning the counterpart nickname of ‘the brutal art’ due to its more aggressive and attacking nature.
The skills are also still transferrable to professional wrestling, where progressively more performers are coming back around to a more legitimate and technical style such as was seen in the World Of Sport era, when pro wrestling was still much more of a sport than the entertainment product it later became (most notably due to the near-monopolisation of the industry by Vince McMahon’s WWF/E in the 1980s). The likes of America’s Timothy Thatcher, Biff Busick (aka Oney Lorcan) and Drew Gulak, as well as UK Snake Pit graduate Jack Gallagher, are enjoying success in the pro wrestling world by incorporating and showcasing their Catch training into their pro bouts, concentrating more on the execution of technique and exchanges of holds than the grandstanding and showboating. Gallagher and Gulak were recently participants in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament, while Thatcher is enjoying success on the independent scene as a multiple time champion for companies such as EVOLVE. The EVOLVE promotion even has a faction/stable called ‘Catch Point’, which incorporates the Catch wrestling philosophy into their on-screen product:
Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world. Referenced in the Bible, cave drawings, Egyptian hieroglyphics and a plethora of ancient historical texts, it is now more famously a word to describe a form of entertainment rather than what is considered by the majority of the population as a legitimate sport or fighting style. While the art of grappling is exercised in many forms around the world and is considered by its participants, patrons and supporters as the ultimate form of combat, most people now associate the word with the fireworks and soap opera of WWE rather than with the Olympics or professional fighting. This is starting to change as the world is being reintroduced to perhaps one of the most effective and deadly fighting styles ever devised (and one of the main precursors to what professional wrestling would become), Catch-As-Catch-Can wrestling. Generally referred to simply as ‘Catch wrestling’, this art of submission grappling is comparable to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in terms of its skills set and effectiveness, getting its name from the practice of ‘catching’ your opponent in holds and locks in any way possible, on any available limb. While not as widely practiced and publicised, the sport has seen a significant resurgence in the last decade and the exponential growth seen recently could start to rival BJJ in years to come if the trend continues. This has naturally also led to a reinvigorated interest in the sport from the professional wrestling scene, with performers again seeking the credibility and skills that come with being versed in this unique form of combat.
At one time, the UK was renowned throughout the world for being pioneers in wrestling, producing some of the premier grapplers who ever locked limbs, but the exposure of the entertainment form by the same name contributed to making wrestling almost a dirty word amongst the fighting arts. Regarded less and less of a serious threat over the years, partly due to miscomprehension about what the sport actually offered, plus being overtaken by the popularity and availability of striking sports and Eastern martial arts, it eventually reached a point where the general consensus in the fighting world was that British fighters generally had no ‘ground game’. Even after the success of the Gracie family in the inaugural UFC events causing the global explosion of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, British fighters tended to lag behind on the trend, lacking skill and experience when fights went to the floor and falling short against the likes of American Freestyle wrestlers or proponents of BJJ. This was a far cry from decades earlier, when our wrestling was so respected that athletes from all over the world would travel to Britain to learn their craft from the most successful and respected masters of the mat. Perhaps the most famous and influential of these was Billy Riley, whose teachings were so effective that his influence is still evident throughout the world to this day and continues to grow and evolve in a variety of ways.
Transitioning into training others, Riley purchased some land in the 1950s and built a gym in his hometown of Wigan. It would be in this role as a teacher and mentor that he would have his most profound impact, not only producing some of the greatest wrestlers in the world, but eventually influencing the genesis of MMA. Amongst his trainees were the likes of Karl Gotch, Bert Assirati, Billy Joyce and Billy Robinson, each of whom became huge names in the wrestling world and, in some cases, beyond.
“Billy Riley is the best coach I’ve ever been around. He didn’t teach me just wrestling. He didn’t teach me only catch-as-catch-can. He taught me how to learn. He taught me to open my mind to the angles, to the metrics, to the alignments of the ankle, the hip, the elbows, the shoulders. He explained how my body worked, how I could get the most power out of my body, how I could save energy and still make my opponent think I was the strongest man he’d ever been on the mat with: he taught me how to break their heart.” – Billy Robinson
Billy Robinson
The gym itself was famously spartan; little more than a shed built on an allotment, with reports that there were no toilets, no heating or anything else which could be considered a luxury or convenience. The floor was apparently just concrete with a canvas sheet laid out over the ground, although they would later invest in some thin gym mats. According to Andrea Wood (whose father, Roy, trained directly under Riley at the original gym) some of these stories are exaggerated, perhaps giving a false impression of the gym, which she explained further in a 2011 interview for an MMA website:
“The building was very basic and rough. There have been suggestions from others that there was no shower or such basic facilities but this is untrue. In fact Billy was always adamant that everyone must shower after training. This was a compulsory rule of the club.”
It was not only the training environment that was tough and unforgiving, but the training itself offered by Riley would often be too much for potential students, with many failing to return for a second lesson. He taught his students that no opponent should ever be underestimated and that anyone who walked through the doors should be treated with the respect and competitiveness of a world class champion. This meant that a novice would be grappled with the same ferocity and killer instinct as a veteran, forcing many who lacked the necessary aptitude for the sport to quit before they had even really begun to learn. It would only be the most tenacious students who would last at the gym, but those who stuck it out for long enough to improve would become among the best and most respected grapplers in the world, surrounded by equally impressive and skilful training partners, meaning that their abilities and expertise would continue to mature and develop. Despite the rough and brutal nature of the style, Riley encouraged his students to be respectful, gentlemanly and sportsmanlike in their approach to training.
“Riley's was a very tough gym but there was almost an unspoken gentleman's code where in the club training sessions, limbs were not broken as many of the men had to go down the pit or into their own hard working environment the next day. The wrestlers would put on submissions and it couldn't be denied that a great level of pain was often endured, but as soon as someone submitted it was stopped.” - Andrea Wood
Riley would also train his students in the art of professional wrestling, incorporating the skills of Catch into exhibition contests (more akin to sparring than a choreographed routine, as was the case with almost all pro wrestling at the time). He knew that it was the only way to make any money with the skills he taught, advising trainees that amateur competition is important, but that “you can’t live off cups and medals”. Riley would hold training sessions in the mornings for the professional wrestlers who trained at the gym, while those with regular full-time jobs would train in the evenings when the wrestlers would be out working shows around the country.
It had always been known simply as Riley’s Gym, but around the 1990s, when the style and training was getting more exposure in Japan, the nickname ‘The Snake Pit’ first started being used and soon became the name by which the gym is best known around the world. The name apparently evolved from the observation that students of the Wigan discipline had a propensity to go to their stomach when thrown to the floor, and from there could still strike with a deadly technique. Catch wrestling was introduced to the East by Riley’s students Billy Robinson and Karl Gotch, who trained the likes of Antonio Inoki, Tatsumi Fujinami, Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Akira Maeda, who each in turn played major roles in the popularisation of Catch and Pro wrestling in Japan and, later, the inception of MMA.
Catch wrestling had led to the birth of professional wrestling when it was a staple event on the carnival circuits around the turn of the century. Both in the UK and USA the wrestling and boxing booths would be a major attraction on the carnivals, featuring a mixture of exhibition bouts and legitimate open challenges to the audience where a local could win a handsome sum if they could last a given amount of time or defeat the athlete in the ring. The exhibitions which preceded the open challenge would often include a ‘stick’ or ‘plant’ in the crowd (someone posing as an unskilled local who would be employed to work a believable match with the wrestler to entice others into thinking they would stand a chance). The fans who fancied their chances would then line up and be inevitably destroyed in minutes (or even seconds) by the highly skilled wrestler, ensuring that the booth would not have to pay out on the proposed bounty. This practice, coupled with declining interest in legitimate contests due to matches often lasting several hours, eventually evolved into what we know as professional wrestling today, with promoters and performers alike recognising the value of adding drama and flair to their bouts to maintain public interest. Particularly in America, but to a lesser extent also in the UK, this led to the creation of characters and introduction of storylines, with pro wrestling eventually straying further and further away from its origins. When Robinson and Gotch started introducing Catch and Catch-based pro wrestling to Japan, it led to the likes of Inoki and Maeda to promote a more back-to-reality style of pro wrestling which became known as Shoot Style wrestling. Inoki would also be so confident in his abilities that he would pit his skills against world famous boxer Muhammad Ali in a Wrestler Vs Boxer contest (which Inoki won). It was the presentation of Shoot style wrestling and mixed style fights which later gave birth to promotions such as Pancrase and eventually UFC, meaning both modern pro wrestling and MMA can trace their roots back to Catch wrestling and its most famous coach.
Catch wrestling had led to the birth of professional wrestling when it was a staple event on the carnival circuits around the turn of the century. Both in the UK and USA the wrestling and boxing booths would be a major attraction on the carnivals, featuring a mixture of exhibition bouts and legitimate open challenges to the audience where a local could win a handsome sum if they could last a given amount of time or defeat the athlete in the ring. The exhibitions which preceded the open challenge would often include a ‘stick’ or ‘plant’ in the crowd (someone posing as an unskilled local who would be employed to work a believable match with the wrestler to entice others into thinking they would stand a chance). The fans who fancied their chances would then line up and be inevitably destroyed in minutes (or even seconds) by the highly skilled wrestler, ensuring that the booth would not have to pay out on the proposed bounty. This practice, coupled with declining interest in legitimate contests due to matches often lasting several hours, eventually evolved into what we know as professional wrestling today, with promoters and performers alike recognising the value of adding drama and flair to their bouts to maintain public interest. Particularly in America, but to a lesser extent also in the UK, this led to the creation of characters and introduction of storylines, with pro wrestling eventually straying further and further away from its origins. When Robinson and Gotch started introducing Catch and Catch-based pro wrestling to Japan, it led to the likes of Inoki and Maeda to promote a more back-to-reality style of pro wrestling which became known as Shoot Style wrestling. Inoki would also be so confident in his abilities that he would pit his skills against world famous boxer Muhammad Ali in a Wrestler Vs Boxer contest (which Inoki won). It was the presentation of Shoot style wrestling and mixed style fights which later gave birth to promotions such as Pancrase and eventually UFC, meaning both modern pro wrestling and MMA can trace their roots back to Catch wrestling and its most famous coach.
Riley’s legacy would also live on through the generations of pro wrestling in the western world, with Robinson training the likes of Johnny Saint and Marty Jones, who then trained William Regal – the current head trainer for WWE’s development system in Florida. Both Johnny Saint and Marty Jones are still respected trainers in pro wrestling to this day, imparting the knowledge and skills they had learned from one of Riley’s star pupils onto the wrestlers of today and tomorrow.
A rejuvenated interest amongst the public has allowed Catch wrestling to start regaining its former glory over the last decade or so. It has been proven to be successful in Mixed Martial Arts competition, where the likes of Ken & Frank Shamrock, Dan Severn, Kazushi Sakuraba and Josh Barnett have all credited Catch training for their success (the latter two being direct students of Billy Robinson). Sakuraba was an especially important figure in the resurgence of the sport after four high profile wins over members of the world-famous Gracie family, proving the style to be comparable (or arguably even superior) to the effectiveness of BJJ. The two disciplines are often compared due to their submission-based nature, but while Jiu Jitsu is nicknamed ‘the gentle art’ due to its patient and somewhat calculated approach, Catch has begun earning the counterpart nickname of ‘the brutal art’ due to its more aggressive and attacking nature.
The skills are also still transferrable to professional wrestling, where progressively more performers are coming back around to a more legitimate and technical style such as was seen in the World Of Sport era, when pro wrestling was still much more of a sport than the entertainment product it later became (most notably due to the near-monopolisation of the industry by Vince McMahon’s WWF/E in the 1980s). The likes of America’s Timothy Thatcher, Biff Busick (aka Oney Lorcan) and Drew Gulak, as well as UK Snake Pit graduate Jack Gallagher, are enjoying success in the pro wrestling world by incorporating and showcasing their Catch training into their pro bouts, concentrating more on the execution of technique and exchanges of holds than the grandstanding and showboating. Gallagher and Gulak were recently participants in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament, while Thatcher is enjoying success on the independent scene as a multiple time champion for companies such as EVOLVE. The EVOLVE promotion even has a faction/stable called ‘Catch Point’, which incorporates the Catch wrestling philosophy into their on-screen product:
The movement between Catch and pro wrestling can also work both ways. Canadian professional wrestler Harry Smith (aka David Hart Smith/Davey Boy Smith Jr, the grandson of the infamous Stu Hart) sought out training from arguably the Snake Pit’s most famous graduate, Billy Robinson, earlier in his career (seen training with him on the ‘W.A.R. Catch Wrestling’ DVD). He would later go on to train others as an assistant coach to Robinson back in 2011 and recently won the North American Grappling Association’s Superheavyweight Championship at an event in Las Vegas on 21st August 2016, crediting long-time friend and training partner Josh Barnett and his team on social media for their assistance and guidance.
The Catch Wrestling Alliance is also helping to grow the sport all over the world, holding the Frank Gotch memorial tournament in the USA (Humboldt, Iowa – Gotch’s hometown) and the first ever Catch tournament in Singapore, both in 2016 alone.
With these endorsements and a growing public interest in the style, the future is looking infinitely better for the sport than it did even a decade ago. Hopefully this trend will continue, with the potential for the sport to become even bigger in popularity and success than ever before.
The Snake Pit gym remains open to this day (albeit not the original building, but an improved facility nearby the original site), being run by head trainer Roy Wood. Wood was encouraged by his daughter Andrea (who was quoted above) to restart teaching Catch wrestling after transitioning into Freestyle wrestling training for several years. Starting in his late teens under the tutelage of Riley, Wood trained alongside the likes of the Robinsons and Karl Gotch, making him uniquely qualified to pass on the knowledge of this great sport to the next generation. When he first took over as the head trainer in the 1970s, it was under the watchful eye of Riley himself, who would watch the classes and offer insight to Wood and his students. Trainees who won medals and trophies were encouraged to visit Riley and his wife at their home to show them the fruits of his teachings; a practice which continued even after Riley himself passed away in 1977, enabling his wife to see his legacy continue. Eventually the club became more focused on other styles as public interest in Catch wrestling was dying off (plus it was impossible to get licensing for Catch, so Roy had no choice but to branch out), but his love for the sport never faded and now he continues to teach Catch wrestling into his 70s.
With these endorsements and a growing public interest in the style, the future is looking infinitely better for the sport than it did even a decade ago. Hopefully this trend will continue, with the potential for the sport to become even bigger in popularity and success than ever before.
The Snake Pit gym remains open to this day (albeit not the original building, but an improved facility nearby the original site), being run by head trainer Roy Wood. Wood was encouraged by his daughter Andrea (who was quoted above) to restart teaching Catch wrestling after transitioning into Freestyle wrestling training for several years. Starting in his late teens under the tutelage of Riley, Wood trained alongside the likes of the Robinsons and Karl Gotch, making him uniquely qualified to pass on the knowledge of this great sport to the next generation. When he first took over as the head trainer in the 1970s, it was under the watchful eye of Riley himself, who would watch the classes and offer insight to Wood and his students. Trainees who won medals and trophies were encouraged to visit Riley and his wife at their home to show them the fruits of his teachings; a practice which continued even after Riley himself passed away in 1977, enabling his wife to see his legacy continue. Eventually the club became more focused on other styles as public interest in Catch wrestling was dying off (plus it was impossible to get licensing for Catch, so Roy had no choice but to branch out), but his love for the sport never faded and now he continues to teach Catch wrestling into his 70s.
The Wood family take great pride in being able to use their knowledge and skills, not only to train future generations and keep the sport alive, but also to benefit young people and the community in general through charity work. Their affiliation with the Heartlift group allows them to assist young people and the disabled to engage in training and other activities, helping them with their physical and mental health, building social skills and giving them a fun, structured and positive outlet. The gym even started offering scholarships back in February 2016 to train in Catch wrestling (estimated to be approximately £1,000 in value) for those who cannot afford the training on their own. They hope that with outreach programs such as this that they will help the sport to survive and thrive in the future.
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You can learn even more about the history of Riley’s Gym (The Snake Pit) in the documentary ‘Catch: The Hold Not Taken’, which can be ordered here.
The gym was also the subject of a short documentary in the 1980s called 'The Wigan Hold', which you can view here.
The gym was also the subject of a short documentary in the 1980s called 'The Wigan Hold', which you can view here.
The Snake Pit can be found through their website (http://www.Snake Pitwigan.com) or at the address below. Due to the nature of the sport and the desire to ensure its continuation without dilution, any prospective trainees are asked to apply to train through the website.
The Snake Pit
The Fields, Wigan Road,
Aspull,
Wigan,
WN2 1QX,
Greater Manchester,
United Kingdom
The Fields, Wigan Road,
Aspull,
Wigan,
WN2 1QX,
Greater Manchester,
United Kingdom
The Snake Pit also has very limited, carefully selected affiliates who also teach the style in its pure form and adhere to the original teachings and techniques passed down by Billy Riley. These are located as follows:
Riley’s Gym, Kyoto, Japan
Coach: Osamu Matsunami
For details contact: rileygymkyoto@mail.goo.ne.jp
Stockport MMA, Hallam St, Stockport, Greater Manchester
Coach: Ian Bromley
For details contact: bramley_123@o2.co.uk
Glenalla Community Hall & Civic Centre, Glenalla Road, Llanelli, Wales
Coach: Dr Stephen Greenfield
For details visit: www.catchwrestlingwales.com
Also at several locations throughout the USA: