The British Mid-Heavyweight Championship was a top British wrestling championship found throughout the country's circuit. The title's history dates back to 1952 and runs to the present day. Officially mid-heavyweights were required to weigh between 14 st 2 lb and 14 st 12 lb (89.81 and 94.35 kg).[1] The title was recognised as official by national TV network ITV for the purposes of their coverage of the UK wrestling scene[2] and by its listings magazine TVTimes in accompanying magazine feature coverage.[3]
| British Mid-Heavyweight Championship | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Details | |||||||
| Date established | 1952 | ||||||
| Current champion(s) | Robbie Dynamite | ||||||
| Date won | 2 October 2009 | ||||||
| |||||||
Title history
editThe title was founded in 1953 and remained active until 1981 when it was abandoned following the untimely death of incumbent champion Mike Marino. The title was revived in 2002 and his since become a regular feature on the British wrestling circuit.[4]
Original title
edit| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | ||||
| 1 | Norman Walsh | 1952 | House show | N/A | 1 | N/A | [5] | |
| 2 | Arthur Riccaldo | 1 July 1963 | House show | N/A | 1 | N/A | Won the title after Walsh suffered an injury in their bout | [5] |
| 3 | Norman Walsh | August 1963 | House show | Middlesbrough | 2 | N/A | [5] | |
| 4 | Johnny Allen | December 1964 | House show | Middlesbrough | 1 | N/A | [5] | |
| 5 | Norman Walsh | 1965 (NLT) | House show | Newcastle upon Tyne | 3 | N/A | Retired as champion in 1965 after a car accident | [5] |
| 6 | Geoff Portz | May 1966 | House show | Newcastle upon Tyne | 1 | N/A | Vacates the title due to injury in 1966 | [5] |
| 7 | Mike Marino | December 1966 | House show | Sheffield | 1 | N/A | Title vacated in August 1981 following Marino's death | [5] |
Revived title
editThe title was revived in 2002 and has subsequently been defended outside the United Kingdom, an unusual occurrence for a British title.[4]
| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | ||||
| 1 | Robbie Dynamite | April 2002 | House show | N/A | 1 | N/A | ||
| 2 | Dean Allmark | 21 January 2006 | House show | Hanley, Staffordshire | 1 | 208 | ||
| 3 | Robbie Dynamite | 17 August 2006 | House show | Rhyl | 2 | 14 | ||
| 4 | Dean Allmark | 31 August 2006 | House show | Rhyl | 2 | 211 | ||
| 5 | Robbie Dynamite | 30 March 2007 | House show | Telford | 3 | 519 | ||
| 6 | Chaos | 30 August 2008 | House show | Flensburg, Germany | 2 | 21 | ||
| 7 | Robbie Dynamite | 20 September 2008 | House show | Langå, Denmark | 4 | 261 | ||
| 8 | Dean Allmark | 8 June 2009 | House show | Rhyl | 3 | 116 | ||
| 9 | Robbie Dynamite | 2 October 2009 | House show | Birkenhead | 5 | 5,530 + | ||
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Peter Bills, Wrestling, David & Charles, 1983, p. 62
- ^ World of Sport - Wrestling 24 April 1976 - Mike Marino acknowledged as British Mid-Heavyweight Champion by ring announcer (Event occurs at 0:19) and by commentator Kent Walton (Event occurs at 1:28)
- ^ These are the champions, side panel to George Kidd interview - lists Mike Marino as British Mid=Heavyweight Champion - TVTimes 1977
- ^ a b British Mid-Heavyweight Title
- ^ a b c d e f g Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). "Europe - Great Britain: British Mid-Heavyweight Title". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. pp. 403–404. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
