Wrestling returns to Morecambe Winter Gardens this Sunday

The beautiful Grade II* listed theatre on Morecambe seafront will host the ‘Golden Chance’ wrestling tournament on a historic night no wrestling fan will want to miss.

The Winter Gardens was a hotbed of British pro wrestling in the early to mid-20th Century, particularly during the 1950s, 60s and early 70s.

Fans would pack the Lancashire seaside theatre on a daily basis during the height of Morecambe’s summer season to watch some of the biggest names in old-time British professional wrestling like Jackie Pallo, Jimmy Breaks, Johnny Saint and Jim Hussey, father of the great Marc ‘Rollerball’ Rocco.

The ITV cameras also visited the Winter Gardens regularly during this period of time, airing two shows during the week when England won the football World Cup in 1966.

Award-winning designer and TV celebrity Wayne Hemingway, organiser of the upcoming Morecambe Vintage-by-the-Sea festival, has often said his earliest memory was of being paraded in the Winter Gardens wrestling ring by his father, the Native American chief and top professional wrestler Billy Two Rivers.

The Winter Gardens closed in 1977 but, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers , is 
slowly being restored to its former glory. A new bar, toilets and other facilities have been installed and the theatre is now able to offer a programme of events to the public, including the return of professional wrestling.

The eight competitors in the Golden Chance tournament are:

‘Shooting Star’ Kris Travis (Sheffield)

‘The Juice’ CJ Banks (Southport)

‘Delicious’ Danny Hope (Tassletown)

Ryan Grayson (Edinburgh, Scotland) accompanied by his beautiful valet Serenity

Martin Kirby (Thirsk, North Yorkshire)

The 350lb ‘Toxic Terror’ Cyanide (Manchester)

Ricky J McKenzie 
(Blackpool)

Bubblegum (Manchester)

Also on the card will be a special singles challenge match pitting the former British Champion, Joey Hayes (Manchester) against Chris Ridgeway (Barrow-in-Furness).

The current reigning British Heavyweight Champion ‘The One Man Riot’ Craig Kollins (Barrow-in-Furness) will also be in attendance.

Adult, child and family tickets for the show are still available from www.paidpromotionswrestling.co.uk . VIP front row tickets are sold out. The show starts at 4.30pm.