Bill Verna
Bill Verna | |
---|---|
Born | 1929 Perth, Western Australia |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Bill Verna |
Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Billed weight | 267 lb (121 kg; 19.1 st) (at his heaviest) |
Bill Verna (born 1929), also known as Big Bill Verna, was an Australian
Biography
Bill Verna was born in
Verna fought more than 2000 wrestling bouts.[3] In 1952, he won the All European Championship. Bill married a Singaporean in 1954 while he was living in Belgium.[3] In the mid-1950s, he wrestled in Pakistan as a face. During this time, he was outspoken against the Pakistani media, as he objected to them always depicting local wrestlers controlling matches against foreign wrestlers.[3] While he was competing, Verna's best friend was Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Famer Bert Assirati, although the two had matches in which both wrestlers made each other bleed quite a bit. Verna explained in an interview that neither man held back because they did not want the fans to "complain that they did not enjoy the fight".[13][unreliable source?]
While competing against Pakistani wrestler Akram Pahalwan, Verna's opponent suffered a dislocated left shoulder that forced Pahalwan to take a break from wrestling.[14][unreliable source?] Verna later held the British Empire/Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship in the 1950s before dropping the title to Geoff Portz during a match in Newcastle, New South Wales in 1959.[15][16] He also defeated Phil Siki, the heavyweight champion of the West Indies, in a match at Cambridge Road Baths.[17] In the summer of 1960, he headlined wrestling events held at the California Ballroom in bouts against Francis Sullivan and Ray Hunter.[18] In the 1960s, Verna appeared regularly on televised wrestling programs in Britain. These were some of the earliest televised matches broadcast in the United Kingdom and, between 1961–62, were promoted by Joint Promotions. Among his opponents included Frankie Townsend[19] and Bill Rawlings.[20] He wrestled as a heel and gained the hatred of many fans.[4] In March 1966, Verna agreed to serve as a last minute replacement for the "flu-struck" Wayne Bridges in his match against Dennis Mitchell at Royal Albert Hall. Verna scored a submission victory in the second round but was knocked out by Mitchell in the next round.[21][22]
In Pakistan, where Verna spent most of his career, the journal Ash Shuja featured Verna in a 1955 story. He was said to be "appreciated and admired as a player throughout the world". It also stated that he was "acknowledged with great respect among the famous wrestlers of the world".[13]
Championships and accomplishments
- Other titles
- All European Championship (1 time)[3]
- British Empire/Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[15]
References
- ^ Street, Adrian. "My Tribute to 'The Gladiators' of the Golden Age of British Professional Wrestling". Fight Times Magazine. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ a b "A Legend in Our Midst". Wrestling Heritage. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f Azam, Farid; Mike Hallinan. "Continuing Page on Wrestling". Wrestling in Pakistan. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ a b "1950: A World Champion on the Loose". Wrestling Heritage. Archived from the original on 23 August 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ Nevada, Vance. "Billy Two Rivers". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Nevada, Vance. "Gord Nelson". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Nevada, Vance. "Paul Vachon". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Dara Singh KO's Bill Verna". The Straits Times. 19 September 1948. p. 10.
- ^ "Jagindar Beaten". The Straits Times. 5 September 1948. p. 10.
- ^ "Dam Singh Wins". The Straits Times. 17 October 1948. p. 11.
- ^ "Verna Knocked Out of Ring". The Straits Times. 30 January 1949. p. 11.
- ^ "Great World Wrestling". The Straits Times. 6 March 1949. p. 10.
- ^ a b "The Iron Man". Ash Shuja. January 1955. p. 8.
- ^ Azam, Farid. "Bholu Brothers of Wrestling". Wrestling in Pakistan. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
- ^ a b "British Empire/Commonwealth Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Titles. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ "Wrestler Profiles: Geoff Portz". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 19 July 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ "Another 'no contest' at the Baths". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ "1960". Gigs: 1960. California-Ballroom.info. 2005. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
- ^ Lister, John (2006). "ITV Wrestling: 1961". ITV Wrestling. JohnListerWriting.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ Lister, John (2006). "ITV Wrestling: 1962". ITV Wrestling. JohnListerWriting.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ Mascall, Charles (March 1966). "Ricky Starr smashes "Bully Boy" Lynch". A Seat at the Ringside. Wrestling Furnace Picture Gallery. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ^ "Results from the Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Arena Spectaculars". BritishWrestlingArchive.co.uk. 2003. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
External links
- Big Bill Verna at Genickbruch.com
- Bill Verna's profile at Wrestlingdata.com