Gorilla Reg Ray

? - 2008

Gorilla Reg, the nickname was hardly a surprise in view of his abundance of body hair, was, in his prime, one of the best workers on the British wrestling circuit.

He was, said Eddie Rose, “a natural villain,” and “never took part in a bad bout,” according to Dennis Lord.

Turning professional shortly after the war Reg was a regular on the Joint Promotion circuit following their establishment in 1952. This brought him into regular combat with the top men of the day, holding his own with the likes of Jack Dempsey and Eric Taylor, Alan Colbeck and Cliff Beaumont.

Like many others Reg chose to leave Joint Promotions in 1962 and work for the independents, most notably for Don Robinson, Cyril Knowles, Brian Trevors and Evan Treharne.