Undoubtedly the greatest name in British wrestling circles – past or present – is that of Bert Assirati, the Islington Hercules, who, for over 20 years ruled as British, Empire and European Heavyweight Champion. And what a great champion he was, never refusing to meet any challenger.
Assirati was born in July 1909 in Islington, London, the son of Daniel Assirati, a garage proprietor.
Bert excelled at sports, notably gymnastics, athletics, swimming and weightlifting and he was just 13 when he joined the famous Ashdown Amateur Wrestling Club.
When his school days were over, he became one half of a music hall acrobatic team known as Nello and Mello, which toured the country and Europe.
When the famous team split up, Bert turned to pro wrestling and had his first bout at Belle Vue Stadium, Manchester in November 1928. He wrestled under the banner of the late Henri Irslinger, an Austrian, known as the “Russian Lion” – a man who made desperate attempts to establish wrestling in Britain, and later was a successful promoter in South Africa.
In early 1922, Bert, seeking new worlds to conquer headed for America, where he stayed until the following year.
Fr his American debut, he was given a real tough one in German-American star and former world light heavyweight champion Ad Santell. Bert was given this hard match before becoming properly acclimatised, but he confounded his critics, who had forecast a win for Santell, by pinning the Californian.
Billed as Berto Assirati, champion of Italy, Bert took part in 65 contests, winning 63 and drawing with the great ray Steele and Hans Steinke, this when Bert was only 23 years of age.
Bert had been promised a shot at Jim Londos’ world crown if he first beat Jim McMillan and Ray Steele. It was a pretty safe bet, as both McMillan and Steele were ex-world champs and legends in the wrestling game.
Presumably Assirati didn’t know this. He beat McMillan before many of the ringsiders had even settled into their seats, then met Steele a fortnight later. Steele, a handsome man, had speed and power, and he employed them both against Assirati. In the opening seconds, he threw Assirati halfway across the ring.
The British lad bounced on his shoulder and landed back onto his feet like a rubber ball. Then Steele went for a backbreaker, a speciality of his, and nearly had his own back broken in the process.
There was an explosive almost unnatural strength in Assirati that stunned the crowd. Steele began to move backwards around the ring in a bid to lure his rival into a false and fatal move. But on every counter, he was beaten for sheer speed of reflex by the impassive Assirati.
Steele was taking the kind of battering he had never taken before, even from Londos himself, and it must have come as a welcome relief when Assirati ended the bout with his famous Boston Crab. The critics were loud in their praise for Assirati and, so too, was Steele. “This”, he said, “is the greatest wrestler in the world. No one can stay with him, and that includes Londos”.
Londos’ handlers took the hint and suddenly wanted no part of Assirati. So, ironically, his greatest moment proved his downfall. He was cast into the international wilderness. No one with title aspirations would meet him.
Some of the top men Bert beat in America were Mike Brendel, Dr. Lew Hall, Bruno Gorrassini, Dick Daviscourt, Rudy and Ernie Dusek, Kola Kwariani, Gino Garibaldi, Nick Nestor, Floyd Marshall, Hans Steinke, Ray Steele, Joe Stecher, Sgt. Jack Reynolds, Ghafoor Khan, George Vassel, Herb Freeman, Wladek Zbyszko, Renato Gardini, Frank Judson, Jim McMillan, Dr. Gordon McKenzie, Steve Savage, Baron Leone and Marshall Blackstock. These men represented the best in U.S. wrestling, but none were able to inflict defeat on the British star.
Back in England, Bert and his father went to visit the famous Russian Lion, George Hackenschmidt, and George was most impressed with Assirati. There was talk of “Hack” looking after Bert’s affairs, but nothing ever came of this.
Bert quickly gained recognition in the South of England as British Champion, while in the North, Douglas Clark put forward a claim to the title. A few years later Assirati gained undisputed recognition as titleholder by defeating George Gregory at Belle Vue, Manchester.
Assirati’s mat career spanned the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Master of scientific grappling, Bert resembled Stanislaus Zbyszko in stature, standing 5ft. 7in. with powerful arms, neck and chest.
In 1959, Frank Sexton, then recognised as one of the two best American wrestlers, scuffled with Bert, just out of a sick bed in Brussels. Taking on Sexton after a siege of double pneumonia was enough of a handicap. When the smoke cleared, all Sexton could claim was a draw.
Another famous opponent of Bert’s was the famous French Angel, who Bert defeated in a great open-air contest at the Tottenham Hotspurs football ground before a record crowd in 1946.
In 7,000 bouts he was beaten only twice, defeats, which he subsequently avenged handsomely. He toured the world, fought and twice beat the famous 340-pound King Kong Czaya in Malaya, fought and beat the top men in the Orient, India and South Africa.
Never has there been a man like Assirati, the master craftsman of British grappling for over 30 years.
Now retired and settled near Brighton, the mighty Bert spends many hours in the gym teaching up and coming pro wrestlers the rudiments of the trade. He is respected by all who know him and without doubt in one of wrestling’s all time greats.
