Mick McManus Micheal Matthews ( January 11 , 1928 – May 22 , 2013 ) was an English Professional wrestler better known by his ring name Mick McManus and was one of the biggest stars of British Wrestling . In his long career he wrestled numerous times on Television and rarely lost on screen , fought many of the greats of the ring , held a number of titles , wrote his own column for a national paper , joined usual solo commentator Kent Walton in the occasional programme , released his own book and even had his own merchandise - a rare thing in British wrestling . An even more rare thing in British wrestling , he was a television personality in his own right outside of the ring . He enjoyed apparences on chatshows , game shows , quiz shows , appeared at charity event , fetes , at football matches and even hob - nobbed with the Beatles . Possibly the greatest heel in the history of British Wrestling there was little in his style or composition as a wrestler that didn ' t raise the ire of the public . Claiming " lucky " victories over bigger and / or seemingly better skilled opponents at all levels in Britain and Europe he sneered in self - confident assurance of his own brilliance and successfully , in any way he could , managed to put himself over as a man with no seemily redeeming qualities whatsoever . There were few who pitied him when his cauliflower ears were grabed by an opponent and he squealed in agony . In addition to all this McManus seemingly chose to wrestle before the main event every night just so that he could leave the arena early . To die hard fans who were used to seeing the big stars in the main event this was not acceptable . But all this success and , in some quarters , controversy was not without its draw backs and jelousy was natural . In a 1968 match McManus was involved in one of the most sensational incidents in British Wrestling history when , wrestling for promoter Norman Morrell , he was doublecrossed . In a match he was supposed to win against Peter Preston his opponent refused to take the predetermined beating . Rather than risk that farce continuing McManus disqualified himself as there was no way he could defeat the considerably bigger and stronger Preston in a straight match . This was , in 20 years , his only defeat on Television ( to that date ) and for the majority of fans it was the only time they had ever seen him beaten . In truth his success was not all of his own making . Though undoubtedly a very good performer and good wrestler , tireless in his work and reliable to all ( something that remained as he got older ) , he was backed by the powerful Dale Martin Promotions . In his younger years he had shown consistent reliability , dedication and energy enough to get him noticed by that most important promotion and was trusted with the respnsibility of being the top man in that promotion . Another major thing that contributed to his success was a famous feud with Jackie Pallo . The Pallo / McManus feud is rated by many as the greatest feud ever seen in British Wrestling . Originating from an incident when , during a match , McManus sprung from the ring and kissed Pallo ' s wife , Trixie , on the cheek this would ignite into a five year long feud , including three Cup Final Day matches , where the two wrestlers exploited their mutual hatred to the utmost in and out of the ring and in the process produced some of the best matches ever seen in a British ring . McManus remained undefeat throughout the 60 ' s in his matches with Pallo and managed to continue the feud into the 70 ' s with Pallo ' s son , Jackie Jr . So big a part of the Southern Wrestling scene was McManus that almost no show was complete without his presence . No single significant event in British Wrestling in the South was without him . When there was a command performance at the Royal Albert Hall for the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of Kent he headlined with Jackie Pallo in a match for the European Middleweight Title . Though he risked over - exposure by appearing in so many events and often headlining his success remained . He attracted his critics but none could doubt his lifetime dedication to the business and all that went with it , including the secrecy that was exposed in the 90 ' s . Even today when it is common knowledge of wrestling predetermination he continues to protect the integrity of the business and defned its good name .