The rivalry between Mick McManus and Jackie Pallo is one of the most iconic in British wrestling history.
Their battles captivated millions, their personalities clashed in and out of the ring, and their feud helped shape the golden era of televised wrestling in the UK. But every legendary rivalry has an origin, and for McManus vs. Pallo, it all began with an unscripted moment at Wembley Arena in 1962.
Jackie Pallo, already a notorious figure in wrestling, wasn’t even scheduled to appear when he stormed the ring to challenge McManus, sending shockwaves through the industry.
What followed was a war of words in newspapers and television, culminating in a heated showdown that drew one of the biggest TV audiences in British wrestling history.
Through firsthand quotes and recollections from both men, this article dives into the intense rivalry that not only elevated their careers but also inspired future generations of wrestlers.
From their fiery promos to their legendary battles, this is the story of Mick McManus vs. Jackie Pallo—told in their own words.
Jackie Pallo Interrupted Mick McManus At Wembley Arena To Kick Off The Feud
While the Jackie Pallo vs Mick McManus has devolved into the stuff of legend, it had to start somewhere. That place was the iconic Wembley Arena.
The match that took place in the arena in April 1962 didn’t feature Jackie Pallo. At the event, Mick McManus, already a big star and 16 years into his wrestling career, was wrestling against Chelmsford’s Bob Anthony.
Jackie Pallo wasn’t booked to be a part of the match. He was 36 years old at the time and had been wrestling for some time, having transitioned from boxing very early in his life. He was already known as Mr TV and was one of the most hated heels in the business, but was not the huge star this feud would elevate both men to.
Despite not being booked, Pallo took it upon himself to make a challenge to Mick McManus. This is despite the show being shown on TV, completely going off script and jeopardising the program.
While McManus was stood in the ring, either before or after his match (reports vary), a well-dressed, fully suited Pallo leapt onto the ring apron. He grabbed onto the ropes as the cameras swivelled away from McManus to focus on this rogue wrestler.
As he recalls in his book You Grunt, I’ll Groan, Jackie Pallo pointed towards McManus and challenged him to a fight.
“I pointed at Mick,” he wrote, “’ I want you, McManus.’ I shouted. ‘I want you! Fight me if you dare…’ and so on.”
At first, the promoter was not happy. Johnny Dale, the booker for Dale Martin Promotions, scolded Mr TV backstage, claiming he’ll “never work again” for Joint Promotions.
Jackie Pallo just laughed, reminding him that people will be falling over themselves to buy tickets to a clash between himself and Mick McManus now. They’d all be rolling in money, and if Dale Martin didn’t facilitate it, somebody else certainly would.
After calming down, Dale agreed. The hundreds of letters that flooded his office, demanding to see the match and giving the wrestlers tips on maiming the other, further convinced him that booking this clash may be a good idea.
However, it wasn’t booked immediately. They fought a PR war in the media, with McManus writing columns criticising Pallo in the newspaper, while Pallo responded in kind in various TV and radio interviews.
This led to an explosive appearance on The Eamonn Andrews Show, similar to Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler in the US decades later. The pair couldn’t help but argue before Mick McManus stormed off and refused to appear alongside Jackie Pallo again.
It was absolute gold for any wrestling promoter and the match became bigger and bigger until the hype had reached fever pitch. All this happened in just two weeks, leading to a clash at the day of the year for British wrestling – FA Cup Final Day.
Mick McManus vs Jackie Pallo First Wrestled On 1962 FA Cup Final Day
The 1962 pre-FA Cup Final wrestling show was always the most viewed wrestling show of the year. With everyone sitting around the TV waiting for the football to kick off, ITV held a captive audience to tune into the wrestling.
That year, the FA Cup Final saw Tottenham Hotspur beating Burnley 3-1, a result they could only dream of achieving in the modern day. Millions of football fans saw them lift the trophy at home, although it was reported that even more saw the grudge match of the decade just hours before that.
Before the football, Jackie Pallo wrestled Mick McManus. This was seen as a battle of North London vs South London, as two of wrestling’s best heels competed against one another for the first time. Villain vs Villain encounters were rare but not unheard of, although seeing them in such a big match was something you never, ever expected.
Mick McManus spoke about this match during an interview with Sky Sports Time of our Lives Wrestling roundtable, explaining how the rivalry was a microcosm of the North/South divide in London at the time. This was at the height of the Kray Twins, so territorial disputes were big business.
“I think it was a natural progression over the years. Some fellow came from the north of London, I came from the south—it was like the old days, you know? Northerners and Southerners were sort of enemies, had nothing in common. That was the first geographical difference between us.” Mick McManus said about his battle with Jackie Pallo.
Both men had an intensity in the match that few had seen before, although that didn’t stop Jackie Pallo from being his own usual cocky self. This ultimately came back to bite him, as McManus won the first fall with Pallo’s own signature move, the piledriver.
This lead would only last until the fifth round – the match was scheduled for six rounds, with two falls to the finish for the winner – when Pallo forced his opponent to verbally submit to the Boston Crab. The crowd were electric throughout as this wrestling match devolved into a fight between two hard men.
However, this match would not see a winner. Despite a frantic sprint to the finish, neither man could force the other to give up and the referee lifted both men’s hands into the air, signifying a draw as the crowd roared for both men.
The match is said to have drawn more viewers than the FA Cup Final that year, although the number of viewers actually watching varies wildly, depending on who you ask.
Jackie Pallo claims eleven million in his book, while former wrestler Frank Rimer claimed that the match drew over 20 million TV viewers in 1962 – close to half the population of England at the time.
Numbers ranging from eight million (which the 1963 rematch was also purported to have drawn) to 20 million have been mentioned, although ITV have refused to reveal the true figure, despite my constant emails to the relevant companies.
The truth is likely that there is no official number and nobody really knows the true number, or if it was indeed bigger than the cup final. It is a good story to tell though and one that undoubtedly helped make the Mick McManus vs Jackie Pallo rivalry bigger than any other before.
This was the first of numerous bouts between the two, and they never disappointed. They wrestled again in the Royal Albert Hall a few months later, once again drawing one fall each as the crowd continued to be enamoured with the duo’s bouts.
They had a rematch the following year before Manchester United beat Leicester City in the FA Cup Final.
That match ended a historic week in wrestling, as just three days prior Prince Phillip had watched Mick McManus beating Linde Caulder at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of charity.
They wrestled numerous times over the years, but curiously very little footage survived. In fact, only footage from their first encounter has been discovered, released years later after being discovered by ITV with the help of Wrestling Heritage.
This is quite an anomaly, as millions of people definitely saw those matches, but nobody since they originally aired the first time. Their bouts were more like an event you couldn’t miss and have since become legends that you cannot even be sure existed at all!
Joint Promotions was very careful with how they booked both these men. They didn’t rush and book them against each other all the time. They were the two top heels in the country so having them lose to each other could diminish their star power if done too often.
While Pallo did manage two wins over McManus, it was The Man You Love To Hate who came out on top in their rivalry. Nevertheless, it cemented both men as big stars and top performers in the UK and their rivalry is unlikely ever to be topped – even by Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks!
Both Men Saw Each Other As Top Wrestlers
Mick McManus, while harsh at the time, had some good words to say about Jackie Pallo in later life. In the same interview as mentioned earlier, he complimented Pallo, saying that he would have been the “big shot” had McManus not been around, and vice versa.
“As he made a name for himself and I made a name for myself if I hadn’t been around, he’d have been a big shot. If he hadn’t been around, I’d have been a big shot. So there was always that bit of needle between us. But we had some terrific matches and created a great deal of interest.”
Meanwhile, the favour was returned by Jackie Pallo in his own book. He was very impressed by Mick McManus’s work and praised his professionalism in the ring.
“What a professional,” Jackie Pallo wrote about Mick McManus. “What a lovely worker, what an actor, what a magnificent baddie. Certainly, he is one of the best performers the business has ever had, and he became famous.”
He later cited their rivalry as a turning point in both men’s careers, although he admits McManus was a much bigger star than him in 1962 when he first laid on the challenge at Wembley Arena.
While the release of his book caused friction between the two, and that both men had choice words for the other during their careers, by the time they’d hung up the boots they’d become – well, not quite friend – but certainly acquaintances.
The Feud Inspired Mark Rocco To Become A Wrestler
It wasn’t just the fans who loved the Mick McManus vs Jackie Pallo rivalry. It even inspired the wrestlers, including the legendary Mark “Rollerball” Rocco (Black Tiger in Japan).
During Sky Sports Time of our Lives Wrestling roundtable discussion, Mark Rocco revealed how he was inspired to become a wrestler after watching their incredible matches.
Despite being a third-generation wrestler, Rocco’s father, Jim Hussey, did not want him to follow in the family business. Sadly for him, seeing Mick McManus vs Jackie Pallo convinced Rocco to go behind his father’s back and learn to wrestle, in hopes of emulating his two heroes.
“They had a match—him and Jackie Pallo. Mick McManus and Jackie Pallo. And the hairs on the back of my neck stood up from the crowd’s reaction. Bellevue was a wooden stadium, with wooden floors, and the people were stamping their feet. The sound crescendoed—it was amazing.” Mark Rocco said.
“At 12 or 13 years old, I walked away with a glimmer, a spark in my little mind that I loved this business. And although I might have been pushed toward wrestling for the jumping and all the rest of it, I was also wrestling in the background, behind his back, in my spare time at my dad’s Gym.”
“But he was the guy. His match with Pallo was magic. And through the years, there’s been no series of matches quite like his. With different opponents, they created audiences and inspired people.”
If the matches were that good to have inspired the man who, along with Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid, created the style of wrestling that is still practised today, then the Mick McManus vs Jackie Pallo feud must have been something very, very special.
Yes, the FA Cup final numbers may have been fudged. Yes, they didn’t really hate each other and yes, Jackie Pallo’s reputation was in the mud after the release of his book. But one thing that is true is that the impact these two men and their feud had on British wrestling, and television in general, is unmatched.
