Max Crabtree
| Max Crabtree | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Max Gerald Crabtree |
| Born | 1933 Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire,England |
| Died | (aged 90) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Retired | 1994 |
Max Gerald Crabtree(1933 – 2 April 2023) was an English professional wrestler and promoter, known for working alongside his brotherShirley Crabtree,better known as Big Daddy.[1]
Career
[edit]Crabtree got into wrestling after completing hisNational Servicealong with his brothers Shirley and Brian.[2]After an injury in a match to Brian and Shirley retiring, Crabtree moved into booking. Initially he booked independently for 20th Century Promotions and worked on bringing in foreign talent to wrestle in the UK, such asSammy Lee(who later wrestled asTiger Mask) after a recommendation fromKarl Gotch.[2]He was due to joinJackie Palloand Johnny Dale to set up a rival wrestling organisation toJoint Promotions.However, Dale died and Crabtree was headhunted to join Joint Promotions as he was the most experienced booker in the UK at the time.[3]
During the 1970s, Max was appointed Northern area booker with Joint Promotions, where he is credited with bringing Shirley out of retirement and inventing the Big Daddy persona and gimmick for his brother.[4]Crabtree helped to promote a number of wrestlers includingDynamite Kid,Davey Boy Smith,William RegalandGeorge Kidd.[5][6][7]He spent forty years as a wrestling promoter.[8]He was highly regarded in the British wrestling industry for his booking skills.[9]
Crabtree came under criticism for building Joint Promotions around Big Daddy, leading to allegations of nepotism.[10]He offered £30 fight purses for main events with Big Daddy as opposed to £25 for all other bouts.[citation needed]This came to light following the death ofKing Kong Kirkin the ring after a match with Big Daddy (though the subsequent autopsy found for a death from natural causes and cleared the Crabtrees of any wrongdoing).[11]FormerWWFandWCWchampionBret Hartwrote in his autobiography that Max would "wave a few extra quid in a wrestler's face" to entice them to take Daddy's "double elbow" backdrop move.[12]ITVremoved wrestling from television in 1988. Crabtree criticised American wrestling such as theWorld Wrestling Federationcalling it "over the top and a load of ballyhoo".[8]
Crabtree continued to promote wrestling under the banner Ring Wrestling Stars from 1991 until his retirement in February 1995. Big Daddy continued to headline his shows until his own retirement in December 1993, thereafter Max Crabtree employedDavey Boy Smithin a similar headline role for several months in 1994.
Personal life and death
[edit]As well as Shirley Crabtree, Max was also the brother ofrefereeand MCBrian Crabtree.in the 1960s, Max and Brian were themselves wrestlers in the middleweight and lightweight divisions respectively. His nephewEorl Crabtreeis a retired professionalrugby leagueplayer.[8]
Crabtree died 2 April 2023, at the age of 90.[13]
References
[edit]- ^"British Wrestlers Reunion".British Wrestlers Reunion.Retrieved19 December2020.
- ^abGarfield, Simon (2013). "5".The Wrestling.Faber and Faber.ISBN978-0571265459.
- ^Lister, John (2005).Slamthology: Collected Wrestling Writings 1991-2004.William Wood & Company. pp. 228–229.ISBN9781905290109.
- ^"Big Daddy".Sydney Morning Herald.6 December 1997.Retrieved19 December2020– via Newspapers.(subscription required)
- ^"WWE Legend Dynamite Kid, Thomas Billington, Dies on His 60th Birthday".Movieweb.5 December 2018.Retrieved19 December2020.
- ^"Calls for iconic Dundee wrestler George Kidd to be immortalised in bronze".Evening Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved19 December2020.
- ^WWE (2020).WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment(4th ed.). Dorling Kindersley. p. 182.ISBN978-0241488065.
- ^abc"Wrestling hits Huddersfield but it's not as we remember it".Yorkshire Live. 12 July 2013.Retrieved19 December2020.
- ^Meltzer, Dave. "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" (July 2004 ed.). p. 16.ISSN1083-9593.
{{cite magazine}}:Cite magazine requires|magazine=(help) - ^"The Field and the Stage"(PDF).University of Sussex. p. 186.Retrieved19 December2020.
- ^"Northern Powerhouse".Wrestling Heritage. 24 August 1987.Archivedfrom the original on 29 August 2016.Retrieved9 May2017.
- ^Hart, Bret(2009).Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling.Random House. p. 118.ISBN978-1-4070-2931-3.
- ^"The Legendary British Promoter Max Crabtree Passes Away".WrestlingNewsSource.3 April 2023.Retrieved4 April2023.
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