For the rockabilly musician, see Billy Lee Riley. For the 19th-century baseball player, see Billy Riley (baseball).
Billy Riley
Birth name
William Harold Riley[1]
Born
June 22, 1896[1] Leigh, Lancashire, England[1]
Died
(1977-09-09)September 9, 1977[2] or September 15, 1977 (1977-09-16) (aged 81)[1][3] Wigan, England[1][3]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)
Billy Riley[1]
Billed height
5 ft 10.5 in (179 cm)[1]
Billed weight
175 lb (79 kg)[1]
Trained by
Willie Charnock[1][4] Peter Burns[4] Vaino Ketonen[4]
Debut
1909[1]
Retired
1968[1]
Billy Riley (June 22, 1896 – September 9 or 15, 1977) was an English professional wrestler, coach, promoter, and referee. A legitimately skilled wrestler, Riley's career began when professional wrestling bouts were still genuine contests. At various times, Riley was billed as the middleweight champion of the world, British Empire, and England. In 1948, he founded "The Snake Pit" gym in Wigan, where he coached for over 20 years, teaching the Lancashire style of catch wrestling to some of the leading post-World War II wrestlers, including Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson, among others. Riley's students were significant influences on professional wrestling, catch wrestling, and mixed martial arts (MMA), especially in Japan.[1]
^ abcdefghijklCite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Ghost of Billy Riley". Rugeley Times. 30 June 1979. p. 1.
^ ab"Champion Billy dies". Manchester Evening News. 15 September 1977. p. 17.
^ abc"HISTORY - Snakepit Wigan". Snake Pit Wigan. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
BillyRiley (June 22, 1896 – September 9 or 15, 1977) was an English professional wrestler, coach, promoter, and referee. A legitimately skilled wrestler...
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Neil Melanson Shigeo Miyato Erik Paulson John Pesek William Regal BillyRileyBilly Robinson Kazushi Sakuraba Ad Santel Frank Shamrock Ken Shamrock Dick...
career began after training at Riley's Gym (later dubbed "The Snake Pit"), run by the renowned catch wrestler BillyRiley. He debuted in 1950, wrestling...
and Present Danger Petey 1994 Imaginary Crimes Attorney Drew 1994 I.Q. BillyRiley, Times Reporter uncredited 1997 Culture Tim Stevens Short film 1998 Pete's...
the town of Wigan. Notable members included Joe Carroll and BillyRiley, founder of Riley's Gym, more famously known as The Snake Pit. After World War...
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give pro wrestling a try by wrestler Bomber Bates. Thornton trained at BillyRiley's gym in Wigan, known infamously as the Snake Pit, where he built his...
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Steve Wright father of Alex Wright, BillyRiley the founder of Wigan's catch-wrestling gym, 'The Snake Pit', Billy Robinson, Davey Boy Smith, William Regal...
a student of the "Snake Pit" gym, run by the renowned catch wrestler BillyRiley in Wigan. The gym was the centre of learning submission wrestling as...
November 23, 1859 – July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who is alleged...
rough tactics in the ring. During the late 1960s, Nagasaki would feud with Billy Robinson and also with a young Jean Ferre. In 1968, Thornley toured Japan...
most prominent catch wrestling gyms, founded by professional wrestler BillyRiley. The school has since moved to neighbouring Aspull and the original building...
of Wigan. Riley's Gym, popularly known as "the Snake Pit", was established in the area in 1948 by professional catch wrestler BillyRiley. It later moved...
Icicle Reeder – MLB outfielder Tuffy Rhodes – MLB and Japanese player BillyRiley – MLB player outfielder Pete Rose – All-Star MLB player, holds record...
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