| Biography | Bert Assirati was an English professional wrestler who became a multiple-time British Heavyweight Champion, and, posthumously, a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. He was known for displaying various feats of strength, including setting a British record in 1938 by lying on his back, and pulling over at arm's length a 200-pound barbell. At 240 pounds, Assirati was one of the heaviest men to perform the iron cross.
At the age of seventeen, Assirati formed part of the acrobatic stage duo Mello and Nello. The pair performed a variety of hand-balancing acts. At the age of twenty, Assirati began his career as a professional wrestler, but continued to train as a weight-lifter. At his highest weight, he was one of the strongest men in the world, and could still perform such acrobatic maneuvres as the iron cross and a one-arm hand stand. After winning matches, Assirati would perform a standing back flip. In 1938, Assirati deadlifted 800 pounds. He trained for his career in wrestling under Atholl Oakeley.
Assirati was known as a vicious competitor. He is said to have taken pleasure in injuring his opponents, and often refused to play along with the predetermined nature of professional wrestling. Many promoters were reluctant to book him, because of his reputation for double-crossing his opponents, and many wrestlers were said to be afraid to wrestle him.
Assirati won his first major championship while competing in the British Wrestling Association. He had claimed to be the British Heavyweight Champion but did not win the title officially until 1945. He also won the European World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Paul Yvar Martinsen in the final round of a tournament. He later dropped this title to Martinson but continued to hold the British Heavyweight Championship. To this, he added the European Heavyweight Championship in 1949 by defeating Felix Miquet.
Later in his life, Bert worked as doorman at the Ebbisham Halls, Surrey, especially on the dance nights when many of the top acts of the sixties were playing there. He used to enjoy showing a party trick of placing a metal drink cap between each of the fingers on both hands and completely crush them all at once. |