Steve Serene's career, in his own words:
It was in the mid 1970s when the British wrestling heyday was beginning to come to an end that my career as a professional
wrestler was just starting. Trust me to jump on the boat just as it was starting to sink! It's a good thing I kept the day job
on!
I had been a friend of JJ Pallo Jnr since we had been at school together, and by this time I had almost become one of the
family.
STEVE SERENE
Jackie Jnr and his famous dad had just left Joint Promotions and set up their own company “Jackie Pallo Enterprises” to,
amongst other things, promote wrestling shows. I was roped in (no pun intended) to help, and did everything from
running shows to MC, to referee, to bill poster.
I had been an amateur wrestler for a few years and had done quite well, so the Jacks decided in their wisdom that I was to
add another string to my bow. It was time for me to take the leap into the pro ranks, as if I didn’t have enough to do!
Big Jack (as I always referred to Jackie Snr) had built a gym in the garage at their bungalow in Barnet where I and JJ Jnr
used to work out on the weights, although I seem to remember JJ Jnr spending most of the time posing in the mirror rather
than working out. Anyway some mats went down in the gym and the two Jacks took it upon themselves to try to mould me into
some sort of passable professional wrestler. The first time in training big Jack hit me with one of his forearm smashes, I
thought perhaps this pro wrestling game was not such a good idea. Any wrestler that has been on the receiving end of one of
these will know exactly what I mean! For those non wrestlers, or those who never had the privilege of wrestling Jackie Snr,
the words of Mohammed Ali come to mind, when Henry Cooper hit him with his left hook. “Not only did it rock me, but my
relatives back in Africa felt it!” I foolishly persevered, and after many hours of blood, sweat and tears in the gym, I was
ready, and I started wrestling under the name of Steve Serene.
So, not only was I driving from Barnet to Whitby one day, and to the Isle of Wight the next, but I was wrestling and usually
running the show as well. Oh, did I mention I also had a day job? In retrospect, that forearm smash must have done more
damage than I thought.
SOLITAIRE
The idea of Solitaire came from JJ Pallo back in the early days of Jackie Pallo Enterprises. JJ thought it would be a good
idea if we created our own masked legend in the stamp of Kendo Nagasaki and Doctor Death, only this masked wrestler would
be the consummate good guy, in contrast to the bad guy image of most of the masked wrestlers at the time. It was decided it
would be a good idea (we were full of good ideas in those heady days) that the identity of the mystery man would be an
absolute secret and not even the wrestlers would know who he was, but the bad idea (yes, we had plenty of those too) was
that JJ would be the mystery man in the mask. So we set about creating the legend that was to be Solitaire. After many
trips around benevolent aunties and girlfriends who owned a sewing machine or could wield a sewing needle and after many
truly awful prototypes, most of which turned round on JJ’s head at first contact in the ring and rendered him blind, we came
up with a passable mask that looked good and stayed more or less in one place on his head. A white body stocking was
purchased from a ballet shop (probably another one of the bad ideas), a silver cape was made, and Solitaire was ready to
wow and mystify the wrestling world.
The big day came on Wednesday 3rd of April, unseasonably hot for the time of the year, at the town hall Haverhill, where
Solitaire would make his sensational debut against Neil Sands. JJ and I set off early in my car so as to make sure we were
in good time, with the idea that we would walk around the town with JJ in the mask to promote some interest in the
wrestling show, and hopefully ensure it was a sell-out. About an hour away from Haverhill, JJ donned the mask just in
case we were spotted by anyone. By the time we hit Haverhill, poor JJ was dying of heatstroke (no car aircon in those days)
in the mask, and was relieved to get out of the car for some fresh air. 20 yards down the road there was a screech of
tyres, and two bloody great coppers jumped out of a squad car, and raced over to us. Apparently, there had been a robbery at
the local bank that morning by a “Masked Man”. This was definitely turning out to be one of our bad ideas. Fortunately both
the coppers had seen the wrestling posters around the town, and after lots of explaining, and an offer of free tickets, we
were left to go on our way - Phew! We decided perhaps we had better go straight to the hall after that, and have a strong
cup of tea and a lie down. The best was yet to come. As we walked into the hall the first person we bumped into was Neil
Sands, Solitaire’s opponent for the evening. His first words were, "Hi Steve, who’s that with you? Is that JJ in there? Hello
JJ it must be bloody hot in that mask. We all thought when we saw the programme it must be you". So much for the mystery
man!
After a few more shows, not only did all the wrestlers know who JJ’s alter ego was, but the audience were beginning to
suspect. JJ was far too well known to be able to carry off the deception. So with a few alterations to the costume - the
body stocking had to go as it really wasn’t me - I became Solitaire, and although all the wrestlers knew, the audience I
don’t think realised, or probably cared, that the fabulous mystery man Solitaire was really the wrestler Steve Serene.
Strangely enough, some time later Solitaire actually Wrestled JJ at Whitby, which must have confused anyone who was still
convinced that JJ was Solitaire.
JJ Jnr and Jack Snr formed a subsidiary of “Jackie Pallo Enterprises” called “WAW” (Wrestling Around the World), to make
wrestling shows for TV, mainly aimed at the American market, so both Solitaire and Steve Serene appeared on TV in the
States and on Sky TV in the UK. Unfortunately, at that time British wrestling had had its day and, sadly, professional
wrestling as we knew it was dying. Solitaire made his final appearance in the ring at a televised show in Northampton.
Perhaps if Solitaire and maybe Steve Serene had been born 10 years before ... well, who knows?
Solitaire’s costume still hides in my wardrobe in the spare room, along with Steve Serene's wrestling boots, waiting for
that spectacular comeback that, unfortunately, will never happen, but a man can dream can't he?
Melvyn Eyres, alias Steve Serene, alias Solitaire.
Many thanks to Steve Serene for sending all this information and the photos.
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