WRESTLER Vic Faulkner used to lift the bad guys clean out of the ring... but now he's content to lift his new title as Thwaites salesman of the year.

Vic shot to television fame in the 1960s as a fresh-faced youngster when he and his elder brother and tag partner Bert Royal were favourites on Saturday afternoon wrestling.

They topped the bill in front of royalty, grappled for 5,000 fans at the Royal Albert Hall and mingled with celebrities including The Beatles.

But like many Premiership footballers of today, Vic always worried about what he would do with his life when the bell rang at the end of his last bout.

"That was always on my mind, but in the end I joined Thwaites and have never looked back," said Vic, now 52.

"My dad owned a pub in Bolton and I had another in Chorley for a while so I had been connected to the industry for some time and it seemed a natural step.

"I enjoy my job because it gets me out and talking to people. The trick is to get the right people working at the right pubs with the right selection behind the bar. The rest is easy. "I actually started at the brewery with two black eyes because I had my last fight on a Friday and came to Thwaites four days later on Monday. It's funny how you remember things like that."

Now a father-of-two living at Harwood, Bolton, Vic and his wife Sally are looking forward to an all-expenses paid trip to Monte Carlo as his prize.

The couple's lifestyle is a far cry from when Vic was one of the most successful wrestlers in the world.

He said: "We don't go out much now and that is how we like it, but when I was wrestling I was in situations I wouldn't have been in if I was a multi-millionaire. Money couldn't have bought that.

"The English wrestling team were guests of honour at lavish parties abroad and life was very exciting, but sometimes I was miserable.

"There were long periods away from home and being recognised all the time was very difficult."

And he is looking forward to returning to Monte Carlo where he has previously fought.

"It will be nice to go back on a different footing," he said. "I enjoy my job at Thwaites and am pleased to have won this award."

WERE you a grunt n' groan fan? Did Billy Two Rivers get you doing a war dance or did Mick McManus make you mad? Write with wrestling memories to: The Editor, Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 1 High Street, Blackburn, BB1 1HT, or e-mail on let_editorial@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk

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