Career
The Islington-born Gutteridge was billed from Highbury, North London and was regarded as one of the first stars of British professional wrestling. During his career, his most famous rivalry was an 11-year-long battle with perhaps the greatest villain in British wrestling history, Mick McManus. At the height of the feud Pallo and McManus drew a record television audience of 22 million.
In 1973, Pallo made two unsuccessful attempts to beat McManus for the European Middleweight Championship.
Pallo was a risk-taking athlete on the one hand but pushed credibility to the limits at other times owing to his over-the-top cockiness. Fans rejoiced in his sit-on back breaker and arm lever, his aeroplane spin, and his cross-shoulder backbreaker.
Pallo"s star was further affirmed when a 1964 date in Bishop"s Stortford sold out in only 3 hours. His feud with McManus was featured in the 2012 British Broadcasting Corporation documentary When Wrestling Was Golden: Grapples, Grunts and Grannies.
Autobiography
Even before the publication of his 1985 autobiography "You Grunt, I"ll Groan" (), where he revealed the secrets of the wrestling entertainment business (including referees carrying razor blades to nick fighters" earlobes in order to produce the necessary blood to satisfy the bloodlust of the frenzied crowd of mostly elderly women – Pallo preferred to bite his lip to produce the same effect) crowds argued about whether wrestling bouts were staged or not.
"Of course it was, it was pure showbiz right from the start", Pallo wrote in his autobiography. Apart from wrestling, Pallo also had a mainstream show business career – appearing in pantomime with celebrities such as Lionel Blair and Dick Emery. He also appeared in episodes of The Avengers and Are You Being Served?.
"I want it to be made perfectly clear that this was an accident.
I have never been beaten by a woman and never intend to be", Pallo said afterward. He was a first cousin of television sports commentator Regional Gutteridge.
British Heavy Middleweight Championship (1 time).
