Bert Assirati
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| Birth name | Bartolmeo Assirati |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 July 1908 |
| Died | 31 August 1990 (aged 82) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bert Assirati |
| Billed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Billed weight | 250 lb (110 kg; 18 st) |
| Trained by | Atholl Oakeley |
| Debut | 1928 |
Bartolomeo "Bert" Assirati (9 July 1908 – 31 August 1990), 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 arms length a two hundred pound barbell. At 240 pounds, Assirati was one of the heaviest men to perform the iron cross.
Assirati began weight-training at the age of twelve. At the age of seventeen, Assirati formed part of the acrobatic stage duo Mello and Nello. Travelling to every port they could reach, 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 stated that Lou Thesz was one of the wrestlers afraid to face him. In one version of the story, Assirati challenged Thesz to a match, but Thesz refused. According to Thesz's account in his autobiography, he challenged Assirati for a series of wrestling matches, but Assirati did not respond to his request. Wrestler Les Thornton stated that Assirati's eagerness to hurt people in the ring helped establish credibility for competitors who were willing to face him.
Assirati won his first major championship while competing in the British Wrestling Association (BWA). He had claimed to be the British Heavyweight Champion but did not win the title officially until 27 January 1945. Two years later, he also won the European version of the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Paul Yvar Martinsen in the final round of a tournament on 18 February 1947. 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. Miquet regained the title belt later that year, however.
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