Max Crabtree

Crabtree got into wrestling after completing his National Service along with his brothers Shirley and Brian.{{cite book |first=Simon |last=Garfield |title=The Wrestling |chapter=5 |publisher=Faber and Faber |year=2013 |isbn=978-0571265459}} After an injury in a match to Brian and Shirley retiring, Crabtree moved into booking. Initially he booked independently for 20th Century Promotions. He was due to join Jackie Pallo and Johnny Dale to set up a rival wrestling organisation to Joint Promotions. However, Dale died and Crabtree was headhunted to join Joint Promotions as he was the most experienced booker in the UK at the time.{{cite book |first=John |last=Lister |title=Slamthology: Collected Wrestling Writings 1991-2004 |pages=228–229 |year=2005 |publisher=William Wood & Company |isbn= 9781905290109 }}

During the 1970s, Max was appointed Northern area booker with Joint Promotions, where he is credited with bringing Shirley out of retirement and inventing the Big Daddy persona and gimmick for his brother.{{cite news|title=Big Daddy |work=Sydney Morning Herald |date=6 December 1997 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/119755826/|access-date=19 December 2020|via=Newspapers.com}}{{subscription required}} Crabtree helped to promote a number of wrestlers including Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith (as Young David), William Regal (as Roy Regal) and George Kidd.{{cite web|date=5 December 2018|title=WWE Legend Dynamite Kid, Thomas Billington, Dies on His 60th Birthday|url=https://movieweb.com/dynamite-kid-thomas-billington-dead-wwe-wwf-wrestling/|access-date=19 December 2020|website=Movieweb}}{{cite news|title=Calls for iconic Dundee wrestler George Kidd to be immortalised in bronze|work=Evening Telegraph|url=https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/calls-for-iconic-dundee-wrestler-george-kidd-to-be-immortalised-in-bronze/|access-date=19 December 2020|issn=0307-1235}}{{cite book |author=WWE |title=WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |year=2020 |page=182 |edition=4th |isbn=978-0241488065}} He spent forty years as a wrestling promoter. Crabtree worked on bringing in foreign talent to wrestle in the UK, such as Sammy Lee (who later wrestled as Tiger Mask) after a recommendation from Karl Gotch. He was highly regarded in the British wrestling industry for his booking skills.{{cite magazine |first=Dave |last=Meltzer |title=Wrestling Observer Newsletter |page=16 |edition=July 2004 |issn= 1083-9593}}

Crabtree came under criticism for building Joint Promotions around Big Daddy, leading to allegations of nepotism.{{cite web|url=http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/53494/1/Litherland%2C_Benjamin.pdf |title=The Field and the Stage |publisher=University of Sussex |page=186 |date= |accessdate=19 December 2020}} He offered £30 fight purses for main events with Big Daddy as opposed to £25 for all other bouts.{{cn|date=September 2022|reason=Find valid secondary source - as I recall this was mostly reported in tabloids proscribed on Wikipedia}} This came to light following the death of King Kong Kirk in the ring after a match with Big Daddy (though the subsequent autopsy found for a death from natural causes and cleared the Crabtrees of any wrongdoing).{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/northernpowerhouse.htm |title=Northern Powerhouse |publisher=Wrestling Heritage |date=24 August 1987 |access-date=9 May 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829011749/http://www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk/northernpowerhouse.htm |archive-date=29 August 2016 }} Former WWF and WCW champion Bret Hart wrote in his autobiography that Max would "wave a few extra quid in a wrestler's face" to entice them to take Daddy's "double elbow" backdrop move.{{cite book | first =Bret | last =Hart |author-link=Bret Hart | title =Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling | publisher = Random House | year = 2009 | isbn =978-1-4070-2931-3 | page = 118 }} ITV removed wrestling from television in 1988. Crabtree criticised American wrestling such as the World Wrestling Federation calling it "over the top and a load of ballyhoo".

Crabtree continued to promote wrestling under the banner Ring Wrestling Stars from 1991 until his retirement in February 1995. Big Daddy continued to headline his shows until his own retirement in December 1993, thereafter Max Crabtree employed Davey Boy Smith in a similar headline role for several months in 1994.{{cite web |last=Woodward |first=Hamish |date=23 September 2024 |title=British Bulldog Replaced Big Daddy As The Top UK Star In 1994 |url=https://britwrestling.co.uk/british-bulldog-replaced-big-daddy-as-the-top-uk-star-in-1994/ |access-date=25 November 2024 |website=Brit Wrestling }}

As well as Shirley Crabtree, Max was also the brother of referee and MC Brian Crabtree. in the 1960s, Max and Brian were themselves wrestlers in the middleweight and lightweight divisions respectively. His nephew Eorl Crabtree is a retired professional rugby league player.{{cite news |url=https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/wrestling-hits-huddersfield-its-not-5005833 |title=Wrestling hits Huddersfield but it's not as we remember it |publisher=Yorkshire Live |date=12 July 2013 |accessdate=19 December 2020}}

Crabtree died 2 April 2023, at the age of 90.{{cite web|url=https://www.wrestlingnewssource.com/news/81391/The-Legendary-British-Promoter-Max-Crabtree-Passes-Away/|title=The Legendary British Promoter Max Crabtree Passes Away|date=3 April 2023|website=WrestlingNewsSource|accessdate=4 April 2023}}

{{reflist}}

{{Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom}}

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Category:1933 births

Category:2023 deaths

Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers

Category:English male professional wrestlers

Category:Sportspeople from Halifax, West Yorkshire

Category:Professional wrestling promoters

Category:Crabtree family