Real Name - Vic FaulknerLifespan - 7/14/1944 - 7/6/2017
5’7” 150 lbs. - Bolton, Lancashire
Athletic Background - Wrestling [Bolton Amateur Club]; Stock Car Racing
Teacher(s) - Vic Hessle, Bert Royal
Aliases - none
Groups - none
Peak Years - `66-`76
Finisher(s) -
- Folding Cradle
- Bridging Leg Cradle
- Backslide
Favorites -
- “Playing Dead” Dropkick
- Bodyslam
- Double Knee Strike
- Running Elbow
- Roll into Ankle Pick
Ringwork Rating -
| Move Set | 7 |
| Science | 5 |
| Aerial | 5 |
| Power | 6 |
| Strikes | 6 |
Intangibles Rating -
| Entertainment | 8 |
| Selling | 6 |
| Bumping | 6 |
| Carrying | 7 |
| Heat | 7 |
| Legacy | 6 |
Place in History - The mischievous smile, the tricky maneuvers, the crowd-pleasing acrobatics, there is good reason why Vic Faulkner was the most featured blue eye in the history of World of Sport wrestling. The son of Vic Hessle and younger brother of Bert Royal, Faulkner started as a pro when he was still a teenager. Vic developed a style that relied heavily on a combination of agility, technical skill and playfulness. He honed his talents abroad on the Continent and after only a few years was gaining a following due to his style. In 1966, Faulkner won the prestigious European Middleweight title, which he held for nearly two years (save a few months that Mick McManus held it). Following that middleweight reign, Faulkner became a perennial welterweight. In 1971, he defeated Adrian Street to win the British Welterweight title and was the main holder of the belt through 1977. He found a new rival in Jim Breaks who was the perfect stylistic complement to Faulkner and the two exchanged the title several times. In addition to that singles success, Vic Faulkner and his brother Bert, known as “The Royals” (or sometimes “The Faulkners”) were perhaps more successful as a team. They frequently battled the villainous team of McManus and Steve Logan as well as the Hell’s Angels (Adrian Street & Bobby Barnes) and the Rockers (Tommy Lorne and Pete Lapaque). Although there were no tag team titles to claim to bolster their reputation, the Royals are probably the most well-known tag team of the World of Sport era. Another accolade to add to Vic Faulkner’s case is that he is behind only two men, his arch-rivals Mick McManus and Jim Breaks oddly enough, in the number of appearances on World of Sport. While people tend to focus on the fame of characters like Big Daddy and Kendo Nagasaki, British wrestling has a long lineage of wrestlers whose athleticism and in-ring work was the basis of their reputation. Vic Faulkner is one such talent. He was a splendid wrestler whose antics, like playing dead and then jumping up and surprising his opponent, made him a major fan favorite.
