JOLTED JOE D’ORAZIO
Before his death aged 99, Joe D’Orazio was the oldest living pro wrestler and the last major link to the scene in 50s Britain. Beginning his career in 1948, he preferred competing in foreign tournaments due to his disdain for Joint Promotions, the dominant force in British wrestling at the time. A 1968 back injury curtailed his time in the ring, though he remained active in the scene as a referee under Dale Martin (a subset of Joint Promotions, a career necessity given his attempts to continue a career without it bore little fruit) and a valued resource on his contemporaries. Nicknamed the “bard of the biff business” for his affinity for poetry, he also painted and acted as a stunt double in various films. His failure to make the ton means Abe Coleman remains the only known centenarian pro wrestler. D’Orazio was a unique for Living in a Box.
Joe D’Orazio
27 July 1922 – 9 March 2022, aged 99
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