Bert Assirati

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Bernardo Esserati also known as Bert Assirati (1908 - August 31, 1990) was an English professional wrestler who became a multiple time British Heavyweight Champion and then a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. Assirati was known as one of the strongest and toughest wrestlers around known for displaying various feats of strength; including setting a British record 1938 by laying on his back, and pull over at arms length a 200lb barbell. At 240lb, Assirati was one of the heaviest men to perform the iron cross.

1 Profile
2 Career
3 Championships and accomplishments
4 External links and references

[edit] Profile

Height: 5ft 6in
Weight: 266 lb (at his heaviest)

[edit] Career

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, a one-arm hand stand, and a standing back flip.

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 afraid to wrestle him (including Lou Thesz, or so Assirati claimed.) ^[1]