Norman Morrell
Norman Morrell was a British wrestler. He competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in both Wrestling at the [1936 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle featherweight|freestyle] and Wrestling at the 1936 [Summer Olympics – Men's Greco-Roman featherweight|Greco-Roman wrestling]. Morrell was a four-time British freestyle wrestling champion, having won the featherweight division from 1933 to 1936. He also won national championships in Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling.
Morrell became a pro wrestler sometime after the 1936 Olympics. He grew to dislike the disorganised and scandalous state of pro wrestling at the time and became a promoter and trainer in the early 1940s. In October 1943, Morrell arranged a meeting that led to the formation of the British Wrestling Federation. Although described as a trade union, it intended to promote its own tournaments and champions. After the war, Morrell wrote a ruleset that would become Mountevans rules, comparable to Queensberry Rules in boxing. Partnering with Edward Evans, [1st Baron Mountevans] to legitimise pro wrestling, Mountevans champions were established, comparable to the Lonsdale Belt. Morrell was a leading member of Joint Promotions and trained wrestlers at his gym in Bradford including George [Kidd (wrestler)|George Kidd]. He engaged in public disputes in defense of pro wrestling with Atholl Oakeley and Don Branch. Oakeley publicly apologised after a legal dispute with Morrell. Branch, previously a wrestler and referee for Morrell, orchestrated a public exposé of pro wrestling but left the country after Morrell's aggressive rebuttals and a public challenge.
Morrell died at his home on 21 December 2000.