Wild Angus Campbell

Earl Black, the Australian heavyweight who was well known to British fans of the 1970’s, was one of many who told us he felt privileged to count Angus amongst his closest friends.

“Angus  had the respect of everyone he met, and was a great ambassador for wrestling” Earl told Wrestling Heritage.

Earl and Angus’ friendship began in 1971, when they were both working for Canadian promoter Stu Hart in Calgary. They met when they found themselves booked into the same hotel, the Calgarian.

Whilst Earl wasn’t too surprised to find that Angus’ name was actually Frank Hoy, he was astonished to find that the giant Scot was actually born in Ireland.

There was further astonishment as Earl got to know Angus. He found that the wild, unruly wrestler Angus was nothing like the man he got to know so well outside of the ring. Unlike his ring persona Frank Hoy was thoughtful and considerate, a quietly spoken man who was always willing to help those in need.

“He was a stabilising influence, always ready with words of wisdom or advice for those who had a problem,” said Earl.

The real Angus was a deeply religious man with a strong moral code and a distinct sense of right and wrong. His youth had been spent in a monastery with never to be fulfilled plans for life in the priesthood.

Soon after arriving in Canada Angus tired of living in hotels and decided to find an apartment, which he did on 17^th Avenue, Calgary. Angus and Earl shared the apartment, spending their quieter moments discussing two of their favourite subjects, religion and philosophy.

British wrestler Dennis Lord echoed Earl’s words. Dennis described Angus as  

“One of the good guys, always willing to help young wrestlers by offering a bit of advice.”

Dennis recalled Angus telling him always to dress smartly,

"I remember him once telling me that I should always  let my socks show above the top of my boots, because the old time promoters liked that."