Billy Robinson

Billy Robinson was one of the most technically accomplished catch wrestlers of the twentieth century. Trained in the Wigan tradition and later under the influence of Val Childs in North America, Robinson became a living encyclopedia of catch-as-catch-can technique.

Robinson competed across Europe, North America, and Japan, where he became a legend in the professional wrestling world. His technical mastery was recognized by practitioners of every grappling discipline, and he spent his later years teaching the catch wrestling tradition to a new generation of fighters.

Among his students were Josh Barnett and Kazushi Sakuraba — two of the most celebrated submission grapplers in the history of mixed martial arts. Through them, Robinson's lineage continues to influence competitive grappling to this day.