Orig Williams or El Bandito as he was known in the ring, was a wrestling promoter for over 45 years. Not only had he promoted shows all over the UK and Ireland but also in such far flung places as India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Sweden, Germany, France and several of the middle eastern countries. He actually lived in Pakistan for some time where he wrestled the legendary Bholu Brothers. This is something that he regards as the highlight of his career and something that he hopes he will be remembered for. The Bholu Brothers - Pahalwan, Asam, Akram and Goga were treated like Gods in Pakistan and Orig considered it a great honour that they took him under their wing during his stay in their country.

In his wrestling days The Bandit was one of the best villains in the business and could make any young blue eye look good. But he had a mean streak. Deep down he just loved to hurt people. Never one to turn down a challenge, Orig loved fighting and would still be doing it today if he was able. If you were facing him in the ring you had to be very careful because every chance he got, he would give you a sly kick in the ribs as you were getting up off the canvas. His foot-stomps to the chest were like being hit with a cement block. After the first one you had to grab his foot to prevent another one landing. Even going back to his football days, he was forever being sent off and probably holds the record for the most red cards in a season. He played for Oldham Athletic and was player/manager for Nantlle Vale in the Welsh league. More often than not he was the first person into the bath - sometimes during the first half. I've seen newspaper cuttings from the time with headlines like "Orig sent off in fourth minute", "Williams fined and suspended for 28 days", "Nantlle Boss sent off", "Nantlle team warned by referee" and probably the best of all - "Keeper walks off in cup tie". Prestatyn goalkeeper Peter Roberts had walked off the pitch in the 26th minute complaining about the rough style of play of the Nantlle forwards. In the same newspaper report, Orig is quoted as saying "we are a hard team and we play hard, they should not take part if they don't like it. Our forwards went in quite hard in this game and then the keeper just walked off in a tantrum".

Orig always said that the wrestling ring was a place for men not boys and he always quoted the old saying "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen". He played hard and wrestled hard and had great admiration for guys who did the same. But one night the tables were turned on him. He was wrestling Tony St Clair and using every dirty trick in the book. After a few rounds Tony was threatening to chin him. But Orig moved forward a little as Tony threw a punch and caught Orig full force on the nose. He went down like a ton of bricks. The expression on his face was priceless. It was one of surprise and shock.
It was Orig Williams who persuaded Adrian Street to leave the comfort of a steady wage and regular television exposure with Joint Promotions in 1974 to work on the Independent circuit. It was a move that Adrian never regretted and he worked on Orig's shows right up to the time he left these shores for the United States. Orig also brought the Mighty John Quinn over to the Independent circuit in 1980 - closely followed by Tony St Clair. Mark Rocco, Johnny Saint and the other top television stars followed soon after.  In 1982 Orig promoted the first of the very popular Reslo series on the new Welsh Channel 4 - S4C. Wrestling had been shown on Saturday afternoons on ITV for many years but Orig brought television wrestling to a new level with Cage Matches, Chain Matches, Pole Matches and of course the Girls - none of which you could see on ITV. The television cameras also went to France and Germany to cover some of the big matches in those countries in which Orig was involved. There was great opposition to ladies wrestling at many council-owned halls during the 70's and 80's. They were banned in many parts of the country - including London, and also at many venues in Ireland. Orig had an incredible stable of girls at that time who wrestled just as hard as the men. Girls like Tina Starr, Rusty Blair, Carla Sanchez and Bella Ogunlana were just some of the top girls who graduated from his 'Garage' training facility at the back of his house. There was blood, sweat and tears shed here - and it wasn't just the girls who were shedding the tears. Many a male trainee found the going too tough here and abandoned all notions of becoming a wrestler.
The Bandit became a huge star all over Wales thanks to S4C and appeared on many non wrestling shows and entertainment programmes. A few years ago S4C surprised him with a 'This Is Your Life' type programme which reunited him with many of his old friends from his days in the RAF, and also his football and wrestling colleagues who he hadn't seen for many years.

Orig was of course a fluent Welsh speaker and wouldn't dream of living anywhere else. But coming a close second to Wales would be Ireland - especially southern Ireland where he liked nothing better than to sit by a turf fire - in the bar of an old pub - in the middle of nowhere swapping stories with the locals. Orig's chosen profession took him all over the World - doing what he did best - causing mayhem whenever he stepped into a ring. It's a far cry from Ysbyty Ifan near Betwys y Coed, where as a boy he spent Saturday afternoons practising and participating in boxing matches with a pair of boxing gloves that a local lad in the village brought home from the RAF during the Second World War. 

Orig Williams sadly passed away on 11.11.09 from a heart attack during a routine visit to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in North Wales aged 78 years old. Orig leaves behind his devoted wife, Wendy who was always on hand at all of Origs wrestling shows, and Tara, his daughter who has shot to fame on the BBC reality show 'I'd Do Anything' as well as many years as a popular face of Welsh channel S4C, and now travels the UK performing in popular stage shows.

Origs funeral was populated by over 500 mourning friends and family of past and present.