One of the first major heels in Joint Promotions, he was mentioned by "Exotic" Adrian Street as one of the wrestlers who helped shape professional wrestling in Britain.
[8] He then wrestled a series of matches against Jagindar Singh, defeating him in the main event of a show on 4 September and again on 16 October.
[3] While he was competing, Verna's best friend was Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Famer Bert Assirati, although the two had matches in which both wrestlers made each other bleed quite a bit.
Verna explained in an interview that neither man held back because they did not want the fans to "complain that they did not enjoy the fight".
Verna later held the British Empire/Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship in the 1950s before dropping the title to Geoff Portz during a match in Newcastle, New South Wales in 1959.
[15][16] He also defeated Phil Siki, the heavyweight champion of the West Indies, in a match at Cambridge Road Baths.
[17] In the summer of 1960, he headlined wrestling events held at the California Ballroom in bouts against Francis Sullivan and Ray Hunter.
[4] In March 1966, Verna agreed to serve as a last minute replacement for the "flu-struck" Wayne Bridges in his match against Dennis Mitchell at Royal Albert Hall.