British Wrestling

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Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 3:32 pm

One of the greats, well remember Sat Afternoons in front of the telly

RIP

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/wrestling/22622647

Baiting Guru Joined: 21 Nov 2010 Posts: 2200

RIP Mick.

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 6:51 pm

^
Early 1970's, ITV World of Sport, waiting for the football and rugby scores to be read at 4.45pm - many memories of MM, Jackie Pallo, Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks etc all getting battered around the ringside by old ladies with handbags (it wasn't sport it was cabaret) Smile

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 7:17 pm

^^^
I posted in Mimicat's wrasslin thread in regard to some of the greats of British Wresting back in the '70's.
http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1930010#1930010

R.I.P. Mick aka The man you love to hate.

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 7:38 pm

Quote:

(it wasn't sport it was cabaret)

But great cabaret ..... Laughing

The American wrestling is the same except on a larger scale !!

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 8:01 pm

...and not forgetting someone who was always heard but seldom seen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Walton

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 10:53 pm

/\/\

Quote:

In the early 1970s he was involved with British sexploitation movies and is credited as a producer of:
It's the Only Way to Go (1970)
Clinic Exclusive, aka Clinic Xclusive, aka With These Hands (1971)
Virgin Witch, aka Lesbian Twins (1972)

WTF?

That Kent Walton?

In the days that there were only 2 or 3 TV channels, the viewing figures were massive, and we all knew it was more like panto than sport.

Whatever happened to Kendo Nagasaki? I remember someone getting his mask off once.

Anyway, RIP Mick.

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 11:46 pm

I remember seeing Kendo Nagasaki on a Classic Wrestling show on TSN. He was (I think) working for Stampede Wrestling during the 70s.

Stampede Wrestling was a Calgary based production that was owned by the Legendary Stu Hart. The promotion/talent was purchased at some point Vince McMahon leading to some great careers for many Wrestlers but since this thread is about Britain: Davey Boy Smith (RIP).

On a side note - Does anyone remember a Wrestler called Exotic Adrian? He played a Brit and was somewhat Flamboyant to put it mildly....

Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 12:32 am

Amongst the 1970's British wrestlers there was Adrian Street who used to ponce about the canvas as an act.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Street

If it is the same person then could we arrange a bout with PF?

Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 4:19 pm

One of the grapplers I liked watching was Jim 'Cry Baby' Breaks. He got his name from being a sore loser and would often argue with the ref, remonstrate with the crowd and jump up and down if he didn't get his way. The grannies used to throw dummies (pacifiers) at him.

I especially remember his signature submission move which was one of the few that as a child I thought looked genuinelypainful. He would work on an oppenent's arm to weaken it, bend it so their hand was in their own armpit and then lift them into the air by the elbow!

Ouch. Johnny Kwango was cool too.

Baiting Guru Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 5905

Gave him a shout out in the other wrasslin thread but going to do the same here as it is specifically on Britsh Wrestling - Les Kellett, a great all round entertainer.

Not to mention Tom Billington aka Dynamite Kid, recognised internationally as one of the greatest wrestlers in the business started on the UK wrestling circuit.

British wrestlers do not get the type of exposure they used to when ITV took wrestling off terrestrial TV. However some British wrestlers are making an impressive name for themselves over in the US in TNA both Rob Terry and especially Magnus are looking impressive at the moment and are getting pushed by the company.

Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 1:39 pm

For those with an interest in British Wrestling, there is a documentary on BBC4 tonight at 22:05.

When wrestling was golden

Quote:

Timeshift turns back the clock to a time when villains wore silver capes, grannies swooned at the sight of bulky men in latex and the most masculine man in the country was called Shirley. In its heyday, British professional wrestling attracted huge TV audiences and made household names of generations of wrestlers from Mick McManus and Jackie 'Mr TV' Pallo to Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy. With contributions from inside the world of wrestling and surprising fans such as artist Peter Blake, this is an affectionate and lively portrait of a lost era of simpler pleasures, both in and out of the ring.

Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 11:58 pm

^I'll try to source that in BBC Canada; it ought to be along in six or eight months.

On a side note, Pro Wrestling became a big hit during the infancy of TV when someone figured out that all they needed to do was point a camera at the ring and a program was launched. Cheap and easy. Obviously this 'Sport' has evolved but not so much that the basic formula hasn't survived.

British Wrestler - Norman Smiley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Smiley

I think his finisher was the Norman Conquest but I could be wrong. The Big Wiggle was rather Funny though....

Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 12:25 am

oscarpiles wrote:

^I'll try to source that in BBC Canada; it ought to be along in six or eight months.

No need, what I hadn't realised when I posted was that it was in fact a repeat which was
first shown last year. It is available on You Tube.

Link

Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 10:45 am

4X1X9 wrote:

British wrestlers do not get the type of exposure they used to when ITV took wrestling off terrestrial TV.

Reason being that it was aimed at a totally different audience - the Bingo crowd.

Take a look at the old TV pictures and you'll see most of the audience is made up of the Blue Rinse Brigade.
Little old ladies used to love that shit and the wrestlers used to play to them.

That kinda didn't translate overseas too well.

Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 11:06 am

BBC4 documentary last night about the history of this 'sport' featuring some of the favorites.

Grappling Link

Baiting Guru Joined: 17 Sep 2006 Posts: 5905

Slightlyoutofit wrote:

Take a look at the old TV pictures and you'll see most of the audience is made up of the Blue Rinse Brigade.
Little old ladies used to love that shit and the wrestlers used to play to them.

Yeah, when they released the World of Sport Wrestling DVD's some years ago I bought them for nostalgia purposes. Some of the action was great but some of it was dire and down right embarrassing. As you said they played to what the little old ladies liked and indeed hated sometimes rather than basing it on athletic ability. Towards the end of his career Big Daddy could hardly move but was still on the top of the card (was it his brother or cousin who was the promoter) and, as you said, internationally and even nationally speaking it was beginning to look embarrassing that this is what passed for wrestling in the UK. At the time it made sense to pull it even though having that stage taken away did probably do damage to some potentially talented up and comers.