Some areas as well as being conquered by Joint Promotions also had their own distinct feel over the years. So much so , in the case of Ayr that they have their very own wrestlers reunion that our own Hack attends. I am not going back to the very start as I am not sure when it all started , but well over 50 years ago now the regular venue was The Ice Rink in Ayr. I think the capacity was something like 4000. Wonder if they filled it when Joint Promotions aided by the TV Boom was at the peak of it's powers.
Here are a few bills. Some very big names got to travel up there regular by the looks of it and they worked with Scotland's best.
Cape Promotions were in Ayr in the 1960s, but by the time of this 1970 poster I thin this was more likely Orig,
By 1975 Spartan Promotions had taken over
Spartan still there in 1978
1978 again, still Spartan, with two of the Bryden brothers on the bill.
Matches versus English wrestlers described as international?
Pallo v Andy Robin????
Something wrong surely!!
Ayrshire on the opposition front was Cape Promotions in the 1960s. Following their demise in the late 1960s moved in Spartan Promotions of Dale Storm and Bill Bryden.
Yes Peter Keenan did shows at Govan Town Hall in Glasgow and then they moved to the Kelvin Hall so he had some influence there. As SaxonWolf says there is some clarity needed on some of the names on the later bills circa 1979. I guess it was a case of anything goes then. Wonder how many guys that go to the Ayr reunion are captured on those bills. Bet Dale Storm can tell a few tales.
Interesting stuff, Ron!
Dynamite Kidd with two "d's", Man Mountain Haystacks, King Kendo Nagasaki?
Are these the real deal or imposters? (I assume Nagasaki could be Clarke, in this case).
About 8 miles inland from Irvine and maybe 17miles from Ayr is Kilmarnock , almost equal in size to Ayr. The grand Hall held about 1800 I think. Those local boys , I have a collection again that captures many of them. Looking for memories , can anyone add. Who is the Edinburgh Hillbillie. Enjoy these.
11 miles up the coast is Irvine and the Magnum Leisure Centre. Bobby Baron was doing wrestling on Blackpool Pleasure Beach and I think also the Holiday Camps. Not the sort of situation that would produce a wrestling advert. Never seen one , nearest I saw was a Blackboard with Wrestling Chalked on it. But at last I think I have Bobby Baron promoter.
But here we also have Wryton a long way from home.
Less than 10 years later Wrestling in the town of Ayr had a completely different look and was at the Dam Park Hall. I believe the capacity was 1800. What I really like is that I have captured many of the local boys here.
But Joint promotions also had a presence here , the Odeon Cinema housed over 1700 people including an upper circle. They also used the Dam Park Hall into the 1980's. Anyone have any memories of visiting Ayr. I have more on the coast later.