At a recent event in Balham there was some swearing from the wrestlers. It occurred to me that during "the Golden Era" I do not recall any bad language at all.Was this just because it was forbidden by the promoters? Or just confined to the dressing room
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Talk Wrestling
Share your memories of British wrestling 1930 - 1988
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The bottom of a poster I have from a 1971 Jack Atherton show at Imperial Balroom Nelson has a warning about the use of "obscene language" by any person. Also prohibited is the throwing of missiles or intefering with wrestlers on their way to and from the ring. The threatened punnishment includes being evicted from the hall and being reported to the police.
Dales in particular had strict code of behaviour including swearing and other joint members followed.i knew of one lad who received a warning about bookings after questioning the parentage of a referee. Leon arras often used the word bugger but was never questioned.on how the reg Maxwell hall reacted to Johnny Czelaws Swhine . Interestingly racist remarks went down badly in the dressing room perhaps we weren't all neanderthals,however homophobic jibes were almost the norm. The award for swear words per sentence outside and whispered inside the ring goes to Dales referee .............. Any ideas
Unfortunately bad language as crept into most sports these days and is now looked on as the norm, boxing is probably one of worst next to football, great shame as once over it was the norm not to swear in front of women/children or an audience. A case of society in decline i'm afraid.
I suppose in the last century it was mainstream and viewed as a national sport bur in the present day it has more of a cult(with an L) following
I do remember a loud and nasty racial slur from Dominic Pye to Johnny Kincaid in the mid 1960s. It was obviously intended to be heard as I was in the balcony, and the hall was always noisy when Dominic was wrestling.
I don't think that the bad language is just something that wrestlers have to deal with. Whether on TV. or in films years ago you never heard anybody swearing, nowadays it is all about F....this and F.....that, even on daytime broadcasts! I think it is more a genaration broblem.
Cheers
Usually in over 18 promotions but not exclusively.
It is more prevelant in certain promotions, adult orientated or not, it rarely adds anything to a promo, never heard it in the ring even at the turn of the century.
For the brief 6 years I wrestled in late 80s/ early 90s I was told not to swear. Whether this was the same for the bigger names I dont know, but I d imagine so as anyone who took the mic in those days never swore either