BADDIES vs. BADDIES!!

Adrian Street vs Jim Breaks 1972. Bad tempered and unsportsmanly but basically scientific 1-1 draw with the only public warning in the final minute of the final round. The referee was the blue eye for getting that match out of the pair.

Brilliant line, Graham you must have been a great MC. The likes of Bobby Palmer were too lazy ever to think up anything novel to say.

Very hard to be a villain aged 18, and of course the fans wanted to imagine this poor fresh-faced teenager with an over-bearing egotistical bullying father.

I saw The Pallos quite a few times and they certainly wrestled as "faces" or "blue eyes" at The King's Hall, Belle Vue against The Lapaques (Jon and Pete), The Artful Dodgers (Chris Bailey and Dick Conlan), The Breakaways (Jim Breaks and Mick James) and The Black Diamonds (Abe Ginsberg and Eric Cutler). They also did so at the De Montfort Hall, Leicester, against the aforementioned Hell's Angels (Adrian Street and Bobby Barnes) and at a theatre show in Huddersfield (I forget the name of the theatre but Dixon was the promoter) against the teaming of Lee Sharron and "Tug" Wilson. Things were a little more confused at The Sports Centre, Newark, where Max Crabtree promted them against the pairing of Terry Jowett and Bill Bennette who ended up fighting each other.

However, they were very definitely the heels against The Barons (Ian Gilmour and Jeff Kaye) at King's Hall, Belle Vue, and The Royal Brothers (Bert Royal and Vic Faulkner) both at The Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, and The Ice Rink, Nottingham.

Although I promoted Pallo on several occasions I only promoted them as a tag team once at The Gala Baths, West Bromwich, and I promoted them as heels against the pairing of Johnny Kincaid and The Dropkick Kid. Having said that however, they both entered and left the ring to enthusiastic cheers. I was M.C. and remember saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, many wrestlers have become famous after appearing on televised wrestling. Tonight I am proud to present the man who made televised wrestling famous.......Jackie "Mr.TV" Pallo. " He seemed to like that!

Hi Powerlock,

I thought the Pallos always wrestled as faces?

Princess Paula Vs Klondyke Kate at Peterborough. Paula was so vicious she practically turned Kate blue-eye. Against anyone else Kate would have been the monster villain but not on that occasion!

saw Hells Angels vs Pallo and Son, the Pallos wrestled as

Would Rocco versus Finlay come into this category, not too sure how often they met each other

I remember Alan Garfield playing the "blue eye" when matched against the Zebra Kid (George Bollas) a pairing which for some reason Dale Martin occasionally promoted. Apparently the result was usually a disqualification for the Zebra Kid, who despite his massive bulk, was surprisingly agile.

A contest I never saw, but wish I had, was staged at Bermondsey Baths, a venue ,not for the faint hearted, back in the 1960's between local boy Pasquale Salvo and his tag team partner Peter Rann.Both were extremely hard men indeed.I wonder who emerged the winner?

Apologies. I meant to type "will just mention" rather than "which just mention"

I recall Hans Streiger in a wild bout at The King's Hall, Belle Vue, against occasional tag partner Billy Howes. That was a Martin Conroy booking for Wryton and was about as wild as it got on Joint in those days. On the independent circuit I recall Streiger facing "Bronco" Jack Cassidy in what turned out to be a veritable bloodbath on Cassidy's own Promotion (in conjunction with Carpentier) at the Houldsworth Hall, Deansgate, Manchester.

In most villain vs villain bouts the crowd seem to work out their own blue eyes. When Mick Mc.Manus fought Jackie Pallo at The Royal Albert Hall I recall the crowd getting behind Pallo but when, at the same venue, I saw Mc.Manus fight Maxine, the punters were largely rooting for Mick.

Adrian Pollard mentions Wild Angus versus Mal Kirk which I found to be a fascinating bout. i recall one night at Belle Vue on a Morrell and Beresford promotion, Kirk was matched against Don Vines and the punters really did not know who to support. Kirk won by disqualification but the decision could have gone either way.

A villain versus villain bout which i recall with great affection was "Sir" Alan Garfield versus Lee Sharron at Brent Town Hall in Wembley which went four cats. Two masters of the game going head to head although, even in that one, the majority of punters seemed to decide to side with Sharron.

I won't bang on about my own shows but, on the subject of Sharron, which just mention in passing the unusual tag match I promoted in which the crowd had Lee Sharron and Klondyke Jim very much as the blue eyes against a team which had proven to be extremely villainous on my previous show, The Lincolnshire Poachers (Bill Clarke and Rick Wiseman working as Rick Clarke) at The Parr Hall, Warrington.

I don't know about 2 baddies, but 2 who didn't seem to like each other was Sandy Orford v Dai Sullivan.

If you are going to count The Ghoul (Coverdale) then I could give you The Ghoul (the proper one-Bates) v The Vampire (Bill Benny).

Never saw a badder man than Streiger who must never have done a heel turn.

Went to see him and the Guardsman at Buxton

Some cheered for Streiger but in general I think the crowd was indifferent.

Match was played out with Streiger giving Shirley the rounds of the kitchen

Often when two baddies faced each other the crowd took to one of them and as a villain v villain match it proved disappointing. Logan v Gargantua saw Logan the good guy. Wall v kendo was a cracker but of course we all sided with Rocky. I've said before I only saw Angus as a blue eye on the Independents whilst he was a villain on other nights. Ghoul (Coverdale) v an Outlaw was a good villain v villain match.

Although I never saw it, I would imagine that after Pallo v McManus, which was guaranteed to pack the halls, another one would have been McManus vs Doctor Death.

It only happened once, as far as I know, when Paul Lincoln promotions merged (or bought out) with Joint Promotions.

Neither was going to lose, as you can imagine, so it went to a double DQ.

This, to me, also casts doubts on the other thing we are talking about on another thread; Peter Maivia beating and unmasking Doctor Death in the 1960's, surely McManus would have saved that all for himself!

I remember Shirley Crabtree, pre Big Daddy days, as "The Battling Guardsman" demolishing all before him at the time. Until he ran into Gwyn Davies, who was also doing a "heel" turn at the time. .. The Dye was cast when Gwyn hit Shirley during the referees instructions. Gwyn really did a 'number' on the Big Fella, and his dastardly antics soon had the crowd on Shirleys side! Shirley eventually won by disqualification.

I saw the most magnificent match at the Royal Albert Hall.

McManus v Breaks.

They went at it hammer and tongs from the moment they entered the ring, ignored the bells at the end of the first two rounds and were eventually both disqualified in the third.

Literally non-stop action. Literally.

The surprise factor was enormous. I've never forgotten it. Great work from all and the ref, Max Ward from memory, trying in vain to separate them.

Peter Rann v Joe Murphy: I remember the crowd on the late Hastings Pier having no idea who to cheer for.