Brian Dixon, R.I.P.

Wasn't sure where to put this, so moderators, please feel free to delete or move elsewhere.

Here is Brian Dixon, from 1971, writing about the UK wrestling scene, for an American magazine. Note the mention of globe trotting!

Did so much for professional wrestling.Condolences to the family.R.I.P. Brian.

Very sad news rest in peace Brian you started as a fan and remained an enthusiast.Im sure young Joseph will do you proud picking up the All Star baton

I noticed he was in a wheelchair when he turned up to Dudley Town Hall a couple of months ago and was going to raise the issue on here. But I had a talk with him afterwards and he seemed in a chipper mood, said he only needed the chair because he'd been having breathing probs lately, so I thought nothing further of it at the time.

Memorable night at the Royal Spa Centre Leamington in February 2018.Brian was present and also Tony Walsh as a spectator. Retrospectively that night was the end of an era

RIP Brian Dixon.

How strange that he should pass so soon after Max Crabtree.

RIP Brian.

RIP Brian i had a brief chat with him at Blackpool last year. He signed a good luck card for me which i will always treasure. sincere condolences to Mitzi and the rest of his family. may his soul go up to heaven

This was announced at the Progress event in London on Sunday and Brian was given an ovation

Lovely to hear those comments from Steve Irwin, who I think is Steve Adonis - a bright and much loved star on Brian's shows for several years.

Brian was the foundation for my growing interest in wrestling as a teenager. The first show I attended was at Liverpool Stadium in 1978 and I went there regularly until 1982. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, All Star was the place to go for top quality British wrestling and I enjoyed the All Star shows at Hanley, Oldham, Bolton, Stockport etc.

Brian was always friendly to me as a fan and I an grateful to have known him.

My condolences to his family at this sad time.

Yes, Brian put a lot of hard work in to keep British wrestling going, putting on some great shows during and way after the ITV era. My only win was on one of his Butlin's shows. He will be missed for sure. R.I.P.

From my first match on August 23, 1988 in Bognor Regis, Brian looked after me. He gave me plenty of bookings. I figure I spent 5000 hours in the Citroen with him and the likes of Regal, Brookside and The Doc, travelling from Butlins to Butlins for noon hour shows with evening shows in between in Bognor, Hastings, Worthing and many more. Despite being the boss, Brian was a lot of fun to travel with. We always had to make sure we didn't miss the afternoon airing of My Tune on the radio. I have missed him since I returned to Canada 30 years ago and will continue to have fond memories of my time in the UK, thanks in large part to Brian George Dixon.

He and I promoted the one and only inde show in Northampton. At the same venue as Dale Martin and we got a reasonable audience too. I worked with him at Towcester.Trying to get the lift back to Northampton was hard work though.

Great tributes everyone. Spent a lot of today reading and talking to people online who's lived and careers benefited from their association with Brian Dixon. RIP.

RIP Brian.Condolences to his family

>the country's biggest independent wrestling promotion. More than just "independent" - THE top British wrestling promotion. And it's stayed that way for 34+ years after the end of TV while new schoolies galore have come and gone.

The man who SAVED British Wrestling. And a nce bloke too. Shocked to hear this this afernoon, hope All Star carries on strong for many decades, there would be no finer tribute. There's a new voice among the choir of angels tonight - "PROGRAMME TONIGHT THREE POUNDS - FOAM HANDS FIVE POUNDS!!!"

This news received from Ken Sowden was such a shock. We are used to reporting deaths but some hit harder than others, and for me this was one of those occasions. I was a member of Brian's A-Z Fan Club and wonder if any others remember the heartfelt letter he sent to members when the club closed down. What we didn't know at the time were his plans to start promoting soon afterwards. I only met Brian twice, in 1970 and again last year. The first time, soon after he had started promoting, he told me to send in articles for a magazine he was starting. I did, and never heard a thing from him. I told him I was still waiting for a reply when I met him last year. He just laughed and said, "That sounds like me." He broke the tv monopoly. Time was in his favour as Joint Promotions were in a much weakened position than the days when Don Robinson, Paul Lincoln and Jackie Pallo had tried their hardest. But that shouldn't diminish his achievement, Brian obviously knew what he was doing and had the business acumen to defeat the establishment. My fond memories of Brian are as a promoter in his early days in the 1970s. But the world changed of course. The wrestling landscape became one I didn't take to, but this was a period for which Brian gains my greatest respect. In the early 1990s when the remaining fans drifted away and other promoters shut up shop Brian persevered, changed his product to one that some of us didn't like, but kept wrestling alive. He found ways to make his shows profitable in times that others failed. Fans of every promotion today have much to thank him for. He has died too young, but old enough to have retired gracefully years ago. He didn't do that. Brian Dixon continued to present wrestling shows that provided value for money, good entertainment and kept the fans happy until the day he died. He was creative, talented and likeable. Not words we associate with most wrestling promoters.

My first Brian Dixon show:

19th October, 1970

Public Hall, Preston

Jack Dempsey beat Ian McKenzie

Wildman of Borneo beat Gordon Corbett

Pete Lindberg beat Alec Burton

Klondyke Bill and Klondyke Jake beat Orig Williams/Count Bartelli

Sad news. I regarded Brian as a good friend as well as a promoter. He gave us Manchester lads lot of bookings and always paid well including petol money etc, He was a cheerful and friendly man who was well liked and respected. My condolences to Mitzi and Brian's family. Eddie Rose (Manchester). RIP Brian.

Such sad news. I have an old black and white picture of a young Brian Dixon, with Bert Royal and Vic Faulkner. RIP and what a tremendous contribution you made to the wrestling business.

Brian did so much for the British wrestling scene. I remember seeing his shows in Kettering in the early 70s, that was my introduction to live pro wrestling. All those years working as everything from running a newsletter to promoting shows for half a century. He did a great deal for women's wrestling in this country too. I interviewed him once at Portsmouth Guildhall. A great loss, condolences to his family.

RIP Brian Dixon

I am very sad to read of the news of Brian Dixon's passing. He was a one off who worked so hard to get to the top of British wrestling and he deserved the success that achieved in 1987 when his shows made it on to ITV. I attended many of his shows over the years and every one was always very good, well run and great value for money. He would put on contests that no other promoter would have dared to have imagined. He will be remembered as a great influence on wrestling and all those who worked with him in his many years in the business. RIP Brian.

The Wrestling Heritage home page now carries a tribute to Brian Dixon.

www.wrestlingheritage.co.uk

I am Very Sorry to Read This Sad News!-Only Last Year I was Lucky to have a fairly

long One-to-One Chat with BRIAN -which was Most Interesting indeed!

We Talked about ALL STAR and he Very Kindly Signed a Lot of Memorabilia for Me!

He was Brilliant and Informative and Genuinely Engaged on the Subject of BRITISH

Wrestling!-The Hi-Lite for Me was the Several Minutes taken up in Discussing

MARK 'ROLLERBALL' ROCCO with him!!

I found him a Lovely Guy and had Further Contact with him Later after This Meeting!

My Condolences to MITZI and The Family!

BRIAN'S Contribution to Wrestling was Enormous and his Shows were Entertaining

and On Many Occasions even Explosive!!

Such a Sad Loss!!

MAIN MASK

Matey Dave:

I remember seeing our Brian at Butlins Skegness many years ago visiting a friend who was refereeing. He was a classic David taking on Goliath and winning when Joint dropped the ball.

I would have trouble trying to imagine Jack Dale running round Wembley Town Hall selling large sponge hands. I did find it amusing watching the wrestlers spraying each other with fake tan

He was a one off who grabbed the tag rope and ran with it.

WELL DONE BRIAN

He was the man who gave us an exciting alternative to Joint that even ITV had to acknowledge it and give him tv time, pity it wasn't done sooner. His shows were always entertaining, I never saw a poor one, and those sponge hands he used to flog, he must have had a warehouse full of them. A one off, what he did I doubt could ever be done again,.

R.I.P. Brian