BUDDY ROGERS IN LEEDS!

at that time as I was only 9 or 10 St James Hall or independent shows in the area were the limit of my travels.

He definitely did not appear.

I remember the match was previewed in the Lancashire Evening Post. It was said that Rogers would do just the one match in Britain as a consolation for failing to turn up on a planned visit around 1963/4 that was cancelled due to his car crash. If I remember right the preview was even on the sports pages which was quite something. Anyway, on the night the MC, George DeRelwyskow I think, got in the ring to say that Rogers had failed to appear. He said they had been let down and as a result Rogers would never appear in one of his shows again, not that there was any chance. As The Ost says earlier in the thread Bill Robinson substituted and knocked out Davies. When I asked Gwyn Davies about the match a few years ago he said he couldn't even remember the planned match.

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I fear he was a no-show, though "that" Arthur Wright had clearly trusted him.

I recently read the book "Master of the Ring: The Biography of Buddy "Nature Boy" Rogers". It does mention Arthur Green travelling to the USA, and meeting Rogers at his home. Arthur Green proposed a European tour, but it was curtailed by Rogers ill-health (I think), due to his heart condition (basically blocked arteries, causing chest pains, during and after physical exertion).

It's a great book, by the way, for anyone wanting to know more about the biggest wrestler (in box office terms) of his generation.

Thanks!

Caribbean, this is a holiday, not work (for once!) I will be in the USA end of November/early December for work.

I've done Manchester to New Zealand MM, it was even longer on the way back as we were delayed in Singapore for seven hours!

Only a nine hour flight for me tomorrow, which seems nothing these days!

Rogers had a mild heart attack in 1963, but did continue to wrestle to the end of the decade.

He wrestled in Canada in 1967, although (anecdotally) they appear to be short matches, which may indicate he still had health issues.

Maybe the length of the flight put him off?

Arthur Green is supposed to have visited the USA in 1960/1961, and seen NWA Champ Pat O'Connor in a bout in front of 12,000 spectators. He apparently had a meeting with NWA President Sam Muchnick in St. Louis where they discussed bringing Pat O'Connor and Buddy Rogers to the UK.

This could all be hokum of course, after all, we are talking about Professional Wrestling!

Sam Muchnick was NWA President in 1960, but not in 1961. The article where the above was mentioned was in the TV Times in September 1961, but could have been referencing an earlier meeting from a year ago, hard to say.

My point being that if the above is true, then Arthur Green probably was in contact with Buddy Rogers and probably did genuinely believe that he would turn up in the UK.

We don't know at what point they didn't know they couldn't deliver. It might have been last minute. It would help if we could access the newspaper adverts

If my memory is right the newspaper preview was only a few days before the match.

There is even a nice bit of poetic licence on the poster, billing him as 6ft 3!, I think was about 5ft 10 if that.

Hi MM . re. your last post. Bums on seats is often the answer.

As I was saying before interrupted by our friend Mr Ost. I remember the match was previewed in the Lancashire Evening Post. It was said that Rogers would do just the one match in Britain as a consolation for failing to turn up on a planned visit around 1963/4 that was cancelled due to his car crash. If I remember right the previous was even on the sports pages which was quite something.

Anyway, on the night the MC, George DeRelwyskow I think, got in the ring to say that Rogers had failed to appear. He said they had been let down and as a result Rogers would never appear in one of his shows again, not that there was any chance. As The Ost says, Bill Robinson substituted and knocked out Davies. When I asked Gwyn Davies about the match a few years ago he said he couldn't even remember the planned match.

Finding this poster is a Heritage Holy Grail Main Mask.

This match did not take place, even though I remember it well. I just see that The Ost has beat me to it by seconds.

He didn't appear. Billy Robinson KO'd Davies instead. In 1967 Rogers was suffering from heart problems, and hardly wrestling at all so not surprising he didn't travel across the Atlantic.

I don't recall any build up in "The Wrestler" magazine, which, being the "official monthly of the European Wrestling Alliance" (which Arthur Green was behind, I think?), would also make it odd.

Just my two penn'orth

I agree that it would be very strange of Relwyskow and Green to promote something that was not going to happen, maybe they had an agreement and he didn't appear, or maybe he really did?

First I (and it seems, everyone else) have heard of it?

Sorry Mask but I was only 9years old, it was a school night and I lived just outside Newcastle so it was a no show for me, if I rightly remember my dad was working away a lot that year so any shows I went to were with my grandad