John has had trouble posting a reply to Jacko. He's asked us to forward this:
Hi Jacko. Short reply (longer one wouldn't publish). It was the only wrestling available and I had to embrace it or not. In British wrestling, most cards would have plenty of competitive, hold for hold contests and even the bad guys used holds and moves we could recognise. They, the bad guys, would usually start off adhering to the rules, then start to misbehave as the bout moved into the middle rounds.The Americans in Auz. as in their home country, would present a card mostly made up of good v bad and as such the villains usually tried to rile the crowd right from the opening bell and so in a thirty minute match, you had an awful lot of kicking and punching. Whether or not you actually got into these matches depended on just how nasty the villain was and how much you liked the good guy and wanted him to win. The odd headlock or dropkick as the good guy made his comeback, before being illegally beaten down again, was standard fare in Aus. and the States.
I still watch old tapes (on dvd) or YouTube, of American guys from the 30s and 40s up to the eighties and I still enjoy a lot of the matches, however I do prefer matches that feature Alan Sergent, Alan Woods, Colbeck,Breaks, Mitchell or Gwyn Davies. I am also a fan of the 60s and 70s French wrestling that Bob Platin has put up on the Internet.
On the other hand, I have witnessed a ton of Japanese wrestling, both on tape and live and that's something else again and for another day!
Although I know nothing about Australian wrestling I do enjoy these memories of John Shelvey. Thanks to Mr Shelvey for sharing them with us. As you've seen both which do you prefer, Aussie or Brit wrestling?
John has had trouble posting a reply to Jacko. He's asked us to forward this:
Hi Jacko. Short reply (longer one wouldn't publish). It was the only wrestling available and I had to embrace it or not. In British wrestling, most cards would have plenty of competitive, hold for hold contests and even the bad guys used holds and moves we could recognise. They, the bad guys, would usually start off adhering to the rules, then start to misbehave as the bout moved into the middle rounds.The Americans in Auz. as in their home country, would present a card mostly made up of good v bad and as such the villains usually tried to rile the crowd right from the opening bell and so in a thirty minute match, you had an awful lot of kicking and punching. Whether or not you actually got into these matches depended on just how nasty the villain was and how much you liked the good guy and wanted him to win. The odd headlock or dropkick as the good guy made his comeback, before being illegally beaten down again, was standard fare in Aus. and the States.
I still watch old tapes (on dvd) or YouTube, of American guys from the 30s and 40s up to the eighties and I still enjoy a lot of the matches, however I do prefer matches that feature Alan Sergent, Alan Woods, Colbeck,Breaks, Mitchell or Gwyn Davies. I am also a fan of the 60s and 70s French wrestling that Bob Platin has put up on the Internet.
On the other hand, I have witnessed a ton of Japanese wrestling, both on tape and live and that's something else again and for another day!
Cheers, John
A great contribution John
Although I know nothing about Australian wrestling I do enjoy these memories of John Shelvey. Thanks to Mr Shelvey for sharing them with us. As you've seen both which do you prefer, Aussie or Brit wrestling?