I remember when Crusher Brannigan was over here, every time he was on the bill I saw him arrive with Sid Cooper (who was ALWAYS on the same bill).
So is it possible Sid was the driver/chaperone? Maybe Brannigan stayed with Sid while over here?
I also saw Sid with another foreign visitor but his name escapes me for the moment.
Sid was regularly on the same bill as Steve Grey too, both from London at that time.
Lovely post Graham , you have me chuckling away. You certainly know how to make the most of a wrestling disappointment. Well, I would say that, wouldn't I?
And Saxonwolf, Bob Kirkwood took over from Robby Baron. That Zebra Kid tale is new to me, great stuff.
I think Barry Douglas chaperoned the visiting talent for his promotions.
He must have decided to give the Barnsley girl the chop. I remember in the seventies Orig Williams promoting a wrestler billed as Alpago - son of Two Rivers. When challenged by a journalist about Alpago really being the son of Billy Two Rivers, Orig replied that he had never claimed such. Alpago - son of Two Rivers meant that Alpago was a son of the town or reservation of Two Rivers. He wrestled "Bronco" Jack Cassidy at Rhyl Town Hall but unfortunately I missed the bout. I remember walking all the way along the front from my caravan in Prestatyn to Rhyl only to arrive at the Town Hall to realise that I had misread the poster and that the show had been earlier in the week so I went to The Queen's Showbar to watch Johnny Dallas performing in drag as Randy Mice Davies.
Another interesting one would be Billy Two Rivers.
He came to the UK on the advice of British (but US based) wrestler, Ramon Napolitano. Did Napolitano travel with him?
How did Billy Two Rivers manage to meet a girl in Barnsley, marry her (at least I assume they got married), move to Morcambe and have a son, before he left the family and went back to Canada?
Was he staying with a northern based Wrestler at the time, who looked after him?
It's often been said on here that Robby Barron was the driver for Mick McManus.
Kendo had his own driver, not a wrestler.
The Dale Martin lads used to arrive in a minibus.
The chaperone part is interesting though, Andy. I have read of other Wrestlers that needed someone with them, to keep them on the straight and narrow. I seem to recall Judo Al Hayes having that job, in the UK, with a young Andre the Giant. Another one who springs to mind is The Zebra Kid, who was (apparently) prone to getting drunk, then morose, then pulling out his gun and shooting at things! (how on earth did he get that into the UK!), I think it was Dazzler Joe Cornelius who looked after him.