Fifty years. Are you old enough to believe it?
02 January 1973
A Fanfare for Europe.
It fell to Lords Goodman and Mancroft to co-ordinate the "Fanfare for Europe," a collection of sporting and cultural events planned to celebrate Britain joining the European Economic Community in January, 1973. For eleven days concerts, exhibitions and sporting events were organised and backed by Government subsidies, with the likes of Lord Olivier, Kyrie Te Kanawa, The Kinks, Slade and Judi Dench taking part. Wembley Stadium staged a football match where a team of the three countries joining the EEC (UK, Republic of Ireland and Denmark) played the six original members.
Then there was the wrestling. The Government said they were keen to put on events for everyone, so wrestling, weightlifting, basketball, judo, gymnastics, rugby and other sports were invited to stage events under the Fanfare for Europe banner.
Joint Promotions, who regularly presented the televised wrestling, requested a grant of £350 "in order to bring in special wrestlers from the European countries," the powers that be obviously oblivious to the fact that wrestlers had travelled frequently across borders for the last hundred years without the need for any Government handouts. With the money gratefully pocketed an underwhelming European flavoured wrestling bill was organised and televised from the Solihull Civic Hall.
One of those taking part on the wrestling programme, Paul Mitchell, told Wrestling Heritage "The fanfare for Europe bouts did not feature the workers originally scheduled, the reasons were the subject of speculation in dressing rooms round the country. It was originally scheduled as a Morrell and Beresford Promotion, Dales objected and Wryton was the compromise, again fuelling rumours of a proposed take over of Wryton by Dales."
These three matches broadcast 6 January 1973 from Solihull ate still very popular on You Tube particularly the Frank Dhondt match
I recall catching one of these shows at Morrell and Beresford's weekly Thursday night show at The Victoria Baths, Nottingham. I forget who Frank Dhondt faced but Tino Salvatore (later to become Salvatore Bellomo for WWWE) faced local lad Brian Abbott (who was wrestling more frequently at the time as Undertaker Nathaniel) and Jacky Rickard faced Ted Heath in what I recall being an interesting clash of styles. I was absolutely amazed that this clean-cut fast-moving lightweight, Rickard, transmogrified years later into the blatantly gay and arrogant Travesty Man whom we saw on Eurosport presentations. I recall their TV appearance for Martin Conroy at Wryton and although there was a clash of styles with Dhondt/Mitchell and Rickard/Naylor, I recall thinking that the Tino Salvatore/Tug Wilson bout worked rather well.
There was a Great Britain vs France Bill at Newcastle City Hall around this time. It wasn't a very good show, and that was probably down to the unfamiliarity with each other in the ring.Shirley was on the bill still doing his battling guardsman gimmick and worked heel.