I have jut finished reading Rob Cope's book about Haystacks and I thoroughly recommend it to Heritage members.
I knew Haystacks fairly briefly, firstly when he wrestled for Brian Dixon at the start of his career after being introduced to wrestling by Salford's Billy Graham. I found him a bit off-putting at first; monosyllabic and unsmiling and, with that huge physique, a little bit frightening.
The book discusses his early life in Ireland, a section dealt with sympathetically and accurately for my own grandparents on my mother's side came from a similar area and backgound to Haystacks. He came over to live in Salford and later Bury, two places with many associations for me including my current home in Holcombe Brook, north Bury.
I worked mainly for the Independent promoters and followed his career with Joint Promotions from that aspect. He did well. He used his physique and his character to become a world class "name" without ever becoming a great wrestler. Later, our paths crossed especially when he came to live in Bury.
I met him on a number of shows but more importantly I met him socially in and around the town and formed a very different opinion of him. He was much more sociable and had a sense of humour as we chatted about wrestling and opponents and about Ireland. I would not claim to be a close friend but a friendly acquaintance and I was shocked and saddened when he became ill and eventually died.
He certainly made a big impression on the wrestling scene and many were saddened at his premature death. Rob Cope's book tells his story sympathetically and gives us an insight into this famous wrestler.
Eddie Rose (Manchester)
I have not read the Haystacks book, yet, but will do, so maybe this is covered in the book, but one thing I recently came across, was a result from the USA, a one-off.
10th of August, 1992.
The Wolfman (Giant Haystacks) defeats Red Tyler
WWF TV Taping - Dark Match @ Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville, Alabama, USA
If this is correct, and "The Wolfman" really was Haystacks, then I wonder what happened there?
I can only imagine that the WWF (now WWE) had known of Haystacks and had flown him in to take a look at him. The event had 29 matches on, with some wrestlers wrestling twice, so a full day of filming matches for use on various TV shows. This match was a "Dark" match, so it wasn't taped.
In 1992, you didn't have to look like Mr. Universe to be a wrestler, and the matches on this taping prove that. Alongside athletic looking wrestlers like Bret Hart, Randy Savage, Ric Flair and Razor Ramon, you had the "large" wrestlers like Big Boss Man, Sgt. Slaughter, Kamala and The Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon). Giant Haystacks, of course, would have been bigger than all of them.
Bret Hart and Kamala (Big Jim Harris) would have known Haystacks from their time in the UK, I wonder if it was them who recommended that WWF take a look at him?
If it really was all expenses paid, for the big man, then fair play to him. Four years later, he would end up in the USA in WCW, but I just wonder what could have been, if WWF had picked him up for a year or so, when he was four years younger and his health was better?
very well written Eddie as usual,totally agree when he first started he appeared aloof but I believe this to be s case of new to the game and who to trust coupled with shyness,when Billy brought him the game he was very unsure I remember Cassidy using him on the Holdsworth one thing was noticeable he was much more mobile than in later years. I'm looking forward to Robs book I'm sure it'll be so much better than Shirley's book.