It's twenty years next month since the death of Haystacks.
In contrast to another big man I always liked Haystacks. His size made him genuinely frightening and at least there was variety to his matches. I first saw him on Blackpool Pier on an independent show. His appearance when he began walking to the ring took breath away. Klondyke Bill was big, but the sheer presence of Haystacks was something else.
I second Main Mask about the quality of your first show. I just can't imagine how you went about organising it. As to that chip shop. Nice one.
John Curry. There's a name from the past. I wonder what he's up to these days. Does he read Heritage. Stand up John Curry.
Yes, I believe that I do have a handful of posters and programmes from my own shows. And also, of course, from the Joint Promotions shows I attended. I lied to Martin Conroy that my parents owned a fish and chip shop so he used to send me folded posters through the post of his Wryton Stadium shows which I pretended to put in the fictional fish and chip shop window. And a lad called John Curry from darn sarf send me a whole load of Dale Martin programmes once which I've still got. He was a cornerman when he sent them but later went on to become an M.C. making a handful of TV appearances.
I must check what I type more carefully before clicking onto "Publish". Adding to my mistake of typing 2015 and 2016 recently instead of 1975 and 1976 which seemed to baffle Mr.Mantell, I notice that in my most recent contribution I typed "pittyingly" instead of "pityingly". Apologies.
Actually, Ginsberg was one of the hardest men in the game; hence he was so relaxed about "playing the fool" particularly in his tag matches. He knew he had nothing to prove to anyone. I believe that he had quite a legendary dressing-room brouhaha with John Lees from Stalybridge and the general consensus was that Lees came off worse. Ginsberg was really a Jack Atherton boy and liked nothing better than to actually do a wrestling bout. There are still good skilful bouts with both Pat Curry and Mike Marino around from the World of Sport days.
Towards the end of his career he became a mini-celebrity with appearances on Coronation Street (where he actually spoke the occasional line) and Granada Reports and he also had his own show on Radio Piccadilly. The last show he worked for me was in the ballroom of The Dixon Arms in Chelford (now luxury flats) against "Black" Jack Milligan (Tony Francis). Francis played heel and Ginsberg was the blue eye. The bout commenced with Francis refusing to wrestle Ginsberg until he removed his offending helmet. Ginsberg shrugged and removed it then, later in the bout, when Francis started with all the old tricks (punching blindside, rubbing the ropes across the eyes etc), Ginsberg retrieved his helmet from his second and replaced it atop his head to the cheers of the crowd.
I recall Brian Dixon asking me once why I used Ginsberg so regularly on my bills. I said that I had come to know him and regarded him as a friend. Dixon looked at me pittyingly and said, "Ginsberg has no friends!"
My first show commenced with Roy St.Clair defeating Lee Sharron in a one fall bout followed by Eddie Rose versus Ian Wilson who worked six cats. After the interval Abe Ginsberg beat Tony St.Clair in a one fall bout with his feet on the ropes for leverage. This set things up nicely for the tag team finale in which The Saints faced Black Diamonds Ginsberg and Sharron. Ken Williams was the referee (we used his ring) and I was M.C.
A stand-out show of the era was a Brian Dixon show just round the corner from his house at the Birkenhead Sports Centre and I was the timekeeper. It was an eight man K.O tournament which commenced with Steve Young (Pete Northey) working a clean six cats with Kung Fu Hammil which saw Young go through on a coin toss. Kendo Nagasaki K.O'd Johnny Palance (Locke) then "Jumping" Jim Moser defeated Albert "Rocky" Wall by disqualification in a most entertaining bout. The first half concluded with Billy Howes beating Terry Swann. After the interval Kendo Nagasaki K.O'd Steve Young and Billy Howes beat Jim Moser in a most unusual bout due to the crowd reaction. Although Howes was constantly fouling, the punters were cheering him on to victory because they wanted to see Howes face Nagasaki in the final which is exactly what happened with Nagasaki emerging victorious.
Yes, I meant to type that I attended the show at Wythenshawe Forum on December 17th, 1975, and promoted my first show at Wilmslow Public Hall on January 26th, 1976. These mistakes are all signs of ageing.
Rex Strong ended up as Kendo's tag partner for the Wythenshawe bill.
What's all this about Max C handing out 2 quid in 2015? He retired in Feb 1995!
Yes SAXONWOLF I really can't remember seeing these 2 in a Singles Outing or even reading or hearing of one! BUT for quite awhile it was the same for me regarding any Bout between LES KELLETT
and KENDO until I found one!!
MAIN MASK
GRAHAM-People like you were Invaluable to the operational structure of British Wrestling and thus
really Important! ROBERTS was never a Favourite of mine although in fairness he was a good
Wrestler and was popular in Japan! He had a volatile temperament-if someone clouted or clattered
him a bit TOO hard-I saw him lose it a little now and again and he wouldn't 'sell' the Opponents moves!
Never saw him Billed against STAX-I suppose he must have been in with him at some point?!
Do you know of a Bout when STAX faced JUDO PETE at all GRAHAM?
Believe it or not MAX CRABTREE was voted Wrestler of the Year in 1961 by WRESTLING WORLD
MAGAZINE!! I've got a Picture of him holding his rather large Trophy for it!!
Slight variation on one of MY Maxims-'Never Insult Anyone-you never know when you might need
them'!!
MAIN MASK
Thanx GRAHAM-Yes it was a good Show!-To complete the Bill we had TALLY-HO KAYE vs.
LITTLE PRINCE and TERRY RUDGE vs. PETE ROBERTS!!
I also saw BOBBY partnering LEON ARRAS a few times as the UNTOUCHABLES!!
Not surprised BEN was sick after fighting ROCCO-he NEVER gave ANY quarter that I saw and on
the Poster under his Name-it says 'Thrills-Spills-Action'!! You certainly got those!!
Wasn't it great back then? Ringside seats cost £1.00!!
MAIN MASK
Some good memories of Haystacks. Maybe time for a a Heritage extended tribute, so add your memories folks.
I have the Original Poster for the WYTHENSHAWE Show at the FORUM you mention-
GRAHAMBROOKJAZZ! This Venue was at the time and now is once again just down the road from
where I live!-I remember KENDO wasn't very happy with STRONG'S 'contribution'!-Was a Xmas T.V.
Spectacular-WEDNESDAY 17/12-Also on the Bill MCMANUS vs. FAULKNER!
I saw STAX Live loads of times-he WAS pretty Awesome-remember a Bout at BELLE VUE in 1981
when he gave one of my All-Time Favourite Wrestlers-COUNT BARTELLI a really brutal and torrid
time using the COUNT'S Commonwealth Belt as his main weapon! My Partner saw him one time
just walking down the road in TIMPERLEY-She said he managed to stop all the Traffic and
bystanders were just gawping at him!!
MAIN MASK
The first time I saw Haystacks was on a Brian Dixon show at The Granby Hall in Leicester. He was billed as Haystacks Galhoan and beat Blackpool's Bobby Barron in a one fall match. He was supposed to be part of a four man K.O. tournament but Dixon had put so much on the show (the main event was Kendo Nagasaki versus Ricky Starr) that the final never occurred as time ran out. Had it done, he would have faced "Jumping" Jim Moser who beat The Wildman of Borneo in the other qualifier.
I had the privilege of seconding him on one of Crabtree's early TV shows filmed at The Forum Hall in Wythenshawe. I seconded the team of Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy whilst my friend at the time and former fellow promoter Stuart "Big Boy" Miller seconded the opposing team of Kendo Nagasaki and Rex Strong. I recall struggling back to the dressing room with all their paraphernalia after they had disrobed. Haystacks wore a huge roadkill which really was quite heavy.
I never shared a dressing room with him but those who did told me that he was very quiet and would usually sit in a corner minding his own business and reading a book.
He was a one off. Someone who genuinely gave me nightmares. Similar to the Gaint, he had quite an athletic look earlier in his career, although i am not sure he could have attempted the moonsault. All accounts i hear of him say he was a really nice guy in real life and you could see he took care of his opponents in the ring. It is notable that with the lighter Alan Kilby and Pat Patton, he didn't drop his full weight onto them, instead he dropped on his knees first. I expect this would have come at some cost to his own knees. I think when he went to All star and feuded with Kendo Nagasaki we saw some really intense matches. I agree he was wasted as Daddy fodder and in the series of squash matches that he seemed involved i in the 80's. I think Joint became a bit lazy with match making. I am amazed he wasn't brought in to the WWE to replace an aging Andre the Giant. He would have been a credible opponent for Hogan in an era when bigger was indeed better.
I really regret coming to wrestling a bit too late to see him live in the ring. And yes, it's a shame his Stateside break came so late and was sadly curtailed by his illness. He actually looked in better shape in those WCW bouts than he did in his later ITV appearances almost a decade earlier.
It's also regrettable that he wasn't allowed to beat Shirley more often. As I've said elsewhere on here, I'm sure the kids wouldn't have been too upset to see Daddy lose from time to time, and it could have set up some really interesting showdowns.
I liked Haystacks, he was part of that famous double act with Big D!, his big break in America came too late in his career, but he did it never the less. A mid 80's WWF career would probably have seen him make a fortune, but it wasn't to be.