Thanks for that. There was so much smoke and mirrors in wrestling that one never knew what was true and what was made up. I suppose a good guideline is that the more ridiculous it sounds, the more likely it is to be true.
Incidentally, I did telephone Bobby Graham asking him to work some dates for me. He was very polite but was not interested. He did not spend long on the independents. Lee Sharron was working some dates for me and I would have loved to have put them on as The Untouchables. I promoted Sharron with Abe Ginsberg as The Black Diamonds. It did not dawn on me at the time, but a good combination would have been Bobby and Billy Graham tagging together.
I only visited Walthamstow Assembly Hall once and it was a miserable place. There was nowhere serving drinks or refreshments. I forget the year (sometime in the late
eighties I think) but the promoter was a local wrestler called The Dirtbike Kid who had matched himself with Sabu who had flown over to do the show along with Rob Van Dam and Mikey Whipwreck. Rob Van Dam seemed to spend longer on the microphone than in action and "the f word" was used prolifically. There were quite a few families in the audience and uncomfortable mothers and fathers. The majority of the audience were youths who seemed to be constantly chanting "You f..... up," whenever a wrestler mistimed a move. Very different to the shows that I had been promoting and even further apart from the shows that I remember watching as a punter. The saving grace was a catchweight contest between a Japanese wrestler (I forget his name) and a much lighter Steve Grey whom the audience did not seem to know. I remember shouting, "Trap him in your surfboard Steve," to the complete befuddlement of those around me.
As for The Granby Halls, I have many happy memories of Gordon Corbett's and Brian Dixon's promotions there in my student days in the early seventies. I recall Billy Two Rivers chopping his way to disqualification victory over Hans Streiger, Ricki Starr fighting to a no contest with Kendo Nagasaki, newcomer Haystacks Galhoan completely overpowering Bobby Barron and one of the most exciting tag contests I ever saw live with Tony and Ignatious Borg beating the team of Billy Graham and Reg Yates. Billy Graham was a much underrated villain and caused a near riot that night at The Granby with the other wrestlers on the card having to come to ringside at the end of the bout to ensure that he made it back safely to the dressing room. I don't know why, on reflection, that I never asked him to wrestle for me because he was, like Joe Critchley and Bertie Topham, a total one-off. I remember being told (and I was told so much rubbish by older wrestlers having fun with this callow youth in his twenties who thought he could be a wrestling promoter) that he kept a shop in Salford where he sold snakes.
Working overseas on this day, in 1983, our own inimitable Adrian Street, Esq., defeated Bobby Fulton, in Forrest City, Arkansas, for the CWA promotion.
Wrestling overseas today, Adrian Street defeated Bobby Fulton, in Forrest City, Arkansas, USA, on this day in 1983.
On our TV screens, on this day in 1970:-
Steve Veidor (DQ) v Mal Kirk
Zolton Boscik (W) v Tony Costas
Take your pick from 1963:
14 January 1967
Peter Preston beat Mick McManus on TV
Read all about it
Thanks for that. There was so much smoke and mirrors in wrestling that one never knew what was true and what was made up. I suppose a good guideline is that the more ridiculous it sounds, the more likely it is to be true.
Incidentally, I did telephone Bobby Graham asking him to work some dates for me. He was very polite but was not interested. He did not spend long on the independents. Lee Sharron was working some dates for me and I would have loved to have put them on as The Untouchables. I promoted Sharron with Abe Ginsberg as The Black Diamonds. It did not dawn on me at the time, but a good combination would have been Bobby and Billy Graham tagging together.
That was Bobby not Billy Anglo and yes the reptile bit was indeed true Graham, Billy also trained Haystacks.
Kellett's most favoured opponent.
Probably a greatly under-rated GREAT.
These guys do slip under our radar with regularity...
I only visited Walthamstow Assembly Hall once and it was a miserable place. There was nowhere serving drinks or refreshments. I forget the year (sometime in the late
eighties I think) but the promoter was a local wrestler called The Dirtbike Kid who had matched himself with Sabu who had flown over to do the show along with Rob Van Dam and Mikey Whipwreck. Rob Van Dam seemed to spend longer on the microphone than in action and "the f word" was used prolifically. There were quite a few families in the audience and uncomfortable mothers and fathers. The majority of the audience were youths who seemed to be constantly chanting "You f..... up," whenever a wrestler mistimed a move. Very different to the shows that I had been promoting and even further apart from the shows that I remember watching as a punter. The saving grace was a catchweight contest between a Japanese wrestler (I forget his name) and a much lighter Steve Grey whom the audience did not seem to know. I remember shouting, "Trap him in your surfboard Steve," to the complete befuddlement of those around me.
As for The Granby Halls, I have many happy memories of Gordon Corbett's and Brian Dixon's promotions there in my student days in the early seventies. I recall Billy Two Rivers chopping his way to disqualification victory over Hans Streiger, Ricki Starr fighting to a no contest with Kendo Nagasaki, newcomer Haystacks Galhoan completely overpowering Bobby Barron and one of the most exciting tag contests I ever saw live with Tony and Ignatious Borg beating the team of Billy Graham and Reg Yates. Billy Graham was a much underrated villain and caused a near riot that night at The Granby with the other wrestlers on the card having to come to ringside at the end of the bout to ensure that he made it back safely to the dressing room. I don't know why, on reflection, that I never asked him to wrestle for me because he was, like Joe Critchley and Bertie Topham, a total one-off. I remember being told (and I was told so much rubbish by older wrestlers having fun with this callow youth in his twenties who thought he could be a wrestling promoter) that he kept a shop in Salford where he sold snakes.
Here's one for MM featuring the Hells Angels, 1971:
Thanks for the fascinating Leicester gallery, Ron.
If you had to nominate one city to analyse UK wrestling, it would be Leicester.
All the top internationals visited, Quasimodo was a regular. Plentiful championship bouts and even a McManus v Pallo mini-feud all their own in 1968.
All this going on in JP rings with Granby Hall offering its own indy shows.
Morrell showcased his best at the De Montfort Hall and yet, very surprisingly, was usurped there by Paul Lincoln Management.
And yet, in 1965, before any merger, Morrell reclaimed Leicester. Fascinating.
Mind you, after the merger, I don't think much of the matchmaking there: Gargantua versus The Wild Man of Borneo.
I see Pallo interestingly billed as "The Wrestling Schoolmaster."
Thanks SaxonWolf I find your international slant interesting. Definitely worth including. You've obviously got a source for these.
What is known about Gaucho Patio.
Newcastle through the years.
Working overseas on this day, in 1983, our own inimitable Adrian Street, Esq., defeated Bobby Fulton, in Forrest City, Arkansas, for the CWA promotion.
On this on our Saturday TV screens, in 1961
Gaucho Patino v Steve Logan
Alan Dennis v Jackie Pallo
Bernard Murray v Al Nicol