Doing my research, i've come across a lot of materials from Paul Lincoln promotions (or Lincoln-Alexander promotions as was often printed), and rather than do separate topics about things I noticed or intrigued me, I figured best to make one topic where I can stick everything.
(I also have some very rare photos from the office itself, which I will share when I return from holiday)
But please, feel free to share your memories and info about this very popular and successful independent promotion and the wrestler behind it all.
Hi there, who can I speak to on this page about using one or two of these photos? Credited, of course!
The brilliant posters and programmes posted by The Ost, and thank you so much, are a reminder of what a shrewd operator Paul Lincoln was when he signed up with the Granada cinema chain. The bill for the Granada Kingston brings back a very happy memory of the only time I saw Alan Garfield team up with Brian Craig-Radcliffe - the Society Boy from Mayfair in a tag match. Society Boy rather belied his name as he was a real bruiser, although as I recall, rather lacking in wrestling skill. The pair were absolutely hilarious and would have been a tremendous hit if they ever made it to the television screen.
At Kingston they were eventually disqualified with victory going to two regular Lincoln "blue eyes" Bob
Kirkwood and Dave Larsen.
At least I believe it was that pair- it was sadly a long time ago!!
Can anyone remember Society Boy?
This is the latest Paul Lincoln card I have found to date, February 1975 in Guildford. If anyone finds anything later than this, do let me know.
Great stuff as always from The Ost
By 1969 though, the cards begin to look the same as other DM offerings in the area:
Then we go to what must have seemed like Bizarro world at the time, Lincoln programmes featuring all the names of Joint Promotions. Instead of Bob Kirkwood or Ray Hunter on the cover, now there's McManus & Czeslaw. However, the mixture of talent did make the shows look really good on paper (and i'm sure even better live):
A wonderful groundbreaking thread. You can't beat a genuine archive , what a collection.
Thanks for sharing
Great stuff, Ost, thank you.
Expanding Hack's point about Shirley's weight in 1965, similarly on that bill Johnny Saint was already Mr Wrestling. I would have said IMPOSSIBLE, just goes to show. Lincoln was clearly a visionary, copied by the rest.
Some of those 1966 and 1967 bills where DM and Lincoln talent merge 50-50 are just fabulous. I can remember attending at the Tooting Granada at the time but of course just thought is was all so normal. The tag match that went on till after 11 o'clock.
Those were great days, and through this thread we are unearthing so much more about what was going on - though still scratching the surface.
Disappointing to see Dr Death assisting the VIP from the ring - must have been a control freak.
The start of 1966, and the big development - Lincoln joins forces with Joint. This has to be a Holy Grail of TV wrestling footage today:
Fantastic photos Ost. Thanks.
Here are a couple more being passed on from Main Mask.
The flair and skill in promoting is clearly shown in Paul Lincoln's programmes. One segment which caught my eye was in the contest between Count Robert Duration and "Judo" Al Hayes, referee Max Ward would tolerate no interference from the Count's valet Firmin- really! I wonder what happened.
We're on Page 3, where the most revealing photos go, I guess.
Here you will find some very, very rare photos of inside the Lincoln office in the early 1960's. I don't believe these have ever been shared before. Dave and friend Brian Jones went to visit Paul & Ray Hunter at Lincoln HQ. Each one speaks a thousand words:
Many thanks to The Ost for bringing back such happy memories with the Paul Lincoln posters and programmes. The Lincoln promotions were in my view at the time far superior to any other, and achieved with a limited pool of wrestlers and no television coverage. This makes their success all the more admirable.
In those now far off days I always wondered in my youthful naivety how "Docker" Don Steadman ever got beaten as in the ring, he really was a very fearsome character.C'est la vie!
On to 1965, and another Wrestling Spectacular. I'm not sure how many of these special events there were, but they were held at least from 1962-1965, if not earlier. We see some different names, including Crabtree and Coverdale:
Another classic Dr Death action shot by Dave C, this time against El Medico:
Henri Le Mao here for Lincoln in 1961
Dr Death in 1967 - so just who was the promoter? Doesn't look like DM and Dr D had stopped by then, hadn't he?
But Marino is there. Fascinating entry.
More from 1964. We see a change in the style of programmes: