I always looked forward to watching Jimmy Breaks wrestle on the TV. In the lighter weights he was always in the thick of it, titles, controversies and constant TV exposure. His arguements with Kent Walton (particularly in one particular Jon Cortez bout) added to the rage he created. For me he was one of our greatest villains ever in British wrestling, In his peak he was up there alongside the latter work of Rocco and Finlay. But before they reached their peak and kick started real interest in the upper middle weights, it was Breaks in the lighter weights that always held my interest. His opposition of course in the time I watched it were all first class; Johnny Saint, Jon Cortez, Vic Faulkner, Zoltan Boscik and of course Steve Grey whom I think he had some of his best matches with. I missed out on his 1960s days. Jim was also so reliable due to his hated reputation for beating up the young newcomers. Yet he was so good at putting over all the new youngsters coming through the ranks. Bobby Ryan, Dynamite, Young Dave Boy Smith and then in later years Danny Collins and Peter Bainbridge. Breaks played his part in making them all stars.
Looking back on his style it could be said his way of getting the crowd baying for his blood was simple yet it was very clever. He was hated due to his great skill, that everyone secretly admired, yet mixed up with his cocky demenour, his stone faced sneers, his fantastic scathing one liners he frequently shouted to the audience in quiet lulls, his behind the ref punches and his vicious wrist locks and overhead suspension submission all added to becoming the ultimate villain and gaining the extreme heat. His reading the audience and his timing was impeccable. Watching him on the TV I'm sure the whole nation used to wince in unison when he did those snapping wrist locks, combined with his little 'eee' shrieks he uttered as he did them. At the time no one sussed how the snap noise was made, yet it created even more sympathy for whichever hapless blue eye who was on the receiving end. Everyone was convinced that wrists would be broken. For good wrestling to be even better we now know how it always takes two to tango, and the 'selling' his opponents did was everybit as intergral to the way Breaks was portrayed. For me he will always be remembered as the one to watch on the TV, the man we all wanted to see beaten. I rank him much higher than McManus and Logan and definately up there with Quinn, Rocco and Finlay as one of the greatest bad boys on the TV golden era. Its a shame things ended as they did for him, not a lot we can add to that, so we should remember him for being a truly great wrestler and well deserved champion.
Good tribute, NS. I never saw Jim wrestle live, but first read his name in The Wrestler magazine in the 60s. Always super-fit and an excellent technician who did much for the mat game on and off TV. RIP Jimmy Breaks...
I always looked forward to watching Jimmy Breaks wrestle on the TV. In the lighter weights he was always in the thick of it, titles, controversies and constant TV exposure. His arguements with Kent Walton (particularly in one particular Jon Cortez bout) added to the rage he created. For me he was one of our greatest villains ever in British wrestling, In his peak he was up there alongside the latter work of Rocco and Finlay. But before they reached their peak and kick started real interest in the upper middle weights, it was Breaks in the lighter weights that always held my interest. His opposition of course in the time I watched it were all first class; Johnny Saint, Jon Cortez, Vic Faulkner, Zoltan Boscik and of course Steve Grey whom I think he had some of his best matches with. I missed out on his 1960s days. Jim was also so reliable due to his hated reputation for beating up the young newcomers. Yet he was so good at putting over all the new youngsters coming through the ranks. Bobby Ryan, Dynamite, Young Dave Boy Smith and then in later years Danny Collins and Peter Bainbridge. Breaks played his part in making them all stars.
Looking back on his style it could be said his way of getting the crowd baying for his blood was simple yet it was very clever. He was hated due to his great skill, that everyone secretly admired, yet mixed up with his cocky demenour, his stone faced sneers, his fantastic scathing one liners he frequently shouted to the audience in quiet lulls, his behind the ref punches and his vicious wrist locks and overhead suspension submission all added to becoming the ultimate villain and gaining the extreme heat. His reading the audience and his timing was impeccable. Watching him on the TV I'm sure the whole nation used to wince in unison when he did those snapping wrist locks, combined with his little 'eee' shrieks he uttered as he did them. At the time no one sussed how the snap noise was made, yet it created even more sympathy for whichever hapless blue eye who was on the receiving end. Everyone was convinced that wrists would be broken. For good wrestling to be even better we now know how it always takes two to tango, and the 'selling' his opponents did was everybit as intergral to the way Breaks was portrayed. For me he will always be remembered as the one to watch on the TV, the man we all wanted to see beaten. I rank him much higher than McManus and Logan and definately up there with Quinn, Rocco and Finlay as one of the greatest bad boys on the TV golden era. Its a shame things ended as they did for him, not a lot we can add to that, so we should remember him for being a truly great wrestler and well deserved champion.
Happy New year all !