Here's a TVTimes listing for Wednesday night in June 1965
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Unknown member
Mar 06, 2022
On the subject of the two World Heavyweight title belts, here is an angle from, I believe, 1983 on Reslo featuring the black belt and the red/white/blue belt together.
Orig gets in the ring and claims one title is the WWA title and the other is the WWF title - I doubt if actual WWF champion Bob Backlund would have been a happy bunny about that. Naughty old Orig.
Wayne Bridges and Dean Brisco defeated Spiros Arion and Bulk by disqualification (10:55 minutes)
1979/11/28 @ Bath Pavilion in Bath
Wayne Bridges defeated Spiros Arion by disqualification
1979/12/14 @ Sophia Gardens in Cardiff
Giant Haystacks defeated Spiros Arion by count out
1979/12/17 @ Cheltenham Town Hall in Cheltenham
Pat Roach defeated Spiros Arion by count out
1979/12/19 @ Royal Albert Hall in London
Wayne Bridges defeated Spiros Arion - TITLE CHANGE!!! [World Heavyweight Title (Europa-Version) - World Heavyweight Title Tournament, Final]
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Unknown member
Feb 22, 2022
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>1979/12/14 @ Sophia Gardens in Cardiff
>Giant Haystacks defeated Spiros Arion by count outThey also had a match in Walthamstow. I was five at the time and I remember seeing it in the local paper and trying to get my parents to take me. (They just ignored my request.)
@davidmantell My parents too at times David god bless them. Haytsack's did defeat Arion in the Austrian/ German tournies around the same era but of course he wasn't world champion there Big Otto was.
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Unknown member
Apr 27, 2022
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@alanapaily re. Big Otto - did the Internationaler Berufsringkämpfer Verband recognise Otto's CWA title as valid? Apparently they continued as an indie promotion long after the CWA took over Austria/Germany and made it into one big territory, much as Joint/RWS might have continued a lot longer if the Valentine brothers had been interested in taking over their dad's business.
Wayne Bridges wasn't the only Brit to categorically defeat the Iron Greek as World Champion. In Tony Earnshaws's excellent latest tome "We Shall Not Be Moved" he states that Tony St Clair and i think Pat Roach both held 2-1 victories over World Champion Arion. Now whether Max Crabtree was edging his bets concerning a world title contest in case Bridges did the dirty/a u-turn on him or Roach was too strong and St.Clair too skilful for Arion is debateable.
I don't think Big Pat was too strong for Spiros,or Tony was too skillful.Just a tease for the fans....Title defence demanded etc etc.
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Unknown member
Feb 17, 2022
If it helps, Wayne told me he and Arion were pretty good mates. Arion’s record in the UK was virtually unblemished other than DA’s and Wayne Bridges (eg Albert Hall meeting). So it would have been more than just a fellow wrestler cooking stuff up. It was a mate.
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Unknown member
Feb 17, 2022
An interesting question about Wayne Bridges is - if he originally got the World title by being in the right place at the right time when a fellow wrestler decided he didn't want to be Daddied - then why was he so ridiculously possesive of the World Heavyweight title and belt thereafter?I'm thinking specifically of Bridges only agreeing to drop the title to Kendo in 1987 on condition that he get it back ASAP - at which point he retired! Kendo should have stayed as a defending champion for a good few years, taking on challengers. It would have been great if that was the world title on the line for the Kendo/Haystacks match from Masters Of The Canvas, instead of a tuppeny hapenny version of the CWA title (which as any fule kno was actually held by Luc "Rambo" Poirrier at the time.)Bridges just took his ball - or rather "his" red/white/blue belt - and went home with it. It was on display in his pub until he died a couple of years ago and may well still be on display in the pub now (anyone been there lately)
Yes, he paid for the red/white/blue belt, had himself crowned champion at Wembley in '81 and then went off with the belt to Orig, Reslo and Brian Dixon.
However All Star still had access to the original belt and could have just privately handed Bridges back the red/white/blue and continued with the 1979 black belt round Nagasaki's waist. They did it before in early '86 when Bridges fell out with Dixon and they had a tournament on Screensport between Quinn, St Clair, Bill Clarke as King Kendo and AN Other (I forget who Quinn's semifinal opponent was.
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Unknown member
Feb 22, 2022
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Kendo as an ongoing defending champion would have been great - like when Fit Finlay was a defending World Mid Heavyweight Champion and took on contenders like Steve Logan mk2 in 1984.
Thanks chaps. There's a good chance that Spiros Arion didn't even know John Quinn as claimed in the article 😄 (although i could be wrong) It might be just clever marketing on Max Crabtree's part to throw in Quinn's name. Also i'm sure Arion wouldn't say "i weigh 17 stones," he'd be more likely to say i weigh 'X' amount of pounds or kilos.
Spiros Arion and John Quinn knew each other from their time in WWWF (as it was, back then) and worked a program against each other, in singles and tag matches, in 1968.
Great read, thank you. I don't think he was wrestling for Greece in the Rome Olympics (Greece only sent 3 wrestlers, in total), or I am sure we would have heard a lot more about that.
In the article above, "Verre Gagre" would be Verne Gagne and "Bobby Buckland" would be Bob Backlund.
It certainly sounds more plausible than not being bounced around by a superheavyweight in Britain after all Arion had done just that a few months earlier in the German tournaments by the likes of Wanz, Haystacks and Kirk, and again by Haystacks in blighty. Unfortunately as great a wrestler as he was much of what Street says has to be ingested with a large pinch of salt.
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Unknown member
Jan 22, 2022
Thanks, John. That’s interesting. So the version Wayne related to me is closer to Tony Earnshaw’s version (although he said they saw Max together). it makes most sense …. If anything resembles sense when it comes down to it,
I don't think Spiros would have been short of money after headlining Madison Sq Garden etc in the USA,and his big name bouts in Australia,so his decision to do what he did was probably down to doing what he wanted to do,and stuff Max
Here's a TVTimes listing for Wednesday night in June 1965
On the subject of the two World Heavyweight title belts, here is an angle from, I believe, 1983 on Reslo featuring the black belt and the red/white/blue belt together.
Orig gets in the ring and claims one title is the WWA title and the other is the WWF title - I doubt if actual WWF champion Bob Backlund would have been a happy bunny about that. Naughty old Orig.
Many a true word spoken in jest Bill.
These are the defeats I can find (so far):-
1979/10/24 @ Royal Albert Hall in London
Wayne Bridges defeated Spiros Arion
1979/11/10 @ Belle Vue King's Hall in Manchester
Tony St. Clair defeated Spiros Arion
1979/11/23 @ Picketts Lock Centre in Edmonton
Wayne Bridges and Dean Brisco defeated Spiros Arion and Bulk by disqualification (10:55 minutes)
1979/11/28 @ Bath Pavilion in Bath
Wayne Bridges defeated Spiros Arion by disqualification
1979/12/14 @ Sophia Gardens in Cardiff
Giant Haystacks defeated Spiros Arion by count out
1979/12/17 @ Cheltenham Town Hall in Cheltenham
Pat Roach defeated Spiros Arion by count out
1979/12/19 @ Royal Albert Hall in London
Wayne Bridges defeated Spiros Arion - TITLE CHANGE!!! [World Heavyweight Title (Europa-Version) - World Heavyweight Title Tournament, Final]
Wayne Bridges wasn't the only Brit to categorically defeat the Iron Greek as World Champion. In Tony Earnshaws's excellent latest tome "We Shall Not Be Moved" he states that Tony St Clair and i think Pat Roach both held 2-1 victories over World Champion Arion. Now whether Max Crabtree was edging his bets concerning a world title contest in case Bridges did the dirty/a u-turn on him or Roach was too strong and St.Clair too skilful for Arion is debateable.
If it helps, Wayne told me he and Arion were pretty good mates. Arion’s record in the UK was virtually unblemished other than DA’s and Wayne Bridges (eg Albert Hall meeting). So it would have been more than just a fellow wrestler cooking stuff up. It was a mate.
An interesting question about Wayne Bridges is - if he originally got the World title by being in the right place at the right time when a fellow wrestler decided he didn't want to be Daddied - then why was he so ridiculously possesive of the World Heavyweight title and belt thereafter? I'm thinking specifically of Bridges only agreeing to drop the title to Kendo in 1987 on condition that he get it back ASAP - at which point he retired! Kendo should have stayed as a defending champion for a good few years, taking on challengers. It would have been great if that was the world title on the line for the Kendo/Haystacks match from Masters Of The Canvas, instead of a tuppeny hapenny version of the CWA title (which as any fule kno was actually held by Luc "Rambo" Poirrier at the time.) Bridges just took his ball - or rather "his" red/white/blue belt - and went home with it. It was on display in his pub until he died a couple of years ago and may well still be on display in the pub now (anyone been there lately)
From the same edition of the above magazine - Shirley "Let the other lads sort out Arion."
Not Interested in chasing titles anymore.
Taken from Joint Promotions own magazine "Wrestling Scene" No.11 in 1979.
The title of the article reads "AN IRON CHAMPION."
Here's a wee bit more from "Ringsport" No.191
Here you go, a picture from a mid 6os Wrestling Review No 327. (no date unfortunately) of an early Spiros Arion on his first visit to the UK
Thanks chaps. There's a good chance that Spiros Arion didn't even know John Quinn as claimed in the article 😄 (although i could be wrong) It might be just clever marketing on Max Crabtree's part to throw in Quinn's name. Also i'm sure Arion wouldn't say "i weigh 17 stones," he'd be more likely to say i weigh 'X' amount of pounds or kilos.
Great read, thank you. I don't think he was wrestling for Greece in the Rome Olympics (Greece only sent 3 wrestlers, in total), or I am sure we would have heard a lot more about that.
In the article above, "Verre Gagre" would be Verne Gagne and "Bobby Buckland" would be Bob Backlund.
Thanks alan
Another article i forgot i had. Arion stated to be a more modest 6' 2" here rather than 6'6" as claimed in the early 1960s.
Arion a World Champion in a fairly short period of time (The Wrestler March 1966).
Will you tell him …..?😀
It certainly sounds more plausible than not being bounced around by a superheavyweight in Britain after all Arion had done just that a few months earlier in the German tournaments by the likes of Wanz, Haystacks and Kirk, and again by Haystacks in blighty. Unfortunately as great a wrestler as he was much of what Street says has to be ingested with a large pinch of salt.
Thanks, John. That’s interesting. So the version Wayne related to me is closer to Tony Earnshaw’s version (although he said they saw Max together). it makes most sense …. If anything resembles sense when it comes down to it,
I don't think Spiros would have been short of money after headlining Madison Sq Garden etc in the USA,and his big name bouts in Australia,so his decision to do what he did was probably down to doing what he wanted to do,and stuff Max