Paul just used this expression to explain Pte Sponge's fascination with live wrestling shows. This gets me to wondering just what were the elements of a wrestling presentation that made it a good night out.
I'll start with the obvious and then add a few personal ones and hope some other old-timers will have features to add.
A good balanced bill.
Good poster with wrestler and bout descriptions.
Well set out hall with fixed seats.
Soberly dinner-jacketed MC.
Serious looking timekeeper with bell.
Seconds with some kind of uniform.
Usherettes to take you to your seat (before you slipped forward to the more expensive rows on your own...)
An MC who talked it all up, as if it was the most important sport in the world. (So Charlie Fisher or Harry Roth; definitely not Bobby Palmer.)
St John's Ambulance in attendance.
Fault-free PA.
Some kind of charity angle to the raffle.
I took the above for granted when I attended. Then, on occasional visits to other venues I'd see the differences and appreciate that nothing happened by chance and all the details had been thought out.
These details all made you think this just had to be a legit sport. Surely they couldn't all be in on the hoax?
I think that what I wanted was an air of authenticity and at the time most promotions seemed to provide it. Anglo's list ticks all the right boxes but why the down on Bobby Palmer? I seem to remember him as a believable MC.