Serious subject. Serious question. To everyone who considers themselves pro wrestling history researchers - what is the main subject, main focus of your studies, and why?
A little of pre history. I found this website around 2017, and quickly emailed Ron asking my questions about the British pro wrestling and what is the best way to approach this subject in a way that will help me to better understand the historical processes and evolution of this game. I always prefer calling wrestling a game. For me it is. Ron suggested not to spend all my time on collecting the pro wrestling results from different eras, because that is what I was pretty much doing, my collection of wrestling results related to English wrestling history is arguably the biggest in the world (no kidding) it goes back all the way to 1600s, the times of last Stuart kings of England. Back then I argued with Ron, because to me personally the results was the only thing that did matter, the only thing that will actually stay in history forever and not only that, this is the way it's here in America, the wrestling researchers just collect the results, that is what we do. Precisely. Because that is how we believe we are preserving the wrestling history I suppose.
Long story short, back then I wasn't capable to understand what Ron was teaching and preaching to me. It took years of personal evolution as a researcher and years spent here on this forum of old school British wrestling fans, learning a lot from you guys, that nowadays I can claim that yes I do agree with Ron, fully and completely, and yes follow his fashion of studies. Yes, I still do research certain things very specific, but the way I approach events has changed.
When I see a wrestling programme a bill with names on it...I no longer am concerned about the results that much, someone won someone lost those bouts from the past. I see something that does look like a sports advertisement a programme in front of me, but as a matter of fact is nothing but a THEATRE AFICHE (I have to address it in French, for a stronger accent, and to add an additional meaning to it) and should be treated as such. It is like those old theatre posters which show us the names of great actors and actresses of the past, and we only can judge the performance, accepting their era's norms and standards for the quality acting. So my main focus switched from the "results" to such things as what was their pro wrestling like, what they did in the ring to entertain crowds of spectators, what the fans considered fun about this whole thing called pro wrestling and why they were willing to come and watch it, what was behind the theatrical curtains of pro wrestling stage. The evolution of performance became my new subject, the language wrestling artists spoke to their fans and everything about it. This teaches me more about wrestling history than anything has ever did in the past. This new approach truly enriched my researcher's world and I am very thankful to Ron, Hack, Anglo and all of you my dear friends. Thank You All!
Many of us have been talking to each other on this site, and the old 1Stop Wrestling site, before that, for about 20 years!
When I first stumbled across the old 1Stop Wrestling site, it was to find out more information about what had happened to the Wrestlers of my youth, a sort of "where are they now?", that you see about pop groups and actors.
I always wanted to believe that the Wrestlers we grew up liking (and hating, of course!) had been well paid and had all retired to a comfortable life. It was buying, and reading, "The Wrestling" that changed a lot of that thinking. It told of Mick McManus in a nice apartment filled with antiques, Jackie Pallo in a bungalow with various old Saab's outside. Kendo Nagasaki in a large country house. Adrian Street living in Florida.
So some people had done well, but what about the rest?, I found out that Iron Man Steve Logan ended up working on the sea front, in the North West, Johnny Czeslaw, was in an old person's home, blind, Dynamite Kid was in a wheelchair.
Then other questions popped into my head; why did the likes of Mike Marino, Brian Maxine and Count Bartelli hold belts and titles for decades?, did they own the belts?, if so, why did the promoters play along with the fictitious titles that these wrestlers (at least in Bartelli's case) bestow upon themselves?
As for results, the interesting thing became "why" did someone go on a long winning streak, or lose to an unlikely opponent. What happened if someone gave you a hard time in the ring (like Cliff Belshaw with Jackie Pallo, in Pallo's book), did the promotor have words with them after?
My favourite part of the business, as those who have read things that I put on here will know, was about the international travel, which back in the 60's and 70's, must have been fantastic. Finding results online about the Hell's Angels in Spain, or Judo Chris Adams in Mexico, Ringo Rigby in Los Angeles. Travelling the world at someone else's expense, and working for around 20 minutes a night.