Matety Dave has asked...
What really happened next?
When the Dyke chap pulled the plug, how many of the wrestlers were able to survive as the audience numbers dwinded like a church of england congregation?
Was there enough work available in foriegien lands?
Many had other jobs and businesses, was that enough? how many missed the crowds WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO THEM?
Did many end up like Steve Logan? How many finished up with dementia?
I think the question was not so much about promoters but the impact that the changes in the late 1980s had on the personal circumstances on wrestlers. Reduced attendances would have an economic impact on their livelihood and we have heard of some individual cases of hardship. The physical aspect also may have impacted on the long term health prospects of individuals.
Why doesn't he just read those articles I did for you on this very subject? Or Wikipedia for that matter?
All Star enters the post TV era ahead of Joint, goes on a red hot patch with Kendo top of the bill, quitens down after Kendo retires in 1993 but stays the biggest company to this day. Joint becomes RWS in 1991, carries on with Daddy intelligence Xmas 93 then Davey Boy for a bit in 94 before closing Feb 95 when Max retires and neither Valentine wants to inherit. Scott Conway's TWA has a promotional war with All Star in the eay Noughfies till Scott goes off to Thailand in 2003. Then there is RBW until they go kaput and LDN until they stop being old school and there is Rumble Lloyd's the 90s, revived just the last couple of years, and there is always Premier running along quietly presenting pure old school like a Heritage steam railway for tourists while All Star, Rumble and the late TWA are like a serious attempt to use steam to provide a modern passenger service.
Beyond that are titles and other angles. Go look them up.
Rob Brookside, and others, worked All-Star and then supplemented that with the German/Austrian tournaments. Finlay the same I think, and Tony St. Clair, who also had his Japanese dates every year (so did Pete Roberts and others).
The Eurosport satellite TV station used to show wrestling from France, and our lads appeared on there, Haystacks for example. It also showed New Japan Wrestling and Tony St. Clair was often on that.
I've no first hand knowledge of that period but what I've picked up is that Powerlock is right. I have lots of records for 1989 to 1992 but then things dwindled. In The Wrestling Robby Brookside talked about how difficult it had become and the poor pay. But the loss of tv did seem to give a short boost to All Star. Joint finally ran out of steam around 1992, we have the exact date in the Promoters section.
Many wrestlers are showing the physical and mental deterioration to be expected in people of their age, with more than their fair share of joint and back issues.
the promotions who were independents continued, All Star increased their live dates as far as I can remember, some areas dwindled crowd wise considerably, others the effect was less noticeable , Joint moved to progressively smaller halls with crowds to match. The amount of shows Joint promoted lessened which opened the door for new young promotions to have a go a lot failed but some succeeded . A lot of the wrestlers had reached the veteran stage especially with Joint they took on the reduced workload or simply retired, Others like Finlay, St Clair etc increased their overseas work to make up for the reduced UK dates, some added training to their CV, Jeff Kaye and Marty Jones spring to mind.