I think sometimes it is a temporary escape from reality.For two hours or so we can leave our cares and woes behind for a while.Interested in your thoughts.
I never worried about who's the champ, or the best, or the toughest of 'em all, or if it was a "real fight" or was not, instead I approach it as a theatrical play, or a movie, a beautiful game of TWO. Obviously the better actors and director are the better performance we will get. Taste of director and skill of actors is a decisive factor. As my dear friend world's champion wrestler T. St Clair once said - remember, it takes TWO to tango.
And yet I love, love, love, titles, lineages, belts, cups, gimmicks, feuds, ballyhoo, etc. and everything else which accompanies pro wrestling world.
The world of Wrestling has always been full of skilled entertainers, masters of action, brilliantly fit athletes & colourful characters who were just great crowd pullers.
From the first time i watched wrestling on TV as a young lad i was hooked. It was great, the quality of the wrestling and wrestlers was hard to beat. Also, the interaction of the crowd who really appreciated the skill of the grappling. It`s true to say that indeed wrestling was infectious, and today we still have the great Johnny Saint as an ambassador for the sport.
Even now, in 2018, with so much out in the open, so much nevertheless remains withheld.
Take Naggers' book, just as it's on the go this month. He writes as if he is taking the lid off the business, but even he doesn't describe the true camaraderie that obviously went on. Your sister must have seen at least twelve of them having a laugh.
The only one who ever came near to telling me what it wa sreally like was Butts Giraud. I had asked about how the two wrestlers behaved in the dressing room immediately after having apparently knocked spots off each other. He described the hug and the laughs. And then cut himself short, thinking he'd said too much.
Naggers names wrestlers who were poor, he doesn't hold back there. He describes those who were hard work, and he names a couple who were great pros, in Cox and Hussey. But he doesn't really describe what made them bad or good, and he doesn't mention at all what sort of a relationship he had with all those regular opponents.
Anglo - I went back and forth on whether it was real or not...several times!! Every once and a while I'd see a match and have to say to myself, that was a real wrestling match, it had to be. If it wasn't real, then I wanted to know how it worked.
My sister and I had some hotly debated conversations about the "real and fake" bit. She was a true believer and used to travel about 60 miles, with her husband, to see the matches in Bristol for years. She was a huge fan until one night, on the return trip home, they stopped at a Service Station on the M4 and lo and behold, the whole wrestling card were sitting together eating supper and laughing and joking. She was furious that she'd been duped for so long and I made the mistake of saying, "I told you so." That was the last time we discussed wrestling together!!
As Adrian says some fans did get very involved. I can't think of any other sport where such a level of interaction would avoid fans being banned or police involvement. I think there was a general acceptance that the wrestlers bore the responsibility if fans became too overheated. Of course most didn't attempt to become physically involved. There was interaction at many levels, the majority being content to go home hoarse.
It remained and remains infectious because even in an event with stale matches there is usually at least one which does not defy credibility and well worth watching
Wrestling is a sport in which fans play an interactive role. None of this sitting in admiration and clapping politely when required. We get involved, and the wrestlers respond to our intervention. Sometimes it's just a look, other times it's a verbal comment but one way or another we have an impact on what's happening in the ring. Bob Kirkwood has mentioned to us more than once his admiration for Black Butcher Johnson. They worked together on Paul Lincoln shows in the early 1960s. The first time Bob was on with Butcher he was in admiration of this long time star. Bob says that he learnt so much psychology from Butcher. In that first match the crowd were getting restless as there was too much mat wrestling for their liking. Bob was all for speeding things up but Butcher insisted it was too early. He was right, of course, and the fans became more vocal. The point I'm making (just in case you thought I'd really lost the plot) is that the fans were interacting and it wasn't just a case of us being responsive but we could have an influence on what was happening. Another occasion I remember one night at Blackpool Tower a group of us deciding to cheer on Steve Haggetty. Boy, did we make ourselves heard. The more Steve tried to be bad the more we cheered. At one point he came over to the ring apron and gazed out into the audience to see where the cheers were coming from. So I'd say interaction plays a big part in our addiction.
Hi Romeo: Never mind the fans, us lads who were wrestling during the 60s & 70s that meet up on a Monday morning at Jimmy boy Devlins house talk and reminisce the good old golden days of wrestling,still after all those years. And we all say the same thing,that we would do it all again if we had our time over again,and that is all 11of us ( Dicky Swales, Norman Cooper,Jim McCormck, Jimmy Devlin, Sean McNeil, Ray Clarke, Lord Bertie St Clair, myself & sometimes Farmers Boy Peter Ross. & Frankie Rob. We are there 3 to 4 hours and talk wrestling 90% of the time looking through old programs and wrestling bills. Sometimes we phone other X wrestlers such as Dwight J Ingleberg (Sam Betts) and Black Jack Mulligan (Larry Coulton), so yes it is an escape from reality for us lads as well as the fans.We all also say over and over again, we wouldn't of had the glory or the wages if it wasn't for the fans who I personally thank for those golden times.☺ Regards Les 💪.
I never worried about who's the champ, or the best, or the toughest of 'em all, or if it was a "real fight" or was not, instead I approach it as a theatrical play, or a movie, a beautiful game of TWO. Obviously the better actors and director are the better performance we will get. Taste of director and skill of actors is a decisive factor. As my dear friend world's champion wrestler T. St Clair once said - remember, it takes TWO to tango.
And yet I love, love, love, titles, lineages, belts, cups, gimmicks, feuds, ballyhoo, etc. and everything else which accompanies pro wrestling world.
The world of Wrestling has always been full of skilled entertainers, masters of action, brilliantly fit athletes & colourful characters who were just great crowd pullers.
Addictive! .........need I say more?
From the first time i watched wrestling on TV as a young lad i was hooked. It was great, the quality of the wrestling and wrestlers was hard to beat. Also, the interaction of the crowd who really appreciated the skill of the grappling. It`s true to say that indeed wrestling was infectious, and today we still have the great Johnny Saint as an ambassador for the sport.
Nice story Sebastian.
Even now, in 2018, with so much out in the open, so much nevertheless remains withheld.
Take Naggers' book, just as it's on the go this month. He writes as if he is taking the lid off the business, but even he doesn't describe the true camaraderie that obviously went on. Your sister must have seen at least twelve of them having a laugh.
The only one who ever came near to telling me what it wa sreally like was Butts Giraud. I had asked about how the two wrestlers behaved in the dressing room immediately after having apparently knocked spots off each other. He described the hug and the laughs. And then cut himself short, thinking he'd said too much.
Naggers names wrestlers who were poor, he doesn't hold back there. He describes those who were hard work, and he names a couple who were great pros, in Cox and Hussey. But he doesn't really describe what made them bad or good, and he doesn't mention at all what sort of a relationship he had with all those regular opponents.
Mystery remains. At least for me.
Anglo - I went back and forth on whether it was real or not...several times!! Every once and a while I'd see a match and have to say to myself, that was a real wrestling match, it had to be. If it wasn't real, then I wanted to know how it worked.
My sister and I had some hotly debated conversations about the "real and fake" bit. She was a true believer and used to travel about 60 miles, with her husband, to see the matches in Bristol for years. She was a huge fan until one night, on the return trip home, they stopped at a Service Station on the M4 and lo and behold, the whole wrestling card were sitting together eating supper and laughing and joking. She was furious that she'd been duped for so long and I made the mistake of saying, "I told you so." That was the last time we discussed wrestling together!!
Most fans knew.
Many didn't want to admit they knew, but they knew. Father Christmas syndrome.
As Adrian says some fans did get very involved. I can't think of any other sport where such a level of interaction would avoid fans being banned or police involvement. I think there was a general acceptance that the wrestlers bore the responsibility if fans became too overheated. Of course most didn't attempt to become physically involved. There was interaction at many levels, the majority being content to go home hoarse.
It remained and remains infectious because even in an event with stale matches there is usually at least one which does not defy credibility and well worth watching
Wrestling is a sport in which fans play an interactive role. None of this sitting in admiration and clapping politely when required. We get involved, and the wrestlers respond to our intervention. Sometimes it's just a look, other times it's a verbal comment but one way or another we have an impact on what's happening in the ring. Bob Kirkwood has mentioned to us more than once his admiration for Black Butcher Johnson. They worked together on Paul Lincoln shows in the early 1960s. The first time Bob was on with Butcher he was in admiration of this long time star. Bob says that he learnt so much psychology from Butcher. In that first match the crowd were getting restless as there was too much mat wrestling for their liking. Bob was all for speeding things up but Butcher insisted it was too early. He was right, of course, and the fans became more vocal. The point I'm making (just in case you thought I'd really lost the plot) is that the fans were interacting and it wasn't just a case of us being responsive but we could have an influence on what was happening. Another occasion I remember one night at Blackpool Tower a group of us deciding to cheer on Steve Haggetty. Boy, did we make ourselves heard. The more Steve tried to be bad the more we cheered. At one point he came over to the ring apron and gazed out into the audience to see where the cheers were coming from. So I'd say interaction plays a big part in our addiction.
Hi Romeo: Never mind the fans, us lads who were wrestling during the 60s & 70s that meet up on a Monday morning at Jimmy boy Devlins house talk and reminisce the good old golden days of wrestling,still after all those years. And we all say the same thing,that we would do it all again if we had our time over again,and that is all 11of us ( Dicky Swales, Norman Cooper,Jim McCormck, Jimmy Devlin, Sean McNeil, Ray Clarke, Lord Bertie St Clair, myself & sometimes Farmers Boy Peter Ross. & Frankie Rob. We are there 3 to 4 hours and talk wrestling 90% of the time looking through old programs and wrestling bills. Sometimes we phone other X wrestlers such as Dwight J Ingleberg (Sam Betts) and Black Jack Mulligan (Larry Coulton), so yes it is an escape from reality for us lads as well as the fans.We all also say over and over again, we wouldn't of had the glory or the wages if it wasn't for the fans who I personally thank for those golden times.☺ Regards Les 💪.