Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to see him live but would like to have done. At six feet three and close to twenty stones must have been a formidable sight. I can vaguely remember a late night mid-week t.v. bout versus Kendo Nagasaki with Kendo exiting the ring victorious and Ian laying prone on the canvas seemingly with a leg injury.Guessing it was about early seventies. Was he a good crowd puller?
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I'm interested in Graham's comments that Campbell could hardly move by the early 1970s. I thought he disappeared in 1972 which would mean the last time I saw him couldn't have been much before Graham, 1971 I would guess. He was in with Kumali, so as you would expect it wasn't the fastest of matches. But I didn't consider him particularly slothful. Makes me wonder if he was ill and deteriorating quickly.
Ian Campbell
I was fortunate to see "Wild" Ian Campbell live on a couple of occasions and being such a big powerful man clad in full Scottish regalia he certainly made an impression. I remember him giving Steve Veidor a torrid time and on another occasion teamed up with the brilliant Chic Purvey, a wrestler who was really capable of working a crowd. I don't think he was particularly popular in London but I expect was more favourably viewed in his native Scotland.
"The Wicker Man" was a classic and, although I remember Ian Campbell in it, I have fonder memories of Britt Ekland dancing around naked.
Campbell was always a good draw at Morecambe. He also was chosen to appear on the famous 1963 RAH bill when he wrestled Billy Robinson to a draw in the presence of Prince Philip.
Notable victories included that over Stan Ogden on Coronation Street and Edward Woodward in The Wicker Man, which had a red hot ending!
I saw Ian Campbell live twice at The King's Hall, Belle Vue, on Morrell and Beresford shows in the early seventies. He had tremendous presence but could hardly move by this stage of his career. His opponents were Pat Roach and Mal Kirk so on both occasions he was the blue eye.
I think Ian was also included in Wrestling World magazine. This seems odd as WW was an independent competition for The Wrestler. I might be wrong, and Anglo Italian might be able to say I'm right or bonkers, but I think the editor of Wrestling World, Lou Ravelle, told us he tried expanding coverage to Joint wrestlers but had opposition from Joint Promotions.
Both Ian Campbell and Big Bruno always seemed to feature in "The Wrestler" during the 1960s.Again i was too young to remember him but his magazine appearances were prolific.
I started watching with my granddad in 1959. In those days TV had no masked men and there were not so many gimmicks. That was the year Two Rivers and Campbell came and the kilted entrance and huge man was for sure a great spectacle. Don't think Campbell was the busiest of wrestlers , but with his height and weight was about as big as men got. Great aeroplane spin. he actually held the British championship for a short time and he had a good 1960's before fading away. We were lucky enough to get him at Belle Vue a good few times.
He is one of my earliest 1960's memories and seemed huge!, a good name to have on the bill.
Agreed Hack.It really depends who else was on the bill.
I watched Ian Campbell and interviewed him a couple of times. He was certainly a formidable opponent and one of the top heavies. But there were so many of them I think it would be hard to say he was a crowd puller. He was there alongside Robinson, Joyce, Mitchell, Davis, Hussey, Bull Davis, Bartelli. Nagasaki. Veidor. And they were just the ones in the north. So how do we distinguish he was the crowd puller? Would I like to see him on the bill? Yes definitely. But would so if he wasn't there? No.