Good tribute, NS. I never saw Jim wrestle live, but first read his name in The Wrestler magazine in the 60s. Always super-fit and an excellent technician who did much for the mat game on and off TV. RIP Jimmy Breaks...

Have to admit that I learned more about Tony after he finished jobbing for the Crabtrees. However, I still refer to people with the Walsh surname as 'Banger' (whether or not they understand why!) RIP, Tony...

Nick - please make sure you include the stirling work done by Pippa L'Vinn in the north-west to move ladies' wrestling forward in the 21st Century - ta - Dave

Take out the nonsense, and this would be a great bout, although the film ran faster than the live action...

Like :)

Great post. I can recall a time when men's wrestling was reported in the 'proper' sports section of our local paper (Kettering Evening Telegraph). I can also recall a photo in the Mirror around 1960 of a bout in the Caribbean between one 'Bob The Artist Anderson' and 'Zimla (probably Zilma) Sheik-Doll Diaz', billed as their first man-woman bout. The crowd got out of control and it was called off...

My favourite Viper moment is here, where there has clearly been a feud as to who is the better wrestler. Viper is a clear winner over her male opponent and goes radge when told to release the Boston. One of the few available professional in-ring vids in which girl officially beats guy... (1) VIPER WINS FUTURE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP - Bing video

Thanks, Ron - I remain amazed at the breadth, depth and quality of reference work on British wrestling (etc.) Other sites in other fields of fandom could learn a thing or two... Dave

Folks - I've just enjoyed reading all of this properly, and the one thing that springs out at me is that it's an international pot-pourri (at first, I wrote 'mish-mosh' :D ), by which I mean that American wrestlers, for example, are mixed in with very much home-grown talent (pun intended). We wouldn't do that with male wrestlers unless they'd noticeably wrestled in this country; and even then, the edges are blurred, with international 'tours' which perhaps visited the UK only once, for a short time. I'm thinking of workers like the late Luna Vachon, whom I know wrestled at least once in Britain (probably when she needed the cash). We know that, as with the men, the Americans, Japanese, Mexicans and more all have their own mat games with distinct characteristics. I think the British girls' scene has a particular 'look and feel' (no pun this time) which should reflect in our reviews. Apart from that, if you challenge me to come up with detailed evidence, I don't blame you; but, as a family man of long standing I have regrettably not seen as much live wrestling as I would have liked - Best wishes - Dave (Melvin) :)

I agree, Peter, and - as Anglo has touched on - we can only go with our own perspectives. I've now realised that, if I include John Saint I really need to include Steve Grey and Mal Sanders...

I've been lurking, but this is a b****y good site that stands up well against any fan site on any topic. My middle initial stands for 'Melvin'...

< Was Ken Joyce British-born? > I always assumed so, but only because he and Doug were from Rushden (with love). When he spoke on his 'retirement' from the ring, he sounded Northants.; but you know better than I. < Including one Yorkshire Terrier and not the more prolific other one is surprising.> Yeah, I was admittedly in two minds about this, and broke the rule by basing it on his surprising success abroad. I did mention Mick McMick, but should perhaps exclude both in favour of Preston. (BTW one of these for tag teams should be interesting :) ) . < But a list like this without Alan Garfield. Seriously? > Admit to professing ignorance. Only saw AG once in late career, when Pat Roach went over. < Johnny Kwango > He was allegedly (admittedly by M. Crabtree) professional in terms of honouring bookings, etc. While I was never into the headbutting-the-hand shtick, he seemed high-profile in terms of Albert Hall appearances, etc. I'm leaving him in. < Mike Marino > Prestige as perceived by promoters. Stays in. < Steve Logan > Seemingly rock 'ard. Stays in. < Alf Marquette and Leon Arras and Mal Kirk all well worth a shout > Have to admit that Marquette totally passed me by until his book came out. Re- Arras, I was thinking 'Surely he's foreign'? until I twigged: yes, Glover had slipped down a crack and deserves to be in. Mal's rating is (unfairly) affected by all the jobbing he did for Daddy, literally to the death. < who signed gracious autographs. > I think this sort of thing should add to their score, as should shoot ability and the fact that some have paid their dues, jobbing for years before getting a push. < Sir Atholl > He was mentioned above, so I put him in (you always used to laugh at my stuff on the old Grappling website :D ). Oakley out, Arras in. Thanks, Anglo. Respect - Dave (Melvin M. Melvin)

Thought I would include my 10-penn’orth. Wasn’t Johnny Kwango English? Al Micquet and Steve Wright seem to have slipped through the net; and of the Joyce Brothers, I’d include at least Ken. I get that it needs no further complication, but I personally would prefer it to be wrestlers that worked in the UK, including non-British grapplers who did so that often that, in wrestling terms, that they were almost ‘British by adoption’, otherwise we’re losing good workers like Boscik and the Borgs. I agree that inclusion should be based on their showings in Britain, as opposed to for WWE, etc. However, I do feel that the Dynamite Kid had enough impact here before going to America, and he also came back later for iconic bouts with Rocco. Billington was born and died in Britain; but the fact that people wrestled a lot in tag does not mean that they’re bolted together. Davey-Boy only just sneaks into my list. I’ve limited this to people I remember, plus those whose reputation is too strong to ignore. In come Steve Clements, Peter Rann and ace jobber Sid Cooper. Bubbling under were some seemingly-forgotten workers, like Mike Eager, Mick McMichael and Cardiff’s Johnny Williams. I agree that choosing is hard: Roy Bull Davies and Skull Murphy – in or out? I struggled with Peter Preston (as it were) who did, after all, comprehensively beat Mick on TV. I liked Joe Robinson, but only remember him in films; and Bill Robinson is (despite Anglo’s point, and not to sound like Ant and Dec) in the top three. Here we go, in alphabetical order… Bert Assirati Bad Bobby Barnes Count Bartelli Jim Breaks Wayne Bridges Eddie Capelli Tony Charles Steve Clements Alan Colbeck Cyanide Sid Cooper Dazzler Joe Cornelius Jon Cortez Gwyn Davies Alan Denison The Dynamite Kid Johnny Eagles Vic Faulkner Dave Fit Finlay Judo Al Hayes Marty Jones Ken Joyce Les Kellett George Kidd Johnny Kwango Iron Man Steve Logan Tony Mancelli Mike Marino Brian Maxine Mick McManus Alan Miquet Bernard Murray. Kendo Nagasaki Athol Oakley Jackie Mr TV Pallo Dirty Jack Pye Peter Rann Bomber Pat Roach Andy Robin Billy Robinson Mark Rollerball Rocco Bert Royal Johnny Saint Davey Boy Smith Tony St Clair Francis St Clair Gregory Adrian Street Clayton Thomson Steve Veidor Albert Rocky Wall Steve Wright

Thanks, both - totally agree - Dave/Melvin :D

Thanks, Bill - think Dynamite purists might argue with the 'best Brit' comment, but RIP both - huge losses - Melvin MM

Anglo - totally respect your knowledge and view. I recall those lists in The Wrester and one thing I could never work out was that someone said that Andy Robin had never been beaten using the Power Lock, yet he wasn't top of the list :D - Melvin

Great thread, everyone. Just a thought - if Billy Two Rivers were British, would he get in? Melvin

A word for Pippa L'Vinn's efforts in the north-west, working to advance female wrestling in the last 25 years. Also for 'Rockin'' Sarah Robbins, for me one of the best-looking British girl wrestlers (sorry, no precise dates - what do I know? :) ) Dave (Melvin M Melvin)...

Not sure how I missed this in summer, but the guys/girls above have said it all. Mark raised British wrestling a level with high-risk moves, including once performing a flying tackle on Marty J, who was on the concrete floor, from the centre of the ring. I'm not kidding when I say that it seems like only a few years ago that Mark was a young man. RIP...

From 1962 to 1972, aged 13-23, I lived as a teenager in Corby, Northants, where they used to have reasonable wrestling (Adrian Street, Steve Viedor) at the late, lamented Civic Centre. Experience 1 (naff version): one night I was sitting in the audience when I heard a disembodied voice: the seats were separated by barriers formed from metal piping, doubtless from the local steelworks, and some cheeky kid had shouted down the hollow tube. Experience 2 (not so naff); we were walking to town along a main road known colloquially as 'the bypass' when a worse-for-wear Jag screeched to a halt and a large, bearded driver asked “the way to the wrestling”. We easily told him the route, as we were headed there ourselves, but were quite surprised later that evening when one of the participants clambered into the ring for the third bout. My mate exclaimed: “Hey – it’s that bloke who asked directions!” None other than a young 'Bomber' Pat Roach, on his way up: I've always looked at wrestling as a way of seeing TV stars in the flesh!