Best of three ending in a 2-1 result did little for wrestling credibility and a 2-0 result would, you think be a more likely ending. I can understand your feelings on a one fall contest, so many would finish half way through round 4 of a six round bout so yeah it does feel short changed. The ones I am seeing at the moment mainly french professional from the end of the fifties loads are one fall contest I would go so far as to say 75% maybe more but lots go the full duration and end in a draw, or a submission or fall occurs after say 30 minutes so they are certainly good value! and as mentioned previously have no rounds. Provided they are not over in five minutes I like one fall contests generally. I like the idea that your going to have a WINNER or a full length draw result.

I agree entirely 100% just started watching them and there is no break in the wrestling lots, not all have no rounds

As mentioned I like no rounds all the ones I have seen so far flow much better and no stops at crucial stages by the bell when one wrestler is on the verge of gaining a submission or fall. Guess it’s horses for courses and room for both! Incidentally in all the ones I have watched from the fifties onwards right through to the WOS eighties they announce the time at regular intervals so Maurice would have no excuse on that score.

But are you saying Honor knocked Pallo out? I always thought it must have been some sort of stunt training accident. Mind you she next went on to grappling with Sean Connery as Pussy Galore in the Bond franchaise

Can I say how much I enjoyed just reading your comments on Paul Lincoln bills and how true it seems to me. The actress DIANA RIGG sadly died a short time ago you may remember her as Emma Peel in her leather cat suit outfits in the AVENGERS she was the object of many young lads fantasies and their fathers in the sixties. Anyway, she was being interviewed quite snottily by some BBC guy who as asking her how could she expect to convince a live audience that she was a murderer in some play. Her answer was brilliant this is what she said.....WELL THATS MY JOB, TO SELL IT TO THE AUDIENCE, AND YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER WHEN AN AUDIENCE COMES TO SEE YOU IN A PLAY THEY WANT TO BELIEVE SO YOUR HALF WAY THERE ...THE REST IS UP TO YOU. And is wrestling any different? and obviously Paul Lincoln understood this and really sold on his posters!

That is fascinating I never knew Mr Ginsberg was such a character! Thanks for sharing. Regarding Bill Grundy all I can really remember and it’s not much....is that he introduced the programme/ documentary just a few words at the beginning sat in a chair and looking serious and then straight into the wrestlers interviewing them etc and he was no part of that. I now agree with earlier comment that it was THIS ENGLAND wonder if it still exists? Love to see it again

This England sou nds familiar particularly if Bill Grundy was a presenter I think you could be correct.

Thanks for your really interesting input Frank. It is very similar to my own experiences..,, Adrian wrestled Jon Cortez at the Pembroke Hall in Walkden at the time I lived less than a mile away so of course I went. I can not confirm the date except it was late seventies possibly 1978 or 79: The difference was Street was the winner. Both Street and Cortez were great to watch put on a fantastic show. I never saw Pallo in the flesh and because they left tv wrestling particularly Pallo there is little left behind. The charisma comment irritated me as it is insulting to champion wrestlers. But, honestly, it is not without some truth in Streets case. As a character he was larger than life and BIGGER and remembered more than 99% of the other wrestlers arguably only McManus had a higher public profile. You do mention some thing that gives me some concern. Your telling of the Liverpool bouts and the weird two matches due to a weight issue......is exactly the same as the Bill Ross wrestling scenario in Scotland. For some reason which they say was weight there were two matches. When I read it on the Scottish blog I assumed it was just that being a title bout they were very strict on weight and if one was overweight it could not be a title contest. That the same happened in Liverpool is puzzling. BUT Street went on to a successful USA career and I read somewhere he is now back in the UK hopefully happy and healthy.

I did say at the start of my comment that the papers say he left due to money and I do not doubt that. But Street was a major wrestling star not just another wrestler. So unless he was asking some outrageous figure I don’t know why they let him go ultimately they did not value him as much as he did himself and I suspect it was their mistake. Promoters can be greedy too. And I also said my comments on whether he was popular with the promoters was conjecture, speculation on my part you can see some like McManus Were popular with them. Thats what made me think of titles Kent said Often in the sixties that Street was the Welsh lightweight champion whilst others some he beat regularly were British, European etc.I suspect that Street was not a stupid man but if he was of the same opinion as yourself that they were for lesser men with little charisma at best this is a nieve view. The dictionary definition of champion is to be the best of in wrestling it would mean the best in your weight category. I understand that Street viewed the wrestling world from the inside so he knew himself how good he was. But there is another side ...I refer to Joe Public and it mattered greatly to all the wrestling fans this should not be underestimated. And honestly I think most wrestlers recognised that fact too Brian Maxine added GOLDBELT to his name as soon as he became a champion, I thinks lot valued it. Even today titles change hands all the time and it’s a big buzz and selling point for professional wrestling. Even in those long ago days of the golden age we like to think the champions were among the best around that the titles did mean something, On this site they never fail to mention in a wrestlers bio if they held titles at any time. Was Street different? He was certainly worthy of a national title at this time. Two thoughts occurred to me .....one is that THE TITLES ARE OWNED BY THE PROMOTERS NOT THE WRESTLERS SO ULTIMATELY THEY HAVE FINAL SAY. Remember at the time Street was beating Johnny Saint, Jon Cortez, Bill Ross etc on a regular basis he was beaten by Vic Faulkner in his challenge for the British Welterweight title. My second thought is if Street felt like you that he was bigger than titles ( as only necessary for men with less charisma) why did he quickly become a champion when he left joint promotions? I read somewhere that he held a version of the world middleweight title and just before he emigrated he travelled to Scotland to wrestle old rival Bill Ross. They wrestled twice for his championship, apparently the first time there was a weight problem so they wrestled again. Bill Ross became the new world champion and Street moved to the USA. I assume as he was emigrating he was happy for an old pal to become the new champ. And very shortly afterwards Bill Ross retired himself do not think he ever defended his title. But he ended his career on a high as a world champion and I bet that mattered to him. Sadly Bill was one of the many overlooked men who never held a British title you would have thought he would have been the natural successor to his compatriot George Kidd but that title went to Johnny Saint. Ross lost to Saint in one of those tangled in the ropes in the ring injuries and could not continue.....but he did not travel like Johnny Saint stayed north and as I said these titles belong to the promoters. But ask yourself would he have bothered wrestling for Streets world title and then to retire himself if it meant nothing to him?

Did both Street and Pallo leave joint promotions sometime in the early seventies? I even remember reading in the national papers about it as already mentioned they were two of the biggest stars I think they felt they were not being paid enough. When you think of the TV viewing figures they were probably right. And short sighted of the promoters just to let them go, in time others followed., Maybe the start of the rot with these two big names. I can not help wondering if they were not as popular with the promoters as they were with the fans. I mean...we all know what a great wrestler Street was at the Albert Hall for example wrestling BRIAN Maxine to a draw, and his record against Saint, Breaks etc all the top lighter men of the day was impressive. And yet no British title etc UNTIL he left Joint and went independent, This is pure supposition by me but because he was so good it makes me think his face did not fit.

Thank you for your reply’s no doubt your 100% correct I see that. Kent still has me conned after all these years. I did give you some incorrect information accidentally. His title defence was against JACQUE LE JACQUES and not JEAN LE JACQUES which I erroneously called him. But I looked again at this bout and the VON CHERNOK bout and they are definitely two different men, one is balding (CHERNOK) and one has shoulder length black hair (JACQUES). After almost 35 years it was too much of a long shot to think someone might have a memory of him. Perhaps as you suggest it was not his correct name, perhaps he never existed at alll beyond his two UK bouts a made up wrestler by the promoters I guess we will never know.

There is a match on you tube for the EUROPEAN welterweight title with a Baron Von Chernok this is who Danny took the European belt from. The Jacques match is later and was a defence of the European title apparently. According to Kent Jacques spoke NO ENGLISH at all ( which was convenient) and was a french professional since the mid seventies, just wondered if anyone out there had heard of him apart from these two UK bouts cause it seems odd. I reckon your right re Kent’s comments on a world title shot being in the works but what an odd thing to make up even for him....this is more than just embellishment of a story.

@ohtani's jacket I hope the Geoff Portz bout makes it on to you tube, there are others I would like to see Eric Taylor, Billy Joyce, Albert Wall, Chic Purvey etc that we have no films of them wrestling, still we can hope for a few more surprises and we how have two early Bert Royal, Judo Al Hayes and two Tommy Mann’s. AND even if we can not ( well I can’t ) understand the commentary I do like some of the wrestlers who look pretty tough like Billy Catanzaro wonder how he would have fared in the UK scene. Last night I accidentally put on some current 2020 wrestling on TV.. And itt started with a wrestler being introduced by the commentator, the wrestler threw his head back to the ceiling, his tongue sticking out, arms stretched out wide, swaggered into ring and started trash talk. He looked like he was on drugs, and the tv commentators also sounded demented! You can see that they are in superb physical condition much better than some wrestlers from the sixties etc great Gymnastic skills but the actual wrestling between all the stops and starts amounts to a few minutes. You know I don’t object to the occasional grudge match or feud to peek interest but this is.......relentless. That’s why I can watch the Catch 22 and our own world of sport wrestling. I must be showing my age boring old fart!

Kent SOLD the bout with his commentary virtually as much as the wrestlers themselves. Sometimes when one wrestler was working on his opponents leg or arm who was gingerly trying to keep it out of his attackers reach.... you would have Kent commentating solemnly And sounding knowledgable bad back, bad leg he is in serious trouble! In hushed and grave tones as a kid I believed every word! But when I say wrestlers friend in between rounds when the camera concentrated on the individual wrestlers his information was always upbeat and positive in respect of the wrestler selling them never negative. For example he was keen to inform you McManus was an expert in antiques, that Steve Best was a teacher, or so and so wrestler did charity work. Selling them and letting us know wrestlers are smart too! I think he had LITTLE INFLUENCE with the wrestlers themselves. For example in a STEVE GREY v JON CORTEZ match both wrestlers were a similar size , dark hair and both wore black trunks. You could here the irritability and frustration in his commentary as they both looked so similar. And he had a point if one had white or lighter coloured trunks his job would have been a lot easier.

Just watched it’s a great bout one I had not seen before. The odd one still keeps appearing long may it continue. Another new one for me which appeared earlier This year was Terry Rudge v Tibor. When I checked on the itv listings it said that the Rudge v Szacks bout was not televised in all regions. You have got to LOVE Kent*s commentary I know I always did, much better than what you get now in my opinion. He was the wrestlers friend, I noticed as the longevity of the wrestlers career continued he would become vague about when they started wrestling knocked years off so the viewers thought the wrestlers were younger than their true ages

Many thanks I will check it out

Thank you so much for this invaluable information Peter. I hope, certainly for me anyhow that there is a slim chance we may get to see more British wrestlers from this golden period. What is appearing now is a good TEN YEARS before anything we have off the commercial ITV network. I am trying not to get my hopes up but possibly in the future we may see Geoff Portz, Billy Howes, Sean Regan and other big names that we have only pictures and no filmed bouts. Any more information you can give us of CATCH TUESDAY will be very much appreciated for example is there a site where we can see all the listed bouts that were aired? The venue looks very atmospheric very crowded with big audience where was it all filmed Paris? The man now putting on you tube, I just pray he continues who you say is from California the ones I view are listed under Matt D. Sorry for all the questions but this is so important to those of us interested in the British wrestling past and wanting to save as much as we can, thank you again Peter.

Thanks for this info, what this also demonstrates is when they need to drag up an old televised bout from possibly any period they can! Grrr