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A couple of years ago, when Mick was at the British Wrestlers Reunion at the Bridges pub, South Darenth. I asked for a photo of him, and of course asked him to smile, and he replied in his gravely old voice, "I can't smile, it would ruin my reputation". That was Mick, villain to the end. He must have decided right at the beginning of his career in the square ring that he was never going to be a "baby face" and the hard man suited his real and ring persona well.
Mick had a long and fruitful life, dying 22nd May 2013, age 93. He was born on 11th January 1920 in New Cross, South London, and on leaving school whilst working for a firm of printers, he began training to become a wrestler at the John Ruskin Amateur Wrestling Club, later teaching the fine arts of the sport to R.A.F. personal in WW11.With growing strength and skills he turned professional wrestler circa 1948. I asked him who was his inspiration and trainer and he mentioned a famous physical culturist and trainer Fred Unwin, who's adverts for muscle building and learning fighting arts appeared in the bodybuilding journals of the day. Mick Mc Manus's first professional bout took place during a posting to Australia.
I first saw the young Mc Manus at the old football stadium, The Dell, around the 1948. Friday night watching live wrestling at the Dell was a regular part of our weekly routine and the promoter was Dale Martin. It was here I was lucky to see many legendary wrestlers, admittedly past their youth, such as Primo Carnera, Jim Londos The Golden Greek, Jack Doyle, The Angel, many Terrible Turks, Bert Assirati before he travelled to the far East and many more including the Robinson brothers, also on the card was as introduced to us, "A promising young wrestler from London Mick Mc Manus" The little, but nicely formed Lou Marco, usually took the place of the "third man" with his distinct counting style, a-one aaa, a- two.aaa, rarely reaching the three and having a definite problem with his eyesight according the regular, and highly knowledgeable crowd. Perhaps he should have gone to "Spec Savers"? We knew what a Boston crab or half Nelson was long before Kent Walton ever came on the scene. Walton had to be coached into the various nomenclature of the game, although he did make some hold names up himself which soon become established to his massive T.V audience.
Although no giant, just 5ft 6ins (1.68m) and 12 and half stone (79k). With time Mick's reputation as a villain grew, soon he become "The Man We Love To Hate". Winning most of his matches, helped along no doubt by the fact he soon became the booker or matchmaker for the Dale Martin Promotions. He also had a wrestling book published in 1970 and also appeared many times on T.V in other slots as well as the wrestling eg. The Generation Game, as an expert on porcelain, one of his hobbies being a collector, also mixing with celebrities of the day such as the Beatles on the Eamon Andrews show. Later, he along with his wrestling line up, even met Royalty in the shape of the Duke of Edinburgh at the Royal Hall. It is no secret The Queen loved to watch the wrestling on T.V, along with the millions of her subjects who preferred the regular excitement and story lines of the men of the mat over the more usual football matches. The more he wrestled the more he became a celebrity in his own right along with working for several charities. The wrestling game itself insured he had to travel extensively for matches and publicity, he estimated travels of 1,000 to 1,500 miles a week, but it still left him time to also be a regular correspondent for The Sun newspaper with his column. When not wrestling he collected antiques, and loved his game of golf. He also took his wife Barbara and son Tony on many holidays, preferring the sunshine of Italy and Spain. Maybe it was the pep pills he also marketed that gave Mick so much energy?
Television brought to the millions Mick's acting ability to arouse them into almost hating his ring performances. His cheating behind the referees back, his low and dirty blows and teasing of the audience arousing their emotions. Although he did own several titles, his skills were not as those of some other wrestlers, but Mick's love of forearm smashes and other disputed methods to overcome his ring opponents brought him his infamy. There was also a definite danger of being seriously hurt by his audience, let alone his fellow wrestlers. Mick however always remained the perfect professional and valuable as Joint Promotions soon realised. Many matches were still to follow.
To attempt to list all of Mick's fights is out of the question, it must run into thousands out of which several were his genuine friends and often ring partners and several were his truly hated opponents. Wrestlers are only human and have human like and dislikes. Often their egos would not let them run with the "card" presenting problems and at times, although, rarely, genuine "shoot outs". One recorded event is the unscheduled "beating of Mick by promoter Norman Morrell's man Peter Preston, the heavier man, Preston refused to go with the plan and be beaten, so Mick got himself disqualified by choice. Thus listing one of the few time he was "beaten." Best known of all to T.V fans, and at it's peak, T.V brought in over 20 million viewers, is the feud between him and the pig tailed Jackie Pallo, which lasted both in and outside of the ring. Micks career on the box lasted over 26 years. Even at the reunions when most of the attending wrestlers had long quit the game, Mc Manus and Pallo made no attempt to be friendly, unlike most of the other ring legends and now ancient warriors, with their common experiences of the mat game. He retired from active wrestling in 1982. Now when Mick attended the meet ups, it was no longer necessary to carry on any pretence and yes, Mick actually did smile and mix with his fans and "Foes" in appreciating no doubt to the long double edge of love and hate support he gained in his unique life in British wrestling.
Mick Mc
Manus died 22nd May 2013, he was 93 years old .Mick's funeral
was at the Woking Crematorium , which
was packed with family, fans, wrestlers and the press. His son Tony gave a heart wrenching speech,
along with tributes from Frank Rimer
and Bill/Wayne Bridges. Wrestling
was Mick's life and he will always
be remembered by fans and wrestlers alike with his special "boot black, Nero
hairstyle, king of the forearm slams, Cauli-flower ears, the Man They loved To
David Gentle© 2017. for the Britishwrestlersreunion. With thanks too many sources, including Bob Kirkwood, Wrestling Heritage, John Lister, Frank Rimer, Tony St Clair.
The British Wrestlers Reunion are shocked and saddened to learn that Paul Jerome a.k.a. Ponsonby Pendleton Pratt has passed away suddenly following an epileptic fit
Inside the ring he was an extrovert
character who brought joy to thousands but outside he was a lovely
young man ,shy and retiring with beautiful manners and it is so sad to be taken
so savagely without warning.
Paul was very often seen alongside veteran wrestler Jon Ritchie who has today paid his own tribute to his dear friend as follows:-
'Absolutely in pieces, lost the best friend I ever had. I'm for once lost for words, my life won't be the same again a friend to me and my family a business partner, a great comedy actor. Someone who went from being a non sports person and became an amateur and shoot wrestling champion at many different weights.
We remained good friends till the end.
Taken far far to young I'll never forget you and the laughs and sadness we shared a big part of me has died with you. Bless you mate RIP PJ'.
LDN owner Sanjay Bagga who Paul worked for during his career has also paid tribute:-
Totally gutted and upset to hear former LDN Manager Paul Jerome known to our fans as Ponsenby Pendleton Pratt has passed away. His loyalty and friendship to Jon Ritchie in and out of the Ring was something people can only hope for.
Away from the Ring PJ stuffed from epilepsy but he never let it stop at training or on the shows.
RIP Paul so sorry you went at such an early age
Our thoughts are with his Family and his Father who found him two days later at this very sad time.
Paul has been added to our 'dressing room in the sky' section on the website and may he R.I.P.
They are two of the most popular and famous wrestlers to have stepped through the ropes in the last forty years and have a rivalry which stretches back throughout their entire careers. Now, on Sunday 29th October at the Shoreham Centre in Sussex, this rivalry will come to an end as Superstar Mal Sanders faces his old foe Johnny Kidd for the final time in a bout being promoted by LDN Wrestling.
With Mal Sanders announcing his retirement from the ring this week (his final bout will take place on the 1st December) this will be the final time that these two men face each other in an LDN ring, a promotion where both men have had many bouts over the last ten years. LDN Promoter Sanjay Bagga has made the following announcement on this bout for the ages:-
'After a 40 year plus career the Mouth of the South, Superstar Mal Sanders
is retiring from the ring this year and in just over two weeks he will
compete in his last ever LDN bout.
The former European Middleweight Champion who famously defeated Mick McManus back in the days of when British Wrestling attracted millions of viewers each and every Saturday afternoon will be retiring in his home county of Sussex.
We wanted to pay respect and give him one of his best rivals as his final opponent.
We have managed to bring out of retirement for a special one night only contest former ITV wrestler and LDN British Champion, arguably one of the greatest technical wrestlers of our the last 20 years Mr Smooth Johnny Kidd!
As an added bonus for this bout British Wrestlers Reunion Organiser Frank Rimer will be the special guest Master of Ceremonies.
This bout will be the end of an era as Johnny (who retired last year) and Mal are literally the last
of the legends still competing today, we are sure that this will be an
emotional night for all concerned but are sure that the bout will be a fitting
tribute to both wrestlers and we send our very best wishes for all concerned.
Tickets are available online at: https://ldnwrestling.ticketlight.co.uk/order/tickets/13328998/ldn-wrestling-the-shoreham-centre-2017-10-29-15-00-00
We were saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Bobby Heenan regarded by many as the greatest manager in sports-entertainment history, has passed away at age 73.
With a career spanning more than four decades, Heenan was the "The Brain" behind some of the most prolific Superstars in sports-entertainment history. Heenan plied his trade as their mischievous manager by running his mouth on their behalf with a sarcastic wit considered among the best in the business.
Heenan named competitors under his guidance as the Heenan Family, a moniker meant to show the strength of their alliance over any opposition. Members of the Heenan Family in the AWA and WWE read like the who's who of sports-entertainment, including Legends and WWE Hall of Famers such as Nick Bockwinkel, the Blackjacks, Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), Harley Race, and of course, the first WWE Hall of Famer, Andre the Giant, whom Heenan led to the ring at WrestleMania III before 93,173 fans.
As impossible as it may seem, Heenan's overwhelming success as a manager was matched by that of his commentating career. Heenan's constant verbal jousts with fellow WWE Hall of Famers Gorilla Monsoon and "Mean" Gene Okerlund remain among the most memorable moments in sports-entertainment history. In fact, "The Brain" was so entertaining that "The Bobby Heenan Show" was also produced and was successful as well.
In addition, "The Brain" was part of the original broadcast team for Monday Night Raw in 1993, and also sat at the announce table for both Raw and WCW Monday Nitro.
Bobby had a career in the wrestling business that will never be equalled and his passing has sent shock waves around the World espite the fact that he had been unwell for many years.
We send our condolences to Bobby family and friends at this very sad time and may he now RIP.
above courtesy of World Wrestling Entertainment
Malcolm Kirk was born on the 18th December 1936 in Pontefract, West Yorkshire although in his early days had no intention of taking the career that would lead him to stardom.
Initially, Mal worked as a coal miner and also played professional rugby for Featherstone Rovers, Castleford and Doncaster as well as being a doorman. Mal was also involved in judo and joined the Bramley Judo Club in Leeds and as a result of this he joined a local amateur wrestling club also in Leeds and although he was to have success in the amateur ranks it was to be the bright lights of the professional ring that would be Mals next course of action.
During the early 1960s Mal had a meeting with top promoter Norman Morrell. Mal was a big powerful man and it was apparent that due to this he could, if trained correctly, be a big star in the wrestling business. Norman Morrell could see this and offered Mal a contract. Mal knew that if he wanted to be a star he would have to train hard and this is what he intended to do. In view of the fact that he had previously played professional rugby he was already very fit and as he trained more in the professional wrestling ranks it wasnt long before he got noticed.
In 1969 Mal had a televised match against Albert 'Rocky' Wall, this was to be the start of many television appearnces that Mal would have up until 1987 during which time he used such ring names as Mucky Mal Kirk, Kojak Kirk and King Kong Kirk. The promoters also had another wrestler by the name of Paul Luty, an ideal tag team Partner for Mal and the two teamed up and travelled around the country taking on many of the top tag teams around at that time.
Due to his regular television appearances Mal was becoming a well known face and was soon travelling up and down the UK on a nightly basis taking on many of the greats such as Wayne Bridges, Wild Angus, Mike Marino, Pat Roach, Roy St Clair and Geoff Portz to name but a few. In 1971 Mal pinned Mike Marino in the Royal Albert Hall tournament and it wasnt long therefore before Mal was being noticed by the foreign promoters.
As the 1970s progressed Mal found himself wrestling more and more around the World. In 1973 and 1974 Mal wrestled in Canada where he won the Northern Provinces Championship and during the mid and late 1970s was a regular visitor to Austria and Germany where he had success in the 1977 Oldenburg Tournament and in 1978 the prestigious Bremen Tournament. Mal also had a long tour of the Middle East and India where again he had a great deal of success.
As the 1970s drew to a close Mals European wrestling appearances started to slow down. Although Mal did have a number of bouts for the British Heavyweight Championship he was not successful in these. By this time Mal was now a solid 25 stone and with his shaven head looked even more menacing that he had previously done. It was decided at this time that Mal would also cut back on his solo contests and he found himself more and more in tag team action partnering the likes of Giant Haystacks, Banger Walsh, John Quinn and Bruiser Muir. As Mal walked to the ring the chorus of boos would echo around the halls, Mal was the villain in the ring but was loved by everyone. He would often immobilise his opponents with his devastating guillotine elbow drop, a move that very few recovered from. Wrestling was seeing a resurgence in the UK at this point and Mal often found himself top of the bill in tag team action. Whilst he continued to have the odd solo bout it was tag team action that was now his mainstay and Mal continued to do this during most of the 1980s.
On the 24th August 1987 the wrestling world was shocked by the sudden death of Mal Kirk. It was during a tag match from Great Yarmouth that Mal suffered a heart attack and passed away shortly afterwards. The wrestling world was left in mourning at the news as one of the strongest men in the business had passed away.
Kirk was a gentle giant, the man he portrayed in the ring could not
have been more different from the man he was in real life, a family man,
a joker and liked by his fellow wrestlers and fans alike.
Kirk is sadly missed to this day and our thoughts are with his family and friends as we remember him 30 years after his passing.
The Ring of Friendship is something that is very important to us at the British Wrestlers Reunion and it is something that we abide by at all times.
As many of you will now know, over the years a number of Wrestlers Reunions have been set up and this year, apart from our own, we have seen Reunions held at Leeds, Manchester, Blackpool and Ayr. All Reunions are well attended and it is heart-warming that many of the great grapplers from years gone by still wish to attend these events ensuring that they thrive for many more years to come.
In June of this year it was the turn of our friends in Scotland to finally set up their own Reunion, whilst this has been something that has been discussed for quite a while time restrictions had meant that until now it had never materialised. However, this has now been corrected and on Sunday 25th June the first Wrestlers Reunion took place. Organised by our good friend Dale Storm there was a who's who in attendance with over 40 wrestlers making the journey to celebrate not only Scottish but British wrestling, this was a great achievement for the inaugural event and can only mean that there are even better things to come in the following years.
At this years British Wrestlers Reunion we were very honoured to be joined by a number of wrestlers from North of the Border as Scott Thomson, Jim Starsky, Joe Hendry and Scottish Reunion founder Dale Storm all made the trip to Kent to support us. We are very grateful to these wrestlers for travelling such a distance and being so complimentary about our event.
Over the years we have presented awards to wrestlers,
officials and fans. However,
this year the tables were somewhat turned on us as Dale Storm took to the stage
to present us with an award on behalf of the Scottish Wrestlers Reunion. This is the first time that an award such as
this has been made to the Reunion and the fact that it was presented to us by a
fellow Reunion made it extra special for us.
The Award, which we are delighted to accept, will now take pride of place
at the Bridges for our guests to see on arrival.
We understand from Dale Storm that there will be another
Scottish Reunion in 2018 although no date has yet been set but as soon as we
are advised of this we will bring it to you.
We have, over the years, advertised all Reunions ensuring that the Ring
of Friendship is promoted around the UK and we are hopeful that some of our own
supporters from the South will continue to make the trips Northbound to support
our colleagues events.
Once again we would like to thank Dale Storm and the Scottish Reunion for their kind gesture and we look forward to supporting each other over the coming years.
To keep up todate with the Scottish Reunion they have recently set up a fantastic facebook page so please follow them at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1744940068880144/
(Dale Storm presents Reunion President Joe D'Orazio with an award from the Scottish Reunion)
Like most people, I remember parts of my childhood quite vivdly. Parents and teachers often told me, the years pass faster as you grow older. I never believed them. I do now. It was the 1970's, and when I think long and hard enough, the memories from those care-free, halcyon days come flooding back. The popular bike of the time was the Raleigh Chopper: small tyre at the front, large at the back, three gears. Mine was purple, which was probably the psychedelic colour of the year. In 1975, Sir Clive Sinclair launched the Sinclair Black Prince watch, which had two black panels: pressing one obtained the time and date, resulting in a red LED display. The other was for show. It was groundbreaking. I went through a pair of batteries in less than a month. The Merseybeat sounds of the sixties faded as the seventies disco scene took over, producing unforgettable hits: Abba's Dancing Queen, Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive, which has done for many a budding serial song murderer on the karaoki scene: and that legendary track by the Bee Gees, Stayin' Alive, featured in the film, Saturday Night Fever. Jump suits, hot pants and flared trousers dominated the fashion. Everyone remembers some of the programs: Happy Days with the Fonz; MASH with Hawkeye, and Charlie's Angels – who could forget those three?
But I'm sure I'd be right in stating that everyone remembered one program from that period: ITV's World of Sport wrestling, which was either loved or hated. There were no in-betweens. For me, once having been bitten by the bug, my life had been taken over. Having passed my driving test I put thousands of miles a year on my late father's car, traveling up and down the East Coast – the favourite haunt being The Spa at Bridlington every Monday night. It's nearly thirty years since it left the TV screens, but the memories live on.
Sunday, August 13th 2017 saw the annual British Wrestlers Reunion. It didn't feel like five minutes since the last one – proving what people used to say. A day when old friends and arch enemies of the canvas reunite to reminisce about a bygone era that we officially class as the good old days. We didn't have mobile phones, computers, Ipads, or hybrid cars, and the word Brexit hadn't been invented. For everyone attending, the mood is upbeat. Whatever problems we have now are forgotten for the day. Wrestlers greet each other not with a forearm smash but a handshake, a bear hug and a smile, as do the fans. As the eleven o' clock bell strikes, the reunion starts. Many of yesterday's legends appeared, amongst them, Mark 'Rollerball' Rocco, Blondie Barrett, Keith Myatt, Steve Grey, Johnny Saint, Johnny Kincaid, Wayne Bridges, Tony 'Banger' Walsh, Pete Roberts, Brian 'Goldbelt' Maxine, 'Bulldog' Colin Joynson, Roy St. Clair, Alan Kilby and many more so apologies if I have not mentioned your name here. This year also saw the Reunion President, Joe D'Orazio make an appearance something that pleased everyone who was there.
Sadly, the first thing on the agenda every year, are the obituaries (followed by the Ten Bell Count), a time to reflect on the ring mat warriors that have passed over to the dressing room in the sky. As the years roll by the list appears to grow longer. 2016 – 2017 was no exception, and it fell to Colin Joynson to read through and relate his fond memories. We lost the likes of Tony Cassio, Gerry Diprose, Bob Bell, Keith Martinelli and Tony Francis: John Killer Kowalski, Jumping Jim Mosa, Charlie Cornish whose name may not be familiar although his face definitely would be as a second for Dale Martin Promotions for 30 years and Tina D'Orazio, wife of Joe. Tiger Joe Robinson, a wrestler who once made a fleeting appearance in the film, A Kid For Two Farthings. A shock to most of us was the loss of perhaps one of the biggest names in the business, Vic Faulkner.
Vic's professional wrestling career started at the age of 17 where he travelled the world extensively, wrestling in Africa, Italy, Kenya and France to name but a few. The experience he picked up proved invaluable and in 1966, he became European Middleweight Champion, a title he held until 1973: the same year he won the British Welterweight Wrestling belt, which he held until 1977. Vic was also one half of the successful tag team known as The Royal Brothers throughout the 60's and 70's, performing in many famous venues including The Royal Albert Hall, The Liverpool Palace, and Bolton's Wryton Stadium – local territory to them. During that time period, rather surprisingly, they found themselves as major TV stars, because of that famous Saturday afternoon TV slot, when everything in the UK stopped at four o' clock. At its height, British Wrestling attracted more viewers than the Manchester based soap, Coronation Street. Following his retirement in the early eighties, Faulkner worked for Thwaites Brewery in Blackburn. For me, he will always be remembered as the man with a smile on his face, because I simply cannot recall a time when I saw him with any other expression. Vic's passing is a sad loss for the world of professional wrestling.
Awards play a big part in the reunion ceremony, a time to pay tribute to the outstanding sportsmen and women in their field. 2017 was the first year that I can remember a Superfan award was presented, which went to Ben Roberts. Nina Samuels picked up The Young Wrestler of the Year Award: Ring of Friendship Awards went to Sarah Bridges and Steve Hannam and Roger L. Sandiland the Lifetime Achievement Award. Two names were awarded for their Services to Wrestling: referee legend, Bobby Stafford and Scottish grappler Jim Starsky. Wrestler of the Year was presented to Joe Hendry and he paid tributes and thanks to the big names before him, paving the way, making his favoured lifestyle possible. Finally, the big one, The Legends Hall of Fame went to wrestler's Keith Myatt (presented by Blondie Barrett), Alan Kilby (presented by Mark 'Rollerball' Rocco), Jumping Jim Mosa,(accepted by Johnny Kincaid), Tug Holton (accepted by Tom Tyrone and presented by Roy St Clair), Blondie Barrett (presented by Lloyd Ryan), Tony 'Banger' Walsh,(presented by Jeanie Clarke) and finally British Lightweight Champion, Steve Grey, presented by another renowned name of the sport, Johnny Kidd.
One thing that keeps me returning every year is not simply the chance to meet with old friends but living in anticipation of learning something new. And I do. When the wrestling finished on ITV the impact was colossal, not only for the fans but for the wrestlers themselves. What Greg Dyke had effectively done was threaten their livelihoods. Due to TV, wrestlers earned a comfortable living in near sold-out venues up and down the country every night of the week. Suddenly they had to find another way to keep the wolf from the door. Most turned to acting. Amongst them, Giant Haystacks, who appeared in a number of films, one of which was alongside ex-Beatle, Paul McCartney in Give My Regards To Broad Street. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Haystacks had also recorded a record, a country number called Baby I Need You. I've never heard it but I have now seen it, thanks to one enthusiastic fan and his memorabilia collection. Haystacks also appeared in the Granada production of Send In The Girls, written by Brian Glover, alongside the likes of Jim Breaks, Tony 'Banger' Walsh and Kendo Nagasaki. Brian 'Goldbelt' Maxine also stretched his vocal chords instead of his biceps with country songs, and could often be seen promoting himself in the ring. Mick McManus delved into the world of antiques.
And talking of films, something else that stood the 2017 reunion apart from previous years was a professional film crew, RSA Black Dog Films. Jake Scott is an English film director, who formed Black Dog in 1991. Due to his love of music videos, he now represents some of the most creative and established directors in both the UK and the USA, producing for a variety of artists including Madonna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, The Rolling Stones, Soundgarden, Tori Amos, Radiohead, Lily Allen, Oasis, R.E.M., U2, and the late George Michael. Jake has two feature films to his credit, Plunkett & Macleane (1999) and Welcome to the Rileys (2010), and is the son of the legendary producer/director, Ridley Scott, whose films include Hannibal, starring the oscar-winning actor, Anthony Hopkins, A Good Year with Russell Crowe, and the blockbuster of the 70's, Alien, starring the late John Hurt and Sigourney Weaver. RSA had two cameras at the event: a fixed one inside The Bridges interviewing the former wrestlers, and a roving camera outside talking to the fans. The end result will be a professional DVD that the British Wrestlers Reunion can sell to raise proceeds.
On a closing note I would like to thank everyone connected to the reunion for a fabulous day, in particular, Ken Sowden. It can't have been easy stepping into the shoes of the legendary MC, Frank Rimer but he did, and he did it successfully. It's very easy to take for granted everything you see, hear and feel on the day, and if it all goes without a hitch, it's a testament to the people behind the scenes who work tirelessly and for free because they love the job, and their close colleagues involved with it. A special thank you goes to hosts, Wayne and Sarah Bridges. But also in finishing I think it's worth sending out a message to the new blood of the industry to please come and support what the BWR does, because without you, they will find it hard to continue. The legends will not last forever. Please don't let British wrestling fade into obscurity like the TV did.
We would like to thank Ray for his very comprehensive review and his help throughout the year. Rays latest offering, Imperfection, together with many of his previous award winning titles are available now via Amazon. We of course wish Ray every success in the future and look forward to seeing him again on the 12th August 2018.
(Imperfection...Ray Clarks latest offering)
For over 30 years an ever presence on our television screens was professional wrestling, sadly those great days are just a distant memory for many but on the second Sunday every August we are transported back to those halcyon days when everything stopped at four o'clock on a Saturday afternoon when mums, dads, grannies and grandads and children of all ages clambered around their television screens or filled the smoky halls of literally every town and city in the UK on a regular basis to get their weekly fix of professional wrestling.
On Sunday 13th August after weeks of rain here in the South of England the storm clouds parted and the sun shone once again as wrestlers, officials and fans from far and wide converged on The Bridges Public House situated in a leafy suburb in Kent. On arriving at 8.30am wrestlers and fans were already converging on the pavement outside and it was hard to believe that in two hours there would be a mass of people all their to remember those great days of wrestling during which time there would be some wonderful stories and with this being the wrestling business we all know that everyone of these would be true !!!!. We were somewhat concerned as on arrival we were advised by a local resident that the train station that services Horton Kirby had been shut due to a severe incident and although a replacement bus service was in operation there were delays. However our worries were unfounded as at the height of the Reunion over 300 wrestlers and fans were on site many crammed into the Bridges and the garden with others having to stand on the pavement outside.
As 11.00 approached it was obvious that once again the Reunion was going to be another great success, we already knew that there would be many star wrestlers in attendance and everywhere you looked there were legends of the business arriving. It was a delight to watch the fans faces light up as another one of their wrestling heroes arrived with many of the fans armed with their autographs books, cameras and other memorabilia that they have collected over the years hoping to grab the opportunity of a chat with their favourite wrestler or a photo opportunity. The wrestlers, as always, are very obliging and are only too happy to chat with everyone as well as reliving memories with their colleagues.
Throughout the morning and early afternoon wrestlers and fans alike exchange stories, take photos, meet old and new friends and generally chat about their experiences within the wrestling business whether it be inside the ring or sat outside the ring, all of this happens whilst our resident vocalist Baz Jangles once again entertains the masses.
With Frank Rimer retiring last year it was left to new
Master of Ceremonies Barry Howard to open the proceedings and whilst it was
always going to be a daunting task following on from such a legend as Frank
Barry took to this like a duck to water.
Barry welcomed everyone to the Reunion and started by informing everyone
as to Franks retirement and whilst Frank was unable to be with us at that time
(due to him having to prepare for a flight to Canada for his sons wedding in a
few days time) he hoped to join us all later.
Barry then thanked Reunion organiser Ken Sowden for arranging the event
and continued by reading out apologies for non-attendance by Mal Sanders, Bobby
Barnes, Sid Cooper and Klondyke Kate.
We were very honoured this year to be joined by our President, Joe D'Orazio and he was introduced to everyone and welcomed by us all. Joe, who at 95 was very happy to be back at the Reunion after missing the last few years and is and will always be 'The Guvnor'.
The Reunion continued by what is always a very poignant part of the day as the legendary 'Bulldog' Colin Joynson remembered all those great grapplers who have gone to the Dressing Room in the Sky over the last year. Colin does this job each year with the greatest professionalism and this year was no different as we remembered Gerry Diprose, John Kowalski, Jim Moser, Keith Martinelli, Tony Cassio, Tony Francis, Smith Hart, Joe Robinson, Bob Bell, Vic Faulkner, Tina D'Orazio and Charlie Cornish. Following on from this the Reunion fell silent as the bell tolled 10 times and this was followed by a minutes applause by everyone in attendance.
As the years progress you would think that it would become harder and harder to acknowledge the greats of the ring but this was not the case and this year awards were presented as follows:-
Hall of Fame Awards:
Steve Grey presented by Johnny Kidd
Alan Kilby presented by Mark Rocco
Jumping Jim Moser presented by Johnny Kincaid (sadly Jims family member was unable to attend)
Tommy Tug Holton (received by Tom Tyrone) and presented by Roy St Clair
Bob Barratt presented by Lloyd Ryan
Keith Myatt presented by Bob Barratt
Tony Walsh presented by Jeanie Clarke
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Roger Sandilands presented by Judo Al Hollamby
Services to Wrestling Awards:
Jim Starsky presented by Dale Storm
Bobby Stafford presented by Martin Gillott
Wrestler of the Year:
Joe Hendry presented by Johnny Kincaid
Young Wrestler of the Year
Nina Samuels presented by Sarah Bridges
Superfan Award:
Ben Roberts presented by Lyndsey Mason
Ring of Friendship Award:
Sarah Bridges presented by Ken Sowden
Steve Hannam presented by Paul Tyrell
Prior to this years event we were approached by Stephen
Duncan Rice who is the head of the Live Performance Department at Equity. Stephen asked if he could give a short talk
on wrestlers in film and television which we agreed to and he proceeded to do
this. The talk was very informative and
was enjoyed by all of those in attendance.
We also received a request from Wayne Freeman who is the brother of the
legendary Princess Paula. Paula was
inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 and Wayne accepted the award on her
behalf, however at that time he was very emotional and could not give the
acceptance speech that he wanted to so this year he again took to the stage and
gave a heart-warming thank you for the award.
This year, for the first time in many years the Reunion was
filmed and this was done so by none other than Ridley Scott Associates, the
world renowned film maker. The film crew were on site all day and
actually filmed solidly for 8 hours not only filming the award ceremony but
interviewing many of the star wrestlers in attendance about their careers as
well as the fans on their enjoyment of the day.
We have since received an email from Ridley Scotts office saying that
their visit to the Reunion was one of the best days they have done in many
years and we are very proud that a company such as them did not only come to
our Reunion but made such a nice comment about us.
With the ceremonies concluded everyone in attendance takes
some time out, food and drink is flowing, the sun is beating down and everyone
is in a very good mood, many staying on at the Bridges well into the
evening. As the afternoon draws to close
there are still many people meeting up with old friends, having photos and
getting autographs, the one day of the year where the stars of the ring return,
the clock is turned back and for that one day we are all transported back to
the glory years of British wrestling.
So that was the 2017 British Wrestlers Reunion, a great success for us all ensuring that Britain continues to hold the record of the largest Wrestlers Reunion in Europe, an honour which we rightly deserve. We have received many compliments on the day both in person as wrestlers and fans were leaving the Bridges and via email and social media which is very heart-warming and we are so pleased that everyone who attended enjoyed their time with us, it makes all the hard work worthwhile and we thank you for all of your support both in the past and for the future.
We now have just 51 weeks to go before our next event so put it in your diary, Sunday 12th August 2018…..hope to see you there !!!!!!!.
We are now just 24 hours away from the wrestling event of the year as the 2017 British Wrestlers Reunion is almost here.
Tomorrow, Sunday 13th August, Wayne and Sarah Bridges will welcome wrestlers, officials and fans to The Bridges, Horton Road, South Darenth, Kent, DA4 9AX for the 26th annual British Wrestlers Reunion.
As previously advised we will have your usual favourites including our prestigious award ceremony, Colin Joynson will honour the great warriors who have gone to the Dressing Room in the Sky during the last twelve months followed by the 10 bell count. Our usual array of memorabilia will be on display plus some new items this year and our Souvenir Programme alongside other great items will be for sale. Food and drink will be available throughout the day and please support the Reunion by purchasing some raffle tickets for a chance to win some great prizes. On top of this there will be live entertainment and we have a very special guest speaker who will be reliving some great stories about many of your favourite wrestlers from the past.
All the fun kicks off at 11.00am with the award ceremony due to commence at 12.30pm.
weather forecasters are predicting sunshine,lets hope that they are
right, so why not come down and join us for what we hope will be another
great event, you will all be made most welcome.
Health & Strength Magazine is the oldest established physical culture journal in the world and has been continuously published since 1898. It includes regular articles on weight training, bodybuilding, strength sports, diet, nutrition, historical features, a physique gallery of famous names, a 'Hot News' page; a "Training Lab"' page and much more.
The magazine actively supports natural bodybuilding and drug-free strength sports, including the NPA (Natural Physique Association - 'npa-bodybuilding.co.uk'); the IAWA-UK, (International All-Round Weightlifting Associaton-UK); and NIFMA (Northern Ireland Fitness Models Association - www.nifma.com).
& Strength Magazine have also taken a keen interest in the
professional wrestling business and have over the years written several
articles relating to this with contributions from Wayne Bridges and
Frank Rimer,
The new era for the British Wrestlers Reunion is almost upon us as we are now only one week away from the wrestling social event of the year.
On Sunday 13th August Wayne and Sarah Bridges alongside the rest of the committee will welcome wrestlers, officials and fans to The Bridges, Horton Road, South Darenth, Kent, DA4 9AX for the 26th annual British Wrestlers Reunion.
As in previous years we are expecting a great turnout to celebrate British wrestling with wrestlers and fans travelling not only from numerous destinations in the UK but from the USA and from various locations in Europe.
For the first time in a number of years the Reunion is being filmed by one of the top film producers in the World and as well as filming all of the days activities they will be interviewing both wrestlers and fans about the their love for the wrestling business. We also have a professional photographer who will be on hand throughout the day so please feel free to ask her if anyone would like a specific photograph with any wrestler or any of the very handsome, debonair and charismatic committee members !!!!!!!.
As always with the Reunion we will still have your usual favourites including our prestigious ceremony with 15+ deserving recipients being presented with their relevant awards. Colin Joynson will honour the great warriors who have gone to the Dressing Room in the Sky during the last twelve months followed by the 10 bell count. Our usual array of memorabilia will be on display plus some new items this year and our Souvenir Programme alongside other great items will be for sale. Food and drink will be available throughout the day and please support the Reunion by purchasing some raffle tickets for a chance to win some great prizes. On top of this there will be live entertainment and we have a very special guest speaker who will be reliving some great stories about many of your favourite wrestlers from the past.
The final countdown has started so all of us at the Ring of Friendship invite you to join us next Sunday for what promises to be a day to remember and one any wrestler or fan will not want to miss.
All the fun kicks off at 11.00am with the award ceremony due to commence at 12.30pm.
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible and can guarantee that you will receive a warm welcome like no other.
If anyone has any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us via our contact details as shown in the navigation bar.
There is now just two weeks to go as on Sunday 13th August we will once
again welcome wrestlers and fans from far and wide to this years
As always this years event is being held at The Bridges,
Horton Road, South Darenth, Kent, DA4 9AX commencing at 11.00am where
you will receive a warm welcome from your hosts Wayne and Sarah Bridges.
The event is FREE entry with award presentations, 10 bell count, drinks, food, raffles, music and memorabilia available including this years Souvenir Programme which you can purchase on the day for just £5.00. Come along and reminisce with the Legends of the ring young and old in the 'RING OF FRIENDSHIP'.
For all the up to the minute news please keep checking back right here or our facebook page British Wrestling, the Glory Years.
We hope to see many of you there for the wrestling event of the year.
(Tom Tyrone, Johnny Kincaid and Tony Costas at the 2016 Reunion)
On Thursday 27th July we sent the warmest of wishes to our beloved President Joe D'Orazio who celebrated his 95th birthday.
Joe of course is a stalwart of British wrestling and has carried out his duties with the greatest professionalism with a career in the business spanning decades.
Joe is hoping to join us at the Reunion on Sunday 13th August and we very much look forward to welcoming him.
For a in-depth look into Joes life and career please check out his Hall of Fame Induction right here on the site.
With the success of last years 25th anniversary Reunion still fresh in some of our minds it is hard to believe that we are now just 3 short weeks away from the 2017 event.
On Sunday 13th August Wayne and Sarah Bridges will once again be your hosts at the 26th Reunion which for the 20th year will be held at their premises, The Bridges, Horton Road, South Darenth, Kent, DA4 9AX where wrestlers and fans who will be travelling from far and wide will reminisce about the glory days of British wrestling.
As in previous years we are expecting between 100 and 150 wrestlers including former World, European and British champions to join us together with wrestling fans from around the UK. We will of course have all of our regular features including Lifetime Achievement and Services to Wrestling Awards, eight more wrestlers will be inducted into the Reunion Hall of Fame and there will be three very special awards presented to the deserving recipients. The 10 bell salute will be held prior to Colin Joynson remembering all of those grapplers who have sadly gone to the Dressing Room in the Sky this past year, this is something that is very poignant each and every year.
As well as the above we will of course have live entertainment throughout the day, memorabilia, food and drink, raffle and much more for your enjoyment.
The indications are that this years Reunion is going to be another memorable day for all of those in attendance and as the Ring of Friendship we invite you all to join us for this very special event.
The fun kicks off at 11.00am so we hope to see many of you there and lets continue the tradition that the Reunion is known for.
More sad news to report as, after a long battle with cancer, Skull Murphys partner Sue, passed away on Friday 21st July 2017. The following statement has been issued by Skull via his good friend and colleague Danny Collins:-
'After a long battle with cancer my long term partner Sue passed away yesterday evening. She was strong, brave and caring right until the end and will be missed dreadfully.
I was at her side when she passed.
Hope you understand that I wish to have my privacy at this time.
Thank you to you all for your love and support'
Everyone here at the British Wrestlers Reunion send our sincere condolences to Peter (Skull) and his family and friends at this very sad time and may Sue now RIP.
Tommy Stevenson, or as he was better known in the ring Scott Thomson , was one of the great lightweight wrestlers of his generation. A regular on the Scottish circuit Tommy even opposed the legendary Johnny Saint but unfortunately with the bout poised at one fall a piece Tommy suffered a shoulder injury resulting in him being unable to continue.
Since retirement, Tommy continues to have a keen interest in the wrestling business and is regularly guest of honour at local shows where he always receives a great reception from not only the wrestlers but the fans in attendance. Over the last few years Tommy has also become a regular supporter of the Reunions and will, if possible, attend all those held around the UK. Tommy will be travelling from Scotland to Kent for our Reunion in a few weeks time and has already informed us that he is really looking forward to the weekend.
Despite his own health issues over the last few years Tommy remains very active and on the 14th July he was inducted as a full member into the Hawick Rotary Club. This was a great honour for Tommy and we know that he will give 100% to everything they do as they continue to raise thousands of pounds each and every year for charity.
We look forward to
seeing Tommy on the13th August and for many more years to come as he
continues to give his all to helping others and being a good friend to
We are now just a few short weeks away from this years British Wrestlers Reunion which will take place on Sunday 13th August 2017 at The Bridges, Horton Road, South Darenth, Kent, DA4 9AX with a start time of 11.00am.
Over the last three years the Reunion has produced a souvenir programme to commemorate the days events and due to its popularity this year will be no exception with the 2017 programme ready to roll off of the presses as we speak.
This years programme has a completely new look which we hope you will all approve of and will consist of 12 glossy pages and will give details of all those who will receive the honour of being presented with one of our prestigious awards. In addition to this the programme will give details of those great grapplers who have gone to the Dressing Room in the Sky as well as various articles giving an insight into the wrestling business from both in and out of the ring.
We are sure that, as in previous
years, this programme will be a great keepsake for what we hope will be a
memorable day for us all. Despite the fact that our printing costs
have slightly increased this year we will again be retaining the price
of the programme at £5.00 if purchased at the Reunion itself or £6.00 if
purchased from our website after the event (this will be for UK buyers
only, overseas buyers please contact us for postage costs).
indications are showing that this years event will be another great
success with wrestlers and fans travelling from far and wide to be with
us and we hope to see as many of you as possible on the 13th August so
come of join the Ring of Friendship and be part of the Peoples Reunion
In what has been an awful week for professional wrestling with the passing of both Smith Hart and Vic Faulkner we have now received word via James Morton that 'Tiger' Joe Robinson has passed away aged 90 at his home in Brighton.
Joe initially took a keen interest in judo and jujitsu but soon the bright lights and the fame that being a professional wrestler brought got his attention and he soon mastered the art and after a short time in the amateur ranks turned fully professional.
At the start of his wrestling career Joe worked under the Atholl Oakeley banner and was soon main eventing around the UK having many great bouts with the top stars of the day. One of Joes famous victories came in 1952 at the Royal Albert Hall when he defeated Axel Cadier for the European title.
in his carer Joe went to work for Joint Promotions and at the time was
becoming one of their biggest stars until an in ring injury cut short a
promising career.
Life after wrestling was good for Joe however as he caught the acting bug and co starred in many films for cinema and television after many others were long retired.
Robinson passed away on the 3rd July 2017 and will be sadly missed. He
will of course be added to the Dressing Room in the Sky. We here at
the Reunion send our condolences to his family and friends at this sad
We were saddened to hear the news that Smith Hart, the eldest child of professional wrestling legend Stu Hart, passed away at the age of 68 on Sunday 2nd July.
Smith had been diagnosed with prostate cancer several months ago, which later spread to his hip and femur, and in December 2016 doctors diagnosed him with Stage-4 cancer.
competing in his father's Stampede Wrestling organization in 1973 before
moving on to work for promotions in Japan,Germany the
Netherlands and of course here in the UK where he was billed as Cowboy
Smith Hart and even made an appearance on World of Sport where he
opposed Bearman John Elijah.
On Sunday 13th August 2017 Europes oldest and largest wrestling
Reunion will take place at The Bridges, Horton Road, South Darenth,
Kent, DA4 9AX commencing at 11.00am until late.
As we hold our 26th Reunion, a new era begins and we are pleased to see that our Reunion remains as popular as ever. With still seven weeks to go before the wrestling social event of the year we have already had confirmation that not only will wrestlers and fans be travelling the length and breadth of the UK but we will also see those flying in from the USA, Canada and from various countries across Europe to be part of our celebration of wrestling.
This year we will see a number of Britains best be entered into the Hall of Fame as well as other awards to those who have in their own way contributed to the wrestling business. For the first time we also have a new award which will be known as The Ring of Friendship Award and these will be presented to three of our special guest this year. One lucky fan will also be honoured when they receive the Superfan of the Year Award.
One of the most poignant parts of our Reunion is the ten bell count and this will be followed by the legendary Colin Joynson remembering those warriors who have gone to the Dressing Room in the Sky over the last year. Colin has carried out this task with great professionalism for many years and we hope will continue for many more.
great favourite of the Reunion is our memorabilia and this year we will
see an array of this on display and for sale. Our 2017 Souvenir
programme, something that always sells well, will also be available on
the day (or via our website following the event). Our hugely popular
raffle will also take place so please support us by purchasing a ticket
if you can and you never know you may win one of our great prizes on
offer. Food and drink will be available throughout the day and whilst
you all reminisce about the glory days of wrestling you will be royally
entertained by Baz Jangles and guests.
For the first time in a number of years this Reunion will be filmed so do not forget to smile if the camera is pointing at you. Our professional photographer will also be on hand to record all of those magic moments that only the Reunion can produce each and every year.
We are also very pleased to announce that this year we are hopeful that our President, Joe D'Orazio, will be joining us. At the time of writing Joe has confirmed that he will be attending and at 95 years young we hope that he will be able to make the trip on the day.
The 2017 Reunion is certainly shaping up to be one of the best yet, this is a free event to attend and everyone is invited, its a family friendly day out so mums and dads bring your children. Over the last few years we have certainly seen an increase in families attending, the youngsters are the future of the Reunion so come along, we know you will have a day to remember and dont forget to bring your camera and autograph books and get that special photo with the stars of yesteryear.
all the up to the minute news please join the other 3800+ members who
follow us on Facebook (British Wrestling the Glory Years) or check out
the latest news right here.
This is a Reunion for the people so whether you are a wrestler, official or fan please come and join the Ring of Friendship on Sunday 13th August for not only a great day out but one that you will remember for years to come.
was just 15 years ago that a young 16 year old by the name of Sanjay Bagga
announced to the wrestling world that he wanted to become a wrestling
promoter. At the time the wrestling business was in decline and many
tried, and failed, to persuade him to take a different path in life.
However, Sanjay was determined to succeed and now in 2017 he is not only one of
Europes biggest touring promoters running over 180 shows around the UK but he
has now taken on America.
On Sunday 13th August Sanjay and LDN Wrestling will be promoting their first show in conjunction with Tier One Wrestling at The Queen Theatre, 14 United Nations Aves, Corona, New York with a bell time of 3.00pm.
Sanjay Bagga is obviously delighted at being given the opportunity to promote in the USA stating 'Our country has a long standing relationship in bringing American wrestlers and company's over, now we take British wrestling back to the international stage to show the world that British is back, bigger and better than ever before!!'.
We here at the Reunion wish Sanjay and all the LDN team the very best of luck with their first venture on USA soil. Sanjay has always been a great supporter of the Reunion and continues to be so despite this opportunity being on the same day as our event this year. However, we fully support Sanjay and hope that this is the start of very big things to come for not only him and LDN wrestling but for British wrestling around the World.
I had been in
touch with Tony frequently in recent years, as we had been in the
process of concluding his memoirs with the hope of realising a
During the course of our discussions, I had been given an
opportunity to understand what a kind natured man he was. I learned that
Tony Duignan had enjoyed a varied life,
which included some time as a second-generation boxer and steady work as
an antiques dealer. However, he always maintained that his true career
calling was to be a professional wrestler, after falling in love with
the business at an early age and being inspired by the great Jack Pye.
He had assumed several names in the industry, finding fame as 'Dropkick' Tony Francis and an alias as the masked 'El Diablo', with a later career as a nefarious manager nicknamed 'The Brain'. But it was in his personal life where he found the roles which he cherished the most; as husband to Anita and as a loving father and grandfather.
I will miss my
friend, but I know that he will be fondly remembered by those who knew
The Reunion send our condolences to Tonys family and friends at this sad time and may he now RIP.
On the 22nd May 2013 the wrestling world went into mourning at the loss of its biggest legend of all time when Mick McManus sadly passed away aged 92. Although Mick had been of ill health for a short time his death came as a great shock and saddened wrestling fans around the World.
On the day of Micks death the Reunion were inundated with requests for interviews and statements from media around the world and in one day dealt with over 150 enquiries such was Mick popularity, for a man who had been retired from the ring for over 30 years this went to show just how much he meant to everyone.
Mick McManus has left a legacy in the wrestling business that will never be equalled, he was THE star of the ring and even long after his retirement was in high demand. When Mick retired from in ring action he continued to give his time to the business and was always willing to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of stars. Even in his later years when it was obvious that he was getting frail Mick continued to be a great supporter of the Reunion and was always the first to offer help and advice on any matters that may have arisen.
Mick McManus will never be forgotten, on the anniversary of his death wrestling websites and social media are paying their own tributes to the great man, something that we are sure will continue for many years to come.
For a full tribute to Mick McManus please read his obituary which can be found in the relevant section above, this gives a real insight into not only Mick McManus the wrestler but Mick McManus the man. You can also read his Hall of Fame induction again this can be found in the relevant section.
this years Reunion on the 13th August many of Micks wrestling items
will once again be on display thanks to Martin Gillott who purchased them at
Auction and has very kindly donated them to us.
On the 22nd May we will always pay tribute to the greatest legend of the ring, the man that was.......MICK MCMANUS
David Boy Smith was born in Golborne, Lancashire on the 27
November 1962 and died at the young age of just 39 in Invermere, British
Columbia on the 18 May 2002.
Davey Boy Smith, also known as the British Bulldog, delighted millions of wrestling fans who watched his bouts live and on television throughout the Eighties and Nineties.
Wearing beaded dreadlocks and red, white and blue tights, with his 56in chest, 21in biceps and 19in neck draped in the Union Jack, the 5ft 11in, 18-stone wrestler cut a distinctive figure and floored opponents with his trademark move, the Running Powerslam.
Starting out in the ring as a teenager, Davey Boy went from partnering the legendary Big Daddy and then Dynamite Kid (Smith's cousin Tom Billington) to becoming Intercontinental, Tag Team, European Heavyweight and Hardcore champion before moving to Canada and joining the World Wrestling Federation. In 1992, Smith feuded with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and his brother-in-law Bret "Hitman" Hart whom he beat in the infamous Battle of the Brothers-in-Law held during SummerSlam 1992 in front of a sold out Wembley Stadium.
Starting in the halls of the UK Davey Boy was soon in high demand in Japan and Canada before getting the call from the World Wrestling Federation where he initially teamed with the Dynamite Kid and the British Bulldogs tag-team became a huge success.
Whilst in Canada Davey Boy competed with the Dynamite Kid in the Calgary Stampede organised by the trainer Stu Hart . Smith subsequently joined the extended Hart family, teaming up with Stu's sons Bruce and Owen, and wrestling against Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and Bret "Hitman" Hart, whose sister Diana he married in the late Eighties.
When an injury forced the Dynamite Kid to retire, Davey Boy went solo on the WWF circuit. His considerable earnings enabled him to buy a 15-bedroom mansion in Florida but he lost the Intercontinental title and soon after left the WWF.
Davey Boy moved to World Championship Wrestling before re-joining the WWF in the late 1990s as well as returning for a short stint working for Max Crabtree in 1994 taking over the top of the bill slot from Big Daddy who had retired the previous year.
Davey Boy Smith sadly passed away suddenly on the 18th May 2002, a great loss to the wrestling business but he will always be remembered and his legacy lives on through his son Harry Smith who himself has become a huge star around the World.
In 2016 Davey Boy Smith was inducted into the British Wrestlers Reunion Hall of Fame and his daughter Georgia collected the award on her late fathers behalf.
(Georgia Smith accepts the Hall of Fame Award on behalf of her father at the 2016 Reunion)
The event will involve an on stage interview, autographs & photographs with our star (all included in the price of the ticket!), and a fans question and answer session at the end (time permitting).
Our second & very special "Evening with" event will feature non
other than British & indeed World Wide Wrestling Legend, KLONDYKE KATE!
Get road stories, in ring stories and insights and much more from a 40
year wrestling legend! Think of this as a live shoot interview
unfolding live right in front of you on stage!
From her debut in
1977 on Blackpools famous pleasure beach taking on all comers from the
crowd, to her first TV appearance in 1982 in Osaka, Japan in front of a
live audience of 72 thousand people, to her ground breaking appearances
on ITV's World of Sport Wrestling TV show and much, much more Klondyke
certainly has some very interesting stories to tell!
A woman who
was one of the first to take on Men in intergender matches, against ppl
like WWE Star Val Venus, WCW Star PN News and 7 times World Champion Marty Jones.
Her female opponents read like a genuine who's who of many generation's of all time greats, from British Legend & Champion Mitzi Mueller, WWE Hall of Famer & WWE Women's Champion Wendi Richter, the incomparable Luna Vachon, right up to current WWE Stars Natty Neid-Hart & Paige and so, so many more!
Come and
meet & listen to the road stories of one of the most legendary
figures the UK has ever and probably will ever produce, a woman who has
wrestled on every continent bar Australia, the only star to bridge the
gap between the Classic & Golden era of ITV World of Sport having
stared on the show in the 80's & today's era of W.O.S as she
prepares to film new episodes as an on screen talent....This will be a
night to remember!
Saturday 27th May 2017
Birchills Liberal Club,
Old Birchills,
West Midlands,
Doors 7pm
Starts 8pm
Tickets just £10
This includes the on stage interview, a fans ask the questions Q &
A, an opportunity to meet the star, an autograph & a professional
photograph with her!
The Reunion wish PWL and Klondyke Kate all the very best with this event and we are certain that it will be well attended and a great success for all involved.
As we have previously reported a movie on the life of the Exotic Adrian Street is currently underway and now a documentary on the life and legacy of the Brynmawr-born wrestler is in production and will feature an interview with an American wrestling icon.
Feature film biopic, Adrian will dramatise the life Adrian who as many of you will know previously worked in Beynon's Colliery in Blaina.
The films Producer, Newport University of Wales graduate Joann Randles, is currently
shooting a documentary to accompany the film are is speaking to wrestlers
around the World. This included a recent interview with American professional wrestler, Mick Foley, who like Adrian, has
built a reputation over the decades for his own charismatic personas.
Ms Randles has stated that Mr Foley provided a "knowledgeable and colourful insight into Adrian's life as a professional wrestler".
Ms Randles, in a recent press release, states "It is important to me that I also produce a documentary that is to be released in tandem to the feature film drama to illustrate to audiences that Adrian's story is very real and is not the work of fiction. It will also illustrate different perspectives of Adrian's life with interviews from those who know Adrian best, including Adrian's family members, friends, fans and fellow professional wrestlers and it also features family films which has never been seen before as well as Adrian in action in the ring
Speaking about the interview with Mick Foley, she added: "US legendary
professional wrestler Mick Foley, who is also in the WWE Hall of Fame,
contacted me personally wanting to be part of the documentary, which to
me made the interview that much more special. "Mick knows Adrian well as Adrian taught Mick the art of wrestling before he became a professional superstar".
As always the Reunion wishes all involved with the project the very best of luck and the final results are eagerly awaited by wrestling fans around the World.
To find out more search 'Adrian Film' on facebook or follow @FilmAdrian.
Very few
professional wrestlers can boast an in ring career of over 40 years but
Bob 'Blondie' Barratt is one such man, one of the last wrestlers who
appeared on ITV Wrestling before it was axed from our screens in 1988
who is still in active competition today.
Although Bob has faced many of the great grapplers from around the World over the years he is best known for his long association as the tag partner of the legendary masked man of mystery Kendo Nagasaki. Bob and Kendo toured the UK on a nightly basis facing all comers in many a bloody battle but when the dust settled it was normally Kendo and Bob who were victorious.
These days Bob is still a regular name appearing at wrestling shows around the country and when many men his age are starting to take it a little easier Bob is still taking the bumps night after night and whilst Kendo retired many years ago Bob has aligned himself with another veteran of the ring in Keith Myatt where they are known collectively as The Old School taking on the best not only in the UK but also our wrestling friends from the USA and Europe.
To commemorate Bobs illustrious career one of the UKs leading Promoters, PWL are holding 'An Evening with The Rock and Roll Express Blondie Barratt' on Friday 21st April 2017 at The Darlaston All Active, Willenhall Road, Darlaston, West Midlands, WS10 8JG commencing at 8.00pm. Tickets are priced at £10.00 and are available by calling 07404 279 880.
This event is certainly a must for any wrestling fan as Bob will give an insight into his life in the wrestling business and the wrestling business in general. The evening will consist of an autograph session and a photo opportunity whereby you will have a professional picture taken with the guest of honour (both autograph and photograph are included in the price of admission), a live interview "shoot interview style" and a Q & A where the crowd get to ask their own questions!
Make a note for your diaries as this promises to be entertaining night, full of anecdotes and one that will be remembered for many years to come.
We would like to start by wishing each and every one of our members a very Happy Easter and that whatever you have planned you have an enjoyable day.
We are now just four months away from the wrestling social event of the year when on Sunday 13th August 100s of wrestlers, officials and fans will gather at The Bridges, Horton Road, South Darenth, Kent for the 26th annual Reunion. This year we will again be joined by an array of World, European and British champions and can confirm that guests will be travelling from the USA, Canada and from various destinations throughout Europe as well as from around the UK to join us for what will be another memorable occasion.
As always a number of events are planned for the day itself as various awards will be presented to those who have made their own contribution to the wrestling industry over the years. A number of high profile wrestlers will be inducted into the Hall of Fame and Colin Joynson will lead the tributes to those grapplers who have gone to the Dressing Room in the Sky over the last 12 months followed by the ten bell salute.
This year we will once again be joined by resident vocalist Barry Howard alongside Chris Buckwell who will entertain us all. Last years wrestlers memorabilia was a huge hit with our guests and so items belonging to Mick McManus, Kendo Nagasaki, Big Daddy, Wayne Bridges and others will be on display. Ever present Roy Smith and Ray Clark will be selling various wrestling items on our behalf and a raffle will be held with some great prizes to be won. Food and drink will also be available to purchase and our very popular Souvenir Programme will also be produced once again with a brand new look and this will be available on the day and also afterwards via our website.
This year, as in previous years, there will be a private area where wrestlers can go to chat to their friends and former colleagues should they so wish.
In addition to the above this years Reunion will be filmed by not one but two camera crews, the television cameras will be in attendance filming the Reunion and interviewing many of the wrestlers for inclusion in a wrestling show to be broadcast later in the year and the second crew will be filming for a drama series soon to go into production.
Over the coming weeks we will be making further announcements on our website and via our facebook page (British Wrestling, the Glory Years) so make sure that you check back on a regular basis for all the up to the minute news.
We thank you all for your continued support and hope that many of you will join us at the Ring of Friendship on the 13th August, remember it is a free event and everyone whether you are involved in the wrestling busines or a fan are invited. Come and be part of Europes largest wrestlers Reunion and together we will make the 2017 event another great success.
A haunting message scrawled on the dressing room wall of a theatre: the scene of the first murder.
It had been written using the blood from the victim, previously drained in a separate location.
At the autopsy, D.I. Gardener and D.S. Reilly are shown a riddle carved into the chest of the corpse, informing them there would be more.
Their efforts to find out why are continually blocked by a wall of contradiction, with little in the way
of evidence to support their cause.
Steered back to the scene of the crime and a disused prop room, Gardener and his trusted sergeant find
another puzzle.
The murderer – it seems – is playing games.
The second victim is hanging upside down in a busy city centre shop in mock crucifixion, with yet another
message. And once again, the killer has used the victim's own blood.
Later, at the autopsy, another conundrum awaits them.
It soon becomes clear to
Gardener and Reilly that to find the killer they have to solve the
clues, and to
do that, they have to tunnel their way into the past, to the
beginnings of motion picture production: where the streets were paved
with gold, and to
a man who terrified people before either of them had even been born.
Following a startling revelation they realize that their murderer is a master of disguise and the ultimate
question facing the two detectives is: how do you catch a killer you can't see?
We wish Ray all the very best with his new novel and we very much look forward to seeing him at the Reunion in August.
We here at the Reunion work with many people and organisations in and out of the wrestling business throughout the year in various roles such as advising, clarification on wrestling matters or as a source for information.
Two such people who we correspond with on a regular basis are known to the wrestling fraternity simply as Hack and Anglo Italian, two wrestling enthusiasts who ten years ago set up a wrestling website to keep alive the memories of all the great wrestlers who have climbed through the ropes over the decades. April 2007 saw the birth of the Wrestling Heritage website and from its inception to today it boasts thousands of pages consisting of photos, programmes, posters and the most comprehensive a~z of british wrestlers you will find anywhere in the World plus much more, a true encyclopedia of wrestling which is viewed by wrestling fans from around the World.
Hack and Anglo Italian have spent literally thousands of hours researching and compiling articles for your pleasure (with the exception of the 2nd Sunday every August when Hack, and on occasions Anglo, always make their yearly visit to see us at the Reunion) and even after ten years they still have a lot more to bring to you we are sure.
The Reunion have worked alongside Wrestling Heritage on several projects and we would now like to congratulate them on their ten year anniversary, a great achievement and all of the hard work that they put in to the website is much appreciated by those not only in the business but the fans as well.
We look forward to seeing Hack, and hopefully Anglo in August and as for your website, here is to the next ten years....well done chaps.
ITV Studios Entertainment Manchester announced today that it has teamed up with IMPACT Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., to bring WOS Wrestling back to ITV, with an initial commission for a 10-part series.
The commission from ITV's Helen Warner follows a successful one-off-special, which aired on New Year's Eve 2016. The Executive Producers for ITV Studios are Tom McLennan and Simon Marsh. Jeff Jarrett, the Chief Creative Officer for IMPACT Wrestling, will be the Executive Producer for IMPACT Wrestling.
Thirty years after the original WOS ended – and legendary stars such as Big Daddy, Mick McManus and Rollerball Rocco left British screens – this new series will feature the very best of today's wrestlers from the current red-hot U.K. wrestling scene.
They will compete in front of a live audience at the intimate Preston Guild Hall on Thursday 25th May and Friday 26th May (doors 7pm / bell time 7.30pm).
Tickets for these historic shows will go on sale at 9am on Friday 7th April from Gigsandtours.com / Ticketmaster.co.uk / prestonguildhall.co.uk
There will also be a launch event this Monday (27th March) at 2pm in Manchester, where the full details of the WOS live shows will be announced, including the roster. Press and fans are invited to attend to the launch, which will include a Q&A and meet & greet. Places are extremely limited, to reserve one please email [email protected]
This initial commission is part of a comprehensive co-production agreement between ITV Studios and IMPACT Wrestling to relaunch the WOS Wrestling brand, bringing British stars to ITV while leveraging the roster and creative team of Impact Wrestling along with its expertise in live event production and international distribution.
"This opportunity to work with ITV Studios to revive this iconic brand in the United Kingdom is a perfect example of the ways in which we intend to leverage our strengths to build our presence in international markets in collaboration with local organizations," said Ed Nordholm, President of Impact Wrestling.
Director of Entertainment, ITV Studios Manchester, Tom Mclennan said:
"Britain's wrestling scene is thriving and there has never been a
better time to bring it back to ITV after a gap of 30 years."
Jeff Jarrett, Chief Creative Officer for IMPACT Wrestling, added: "The WOS brand is etched in professional wrestling tradition. My family's lineage in the industry dates back 70-plus years, so I am honoured for the opportunity to work on reviving the legacy of this historic British series."
After the mixed comments that the pilot show received we are not sure how this will go down with the die hard wrestling fan of yesteryear but we wish all those involved in the shows every success and it is good to see British wrestling back on mainstream television in whatever capacity as that can only be good for the business as a whole.
For 13 years LDN Wrestling have been one of the major forces in British professional wrestling promoting up to 200 shows a year around the UK. As we speak, LDN are also in negotiations with a major European promoter to co promote shows around Europe bringing their talent to a whole new set of wrestling fans and more information regarding this will be announced in the coming weeks.
Since their inception, LDN have always done their best to bring their fans the best quality wrestling they possibly can and they have certainly achieved their goal with some of the great UK wrestlers together with a number of overseas wrestlers regularly appearing on their shows.
Over the years LDN have promoted a number of Legends shows which are always well received and were the promoters chosen to stage the memorial show in respect of the late great legendary Mick McManus. They were also the only English promoters to have a weekly show on the Wrestling Channel which showcased their talents to wrestling fans around Europe who could access the channel.
With British wrestling being in the best shape it has been in for many years promoters around the country are always looking at ways to bring their product to a whole new set of fans, the best way to do this is via television and this week LDN have announced a major deal with a national television company who will film their shows on a regular basis. The first show has already been filmed and our very own Frank Rimer will be appearing on the show reliving some of his memories from the glory days of British Wrestling.
Over the coming weeks LDN Wrestling will announce how we can all enjoy their television shows and as soon this information is released we will bring it to you.
With British wrestling making a regular return to national television this can only be good for the business as a whole and we would like to wish everyone at LDN involved in the project all the very best of luck
For 33 years British wrestling was an ever presence on our television screens but sadly that all came to an end in 1988 when ITV decided to axe what was once one of their most watched programmes.
During the years 1000s of bouts were aired on ITV and now you can relive many of those bouts thanks to Carl Stewart and British Wrestling DVDs. Carl has spent years obtaining footage on many of the bouts that were shown not only on ITV but on various other channels including bouts of many of our top stars wrestling in Europe and Canada.
Carl has amassed a huge amount of wrestling bouts and having purchased some of these ourselves we can confirm that the quality is good and certainly worth purchasing. Not only can you buy dvds with a mixture of bouts but Carl has also done dvds on individual wrestlers showcasing their talents against numerous opponents.
DVDs start at just £2.00 per disc with each disc lasting approximately two and a half hours, well worth the money and hours and hours of great entertainment.
You can see the full list of dvds available by visiting the website at www.britishwrestlingdvds.vze.com or search for British Wrestling dvds on facebook.
Happy buying and happy viewing.
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Reunion President JOE D'ORAZIO'S beloved wife and soul mate : Tina, who died following a courageous battle over the last two years or so.
Joe who will be 95 years young in July said in a statement that he was devastated to lose his Tina who had been his rock for most of his adult life, yet felt strangely relieved for the end to her suffering.
He had stayed at work part time for Southwark Council teaching art to special needs people and was still doing two days weekly at 93, but has spent all his time devoted to the needs of Tina for the last two years, even missing the last two Reunions.
Joe has left his beautiful immaculately turned out home of many years in Catford, to live with his Daughter and Son in Law
The funeral will be a private Family affair who ask that we respect their privacy during this time of grieving.
For over 20 years Jackie Robinson was one of the most popular wrestlers to grace the professional ring, a great technical wrestler who had an avid following wherever he appeared winning the European Lightweight championship on numerous occasions.
We were therefore saddened this week to learn via Marty Jones that Jack has been admitted to Salford Royal Hospital having lost the use of his legs, arms, fingers and neck due to spinal cord and back issues.
Such was the seriousness of Jacks condition that he underwent an emergency four hour operation to remove discs which had trapped his spinal cord at the top of his neck. Indications are that the operation has been a success although it is very early days and the next few days are still critical for him.
Since retiring from the ring Jack has always remained a keen observer of the sport and is a regular visitor to the various Reunions. We therefore send all of our very best wishes to him at this difficult time and hope that he recovers from this major surgery as quickly as possible and is soon back to good health.
They are one of the most famous families in wrestling today and now the Knight family based in Norwich are to have a film made about their lives with one of the Worlds most famous wrestlers and the biggest film star on the planet at this time, Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson taking an active role in the production of the film.
The Knights rise to fame has been incredible, from humble beginnings dad Ricky, mum Julia, sons Roy and Zak and daughter Saraya have all become huge stars in the business winning championships around the globe with Saraya going onto international stardom as Paige in the WWE.
The Rock and actor, writer and director Stephen Merchant will team up to make a film about the life of English WWE Superstar Paige and her family and will produce Fighting with My Family, a movie inspired by a 2012 Channel 4 documentary of the same name.
The movie will chart the true story of Paige and her wrestling-mad family, including Ricky Knight and mother Julia Hamer-Bevis aka Sweet Saraya, as they compete in venues across the country.
Paige - who is currently recuperating from neck surgery - scooped a contract with WWE in 2011 and has since won the NXT Women's Title once and the WWE Divas Championship twice.
Merchant will write, direct and executive produce the film, with English actress Florence Pugh already cast as Paige, and Shaun of the Dead's Nick Frost and Game of Thrones star Lena Headey to appear as her parents.
The Rock - who will executive produce the film as well as star in an as-yet unknown role stated 'Back in 2012 I was in my hotel room in London and stumbled across a documentary on a local UK channel, not only was I intrigued by this loving and wild family, but I also felt it's the kind of narrative that would make an amazing movie. The Knights' journey is a universal one that all families are familiar with. I relate to Saraya (Paige) and her wrestling family on such a personal level and it means so much that I can help tell their story."
News of this production has caused a frenzy on social media with everyone eagerly anticipating the release. We here at the Reunion wish everyone involved in the film every success, we are sure it will be a huge hit and will be good not only for the Knight family but also the wrestling business in general.
Late last year i had the honour of being asked to join the committee for the British Wrestlers Reunion. i graciously accepted and took my place at the beginning of the year. I hope to be able to continue the great success the reunion has had in the last 25 years and to be able show respect to all those who have been or are Athletes of the squared ring. Love them or Loathe them Each of them have suffered for their craft to bring entertainment to the masses... Many have passed away over the years and below is a tribute i wrote I hope you like it.....
Childhood Heroes
I've taken falls and taken bumps
I've suffered bruises and the lumps
I've served my time upon the mat
Learning break falls; this and that
The use of ropes, The corner post
And the moves i found i used the most
The locks and Bars, The Holds and kicks
And other little wrestling tricks
I've studied wrestlers far and wide
That have made me warm and glow inside
As they paraded for the crowd
Who clapped and cheered so very loud
To watch these gods as they display
Their ringside talents every day
To see these modern gladiators
Give all they could for the spectators
Now some have gone to another ring
With a poster that says it all
Where legends of this noble sport
Would fill The Albert Hall
The list sadly is endless and growing every year
As more heroes pass away, all of them very dear
No more will they grace an earthly ring
But their praises we will always sing
There will be no top billing
As each one of them that's passed
Was a hero in his own way
So they'll be not first or last
But a name upon the role-call
That's written on the wall
In the dressing room up in the sky
And we miss them one and all
The funeral service will take place on Monday 6th February at Over Dale Crematorium, off Chorley New Road, Bolton Lancs. at 2.30pm.
Any further details may be obtained from Birtwistles Independent Funeral Services,356 Halliwell Road, Bolton BL1 8AP Tel. 01204 491661.
All are welcome to pay their respects to Keith and remember him.
We thank Wendy Mellor for the information and the photograph shown above which is of Keith with their daughter Keira Williamson taken in 2015.
Sad news reached us on Tuesday 17th January when we heard that one of our great supporters, Tommy Stevenson who is known to wrestling fans North of the Border as Scott Thomson has suffered his second heart attack in as many years.
Tommy, who was away from home at the time of the attack, was taken to his daughters house who immediately called the paramedics and Tommy was taken to hospital where he was admitted for further tests.
We are now pleased to confirm that Tommy has been allowed home and told by his doctors to rest and with his daughter casting a watchful eye over her father we know Tommy will do just this.
Tommy has been a great supporters of the Reunion for the last few years, in 2014 he attended with his late wife Margaret having driven from his home in Scotland on the day of the event. Unfortunately, Margaret was taken ill on the day and the couple had to return to Scotland. In 2015 Margaret sadly passed away but Tommy did attend the Reunion where he was awarded with a Services to Wrestling Certificate, (seen below with Reunion organiser Ken Sowden) this is something that to this very day Tommy cherishes, so much so that he has made it his header on his facebook account.
Tommy has informed us that he will once again be joining us all at this years Reunion on the13th August and has already booked his hotel room.....now thats what you call a supporter.
We here at the Reunion of course wish Tommy all the best with his recuperation and we are sure that he will be back to his old self sooner rather than later.
On the 31st December British wrestling made its return to ITV after a 28 years absence, the show filmed in Manchester in November received a mixed review from wrestlers and fans alike and at the time of writing no decision has yet been made by ITV as to whether they will continue with this venue. What is known is that they were somewhat surprised at the reviews for the show although they were pleased with the way the show was produced so time will tell as to whether World of Sport wrestling will once again return to the small screen.
Following on from the World of Sport show the Worlds biggest wrestling promoters, World Wrestling Entertainment, rolled into Blackpool on the 14th and 15th January where they held their very own tournament with some of the very best wrestlers the UK has to offer. This was the first time that the WWE has promoted in the UK using solely UK talent with the winner being crowned the WWE United Kingdom Champion. 16 wrestlers took part in the two night tournament before a huge crowd and the show has been well received by all of those in attendance and those watching exclusively on the WWE Network. Social Media has been buzzing with the success of the show and also the excellent production values which you would only expect from the WWE.
The overall
winner after two nights of hard fought bouts was Tyler Bate, a 19 year old
grappler from Dudley who has over the last few years wrestled for many independent
promoters in not only the UK but also Europe.
Bate was presented with the championship belt by WWE Executive Paul
Levesque (HHH) who was joined in the ring by our very own William Regal,
Dave Finlay and Finn Balor. Others UK wrestlers in attendance included Robbie Brookside and Dave Taylor.
The WWE are very pleased with the way the tournament has been received in the UK and plans are in the pipeline to make UK only shows a regular feature within the organisation. This can again only be good news for British wrestling and we hope that there has been enough interest generated with wrestling fans to ensure that the business continues to thrive like it has done over the last few years
As some of you are aware we have been experiencing considerable problems with this website since our provider webs.com upgraded their system at the end of last year.
During the festive season we have received a number of emails from members who have been unable to access the system at all or when they do are unable to view some of the page contents.
We have contacted webs.com on numerous occasions and they will not accept any blame for this error (even though it has happened to a number of websites that they provide) stating that the problem is with our computers. Obviously this is not the case and therefore due to the fact that we have been unable to reach a satisfactory conclusion to this persistent problem this website will shortly close for new updates and will be used for information purposes only.
Over the coming weeks we will look for a new and more reliable website provider and once we have found one we will relaunch the British Wrestlers Reunion website which will continue with all your favourites.
We apologise for any convenience but this is as they say ...beyond our control.
When ITV axed professional wrestling in 1988 many fans thought that it would never return and as the years rolled by that certainly seemed the case until Saturday 31st December 2016 when World of Sport Wrestling returned to our screens some 28 years after professional wrestling was last nationally broadcast on terrestrial television.
For anyone hoping to see a format consisting of rounds with
public warnings and seconds with a softly spoken man at ringside calling the
action this was never going to happen, this was 2016 and since wrestling was
last seen on ITV the product has changed dramatically with many fans saying
that the 2016 product is unrecognisable to that last seen in 1988. However, despite this the flashbacks to the glory days of World of Sport wrestling and legends such as Rollerball Rocco, Johnny Saint, Marty Jones and Klondyke Kate at ringside was a nice touch.
Despite its transformation the show itself has seen many split opinions, many social media platforms have been inundated with comments and it would appear that the general public (by this we mean people who are not passionate wrestling fans) on the whole loved it and would welcome more. Wrestling fans/purists seem to be split, some really enjoyed it, some hated it whilst others enjoyed parts of the show but not other parts, this has sparked some lively but interesting debates.
Viewing figures are reported to be 1.2 million which, for a pilot show, appear to fall in line with what was expected and with catch up, recordings and downloads this figure will increase which is also a bonus especially as it was up against one of the biggest Premiership games of the season on Sky so in all ITV will no doubt rate the show a success.
Where does WOS Wrestling go from here, well we certainly have the talent in the UK to produce more programmes but whatever format ITV choose (if they do) to go down it will not please everyone. There certainly seems a market for a wrestling show on terrestrial television whether it be weekly, which we doubt, or a number of specials broadcast throughout the year and this can only be good for the wrestling industry.
Whatever your views on the show it was nice that ITV produced this programme and now we wait to see what happens next……will there be a round 2, only time will tell !!!!!!
Johnny Saint is one of the most famous names in British wrestling in his or any other generation. Having been a multiple time World Lightweight Champion and having travelled the World defeating all in his path he will certainly go down in history as one of the greatest champions of all time.
These days Johnnys in ring career has sadly for all of us come to an end but despite this he continues to have a very active role in the wrestling business and can often be seen up and down the UK training the next generation of stars as well as making public appearances such as the recently filmed ITV World of Sport Wrestling show where he was interviewed about some of the greats who made British wrestling so popular in the 1960s,70s and 80s.
In 2016 John was invited by William Regal to attend the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida and for any of our members who are not aware of this, this is a state of the art training facility owned by World Wrestling Entertainment and where stars of the future go to hopefully make them into international wrestling stars. On his initial visit John joined Head Trainer Regal alongside other Brits working at the venue such as Dave Fit Finlay, Robbie Brookside and Norman Smiley as well as Dave Taylor who guests there on a regular basis. Johnnys style of wrestling astounded all who were training there and whilst there Johnny showed the trainees moves that they had never seen before many of which will be taken forward to the next generation.
Despite his age Johnny is still extremely fit and can still mix it with the best the WWE trainees have to offer. So impressed were the powers that be with Johnnys training that this month he has been invited back on a six month contract to become a full time coach at the facility, this can only be good for wrestling as a whole. Johnny is without doubt one of the best trainers in the World today and with his knowledge of wrestling this can only benefit everyone involved.
We wish Johnny all the best with his new venture, we know that he will be a huge success and we look forward to welcoming him back to the UK later this year when he will once again be commencing his training duties with UK students.
As we end one year and start another the entire Committee of the British Wrestlers Reunion would like to wish each and every one of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year and hope that 2017 is a good year for you all.
2017 will see a new era for the Reunion. After our hugely successful 25th anniversary Reunion we now look forward to the next one which will be held as always at The Bridges on Sunday 13th August. As in previous years we hope that many of you will join us from various destinations around the World to celebrate wrestling both past and present and we can promise you that the new era will certainly be something you will remember. Whilst we will be keeping to the tradition that has made the Reunion so popular we will be introducing some new features which we hope you will enjoy.
Throughout the year we will be updating everyone regarding the Reunion right here on our website and our facebook page British Wrestling, the Glory Years so please check these out so ensure you do not miss any of the exciting news we have to bring to you.
In closing we thank
you all for your continued support during 2016, all the positive
comments we receive are very much appreciated and we hope that you will
continue to support us all in 2017.
They are the most famous couple in professional wrestling, known the World over and after 50 years in the business show no signs of slowing down let alone retiring. These days Adrian Street and his lovely wife Linda reside in Florida in a home designed and built by them, distant memories albeit it very happy ones, are the days spent in Wales and travelling the UK wrestling to packed houses during wrestlings heyday although given their time again would not change a thing.
At this festive time of the year Adrian has sent his best wishes to the Reunion and has asked that we pass them on to his many family and friends around the World who regularly view these pages and we are happy to do so. At the same time we at the Reunion wish Ada and Linda a very happy festive season and hope that 2017 is another happy, peaceful and successful year for them both.
Sports legend Andy Robin, who introduced the world to Hercules the Bear, has been inducted into Scotland's Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
The 81-year-old received the top honour on the steps of Perth's City Hall, the scene of some of his biggest championship battles.
One of his most famous bouts in the Fair City was against America's Harold Sakata, better known as Odd Job from the James Bond movie Goldfinger.
Robin, from Auchterarder, is the second to be installed on the hall of fame after Dundee's George Kidd in 2015.He said: "I really appreciate this honour, its great to get things like this. It means so much."
Robin said his return to city hall brought back some precious memories. "I used to love being here. I remember the crowd chanting: Andy, Andy, Andy. It was just great.
Wrestling historian Bradley Craig, who founded the hall of fame, said: "Andy makes a fantastic addition to our hall because he was completely different to George Kidd in every way.
Bradley continued, "He was a power-based wrestler who had the most devastating move in wrestling history — the power lock.
"He won countless titles and travelled all over the world. Quite simply, he is one of the few remaining wrestlers of the golden era and its fantastic to be able to give him this award.
As a young man Robin became a familiar face on the Highland Games circuit. He was crowned the World Cumberland Wrestling champ by the age of 20.
He went on an extensive two-and-a-half year tour of the North America and Canada before returning to Scotland where, in 1964, he secured the British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship.
His career flourished further thanks to being featuring in
ITV's massively popular World of Sport during the 1970s and 80s.
A major turning point for Robin was when he took part in a novelty bout with Terrible Ted, an eight foot black bear. Robin won $1,000 for successfully spending 15 minutes in the ring with the animal.
It started an obsession with bears, which led to Robin and his wife Maggie adopting Hercules from the Kincraig Wildlife Park in 1975.
Hercules, who the couple raised like their son, became one of the biggest stars of wrestling. He went on to win praise from US president Ronald Reagan and even fought against Roger Moore in the James Bond film Octopussy.
The kind-natured grizzly famously disappeared while filming an advert for Kleenex on the Hebridean isle of Benbecula.
It is hoped that a plaque, confirming Robin's place on the hall of fame, will go on permanent display in Perth.
The Reunion send our very best wishes to Andy on this accolade, one that is very well deserved.
The British Wrestlers Reunion would like to wish all of our members around the World a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
This year has been very special for us and we thank each and every one of you for your continued support. With many great things planned for 2017 we look forward to reliving the glory years of British wrestling for many years to come.
We are very pleased that the Reunions Ring of Friendship continues to grow and the great comments that we receive throughout the whole year from you all are very much appreciated.
Happy Christmas to you all and here is to 2017 and the Reunions new era.
The Internment of wrestling super star Jim Moser who passed away last Wednesday from natural causes aged 82, will be held at the well known Southern Crematorium on Monday the 19th December at 11-00 a.m.
Anyone wishing to attend and pay their respects will be welcomed by the Family.
Southern Cemetery
The Lodge
212 Barlow Moor Road
Manchester M21 7GL
Telephone: 0161 227 3205
Email: [email protected]
We are sad to report news received by us from Marty Jones that Jumping Jim Moser has passed away aged 82 after a short illness.
Jim was a frequent worker for Joint Promotions in the early 1960s and was also a regular name on Paul Lincoln bills alongside other independent promoters. Throughout his career Jim excelled in both solo and tag team wrestling where he was a regular partner to Bobo Matu.
Jims long time friend and Reunion member Johnny Kincaid has paid the following tribute:-
'I first met Jim when i was 17 and lodging in Brixton London, I wasn't even thinking of coming into the wrestling game, I was asked if i new where Camberwell baths was by my landlady who also took in wrestlers, and if i did would i take this wrestler there as it was his first time down south, that was the first time i set eyes on Jim Moser, 54 years a go, I will be there when they lay my old friend to rest. so long Jim R.I.P Buddy'.
Jim has been added to the Dressing Room in the Sky and his obituary will be added to the relevant section shortly.
Our condolences go to Jims family and friends at this sad time and may he now rest in peace.
Funeral details will be posted in due course.
Wednesday 23rd November 2016 saw the final bell ring for legendary South Coast wrestler John Kowalski. Approximately 180 people packed Havant crematorium to pay their respects to this legendary wrestler. The British Wrestlers Reunion were represented by committee members Johnny Kincaid and Martin Gillott and other wrestlers in attendance were Pete Roberts, Mal Sanders and Steve Grey. John will be a great loss to the wrestling business and may he Rest in peace.