The Beginner's Guide To British Wrestling

[David Mantell]

3 hours ago, PeteF3 said:

Since he was considered "innocent", the documentary could not show the guy's face and censored his name

Well that kind of makes it hard to identify. 

Apart from Saville obviously I could tell you horror stories of these kinds about two other British wrestlers (as with any walk of life you get one or two rotten apples) but I'm not sure of the rules on naming and shaming on this board. (One of the two in question ended up in prison, the other, AFAIK, didn't and I'm not sure he's dead). A bunch of posts on another thread on here got deleted and I'm not sure if it's because stuff about a certain big former AEW star got discussed in those posts.  There are hills worth dying on to do with British and European Wrestling but this ain't one.

[PeteF3]

Well, yes, that makes it hard. That's why we're trying to crack the mystery. If they'd said his name was Joe Blow no one would be asking.

I have to assume that a 74-year-old ex-wrestler in 2004 is dead in 2025 though the post doesn't seem to say so definitively. So it's not a case of libeling the guy.

[David Mantell]

40 minutes ago, PeteF3 said:

Well, yes, that makes it hard. That's why we're trying to crack the mystery. If they'd said his name was Joe Blow no one would be asking.

I have to assume that a 74-year-old ex-wrestler in 2004 is dead in 2025 though the post doesn't seem to say so definitively. So it's not a case of libeling the guy.

I've sent you a private message.  I'm not sure of the forum rules on this sort of conversation so .I'll leave it there. 

Once I've dealt with the latest two French Catch matches to drop, I'll be on here with a great match to review from 1972.

[David Mantell]

And here it is:

I've got a tattered old copy of The Wrestler (Paul Lincoln Promotions version, NOT the Aptermag) from 1961 with Judo Al .Hayes as the White Angel (Ange Blanc knock-off who fought Paul's Dr Death alter ego just as the original across the English Channel feuded with Le Bourreau De Bethune) on the cover.  Inside is a feature on PETER RANN - MAT ARTIST showing a handsome young Blue Eye sports car driving dark haired Rann. Come 1972, the TV was in colour and Rann was on TV (if Granada has a stock of their cinema match films we may yet someday see the younger Rann) but more importantly he was grey haired and a heel. And a heel in real life too - he is alleged to have worked as a rent enforcer for a notorious shark landlord - some accounts say the infamous Michael Rachmann of Notting Hill Gate. His grey hair would have made him a good Vieux Pontoufle heel in France. 

Here he takes on future Carribbean Sunshine Boy Johnny Kincaid, still a beloved blue eye but sporting bleached hair a la African American heel Sweet Daddy Siki. (Bleached African hair would later become a hip thing in the UK black community especially among girls after David Bowie's girlfriend Ava Cherry sported the look - even Simone Thomas of early punk gang the Bromley Contingent had one.) The man who dyes his hair versus the man who ought to.

It's worth remarking how much Blue there is on screen for an early 1970s video production.  Blue was usually avoided as it was the colour traditionally used on British TV for Chromakey/ Colour Separation Overlay effects (Greenscreening now, Bluescreening then.). But here were have a blue mat -The same shade as Wanz/Wright Vs Kauroff/Lataserre in Graz 1996- blue rope, both men in blue trunks, Rann in a blue jacket, Kincaid in the blue corner, his second with a blue towel ...

Round 1: Rann gets a headlock but Kincaid breaks I open into a top wristlock and levers his man down into the guard.  He switches to H&S. Rann gets a double leg takedown and tries for a Boston Crab but can't turn Kincaid. Johnny gets a side headlock into wristlever into back hammer down in the mount.  Rann turns into the guard to straighten his arm.  He stands up, Johnny gets the hammerlock again in the standing position but Ran slips in his other arm for a hiptoss.  Rann shoulderpresses Kincaid with his legs but Kincaid uses a kip up to slide his arms out. Rann again hiptosses Kincaid and gets a straight arm wristlever and  Kincaid roles to untwist, goes into a bridge, turns into the guard and eventually forces Rann into a roll to remove the torque on his shoulder, leaving Kincaid on top. He converts the wrist lever into a ground top wristlock.  As he tries to press down on it like one of Jim Breaks' variants of the Breaks Special.  Rann snatches a headscissors.  Kincaid gets a bridge, turns the hold upright and handstands out.  Rann gets a chinlock (Walton says it's a too high stranglehold) Kincaid slips out behind and gets a grovit.   Ran eventually gets his head out to make a back hammerlock but again Kincaid loosens it by slipping into the guard and then kips up, but Rann twists the wristlever to haul Kincaid down and regain the hammerlock. So Kincaid changes tack, stands up in the hold  and uses the once-outlawed back elbow to Rann's head break his from and roll out, arm still in pinion position.  Rann scores a dropkick, rear snapmare and double kneepress but Kincaid bench presses him up by the lower legs Rann grabs both wrists and clamps down on both shoulders with both legs.  Kincaid bridges - Rann pushes him down but himself gets pushed backwards in his seating position.  A few repeats of this and Rann is backed up against the ropes and has to release Kincaid.  He gets Kincaid's wristband takes him down to the guard but Kincaid cheekily boots him in the back and gets free.  Still on the mat, Rann legdives and leglocks Kincaid who lever himself into the upright position just in time for the bell. Gentle patter of applause . Rann, amusingly, is captioned as being from "CAMPDEN Town" (my emphasis).  

Round 2. Kincaid gets a standing reverse armhank.  Rann pulls him over into a folding press for 1.  Kincaid makes it a sitting armscissor, Rann turns it back into the folding press. Kincaid regains the leverage then it goes back to Rann who gets the extra grip from his other arm.  He turns a bit too far and ends up back in the armhank, this time in a kneeling position.  He secures the other arm and uses the hold to turn into a shoulder press for a pin attempt but for reasons unclear referee Joe D'Orazio rejects it so Kincaid releases and Rann is also up at 2 sharpish.  Double finger Interlock and Kincaid unpicks one side with a foot, horizontally twists the remaining arm. Drops to a legdive into legscissor and seals it with a single toehold.  Rann tries to get a side folding press but Kincaid regains dominance easily. Ran tries poking a foot in but Kincaid makes it into an Indian Deathlock Rann takes the securing foot, slips it over his head, turns Kincaid into the mount by what remains and clamps down on both Achilles tendons but Kincaid stands up and gets the ropes break with his back to his man, narrowly avoiding tripping over Rann's feet as he walks away.  He gets a side chancery throw, a double kneepress for a couple of 1s, a crosspress (clamping a stray Rann arm with his foot)  for another 1 before Rann gets another finger Interlock, rolls back and gets a single legdive and leglock. Kincaid tries to probe his way out with his other foot but Rann nicely locks it in with a reverse folding press. Kincaid's shoulders are not down and he upturns the hold but Rann's feet touch the rope and it's a break.  Kincaid gets a single legdive and leglock. Rann stands up in the hold, leaps to put his other leg up and scores a fantastic monkey climb. Rann gets an over the knee backbreaker, Kincaid just barely managed to bridge out on his tiptoes before Rann snaps on a bodyscissors. Kincaid sits up in the hold. pushes to the centre of the ring  Rann turns into the mount turning Kincaid into a folding double leg nelson. Kincaid turns Rann back into the guard for a straight double leg nelson - Kent Walton is amused that they are both trying the same trick!  It ends in a stalemate and break. Kincaid gets two snapmares, a bodycheck and charges but misses and goes over the ropes on the bell.

Round 3. Kincaid makes it back in time but Rann throws him sharply on the back on which he hit the outside floor just earlier. He whips and boots Kincaid in the stomach.  Kincaid is up at eight but straight into another backbreaker on the knee from Rann who drops a knee a bit early and gets some heat and a quiet word from D'Orazio.  He gets a forearm smash, snapmare and double kneepress but the referee breaks it up as he doesn't like the work Rann is doing on Kincaid's knee.  Johnny is up at six into a headlock, concealed punch and forearm smash down.  He throws Kincaid across the ring, again snapmares and double kneepresses him but again works on the kneecap which upsets Referee Joe.  Rann gets a legdive and a leg weakener over his own knee. He shoves off Kincaid's boots to his head and resists a grab at his right elbow before standing and getting his reverse folding press from earlier but Kincaid can easily grab the ropes.  Kincaid tries a quick folding press but Rann's foot goes in the ropes.  Kincaid floors Rann with a headbutt but Peter is up at 8 and seeks sanctuary in the corner. It may get him jeers but he forces Kincaid to back off.  Kincaid gets a side chancery and stomp for 5.  Rann springs up with a wristlock  He takes  Kincaid down again into the guard by the wrist but Johnny swivels round on his head and rolls out, steps over and whips Rann down (to not much of a bump.) He slings him in the ropes, tries for a butt to the stomach but is too slow and Rann comes out better with a running knee  for 8. Rann gets double legs and a folding press for the opening fall and a chorus of boos. Not that he's done much dirty wrestling so far but because Kincaid's fall out of the ring at the end of the last round gave Rann the advantage. 

Round 4: Rann does the first serious dirty of the match, a knee in the legs while Kincaid was backed into the ropes. It earns him a public warning.  He gets the same standing chinlock that Walton calls a strangle as earlier, then makes it into the H&S, the sleeper that Americans recognise. It looks like Kincaid might slip out (scrunched up though his face is getting) so Rann reverts to the chinlock, now kneeling. He pulls out, leaving a back hammerlock.  Rann steps forward and threads himself through the ropes. Kincaid elbowsmashes him from behind -this gets a cheer from the crowd and is written off by D'Orazio as retaliation and allowed.  Kincaid gets the better of a finger Interlock test of strength with Rann on his knees and down into a shoulder press. He bridges up at 1 so Kincaid adds a knee and gets 2, almost a crosspress.   Rann gets his other leg in and uses his crossed legs to create space and hook him away by the head.  Rann turns him over and gets the crosspress for 2 - nearly a two-straight win there.  Kincaid bridges so Rann switches to double kneepress.  He headbutts Kincaid's thigh down which pleases neither the crowd nor the referee who orders a break.  Rann gets a snapmare and kneedrop for 6, a slingshot and knee on the rebound for 8, a legdive into single leg Boston Crab before Kincaid reaches the ropes.  Rann floors Kincaid with two sharp knees for 6.  Kincaid threatens fisticuffs before getting a full nelson into headbutt for 8, another for the same, a series of side headlocks changing arm to arm and a concealed closed fist punch just on the bell.  

Round 5.  If Rann can survive this round, then Kincaid cannot get a two falls/submissions win in the final round 6. It's been mostly scientific even with the increased heat in rounds 3 and 4.  Rann starts this one off rougher however with a kick to the stomach and forearm smash for 7. He gets a standing full nelson but Kincaid breaks one side and reverses. Rann throws him into an armlock against the joint in the guard.  When Kincaid gets up, Rann throws him back down again. Kincaid tries a headscissors but can't maintain it.  He turns to a kneeling position, shoves off the armlock and gets a legspread and toehold, turning him into the guard and stomping his heel. Rann is up at 7 and Kincaid goes in too quick for a hold but it backfires on him anyway as Rann gets the single toehold.  He switches to double kneepress (a mistake says Kent as he sacrificed a good leglock that was doing damage). Rann gets two before Kincaid slips both legs in for the double leg nelson but it ends in a double grapevine stalemate.  Despite their needle they shake hands on the stalemate and there is a clean break. Rann gets a wristlever and gets an armbar against the joint almost down in the guard. Kincaid works his way up to kneeling then gets n over knee backbreaker like Rann earlier, this one for 5.  Rann scores a fine dropkick and what looks like a powerbomb 20 years before Vader and Sid but was more likely a botch drop. Rann goes for a folding press but Kincaid sits up and flips him over for the double leg nelson. Rann escapes and it winds up in the same double grapevine stalemate.  Again a clean break despite the earlier heat.  Rann gets a full nelson into side chancery throw into another full nelson. But Kincaid gets an underhook into what was not then yet called the small package. He gets his equaliser and a shot at a decider that, with another 20 seconds,  would have been sealed off for him.  

Round 6 Rann gets a single leg and almost a Powerlock (upright figure four) but Kincaid topples him with a legspread and gets a single leg of his own.  He switches to a front folding press but Kincaid's foot brushes the ropes.  Kincaid gets a double legs and a folding press (without inadvertently inventing the Power Bomb two decades early!) Rann spins him out by the legs.  He gets a headlock, two concealed illegal punches and a forearm smash.  Kincaid gets a headlock and concealed punch of his own - recept paid although D'Orazio isn't happy.   Rann gets an arm, pulls Kincaid down and gets a leg up for a possible bodyscissors but it doesn't come off and Walton decries it as "clumsy" (another botch?)  Kincaid has a leg and an advantage until Rann curls his other foot around his man's jaw and pulls him down.  Kincaid turns him into the guard, tries a folding press but Rann slips out a finally gets the bodyscissors he was presumably after earlier.  He goes up on his feet and has Kincaid selling the pain.  Kincaid gets into a seated position and leans backwards for a reverse folding press with bridge but Rann's shoulders are up and he turns over on his side and then into the pain inflicting position again but can only briefly maintain it.  Kincaid tries a very high folding press in the scissors. He gets a 1, a 2 then goes for a Boston Crab but can't turn Rann into the mount. Kincaid double leg slingshots Rann but he falls narrowly short of the post pad Kincaid intended.  He gets a grovit and a headbutt for 8. Rann gets another fantastic dropkick for 6. Kincaid gets a headbutt for 7 before the kneeling Rann first an elbow upwards to Kincaid's stomach.  This gets him a second and final public warning but after Rann slings Kincaid to the ropes, the final bell goes. 1-1 Broadway. 

The MC calls it "one for Rann" (boo from the crowd) "and one for Kincaid" (cheer!) . It's the Wednesday night midweek slot so instead of his famous catchphrase "Have a good week till next week" Kent Walton says "Be happy until Saturday".  

Nice to see a bout that can stay reasonably technical even once the needle creeps in.  Fouls and blows never amounted to a brawling second half, they were static incidents in the generally technical bout.  I suppose OJ would say it never quite caught fire but it suited me fine. Even the two Rann botches seemed like credible screwups in the heat of competition.  A fine bout that I've been looking forward to writing up since seeing it at the weekend.