The Beginner's Guide To British Wrestling

[David Mantell]

Staying with the modern era for a second week ...

On 12/24/2025 at 7:42 PM, David Mantell said:

Speaking of Rumble, I'm pleased to report that they have decided to eradicate the American concept of Champion's Privilege from their shows and will be changing titles on a disqualification like in the old days.

Okay, let's see how this impacts on a title bout other than Nina's British Lightweight title.  Sid Manelli turned heel for the second time last year and shortly afterwards lost his Rumble Championship to middle Bryant brother Zander.  From the same Xmas Ditton show as Callaghan-Marley III (hence the Xmas decorations), here is the return match.

As usual, Rumble employs female seconds.  Sid comes out in a lavender towel of which more anon.

Round 1-  Like Dave Viking in Hanover 1981, Sid goes for the false handshake and when H3 gets the Fake Shake he goes for the eyes.  He jans Zander in the ribs and downs him but while down there Zander gets a quick side folding press for 2.  Things get more Traditional British technical from there, Sid gets a wristlever and passes it overhead to tighten it, Zander rolls out - back, forward, back, forward - and forces a high whip and bump on Sid, leaving him in a guard armlock.  The sequence repeats and Sid heads to ringside to break the flow.  He gets back in, goes behind and gets a snapmare but the bell goes.

Round 2 - Sid is getting a lot of heat!   He again offers a handshake but Zander kicks it away and gets a cross buttock throw into side headlock.  Sid folds himself up nicely to get headscissors, Zander gets a kip up escape.  then rearcdropjicks Sid into the ropes.  He aborts a 619 as Sid dodged and gets an eye fake and big boot for 2. Sid and referee Dave Macro argue. Sid gets a standing double wristlock and jerks it, getting another telling off from Macro. He posts Zander then does a kind of self reversing posting twic3 on Bryant, following in with a boot, getting a crosspress for a 2 count which he claims was a 3 ("Sid can't count" chant the crowd.). He gets another posting and Zander -like Bernard VanDamme on the French thread - takes it by climbing the corner but unlike BVD misses his man. At that point, the bell goes.

Round 3 - Sid gets some scissor chops etc in the corner.  He goes for a posting but Zander reverses and goes in for a monkey climb.  Sid overpowers and makes it a folding press. He has his feet on the ropes but Macro doesn't see it so the fall still stands despite Zander's protests and Macro's suspicions.  Unlike on ITV, MC Stephen Barker is not entitled to be a second pair of eyes. So, 1-0 to challenger Sid.

Round 4. Zander tires to equalis with a rope assisted front folding press of his own but Marco this time seems the legs.  He doesn't penalise Zander as he took is suspicious of that last fall.  Sid gets dirtier throwing Zander across the middle rope and booting him. He takes down the red corner pad and as Marco is busy fixing it, grabs his towel and chokes Zander with it, then wipes his face and puts it back. Macro is suspicious of the towel but Sid claims to have the flu!  He boots Zander around but Zander, sat on a top turnbuckle gets a boot of his own and sunset flip into double leg nelson for 2.  Zander gets a dropkick and 619 (this time it connects) and Superfly Splash off the top for an equaling pin. 1-1.

Round 5. Sid walks out for a while but comes back -then jumps and stomps Zander.  He goes for the blue corner pad and the towel, using the latter while Macro fixes the former. This time Macro catches SidMoran(filmed late 1986,screened ear  Moran with the towel and an argument ensues.  Sid pulls down a white pad and Zander goes for some revenge with the towel, using it to sling Sid to ringside but Macro catches him but as Kent Walton would say, puts it down to retaliation.  Zander topes Sid at ringside, 39 years since Fuji Yamada did that move on ITV to Rocky Moran (filmed late '86 Lewisham, screened early '87).  Zander goes for another flying bodypress but Macro is in the way.  Zander jumps down, lightly taps Macro on the shoulder and tells him to be more mindful in future!  Sid gets brawl some and end up in a shoving match with Macro that earns Sid a bump and a Public Warning.  Zander goes for a charge on the corner but the bell goes.

Round 6.  The final round but no sporting handshakes. They slug i5 out and Zander gets several clotheslines and goes for another superfly splash but Sid puts his feet up in the air to spike Zander, then gets a stomp and crosspress for 2.  He grabs the belt and marches around with it, seemingly aiming at Xander but "accidentally" striking Macro.  Zander gets a superkick and cover but there is no ref.  Zander goes to revive him but Sid gets a crotch shot and folding press for the winning pinfall. 2-1 to recapture the Rumble Championship from young Zander.

Well the reintroduction of Mountevans Rules (minus no follow downs and still with a slower cadence for KO counts) didn't stop Sid cheating his way to a title, did it?

The antics with the towel, eye takes and belt would not have been appreciated by ITV although Screensport would probably have OKed them.  Still there was a lot of good competent technical wrestling in here from both men amidst the dirties and retaliations.

If anyone's interested here is Zander's previous title win from just before the above ruling came into force.

 

[David Mantell]

Just found this morning - Adrian Street on Russell Harty's chat show 1972.

Context - Harty himself was screamingly camp and was outed as gay himself in 1987 a  year before his death.  He did some famous TV interviews with Bowie and Bolan. He also got slapped around once by Grace Jones who thought he was paying too much attention to another guest. Russell Harty - Wikipedia

Near the start there is a previously unseen clip of The Hells Angels in action.  Not sure who the opponents are - Possibly the Borg Twins at Wembley, screened 6th May 1972 taped 29th April 1972- but @JNLister might well want the clip for the ITV Wrestling site (same as with the Daddy & Stax Vs  Kendo & Rex Strong bout clip from Dec 75).  Less of a certainty that the full bout survives as this is from a 1972 programme while the Daddy/Stax/Kendo/Rex clip was from a trailer 33 years later in 2018.

[David Mantell]

Yes I had a very nice day out for my birthday, thanks for asking.  I think you all deserve an actual match, not just a clip (however rare) and chat show appearance (ditto) so here's a quickie:

On 7/16/2014 at 4:24 AM, ohtani's jacket said:

Giant Haystacks vs. John Cox (9/16/86)

 

John Cox was a hard looking man. Since the WoS footage that aired on TWC is uncut, you often get a little insight into the TV set-up before Walton joins in on commentary. Here we got to see the MC warming up the crowd a bit, and what a shitty crowd it was. Hecklers and assholes doing football chants. Haystacks was big here and his mobility was starting to suffer. Cox jobbed, but it was really poorly orchestrated and about a 10th as well put together as a WWF Superstars match. Walton was at a loss for words and Haystacks got heckled on his way out. Quality!

I'd say he had HEAT rather than was just getting heckled. "WORRA LOADA RUBBISH" is what football fans would shout at rival teams in that era.Stax had the gift of the gab anyway and could give more than he got verbally as we shall see at the fnh

Round 1 - Stax easily throws off Cox's lock up attempts including a top wristlock, sending him down for a count of 4.  Stax resists a legdive attempt and gets presssure points into a chinlock.  Cox fires back with some forearm smashes but again Stax shrugs them off and bodychecks his man down before following in with his trademark guillotine elbowsmash.  Cox is selling his ribs and the referee cuts the KO count short at 8 and awards Stax the TKO victory right then and there rather than wait the two seconds.  I defy anyone to suggest that Cox is "protected" by this finish.

Afterwards Stax give one hell of a powerful heel promo, waxing Alice Cooper - "No More Mr Nice Guy" and growling like an angry Bengal tiger - as the crowd in turn vents it's spleen at him.

Cox was no enhancement talent but this quick squash was a vehicle to relaunch the Giant on TV after he'd been off touring the world as Kent says.  Some of this we shall see - or have already seen - on the German thread.  This was October 1986 and Stax had been off TV some 16 months since beating Marty Jones in June 85.  This and a win over Tony Francis in November helped set up Stax for a big Xmas Triple Tag (Steve ("Roy") Regal's second TV bout and the final comeuppance of heel manager Charlie McGee).

 

 

[David Mantell]

On 2/15/2015 at 3:25 AM, ohtani's jacket said:

Clive Myers vs. Johnny Apollon (7/27/82)

The story here was that Apollon had a rib injury but wasn't really experienced enough to threaten Myers anyway. More of an offensive workout for Myers than a truly competitive match, though Apollon did hang with him for five or six rounds. Myers' shit looked great, which isn't always the case with his Iron Fist shtick, and Apollon did a good job bumping and selling for it even though there was an apparent styles clash on the surface with Apollon being a legit amateur type. Worth watching if you're a Myers fan and want to see him do his shit with some extra snap to it.

Back in Myers' pre Iron Fist days when he wore the Union Jack trunks, he was quite the purist-friendly technician and much of that carried over into Clive's Iron Fist days so I don't see why this would be a styles clash at all.

Apollon was trained by Lee Bronson who himself was trained by Wayne Bridges and was the son of 40s/50s star Norman "the Butcher " Ansell. He is however no relation to "Golden Apollon" Richie Brooks, at this point a couple of years away from turning pro.

We JIP at the start of Round 3 - the  bout being a warm up match, the first two rounds having been scoreless and this being quite a short round.  Apollon gets in quick with a snapmare and Legdrop Of Doom for a seven count then gets a posting in.  Myers stalls i the corner breaking Apollon's  momentum.  Myers gets a snapmare into side headlock but Johnny neatly straightens the arm into a wrist lever then switches to another snapmare and twice tries a bodycheck but the first has little impact and on the second, Clive gets in a superkick. And suplexes his man, using his duplexing arm to get the cover (see also Myers and YAMADA Vs Kendo & Rocco from 1987) and the opening fall!  Myers leads one-nil.

Round 4. Myers is not the only one to have scored that Saturday afternoon. This being the original transmission, the latest football scores pop up and apparently bubble perked legend Kevin Keegan hàs got a goal for Newcastle Utd. Anyway, back to the match.  Apollon goes from side chancery to front chancery to suplex and gets three before Myers craftily breaks the count by putting his hands behind his get a rope break with his elbows!  Myers gets an arm, teases a Johnny Saint style  stepover then forces a high whip and bump.  Apollon absorbs it well, taking it on his behind and swivels into a position from which it is eay 6 to spring up.  Nice absorption move by John.  They single interlock and Myers switches hands to get a wrist lever and deftly develops it I to a back hammerlock then a double wristlock.  He armdrags his man in the hold but Runs Out Of Mat as Apollon's legs hit the ropes as he goes over.  Break and double interlock .  Apollon tries a lean back dropkick but  Myers steps back and John crashes. Myers gets collar & elbow into armdrags I to guard armlock but Apollon gets up swiftly and gets an armbar into posting.  Myers  resists the posting, squatting down like Ken Joyce. Apollon has more jo6 with a snappish monkey climb, but Myers then resists a snapmare attempt.  Apollon gets an armbar into ankle lock on the standing Myers.  He drops the foot back as Myers seeps to be planning a superkick.  (Apparently Apollon had one planted on him in the untelevised Round 1.). Myers tries for a legdive but only gets a shove to the stomach, leaving Apollon down to get a legdive attempt of his own. Apollon gets an arm and tries an armdrag but Myers clamps down to make a long press for 1 .  Myers tries a double arm stretch in the guard but Apollon picks them off with his feet in a bicycle motion.  Apollon gets a wrist but the bell goes. They shake hands.  Kent Walton mentions that Johnny trains at a gym in the Railway Tavern which later became the Bridges pub, home of Southern Wrestlers Reunions for many years.

Round 5. Apollon gets a headlock but Myers counters with his backdrop suplex but isn't quite in the right position for another pin.  So instead he gets an armscissor and side headlock on, adjusting as Apollon moves.  Apollon gets a headscissors and so Myers drops his own holds to fight it. He bridges up and swivels into the front upright position, spreading his man's knees to release his own head with which he butts the legs.  Myers gets off a legdive swatting away Apollon's attempt at a topé to spin him off. He switches to crosspress then armbar then an attempted straight arm lift but has to drop Apollon when he threatens a headscissors.  So he ends up with just a guard armlock and Apollon aiming  kicks at his back.  A lockup goes nowhere except Apollon falls on his seat.  Again he gets an arm but Myers resists the armdrags attempt that was actually intended.  Myers also resists a side chancery throw but goes with an attempt at a long suplex which switches to cross press and slam.  They try for some more lockups but the bell goes before anything substantial can happen.  Again they shake hands.

Round 6   Apollon gets a stomach jab  and posting.  Myers cartwheels out of a cross buttock throw but is caught by Johnny's dropkick and briefly tied in the ropes like late period Andre or the heel in a continental tag match comedy spot.  He quietly untangles himself.  Apollon finally gets his armdrag in finishing on a guard armlock. Myers is up and off the ropes but runs into a sharp Apollon elbow.  Johnny capitalises with a side chancery (taking advantage of Myers' head not being quite up ) and Harley Race head-drop.  then another armdrag into armscissor. He pulhes Myers back and slings him into the ropes but Myers again holds the  rope to break momentum. He gets an arm. whip and superkick of his own twice . Myers gets the same suplex attempt converting to powerslam as earlier - practically a Goldberg jackhammer!  - and gets the second straight fall with it.  Myers the winner 2-0

What I like is how a seemingly inconsequential undercard bout like this can turn into a real clinic of " Human Chess,". Good match in a Territory where such things were common.  

[David Mantell]

Another good example of how many undercard bouts could be technical dark horses.

Hayward is the former Commonwealth Games bronze medallist turned professional European Middleweight champion, quite outside the range of what the North American wrestling industry would consider hirable (a stint in Stampede notwithstanding). Here he has a veteran technician with whom to put on his scientific exhibition.  Unlike such lighter or less experienced opponents as Tim Fitzmaurice where Keith's effortless superiority made crowds politely root for the opponent, Hurst is too experienced to get the sympathy vote.

We join the action in round 4 .  Hayward gets an arm weakener out of a one sided lockup.  Hurst converts a double interlock into backdrop(putting his own head in an underhook to get it)  into crosspress for a couple of 1s. Interestingly curling 1 leg to get extra downwards pressure.  Hayward in the guard turns himself upright and gets an armbar in the process!  He folds the arm into a hammerlock and hooks the other arm to turn Hurst into a crosspress, but his feet hit the ropes forcing a break.    They are up and Lenny gets an underhook but Hayward pulls it straight and gets a weakener, (the second time he has done this in the bout instead of force a high whip plus bump . ) Lenny sells the pain, staying down for 6.  Keith moves from single interlock to armbars to legdive.  Hurst gets a retaliatory wrist lever.  Hayward eventually re)eases the leg when Hurst figure four scissors the arm but instead lifts Hurst and places him on the top turnbuckle.  They shake hands.  Both men get a legdive - stalemate.  A second try results in the same.  Hurst gets a side chancery off a double Interlock and throws Hayward who rolls upright neatly.  Hurst gets the same sid3e chancery throw but Keith takes it equally beautifully.  Hurst gets a side headlock on  Keith who  makes it into a top wristlock and another armbar weakener.  The bell goes as Hurst gropes for a leg.

Round 5 starts with Hurst getting a side chancery off collar and elbow, getting the throw after some resistance.  A second side chancery throw is more easily gained, even earning a 2 count.  A third time Hayward stays down in a seated position and Hurst vertically splashes the back of his neck for a four count.  He converts a fourth one into a kneelift.for another 4.  A fifth side chancery throw and a standing full nelson ensue as Kent Walton wonders what has happened to the usually speedy Keith.  Kent quickly gets his answer as Keith reverses the hold, slips down into a rear waistlock and gets his trademark German suplex finisher out of nowhere for the pin!   Keith is 1-0 up.

Round 6 and Hurst gets a wristlever from a collar and elbow. getting two twists and a long forward whip and bump.  Any further and it would have been a posting!  He gets the near posting whip again, getting even for the round 4 arm weakeners?  Hayward is up at 4 but caught in a Hurst abdominal stretch, sideways on.   Hayward won't submit so Hurst drives in a knee and gets another arm weakener before releasing.  Hayward is up at 4 straight into another side chancery throw.  Hurst whips Hayward into the ropes, misses a rear elbowsmash and  gets hit with a flying tackle, but rolls over backwards as he goes down until Hurst has the cross press and an equalising pin!  This finish is worth entry money in itself - a properly done version of what Wendi Richter and Leilani Kai BUNGLED at WM1.

Round 7. Hurst gets a single leg off a single interlockbut Hayward leans forward, seemingly to get an inverted rear waistlock to start his trademark suplex. However the camera cuts to reveal Keith has reached all the way over and got a toehold. Stalemate and they start over.  Hurst gets double legs and a lift  but Hayward goes over into a sunset flip and double leg nelson attempt for 2 with Hurst giving it some SERIOUS "Aloha Arn" as he goes down. Hurst turns over and gets a high folding press for 1 but Hayward kicks out, himself getting a 6 count on Hurst.  They single Interlock and this time it's Hurst who goes behind for the rear waistlock  He takes Hayward down in the mount rather than attempt his opponent's speciality bridge ecsuple  (I believe a relic of Hayward 's Olympic GR days.). Hayward easily twists out and gets a front chancery (allowed  as Hurst is trying for a legdive on the mat.). but Hurst. Straightens the arm. Hayward briefly connects with the inverted rear waistlock - but can't get the weight for a suplex and Hurst regains armlock control with his man behind.  He straightens the arm to a more conventional armbar shape   Hayward does the traditional British rolloff and comes up with a sharp forearm smash.  Hayward gets a double legs into folding press for 1,  straight arm pres for another 1.  Hurst bridges. They roll over and over with Hayward bodyscissoring his man. Both get long arm press attempts as they go on top.  Hurst converts from bodyscissors to headscissors but Hayward uses the headstand escape.  He lands in position to get a Gotch figure four toehold and augment it to make a simple cross surfboard.  Hurst tips i5 over and lands on his knees. Hayward still hangs onto the crossface until the bell goes 

Round 8, the final and Hurst gets a dropkick, snapmare and  twisting nose stomp.  He gets an armbar into hammerlock from a collar and elbow but Hayward spins to untwist, single leg diving his man on the go and getting a single toehold, leg weakener and 5 count but is too hasty following in with another legdive and privately warned by the ref (the first such occurrence of the bout). who demands a start over.  Hurst turns horizontally on a high Interlock to pull down an armbar and make another hammerlock. Hayward reaches back and tries for a rear snapmare but Hurst resists

 so instead Hayward reverse snapmares back over French Catch style and both men fire dropkicks, bumping heavily and both up at 9.  Hurst gets a vigorous headbutt from above. Hurst gets another dropkick, Hayward a running elbowsmash, forearm and dropkick.  The science seems to be fading in the final scramble for a decider, but it soon picks up again. Hurst can only get a 1 count from a crotch hold, slam and crosspress.  Both men go down from a bodycheck for 8, a Hayward dropkick gets 5, a Hurst backslide gets 2 (after slipping grip on one arm first time - possibly a botch). as does a Hayward sunset flip into double leg Nelson.  A Hurst side folding press hits the ropes and Runs Out Of Mat.  Hurst tries leaning back from a full Interlock into a cross scissor toupie but as he locks on the feet and hand stands up, the bell finally goes   1-1 draw.  Hayward looks a bit put out as a Hurst reaches for his water bottle then the Advert Break strikes, but one hopes it ended in handshakes.

Several of Keith's exhibition victories including the Tim Fitzmaurice one saw Kent afterwards ponder what if Hayward faced a more experienced or heavier man.  Here he gets one and doesn't get it all his own way but still,acquits himself well, getting at least 1 of 2 of his trademark bridging suplex pins.  A fine technical match except for one short scramble in the final round.

 

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