The Beginner's Guide To British Wrestling

[David Mantell]

On 6/11/2026 at 7:07 PM, David Mantell said:

James Mason Vs Steve Grey.

 

The other clean match and the match if the night- in fact I wish this was the final.  James gets to show off all his young technical skill against one of the greats.   I would love to do a blow by blow of this but as I say I'm on holiday and the pool beckons tomorrow.  Mason wins, having survived a surfboard at one point, landing feet first from a monkey climb, crawls out of a Boston Crab and concerts it to a  folding press. Magical stuff from a Young Man destined for (mostly non American)  big things

I think this match deserves better. It's only eight minutes long but it was James Mason's coming of age moment.

From the start. James handstands to lever out of a side headlock, then has Grey down for a 1 count when he tries to twist out of a headlock of Mason's own. Grey tries bridging out and cuts the pin count to 1 before wedging his way out. Grey gets an armbar but James does a two stage roll through. He tries a whip of his own but Grey rolls upright in one move. Grey handstands in Mason's next armbar and uses a foot to pick off the hold and take an armbar himself on young James.  When Grey converts to a whip, Mason comes back off the ropes with a sunset flip into double leg nelson for 2 before Steve double ankle smashes his way out. Grey goes for the arm but Mason is quicker and gets a single leg into toehold, weakening the knee as he goes. Grey spins him off and Mason takes a somersault bump to go with the leg whip. Up at 6, James again gets the sunset flip into double leg nelson but Steve rolls backwards with the momentum and gets James' legs, pushing him back for a folding press of his own. James spins him off but Steve goes with it and cartwheels back upright.James develops an armbar into a back hammerlock, turns Grey into the guard and cross presses him for several one counts but Grey keeps getting an arm free.  So James gets a doubl3 Interlock into armlever but Grey kicks him off and side chancery throws him, takes a single leg and applies a folding single leglock. From there he gets the other leg in a matching leglock and gets both wrists and leans back to complete the surfboard but James gets an arm free and escapes. He's still selling and Grey whips him but James surprises him with a side folding press for 2.  Grey kicks out but James gets a backslide for another two count. He gets another armlever off a double Interlock and tries for the arm lift but Grey forearm smashes his way out.  James gets yet another 2 count,  this time with a flying tackle but Grey comes back with a snapmare into chinlock.  James turns round in the hold arm straightens the arm into another armbar forcing Steve to take a hard somersault bump to untwist the arm.   But Grey rolls backwards and gets in a crafty ground position dropkick.  Yet again James gets the sunset flip into double leg nelson for 2 -  this time Grey uses his heel to bash his way out.  Grey tries a  double leg takedown into folding press but James easily crawls out.  From a double Interlock James gets a side chancery into side headlock into chinlock into lengthways press (now that's a rare conversion!) for a one count.  James looks ready to try again but Grey doubl3 knees him in the head and posts him. Grey gets a monkey climb but Mason makes a feet first landing!  He tries a dropkick but Grey catches his legs in mid flight and pulls him down for a Boston Crab but James not only flips him over but hooks both legs for the Davey Boy at Summerslam 92 folding press to get the pin, the win and the place in the World title final.

Eight minutes of glorious technical wrestling with the one Grey kick and one Grey forearm smash being the only concessions to brawling.  A TBW becomes a Young Master.

 

[David Mantell]

On 4/5/2015 at 8:20 AM, ohtani's jacket said:

Kid Chocolate vs. Johnny England (4/3/79)

Shorter, less eventful bout notable only for the fact that England was now rocking a massive afro.

 

 

 

I'm guessing it's the second bout because England has quite thick longish hair here, not exactly an Afro tho (his curl were veering that way by 1981 and the Sammy Lee match).  Also because we see the blue World of Sport studio plus globe insignia and and I seem to recall that came in about 1979 when I was 5, replacing the yellow look.

We JIP in Round 2.  Kid tries an arm but England gets a cobra clutch first, bu5 oddly uses it to throw Kid who takes the bump.  Kid tries to flip out of smother throw but again bumps instead.  England fares better, twice coming upright after going over on both hands and looking smug about it.  John gets the best of a double Interlock tes5 of strength but Kid bridges to avoid a pin and powers back.  John also does a fine bridge and contemptuously pushes Kid down.  Kid widens John's legs to fell him and catches him with a headbutt as he gets up then gets double legs into a folding press for the opening fall.  

(I should have liked to have seen that scoreless first round if Round 2is anything to go by!)

Round 3.  Comedy spot - John who was raging angrily after the bell - slams Kid's head into all four corners to no effect. Kid needs just one corner to get results.  Kid gets a bit naughty and starts pulling John off the canvas to throw him down.  The ref Peter Szakacs ets it go because England is blatantly stalling and eventually gives England a count of 7 to get him up the proper way.  John tries an illegal punch but hurts his hand on Kid's head.  He has more joy with a couple of postings and back of shoulders forearm s ash and some illegal stomps and some more postings.  He gets a pair of gorilla presses and drops to the front for 8 then puts on an abdominal stretch which becomes a Zoltan Boscik 3 in 1 Special for an equalising submission.

He then refuses to release and gets a public warning for it.  But it is some work in progress for a second submission.

Round 4.  Kid gets to work with headbutts. England goes outside to the ring apron to stall, Kid flips him in by the head.  England gets a single legdive takedown and leglock, Kid contemplates and delivers a heel smash to the cranium but England carries on work with the leg, splashing the knee several times (nearly getting another public warning) and leaving Chocolate limping on his right leg.  England gets that Second And Final Public Warning for following a headbutt to the stomach with some more illegal stomps.  John gets a fireman's carry and contemplates throwing Kid to ringside for a knockout. Problems - he's two  Public Warnings down and a throw to ringside from immediately adjacent to the ropes will bring a third PW and disqualification.   He decides to get round the rules by making it look like a double knockout by going over the ropes himself, hoping to be the  one to make it back in time.  Very crafty but takes quite a bump of his own account.  The count reaches 10.  England recovers a second too late and scurries back like the Hare seeing the Tortoise  crossing the finish line,  claiming a KO win.  Certainly Kid got the worst of it but Szakacs confirms it's a double knockout. Nice try England but it didn't quite come off.

Good short blue eye Vs villain match.  England -unlike Tejero on the French Catch thread - actually got som3 good moves in rather than be a carpenter and make 53 good guy lok good.  Interesting take on the knockout finish, I expect OJ won't approve but I thought it quite an imaginative finish, England caught in his own snare.

 

[David Mantell]

On 6/9/2015 at 1:39 AM, ohtani's jacket said:

Alan Kilby vs. Colonel Brody (3/5/87)

What's a South African colonel doing being valeted by a black French woman? I'd love to say that was a political statement but somehow I doubt it. You've got to love Walton mentioning Brody was born in England. Why don't you just tell everyone that he's Magnificent Maurice, Kent? You know you want to. They barely aired any of this, but I doubt we missed out on much.

Regarding OJ's first point it's just as well that none of Walton, the audience and ITV executives had seen Brody's N-bomb dropping behaviour on German home video circa 1985 which may possibly have sown the seed for fellow German tournament scenester Ed Wisowski's Colonel DeBeers gimmick in the AWA the next year.  Perhaps Miss Petite Fleur was an attempt to back away from that kind of dark heat. Talking of Germany/Austria , Brody has the Vienna Cup he won the previous year 1986 with him.  Alan also has a familiar face seconding him, his equally hearing challenged second Jimmy Napper, with whom he chats in sign language between rounds.

Round 1:  A couple of lockups end with Kilby against the ropes and Brody getting in a crafty knee as he breaks.  Bald Brody complains about a hairpull (file under The Best, the Old Jokes are). When the situation is reversed, Alan asks the crowd if he should deal similarly and Brody is quick to take advantage.  Kilby is up against the ropes but he ducks a descending heel of hand from Brody who ends up falling out of the ring.  Kilby flips him in and dropkicks him out.  Someone very audibly shouts something homophobic at Brody - a reference to his former "mean moody"  Magnificent Maurice gimmick?  We finally get some science as Brody gets a semi Japanese Stranglehold., forcing Kilby to the guard on the mat.  Kilby forces his way upright but Brody takes him back down  The first good reversal as Kilby straightens the barring arm into a rear wristlock. Brody the cowardly heel dives for a rope escape.. iIt makes little difference anyway as the bell goes.  

Cut to Round 3:  Brody uses pressure points to drive Kilby to his knees, slipping his own knee in and getting a 4 count. He posts Kilby. He gets a late knee and slingshots him by the throat off the top rope, each of which earn him a private warning from ref Jeff Kaye.  A forearm smash gets him a six count and a hangman's lift an opening submission.

Cut to Round 5:  Apparently Brody is on his second and final public warning, presumably accrued during round 2 (Kaye alludes to this in round 3 so I think both were in Round 2). Brody gets a single legdive into toehold , trying to turn Kilby for a single leg Boston Crab but Alan boots him off in the skull.  Alan gets to work with a side chancery, mule kick and flying forearm smash. Brody swings at Alan and misses. allowing Alan to get behind. trip Brody and get an equalising pin with a side folding press - about the best technical move so far.

At this point Brody is disqualified.  Presumably for a third public warning but we never get to see what, however Kilby is down on the mat when we come back from an action replay so presumably Brody attacked Kilby between rounds.  

This was originally an opening match for Marty Jones Vs Owen Hart and a Golden Grappler trophy semifinal.  Apart from that great folding press it was mostly a strength bout which is a pity as 8 know both men are capable of better.