The Beginner's Guide To British Wrestling

[David Mantell]

Brazenly thieving this gorgeous 2016 photo of All Star at Butlins holiday camp in Minehead from Dean Allmark's Facebook wall.

Who said wrestling at Butlins can't be glamorous?

[David Mantell]

On 1/23/2016 at 1:01 PM, Britwresdvds said:

I don't know if anyone has waxed lyrical about it already in this thread, but the Jim Breaks vs. Zoltan Boscik bout from 2/12/1972 is one of my favourites.

 

Even as a wrestler with more than ten years' experience behind me at my first time of watching it, I was marking out hugely and was actually pulling for Boscik to win, unlikely an outcome as it would have been. One of those matches that really draws you in and makes you forget. Absolutely excellent and well worth a look.

Normally Boscik was an uppity heel going back to the early 60s - he liked to brag about how as a Former British champion he deserved respect but against Cry Baby Jim Breaks the crowd were on Zolly's side if only to watch Breaks stew. The former and then-current British Lightweight Champions (current champ is still Nino Bryant) going at it nearly 52 years ago.

Solid scientific bout spiced up with Breaks'usual antics. Zoltan gets a fall lead lead before Breaks class back and equaliser and decider in the final two rounds, the second with the Breaks special.

 

 

[David Mantell]

Ian McGregor was a TBW (who shared his name with the chairman of the National Coal Board at the time, during or just after the 1984-1985 Miners Strike.)  Steve Logan MK2, the clean cut Birmingham one (not the by then retired South London Iron Man) was an ex TBW now in his early twenties and going places.  Never held a Mountevans title (he and Caswell Martin should have), ended up decades later as heel authority figure for his own K Star promotion and owner of a sister chain of Muay Thai/martial arts gyms in the Midlands.

First semifinal of the Grand Prix Belt, Joint Promotions' answer to the IWGP title which was also won in an annual tournament rather than being held and defended. One of two big annual televised trophy tournaments in the mid/late 80s along with the Golden Grappler trophy.  Logan is the more experienced of the two and it shows in the work as well as the kayfabe with Steve coming out with the better moves. McGregor does execute a nifty counter to headscissors, rolling out towards into a side headlock and does a SPLENDID Folding press held with Bridge for his consolation fall. Logan's falls are a sunset flip into a double leg nelson and a deft Powerslam as a counter to as flying tackle attempt as they criss cross off the ropes.

Not as good a McGregor performance than as against Nipper Riley in 1984 (see earlier in thread) but a fine technical clean bout that's right up my street even if not up OJs. You won't find a more sports based presentation of pro wrestling than this sort of bout and that's how us purists like it!   McGregor about a year later would start flirting with heel tactics. By 1993 he and Drew McDonald would be the Wild Jocks and feuding with Big Daddy in the final months of his career. Logan MK2, as I say. never got a title but not for want of chances. He faced World Mid Heavyweight champion Fit Finlay for his title with ex and future champ Marty Jones at ringside, "FINLAY IS A FAKE" sign in hand. He made it to a couple of vacant British tournament finals. Sadly he was no more successful with the 1986 Grand Prix Belt final, losing to Marvelous Mike Bennett, the breakout lighter heel of 1986 in a red hot feud with Danny Collins over the British Welterweight title.

 

 

[David Mantell]

Quote

From the German Catch thread:

I've turned up a Reslo match of Stax Vs StClair which I shall post to the British Thread.

 

On 6/2/2015 at 6:01 AM, ohtani's jacket said:

Giant Haystacks vs. Tony St Clair (Caernarfon, taped 3/14/89)

 

So, it was Tony St. Clair's turn to take on Haystacks, and I guess it was a credit to his standing in the business that it was far from inglorious. He got to put up a fight before his night was over. The Welsh kids loved Haystacks. They were throwing all sorts of shit at him and hurling obscenities then he feigned charging at them and they ran a mile. Talk about getting your money's worth. Stax had the occasional good match over the years. This wasn't the best I've seen, but it was above average.

Pretty much the same story as the German fights.  Haystacks dominates, StClair fights back (this time a round bell stops Stax going over the rope) but gets too confident when he tries a flying tackle - Stacks catches, slams an guillotine elbowsmashes Tony for a Knockout win. As a lap of honour he boots StClair out of the ring which Tony sells masterfully, rolling out like a football kicked in a playground.

[David Mantell]

One more bite of Stax Vs StClair. This is from 1978 not the 80s despite the video title.

Stax and Elrington were coming off a run of success against Daddy and StClair. The duo had bean Daddy and Gary Wensor 2-1 in Daddy's last ever TV loss before Max Crabtree banned such things and Stax (rumoured to have been a replacement for the abruptly retired Kendo Nagasaki) had taken StClair's British Heavyweight title at the Royal Albert Hall by TKO after splashing him in the legs.

You all know the score with a Big Daddy tag (although Tony and Bruno do have a couple of nice technical bits) so I'll keep the focus on Tony and the Giant. Stax uses the same splash to the legs as at the RAH to soften him for a single leg Boston Crab equaliser submission. He then dominated until Daddy interferes twice to help Tony get the deciding fall (the first time is spotted and disallowed, the second not.). Tony would soon regain the title by DQ then clear off to Orig and Brian Dixon with his title which lives on today as zAll Star's Supslam title, currently held by Joel Redman aka Oliver Grey.

 

[David Mantell]

On 9/2/2024 at 7:24 PM, David Mantell said:

(Kent Walton gives) a long spiel about the lawlessness and brutality of American Wrestling which he labels as All In, a separate sport banned in Britain in the 30s (and replaced by Modern Freestyle) but still running rampant stateside .... What it really was was that in the late Thirties, SlamBang Western was OK for small town Britain but just too much for England.  So we got our own more civilised upscale form of the game.

As an example of how far the Gospel According to Kent Walton and Joint Promotions had spread in mainstream British society, I below present that paragon of solid British middle class education The Modern Encyclopedia For Children, Odhams Books (imprint of Hamlyn Publishing, published 1966 revised 1969, copy bought by my grandma at a 1980s jumble sale:

I refer you particularly to subsection IV of the encyclopedia entry.

[David Mantell]

TBWs are still 'a thing' in 2024. I'm not sure if feeding young Raymond to aggressive arrogant villain Hakan (in the same lineage as Tally Ho Kaye and the heel Alan Dennison but with added dirty wrestling tactics beyond even those two).  There's some good technical wrestling at the start and young Ray gets in some good two counts midway through (although he slightly botches a further nelson/crucifix takedown and a forwards folding press) before going down.  I'd like to see the kid in with one of the two younger Bryant brothers or even with a veteran like Nino himself or Jordan Breaks.

 

[David Mantell]

On 8/15/2024 at 12:59 PM, David Mantell said:

 

 

From Xmas 1993, while Big Daddy was busy finishing up his career in Margate, All Star were also unseasonably at the seaside at the other end of the country. Semifinal and final of a four team knockout trophy tournament.

Leeds Boys are two former nice kids gone sour, Richie Brooks and Tarzan Boy Darren Ward. Both teams get polite cheers from the Blackpool audience. The Leeds Boys finally kick the heeling in gear about 30 secs  in,  Brooks telling the audience to Shut Your Face, refusing some kid's autograph and begging for mercy from Duran then double teaming him. This sets up Dyno and Animal Legend as blue eyes. LOD does all the selling with Dynamite striking the hot tag at the end. The good guys beat up Ward at ringside in a very un blue-eye like manner before Dynamite gets the winner with his snap suplex.

In the final the Liverpool Lads are announced as British tag team champions although the Superflies are on record as having the title at this point. Dynamite gets a polite cheer, "Animal Legend Of Doom" some distrustful heat, odd considering Hawk Legend Of Doom (Johnny South) soon became the most popular UK blue eye of the mid to late decade. Perhaps fans remembered him in the UK Road Warriors with Jimmy Monroe only too well or perhaps they'd seen him team with Nagasaki recently.  Good clean match other than some kicks by Dynamite to his floored opponent for which he gets a private warning.  Polite handshakes all round afterwards.  Match ends after about 10 min and the rest of the clip is a menu for a Dynamite Kid DVD

Some more early 90s Dynamite Kid, this time headlining for All Star against Skull Murphy.

Murphy (Peter Northey) was older than Tommy B and had been wrestling back to the 60s, yet not only did he continue into the Noughties but he had a British Light Heavyweight Championship run ahead of him in 1995. Here is one of their main events:

.Skull attacks Kid  before the bell and gets a lot of early damage in on Dyno.  Tommy fights back and when Skull tries to stop him with a foul, he gets a public warning for his efforts By halfway through it's been more of a brawl than a technical match  with Skull mostly dominating with his Skull duggery. Dynamite gets in a slide dropkick but Skull takes the action outside and ends up getting a Second and Final PW. Skull tries to apply his Gator hold but Dynamite finally rallies, does one of his trademark flying headbutts then a flying tackle off the ropes for the only required fall and the win.

Would have liked to see this match - or Dynamite Vs Finlay- back in 82/83. This bout is slower than the tags but there are still some flashes of the old genius.

 

[David Mantell]

Veteran comedy heel Mansfield isn't really the right opponent for Breaks but he does get his moments including perfectly running through Johnny Saint's "Lady Of The Lake" sequence.

You'll notice the crowd has built up a bit since the earlier Hakan Vs O'Reilly match too. It built up even more on the next few matches.

 

[David Mantell]

Tarzan Johnny Wilson with his muscles and leopardskin trunks was a crowd favourite despite being something of a strength wrestler. He was clearly taller than brutal monster heel Bully Boy Muir and his better physique than flabby Muir offset any wight disadvantage. Muir tended to get DQd a lot and portrayed himself as being in the game more to beat people up than actually win.  This time Wilson really had Muir on the run by the deciding fall and Muir's earning himself a third and final public warning was a face-saving exercise rather than lose by 2-1.

Nearest American equivalent would be Ken Patera Vs King Kong Bundy circa 1987.

 

[David Mantell]

 

A more amenable opponent for Wilson (who carried on into the Noughties) was Satoshi Kojima who worked for All Star in the mid 90s as heel Japan's Mean Machine, occasionally accompanying his hosts on the ferry trip across the North Sea to CWA Land.  Lighter and more agile than Muir, he and Wilson have a far more dynamic bout, more watchable despite the wandering fan cam.  Note Wilson getting the same back submission hold on Kojima a lot more easily than on bulky old Muir.

Referee is Mick McMichael, minus the kilt.

When Kojima met Simon Garfield...

[David Mantell]

 

Some more Kojima in the UK, this time on Reslo February 1995 as a blue-eye in Great Muta style Kabuki paint.  Not much technical work but he does some good acrobatic stuff, including some sharp dropkicks and a fantastic ground launched flying elbowsmash although he comes a cropper when he goes up on the top turnbuckle. Commentators mention judo and taekwondo, presumably martial arts Karimoto/Kojima is good at- Orig also says something about George Kidd.

Referee Jack Flash Davey (he was interviewed in one of the Irish TV clips I posted a couple of pages back) seems not to be bothered by the no follow downs rule and let's both of them throw it out of the window.

Drew trimmed himself down and grew out his hair for the Ultimate Chippendale gimmick in 1992 (you can see him in the title sequence as he was). but is still doing it despite having ballooned quite a bit and looking like early 70s French heel Robert Gastel. No long body shaming speech tho, possibly because he would have had to do it in Welsh. Drew gets the win with a reverse piledriver (the Tombstone if you insist.)

[David Mantell]

Have bought a ticket to All Star's next Dudley Town Hall show on Sat 26th October. Will post a report. If anyone can make it and wishes to join me, here are tickets:

https://www.boroughhalls.co.uk/all-star-superslam-wrestling.html

[David Mantell]

Question - I think @JNLister might be able to help but anyone with a good collection of Powerslam or failing that a good memory of famous WWE commentary quotes might be able to help.

Some time in the early 2010s (towards the end of Powerslam's life) a WWE announcer - I think it was Michael Cole but wouldn't swear to it - made on air comments about having seen old ITV bouts on YouTube and been very impressed with it.  This got quoted in the quotables section of Powerslam (I think it was called They Said It

I want to use the quote as a source for an edit on the Wikipedia article for Professional Wrestling in the United Kingdom but have a lot on my plate and don't fancy lugging out my stack of copies except as a last resort.  If some kind soul could kindly furnish me with (1) the actual wording of the quote (2) EITHER the edition and page numbers for the quote in Powerslam OR the WWE broadcast details of the original quotation, then I would be most grateful.

In the hope that someone can spare me the hassle... Cheers.

[David Mantell]

In the meantime - I think I posted some of this before in the post about the referee in this who was a vicar, but hee is a longer trim of Killer Ken Davies Vs Ray Taylor (dunno if he was related to Dave, Steve and Eric or not) at Granby Hall in Leicester in the mid 60s IN COLOUR!  

 

[David Mantell]

On 11/21/2014 at 2:07 AM, ohtani's jacket said:

Bert Royal vs. Steve Taylor (10/22/75)

Steve Taylor is the older brother of Dave Taylor and the oldest son of legendary Heavy Middleweight Eric Taylor. This is the only footage we have of him from his prime. There are a few more matches from Reslo in the early 80s and a couple of tag matches from the late 80s, but that’s it. He was a capable grappler as you can imagine from his lineage, but this was a four round Bert Royal exhibition similar to the Tibor Szacaks and Mike Marino bouts I’m always talking about. It’s easy to forget how long Royal had been around. He was already in his mid-40s here and had been wrestling on television for twenty years. Perhaps that’s why Dale Martin was struggling so badly in the early 70s. As much as I love this 70s stuff, and as decent a bout as this was, there were guys on top who appeared in the first television broadcast in 1955. That’s an extraordinarily long time to push the same wrestlers. Forgetting all that, there was some neat grappling in this, Taylor looked good, and Royal was rocking his mid-70s moustache.

 

There seems to be quite a bit of German, specifically VDB  cheap-cam, footage of Steve and I know he visited Stampede (his name came up recently in a round of Guess The Program on one Jim Cornette's podcasts - Corny didn't know who he was.) and Kent Walton mentions Mexico - I wonder if there is any footage of that?

Talking of moustaches it's interesting to see Taylor without his - or his "mullet" hairdo - seeing as I'm mainly familiar with his late 80s TV match tagging with Marty Jones Vs Murphy and South. Here he looks like a shorter sideburns wearing version of Dave (whom Kent Walton already knew about.)

Usually when I see the words "Bert" "Royal" and "Steve" together on a Classic British Wrestling YouTube video I assume the missing word is going to be "Logan" - as in the MK1 South London Iron Man version (who also briefly had a tache, of the 1950s-1970s "spiv" variety - see also Jim Hussey).

So seeing Bert in a technical bout was an unexpected joy for a purist like myself. Interesting stuff almost from the outset- Bert using his knee as the fulcrum for a horizontal spinout (and without knackering said joint.)  Taylor using a bridge to get the angle right for unplugging a headscissor (and deftly slipping into a side headlock). Bert repeatedly undressing a Frank Gotch toehold even as it is being applied and getting a crafty back kick in on top of the Johnny Saint pulling oneself upright counter to an attempt to drive his knee into the mat.  Royal takes a top wristlock on his knees so he can swivel round into a front chancery. Royal upturns a headscissor and converts it to a Boston Crab.  Bert on the mat in a wristlock lunges through the standing Taylor 's legs to get a folding press on him. And finally the one required fall - a reverse waist lock rolling through into a reverse folding press.

Interesting use of storyline at the end without disrupting the sportsmanship and politeness of the match, Taylor asks for an 8-round best of three falls, Bert says yes. I wonder if this happened?  It wasn't on TV, but maybe they took it round the country that winter.

 

 

[David Mantell]

On 8/27/2015 at 9:24 AM, ohtani's jacket said:

Steve Taylor vs. Beau Jack Rowlands (Merthyr, taped 1983)

 

Steve Taylor was the brother of Dave Taylor, but very much the Ross Hart of the family. Okay, maybe not that bad, but this went a good 15 minutes and I can't remember him doing anything special. There wasn't a single hold or move that looked snug or was especially well executed, and Reslo didn't shy away from using injury finishes either, which made this seem like an even bigger waste of time. You really want the brother of Dave Taylor to be some lost great worker, but it ain't happening folks.

Steve by now with no tache although BJR also has one, somewhat Stan Hansen-ish

Rowlands is no Bert Royal and heavier too. He does neatly catch Taylor early on with a cross headscissor throws while Steve is busy trying to get a leglock on but Taylor easily turns it into a standing Indian Deathlock.BJR goes for a flying headscissor just as the bell goes which could have been interesting given his greater weight.

The injury finish is an odd one I'll grant you, BJR in the corner puts a foot on the middle rope and apparently hype tends the joint or something. It's really not quite clear what the injury is supposed to be. Cramp, perhaps? Maybe if I spoke Welsh I could tell from Bryn Fon's commentary.  I had to smile when Steve brought that that pink towel in to help the referee sort Rowlands out.

Two crucial points about Reslo:

1) It only gradually became a wilder crazier show over time, starting with televising women's wrestling and moving on later to gimmick matches and more outlandish fouling such as managerial interference, chairs, tables and TV cables and use of the plastic crowd barriers as weapons.

2) Injury finishes were accepted as normal by Orig Williams just as they were by Max Crabtree or even Norman Morrell.  Heels were (eventually) allowed to go further in their heelishness but the conventions of clean wrestling were still respected as a backbone of a serious sporting presentation. The same holds true for Dixon's show on Screensport (although not so for New Catch, probably because France had a more even balanced between Les Bons and Les Mechants than there was between Blue Eyes and Villains in the UK, so there were few if any clean matches over there or on Old Catch on A2/FR3 by the mid 80s.)

 

 

 

[David Mantell]

Crusher Mason (no relation to James) or Butcher Mason as he is called in Germany or the Mighty Chang as he is here was a very nice bloke much loved in the dressing room and you take your life in your hands if you criticise his matches anywhere within shouting distance of his old mates. Other than that he was a generic strong-working Superheavyweight so if Muir here or Mal Kirk aren't your cup of tea, Mason/Chang won't be either.  AFAIK he never worked for Joint (so, also AFAIK never did Daddy tags) so despite years of Reslo, Screensport (including a rather lovely promo in a beige sweater) VDB Cheap-cam Home Video and even someone's 1975 home movie snippet of a holiday camp shows, this was his only ever ITV appearance (possibly also because he normally wore a studded leather waistband which he's not wearing here - which he was known to take off and use as a weapon.) This was shortly after Kirk's death and one newspaper reviewer was inspired by the tragedy to tune in and show their respect by saying Chang and Muir looked like they had just come home from Rudolph Hess's funeral. Oh dear....

Like Tarzan Johnny Wilson, Dave Taylor has the size to stand up to Muir.  "This could develop" says Kent and it does, into a fight more than a scientific match (other than a few strengthholds and Chang getting sun out of toe holds.). Taylor's forearm versus the heels ' rulebending. Eventually the Taylors start to break rules too Dave's closed fist punch gets a GASP from the audience. Chang does have a neat double wristlock which Dave tries to backdrop out of - and succeeds!   Taylor gets a neat flying bodypress on Muir for the opener. You can see how things are heading as the villains clock up public warnings. Chang gets an over the shoulder backbreaker together the equaliser but then doesn't release, leaving both heels on their second and final PW. The referee allows for retaliation a blatant feet first jump by Dave onto Chang's stomach but unlike the punch earlier, the fans accept this. Chang gets his backbreaker on again but Muir pulls a leg to help and this gets the heels DQ'd but not before a brief tease where it looks like they got away with it.

[David Mantell]

On 9/10/2024 at 7:13 AM, David Mantell said:

TBWs are still 'a thing' in 2024. I'm not sure if feeding young Raymond to aggressive arrogant villain Hakan (in the same lineage as Tally Ho Kaye and the heel Alan Dennison but with added dirty wrestling tactics beyond even those two).  There's some good technical wrestling at the start and young Ray gets in some good two counts midway through (although he slightly botches a further nelson/crucifix takedown and a forwards folding press) before going down.  I'd like to see the kid in with one of the two younger Bryant brothers or even with a veteran like Nino himself or Jordan Breaks.

 

Ian McGregor having similar problems to Raymond four decades later.  He loses by Gator submission.  Skull attacks him after the match. The submission is disallowed.  So Murphy promptly knocks the kid out for a count of 10 and wins that way.

Sacrificial lamb, basically.

[dawho5]

I just watched 2 Jim Breaks vs . Vic Faulkner matches that pre-date the one I was aware of.  The drive I have has no dates attached to any of the matches for the Faulker stuff, so I can't say when they happened.

The first seemed to be the initial meeting of a feud, with Faulkner doing his funny guy stuff and pissing Breaks off immensely.  Breaks gets a quick fall by tying Faulkner's arm up in the ropes and putting on the Special, then Faulkner quickly pulls a trick on Breaks to even things up.  Faulkner is a little more heated, but still very much the prankster.  Breaks eventually gets caught throwing a punch (many were thrown before) by the ref, who seemed pretty lenient throughout, and the ref promptly DQs Breaks.

The second match opens in round 3 with Breaks really trying to go to town on the arm and Faulkner finding ways to slow his momentum.  There was a great sequence in there with breaks actively working against a rope break while Faulkner is tangled up, all the while screaming at the referees to get Faulkner out of the ropes.  Not long after Breaks gets his feet tangled in the cloth drop hanging just off the ring apron and does a great comedy spot trying to untangle his feet.  Faulkner gets one of his trickster/funny falls, Breaks gets a sneak attack fall and we go to a draw.  They two actually both punch each other after the match and Faulkner gets really angry during.

The previous match I'd seen there was a story going in of Faulkner losign a match by DQ for punching Breaks.  My hope is the next one I come across is that one, so I get to see the whole evolving story of Breaks getting pissed at Faulkner, Faulkner getting pissed at Breaks because of that and then the fallout.

[ohtani's jacket]

The most famous Breaks/Faulkner match is their bout from '77. They had four matches on television that year but we only have footage of the third match. John has incorrectly uploaded the same match twice on the ITV site. The other two matches are from '82 and '84. 

[David Mantell]

12 hours ago, dawho5 said:

Faulkner doing his funny guy stuff

He wasn't a Funny Guy.

He was a skilled technical wrestler who was - legitimately - a bit of a "cheeky chappy" type but please do NOT mistake that for him being a comedy wrestler.

He may have liked a laugh now and then, as we all do, but he was basically a serious wrestler.

[David Mantell]

15 hours ago, dawho5 said:

The previous match I'd seen there was a story going in of Faulkner losign a match by DQ for punching Breaks. 

This was a title change.  Breaks was challenging for the British Welterweight Championship after he one by the one required submission in the first of the four aTV bouts and so earned a title shot. The score was one apiece. Between rounds. Breaks charged into Faulkner's corner, apparently up to no good.  Faulkner slugged him and for that was disqualified making Breaks the new champion (in all Europe, titles changed on any sort of win.). This gave the heel Crybaby massive heat which he only further enhanced by bragging about being the new champion.  The match on ITV Wrestling site is where Breaks regained the title.  However Breaks appealed due to Vic scoring the winner while Breaks was distractedly having an argument with Bert Royal.  Due to two controversial title changes in a row, the title was declared vacant.  Breaks beat Faulkner for the vacant title that November at the Royal Albert Hall in their fourth TV bout. but shortly afterwards lost it to Dynamite Kid who then became European Champion after beating Jean Corne (on loan from the world of French Catch.) 

There was a rerun of the Bert Royal interference angle in 1979 when Breaks, who had regained the vacant British title after Kid went off to Stampede, appeared to have lost it to Davey Boy Smith. then a TBW billed as Young David, after his trainer Alan Dennison (who had been inspired to repent his heel ways and turn good after facing Dynamite in the latter's 1976 TV debut and was now a confirmed friend of the Billington/Smith family) distracted Breaks. This led to a famous  rematch where Davey scored a final round equaliser to make it 1-1 (and would actually have got a second win 2-1 had not an earlier fall been disallowed) causing an enraged Breaks to dare Dennison to come after his title. This Alan did and won it and held on for 3 years before losing it back to Breaks in 1983 - just in time for the Next young whizzkid who beat Breaks - Danny Boy Collins - to make his debut.

[David Mantell]

The classic lineup of the Sensational Superflies - Jimmy Ocean and Rowdy Ricky Knight with his missus Sweet Saraya (the current Saraya/Paige's parents) - the same tag team plus sexy harlot manageress from Reslo 20 years earlier - in the ring at the legendary Fairfield Hall in Croydon for Jimmy's retirement match as the headline bout of a Fan Appreciation Night for All Star Wrestling .  The Flies' archenemies back in the day were blue eyed boys The Liverpool Lads, Doc Dean and Robbie Brookside. However after WCW used the Lads as enhancement talent then dumped them, Doc Dean stayed on in Florida as an indie wrestler and plumber (before dying suddenly in 2018) while Robbie came back to Britain and became an elder statesman on the UK scene (while furthering his German career as mega heel Wildcat Robbie Brookside) forming a new Liverpool Lads with his cousin Frankie Sloan. I posted a match of the new Lads in Leamington Spa 2010 several pages back but with Doc Dean, although then still alive, settled in Florida, the Superflies had to make do with the New Lads as their final opponents.

Fast paced if technically unremarkable tag bout which made the punters happy especially the older one from the early 90s.  @Jetlag please note one of the Superflies does a DDT on Sloan. The Flies get quite a bit of heat on Sloan, dragging him out of shot into somewhere in the stands, until Robbie tags in.  The match ends with Saraya trying to interfere and having both her men slingshot straight into her.  She collapses to the mat and the good guys score the win.

It's missing from this version but I've seen a longer cut of this where all five break character and hug in the ring to commemorate Jimmy's retirement.

Ring announcer the legendary Lee Bamber.  25 years earlier he was ring announcer on ITV at that same venue but with blond hair and a gold jacket to match.

 

[David Mantell]

Quote

Robbie came back to Britain ... forming a new Liverpool Lads with his cousin Frankie Sloan. I posted a match of the new Lads in Leamington Spa 2010 several pages back 

That would be this:

On 8/28/2023 at 11:22 AM, David Mantell said: