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.