What was the score with the wrestlers back then? Were they trained in Greco roman or catch wrestling? Or just big hard men?Teddy's Toupee wrote: ↑30 Apr 2020, 16:04 Catweazle was the king of the cobbles around our way. Lived just down the road in Hexthorpe. 6 feet 4 inches of your worst nightmares in a street fight. His real name was Gary Cooper, but we used to call him sir.
Big John Fury called out
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Wee Tommy
- Heavyweight

Re: Big John Fury called out
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Teddy's Toupee
- Cruiserweight
- Posts: 2903
- Joined: 25 Sep 2010, 17:37
Re: Big John Fury called out
I have no idea.Wee Tommy wrote: ↑30 Apr 2020, 16:14What was the score with the wrestlers back then? Were they trained in Greco roman or catch wrestling? Or just big hard men?Teddy's Toupee wrote: ↑30 Apr 2020, 16:04 Catweazle was the king of the cobbles around our way. Lived just down the road in Hexthorpe. 6 feet 4 inches of your worst nightmares in a street fight. His real name was Gary Cooper, but we used to call him sir.
Re: Big John Fury called out
Talking of Wrestlers, anyone remember Giant Haystacks? He was a big mother f____r. If he sat you, your know about it
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bigjack
- Heavyweight

Re: Big John Fury called out
I do,loved him,I watched him wrestle live once against Pat Roach and he spent the whole match pinning Roach to the ropes trying to suck his eye out,great entertainment in those day back in the early 80's
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Fray Bentos
- Lightweight
- Posts: 16813
- Joined: 25 Dec 2017, 14:12
Re: Big John Fury called out
Jimmy Savile was also a wrestler - had around 100 bouts
British wrestling was very popular back in the seventies and eighties on ITV after Saint and Greavsie at Midday - there were loads of big, tough Yorkshire dudes knocking the shit out of each other - my favourite(s) when I was a kid was a deaf wrestler from Sheffield called Mick Kirby (I think that was his name...) Fit Finlay from Manchester and his squaw wife
and of course, Big Daddy who used to knock people down with his huge gut - easy easy easy!
If the American stuff was around when I was a kid - I would have lapped that up big time - I remember watching it once around 1987 on ITV and I thought 'wow, amazing!'.
British wrestling was very popular back in the seventies and eighties on ITV after Saint and Greavsie at Midday - there were loads of big, tough Yorkshire dudes knocking the shit out of each other - my favourite(s) when I was a kid was a deaf wrestler from Sheffield called Mick Kirby (I think that was his name...) Fit Finlay from Manchester and his squaw wife
If the American stuff was around when I was a kid - I would have lapped that up big time - I remember watching it once around 1987 on ITV and I thought 'wow, amazing!'.
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Boxerbeetle
- Light Heavyweight
- Posts: 32671
- Joined: 19 Sep 2011, 10:59
Re: Big John Fury called out
Fit Finlay is from Belfast, he actually worked in WWE for about 10 years.Carlos wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 06:39 Jimmy Savile was also a wrestler - had around 100 bouts![]()
British wrestling was very popular back in the seventies and eighties on ITV after Saint and Greavsie at Midday - there were loads of big, tough Yorkshire dudes knocking the poo out of each other - my favourite(s) when I was a kid was a deaf wrestler from Sheffield called Mick Kirby (I think that was his name...) Fit Finlay from Manchester and his squaw wifeand of course, Big Daddy who used to knock people down with his huge gut - easy easy easy!
If the American stuff was around when I was a kid - I would have lapped that up big time - I remember watching it once around 1987 on ITV and I thought 'wow, amazing!'.
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Fray Bentos
- Lightweight
- Posts: 16813
- Joined: 25 Dec 2017, 14:12
Re: Big John Fury called out
He was billed out of Manchester though.Boxerbeetle wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 06:50Fit Finlay is from Belfast, he actually worked in WWE for about 10 years.Carlos wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 06:39 Jimmy Savile was also a wrestler - had around 100 bouts![]()
British wrestling was very popular back in the seventies and eighties on ITV after Saint and Greavsie at Midday - there were loads of big, tough Yorkshire dudes knocking the poo out of each other - my favourite(s) when I was a kid was a deaf wrestler from Sheffield called Mick Kirby (I think that was his name...) Fit Finlay from Manchester and his squaw wifeand of course, Big Daddy who used to knock people down with his huge gut - easy easy easy!
If the American stuff was around when I was a kid - I would have lapped that up big time - I remember watching it once around 1987 on ITV and I thought 'wow, amazing!'.
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Fray Bentos
- Lightweight
- Posts: 16813
- Joined: 25 Dec 2017, 14:12
Re: Big John Fury called out
Kendo Nagasaki - his mask always nearly came off but - aaaaaaaaaaargh - he would get out of it, apparently he was a used car salesman from Crewe so we would have all known he wasn't Japanese!mercman wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 06:56 There's a great book about British wrestling at that time, a real warts and all number. It's simply called 'The Wrestling'.
It's all in there, Big Daddy, Kendo Nagasaki. Giant Haystacks, and all sorts of other wrestlers who you've probably never heard of or can't remember. There's a section on Les Kellett, I think it is, that's really vivid and frankly a bit revolting.
Weren't the Queen and the Queen Mother massive fans?
Re: Big John Fury called out
What exactly was the problem with Mick McManus' ears? Swimming baths incident? Childhood trauma?
My mate's bird used to work at the M62/A1 services. We used to go up and meet her before her shift ended. One day British Bulldog was in there, bulking up on carbs. His tray was literally piled high with about 3 cooked breakfasts worth. All the servers were cooing over him. He was wide but not very tall, which surprised me cos a lot of the American wrestlers were quite tall.
My mate's bird used to work at the M62/A1 services. We used to go up and meet her before her shift ended. One day British Bulldog was in there, bulking up on carbs. His tray was literally piled high with about 3 cooked breakfasts worth. All the servers were cooing over him. He was wide but not very tall, which surprised me cos a lot of the American wrestlers were quite tall.
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Teddy's Toupee
- Cruiserweight
- Posts: 2903
- Joined: 25 Sep 2010, 17:37
Re: Big John Fury called out
I was trying to think of the name of the wrestler who used to start crying in the ring so I had a look online; Jimmy "Cry Baby" Breaks. He was charged with murdering his ex-wife in his flat on the island of Gran Canaria last year. He allegedly beat her to death. She was 47 years old and he was 80! And people still say wrestlers are fakes who can't really fight. She left her husband and two kids to run off with Breaks to the Canaries over 20 years ago. I wonder if he wept in the dock?
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My Name Is Earl
- Heavyweight

- Posts: 634
- Joined: 07 Nov 2008, 06:05
Re: Big John Fury called out
Les Kellett was a comic genius in the ring. Iv'e still got a few old Belle Vue programmes as the 'ol fella usedmercman wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 06:56 There's a great book about British wrestling at that time, a real warts and all number. It's simply called 'The Wrestling'.
It's all in there, Big Daddy, Kendo Nagasaki. Giant Haystacks, and all sorts of other wrestlers who you've probably never heard of or can't remember. There's a section on Les Kellett, I think it is, that's really vivid and frankly a bit revolting.
to take us on a sat nigh when we were nipperst. Leon Harris was in the drunken grandad Kellett mode whilst Bobby
Barnes had the old dears (75% of the audience) swooning.
What's the bit about Kellett mercman?
Re: Big John Fury called out
Not my first thoughts when you told that story, I must say.Teddy's Toupee wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 10:31 I was trying to think of the name of the wrestler who used to start crying in the ring so I had a look online; Jimmy "Cry Baby" Breaks. He was charged with murdering his ex-wife in his flat on the island of Gran Canaria last year. He allegedly beat her to death. She was 47 years old and he was 80! And people still say wrestlers are fakes who can't really fight. She left her husband and two kids to run off with Breaks to the Canaries over 20 years ago. I wonder if he wept in the dock?
Re: Big John Fury called out
I remember reading years back after Giant Haystacks died, his widow did a piece, prob the News of the World, saying that he died skint, earned a pittance for wrestling and was treated badly whereas Big Daddy was coining it inMy Name Is Earl wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 10:58Les Kellett was a comic genius in the ring. Iv'e still got a few old Belle Vue programmes as the 'ol fella usedmercman wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 06:56 There's a great book about British wrestling at that time, a real warts and all number. It's simply called 'The Wrestling'.
It's all in there, Big Daddy, Kendo Nagasaki. Giant Haystacks, and all sorts of other wrestlers who you've probably never heard of or can't remember. There's a section on Les Kellett, I think it is, that's really vivid and frankly a bit revolting.
to take us on a sat nigh when we were nipperst. Leon Harris was in the drunken grandad Kellett mode whilst Bobby
Barnes had the old dears (75% of the audience) swooning.
What's the bit about Kellett mercman?
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dr_devious
- Heavyweight

- Posts: 5346
- Joined: 29 Dec 2005, 09:19
Re: Big John Fury called out
I heard Jim Breaks owned a pub in West Yorkshire and some liked to challenge him but he always used his "Jim Breaks Special" on them and broke their wrists. The old wrestlers were not to be trifled with.Teddy's Toupee wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 10:31 I was trying to think of the name of the wrestler who used to start crying in the ring so I had a look online; Jimmy "Cry Baby" Breaks. He was charged with murdering his ex-wife in his flat on the island of Gran Canaria last year. He allegedly beat her to death. She was 47 years old and he was 80! And people still say wrestlers are fakes who can't really fight. She left her husband and two kids to run off with Breaks to the Canaries over 20 years ago. I wonder if he wept in the dock?
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Teddy's Toupee
- Cruiserweight
- Posts: 2903
- Joined: 25 Sep 2010, 17:37
Re: Big John Fury called out
It's a joke. Like on Top Gear.clopixolacuphase wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 11:43Not my first thoughts when you told that story, I must say.Teddy's Toupee wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 10:31 I was trying to think of the name of the wrestler who used to start crying in the ring so I had a look online; Jimmy "Cry Baby" Breaks. He was charged with murdering his ex-wife in his flat on the island of Gran Canaria last year. He allegedly beat her to death. She was 47 years old and he was 80! And people still say wrestlers are fakes who can't really fight. She left her husband and two kids to run off with Breaks to the Canaries over 20 years ago. I wonder if he wept in the dock?
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Teddy's Toupee
- Cruiserweight
- Posts: 2903
- Joined: 25 Sep 2010, 17:37
Re: Big John Fury called out
I heard he was Big Daddy's bitch and had to give him free beer. That belly was built on Cry Baby's booze. I wonder if mickey1975 ever met Jimmy? It might have been Mickey's wife he ran off with.dr_devious wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 12:12I heard Jim Breaks owned a pub in West Yorkshire and some liked to challenge him but he always used his "Jim Breaks Special" on them and broke their wrists. The old wrestlers were not to be trifled with.Teddy's Toupee wrote: ↑01 May 2020, 10:31 I was trying to think of the name of the wrestler who used to start crying in the ring so I had a look online; Jimmy "Cry Baby" Breaks. He was charged with murdering his ex-wife in his flat on the island of Gran Canaria last year. He allegedly beat her to death. She was 47 years old and he was 80! And people still say wrestlers are fakes who can't really fight. She left her husband and two kids to run off with Breaks to the Canaries over 20 years ago. I wonder if he wept in the dock?
Re: Big John Fury called out
Even I was a kid when he Haystacks was about, how old were you when you saw that match up?
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bigjack
- Heavyweight

Re: Big John Fury called out
Re: Big John Fury called out
Very true. I remember a few of John Fury's fights back in the late 80's and early 90's. He fought couple of decent names. Not massive puncher a good honest pro
Re: Big John Fury called out
Pat bomber roach was the man
Re: Big John Fury called out
I used to love wrestling on a Saturday afternoon round at my grans - Kendo Nagasaki used to proper shit me up!
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bigjack
- Heavyweight

Re: Big John Fury called out
yeh me too,there was also,
Catweazle
Big Daddy
Mark 'Rollerball' Rocco
Mick McManus
Tony StClare
Les Kellett
Bomber Pat Roach
Johnny Kwango,
Bobby Barnes
there were dozens more too,all great viewing on a Saturday afternoon
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dr_devious
- Heavyweight

- Posts: 5346
- Joined: 29 Dec 2005, 09:19
Re: Big John Fury called out
Rollerball Rocco and Clive Ironfist Myers were my favourites. Ironfist was said to be an arm wrestling world champion too