 Every time I watch the Bond film From Russia With Love, it takes me back to a wrestling trip abroad, and landing at Istanbul airport. When you are travelling to another country you have to adhere to their rules and customs. We had a couple of hours of hold ups before leaving the UK and tempers were a bit fraught when we landed. Two wrestlers had been having a few words on the way and when we got outside the terminal, they were still arguing. As we walked along we heard a ruckus behind us and realised that the two wrestlers were having a fight. One was pushed over the wall and fell down a hole on the other side. As the other one leaned in to pick him up and continue with the fight, they were surrounded by locals. They were not there to watch and jeer them on, they were there to stop it. They grabbed the two wrestlers and pulled them apart. Unknown to us, it was against the law to fight in public and they could have been thrown in jail. They quickly cooled down, but every time I watch this film, I realise just how lucky they were.
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 With the news of a 4th Indiana Jones film in the making, I remembered a story from Pat Roach. He was the only person to appear in all the films along side the star, Harrison Ford. He had 2 parts in one, 3 parts in another and a cameo role in the last. However, probably his most famous scene was in the market when he appeared opposite Harrison and weilding a sword. He showed off some great moves with this sword and you really thought that Indi's days were numbered. However, all he did was take his gun out and shoot Pat instead of getting in to a fight. This sequence looked very much planned and part of the film, however, Pat told me that Stephen Speilberg was worried about the lighting as it was very late afternoon and instead of having to go back to it the next day when it was brighter, Speilberg came up with the idea that it would be more memorable and dramatic just to shoot him and it was indeed. Just one of the secrets of the movie world.
(These will be the last anecdotes we will put on the site as we hope to introduce new things. We do hope you have enjoyed them.)
Updated: 9th December 2007.
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For a bit of a change we have decided to publish some one liners that have actually been said during a wrestling match.
Big Daddy was wrestling John Elijah at Bridlington, the bout was going badly when there was a power cut in the hall plunging the whole place into darkness. One punter shouted ‘ We cant see the bout’ at which Big Daddy shouted back ‘ this bout is better seen in the dark’.
Charlie Fisher the M.C. was introducing the two wrestlers before their bout as follows; ‘In the blue corner we have John Kowlaski and in the red corner is ‘The Golden Boy of Wrestling’. Then there was long pause, he forgot Steve Veidor’s name, so just says ‘The Golden Boy of Wrestling’ and left the ring.
Charlie Fisher again introducing the wrestlers, ‘And in the blue corner, the winner with two falls to one, Romany Riley’. The bout had not even started and he gave away the result.
Kevin Conneelly was getting some stick from a punter and shouted ‘If I come out to you, I will split you in half and fight the pair of you’
Pedro the Gypsy getting a body check from Klondyke Kate: ‘ Will someone get the number of that bus?’
updated: October 28th 2007.
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There has always been disputes about wages over the years, some were bottom of the bill and only got a few quid, however the money didn't matter, they did it for the wrestlers' company and to see their names on the poster. Some top of the bill wrestlers thought they were worth so much more and indeed one in particular wrote to Joint Promotions asking for £10 more per show and if he was not TOP of the bill, he felt that the promoters didn't think he was good enough and would cancel the booking. One such top of the bill wrestler knew how much he was worth and with packing halls night after night, he had a quiet word with the promoter after the match. He asked if he could have a pay rise and would £5 be ok, the promoter grumbled for a while and then gave in, if only to stop him talking. He promptly paid him the extra and when the wrestler asked how many bookings he would have the next month, he got a shock when he was told he wouldn't have any. He asked why and was told ' you are too expensive'. He never worked again for them.
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Over the years when we were running shows in Ireland, more often than not, the halls were booked on the phone and we had to take the hall keeper's word that it was suitable. It would be only when somebody went there with posters a couple of weeks before hand that we would find that there was a problem.
When Giant Haystacks started to work for us in 1984 we always had to make sure that there was enough headroom but despite assurances from hall keepers and hotel managers, from time to time we would find that there was a low hanging chandelier that couldn't be moved or the ceiling itself was too low. I remember one particular venue in County Donegal that was too low. 'Stacks couldn't stand up straight in the ring. We had already taken the ring off its legs but it was no use. We had to switch to a different venue about 10 miles away at the last minute. But it wasn't just Haystacks who had problems with the height. At another venue in County Wicklow it seemed like the ceiling was high enough but when Wild Angus and Jamaica Kid George Burgess got in the ring they nearly brought the house down. During the match Angus who was about 6' 4" suplexed George who was about 6' 2" and George's legs went through the false ceiling bringing tiles and dust and dirt down on top of them. In County Limerick we were lucky to get away with another low ceiling. This was when we first brought the cage to Ireland in 1990. Again we were assured that there was enough clearance for the cage but when it went up there was only a 3 inch gap between the top of the cage and the ceiling. The rules of the match had to be changed on the night. There was no point in anybody climbing the cage. The only way out was through the door. We were very lucky there because about 700 people had turned up to see the show. They wouldn't have been very happy if there had been no cage match.
Johnny 'Rasputin' Howard was nearly being a casualty at another venue in Donegal. Johnny was a bit unlucky when it came to injuries or strange things happening in the ring. If something was going to happen on the night then it would happen to him. On this occasion we had a fairly low ceiling but everyone was very aware of this while working. But in the heat of the battle Johnny forgot about the ceiling and climbed the corner post only to smash his head on the cement ceiling. He very nearly knocked himself out and the match had to be ended prematurely.
Story courtesy of Peter Mc Nulty.
Updated: September 30th 2007.
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 Many years ago I thought being a masked wrestler would land me in prison. It was when I first started doing TV with the mask on and I heard a knock at my door one night. When I opened it, two men stood there who introduced themselves as Police Detectives. They had come to make enquiries about an armed robbery at a local Post Office and that they would like to interview me. They first cautioned me, which put the wind up me straight away and then they went in to detail about their visit to my home. They had a description of a man fitting my height, build, Irish accent and wore a mask. They said they knew I had a mask and they would like to see it. So, I got the 3 masks and my wrestling gear to show them. I also had my wrestling contract for that month from Dale Martin Promotions which they said they would like to take it with them to check it out. However, they said they were satisfied that it was not me as the mask did not match. In fact, before they left one asked for my autograph for his son. It was after they left that I started thinking if the mask had matched and they had no proof where I was that night of the robbery, I could have ended up in prison for something I didn't do. But the thing that mystified me the most even to this day, is how did the Police know I wore a mask. Even my next door neighbours didn't know who I was. So even all those years ago, Big Brother was always watching you.
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Max Crabtree was a great one for playing tricks. There was a show at Digbeth in Birmingham which has a big Asian community and two Asian wrestlers wanted to show Max how good they were. Max billed them to appear as opponents on the show and he put one in a dressing room and the other in a separate dressing room. Max went to speak to the first one and said 'Right kid, do a 6 six round contest, one fall to be taken in the 6th round and you are taking it'. The guy was over the moon to think he was going to win. He then went to the other wrestler and told him exactly the same. All the lads knew that he had done this and when round six approached, we all headed out to watch the bout. It was one of the funniest things you have ever seen. The two of them were trying to get their fall, but nothing was coming off, and they were knocking 6 bells out of each other. The bout ended with no falls and they were knackered. I think they knew that they had been set up and I never saw them on a bill again. You could never tell Max how good you were, he decided how good you were after seeing you wrestle. He knocked the ego out of a very well known wrestler who thought he deserved more money. But that is another story.
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Updated: August 27th 2007.
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 Monty Swann was one of those wrestlers that could work with anyone and have a good match. He could go on with a lightweight and match them hold for hold or he could face heavyweights like The Mighty Chang or Johnny 'Rasputin' Howard and have a classic blue eye versus villain bout. He was always more than willing to help youngsters coming into the game and spent a lot of his free time while on the road demonstrating holds and counter holds and showing just how they should be applied. Or if you wanted advice on weight training or diet - Monty was your man. He had an excellent physique (all natural) and could take off weight or put on a few extra pounds at will. He was always ready to give advice on what you should or shouldn't be eating or drinking (especially at the all-night bar in the Isle of Man). Monty also had a keen sense of humour and was very quick and witty with his one-liners. One time three of us had been interviewed on radio and on the way back to the hall one of the party (a well known wrestler who was married to a very plain looking lady - she always reminded me of Alf Garnett's wife in 'Till Death Do Us Part') bought flowers from a street vendor for his wife who was waiting at the venue. For the purposes of this story the couple will be called 'John' and 'Mary'. So, back at the hall as word got round about the flowers 'John' was getting a bit of ribbing from the lads. Monty walked in and one of the lads said "Hey Mont, what about 'John' getting flowers for 'Mary'? Quick as a flash Monty said "Blimey, that was a good swap"
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For some reason the Wrestling business has always attracted many punters who are - shall we say - not a "full shilling". The old Liverpool Stadium springs to mind as one of the venues that seemed to have more than it's fair share of these mentally challenged fans. During the summer months they would come to the Pavilion in New Brighton where they took great delight in shouting out Kevin Conneely's comic punch lines just before he did. Some of these punters very often helped with the ring and some even got promoted to timekeeper for the night - but only if they had a watch and could tell the time. Very often they got so engrossed in the match that they would forget the time and the lads would be shouting at them to "ring the bl***y bell". In later days when we didn't need a timekeeper they would play the music for the lads as they came to the ring. One such under achiever - we will call him Neville for the purposes of this story even though his name is George - became a regular part of the team and at times would stay over night with us. One night in Glasgow back at the hotel after the show, once the bar closed you could still get a drink from a dispensing machine in the lobby. All you had to do was 'swipe' your room key card in the machine and the drink was charged to your room. When 'Neville' discovered that you could get "free drinks" by swiping your card he couldn't believe his luck. He thought all his birthdays had come at once. Of course we made him none the wiser when he offered to get drinks for everyone. And so it carried on for several hours before we just couldn't take any more and retired for the night. The next morning when the promoter was paying the bill he gave everybody their individual bar bills for the previous night. Poor 'Neville' nearly had a heart attack when he saw his bill. Of course he was skint and he asked the promoter if he could pay him back out of his future wages. He worked for almost nothing for the rest of the year to pay for his night of 'free drinks'.
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(Stories courtesy of Peter Mc Nulty).
Updated: July 21st 2007.
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How many times have you seen on the internet fan forums, someone asking "whatever happened to 'so and so'? when they haven't been seen in the ring for a while. Some wrestlers carry on in the business until they physically can't do it anymore. Some get the offer of a 'proper job' with no travelling involved and jump at the chance, others who have always had full time or part time jobs just continue what they have always been doing. There was one Irish wrestler back in the 80's who disappeared for completely different reasons. This guy who we will call 'Paddy' for the purposes of this story, was one of the nicest guys you could meet. He started off in the business with one of his mates from a nearby town and they worked together in the ring all over the country. They both thought that the business was straight when they started and we didn't make them any the wiser. They used to knock the s*** out of each other every night and they were only told that the business was bent when it came time to put them on with other guys. But just when things were going really well for 'Paddy', his girlfriend told him that she was pregnant and that they would have to get married as quickly as possible. As soon as she got the ring on her finger she told her new husband that there would be no more wrestling and that he would have to give it up to look after her. Being the gentleman that he was, he cancelled any dates he had in his diary and sold his boots to a young trainee wrestler. But after several months he discovered that his wife wasn't pregnant. Not only did he not 'have to get married', there was no real reason for him to give up wrestling. He gave up a promising career for nothing. He never stepped into a ring again or came to a show anywhere near his home town. I think he was too embarrassed to show his face.
(The above story is courtesy of Peter Mc Nulty).
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 There are a few incidents that happen which at the time are not amusing, it is only years later when you look back that you find them very funny, this story is one of them. Johnny Palance and Joe Critchley were travelling back from a show as I have said before, Joe was a terrible driver. I have been with him when he was travelling up the M1 in thick fog doing 60mph. Anyway, this time as Joe and John were coming round a bend in the road, Joe lost control of the car when then skidded down an embankment, rolled over twice and landed upside down in a ditch. These were the days before wearing seat belts were law, so the pair of them were very lucky not to have been killed. As they came to their senses, John crawls into the back of the car and starts kicking at the back window. 'What the hell are you doing John, you are going to smash the window' says Joe. John turns to Joe who is inside on the roof of car and screams ' Joe, in case you don't know, the car has rolled over twice and we are now upside down, the roof is caved in, the doors are crushed and wont open, there is petrol coming into the car and you are worried about the bl***y window. At which John kicked the window out and both of them scrambled out without a scratch. However, John made it very clear to Joe that he would never be travelling with him again.
(Footnote: any wrestler reading this, will have their own stories about travelling with Joe, there is one story that I wish I could put on the site but it is totally unprintable).
Updated: June 24th 2007.
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 Tina Starr was one of the best female wrestlers ever to grace a wrestling ring. Hailing from Dewsbury in Yorkshire, she came to Rhyl at an early age and it wasn't long before she decided that she wanted to be a wrestler. This was the golden era of female wrestling with people like Rusty Blair and Carla Sanchez making big names for themselves in the ring. Tina was a born fighter (unlike her twin sister who joined a convent and became a nun) and took to the ring like a duck to water. Orig Williams played a big part in her training as did Crusher Mason. Early in her career she got to visit many countries that she otherwise would have never gotten to - especially parts of the Middle East and several of the African countries. She was well able to handle herself both inside and outside the ring and when her mother ran a nightclub in Rhyl many years ago she never needed to employ bouncers. Tina worked behind the bar but if a row broke out, she would vault over the counter and sort it out. One night in the far north of County Donegal, we went to a nightclub in the town after our show. Of course Tina dressed like a movie star and was drawing a lot of attention to herself - which was probably the intention at the time. But one guy with russian hands and roaming fingers who had a few too many, got more than he bargained for for when he tried it on with Tina. One punch was all that was needed to stop him in his tracks. It was like a scene from a cartoon as this guy hit the wall and slowly slid to the floor where he stayed for the rest of the night.
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 Injuries are part and parcel of the wrestling business. Accidents happen. Bones get broken,limbs get dislocated and cuts and bruises are an every day occurrance. Of course your injuries heal in time but very often they come back to haunt you in later years. you've only got to count the number of ex wrestlers at the reunions who are on crutches or walking sticks waiting for new hips or knees. Back injuries can sometimes take a bit longer to put right and it's very difficult at times to diagnose a back injury. I remember my pal Johnny 'Rasputin' Howard was suffering with a bad back for quite a while before he heard of a very good chiropractor in Ireland. This guy was one of the best in the country and if he couldn't put your back right - no one could. An appointment was made and John arrived at the surgery at the appropriate time. I suppose in a chiropractors surgery you expect to see people bent over in pain or even walking as stiff as a board - afraid to move a muscle in case it hurt. But as Johnny waited for his turn, a greyhound dog was brought out of the surgery. I suppose it could only happen in Ireland. Johnny very nearly didn't go in but in the end he was glad he did. For a man of his size John was very agile in the ring and you were always guaranteed non-stop action. But after visiting the chiropractor, not only were his back problems put right, he was also running round the ring like a greyhound.
(Stories courtesy of Peter Mc Nulty).
Updated: May 28th 2007.
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 There are many ways to leave a hall when you are a masked man, it really depends how you were feeling on the night. Some would put the mask on a mile before arriving at the venue and for a mile or so when they left in case they were followed. If I was on the bill twice on a particular night, one as myself and the other one masked, it made it an easy decision, I turned up without it. However, I would play the game as well and put it on as I parked my car or arrived in the mini bus if there were any fans around as a lot of masked men would. I know of one very well known wrestler who would walk into the hall as himself and have an another 2 changes of wrestling gear in his case as he was maybe on 3 times in the one show, as himself and then wearing a different mask in two other matches. Several times I would have a laugh to myself and ask one of the other wrestlers to take my bag out to the car and I would wet my hair, comb it back and walk out with the crowd as they left the hall and I was never recognised. I always felt a bit guilty though when you could see the disappointment on the kids faces when they asked where Kung Fu was and were told he had already left and gone home.
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 You never knew what fans would be like when you entered the ring, they could be very well mannered and just got into the matches or on the other hand, there were some who got totally carried away thinking that they could take on the villain and beat them. I have seen some of the punters being so irate that they have stubbed out cigarettes on wrestlers backs, jabbed them with pins or simply just pushing them as they came out of the ring and then ran before the wrestler could identify who it was. On one such occasion a punter thought he would take on Mark Rocco as he left the ring at a hall in Scotland, however, the nearer he got, the more he must have decided it wasn’t worth the consequences and just walked up to Mark and spat right in his face. Being disgusted with what had happened to him, Mark lifted his hands to his face and caught the punter who had just got too close. Mark thought nothing more of it until a knock at the dressing room door and there stood the local Police. The punter had phoned them saying that he wanted to press charges after being ‘assaulted’ by Rocco. We all stood there in disbelief as he was told they would have to take a statement and the punter was keen to take it to court. Months later Mark got a letter stating the date and time that he was to appear and made his way to Scotland. Because the guy had made such a big thing of it, the local newspaper reporters packed the court and were sitting near the front. When the judge asked the guy to identify who had ‘hit’ him, he pointed and said ‘That is him there, right there in front of me’. The judge asked him if he was sure and he replied that the guy he pointed to was the man. The judge then said ‘Case dismissed’ which bewildered everyone, the guy stood up and asked what was going on, the Judge then replied ‘ The man you have just pointed to is one of the journalists’. Mark walked out a happy man and the punter certainly had the smile wiped off his face.
Updated: April 29th 2007.
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 Adrian Street was not only one of my favourite wrestling opponents, but he was one of my best friends. Ada had bought an old derelict building facing Tintern Abbey in South Wales on the River Wye which he had planned to do up and live in it with Linda. He had put a large mobile home on the site, and any day he had off from wrestling, he would work on the building. It was a sight to see of Ada with his wellies on and his blond hair tied back, covered in dust and cement, a lot different than seeing him in the ring with make up and beautiful wrestling gear. To relax Ada and Linda would go to a restaurant and spend the night there, having a few glasses of wine before their starter, then a few more glasses before their next course and so on, they would spend hours over a meal. Ada was also a great cook, I stayed at his place a few times, and one of the dishes he made for me was fish stew, there was everything in it from squid to octopus, lobster and fish, it was the most wonderful meal I have ever tasted and of course, it was washed down with plenty of wine. No matter what time Ada got back from a show, him and Linda would always cook a nice meal with wine and feast on it until they early hours of the morning. What a lovely man and I wonder if he ever did finish that house.
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 A lot of wrestlers were great on the microphone, people like Rocco, Tony St Clair and Giant Haystacks, but I was hopeless on the mike, I would get stage fright and quite a few of the lads were the same. I could get up in front of thousands of people and not be at all nervous, but put a mike in my hand and I would go to pieces. Kid Mc Koy was just like that, on a trip to Africa, it was customary to arrive at the airport and be surrounded by the local press who would take photos and do interviews. After the press call was finished, we were all driven off to a reception in a luxury hotel. The place was packed with all the top people including Police chiefs and Politicians and we were all spread out round the tables, two wrestlers per table. Me and Rocco were on the same one and on the next one was Kid Mc Koy. Before dinner would start, a few of the top men got up and made a speech welcoming us to their country. Orig Williams, who was the promoter, then got up and thanked everyone for their hospitality. As Orig was giving his speech, Rocco leaned over to Mc Koy and asked if he had his speech ready. With a look of horror on his face, Kid said 'What speech, I cant make a speech, I wouldn't know what to say'! Rocco then told him that he had to make one as we were all to address the room and he told him that I had mine ready in my pocket. 'I cant, I just cant, I am no good on the mike. I am getting out of here now' said the Kid. Rocco told him not to get up and go as it would embarrass all of us if he did that, and to eat his meal and think about what he was going to say. We watched as Mc Koy try to eat his dinner, but he was so nervous, he could hardly eat a thing. We felt so sorry for him that we had to tell him that we were only joking, he didn't have to make a speech. The relief on his face said it all, it was like handing him £10,000. However, as the wine flowed we all had a good laugh about it. Sorry Kid.
Updated: March 25th 2007.
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 Count Bartelli was in the game a very long time, he did not need the money, he was a very wealthy garage owner, but he just loved the wrestling. Geoff would go anywhere in the country and would never let anyone down. He had a friend who worked in the potteries in Stoke on Trent, so when Geoff turned up at a show, he always had the boot of his car stuffed with all sorts of things like dinner sets, tea sets and china mugs, which he would sell to the lads. If you needed anything you would tell him and he would bring it to the next show. As I said earlier, although he was rich, he never spent any of it, when we travelled anywhere he would always have homemade sandwiches and a flask of hot water to make his very weak tea. I remember one time we were at an airport waiting for a flight out to one of the Scottish islands, when Geoff walked in dressed in a pullover with holes in it. I said to him 'Geoff, with the money you have got in the bank, could you not afford a new pullover'?, his reply was simply 'That's why I've got the money'. You were a great man Geoff, who had the respect from everyone you met.
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 John Elijah was one of the great characters of wrestling, ask John anything about dinosaurs and he could keep talking about them for hours, it was his favourite subject. However, John was better known for his singing, but the lads would always wind him up, like the time we were all travelling from a show in one of Dale Martin's coaches. John was in the back and one of the lads asked him to sing to make the journey go a bit quicker, so John started, 'You will have to sing a bit louder John, we cant hear you in the front' said one of the lads, so John sings louder, 'we still cant hear you, you will have to sing louder' was shouted back at him. The thing is, you could hear him from the start, it was just another wind up. John kept singing at the top of his voice for over an hour, on parts of the song, he would bang on the roof of the coach. When we got back to Brixton, we made our way home however the next day at another show, John turned up with a really sore throat and hardly able to speak, not only that, his knuckles were all bruised from banging them on the roof. John, you are one of the nicest guys in the business, BUT we wil still wind you up.
Updated: February 24th 2007.
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 When the troubles were going on in Northern Ireland, no English wrestler would set foot in the place in case they would be a target for terrorists. I was approached by a Belfast promoter to go over to Ireland for a weeks tour, as I am from Belfast the troubles did not bother me. The promoter asked if I could get any well known wrestlers to go over with me, I asked around and without hesitation, Brian Maxine said he would. The only problem was that myself and Brian were working right up until we were to leave for Ireland and the promoter couldn't get us booked on any flight to Belfast, but he told us not to worry, he had friends who had a 4 seater light aircraft and they would pick us up at Manchester airport. Brian thought it was great having a private plane to ourselves, but as I am not a very good flyer, I was not too keen on it and Brian knew it. Anyway, we met up at Manchester and off we went. We didn't seem to be flying that high which made me feel a bit easier, if anything had gone wrong, we didn't have that far to fall. Brian knew I was a bit nervous because I didn't talk much so he started talking to the pilot. 'What happens if you push that stick' he asked him and the next thing, we shot up into the clouds pushing us back in our seats. 'And what if you push it down?' he asked again, smiling to himself, we are now hurtling towards the ground and I am really in a panic. 'Shut the hell up Maxine' I shouted at Brian and he burst out laughing as I turn white with fear. We eventually land at a little airport in Newtonards where I kissed the tarmac, just like the pope does when I got out. I have great respect for Brian for having the courage to go with me and he is one of my best mates. However Brian, I will never forgive you for turning that pilot into a mad man.
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 On our first tour of Turkey, we wrestled in Istanbul at a large outdoor stadium, which held about 10,000 people. Orig Williams was promoting the tour as well as wrestling. In Turkey, there is no professional wrestling, but there is oil wrestling, where they cover each other in oil and then grapple until one wrestler touches the other wrestler's shoulders on the ground, usually in a sand pit. The event with at least 30 pairs of wrestlers draws tens of thousands of spectators. On our tour we had the oil champion of all Turkey, Ordula Mustafa, he was like a god to the people of Turkey, unbeaten in hundreds of straight fights. Orig had billed himself to wrestle Ordula, it was purely a bout to draw the crowds in, the punters wanted to see their hero rip the English man to bits, although Orig is Welsh, and they came in their thousands. But Orig being a typical promoter thought he would pull a fast one, now that he had this massive crowd, he thought he could get them all back the next night and run a second show, so as the last bout finished and the punters still waiting for Ordula, it was announced the bout would not take place as Orig was ill, but would take place the next night. Well, the crowd went mad, they ripped up the wooden benches and set them on fire. We all left the arena as quickly as possible, but as we were driving away in the coach, bottles and bricks were thrown at us, smashing one of the coaches windows, we were lucky to escape without getting injured. The next day the newspapers were full of photographs of the arena on fire. The bad publicity did not do the rest of the tour any good, but it did stop Orig pulling any more of his strokes, well, in Turkey anyway.
Updated: January 21st 2007.
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