UKFF British and Irish Wrestling Hall of Fame - Stage One

[Keith Houchen]

Whoosh

[PowerButchi]

No whoosh. I just wanted to get Flatliner in there.

[Keith Houchen]

Did I just overthink and whoosh myself?

[Astro Hollywood]

 

Flatliner is my vote

 

I've got Flatliner down as having debuted in 1999

 

 

1899.

[AJSTYLES]

Thanks for all the votes guys! Keep them coming!

 

Still 10 days left to vote. Over 70 different name have received at least one nomination! Still some surprising names without any votes whatsoever 

 

The list of names going to the next round are far from finalised so make sure you vote for your favourites  

[Dean Ayass]

I'd like to see John Freemantle of Premier Promotions added to this - he's been running Premier since 1987! He's the only promoter to the best of my knowledge who still runs his shows on the old rounds and 2/3 falls format and the people who have wrestled for Premier over the years is a who's who of British and international wrestling.

[AJSTYLES]

I'd like to see John Freemantle of Premier Promotions added to this - he's been running Premier since 1987! He's the only promoter to the best of my knowledge who still runs his shows on the old rounds and 2/3 falls format and the people who have wrestled for Premier over the years is a who's who of British and international wrestling.

 

He shall be added for next year for sure! Thank you!

[Dean Ayass]

I agree with John, a great thread and a fantastic, positive idea. I've shared my thoughts on my 15 below. I also found it very tough, much tougher than the Observer HOF for the same reasons as John stated. I've also added some personal insight and experiences into some of my choices. And no, I haven't voted for myself!  I feel very honoured to even be listed alongside some of these people.

 

Andre Baker is a very personal choice for me as he was my mentor. Andre was the first person to open the doors of the previously ‘closed shop’ wrestling business by advertising the Hammerlock School of Wrestling. Without Andre, there may never have been many other names on the list of nominations. He also taught me a lot about the logisitics of putting an entire show together, booking, and getting the crowd to come back for the next show.

Big Daddy was a genuine household name and while the in-ring aspect of his work was consistently terrible (which is why I have never voted for him to go into the Wrestling Observer HOF, where in-ring ability is a criterion of the voting. However, Daddy put bums on seats and therefore gave exposure to other wrestlers elsewhere on the card to fans who may not have otherwise come to the show. Plus his mainstream fame gave British wrestling publicity to the wider audience.

Brian Dixon has been promoting for decades and managed to get All Star onto TV in the last few years of TV wrestling. All Star was a far more modern, fast-paced and exciting brand of wrestling compared to Joint Promotions at the time and his longevity as a promoter speaks volumes. Some of the greatest and most famous wrestlers have passed through All Star and Bryan Danielson’s transformation from slick technical wrestler to hugely charismatic superstar can be traced back to working daily on Dixon’s holiday camps in the 2000s.

Drew McDonald was an absolute legend in my eyes and I was so sad when we lost him. A proper, old school terrifying heel who kids didn’t dare to mock when he entered the ring. But Drew was a complete gentleman outside of the ring and the safest and most trustworthy wrestler that I ever did anything physical with. But he also taught me, and many others, valuable information about dressing room etiquette and how to conduct yourself, plus the reasons why. There was a very good reason why Drew was consistently booked by promoters for decades.

Fit Finlay combined heel charisma and an ability to rile up a crowd with tremendous wrestling skills. In an era where several heels simply cheated and broke the rules throughout their contest, Finlay outwrestled them, but managed to sneer, tantrum and very occasionally cheat to stop you from ever cheering him. When he went to the US, he maintained wrestling in his own style and was respected by all.

Giant Haystacks is on my list for similar reasons to Big Daddy. Whether against Daddy or not, Haystacks drew crowds and was a household name. Even to this day, he is someone who the general public immediately name when you mention wrestling.

Johnny Saint is simply incomparable and has inspired an entirely new generation of wrestlers thanks to YouTube. Amazing fitness even into his 60s and 70s, he was a joy to watch, and his style of wrestling lives on through several modern day wrestlers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Kent Walton was a commentator like no other. With a voice that was as smooth as velvet, he lent an immediate air of credibility to proceedings, no matter how ridiculous they were. A stalwart of the TV era, I don’t think he missed one broadcast in 33 years (please correct me if I’m wrong) and was a fixture in people’s lives at the time.

Mark Rocco was a man a generation ahead of his time. His matches with the likes of Marty Jones and Dynamite Kid still stand the test of time today. He brought what he had picked up in Japan to the UK when he returned from tours and wrestled at a million miles an hour. Truly exciting every time you saw him and a real draw.

Mark Sloan – a solid wrestler but a phenomenal promoter, producer and talent spotter. The first UK promoter to bring in a lighting gantry to ensure that all shows were consistently well lit. Mark’s production was first class and he continues to run all arms of his business professionally. As a trainer, he produced some excellent talent (as listed in the bio in the first post) but it’s also worth noting some of the young talent that he spotted and gave high profile opportunities to. Long before America knew them, Mark Sloan saw the potential in Zack Sabre Jr, Mark Haskins, Marty Scurll, Noam Dar and Jack Gallagher, giving them all roles on his Dragon Gate or NOAH UK shows. Some eye for talent there.

Marty Jones is on my list for similar reasons to Rocco. A globetrotter who worked with visiting talent, his match with a young Owen Hart still stands out in my mind as superb. At the time it was on the TV, I thought it was the greatest match I’d ever seen and I watched it over and over again on Betamax video cassette (I’m showing my age now). Did anyone ever see a bad or even average Marty Jones match?

Max Crabtree was the promoter of the time that I fell in love with British wrestling. In his peak and pomp, he was the driving force behind a whole network of wrestling shows taking place around the country on any given day.

Mick McManus falls into the household name category of Daddy and Haystacks. When he died a few years ago, people in my workplace who had never talked about wrestling before expressed their sadness at his passing and started talking about watching him live or on the TV in their youth, and I also had some calls from various radio stations asking for comments and information on him. Another man who made it into the British public’s mainstream consciousness.

Ricky Knight hasn’t just survived but is now flourishing. Setting up WAW in some of the darkest days of wrestling when attendances were low and morale was lower, he’s ridden out the storm. WAW is often overlooked by many but there is nobody who knows his audience better than Ricky Knight. He knows exactly what buttons to push, both as a wrestler and a promoter, to get people coming bac k for more. When I booked RQW, the professional and structured way that Ricky ran WAW and booked out their wrestlers made my life so much easier, and everyone from WAW had excellent wrestling skills and knew how to conduct themselves outside of the ring.

Robbie Brookside was a bridge between generations, willing and able to work with his elders to learn from and his youngers to teach to. A passionate advocate of the true British style of wrestling and someone who made his angles and storylines believable (apart from maybe that hypnotism angle on TV). When I ‘feuded’ with him in the FWA, the way he interacted with people made it look like he genuinely despised me, and that’s what you want from any professional. A true credit to British wrestling and a great bloke too.
 

[JNLister]

 

 

I don’t think he missed one broadcast in 33 years (please correct me if I’m wrong)

 

There was another commentator called Peter Cockburn who occasionally did it instead of Walton in the early 60s when Walton had other commitments. They also did joint commentary on the first Cup Final show.

[Freebird]

No Terry Rudge love?

[tony1234]

I'd like to see John Freemantle of Premier Promotions added to this - he's been running Premier since 1987! He's the only promoter to the best of my knowledge who still runs his shows on the old rounds and 2/3 falls format and the people who have wrestled for Premier over the years is a who's who of British and international wrestling.

Looks like John's last 2 shows at Worthing will be the last he puts on there. Seems the council want to put up the fee for the hall 

[AJSTYLES]

Just a reminder for anyone who is still wanting to vote but been putting it off, there is still a couple of days to get your votes in.  Any received after Saturday 23:59 will not be counted

[theironshake]

I nominated my 15 my god that was tough. Such a great idea by the way.

[AJSTYLES]

Last reminder that tonight is the last night to get your nominations in. I hope to reveal the finalists by the end of the weekend