Paid Members BomberPat Posted July 31, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 31, 2023 Adrian Street has passed away, aged 82. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66361848 Absolute icon, trailblazer, amazing once-in-a-lifetime talent, and even in his later years one of the funniest and most quick witted wrestlers I've ever had the pleasure to be around. A very sad day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 A sad loss, I've always heard what a great man he was. It wouldn't be wrong to say that many of the biggest most charismatic names in the 80's were directly influenced by him, right? Wikipedia has him first going to America in 81 but Cagematch has him there 10 years previous as a Hell's Angel character, is there any more on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted July 31, 2023 Author Paid Members Share Posted July 31, 2023 4 minutes ago, Merzbow said: It wouldn't be wrong to say that many of the biggest most charismatic names in the 80's were directly influenced by him, right? He told an incredible story about how Dusty Rhodes would always book himself to team or feud with the most charismatic and popular workers in his territory, then move them on down the road and tell them he'd bring them back later, while he stuck around and soaked up all the praise and plaudits. Dusty had been feuding with Adrian, then brought him back for a six-man team with himself and Jimmy Valiant. Dusty told Adrian that they'd break up, have one last blow-off match, then Adrian would leave the territory. Dusty told him, "and then in a few months once everyone's forgotten about you, we'll bring you back and do it all over again". Adrian, in his telling, in that incredible slightly camp Welsh lilt, replied, "there's just one problem, darling, how could they ever forget about me?". 4 minutes ago, Merzbow said: Wikipedia has him first going to America in 81 but Cagematch has him there 10 years previous as a Hell's Angel character, is there any more on that? Almost certainly a case of mistaken identity. The Hells Angels in Big Time Wrestling were Ron and Paul Dupree (one of whom, as Chris Colt, worked a slightly more heavy metal version of Adrian's glam rock queer panic gimmick - though Ron and Paul were kayfabe brothers, they were actually lovers in real life), and other Cagematch results clearly place both of the original Hells Angels in the territory at the time, so it's unlikely they'd have randomly subbed in Adrian Street for the part. Adrian's tag team in the UK with Bobby Barnes was also called the Hell's Angels, so I'm guessing that's at least in part where the confusion comes from, though how it got as far as identifying Adrian as "Hells Angel #1", I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members theironshake Posted July 31, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 31, 2023 R.I.P Adrian. Just a amazing talent great wrestler even greater Character and heat magnet. Never put off by his size. he was fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Thesz Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 An incredibly talented man. Miss Linda was even braver to be his manager. One of my favourite wrestler music videos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted July 31, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 31, 2023 I can't say I've seen a lot of his work, but I have heard about his impact on wrestling and his character. It's definitely somebody I need to investigate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 Adrian Street was fucking incredible. He also beat the living shit out of Jimmy Savile which given he didn't face any consequences for being a monster, is a lovely thought. Good lad Adrian. Absolutely love that pic with his dad down the Welsh pits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted July 31, 2023 Author Paid Members Share Posted July 31, 2023 @Chili, that's my favourite of Adrian's songs - I will never not laugh at the line about "chaps around his legs for hours and hours". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Thesz Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 I was amazed that the WWE did that profile on Adrian Street a wee while ago. The gimmick wouldn't work now but did then and as Adrian pointed out he never said that he was gay. I'm going to buy a pint and a whisky later to toast the man. Even though he made it to 82 this has upset me; just as Mick McManus' passing did. Early November will see me turn fifty and one of the reasons I'm a bit different is that I have loads of memories from Summer of 1976 onwards. One of them was Adrian Street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 16 minutes ago, BomberPat said: @Chili, that's my favourite of Adrian's songs - I will never not laugh at the line about "chaps around his legs for hours and hours". Big fan of "I'm in love with me" which I believe he used for his Mid-South vignettes and fucking hell Bill Watts expression afterwards is a picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted July 31, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 31, 2023 Street vs Jim Breaks in what's effectively heel-vs-heel from 1972, one of the earlier World of Sport matches still circulating thanks to the Wrestling Channel: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Thunderplex Posted July 31, 2023 Paid Members Share Posted July 31, 2023 (edited) This has saddened me. One of my earliest happy memories is me and my dad sat watching the wrestling on a Saturday afternoon in hysterics as Adrian pranced round the ring, kissed the ref then pinched the arse of his opponent. Only I. The later years did I discover what an incredible wrestler he was behind the act. His match with Randy Savage was just vicious. Great Wrestler, Great Character, rest in peace and thank you. Just noticed the match that Lister bloke has posted above. Thanks, that’s perfect. Edited July 31, 2023 by Thunderplex Cracking vid above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerlock Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 I was lucky enough to see him a number of times at Newcastle City Hall in singles and tag matches a great wrestler who could wrestle, brawl and camp it up in a 5 minute round. He was only about 5" 7" but went to the states and more than held his own and fought anybody and everybody. Alongside Rocco and Dynamite probably one of the most innovative wrestlers to come out of the UK in the last 60 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 I was watching a recent interview from a year ago with him and his partner earlier and he still had the gift of telling a story, but boy he didn't rate Stu Hart one bit and said he was just a bully who couldn't actually shoot. Even pulled out a promo saying "if was hung for being a wrestler he'd die innocent", I love him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted August 1, 2023 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 1, 2023 9 hours ago, Merzbow said: Even pulled out a promo saying "if was hung for being a wrestler he'd die innocent", I love him. He used that line on Randy Savage when I saw him, it's an absolute favourite of mine. I think his opinion of Stu is a really interesting one that doesn't get voiced enough - that stories of him as a "shooter" largely rely on him torturing people who willingly give themselves to him, and being a sadistic bastard as a trainer. I can't remember if it was Adrian or someone else I heard basically say that a lot of what he did was very "okay, if you give me your arm now", and then just wrenching on it, rather than actually wrestling his way into position. I have no idea whether Stu Hart was a good shooter in his prime - for wrestlers of his generation, I assume they largely had to be - but a lot of what he's adoringly described as doing to his children and trainees would read like abuse to anyone not watching through the lens of romanticising the Hart family. It's worth pointing out that there's probably only about five or six wrestlers that Adrian wouldn't have considered beneath him, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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