WCW Worldwide on ITV Sat Afternoon 92-95 - Ratings?

[David Mantell]

He also had a whole long anti old school rant in another magazine, possibly FSM, years later.

And I might also mention Nick Aldis getting angry in print over that BBC4 2013 docu saying that "wrestling still survives" and illustrating it with a Fairfield Hall Croydon show.

Edited March 19, 2025 by David Mantell

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

As a heel. 

I'm not saying that if you cut Alex he would bleed Mountevans Rules, though I'm willing to do the experiment, but the FWA had Pat Roach as commissioner. If he hated the old school of wrestling so much why did he do that?

[Carbomb]

1 hour ago, David Mantell said:

About twice as many people were watching ITV each week in the UK as watch RAW every week in America of 2025. (3M Vs 1.5M). As a proportion of the respective populations rather than just raw figures, that works out to about 10 times the audience . 

(Mind you, the 33 Million that watched The Main Event in 1988 was about equal as a proportion of the population to the 6-7 million World of Sport pulled in most weeks in the 70s which tells you all you need to know about wrestling's greater endemic popularity over here, which made it easier for Vince and Ted Turner too.)

I'm not questioning British wrestling's popularity back in 70s and early 80s, though. To be clear, what was under discussion was whether or not British wrestling could have found a way to survive against the onslaught of American, specifically WWF, wrestling, and whether or not it ever has a chance of matching the heights it reached when it was on TV. I would very much like it to, but I haven't seen any sign it will. The nearest it ever came to was Progress and ICW, and they went and sold out to WWE to be part of NXT UK, which ended up killing the brief resurgence in British wrestling's fortunes.

As regards the new school promotions disrespecting traditional British wrestling, it must have been early in the FWA's history when Shane said that - he probably thought he was recreating Shane Douglas' infamous anti-NWA ECW promo. But I remember seeing specially-billed World of Sport matches (Steve Grey vs. Mal Sanders at Carpe Diem 2004 went down very well indeed), and LDN had the Spirit League. Hell, I'd argue the FWA in particular would have been partly responsible for the WoS style catching on in the US indies for a period, with Chris Hero, Mike Quackenbush, etc.

[davertfnewman]

Anyway, what were the ratings again for WCW shows on ITV after all? 

[David Mantell]

9 minutes ago, davertfnewman said:

Anyway, what were the ratings again for WCW shows on ITV after all? 

That's what I wanted to know, especially how close they were to those 3M ITV was doing just a few years earlier.

[davertfnewman]

[David Mantell]

26 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

I'm not questioning British wrestling's popularity back in 70s and early 80s, though. To be clear, what was under discussion was whether or not British wrestling could have found a way to survive against the onslaught of American, specifically WWF, wrestling, and whether or not it ever has a chance of matching the heights it reached when it was on TV. I would very much like it to, but I haven't seen any sign it will. The nearest it ever came to was Progress and ICW, and they went and sold out to WWE to be part of NXT UK, which ended up killing the brief resurgence in British wrestling's fortunes.

My point is that it did survive and that the two fed off each other.  The WWF/WCW  boom and All Star' five year post TV hot period with Kendo Nagasaki as flagship were mutually beneficial.  There was a much better environment for wrestling in Britain than in America. 

Also it illustrates, as Cornette often points out, what a low the American wrestling business has hit in recent times, half as many exponential viewers and a tenth of a proportion of the respective publics.

P.S. 107 million is out of the entire planet, population 7 billion if I recall correctly.

[David Mantell]

1 minute ago, davertfnewman said:

Oh yes. check page 1 if you don't believe me.

[davertfnewman]

That wasn't really what I was trying to imply, but just as I'm up way too late alternating what's landing in the bog, it's time for bed for everyone, I think.

[David Mantell]

37 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

As regards the new school promotions disrespecting traditional British wrestling, it must have been early in the FWA's history when Shane said that - he probably thought he was recreating Shane Douglas' infamous anti-NWA ECW promo. But I remember seeing specially-billed World of Sport matches (Steve Grey vs. Mal Sanders at Carpe Diem 2004 went down very well indeed), and LDN had the Spirit League. Hell, I'd argue the FWA in particular would have been partly responsible for the WoS style catching on in the US indies for a period, with Chris Hero, Mike Quackenbush, etc.

Yeah I remember there was Grey Vs Sanders at the TWC SkyDome show (local to me so I went)   I liked it but Fin Martin slagged it and someone, I think Shane, made excuses for having to include it in an interview next issue.

Next TWC SkyDome show they had WOS The Next Generation which SHOULD have been James Mason Vs Dean Allmark - check my post on the previous page if YouTube embeds are working again - but was instead some stupid comedy match pitting Colt #£&+$√π^¢$ing Cabana against Nigel McGuiness, the latter of whom has my deepest sympathies for getting dragged into that.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

2 hours ago, David Mantell said:

I refer you to Alex Shane's remarks about fat old men in swimming trunks and how notorious old school hater Fin Martin positively CREAMED over it.  I have never forgiven Alex Shane for that remark, 

I'd like to have seen him DARE to go to a Croydon show in 2002 and tell that to the regulars there.

What if he went to Croydon Swimming Baths and said it?

[David Mantell]

15 minutes ago, IANdrewDiceClay said:

What if he went to Croydon Swimming Baths and said it?

I know what would happen if he said it at Fairfield Hall Croydon.  

He would have been lucky to have had Robbie Brookside run out and make him STFU - rather than the audience do it.

 

[David Mantell]

1 hour ago, David Mantell said:

Next TWC SkyDome show they had WOS The Next Generation which SHOULD have been James Mason Vs Dean Allmark - check my post on the previous page if YouTube embeds are working again -

They are now - click back a page to check out my "Best of Traditional British shows in the C21st videos" picks of the pack.

[Chico Torres]

I went to Croydon in 2002 and saw PN Newz and Ricky Knight, two fat old men in swimming trunks.

[davertfnewman]

You're going to get a reply back saying News was only in his thirties, so DEFINITELY not old(!).