Professional Wrestling ran on the ITV channel for over 30 years, usually on a Saturday afternoon and latterly on Saturday lunchtime. The stars of the day were genuine household names - wrestlers such as Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Kendo Nagasaki and Mick MacManus. They performed at the Royal Albert Hall on occasion, usually selling the place right out. The wrestlers had fans and admirers from right across the social spectrum and showbusiness. Frank Sinatra famously said that he believed that British Wrestlers were the best in the world. Margaret Thatcher was a fan, as was the Queen.
Watching these classic bouts now, it is easy to spot many differences between those matches and wrestlers and most contemporary matches, particularly American wrestling. The British wrestlers could not match most of their American counterparts in the physique department, but they could more than hold their own in the ring. British wrestlers are held in extremely high regard around the world for their technical know how and hard work in the squared circle. Even today, old British favourites William (Steve) Regal and Fit Finlay are consulted backstage in the WWE and their advice and counsel are frequently sought.
The presentation of these bouts can seem a little odd or even quaint these days. There are no huge arenas. Most of the matches were recorded at smoky town halls, theatres and leisure centres across the length and breadth of Britain. The commentary, provided by the late Kent Walton, was informative as well as soothing and calming - often contrasting with the mayhem in the ring!
I take great pride in providing discs which are of a very good standard. They are recorded directly onto dvd, maintaining the quality of material, some of which is 30 years old. I also design a label for each disc, providing you with a handy way of checking which matches are on which disc.
I started selling British Wrestling dvds on Ebay and had a very nice response to them and lots of repeat customers. I decided to create this website to make it easier to see what I have and to order discs. I dispatch orders very quickly. The quickest way to get your discs would be to use Paypal - that way, your payment reaches me immediately and I can then dispatch your discs, usually by the next day.
If you have any questions, or would like to order any of the dvds, please feel free to email me. The discs are £5 each, £6.50 for overseas customers - inclusive of postage and packaging. Please send Paypal payments to jonrefson@hotmail.com. If you prefer to send a cheque or postal order, please email me and we can then sort details out. I can happily offer a discount on orders of 3 discs or more, please contact me for details.
webmaster@www.britishwrestlingdvds.co.uk
Best Of "The Mean Machine" Mark "Rollerball" Rocco
Best Of "Crybaby" Jim Breaks - "The Yorkshire Menace"
Best of "England's Number 1" Marty Jones
Forthcoming Discs
Disc 83 - Featuring Ray Steele vs Pete Curry from 1974 and much, much more!