The Wrestling

Simon Garfield

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• eBook ISBN:
  9780571265459
• Year: 2013

'A brilliant oral history of the golden age of British wrestling and magnificent wider social history.' Richard Osman

The classic account of the men and women who used to fight each other for pride and money. Simon Garfield brings them to life in one last glorious bout of jealousy, myth, revenge, passion and deep devotion.

When British wrestling was dropped from the ITV schedules in the mid-80s it left the giants of the ring - Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Kendo Nagasaki - bereft. This is the true story of the circuit, the big names and their rivalries, told with humour, warmth and affection. This edition features a new afterword by the author.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Praise
• Title Page
• Contents
• The Wrestling
• 1: ‘That fat bastard – I could kill him!’ said Jackie Pallo
• 2: ‘So that was the ears business,’ said Mick McManus
• 3: ‘Let’s pray to God he doesn’t die,’ said the promoter
• 4: ‘Oh dear, an accident, not to worry,’ said Les Kellett
• 5: ‘So I got murdered,’ said Jimmy Savile
• 6: ‘Greetings, grapple fans,’ said Kent Walton
• 7: ‘But then I got my image,’ said Adrian Street
• 8: ‘Eventually he went around with a sheep,’ said Joe D’Orazio
• 9: ‘Could you do me a favour?’ asked Esther Rantzen
• 10: ‘My dress – ruined!’ said Klondyke Kate
• 11: ‘I’m going to have to talk eventually,’ said Kendo Nagasaki
• 12: ‘I travel alone,’ said Giant Haystacks
• 13: ‘To my good friend Big Daddy,’ wrote Margaret Thatcher
• 14: ‘And now my dad drives my Jag,’ said the British Bulldog
• 15: ‘Walked into that one,’ said Robbie Brookside
• 16: ‘Wrestling is all there is for me now,’ said James Mason
• Author’s Note
• Postscript
• Acknowledgements
• Index
• About the Author
• By the Same Author
• Copyright