Fight fans go back to the 1980s
FOUR o’clock on a Saturday afternoon in the early 1980s meant just one thing: wrestling was on the telly.
Rich, poor, old, young, male, female, colour TV or black-andwhite – it didn’t matter – you would tune into World Of Sport to watch your spandex-clad heroes battle it out in the ring.
It was an occasion for the whole family. Everyone from your grandmother down crowded around the box to see those larger-than-life characters in action.
Sure, they weren’t always the greatest athletes, but they earned full marks for entertainment.
Even Hollywood greats like Frank Sinatra were fans. In fact Old Blue Eyes himself declared: “I believe British wrestlers are the best entertainers in the whole world.”
Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Mick McManus – they were the names on everyone’s lips.
But perhaps even more loved were the Panthers, those great warriors squaring up in the ring without even a hint of fear.
From the Half Nelson to the Suplex and the Boston Crab, there was no move these bold fighters couldn’t pull off.
And even better: they did it all in spangly leotards, short shorts and capes.
There was Trevor ‘Bulldog’ Bolton, a titan in the ring who grabbed every belt going.
Women swooned for Tony ‘Sweetcheeks’ Smith, a golden cowboy who could put a heart in a lock as easily as an arm.
Zulu Dawn was the most exotic – and the only crossdressing – fighter on the circuit.
And it wasn’t just men getting down and dirty on the mat: glamorous Lara ‘Liplock’ Anderson was fierce as they come.
Scary enough to give watching kids nightmares was Lesley Beck, while Cliff ‘Edge’ Morris had camouflage as his signature look.
And don’t forget brothers Danny ‘Screwball’ and Derek ‘Corkscrew’ Dixon, or Glen ‘Gladiator’ Higgins, who was Yorkshire’s answer to Julius Caesar.
When these Panthers roared, the whole country sat up, paid attention and cheered on their heroes.
Now the big cats are back – but can they equal their past glories?