@@Toooldforthis78 It's on the cards - we've found there's not so many classic McManus matches available for us to dive into but he's definitely someone we need to do!
It's so wonderfully grubby😅😅.As a boy my dad took me to one of these shows at Wakefield unity Hall, Big Daddy headlined and it was just as grubby in perron, there were grannies on the front row wacking the heels with their handbags lol
According to Count Bartelli's autobiography, Rocco was not only Yamada's most frequent opponent, but they also travellled together. And Yamada was living in Rocco's spare bedroom throughout his excursion.
I live in Lewisham, just to think the amazing Mark Rocco may have trod the same pavment as the man i see picking up dog ends while wearing one shoe is a magical thought. We need a plaque as a permanent reminder (of Rocco not one shoe)
Loving these videos. It's nice to learn about stuff that's outside the same matches most other channels talk about over and over again. Keep up the awesome work
Us Americans love Wrestle Me, and we love when you cover British wrestling legends, specifically William Regal. ❤️ It's also very cool to see Yamada before his run as Jushin Thunder Liger
He really pie faced that guy at the end! If you think about it, its a punch in the face just with a bit of cake in between. Probably knocked that poor old man out! And also hilarious.
The arrival of Sammy Lee occurred after the huge kung fu craze, initiated by Bruce Lee. Hence why Sammy would wear a Game of Death style jump suit during his entrance.
This match is better than everything today, it looks great, it even looks better than anything of the time too, it’s very credible, dare I even say believable….. if I’d have been born then I’d certainly have loved it. It’s also great to see the audience cheer for and totally embrace the Japanese chap.
Mal Mason, famously mentioned in Chris Jericho’s first autobiography as having his own entrance music on his way to the ring in the German tournament Chris took part in. His music? “I’m too sexy” by Right Said Fred
1:54 Rocco and his wife Ann did a lifestyle feature for TVTimes in 1981 at home in the kitchen at the stove where Ann said what a lovely hard working useful about the house guy was her man the notorious ring villain.
Thank you for all of your World Of Sport reviews. As a kid I can only remember watching this on Saturday afternoons recalling the likes of Giant Haystacks, Big Daddy, Kendo, Catweazle and all of that brilliant bollicks, as a child I could not appreciate this level of proper wrestling. On a separate note: mmmmm Cathy Dennis!
Each video you guys put out edited by BanyaBat makes you the X-Factor of UA-cam 😎 You guys found a sweet spot talking about old school British wrestling and as someone who didn't grow up with it, I eagerly wait for each video to come out.
As an American i appreciate you posting this, guy had tons of in ring talent. I wonder if thats where chris jericho got the "ask him" from. Guy maximized his time in screen by realizing if he couldn't cut a promo before the match that he can just yell what he wants to say during the match and possibly set himself up for later matches. Kinda slick imo.
Liger himself ended up as a big "ASK HIM!" guy, too. I think he was the first guy I personally ever noticed doing it. Crazy to think Rollerball Rocco went on to be the first Black Tiger, a moniker later handed to a very very young Eddie Guerrero!
No it wasn't. People have been saying "ask him" to the ref for over 70 years. Harley race used to say it. Heck, every old school guy you can think of said it. It was just what you said when in a hold . You're asking the opponent if he gives up. He will shake is head giving a good visual and something to make a hold more interesting.
@@L_Train I think he's meaning the specific way he's saying it. The same way Liger did later in his career. Or Jericho does now. Not just saying "Ask him", but the inflection used. If you don't know what we're talking about, that's okay.
@@Don-Loves-Vladdy I've heard Harley Race use the same inflection. I've heard Dick Murdoch use the same. Watch some classic wrestling matches. Its nothing new and more importantly, I don't think Chris Jericho got that particular think from rollerball rocco.
Rocco was my favourite from the WoS era of British wrestling, used to watch it religiously every weekend with my dad when I was a kid. Thank you so much for all your coverage of classic British wrestling and wrestlers.
'I think he wrestled Jushin Thunder Liger in the UK...I think he kicked him in the balls.' Welp...that was a sentence I heard today. Seriously, though, how fascinating is it that those three virtual unknowns would go on to become revered legends of the sport in their home country and worldwide? ALL THREE of them? And yet, here they are, wrestling 'big, lazy old men' in a dimly lit village hall in some grimy town in the North of England.
Also, imagine JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER never becoming a thing because somebody thought he was a couple of inches too short to make it in the business. Fascinating timelines opening up all over the place in this episode.
You know, mentioning that Liger went to Mexico when he was rejected by the NJPW dojo had me thinking, do you ever think that any British wrestlers were tempted to go to Mexico, especially when the British scene was starting to go downhill. Like, look at Rollerball Rocco and tell me that he wouldn't be amazing in CMLL or another Lucha Libre promotion. Also, while I love all the Wrestle Me content, I love to see Marc and Pete go back to British wrestling (it's dope that Tatsuhito Takiawa got a mention and, if you've never heard of him, look up some of his stuff, the dude is a great powerhouse junior heavyweight who can do multiple powerbombs, Brock Lesnar style, into a Death Valley Driver, it's so insane to see!)
@@SlashClawGaming I don't know how I forgot about him, I'd say that he counts, although, in Chris Jericho's first book, he referred to Norman as an "American from Florida" when he met Norman in Mexico.
I know Exotic Adrian Street had a run there after Britain and before he made in the US (its where he got the nickname, from the Mexican Exoticos) but not sure any other big names ever tried it. Like you say, could have been an insanely good mix of styles - a shame!
@@WrestleMe Honestly, it's not only Rocco that would probably do well for himself in Mexico, Crybaby Jim Breaks or Leon Arris probably would carve out a nice little niche for themselves in Mexican promotions.
@WrestleMe Marty Jones had a great run in CMLL back in 1975. If you look it up on Cagematch you can see he was regularly teaming with the likes of Blue Demon, Dr Wagner and even El Santo!.
1:24 The support bout for this on original transmission was the classic Johnny Saint vs Robbie Brookside clean match. Brooskide there isn't a big lazy old man, he's the total blond blue-eyed clean cut mutant lovechild of a choirboy and Mark Owen from Take That. Saint is totally agile and streamlined in that bout.
Rocco was hyperactive in the ring, he was an English version of Roddy Piper. He did all the usual fouls a heel would do like the closed fist punch concealed from the refereee and he knew how to antagonise an audience (his speech about not polishing the belt here and his "THE BEST MAN WON!!!" taunt to the crowd at the same venue months earler after getting a TKO win over Johnny Saint when Saint banged his crackers on Rocco's head doing a leapfrog.
I really love seeing this era because to me, it's where you first start seeing Yamada become Liger. Yeah, he's not doing the flippy stuff as much, but he is showing off what would become his most marketable strength and that's sheer adaptability. You could put the guy in virtually any style of match, anywhere in the world, and he could make it work.
8:20 Amerca did this one time famously - Mr Saito as good guy AWA World Champion giving American Heel ex champ Larry Zybysko a return match (The hated Zybysko won the belt back and taunted the crowd in Minnesota that he was an American Hero.)
so weird ti see the legendary Jushin liger unmasked and looking rather steamboat-esque. my grandad had this taped on one of his many VHS he probably recorded off the telly in the 80s, (a frequent passtime of ours, i gathered his marbles were going so we'd mostly watch survivor series 90 every week and he'd cookup some grub, good times!) he was a bit uninterested that i was quite excited to see Liger wrestle on British turf before he became the legend he is now.
11:08 Nice bloke, signed my copy of the Mick McManus World of Wrestling ("I remember that show - I got knocked out!") Rumble named their revival of the British Lightweight title after him in 2021 in his memory.
15:01 The boxing match with Ali was shown on World of Sport in '76 so they saw him then, plus Kent Walton tended to namedrop him in the intervening years a couple of times.
I swear Kid Chocolate looked like a young Samuel L Jackson,,,..imagine the promos he could cut....the guy in charge of the bleep button would end up with a nub of a finger left after editing those😂
7:18 The rounds do help because they give natural breaks in the bout so that while the round is in, they're more refreshed and ready for action. Some guys can make one chain sequence last all round long without resting or breaking off.
and there was a previous Fuji in Britain - Japanese American from LA, Yasu Fuji circa 1980-1981, Mighty John Quinn's side kick. He also wrestled in Germany and was on French TV Wrestling a couple of times 1982-1983. (he also held the LA version of the NWA World Tag Team title and was big in Stu Hart's Stampede.)_ Of course there was also Mr Fuji in the WWF.
Talking about 23 minute matches, and we show an 'unrelated' picture of Triple H. ...are we SURE it's unrelated...? 🤔 Also, 'soaked in tea/old plaster' are EXTREMELY apt comparisons. And yes, this does look like it was taped in the 70s - I'm surprised it's already 87 here.
British wrestling was in such an interesting place in the 80s because the promoters, bookers, referees and audiences were all still firmly stuck in the 70s but the performers had been watching what the Japanese and Americans were doing and updating their style to something far more exciting and physical. So you get weirdness like this, matches that feel like Mysterio vs. Liger but taking place in Basildon Town Hall in a knackered old ring watched by bored pensioners waiting for Big Daddy.
You guys are absolutely the best! Please consider the idea of having a guest host on a show. I have about 120,000 followers in social media and I would put a bunch of eyes on your amazing channel. Seriously, this is the best wrestling channel ever and everyone should should see this because they will all love you. I have a bunch of World and National titles and World Records in my sport and I've worked as a heel manager. I want everyone to watch you guys!
How do you always mispronounce Inoki’s name (In-oh-key) even when Rollerball Rocco is literally saying his name correctly in the video? I have to say my favourite episodes are when you cover English wrestlers (and not because I’m English myself) but the Dynamite Kid, Catweasel and this video were absolutely hilarious and made me laugh and I’m an extremely hard person to make me laugh I can literally go years without laughing (I had an abusive part of my childhood sexually and mentally and was told I sounded like a “little queer or girl” when I laughed by an adult in my life so learned as a child not to laugh and 36yrs later I don’t even when something is funny I don’t). But I have found your videos funny and an absolute joy to watch lads.
"In North America, Rocco only wrestled a little. The most significant appearance was on December 28, 1984, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, in a bout taped for airing on Japanese television. With the vacant WWF Jr. Heavyweight title up in the air, The Cobra (George Takano) pinned Rocco as Black Tiger with a tombstone and senton bomb off the top; after the bout, Black Tiger went after Cobra with a chair. The bout is on the VHS tape, Best of the WWF Vol. 1."
@@Donathon-qx8kq ROCCO ONCE FOUGHT MARTY JONES IN BRADFORD AT ST GEORGE'S HALL BUT IT DIDN'T END UP A GOOD NIGHT FOR ROCCO. HE HAD BEEN SAYING THINGS ABOUT MARTY JONES'S SON WHO IS DISABLED AND MARTY SENT ROCCO TO THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE HE WAS BLOODIED AFTER THE MATCH THAT HE NEEDED STITCHES. YOU NEVER BRING ANOTHER WRESTLERS FAMILY IN TO THE CONVOCATION EVER THAT IS A BIG NO NO. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD THAT EVERYBODY WHO WAS SAT AT RINGSIDE WAS COVERED IN BLOOD AS WELL
I rewatch your videos all the time....and I just noticed something. Are those glass bottles waters the wrestlers are drinking between rounds?? Like, was it a brand or was it just a bottle they filled with water?? I must know more about the 1987 glass bottles of water!!!
Absolutely love when WrestleMe cover old British wrestling.
It’s the best
Ditto
Ah thanks - it's so great to see the positive reception it gets when we do, because we LOVE the old British stuff SO MUCH!
@@WrestleMe surely guys a Mick McManus hair dye special is in the works?
@@Toooldforthis78 It's on the cards - we've found there's not so many classic McManus matches available for us to dive into but he's definitely someone we need to do!
From a Yank across The Pond, thanks for covering this. I'm pleased to see the legend Rollerball Rocco get more attention.
U make Americans sound so cool
Rocco was like half Burt Reynolds and half Tasmanian Devil from the old cartoons. He was terrific.
Haha, Burt Reynolds with a manc accent, fkn ace 🤣
There's something wholesome about the nicotine stained drab majesty of early British wrestling that I love.
It's so wonderfully grubby😅😅.As a boy my dad took me to one of these shows at Wakefield unity Hall, Big Daddy headlined and it was just as grubby in perron, there were grannies on the front row wacking the heels with their handbags lol
Japan. Apparently known for guys named "Lee."
This has become my favourite channel. Love you guys
You guys are great, the commentary is dead on and funny as hell. Thanks for your work!
I'm now imagining Rocco doing a suplex on Catweazle whilst yelling "What do you think of this, Mr Lesnar?"
According to Count Bartelli's autobiography, Rocco was not only Yamada's most frequent opponent, but they also travellled together. And Yamada was living in Rocco's spare bedroom throughout his excursion.
As a brash young American, there is nothing i like more than these old britsh wrestling reviews
Jushin Thunder Liger been around forever and gone to so many promotions. Amazing.
"Everything looks like its been soaked in tea!" That has genuinely got me in hysterics! 😂
Love when you guys post about the British scene. Completely new territory for me
@@iamUnSure i realized this afterwards
I live in Lewisham, just to think the amazing Mark Rocco may have trod the same pavment as the man i see picking up dog ends while wearing one shoe is a magical thought.
We need a plaque as a permanent reminder (of Rocco not one shoe)
Loving these videos. It's nice to learn about stuff that's outside the same matches most other channels talk about over and over again. Keep up the awesome work
3:35 the announcers were so well-spoken back then, it's lovely on the ears.
Us Americans love Wrestle Me, and we love when you cover British wrestling legends, specifically William Regal. ❤️
It's also very cool to see Yamada before his run as Jushin Thunder Liger
He really pie faced that guy at the end! If you think about it, its a punch in the face just with a bit of cake in between. Probably knocked that poor old man out! And also hilarious.
I love this channel. History + old school wrestling= im in my happy place.
The arrival of Sammy Lee occurred after the huge kung fu craze, initiated by Bruce Lee. Hence why Sammy would wear a Game of Death style jump suit during his entrance.
He was great at Liverpool
Wow what a singlet 😂 now we know what Ant-Man was meaning when he said "America's Ass" 🤣
Wow, Jushin Liger. Legend.
More Rocco.....More Johnny Saint! Keep up the good work guys
yeah Johnny saint was good too
Kent Walton's understating of everything is what made him great.
Ooof that’s a bit much
"Nothing wrong with that comment" Kent Walton
This match is better than everything today, it looks great, it even looks better than anything of the time too, it’s very credible, dare I even say believable…..
if I’d have been born then I’d certainly have loved it.
It’s also great to see the audience cheer for and totally embrace the Japanese chap.
Mal Mason, famously mentioned in Chris Jericho’s first autobiography as having his own entrance music on his way to the ring in the German tournament Chris took part in. His music? “I’m too sexy” by Right Said Fred
It often got mentioned that Mal Mason was an ex-pro footballer (Sheffield Wednesday), but I can't find any proof of that "claim".
Yeah! Mason was the ref who dropped down in front of Jericho when he was running the ropes.
"Shinzo Abe had some strange policies but then he got executed" lmfao
1:54 Rocco and his wife Ann did a lifestyle feature for TVTimes in 1981 at home in the kitchen at the stove where Ann said what a lovely hard working useful about the house guy was her man the notorious ring villain.
FINALLY Wrestle me has come back, to vintage British content 🤌🤌🤌
Alternate title for this video. Black Tiger vs Jyushin Thunder Lyger.
Would love to see some more of Johnny Saint on Wrestle Me
I absolutely love some of the ringside camera angles that they use
Walton was always talking about “That great Japanese Champion, Antonio Inoki” once a year at least and never when you would expect
I believe Ali vs Inoki was shown over here.
Thank you for all of your World Of Sport reviews. As a kid I can only remember watching this on Saturday afternoons recalling the likes of Giant Haystacks, Big Daddy, Kendo, Catweazle and all of that brilliant bollicks, as a child I could not appreciate this level of proper wrestling.
On a separate note: mmmmm Cathy Dennis!
Sammy Lee was a fantastic talent. I remember seeing him live at the demontfort hall in Leicester.
That cake shot took that lad out.
Each video you guys put out edited by BanyaBat makes you the X-Factor of UA-cam 😎
You guys found a sweet spot talking about old school British wrestling and as someone who didn't grow up with it, I eagerly wait for each video to come out.
Honestly THE BEST COMEDY WRESTLING channel on YT. Love OSW but Wrestle Me is better. Thank u guys!
As an American i appreciate you posting this, guy had tons of in ring talent. I wonder if thats where chris jericho got the "ask him" from. Guy maximized his time in screen by realizing if he couldn't cut a promo before the match that he can just yell what he wants to say during the match and possibly set himself up for later matches. Kinda slick imo.
Liger himself ended up as a big "ASK HIM!" guy, too. I think he was the first guy I personally ever noticed doing it. Crazy to think Rollerball Rocco went on to be the first Black Tiger, a moniker later handed to a very very young Eddie Guerrero!
No it wasn't. People have been saying "ask him" to the ref for over 70 years. Harley race used to say it. Heck, every old school guy you can think of said it. It was just what you said when in a hold . You're asking the opponent if he gives up. He will shake is head giving a good visual and something to make a hold more interesting.
@@L_Train I think he's meaning the specific way he's saying it. The same way Liger did later in his career. Or Jericho does now. Not just saying "Ask him", but the inflection used. If you don't know what we're talking about, that's okay.
@@Don-Loves-Vladdy I've heard Harley Race use the same inflection. I've heard Dick Murdoch use the same. Watch some classic wrestling matches. Its nothing new and more importantly, I don't think Chris Jericho got that particular think from rollerball rocco.
Ive only ever seen Liger without the famous mask once before when Minorou Suzuki took it off to reveal Kishin Liger in one of the best unmaskings ever
Fantastic match🎉
Rocco is legitimately a scary man.
Rollerball rocco was ace. Really feels like he was caught between two eras, which is a shame. More British wrestling please!
15:08 Marc's accents are amazing 🤣🤣🤣
Yes!!! Another Rollerball Rocco video👍
That cake wasn't a sponger, it was a proper 'just bought it from down the shops' heavy birthday cake - direct smash to the face 🤣
It never fails, you guys are consistently the 2 funniest people i've ever heard talk about wrestling. I love this stuff.
Rocco was my favourite from the WoS era of British wrestling, used to watch it religiously every weekend with my dad when I was a kid. Thank you so much for all your coverage of classic British wrestling and wrestlers.
'I think he wrestled Jushin Thunder Liger in the UK...I think he kicked him in the balls.'
Welp...that was a sentence I heard today.
Seriously, though, how fascinating is it that those three virtual unknowns would go on to become revered legends of the sport in their home country and worldwide? ALL THREE of them? And yet, here they are, wrestling 'big, lazy old men' in a dimly lit village hall in some grimy town in the North of England.
Also, imagine JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER never becoming a thing because somebody thought he was a couple of inches too short to make it in the business. Fascinating timelines opening up all over the place in this episode.
So Rocco's second gift was ... he was gonna beat the shit out of that guy?
I love that once they'd done the cake, they couldn't think of anything else apart from "just smack him with your big glove, Rocco".
The pundit that swore was Eamon Dunphy. A former footballer turned journalist, known for his brutal honesty.
Rocco committed the cardinal British sin--being a bit too busy. We don't like to seem too keen.
Diffidence wins no prizes.
Insufficiently wound-in-neck. Fatal.
You know, mentioning that Liger went to Mexico when he was rejected by the NJPW dojo had me thinking, do you ever think that any British wrestlers were tempted to go to Mexico, especially when the British scene was starting to go downhill. Like, look at Rollerball Rocco and tell me that he wouldn't be amazing in CMLL or another Lucha Libre promotion. Also, while I love all the Wrestle Me content, I love to see Marc and Pete go back to British wrestling (it's dope that Tatsuhito Takiawa got a mention and, if you've never heard of him, look up some of his stuff, the dude is a great powerhouse junior heavyweight who can do multiple powerbombs, Brock Lesnar style, into a Death Valley Driver, it's so insane to see!)
Norman Smiley might fit the bill. He was huge in Mexico for a bit too before his WCW run.
@@SlashClawGaming I don't know how I forgot about him, I'd say that he counts, although, in Chris Jericho's first book, he referred to Norman as an "American from Florida" when he met Norman in Mexico.
I know Exotic Adrian Street had a run there after Britain and before he made in the US (its where he got the nickname, from the Mexican Exoticos) but not sure any other big names ever tried it. Like you say, could have been an insanely good mix of styles - a shame!
@@WrestleMe Honestly, it's not only Rocco that would probably do well for himself in Mexico, Crybaby Jim Breaks or Leon Arris probably would carve out a nice little niche for themselves in Mexican promotions.
@WrestleMe Marty Jones had a great run in CMLL back in 1975. If you look it up on Cagematch you can see he was regularly teaming with the likes of Blue Demon, Dr Wagner and even El Santo!.
"Some Japanese people aren't polite" - wrestleme going to places other podcasts won't....
Pretty much
1:24 The support bout for this on original transmission was the classic Johnny Saint vs Robbie Brookside clean match. Brooskide there isn't a big lazy old man, he's the total blond blue-eyed clean cut mutant lovechild of a choirboy and Mark Owen from Take That. Saint is totally agile and streamlined in that bout.
Rocco was hyperactive in the ring, he was an English version of Roddy Piper. He did all the usual fouls a heel would do like the closed fist punch concealed from the refereee and he knew how to antagonise an audience (his speech about not polishing the belt here and his "THE BEST MAN WON!!!" taunt to the crowd at the same venue months earler after getting a TKO win over Johnny Saint when Saint banged his crackers on Rocco's head doing a leapfrog.
IS there a Les Kellet vs. Rollerball Rocco match anywhere? not that I think their styles would mesh, but just to see which one is harder.
I want to see Les Kellett v Kendo Nagasaki, which I believe did take place.
Great end to the video 😂… thanks for highlighting this overlooked slice of wrestling history
New fav channel!!! ❤
If Rocco had been born 15 years later he would have been an absolute superstar
He would of fit right in in the wcw cruiser weight division
YES!!! Wrestle Me with old British stuff!
You guys crease me up! Love it!
16:53 He WAS in the room on that table down next to the ring. You can seem him there from time to time.
Embarrassingly exciting whenI get Wrestle Me notifications out of the biue.
Holy shit I’m here early! Yes! I fuckin love you two hahaha
This is the first time I've seen Liger's face!
Never thought id see the Essex Boys on a Wrestle Me episode!!
I really love seeing this era because to me, it's where you first start seeing Yamada become Liger. Yeah, he's not doing the flippy stuff as much, but he is showing off what would become his most marketable strength and that's sheer adaptability. You could put the guy in virtually any style of match, anywhere in the world, and he could make it work.
More Rocco and Regal come on lads!
8:20 Amerca did this one time famously - Mr Saito as good guy AWA World Champion giving American Heel ex champ Larry Zybysko a return match (The hated Zybysko won the belt back and taunted the crowd in Minnesota that he was an American Hero.)
6:30 Premier and Rumble still use rings like that. All Star got some new black rings in last year with the new logo on.
so weird ti see the legendary Jushin liger unmasked and looking rather steamboat-esque. my grandad had this taped on one of his many VHS he probably recorded off the telly in the 80s, (a frequent passtime of ours, i gathered his marbles were going so we'd mostly watch survivor series 90 every week and he'd cookup some grub, good times!) he was a bit uninterested that i was quite excited to see Liger wrestle on British turf before he became the legend he is now.
11:08 Nice bloke, signed my copy of the Mick McManus World of Wrestling ("I remember that show - I got knocked out!") Rumble named their revival of the British Lightweight title after him in 2021 in his memory.
Remember when every wrestling magazine in the late 80's called Liger, 'Riger'. Different times.
15:01 The boxing match with Ali was shown on World of Sport in '76 so they saw him then, plus Kent Walton tended to namedrop him in the intervening years a couple of times.
I swear Kid Chocolate looked like a young Samuel L Jackson,,,..imagine the promos he could cut....the guy in charge of the bleep button would end up with a nub of a finger left after editing those😂
Rocco: "I got a little present for you too now"
Commentator: "No thank you"
XD
I love your analysis of old British wrestling matches. You’re going to have to cover Daddy vs Quinn sometime.
My three favourite things:
Uk wrestling history, Japanese wrestling history and local UK murder spots
7:18 The rounds do help because they give natural breaks in the bout so that while the round is in, they're more refreshed and ready for action. Some guys can make one chain sequence last all round long without resting or breaking off.
I did not have seeing Eamon Dunphy on Wrestle Me on my bingo card. Made this Irishman laugh
I’ve never seen liger with a mask. He looks like a Japanese dynamite kid.
and there was a previous Fuji in Britain - Japanese American from LA, Yasu Fuji circa 1980-1981, Mighty John Quinn's side kick. He also wrestled in Germany and was on French TV Wrestling a couple of times 1982-1983. (he also held the LA version of the NWA World Tag Team title and was big in Stu Hart's Stampede.)_
Of course there was also Mr Fuji in the WWF.
Must say this is the subject matter I most enjoy you guys covering (vintage UK, not just Rocco)
Bbbb…bbb..bb but Brett hart said he invented the sharpshooter…..😂😂😂
Talking about 23 minute matches, and we show an 'unrelated' picture of Triple H.
...are we SURE it's unrelated...? 🤔
Also, 'soaked in tea/old plaster' are EXTREMELY apt comparisons. And yes, this does look like it was taped in the 70s - I'm surprised it's already 87 here.
Even the cake smash looked stiff! World of sport was harrrd mate !
British wrestling was in such an interesting place in the 80s because the promoters, bookers, referees and audiences were all still firmly stuck in the 70s but the performers had been watching what the Japanese and Americans were doing and updating their style to something far more exciting and physical. So you get weirdness like this, matches that feel like Mysterio vs. Liger but taking place in Basildon Town Hall in a knackered old ring watched by bored pensioners waiting for Big Daddy.
@14:57 Is that one of The Chuckle Brothers bottom left
Who knew Liger was a a beast under the tights! Wow, looks similar to Dynamite Kid!
Adrian Street said he hated wrestling Rocco because he had boils all over him😂
Just saying.
Oh god wow 😂😂😂
@@jamesburk767 He told Jim Cornette when Jim was managing him In Memphis, it's here on UA-cam.
I killed the swans 😂😂
You guys are absolutely the best! Please consider the idea of having a guest host on a show. I have about 120,000 followers in social media and I would put a bunch of eyes on your amazing channel. Seriously, this is the best wrestling channel ever and everyone should should see this because they will all love you.
I have a bunch of World and National titles and World Records in my sport and I've worked as a heel manager. I want everyone to watch you guys!
The tiger's cove was a nazi organization too 😅 this show was not for kids, it was bloddy and ultraviolent 😂 but every kid loved it 😂😂😂😂
ROLLERBALL ROCCO!
Speaking of Beat Takeshi, Takeshi's Castle got revived this year.
Even liger when he retired was huge
How do you always mispronounce Inoki’s name (In-oh-key) even when Rollerball Rocco is literally saying his name correctly in the video? I have to say my favourite episodes are when you cover English wrestlers (and not because I’m English myself) but the Dynamite Kid, Catweasel and this video were absolutely hilarious and made me laugh and I’m an extremely hard person to make me laugh I can literally go years without laughing (I had an abusive part of my childhood sexually and mentally and was told I sounded like a “little queer or girl” when I laughed by an adult in my life so learned as a child not to laugh and 36yrs later I don’t even when something is funny I don’t). But I have found your videos funny and an absolute joy to watch lads.
1 question....did Rocco ever wrestle in the States?
I don't think he did but he did travel all over including Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan
"In North America, Rocco only wrestled a little. The most significant appearance was on December 28, 1984, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, in a bout taped for airing on Japanese television. With the vacant WWF Jr. Heavyweight title up in the air, The Cobra (George Takano) pinned Rocco as Black Tiger with a tombstone and senton bomb off the top; after the bout, Black Tiger went after Cobra with a chair. The bout is on the VHS tape, Best of the WWF Vol. 1."
@@ogcpw4746 cool....a few years later Rollerball could have been a pretty good light heavyweight in some of the large territory
@@Donathon-qx8kq ROCCO ONCE FOUGHT MARTY JONES IN BRADFORD AT ST GEORGE'S HALL BUT IT DIDN'T END UP A GOOD NIGHT FOR ROCCO. HE HAD BEEN SAYING THINGS ABOUT MARTY JONES'S SON WHO IS DISABLED AND MARTY SENT ROCCO TO THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE HE WAS BLOODIED AFTER THE MATCH THAT HE NEEDED STITCHES. YOU NEVER BRING ANOTHER WRESTLERS FAMILY IN TO THE CONVOCATION EVER THAT IS A BIG NO NO. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD THAT EVERYBODY WHO WAS SAT AT RINGSIDE WAS COVERED IN BLOOD AS WELL
I rewatch your videos all the time....and I just noticed something. Are those glass bottles waters the wrestlers are drinking between rounds?? Like, was it a brand or was it just a bottle they filled with water?? I must know more about the 1987 glass bottles of water!!!
rocco, marty jones, kendo and tom billington❤
Fun fact about Jushin Ligers amateur wrestling career, he lost the national finals to none other than Toshiaki Kawada
Moar Rocco! YAS!