Stuck in a YouTube hole, I found myself stumbling across some fantastic old catch wrestling videos, which makes a change from the kind of video I usually end up watching. Did you know Bjork’s stalker’s suicide video is on there? Scary stuff.
Anyway, I found this video of Billy Robinson and Billy Riley, two legenday wrestlers from the north of England. I couldn’t help but get nostalgic – I’ve never been to Wigan but I imagine there are not many strapping young lads practising wrestling in the fields anymore. Unless you count drinking cheap cider and snorting legal highs as wrestling. Which I don’t.
I truly think it is a shame that there are no more coaches like Billy Robinson, no passion for catch wrestling left in the UK. I am sure there are some great coaches still around – if you know any, let me know. But it just seems a shame to me that England could produce such a talented group, that spread catch wrestling around the world (Sakuraba learnt a lot from Robinson), and then for it to fade away so rapidly.
While I was getting nostalgic for wrestling, I was reminded of Josh Barnett’s fight at the last Dream NYE – a really nice example of the terrible beauty of real pro-wrestling. Fast transitions, nasty submissions, and athleticism.
And then, for good measure, enjoy the greatest tag team match I’ve ever seen – a “scripted” pro-wrestling bout that turns very, very nasty. But Sakuraba doesn’t mind, he’s got a mean streak too…
Videos after the jump.
