All Star’s 40 year Wrestling Evolution

Russell Plummer traces a remarkable success story - and also took the pictures!

All Star, Europe’s most respected and longest-established wrestling organisation is now starting a fifth decade after an amazing roller-coaster ride that still brings regular presentations at some of the country‘s leading venues while thousands regularly watch Superslam action at the Butlins holiday resort centres! It was in 1970 that Birkenhead-based Brian Dixon first threw his hat into the promotional ring with an October bill at Marple, Cheshire. Blonde bombshell Miss Mitzi Mueller faced Hellcat Haggerty in a ladies main event clash and others on view included ‘Cowboy’ Jack Cassidy and Mickey Gold. It all went well until Brian found at the end of the evening that the takings had been stolen from the boot of his car! Undeterred, he pressed on to attract top stars and move into larger halls around the country through the 1970s and into the 1980s.

It was not long before All Star’s Wrestling Enterprises and Merseyside All Star Wrestling predecessors were looking outside Britain for talent with early overseas visitors including North Americans John Gildon and Chief Billy White Cloud, plus European ladies stars Lena Magnanni and Lola Garcia. A big breakthrough came in 1986 when All Star secured a regular spot presenting 'World of Sport's' Saturday afternoon televised action, the cameras first zooming-in for a November 25 bill at the Lewisham Theatre, Catford, where a six event card opened with Japan’s Fuji Yamada opposed by Rocky Moran. Wayne Bridges faced Tony St.Clair; Catweazle ran into Shane Stevens before a clash of lightweight contenders between Jon Cortez and Jackie Robinson. 'Rollerball’ Mark Rocco and Johnny Saint battled it out in a clash of world champions before the evening finished with tag action as teen stars Robbie Brookside and Wayne Martin faced Bobby Barnes and Bob Barratt.

The TV spotlight moved to Central London the following month to record all the drama of a bill at the ‘Talk of the Town’ nightspot, then being run by Peter Stringfellow. The afternoon event saw Kendo Nagaski back in the ring against ’Iron Fist’ Clive Myers while Rocco clashed with Chic Cullen, Yamada met Potteries wildman Jon Wilkie and there was even a battle between Moran and Brookside amid a flashing disco lightshow and near deafening music. Even after ITV pulled the ‘World of Sport’ plug, All Star continued to flourish and while other organisations went out of business, Brian Dixon moved with the times bringing in leading international names from North America and Japan while encouraging and consistently featuring the best of British talent.

All Star developed a whole new generation of home stars headed by Brookside and his 'Liverpool Lads' tag partner Doc Dean along with Steve Regal, now better known as WWE Superstar William Regal. Other colourful campaigners from the 1970s and 80s, like ‘Lancashire Lion’ Marty Jones, Ulsterman Dave 'Fit Finlay,' near 40 stones colossus Giant Haystacks and sword bearing Kendo Nagasaki, were all seen regularly under the All Star banner and there was a continuing place for ladies action. All Star succeeded in taking the grappling girls to London in 1987, overturning a ban stretching back to the 1920s. with blonde bombshell Mitzi and stunning partner Rusty Blair triumphing over ‘Bovver Birds’ Klondyke Kate and Nicky Monroe at the Royal Albert Hall in front of a six thousand capacity crowd. The last Albert Hall bill by a British promoter also saw ‘Mighty’ John Quinn and Nagasaki face home favourites Dave Taylor and Neil Sands, Chic Cullen opposed Fuji Yamada and the line-up also included Saint, Finlay, St.Clair, Keith Haward, Mike ’Flash’ Jordan and schoolboy discovery Peter Bainbridge.

There has always been a strong family link with ‘Queen of the Ring’ Mitzi, later to become Brian’s wife, topping many early bills and enjoying a glittering career. Now the couple’s daughter Letitia regularly steps through the ropes as presenter and compere of All Star Wrestling events around the country, many of them including her husband Dean Allmark as one the featured contestants. The couple also run the booming All Star Training School, based on Merseyside at Bebington Civic Centre. Away from wrestling, Mitzi became a staunch supporter of the Lily Breast Cancer Centre in Liverpool and money has been raised at All Star events to support the Silvester Street organisation named after Lily Halligan who suffered the symptoms of breast cancer for seven years without telling anyone.

Exciting new stars now grace the ladies arena including stunning wrestler and model Miss Lisa Fury, South Coast sensation Miss Erin Angel, Stockport’s exciting Blossom Twins Holly and Hannah, Norfolk mother/daughter combination Sweet Saraya and Britani Knight - while, even now, the indestructible Klondyke Kate is seen at ringside supporting her teenage daughter who campaigns as Connie Steele. Foreign visitors to have made a major impression included Luna Vachon, April Hunter and Nattie Neidhart.

Britain has become a mecca for North American stars down the years and after Quinn blazed the trail, big names from WWF/WWE to appear here for All Star have included Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, 'Earthquake' John Tenta, Yokozuna, The Bushwhackers, Jim 'The Anvil’ Neidhart and Greg Valentine, while there have been more recent visits from the ‘American Avalanche’ P.N.Neuz, ring vampire Gangrel, native American ring brave Tatanka, colourful Big Vito and Ricky Steamboat junior. The towering Broady Steele even emerged as first overseas wrestler to win the Superslam title before Robbie Brookside delighted a Liverpool home city crowd when downing 'American Disaster’ Steele to regain the belt for Britain, only to have to relinquish the crown due to knee injury problems in 2009.

Top stars, including former champions ’Highlander’ Drew McDonald, James Mason and 'Anarchist’ Doug Williams were in an eight strong field that contested the vacant championship at Hanley but there was a big upset when Yorkshireman 'Bad News’ Brown emerged as the new number one. The abrasive Brown went on to add the UEWA European title to his impressive honours list before an October 2010 setback when he lost both belts in a single night, Dean Allmark coming away from another memorable All Star occasion at Potteries wrestling hot spot the Victoria Hall, Hanley, as Superslam champion while the UEWA belt went to Londoner James Mason.

There have been long-standing links between All Star and World Wrestling Entertainments (WWE), going right back to when its WWF predecessor’s first UK bill at London’s Docklands Arena included bouts with All Star wrestlers. The global wrestling phenomenon that is WWE now features a string of campaigners who first made their mark in Britain with All Star. Irishman Sheamus O’Shaunessey really hit the high spots when downing John Cena to claim the WWE title with his progress closely followed by Drew McIntyre, the young Scotsman from Ayr who got his early grounding campaigning as Drew Galloway for All Star. They headed west in the footsteps of heavyweight hopes Paul Burchill, 'Sonic’ Steve Lewington and Stu Sanders, who progressed through WWE developmental operations in Ohio or Florida.

Burchill’s Wolverhampton-born mentor, remembered as Steve Regal by British fans and who first wrestled as 15 year-old at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, certainly had no dream ticket to WWE stardom and battled every inch of the way to his present pre-eminent position, starting with WCW in 1992 and later moving on to become WWE commissioner and RAW general manager from 2007. ‘Belfast Bruiser’ Finlay was better known from more than a decade of British action and regular stints in the European tournaments when he went to WCW but his whole future was threatened by a serious leg injuries in 1999. Coming back with bleached blond hair, Finlay worked as a trainer for WWE and after being drafted to the newly acquired ECW brand in 2008. The 25 year-old McIntyre arrived in the USA in 2007 and at one stage tagged with Sanders, the Surrey campaigner now campaigning as Wade Barrett. Latest All Star discoveries out to impress on the other side of the Atlantic are ‘Bad News’ Brown and Welshman Barri Griffiths who starred here as Gladiator Goliath and is now taking huge WWE strides campaigning as Mason Ryan.