Perth City Hall was regularly sold-out in the 1960s and 1970s as the biggest TV stars of wrestling’s golden era battled in the squared circle.
Back then, millions of fight fans tuned in on Saturday afternoons to watch ITV’s World of Sport.
The programme made household names of wrestlers like Big Daddy, Mick McManus, Giant Haystacks and Kendo Nagasaki.
The coverage was illuminated by commentator Kent Walton, who was famous for his opening gambit of “Greetings, grapple fans!”
The halcyon days of British wrestling
My former colleague, James Masson, 40 years on the Evening Telegraph, recently contacted me regarding those halcyon days of British wrestling.
His interest was piqued by reading our recent article about Dunfermline’s Ian Campbell being inducted into The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame for Scotland.
A crowd favourite, respected for his mammoth frame and rugged mat work, Ian became a regular star on ITV’s coverage of professional wrestling in the 1960s.
The article brought back memories for James of seeing Ian and many other top grappling stars in action at Perth City Hall in the 1960s.
I spoke to James about his memories and he was glad to recount them.
He told me: “I have recently finished reading the autobiography of the Rev Mike Brooks, a Methodist minister from England who wrestled at Perth City Hall.
“In his book, Wrestling For God, Mike tells of an interesting event one evening at the Fair City venue.
“He mentioned that, before his bout, he asked the promoter if, after he had finished wrestling, he could speak to the audience of over 2,000 about his faith in Jesus.
“The promoter agreed and, while delivering his address, Mike felt a tap on the shoulder.
“When he turned round there was Ian Campbell all six foot-plus and 18 stone of him.
“Ian took the microphone and told the crowd that every word Mike said was true and that Jesus did, indeed, die to save the sins of man.
“Mike didn’t know until then that Ian, too, had faith in God.”
Memories of great nights in Perth
James recalled more memories of wrestling at Perth City Hall.
He went on: “On Saturdays I used to watch the wrestling which was on ITV at lunchtime, the programme being hosted by the legendary Kent Walton.
“After the programme was over, I used to accompany my pals to Muirton Park to watch our beloved St Johnstone.
“Then, a lot of midweeks, I would go to Perth City Hall to watch the stars I had seen on the telly.
“I used to watch the likes of Mike Brooks, Ian Campbell, Bert Royal, Vic Faulkner, Jumpin’ Jim Hussey, Al Dennison, Roy and Tony St Clair, Mick McMichael, Jackie Pallo, Steve Logan, Mick McManus, Kendo Nagasaki, Peter and Tibor Szackacs, Les Kellett, Masambula, Adrian Street, Jim Breaks, Dundee’s very own world champion George Kidd, and, another legendary Scot, Andy Robin.
“Then there was Brian Glover, who also was a successful actor.
“He appeared on stage in Shakespeare productions and in films such as Leon The Pig Farmer and Kes, where he played the manic PE teacher.
“I collected loads of autographs and fair enjoyed my night watching the action.
“I was only at primary school then but my memories of these great nights are vivid.”
Later, after James had joined the Tele, he met up several times with Andy Robin, who was more famously the owner, with his wife Maggie, of Hercules the Bear.
Andy and Maggie paid £50 for the world’s most dangerous land mammal in 1976 and he quickly became an international sensation.
Andy, who was a British Commonwealth wrestling champion, initially bought Hercules from Kincraig Wildlife Park as a nine-month-old cub with the dream of domesticating him and turning him into a unique sparring partner.
It all started when Andy had performed a wrestling bout in Canada with an eight-foot black bear called Terrible Ted, which sparked an obsession in him to have a bear of his own.
Hercules made his wrestling debut in August 1977, wrestling Andy at the Perth Ice Rink.
Andy was soon living his dream as the crowds flocked to see him and Hercules wrestle.
He was featured on the cover of Time magazine and helped to promote the Miss World contest.
Hercules caddied for comedian Bob Hope at Gleneagles and was named “Personality of the Year” by the Scottish Tourist Board and received a telegram from US president Ronald Reagan.
Hercules became the stuff of international folklore when he slipped his lead in August 1980 during filming for an advert for Kleenex and disappeared in the Outer Hebrides.
He was eventually found in North Uist – 20 miles from where he went missing – by a crofter.
He would go on to secure higher-profile roles in films such as the James Bond movie Octopussy in 1983 – in which he shared the screen with 007 Sir Roger Moore – and a documentary for the Disney company.
James recalled: “As a reporter I interviewed Andy a fair few times when he had his pet bear, Hercules, with him.
“Andy was a great lad and I always enjoyed a yarn with him.
“He was a big, tough man with a gentle heart.”
Together again with his beloved bear
Before entering hibernation, Hercules died of old age on February 4 2001, aged 25, which is around the natural lifespan of a grizzly.
The Robins and Hercules lived for many years on a ranch at Sheriffmuir, near Dunblane.
They built a new home at Glendevon, Perthshire, in 1986 to meet the bear’s needs, and, when Hercules died, he was buried there.
The couple decided to move into Auchterarder in later years and they took the emotional decision to rebury him where he once roamed free in North Uist.
A memorial stone over Hercules’s resting place reads: “Hercules the Bear lies sleeping here, watching over his beloved islands, resting in peace.”
Andy passed away at the age of 84 in 2019 and was buried alongside his beloved bear in the Western Isles.
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