A new book has claimed Dundee wrestling hero George Kidd once pulled a gun on a rival grappler.
“Have A Good Week…Till Next Week” by John Lister took six years to pull together and includes many of the stars from the golden age of British wrestling speaking candidly for the first time.
Among the more colourful episodes is what is described as “an infamous incident” when fellow Scottish star Andy Robin apparently “made the mistake of sending up Kidd’s in-ring routine when he was in the dressing room”.
In the book, according to Robin, who was best known for his unlikely partnership with Hercules the Bear, the moment the door slammed behind them, “George had stuck a handgun halfway up Andy’s snout and threatened to blow his brains out if he ever saw him aping the champion’s repertoire again”.
Later, Aberdeen wrestling star-turned Labour councillor Len Ironside said that wasn’t typical of how Kidd treated people and recalls him sending the family of Randy Turpin £600 after the former boxer took his own life.
The “comic book story” of George Kidd features alongside detailed biographies on more than 50 grapplers from the golden era of television wrestling.
Author John Lister said: “When wrestlers and fans around the world talk about the ‘World of Sport style’ they are really talking about the lightweight style of wrestling that Kidd pioneered and that the likes of Johnny Saint and Steve Grey later adopted.
“It was full of tricks, reversals and escapology that entertained the crowd while still making it plausible that somebody could out-manoeuvre a larger opponent.
“That was vital, given professional wrestling had to at least allow for suspension of disbelief among audiences watching a sports broadcast.
“It’s a shame such little footage survives of Kidd’s career as modern fans may not appreciate how influential he was on his business nor how mainstream a celebrity he was in local culture.”
At 5ft 6in in his socks, Kidd was thought too small to be a professional wrestler but was given his chance by promoter George de Relwsykow at the Caird Hall.
In 1947 he claimed the Scottish lightweight title in Edinburgh when he defeated Tony Lawrence.
After defeating Jack Dempsey in 11 rounds for the British lightweight title in 1948, Kidd went on to defeat all-comers in the 1949 tournament in Paris to be crowned European lightweight champion.
Mr Lister’s 400-page book describes Kidd as “Scotland’s biggest wrestling star” and recalls how his abilities to entertain with impressions of celebrities led to him front two TV shows on Grampian TV.
During his lengthy career, where he suffered only seven defeats in more than 1,000 matches, Kidd rarely wrestled on TV because he believed that over exposure would turn the sport he loved into a pantomime.
The original World of Sport show made stars of wrestlers Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks and Mick McManus in the 1980s.
Since his death in January 1998 aged 72, Kidd has been honoured with a plaque marking his induction to the Scottish Wrestling Hall of Fame.
‘Have A Good Week…Till Next Week’ is available in print and Kindle editions on Amazon.
