Throwing Soiled Underwear Against a Wall To See What Sticks

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I think I would like to start off this journal by paying tribute to a legend and pop culture icon who passed away a few months ago.




If you were ever to ask me what my favourite picture ever taken was that I would hang with pride where everybody would see it and ask 'What the hell is that?',  then this is it. If you don't know the circumstances behind it allow me to explain.

They guy who's all glammed up is British Wrestler Adorable Adrian Street, the coal miner posing with him is his father.

Adrian was from a small mining town in Wales called Brynmawr. When he was 15 Adrian was told he had to go down the pit with his father to work. Adrian hated this and told them all that he was going to London to become a wrestler. All the miners mocked him saying he was too small or too soft to do this and bullied him. Even his own father said he was too soft and would be back once he missed his mother's cooking. At the age of 16 Street left for London and turned pro at the age of 17 in 1957.

By 1973 Street had created his gender bending 'Exotic One' character and was given the European Middleweight belt. He returned to his hometown to do a photoshoot. The photographer asked him where he would like to go to take some pictures. Street told him to go to his Dads coal mine. And the end of their shift the miners including Street's father came up the lift shaft to discover the photographer and Adrian all ready to pose in full costume and make up with his title belt to rub in their faces everything he had achieved. 

This is the ultimate F.U. in picture form.

Adrian would continue to wrestle, in 1982 he moved to the States with his wife and valet Miss Linda where he would wrestle in territories such as Memphis wrestling (Managed by Jim Cornette), Mid South, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Florida Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions, gaining himself a reputation for being one of the legitimately toughest men in the locker room, and one of the easiest to get along with in it. At one point the WWF made him an offer, but he turned them down. They gave Adrian Adonis his gimmick instead. He also recorded an album (Which, believe me folks is a whole other journal entry in itself.Just you wait)

After quitting full time wrestling in the late 80s/early 90s, he and Miss Linda opened a wrestling School and started a business making ring gear for other wrestlers in Florida (They made Mick Foley's Dude Love costume). He had his last match at the age of 70 in 2014. After surviving a bout of Cancer the couple moved back to Wales in 2018. During that time he had a film made about his life entitled 'You May Be Pretty, But I Am Beautiful: The Adrian Street Story' in 2019. He also did a few stints as a guest trainer for WWE's NXT UK.

Adrian Street passed away aged 82 on 24th July this year after a bout of sepsis.

And if that's not enough reason to love the guy, get this........

HE BEAT THE EVER LIVING CRAP OUT OF JIMMY SAVILLE !!!!!!!!!!!!

In 1971 Jimmy Saville was trying his luck at becoming a wrestler. Eager promoters were willing to take him on due to his fame knowing having him on the card would boost ticket sales.
Street had already taken a dislike to Saville, promoters would talk up about his toughness and him training with the Royal Marines and Saville himself would boast about having sex with young girls.
When Street arrived backstage one night he was informed by the promoter that he would be losing to Saville at an upcoming event in Nottingham. Street refused because he had just won the world Lightweight belt the night before, even putting the outgoing champion in hospital, and that losing to Saville would make him look weak. The promoter was having none of it.

When it came time for the match, Street kicked Saville's legs from under him causing him to drop onto the mat. Then Street picked him up by his hair and dropped him on his head. It was at that moment Street realised he had clumps of Saville's hair in his hands. For the rest of the match Street beat the ever loving crap out of him for real until Saville was battered and bloodied, then he allowed Saville to pin him.

Jimmy Saville never set foot in a wrestling ring ever again.

Adrian Street maintains had he known at the time what everybody knows now about Saville he would have beaten him even worse.

Adrian Street 1940 - 2023

R.I.P.

[Guybrush]

I know next to nothing about wrestling, but enjoyed your write-up on Adrian Street 🙂 Now I'm curious about that album.

Also; Jimmy Saville. What an absolute horrible creep and predator and such a shame that he got away with it. I didn't know he tried to get I to wrestling of all things, so that's interesting. Glad he got his ass handed to him.

[jimmy jazz]

I know who you are now OP. Welcome 👍

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Now I'm curious about that album.

Oh it's an experience, would never get released these days.
Speaking of which, my next journal entry is about another album of a similar nature. Look forward to that one, it's a real zinger.

I know who you are now OP. Welcome 👍

TY
Good to be here

[Suburban Placeholder?]

Also, can I just say thank you for having a custom emoji dedicated solely for reviewing U2 albums.


          

[Trollheart]

Hey at least you didn't say Bon Jovi! 
This is the kind of thing we need. And you're the kind of poster we need. It is, seriously, a massive boost to have you back, and I hope you'll stay. Look forward to more off-beat journal entries.

And yes, kudos to Street on kicking the crap out of Saville. Bastard. I see BBC are starting a docu-drama on the cunt (may he roast in perpetuity) tomorrow, with of all people Steve Coogan in his role.

[Suburban Placeholder?]

I don't have an issue with them making a docudrama about unsavoury people. I mean the last one I watched was the ITV one with David Tennant playing the serial killer Dennis Nilsen, which I thought was really interesting.

My issue with this is this, why make a docudrama about Saville?

There can't be a single person in the UK who isn't aware of what happened with Saville, I mean, what could you possibly learn watching it. Why would you feel the need to dramatise it for TV, and how would you do that anyway?

The way I see it is all this show will do is open old wounds for the poor people he abused.

Now on the other hand, a docudrama about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. That could be interesting viewing. Something has never added up there.

[Guybrush]

I too liked the little Dennis Nielsen series. In the world of serial killers, he's an interesting character.

For Madeleine McCann, I was really hoping the somewhat recent developments and suspects would've led to something by now, but seems not. It would be nice to have an ending to that docudrama.

[Trollheart]

My own - possibly wrong - belief is that this is the BBC's way of trying to either atone for their incredible and multiple sins of aiding/enabling/ignoring him when he was a star, or of trying to refocus the narrative onto him and away from them. I think they'll want viewers to think they're owning up, taking ownership of the mistakes they made, but it will be interesting to see how much, if any, blame they accept in the programme. Will it be a whitewash, absolving them and the govt (nobody could have known etc), a plea for forgiveness or actually their own attempt at a reckoning with the audience? Time will tell.

But I agree with Suburban: this is going to bring up horrible memories for all those who were abused and used by Savile. I think I heard a few years before this was due to air that they had made the programme in concert with some of the victims, but I can't say for sure. I also think Coogan is an odd choice to play him. Known for satirical comedy and sending himself up in most of his incarnations, are the BBC not risking accusations of not taking this seriously? I mean, I assume Steve wants to expand beyond comedy, but I have to ask, is this the proper vehicle with which to do that?

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Some Videos.....

As far as I am aware this is Adrian Street's first ever televised match in the States.

Jim Cornette talks on his podcast about being Adrian's manager.

'Exotic' Adrian Street & Apocalypse vs Jerry 'The King' Lawler & 'Superstar' Bill Dundee

'Exotic' Adrian Street vs 'Universal Heartthrob' Austin Idol
Two of my favourite wrestlers of that era meet for the South-Eastern Heavyweight title.
It was Idol's last day in the company so this is the match where he dropped the belt to Adrian.
Incidently, the video is wrong, this match happened in 1985.

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some more videos....

Handicapped Match
'Exotic' Adrian Street, Miss Linda and Jim Cornette vs 'Superstar' Bill Dundee & Jerry Calhoun (A referee)

Jim Cornette talks about that match on his podcast.

Adrian and Linda visit a sick girl in hospital despite being heels.

Adrian on beating up Jimmy Saville in his own words.

[tristan_geoff]

Also, can I just say thank you for having a custom emoji dedicated solely for reviewing U2 albums.


          

U2's stretch until 1991 was untouchable

alternative would not have been the same without it

those Eno albums especially Unforgettable Fire are on constant rotation nowadays, and I get it for years I was a U2 denier but the sheer like atmosphere of their stuff is really comforting to me

[Lexi Darling]

U2's stretch until 1991 was untouchable

alternative would not have been the same without it

those Eno albums especially Unforgettable Fire are on constant rotation nowadays, and I get it for years I was a U2 denier but the sheer like atmosphere of their stuff is really comforting to me

Agreed, though I'd extend it to 93, I love Zooropa a lot.

They do have an excellent sense of atmosphere, something about those echoey guitars really hits a sweet spot for me.

[Suburban Placeholder?]

They do have an excellent sense of atmosphere, something about those echoey guitars really hits a sweet spot for me.

*cough*allbrianeno*cough*

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U2's stretch until 1991 was untouchable

Even with my give U2 some credit goggles on I couldn't agree there, 85 maybe.
The Joshua Tree was vastly overrated, and as for Rattle & Hum, hell some of my U2 loving friends at school were in tears listening to that utter turd of an album.