I'm remembering the days when grapple fans gathered in South Shields

You might remember the recent Shields Gazette article on the day when 2,000 people packed into the Regent Cinema.

Mick McManus and Les Kellett

It happened in 1961 and they were there to watch the Black Panther take on the 6ft 2in-tall bearded Russian Ivan the Terrible.

But I wanted to take a further look at the sport which pulled in punters every week to watch the likes of Mick McManus, Les Kellett, Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks.

Wrestling was a Saturday afternoon ‘must watch’ for many TV viewers from 1965 to 1985.

‘Greetings grapple fans’

Dickie Davies was the World of Sport host who would introduce people to the weekly episodes which were presented by Kent Walton. He would start the show with a ‘greetings grapple fans’ welcome.

Then it would be on to the action with wrestlers such as Adrian Street, Mark Rollerball Rocco and Jackie Pallo.

Bringing back the Bolingbroke Hall memories

We want to know about the wrestlers you saw fight in South Tyneside.

Bolingbroke Hall was one venue which held bouts and the bigger cinemas of the borough also attracted the giants of the game.

Tell us which ones you saw and what you remember of the occasion by emailing [email protected]