ALL STAR GRAPPLEVINE

Writer – Russell Plummer Photographs – Tony Knox

Wrestling back after Covid hit

AFTER suffering a Covid-19 pandemic knockout from the middle of March last year, it will be all-systems go for All Star Superslam Wrestling when a major 11 event autumn series gets underway with Sunday afternoon action at the Hexagon, Reading, on 26 September, starting at 3pm. The final presentation last year as the pandemic began to take hold was at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton on 15 March and, fittingly, the Wirral venue is back for a Sunday line-up on 3 October starting at 3pm. All Star passed Joint Promotions 43 year run during 2013 and celebrated 50 years in wrestling during 2020, although most events to celebrate the anniversary were lost due to Covid. All Star is now the now the world’s third longest running promotion behind Mexico’s CMLL and America’s WWE. Here is a full list of All Star autumn dates with tickets on sale in advance at the venue box offices or available at the door on the night. Bookings on-line or by phone usually incur additional Ticket Fees or Transaction Charges over which All Star has no control. All shows have a bell time of 7.30pm unless indicated otherwise.

Autumn action features major tag team championship series

The notorious Henchmen, Jim Diehard and Benton Destruction.

Norfolk threat the Pitbulls, battling brothers Mike and Dave Waters.

Explosive duo Roy and Zack Knight campaign as the UK Hooligans.

SOME of the heaviest combinations on the British tag scene will be battling for points when All Star’s British Tag Team Championship series gets underway on Sunday 26 September at Reading with ten different events following before the winning pairing are crowned as champions at the Town Hall, Dudley, on Saturday 30 October. Already participation by four contrasting but equally formidable combinations has been announced in the shape of the UK Hooligans, brothers Roy and Zack Knight from Norwich; the Midlands-based Henchmen Jim Diehard and partner Benton Destruction; there’s another explosive family formation of Pitbulls ‘The Bulk’ Dave Waters and brother Mike Waters while major fan support seems assured for a specially formed new combination of Oliver and Dean Allmark.

The Knight brothers come from one of Britain’s most famous wrestling families headed by veteran solo and tag specialist Ricky Knight who originally made his name on the tag scene partnering Jimmy Ocean as the Super Flys and has more recently been joined by his flame haired wife Sweet Saraya in mixed matches. Daughter Britani Knight made her name campaigning as Paige for WWE in the United States and the family was featured in the 2012 Channel 4 documentary ‘Fighting with my Family.’ Now there’s a third generation from the family chasing success – and making a good job of it – with Roy’s son campaigning as Ricky Knight junior in tribute to his grandfather. Roy and Zack have been wrestling since their teens with the former starting at 13 while Zack was even younger when first climbing through the ropes and into the ring and by 2007 was appearing abroad with a successful first tour to Norway.

The UK Hooligans partnership took off towards the end of 2010 and they were soon into a fierce rivalry with 40 stones-plus bearded duo ‘The Henchmen’ consisting of Midlanders Benton Destruction and Jim Diehard who started appearing for All Star in 2017. Based in Coventry they have also made their mark in Germany’s annual tournaments at Hannover as well as figuring in some epic home clashes with American invaders Harlem Bravado and ‘Vampire Warrior’ Gangrel and Continental aces Flying Eagle and Italian teen discovery Tiger Kid.

At just a shade under 40 stones East Coast threat Dave Waters is the heaviest wrestler in Britain at the present moment and successfully revived the Pitbulls partnership after brother Mike injured himself while taking part in a Strongest Man event and was side-lined for two years. With his regular partner out of action Mike continued to campaign in a new Un-Natural Disasters pairing with the Wisbech-based Monster Karn.

Top home tag title contenders

Dean Allmark, once a partner for James Mason, is returning to the tag scene.

Oliver Grey concentrated on solo action including two years in the USA with WWE.

THE interest of home fans in the autumn series to decide new British Tag Team Champions rests firmly on the shoulders of Oliver Grey and Dean Allmark after the pair, these days best known for solo action, threw their hats into the tournament ring. Hailing from Exeter in Devon, and now in his mid-thirties, Grey first made his mark campaigning in the West Country as Joel Redman but changed to his present ring name when spending over two years in the United States competing in the WWE’s development operation NXT and achieving both tag and solo success.

Back in Britain he defeated American Harlem Bravado to become Superslam title holder and successfully defended the impressive belt until suffering a shock Gravesend defeat at the hands of Maori Warrior Niwa at Gravesend during February last year but Covid-19 arrived before he had the chance of a return meeting. Niwa subsequently headed back to the Southern Hemisphere and there has been no news yet about a possible return to our rings. Dean Allmark was no stranger to team action often hitting the tag trail alongside James Mason but has recently concentrated on solo matchings in addition to working for more than a decade as head coach of the Wirral-based All Star Training School.

Through the 2021 tournament points will be awarded to the winning teams and it will all build towards the top pairings battling out for the title at the end of October. Any pairing suffering three successive defats will be eliminated and new challengers will come into the picture and in addition to three tag clashes each programme will also include two solo contests featuring established stars and emerging talent.

Joseph becomes youngest ref!

IT WILL be a big night for teenager Joseph Allmark when wrestling returns to the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton on Sunday 2 October as he is set step through the ropes and into the ring spotlight to become Britain’s youngest licensed referee and will take charge of two solo contests during the All Star Superslam event which starts at 6pm. Now 17, Joseph, from Spital, has spent his entire life in a wrestling environment and is the only son of top ring star Dean Allmark and his wife Letitia, also a familiar figure as an event presenter for All Star.

Joseph represents a fourth ring generation as great grand-father Joe Connolly was a well-known Merseyside wrestler while grandfather Brian Dixon, founder of All Star, now Britain’s longest running wrestling promotion, also started in the business as a ‘third man.’

Joseph supports Dean who is head coach for the Wirral-based All Star Training School and is a student at St.Anselm’s College in Prenton, Birkenhead, and hopes to become a PE teacher or instructor

In the meantime Keep safe the summer sunshine. And we look forward to welcoming you all back ringside soon.

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