ADRIAN STREET
Adrian Street was one of the most colourful characters in the ring. When wrestling on television began to broadcast in colour, he really went over the top and each outfit seemed to be more outlandish than the last. But make no mistake about it, behind all the make-up and showmanship Adrian was one of the finest wrestlers in the country. Whether as a solo wrestler or tagging with Bobby Barnes in Hell's Angels, Street brought the house down every night with his prancing around the ring. Adrian came from Brynmawr, a small mining town in south Wales. All his family before him had been miners and Adrian was no different. By the time he was 15 he was down the mines but it wasn't long before he packed his bags and moved to London to become a wrestler. He was a keen weightlifter and body builder and had his first match in 1957. By the late 60's he had become a top rate worker but he felt he still needed something else to get him noticed. That was when the colourful robes and gowns and the over the top mannerism came into play.
More and more people started to sit up and take notice and before long he was appearing in the main event slots all over the UK. In 1974 he left Joint Promotions to work for Orig Williams and continued to cause mayhem wherever he went. They didn't take too lightly to his camp appearance in Northern Ireland and he even had a gun pushed into his face one night. Linda, his long term partner was also wrestling by then as Blackfoot Sioux and they travelled everywhere together.
His last match in the UK was at the beginning of 1981 just before he moved house to Canada where he worked for Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling circuit. From Canada he moved on to Mexico and then the United States where he became a huge sensation. The make up and ring gear went even further over the top in America and he was in great demand all over. Before Adrian went to the United States, no one was wearing face paint or wearing spandex or entering the ring with a lady valet. Nowadays, all of these things are commonplace. He eventually settled in Gulf Breeze near Pensacola in Florida and in 2005 he finally made an honest woman of Linda after 38 years when they married in Las Vegas. Despite a health scare a few years ago, Adrian is fighting fit again with the body of a 20 year old and he still has the odd match at the age of 68. Long may he continue. |
Credit: Peter McNolte |
