ROLLERBALL ROCCO: The Man Who Saved Wrestling - Wrestle Me Review

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Marc & Pete pay tribute to the wonderful World of Sport and celebrate the groundbreaking work of the greatest wrestler that never reached America, as they watch Mark "Rollerball" Rocco vs a young Dynamite Kid in 1980!!
Hosted by Marc Haynes & Pete Donaldson; Edited by BanyaBat
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wrestling, wwe, wwf, wcw, vince mcmahon, wrestle me, podcast, review, commentary, tnt, lord alfred hayes, raw, monday night wars, world championship wrestling, world wrestling entertainment, world wrestling federation, 90s, undertaker, paul bearer, wrestlemania, hogan, hulk, hulk hogan, 1986, roddy piper, hulkamania, jesse ventura, shoot match, shoot, wrestling shoot, rick rude, mark starr, ravishing rick rude, wcw champion, secret, secret shoot, 90's wrestling, goldberg, streak, 1997, 1998, wcw monday nitro, spiros arion, colin joynson, bruno sammartino, world of sport, british wrestling, itv, big daddy, wwwf, dynamite kid, calgary wrestling, stampede wrestling, mark rocco, marc rocco, rollerball, mark rollerball rocco, rollerball rocco, tiger mask, 70s wrestling, 80s wrestling

[@jonorocco]

Thank you for this video lovely to see my dads legacy is still going strong

[@WrestleMe]

Your dad is hands down one of the greatest of all time!

[@Brian-om2hh]

@@WrestleMe Yes, he definitely provided many with entertainment on Saturday afternoons....

[@WeeGimbles]

Jono - do you have a contact email I can reach you on? I'd love to put your dad in a videogame...

[@RobertJ82]

Ahhh no way, awesome!

[@JamesCampbell-i5i]

Wow he's your dad. That's sooo cool your dad is a legend.

[@johnny5805]

It's great to see Rocco being shown the love he deserves. Even as a kid, you knew there was something special about him. RIP Mark.

[@rayvenkman2087]

If a young wrestler today goes out in his colours or goes out in his styles, that’ll might help get people curious to wonder who that came from to look up Rocco.

[@Alan-ss3xp]

I can’t get over how athletic Rocco was and his career ended due to his heart working properly. Amazing character.

[@Alan-ss3xp]

Really enjoy watching this but the f. ing is tedious. A good commentary otherwise.

[@AustinLindstrom]

I'm so utterly hooked on this channel it's crazy. Here I am, 46, and I had never heard of Rollerball Rocco before. From now on, I'll only greet people with "ROLLERBALL ROCCO".

[@Brando-Lee3725]

Im 45 and yes this channel rules my friend ! I hope to see you in the comments on other vids

[@TheZoltanF]

Same

[@aliteralchad7128]

Same here bro I don’t even watch wrestling and havent since I was about 13 years old but when I was 13 and I’m now 32 I was an absolute rabid fan who attended a wwf event as a kid and it is ingrained in my mind as a really odd event all of this humor just hits the spot

[@KevinBach-fl7us]

Same here, 47!

[@Michaeldogfox]

Did you he also was Black Tiger mask NJPW

[@ROCCO-TV]

Rocco TV approves of this video.

[@markwrenn5965]

Nice!

[@MacStoker]

cheers

[@manfredvonrichthofen4167]

It is criminal that the rest of the world (besides UK and Japan) knows so little about the legend that is Mark "Rollerball" Rocco

[@honesto4696]

I genuinely laughed hard, every time I heard Toccata & Fugue played, whenever Mick McManus showed up on camera. Bela Lugosi may have gotten jump scares, but McManus gets jump laughs.

[@zetetick395]

🧛‍♂

[@lardonirdesco]

Have heard it said of Rocco and Hogan, that in Japan before Hulk got big in the states. The Japanese guys were getting really annoyed with Hogan because they couldn't do anything with him as he didn't know how to work properly. They went to the Brits like Rocco who could wrestle and asked that they teach him to wrestle. So they did.. Rollerball Rocco took Hogan into a ring and taught him holds and how to wrestle. It could therefore be argued that without Rocco, there would have been no Hulkamania either.....

[@Strikes12Records]

My gut tells me Hogan knew EXACTLY who Rocco was.

[@DrDestructo]

Rollerball Rocco is only a name I've heard in passing, and I am now glad I have some footage to put to that name, because he's fantastic.

[@crumplepoint2712]

I searched a bunch of names William Regal kept mentioning and was blown away by how exciting this stuff was. If it had stayed like this I'd never have stopped watching wrestling. The way they use the rules particularly is really engaging.

[@joshuaDstarks]

This guy is way too good to be talked about so little. Leave it to the premier wrestling channel to shine some light on a forgotten great.

[@edisonlavin8772]

12:19 got to be one of the coolest little sequences ive ever seen

[@vyleside]

I came to the comments to see if anybody could say what match that was. I've never seen a hiptoss into a snap mare before.

[@goldenmilktea4992]

That Dracula music is killing me!😄

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

When The Wrestling Channel started up my favourite segment was World of Sport - watching a very young Dynamite, Rocco, Bret, Finlay, Owen and Johnny Saint blew my mind

[@Paulthompson9942]

I loved it too and got to see for the first time Les Kellet and Kwick Kick Lee

[@spidertour02]

I popped for the Dracula music stings. 😂

[@Vercingetorix.Fantasia]

These boys are reminiscent of OSW but got their own thing and i Love it. Glad i found you fuckers

[@mandoprince1]

Mark Rocco briefly competed in the WWWF (before it became the WWF) and was later the WWF Junior Heavyweight champion (as Black Tiger), though the title was actually based in Japan at that time.

[@joeljohnson8214]

I believe he faced The Cobra George Takano for WWF around this time as well for that championship.

[@mandoprince1]

@@joeljohnson8214 You're right😎 "In North America, Rocco only wrestled a little. The most significant appearance was on December 28, 1984, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, in a bout taped for airing on Japanese television. With the vacant WWF Jr. Heavyweight title up in the air, The Cobra (George Takano) pinned Rocco as Black Tiger with a tombstone and senton bomb off the top; after the bout, Black Tiger went after Cobra with a chair."

[@graemenicol6377]

Another great upload been a old git at 53 who grew up on WOS I'm loving this channel.

[@Brando-Lee3725]

If only guys today studied how Rocco , Dynamite and Tiger Mask worked . And not just the flips , but how they made everything seem more real with the selling and pacing . But I guess I am preaching and yelling out to the clouds like an an old man !

[@vdd]

He was the first classic British wrestler I saw who really impressed me, and it got me into the style

[@Quebradanet]

Forgetting the great Rollerball Rocco is 1 of the greatest of Hogan's multitude of shameful acts

[@TheJohno95]

That is some of the best wrestling I've ever seen! With energy level and hard-hitting moves, you could truly believe this is really a sport and not just choreographed. Those quick moves and well-sold impacts make everything look all-the-way real!

[@tmage23]

A lot of old school British wrestlers have that catch wrestling style that comes from the Snake Pit (where Billy Robinson and Karl Gotch both trained).

[@DrNekobeard]

Never crossed my mind when I clicked on this video I'd grow a massive amount of respect for a guy named "rollerball rocco"

[@pappy374]

Rocco also did a great Bob Carolgees tribute act.

[@NickyBbags]

Great video! Made a new patreon member and new Rocco fan in one week! Thanks for all the great content lads

[@nicholashughes8126]

I know that guys like Rocco, Saint, Breaks are VERY well respected by a lot of US workers who grew up in the era of tape traders. Guys like Chris Hero have talked extensively about their influences.

[@QuartzMatrixed]

Only heard of the guy once or twice. Honestly I think referenced by regal. But seeing this and seeing him with dynamite, I'm thoroughly impressed. I thought this was going to be a joke video or making fun of an older generation but I actually think this was some of the best work I seen in the ring ever. Those holds on arms and wrist had my arthritis flaring up lol. Dynamite will never get full respect. It's a shame because English are tough people. Most Americans wouldnt know that. But being a boxing fan has taught me one thing if nothing about English people. They love to stand behind their team/fighter/city and they love a good fight. Queensbury rule after all!

[@savagecatgt]

Dynamites reputation is probably why he doesn't get much respect. Hard to respect wrestling skills when the person is horrid.

[@NiktheEnglishGreekCypriot]

@@savagecatgtSteve Austin is horrid to women, does that mean he shouldn’t be recognised for his in ring work?

[@samspurgeon4222]

The music everytime that dude with the Dracula hair pops up on the screen is killing me😂😂😂😂

[@SheltonHull]

He really was one of the greats.

[@athenry0499]

Saw him at the QE hall in Oldham back in the day, he was amazing and had the crowd in the palm of his hand. RIP.

[@TheGilgameshepic]

Used to watch World of Sport wrestling with my dad when I was a kid. Rocco was one of my favourites. I don't think a lot of people will realise how ahead of his time he was, there were VERY few other wrestlers who performed an almost early cruiserweight style, and he was damn good at getting people to boo him despite having one of the most exciting ring styles going at the time, which is no mean feat

[@Jayce_Alexander]

I can't think of many wrestlers who the term "underrated" applies more to than Mark Rocco. I grew up in France, so I never really saw British wrestling back in the days before KZbin, but Rocco's matches with Tiger Mask were absolutely legendary among tape trading French wrestling fans even back in the 90s. Rocco had so many great matches. I can't think of anybody who is more deserving to get a little spotlight time from the IWC. Thank you for this video.

[@Joe_SN]

Young wrestling fan here, I've been so enthralled by this channel and the stories of British wrestling. We always hear about ring technicians and grapplers of the last 30 to 40 years but to see a guy who was doing this even before THAT and he was Northern English, something so close to myself. Its just wild and so interesting.

[@teamblitz1990]

I had the privilege to watch Rollerball Rocco vs Fit Finlay at catford in 1990 and it's the best wrestling match I have ever seen

[@jennybates]

Rollerball was on the MSqG undercard for what was to become WrestleMania. He wrestled Verne Gagne and feuded with Hulk Hogan. Rollerball ended up being the UK scout for many US wrestling promotions, like WWE and Impact Wrestling. That was in 1978, so, it was wwwf.

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

Rocco did work in New York - he was in a tag team with Greg Gagne and one of their opponents was Hogan

[@glencurtis6052]

Saw him at the Ipswich Corn Exchange in the late 80s, amazing

[@michaellee8816]

I saw on KZbin Big Daddy vs Kamala Harris, and thought, that has to be WrestleMes worlds colliding....

[@Phoenix2312]

@Wrestle Me I stumbled on your channel; when it appeared on my KZbin Home Page... And DAMN I HAD TO CLICK!!! Rollerball Rocco... WOW! A Real Legend!!! It is sad that few talk about him as he was indeed a pioneer... There was his famous Rivalry that was always amazing in the Ring, I believe the opponent whet by the name of "Saint"... I will recognise him if I ever see his face... ... But I have never forgotten how things went form an In Ring "For the Entertainment" feud to a - For a short time at least... ABSOLUTE BLOOD FEUD when, while he was no stranger to a bit of blading, They made a mistake in the ring and Rocco got his head busted open... They finished the match but Rocco was LIVID!!! I think away from the arenas they were bitter to one another for many months... I was only about 5 years old when World Of Sport used to show the wrestling... It was one of the only sports I had any interest in! And Rollerball Rocco was to me, The Original "One you love to hate but also Hate to Love" - Far beyond even the other Legendary Grappler Giant Haystacks.

[@stephenberry7876]

I saw him in the late 80s in Northampton blew me away

[@msmith42001]

This is the second guy this channel introduced to me that I never heard of. Also that ring doesn’t move at all! The opposite of an ECW ring that had crazy bounce.

[@Ravenh4wk]

Thanks for your great channel. I've only just recently stumbled across it and have subscribed. I have been a huge wrestling fan since the mid 70's and have fond memories of watching the World Of Sport wrestling with my grandparents from a very early age. It was a weekly ritual - go shopping in the morning and then make sure we were back for the wrestling. We would go to the wrestling when on holiday in Torquay, where they had wrestling pretty much every week during the school holidays. Rollerball Rocco was one of my favourite wresters, growing up as a lad, even though he was always a heel. I saw him wrestle live quite a few times. The most memorable match I saw was at Cheltenham Town Hall, where after being disqualified, he brought in a chair and went crazy. I think he was wrestling Johnny Saint? It's the first time that I ever saw a chair being used (way before the WWE etc used them).

[@carlleedham6256]

The nickname "Rollerball" is because he was in the film Rollerball staring James Caan

[@Biker.Adam22]

Some of the best gimmicks came from movies

[@jamiemark]

I had never seen any of his UK matches, but saw his work as Black Tiger against guys like Tiger Mask and The Cobra.

[@rob27dap26]

Rocco for me was like the Ric Flair of the UK but flair in his Heel Prime. Love everything about Rocco gotta to meet him at an FWA Training Camp years ago was a guest speaker and he talked then about the importance of everything you do its means something. Genuinely lovely bloke and if WWE ever wanted to legitimise its hall of Fame it should get Rocco in there ASAP. On a side note a look at the British Revival of the early Noughties and of course the FWA would be a great little examination it only lasted a few years but it was great to see it and be a part of it, and is a modern day chapter of British Wrestling

[@michaellee8816]

Also, what a brilliant video - your passion for this, and the nostalgia....what a lost Britain

[@Az-od9bq]

My mum met Rocco a few years ago in his care home

[@lewisnormand]

Not for a millisecond did I think you were talking about Hogan. Great talent Rollerball. Pioneer way ahead of his time. Loving the UK wrestling content. Keep it up!

[@marcsarfati3291]

I like that Rocco said the SHOOT position not the GRILLA position.

[@neilclark1681]

Chute

[@errantbard937]

Only just discovered this channel and absolutely love it! You lads are shining a light on areas of wrestling that deserve more love!

[@Bretde1]

How do you guys only have 15k subs???? I found you guys the other day...this might be the best channel on youtube. Every single video is absolutely hilarious

[@Brian-om2hh]

Rocco was a formidable wrestler, and as tough as they came, although there were a few wrestlers who could handle him capably. Marty Jones being one..... It was as good as it got.

[@Brando-Lee3725]

Rollerball was the best in UK , Tiger Mask was the best Junior in Japan .Their matches lit a fire ! So how fitting was it that Tiger mask and Dynamite kid have matches thrown in with Rocco as Black tiger inspiring later talent like Benoit who idolized Dynamite Kid who wrestled classics with Tiger mask and then Benoit became the masked Pegasus Kid who eventually feuded with Black Tiger 2/Eddie Guererro !!! And whats crazy is not only do these matches hold up , I think they look better than the high flyers today . Yeah they wernt doing a walk the rope into a reverse double jump 630 corckscrew flip but they were still doing great stuff that looked believable .

[@carlkinvig6047]

I am so glad you did this video and gave due recognition to the British wrestlers like Rocco; for all the razzmatazz of the WWF/E etc I still believe the best quality, in ring action was Rocco and Marty Jones and Co. The Lancashire style as Billy Robinson called it fused with pacy hard hitting wrestling. A story I heard about Rocco from the early 80s was when he straightened out Jimmy Snuka who was touring the UK at the time. Snuka was being disrespectful to some of the wrestlers and the British wrestling scene in general, this included intentionally being stiff and not protecting who he was working with. The wrestlers decided Snuka had to be sorted out so when he worked with Rocco and came off the top rope with his splash, Rocco raised his knees at the last minute. In the back later on Rocco asked Snuka if he had a problem and Snuka said no, and that was that, however Snuka got the message and was more careful from then on.

[@londonEnglishVideos]

Great wrestler, and a great heel to boot. He could attract the boos without the comic-book nasty heel exaggerations, he let his wrestling skills tell the story. Awesome competitor. RIP

[@Brando-Lee3725]

Hell yeah ! Ya dont hear a lot about Rocco but if ya know ya know and if ya dont ya will after watching this ! Thanks again . I hope this channel gets more and more subscribers by the day !

[@devious187]

This channel is a true gem and Rollerball Rocco was great, glad you guys are putting some respect on his name

[@johnytwotimes4072]

Me-,"I'm tired of KZbin wrasslin channels I've seen it all" Algorithm- Rollerball Rocco? Me-👀

[@thejavatar]

Great video! I didn't even know this guy existed, which is a shame so thanks for giving him some spotlight. Fan since 1986 and love your channel!

[@matthewsmith6051]

It's almost impossible to conceive how Rocco and Kid called that match on the fly, because they were so fast, or worked it out beforehand, because there was just too much content to remember. Rocco was the Mozart of wrestling. He was learning brand new moves in Japan then using them flawlessly in the UK six weeks later. There were maybe three or four guys in the world who could keep up with him, and they were all better than anyone around today. The best of all time in my book.

[@paulwerline6249]

Ahhh! Aren't we constantly reminded why Hulk Hogan will never be mistaken for somebody that actually has class.

[@mekugi]

Wow I have seen glimpses of him as the Black Tiger, but did not know his story. This opens up a whole new world and I'm a fan now. British territory wrestling is fabulous and this channel is outstanding. Thank you gents!

[@neilhassall6342]

Rollerball rococo was an absolute legend In wrestling, you saw his name on a poster you knew you were in for a great night's wrestling, his match was worth the ticket price alone. RIP Rocco.

[@steve81nz39]

Steve Gray, bert royal, vic faulkner and kung fu another bunch of smaller but fast wrestlers. I used to love the speed and timing. RIP rollerball rocco

[@jeffnettleton3858]

Dynamite's kids were in Canada. He was probably visiting his parents. Rocco was known to those of us who saw Tiger Mask's matches in Japan, on tapes. Rocco wrestled as Black Tiger, Tiger Mask's rival and set the tradition of Black Tiger being portrayed by foreign wrestlers, including Eddie Guerrero.

[@silver47official]

Ummh, yes we know. They just spoke about that in this video!

[@wpflesh6510]

From the Southern United States here where they take wrestling as serious as anything i have been screaming Rocco’s praises for over a decade….The UK World of Sport style is just amazing and different

[@markthomas8322]

Mark Rollerball Rocco .... loved watching him on World of Sport on Saturday afternoons with Kent Walton always commenting. Favourites were Steve Grey, Bobby Ryan, Johnny Saint, Strongman Alan Denison and last but not least cry baby Jim Breaks. Kent Walton would always say at the end "have a good time till next time!!"

[@HudsonValleyVHS]

I'm 38 and from the states. I have been making sure to bring up Kevin Sullivan's revolutionary Manson Family territory gimmicks on every youtube comments section rambling on about WWF golden years, but I'll try and include Rollerball Rocco in the mix (while I continue my advocacy exploitive mid-80's satanic panic heel tactics). I also subscribed, I need wrestling videos in areas I'm embarrassingly lacking knowledge in, that definitely includes British wrestling.

[@floppyfairy99]

Blimey I'd completely forgotten about him. Looked like Bobby Ball and wrestled like Steve Regal

[@MrTumnus1987]

Every god damn time Mick McManus appears the Dracula trill sounds I crease, every damn time!

[@Rorshach1004]

My favourite wrestler as a kid.

[@stevejarvis4174]

I met Mark hussey a few years back and there are photos on my f/b with me ,rocco and mick mc manus , lovely both of them ,sadly both are now no longer with us ..rocco was my favourite wrestler and I've never seen anyone since who matched him ..r. i . p .

[@richiehunt5097]

Thanks. The first time I saw Rocco was as Black Tiger. At the time everybody raved about Tiger Mask, but I thought Rocco was better. I didn't know who he was until years later. I thought he was another Japanese wrestler under the mask. Then his work came up on KZbin and I was blown away by it. Easily in my top 10 all time in-ring performers. II'd say he comes across like a combination of Dynamite Kid and Fit Finlay.

[@gregmilner100]

Love the channel, rollerball, fit finley and kendo nagasaki, where the ones I looked forward to watching most as a kid, glad you are exposing british wrestling to the younger generation, the British lads where true trail blazers!

[@Mma-basement-215]

Wow they could move that was impressive very cool to watch

[@waynedoyle5584]

7.15 mark...BEAUTIFUL touch of comedy...lol

[@indianatone218]

LOVED ROCCO AS A KID HE WAS JUST MENTAL NO HOLDS BARRED ,SORRY TO HEAR HES DEAD NOW BUT WHAT A LEGEND .

[@TruculentSheep]

Hulk Hogan always used to brag he was 'Ichi' (no. 1) in Japan, though in practice he was more a "Ni" (or no. 2), if his behaviour and treatment of others was anything to go by.

[@MrChintaro]

And the moral of the story is; when you’re trying to make it on telly doing summat physical, don’t forget your roids. Like Ricky Morton. Doesn’t matter how good you are if you look like Dickie Davis.

[@Brando-Lee3725]

After really really thinking about it , who is more underrated than Rollerball ? Considering everything ? Great vid . Now im gonna go back and rewatch his matches and hopefully find more I havnt seen . KZbin is a glorious thing for a wrestling fan ! I spent so much money finding tapes in the early 90s that are free now !

[@peterdwyer6118]

Got a massive respect for the real grapplers who built the road the stars are driving on now. When there was no money in it.

[@sklba632]

Thank you for this video. Your romanticism towards this time period is kinda like what Memphis was doing. I hope you can educate people on Les Kelly the same way.

[@KatchouroBlade]

The passage from Bret's book is sad. Rollerball had worked Hogan during his first WWWF run as well as being a belt holder for Vince Snr. The clowns running joint promotions didn't reinvest, instead spending the TV money on overseas property and once ITV pulled out the UK was a wrestling hinterland. Otto Wanz was the only way to make good reliable money in Europe. Mark Rocco was a true great, along with Marty Jones and Sayama he shaped modern wrestling. I'm glad he was posthumously put in the WON hall of fame.

[@larrywasek7307]

I'm very interested in British wrestling now.Thank you guys

[@L_Train]

Im not sure when this was originally recorded by Rocco passed away a couple of years ago.

[@donaldcampbell-e4t]

Best heel ever!!

[@ivorgriffiths1859]

The rollerball Rocco v dynamite kid match is legendary and yes set a whole new standard and we had it happen here in the UK 😊

[@theheartbreakcat]

Every aspiring wrestler needs to study these guys and WHY these guys work the way they do. They'll learn so much

[@jimmyjarrett-ws2iz]

I can't believe Rocco was 4th Generation! Who did his great Grandfather wrestle? HenryVIII?

[@huskeeloins]

“What’s happened to the grapplin” is his all time best line

[@pauldavies8412]

Rollerball rocco was my favourite wrestler. I have seen rocco face kendo nagasaki and fit finlay.

[@markwrenn5965]

ROLLERBALL ROCCO!

[@SpaceAgeMark]

Just found you channel, love it!!!!!!!

[@danielsmith1293]

What actually happened with UK wrestling. Why did it all go so wrong? A Wrestle Me video explaining this would go down a treat. Keep up the good work guys x

[@mark4lev]

The story about hogan says a lot. The stories keep coming

[@jackdeedman5344]

Love to see more of the British game. The obvious: Kendo, Micky M and Adrian Street. There are so many that have so little exposure online. Loving the show. Nostalgia is a beautiful drug!

[@andrethegiant3035]

What an absolute gem of a channel. You guys rock!

[@dachronicalalittlebitofeve6630]

A better version of osw review, more graphics and special effects can make them more fun too, but I applaud the work and having a pro stance is also a nice a twist. I didn’t even realise this footage still existed so I’m very happy to see it, one hopefully I’ll get to see my grandpa on one of these shows, he was a corner man when they came to birmingham

[@anonamus9677]

Never heard of the man but he looks brilliant in the ring!

[@RexMundi_UTC]

Great video lads, very informative, subscribed!