Wrestling Heritage welcomes memories, further information and corrections.
A Bundle of Fun
Regular readers of Heritage know of the Old Mossblown Gym. A small, functional gym in the village of Mossblown, a mining community in South Ayshire. It was built by it’s members and run by the Bryden brothers, Andy and Bill, known to the wrestling world as Dale Storm and Bruce Welch. From this small gym came a dozen or more wrestlers who entertained the people of Scotland throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Don’t take our word for it. Read the books of Eddie Rose to understand how highly regarded was the gym and the wrestlers that emerged.
One of them was a youngster by the name of Ian Taylor. Ian was a mechanic by trade. In the late 1960s he was joined at the garage by a new mechanic, Andy Bryden. Ian hadn’t long left school, he was sixteen when the two met, and it was Andy that introduced Ian to the wonderful world of professional wrestling. Andy had been to Australia, brought into wrestling by Danny Flynn, and could tell a good tale.
Not that Ian was interested in wrestling. Okay, he watched it on television, as most of the population did in the 1960s. Everything stopped at 4 o’clock. Les Kellett and Catweazle were his favourites. Not for the wrestling mind you. For Ian it was the entertainment aspect that enthralled him. The way the wrestlers could control the emotions of the audience.
Andy and Ian talked about wrestling, and Andy told him of his gym and collection of aspiring wrestlers. Still not convinced the seventeen year old accepted Andy’s invitation to join him, his brother and the rest of the gang.
Hooked!
Twice a week Ian learned the rudiments of the business at the Mossblown gym. After around eight months the decision was made to introduce him to the paying public, an opportunity to demonstrate not just what he knew about wrestling, but about entertainment. That first match was against another Mossblown man, Young Starsky.
Smitten!
By now re-named Teddy Bear Taylor (he was a Glasgow Rangers fan) Ian travelled around Scotland and entertained the fans. He was a good pupil of both wrestling and entertainment according to tutor Dale Storm, “Teddy Bear taylor could be hilarious.” At times he would tag partner Mad Michael O’Hagan; not an obvious partnership but one that just worked.
Rocco, Pallo, Street. These were the men he admired. He respected their wrestling ability but again it was their ability to entertain that he really admired. Wrestling in 1971, married in 1974, life was looking good for Teddy Bear. Until disaster struck. It was 1978. A fire left Ian seriously injured. Months of recovery, and lucky to escape with his life, there was no way Teddy Bear Taylor could return to the ring.
Not the happy ending we would like to tell. But happy in that Ian fully recovered, enjoys life and looks back on a good life as an entertainer.
Page added 18/06/2024
12222
Wrestling Heritage 