British wrestling has seen some of the fiercest and most captivating rivalries, shaping the industry from the World of Sport era to the modern independent scene.
From legendary feuds like Big Daddy vs. Giant Haystacks to the hard-hitting battles of Will Ospreay and Zack Sabre Jr., these rivalries have defined eras and captivated fans.
This article explores the greatest rivalries in British wrestling history, highlighting the intense matches, personal grudges, and lasting legacies they left behind.
Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks
When you think of classic British wrestling, there is none other than Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks that comes to mind.
Shirley “Big Daddy” Crabtree was a former soldier, dragged out of retirement by his brother to become the biggest star in Joint Promotions in the 1970s. Meanwhile, Giant Haystacks was a six foot eleven, forty stone monster who towered over everyone who dared face him – even Andre The Giant!
These two behemoths in the ring made history with their 30+ clashes against one another all over the UK. Thousands would cram into music halls (and Wembley Arena!) countless times to see them butt bellies and do anything but wrestling in short, spectacular matches.
With up to 20 million people (rumoured) tuning in to see their titanic clash at Wembley Arena, there was no match bigger in history than Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks. While their style of wrestling may have killed British wrestling as a sport, its golden years were some of the best the country has ever seen.
Learn more about the massive clashes between Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks
Jackie Pallo vs Mick McManus
Beside Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks, the iconic feud between Mick McManus and Jackie Pallo is the most notorious and exciting this country has ever seen.
Starting with an explosive callout at Wembley Arena, the two hated heels clashed all over the country in a multitude of different matches. The pair mainly drew on television, although the undefeated (well, almost) McManus dropped some falls to his younger opponent in non-televised matches in smaller towns.
Their biggest encounter is said to be the most-watched wrestling match in British history. The 1962 FA Cup Final match is rumoured to have attracted 20 million views – more than the football itself!
While that insane number is disputed and it was likely half that, it is still among the greatest rivalries in the history of British wrestling.
Learn more about Mick McManus vs Jackie Pallo
Bert Assirati vs Shirley Crabtree
Nobody was more bitter about Shirley Crabtree’s (Big Daddy) British Heavyweight Championship victory than former champion Bert Assirati, and by god did he let him know about it!
It is said that after winning the belt, Crabtree was accosted relentlessly, with Assirati turning up at his house, his gym and at shows he was wrestling at. He challenged the champion to a fight each time, despite being blacklisted from the business for being overly aggressive in the ring.
Many have claimed that the constant abuse forced Big Daddy into hiding and made him retire for a significant period. There is some truth to that, but the real tale is far more interesting.
Discover the real story behind the Bert Assirati and Shirley Crabtree rivalry
Jimmy Havoc vs PROGRESS
PROGRESS Wrestling was the premier location for top-quality storytelling in wrestling in the 2010s. Their chapter-based schedule meant that long-term storytelling and interesting character development was the norm, headed by WWE’s Jim Smallman in creative.
Their most iconic storyline was the rise of Jimmy Havoc. In short, it was a man who made a name for himself in death matches, holding the Progress title hostage from the company and the fans because he was afraid he wouldn’t be good enough to win it back.
His rise from a plucky underdog with a point to prove to the champion of the promotion, through the most violent, depraved ways possible, was a sight to behold. Jimmy Havoc’s matches with Will Ospreay during this time were the best in the promotion’s history and defined what the company was during its peak.
Sadly, PROGRESS rarely talk about him any more. That is because Jimmy Havoc was one of the accused during the Speaking Out movement. Havoc was fired from AEW and quietly retired in 2020.
Learn more about the Speaking Out movement which ended Jimmy Havoc’s career.
1PW vs Its Fans
No promotion has taken such joy in scamming its fans out of their hard-earned cash than One Pro Wrestling, or 1PW.
The company was founded in 2005 and quickly got off on the wrong foot. Their first show was named for Matt Hardy, who was originally booked but pulled out of the show, leaving fans of the former WWE star out of pocket.
1PW even shut down after promising fans a match from The Great Muta. They claimed bankruptcy made them unable to afford his fee, but were back in business as soon as another promotion took over his booking for them.
They closed down a second time after another failed booking (this time from WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels), leaving fans once again with no money and a worthless ticket to nothing. Through multiple changes of owner and booking philosophies, no feud triumphed over how poorly 1PW treated their Doncaster Dome faithful.
But don’t feel too bad for the fans – the company scammed the wrestlers and didn’t pay them to perform either! Will Ospreay and Matt Cardona were the biggest victims of this in their 2022 revival, although their history has been blighted by controversies and contempt for their fans like no other.
Read all the ways 1PW scammed their fans throughout their controversial history.
WWE vs BritWres
Speaking of not caring about the British wrestling fans…
In 2016, British wrestling was hotter than it’d been in thirty years. RevPro, PROGRESS and ICW were drawing thousands of fans on a regular basis and ITV had commissioned World of Sport to bring British wrestling back to the mainstream.
There has never been a more exciting time to be a pro wrestling fan in the UK, so of course the WWE had to come along and ruin it for everybody. Their United Kingdom Tournament, followed by the launch of NXT UK, took all the top talent in the country and signed them to deals, decimating the top companies’ main event scene.
This was just one of the three things that killed the British Wrestling revival in the 2010s, something which the scene still hasn’t recovered from today.
Discover why WWE tried to take down British Wrestling by starting NXT UK in 2017.
Les Kellett vs Everyone
One man who had no shortage of enemies in wrestling was Les Kellett.
The “Crown Prince of Europe” was known throughout the country as arguably the greatest comedy wrestler of all time. However, his conduct behind the scenes was no laughing matter.
The Yorkshire wrestler was known as a spitful, spitting character backstage. He was short with his fellow wrestlers with threats of aggression in the ring always followed up upon by Les Kellett.
He also had a legendary pain tolerance, leading to some disgusting backstage incidents that scared the younger talent and added to the legend of Les Kellett.
Learn more about the most unpopular stories about Les Kellet here on BritWrestling!
