Jackie McCann interview WW: When did you get into pro wrestling and what was it that you found intriguing about the sport? What made you say "I want to do this"? JMC: Ladies were a popular feature of pre-war wrestling in London that is until World War 2! That’s when all entertainment licenses were revoked. With the re-introduction of wrestling after the war a London bye-law was passed through the Metropolitan Police under the Home Office prohibiting any exhibition of female boxing or wrestling within the Greater London Council jurisdiction. The situation continued throughout the late 1940s until the late 1970s. Miss Sue Brittain decided to challenge the bye-law and approached the EO commission who agreed to take up her case. The case was heard at no one court, Horseferry Road in the summer of 1979. A full report of the case was published in The Times legal section. There the arbitrator of the day decided that the EO commission has shown under the EO act that Miss Brittain was being prevented from taking up employment by reason of her sex and the verdict was given in her favour, Brittain thus becoming one of the first ladies to wrestle in the capital since 1939. The GLC lawyers appealed against the industrial tribunal's ruling and won after taking the matter to the House of Lords. The GLC then re-introduced the ban on ladies matches and kept the ban for several years. With the demise of the GLC in the 80s the problem seems to be a part of the past. So During the 1970s I jumped in to what had been previously a nearly exclusive man's world, the squared circle. I guess it was a source of liberation so I jumped into the ring and strode a new path, with few role models to follow, not even a guarantee that wrestling would be even worth My time, energy and effort, not to mention the unique hardships along the way. A select few women dared to thwart the common conception of what a woman was, if only inside the ring. I was strong, aggressive and inflicted pain on my opponents, and when I won I was proud of it! However, outside of the ring, it was back to the everyday life for women in the 70's. Despite the double standard and often harsh treatment experienced on the road, I thrived, wowing crowds and exploring the country. I overcame tremendous obstacles, both societal and personal, to pursue and succeed in Wrestling. Not to mention risking imprisonment! (yes, Ban or no ban we wrestled on)

WW: What was your first ever pro wrestling experience like? Did it make you doubt the choice you’d made? JMC: Remember it well! The sheer adrenaline rush served to in fuel my choice. Leading me confidently striding down a path of blood, sweat, tears, mistakes, frustrations and triumphs as well, of course, but as we all know you learn more from your failures then your wins. WW: What was the highlight, the peak of your professional wrestling career? JMC: when I captured the BWA Title in 1986. I retired undefeated BWA Champion in 1990. Due to Cancer, after an 18-year break from the sport, I returned to the Ring to take on talented heavyweight Shelby Beach in a `one-of` contest during the summer of 2008. WW: I think it’s safe to consider you the mistress of 1000 holds. What is your favorite wrestling hold and what do you like about that particular hold? JMC: The Leg Step over Hold It’s vicious and mean with no possible escape.

WW: Did you prefer to win your matches via a pinfall or via a submission? Do you reckon a submission win is more impressive than a pinfall one in any way?

JMC: Depends how cunning I wish to be, I have patience.
Finishers used to mean a lot more in pro wrestling. These days, everyone seems to kick out of everyone else’s finisher, thus degrading their value. Nonetheless, they are still vital in the ring. They’re the explosive exclamation point to a climactic ending.
Today, we have the opposite, people no-selling and kicking out of hold that during those years used to send people to the hospital and end careers.

WW: You did wrestle several American girls and mostly seemed to dominate them. What differences are there in your opinion between the US and British female wrestling schools?

JMC: Equality!
The historical view of UK women's wrestling. In a lot of ways it is similar to the history of men's wrestling in America.
Unlike the modern women of wrestling today who seem like they are more often lauded for their bodies than their wrestling ability, the women wrestlers of yester year (UK & America) were considered legitimately good wrestlers. They were seen as true tough girls and forces to be reckoned with. Their abilities as wrestlers seemed to be taken a lot more seriously.
Sadly, nowadays UK wrestling promotions are following in USA wrestling promotions footsteps!
Even though the UK fans respond really well to women who can actually wrestle!
I don't get the sense that wrestling promotions and fans in America are clamouring to see and book women in the ring who are incompetent wrestlers but look good in a bikini.
The "look" of the quasi-porn-star, with silicone-enhanced chests and bleached blond hair - is too generic these days. Women would be more interesting not only if they could actually wrestle (or if the ones who can wrestle were allowed to do so, rather than having to tone things down to work with the non-wrestlers in matches) but also if there were more "types" and they looked more like real women.

It is truly disheartening nowadays (UK & USA) to see that the role of the woman wrestler has become more about looks than ability it is definitely a trade-off !

Women in the My Days were not given characters at all; Today’s women are sometimes key to the narrative and are weekly components to the show. Yet, they are often stripped of their autonomy in the process and made supporting characters in the tales of the male wrestlers.
Women’s wrestling is dead and buried in the US unless it involves pretty girls or physical freaks and it's not coming back. It's alive and well in Japan, but anybody expecting characters empowering for women will only find them if they come with big boobs and sell a lot of posters.
Back in the Seventies, Eighties and even Nineties, the Brits were revered around the world for their superior technical wrestling ability; from the bottom of the card all the way up to the top, the English proudly flew the flag of traditional wrestling.

We may well have had something over those yanks years back, The Americans have learned and studied what we used to do and some of them are doing it amazingly. All the while, many of our “Old School” promotions are copying the American style and doing it atrociously. Yes, most Brits have been left behind with no clue how to promo, build a feud, work a TV-style match or create a decent character.

WW: Who was the opponent you enjoyed wrestling the most and why?

JMC: Terri Kruger was a very formidable contender she was a fearless wrestler and would mix sheer style and aggression with any girl who dared face up to her! Stella Fox she was a skilful talented wrestler Sue Brittain she was totally merciless.

WW: What’s your preferred wrestling attire?

JMC: The classic swimsuit this is probably the easiest and one of the cheapest items to wear. Not only it is comfortable and flexible, they can cost anything from about £15 upwards for a decent one.

WW: British lady wrestlers always seem to wear pantyhose with their leotards. Is there a reason for this hosed-up choice of attire?

JMC: personal preference mainly due to the fact my legs were full of bruises and ring burns.

WW: How did you prepare for your matches, and generally speaking: how did you train for the high impact in-ring moves that you were known for?

JMC: Blood, sweat and tears and teamwork. We girls trained 3 times a week back then, as well as up to three shows a week. Nowadays I still train the same way.

WW: What did you consider to be your most important strength/asset in the ring?

JMC: style, power and skill and actual in-ring content, strong technical wrestling and some highflying moves to boot. It’s what goes on in the ring that's the most important thing.

WW: What are your future plans?

JMC: I think that the one of the most depressing thing is that the fundamentals seem to have been lost and that so many of the people that WANT to wrestle the old way simply do not know how to do it. When I see current workers doing chain wrestling, it doesn't necessarily look like crap, sometimes it may even look impressively fluid. BUT, it doesn't look like wrestling! It's more like dancing or something I train Girls to actually grapple and get the feel of what wrestling really is.
!....The fundamentals are truly not lost in LPWU, Lately I have been training quite a large number of local ladies , keeping it 100 % old school, training them just as I had been trained all those years ago.
LPWU motto: Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.

WW: A while ago we got an email from a young girl who wanted to become a wrestler. What advice would you give to someone like that?

JMC: It's hard to be a woman in wrestling, but it can also be very rewarding. Women in wrestling face sexism and extreme sexual harassment and sometimes violence. BUT, in my experience, if you earn the respect of the workers and others in the business, you can go on to have a successful and fun career. I've had great experiences, because I've worked very hard to debunk the stereotypes of women in the industry. If a woman is willing to keep her mind and her eyes and ears open and her mouth and legs shut at the beginning of her career, most of the time she will experience success.
Wrestlers have to remember that the business existed before their arrival and will more than likely exist after their departure. Wrestlers must, therefore, let their actions in the ring speak as loud or louder than their words.