A SMALL piece of pro wrestling history was made at the Barry Memorial Hall on Thursday when the coveted Welsh Heavyweight Championship title changed hands for the first time in over a year - and the first time ever in the town.

Fans were left stunned as volatile 'villain' Kade Callous defeated muscle-bound favourite Stevie Starr by pinfall, ending the Swansea native's near 400-day title reign in the process.

However, the controversial end to the bout, which saw interference from Callous' cohort, Grizzly Jones, behind the official's back, suggests a mandatory re-match will be ordered for a future card.

Callous, 27, is no stranger to controversy and, in 2012, a high-profile pummelling of celebrity politician Lembit Öpik at a match in Welshpool saw the former MP leave the building on a stretcher! The surreal incident attracted major national newspaper and television coverage, launching the aptly-named Callous to new levels of notoriety across the grappling circuit.

Nevertheless, the title victory at the Memorial Hall, a venue that has hosted wrestling bouts for many decades, will rank amongst the Black Country behemoth's most famous achievements.

Callous and Starr's battle for the belt was a feature attraction of Welsh Wrestling's annual half-term tour, which made stops in Porthcawl, Aberystwyth, Machynlleth and other locations across the country.

Joining the bill in Barry were super-heavyweight Big Dog, 'Mean' Tommy Dean, 'Mr Irresistible' Iestyn Rees and international star James Mason, who first competed at the Memorial Hall back in the 1990s.

A special tag team challenge match featuring powerhouse John 'The Machine' Titan proved a popular finale, sending the rabid crowd of around 200 home happy.

Thursday night's all-action event was Welsh Wrestling's third visit to the Memorial Hall in as many years and the promotion hopes to return to Barry in the first half of 2015.

In the meantime, exclusive backstage photographs and footage from this year's Barry slamfest can now be found online at www.facebook.com/WelshWrestling