Loss

French Catch #54 (02:23:04) Matches from January-April 1969 ANDRE BOLLET & ROGER DELAPORTE vs MARCEL MONTREAL & WARNIA DE ZARZECKI (01/25/1969; French Catch; 00:33:21) ABDEL KADER BOUSSADA vs JEAN LUC (02/01/1969; French Catch; 00:10:18) GUY CAVILLIER vs ALBERT SANNIEZ (02/01/1969; French Catch; 00:19:11) ROBERT GASTEL & FRED MAGNIER vs DON BARRETO & EDDIE WILLIAMS (03/08/1969; French Catch; 00:39:04) VASILIOS MANTOPOULOS & AMOR ZAFAR vs PIERRE BERNAERT & EMBABA LE CONGOLAIS (04/05/1969; French Catch; 00:41:10)

French Catch #53 (02:00:52) Matches from December 1968-January 1969 RENE BEN CHEMOUL & WALTER BORDES vs KAMIKAZE I & KAMIKAZE II (12/26/1968; French Catch; 00:40:17) ANDRE BOLLET vs FRANZ VAN BUYTEN (01/01/1969; French Catch; 00:38:42) ANDRE BOLLET vs JEAN FERRE (01/01/1969; French Catch; 00:41:53)

Japanese Classics #10 (02:17:10) Matches from October-December 1969 GREAT KUSATSU & THUNDER SUGIYAMA & TOYONOBORI vs BUDDY COLT & GORGEOUS GEORGE JR. & GORDON NELSON (10/29/1969; IWE; 00:45:54) TAKESHI OISO vs TETUNOSUKE DAIGO (10/29/1969; IWE; 00:15:05) TOSUKE FUJI vs ASATARU SANO (10/29/1969; IWE; 00:11:44) DORY FUNK JR. vs ANTONIO INOKI (12/02/1969; JWA NWA Series; 01:03:47)

Japanese Classics #9 (01:55:43) Matches from April-August 1969 SHOHEI BABA vs GORILLA MONSOON (04/05/1969; JWA World League; 00:07:26) KINTARO OKI vs TOM ANDREWS (04/06/1969; JWA World League; 00:03:28) ANTONIO INOKI vs GORILLA MONSOON (04/16/1969; JWA World League; 00:08:51) SEIJI SAKAGUCHI vs MEDICO II (04/16/1969; JWA World League; 00:07:59) SHOHEI BABA & KINTARO OKI vs BOBO BRAZIL & CHRIS MARKOFF (04/16/1969; JWA World League; 00:15:15) ANTONIO INOKI vs CHRIS MARKOFF (05/16/1969; JWA World League; 00:22:57) SHOHEI BABA vs BOBO BRAZIL (05/16/1969; JWA World League; 00:33:13) ANTONIO INOKI & SHOHEI BABA vs DICK THE BRUISER & THE CRUSHER (08/13/1969; JWA Summer Series I; 00:16:24)

European Wrestling #57 (02:02:06) Matches from October-December 1969 JEAN FERRE vs ROBERT DURANTON (10/25/1969; French Catch; 00:06:55) VASILIOS MANTOPOULOS & UNKNOWN WRESTLER vs PIERRE BERNAERT & PIERRE LAMAGOROU (10/25/1969; French Catch; 00:32:38) JEAN CORNE & MICHEL FALEMPIN vs INCA VIRACOCHA & STEVE EGG (11/08/1969; French Catch; 00:30:37) RENE BEN CHEMOUL & WALTER BORDES vs ANTON TEJERO & INCA VIRACOCHA (12/13/1969; French Catch; 00:33:24) BATMAN vs INCA VIRACOCHA (12/20/1969; French Catch; 00:18:32)

European Wrestling #56 (02:16:57) Matches from April-October 1969 ROBERT GASTEL & ROGER DELAPORTE vs WARNIA DE ZARZECKI & GIACOMO GUGULIEMETTI (04/19/1969; French Catch; 00:33:01) INCA PERUANO & ANTON TEJERO vs RENE BEN CHEMOUL & WALTER BORDES (04/21/1969; French Catch; 00:33:27) ROBERT CASTEL & FRED MAGNIER vs EDDIE WILLIAMS & DON BARETHU (04/26/1969; French Catch; 00:34:41) LE PETIT PRINCE vs MICHEL SAULNIER (10/04/1969; French Catch; 00:35:48)

European Wrestling #55 (02:23:04) Matches from January-April 1969 ANDRE BOLLET & ROGER DELAPORTE vs MARCEL MONTREAL & WARNIA DE ZARZECKI (01/25/1969; French Catch; 00:33:21) ABDEL KADER BOUSSADA vs JEAN LUC (02/01/1969; French Catch; 00:10:18) GUY CAVILLIER vs ALBERT SANNIEZ (02/01/1969; French Catch; 00:19:11) ROBERT GASTEL & FRED MAGNIER vs DON BARRETO & EDDIE WILLIAMS (03/08/1969; French Catch; 00:39:04) VASILIOS MANTOPOULOS & AMOR ZAFAR vs PIERRE BERNAERT & EMBABA LE CONGOLAIS (04/05/1969; French Catch; 00:41:10)

European Wrestling #54 (02:00:52) Matches from December 1968-January 1969 RENE BEN CHEMOUL & WALTER BORDES vs KAMIKAZE I & KAMIKAZE II (12/26/1968; French Catch; 00:40:17) ANDRE BOLLET vs FRANZ VAN BUYTEN (01/01/1969; French Catch; 00:38:42) ANDRE BOLLET vs JEAN FERRE (01/01/1969; French Catch; 00:41:53)

American Classics #54 (02:22:10) Matches from 1967-1969 TOKYO JOE vs MIKE LOREN (1967; SBW All Star Wrestling; 00:12:58) BEAUREGARD vs SANDY BARR (02/1968; PNW; 00:01:49) TONY BORNE vs STAN STASIAK (02/1968; PNW; 00:01:45) BATTLE ROYAL (03/1968; PNW; 00:03:56) BEAUREGARD vs LUIGI MACERA (03/1968; PNW; 00:04:46) BUD CODY vs TOM ANDREWS (03/1968; PNW; 00:02:39) TONY BORNE vs SHAG THOMAS (03/1968; PNW; 00:00:51) TONY BORNE vs SHAG THOMAS (03/1968; PNW; 00:01:21) VERNE GAGNE vs DR. X (08/31/1968; AWA House Minneapolis, MN; 00:04:41) GENE KINISKI vs JIM HADY (11/27/1968; BTW Hawaii; 00:13:01) LUKE GRAHAM & RIPPER COLLINS vs PEPPER GOMEZ & LA NEGRA (12/25/1968; BTW Hawaii; 00:02:56) GENE KINISKI vs DORY FUNK JR. (02/11/1969; CWF Gasparilla Spectacular; 00:08:25) HARLEY RACE vs TOMMY MARTIN (03/01/1969; St. Louis Wrestling at the Chase; 00:04:49) BLACKJACK LANZA vs JOHNNY KACE (05/17/1969; WWA Indianapolis, IN; 00:13:37) DICK THE BRUISER & THE CRUSHER vs JOHNNY DIAMOND & JIM ASKEW (05/17/1969; WWA Indianapolis, IN; 00:09:44) DICK THE BRUISER & THE CRUSHER vs CHAIN GANG (06/01/1969; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:05:51) JOHNNY VALENTINE vs BULL CURRY (06/20/1969; Houston Wrestling; 00:19:39) DICK THE BRUISER & THE CRUSHER vs CHAIN GANG (07/26/1969; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:05:11) BRUNO SAMMARTINO vs GEORGE STEELE (08/09/1969; WWWF House Philadelphia, PA; 00:24:21)

History of Pro Wrestling #78 (03:19:22) Matches from May-June 1972 JEAN MENARD & ALAN MITCHELL vs JEAN CORNE & MICHEL FALEMPIN (05/22/1972; French Catch; 00:09:28) KAMIKAZE vs NICOLAS PRIORE (05/22/1972; French Catch; 00:18:07) Segunda Caida reviews of the above two matches. CHIEF JAY STRONGBOW & SONNY KING vs KING CURTIS & BARON MIKEL SCICLUNA (05/22/1972; WWWF MSG; New York, NY; 00:05:37) MIKE GRAHAM vs BOBBY SHANE (05/23/1972; CWF House Tampa, FL; 00:04:57) Mike Graham makes his professional wrestling debut. THE CRUSHER vs BLACKJACK LANZA (05/23/1972; WWA Indianapolis, IN; 00:10:59) KINTARO OKI vs BOBBY DUNCUM (05/27/1972; JWA Golden Series I; 00:10:05) KINTARO OKI & MICHIAKI YOSHIMURA vs JOHNNY VALENTINE & DAN KROFFAT (05/29/1972; JWA Golden Series I; 00:28:20) KINTARO OKI vs MR. WRESTLING (05/31/1972; JWA Golden Series I; 00:26:02) MIL MASCARAS & KING KROW vs SEIJI SAKAGUCHI & MASA SAITO (06/01/1972; JWA Golden Series I; 00:19:43) SHOHEI BABA & KINTARO OKI vs BOBO BRAZIL & EARL MAYNARD (06/02/1972; JWA Golden Series I; 00:16:47) PAT PATTERSON vs LARS ANDERSON (06/03/1972; Big Time San Francisco; 00:06:22) BILLY CATANZARO & PIERRE BERNAERT vs MARCEL MONTREAL & VASILIOS MANTOPOULOS (06/05/1972; French Catch; 00:36:45) Segunda Caida review of the match. JOHNNY WEAVER & ARGENTINA APOLLO & ART NEILSON vs BRUTE BERNARD & HOMER O’DELL & MISSOURI MAULER (06/07/1972; JCP House Raleigh, NC; 00:00:55) BLACKJACK MULLIGAN & BLACKJACK LANZA & DUSTY RHODES vs DICK THE BRUISER & THE CRUSHER & SUNNY RED CLOUD (06/10/1972; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:05:25)

History of Pro Wrestling #77 (04:28:34) Matches from April-May 1972 TUG WILSON vs JOHN CASANOVA (04/19/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:22:04) FRANCIS LOUIS & JEAN CLAUDE BOURDEAUX vs ANTONION PEREIRA & MOTA DOS SANTOS (04/24/1972; French Catch; 00:31:03) Segunda Caida review of the match. STRONG KOBAYASHI vs DON LEO JONATHAN (05/02/1972; IWE World Series; 00:28:05) Good match! Don Leo Jonathan is such a blast to watch. You can find a bio of Kobayashi here. RUSHER KIMURA & ISAMU TERANISHI & THUNDER SUGIYAMA vs MONSTER ROUSIMOFF & ALI BEY & FRANZ VAN BUYTEN (05/02/1972; IWE World Series; 00:28:55) So much comedy mixed in with good action. Here is a profile of Thunder Sugiyama, along with one for Isamu Teranishi. JACK BRISCO & RAUL MATA vs BOBBY SHANE & BEARCAT WRIGHT (05/03/1972; CWF House Miami, FL; 00:09:48) STRONG KOBAYASHI vs MONSTER ROUSIMOFF (05/06/1972; IWE World Series; 00:42:04) Great match, and surreal in some ways to see a super mobile Andre working a long match with lots of wrestling, showing how much mobility he had before his body started breaking down. 4 1/4* JACK BRISCO & JERRY BRISCO vs PAUL JONES & DORY FUNK SR. (05/09/1972; CWF House Tampa, FL; 00:07:13) Fun clip, with the Briscos squaring off against a newly turned Paul Jones. Rare clip of Dory Sr. in action. PAT PATTERSON vs RAY STEVENS (05/13/1972; Big Time San Francisco; 00:02:07) RENE BEN CHEMOUL & WALTER BORDES vs GOLDEN FALCONS (05/13/1972; French Catch; 00:36:42) Segunda Caida review of the match. SHOHEI BABA & SEIJI SAKAGUCHI vs DORY FUNK JR. & TERRY FUNK (05/19/1972; NWA Hollywood; Wrestling at the Olympic Auditorium; 00:50:33) This has Japanese commentary. Baba and Sakaguchi win the NWA International tag titles in a complete 4* match. While there are probably others, this is the only Baba match to ever be broadcast on TV-Asahi that is still in circulation. The JWA forced Baba to wrestle on NET TV, which violated their deal with NTV. Baba left the JWA and formed All Japan Pro Wrestling over this (with a Nippon deal out of the gate), and the rest is history! Special thanks to Cameren Lee for helping with background information on the Japanese matches.

History of Pro Wrestling #76 (04:12:17) Matches from February-April 1972 GUY MERCIER & MICHEL FALEMPIN vs INCA VIRACOCHA & JO GONZALEZ (02/28/1972; French Catch; 00:29:32) Segunda Caida review of the match. BLACKJACK MULLIGAN & BLACKJACK LANZA vs DICK THE BRUISER & THE CRUSHER (03/04/1972; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:04:50) Even with the clipping, slightly sped up film footage and Bob Luce’s lovable but overbearing commentary muting the crowd to an extent, it’s clear in these clips that Chicago was HOT for Bruiser and Crusher. PAT PATTERSON vs ROCKY JOHNSON (03/04/1972; Big Time San Francisco; 00:02:05) ANTONIO INOKI vs KARL GOTCH (03/06/1972; NJPW Debut Show; 00:20:05) KOTETSU YAMAMOTO & TOYONOBORI vs JIM DURANGO & JOHN DURANGO (03/06/1972; NJPW Debut Show; 00:13:48) Both of these matches come from the first ever New Japan Pro Wrestling show! Absolutely historic. NJPW did not have a TV deal at this point, so this was taped by a production crew that they hired and only released on a 10-year anniversary home video years later. FRANKIE LAINE vs RICKY HUNTER (03/15/1972; BTW San Francisco, CA; 00:00:43) PAT PATTERSON vs RAY STEVENS (03/15/1972; Big Time San Francisco; 00:03:04) JACK BRISCO & BOB ROOP vs BOBBY SHANE & BEARCAT WRIGHT (03/21/1972; CWF House Tampa, FL; 00:09:44) JOHNNY KINCAID vs PETER RANN (03/22/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:33:43) Excellent mat clinic here, the type of old match that you watch and hope young wrestlers will study. 4* MICK MCMICHAEL vs BOBBY BARNES (03/22/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:20:49) TIBOR SZAKACS vs PETE STEWART (03/22/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:23:20) Very good match from the always impressive Szakacs. 3 1/2* ABDUL KHAN vs BATMAN (03/27/1972; French Catch; 00:15:15) MAMMOTH SIKI vs MR. X (03/27/1972; French Catch; 00:15:51) Segunda Caida reviews of the above two matches. PAT PATTERSON vs RAY STEVENS (04/15/1972; Big Time San Francisco; 00:03:10) JOHNNY VALENTINE vs BEARCAT WRIGHT (04/18/1972; CWF House Ft. Myers, FL; 00:08:56) Good stuff! Valentine’s selling is excellent. MARTY JONES & DANE CURTIS vs COLIN JOYNSON & STEVE HAGGERTY (04/19/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:23:10) TIBOR SZAKACS vs JACK FALLON (04/19/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:24:14)

History of Pro Wrestling #75 (04:10:00) Matches from January-February 1972 TRAMPOLINE WRESTLING (01/31/1972; French Catch; 00:09:47) A pretty neat thing to see, almost analogous to a Harlem Globetrotters take on a sport. The wrestlers are shot into the ring off of platforms with compressed air. Bryan Danielson has mentioned this match on the Masked Man podcast. Segunda Caida review of the match. KARL GOTCH & RENE GOULET vs RUGGED RUSSIANS (01/31/1972; WWWF MSG; New York, NY; 00:26:00) A major treat anytime a Karl Gotch match surfaces, as this one did when WWE ran its Hidden Gems series on their Network. Gotch is really the centerpiece of the match and wrestles an American style while also showing why he’s preceded by reputation. RIP HAWK & SWEDE HANSON vs JOHNNY WEAVER & ART NELSON (02/06/1972; JCP House; 00:09:56) Nice extended look at the action in Crockett when it was still primarily a tag team territory. DORY FUNK JR. vs JACK BRISCO (02/08/1972; CWF House St. Petersburg, FL; 00:41:41) A legendary 60-minute draw that took up the full hour of air time on Championship Wrestling From Florida. They ran an interesting TV format, showing highlights of the match and airing plenty of commentary instead of just showing it fully intact. That said, we get over half the match and this is probably the best outing we have on tape from this famous feud. 4 1/4* JEFF KAYE & IAN GILMOUR vs JON CORTEZ & AL MIQUET (02/09/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:13:54) TONY CHARLES vs MASAMBULA (02/09/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:28:36) BLACKJACK MULLIGAN & BLACKJACK LANZA vs DICK THE BRUISER & SAILOR ART THOMAS (02/12/1972; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:07:45) PAT PATTERSON vs ROCKY JOHNSON (02/12/1972; Big Time San Francisco; 00:04:49) BRIAN MAXINE vs STEVE WRIGHT (02/12/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:31:03) JIM BREAKS vs ADRIAN STREET (02/12/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:31:31) An absolutely phenomenal match that’s on par with just about anything we have in 1970s wrestling. Just a brilliant mix of grappling, story and showmanship. 4 3/4* RENE BEN CHEMOUL & WALTER BORDES vs LES LIBANESE JOSEF EL ARZ & BLACK SHADOW (02/14/1972; French Catch; 00:34:04) Segunda Caida review of the match. COWBOY BOB KELLY vs RIP TYLER (02/25/1972; Gulf Coast; 00:10:54) Super heated, especially by the standards of a studio match, and an effective statement of how adored Kelly was as the top babyface in the territory.

History of Pro Wrestling #74 (04:37:33) Matches from December 1971-January 1972 DORY FUNK JR. vs SEIJI SAKAGUCHI (12/09/1971; JWA World Champion Series; 00:36:38) Sakaguchi was a last-minute replacement for Inoki, who disappeared from the tour after he and Baba dropped the NWA International Tag Team Titles to the Funks two nights earlier. More of a Dory special than the matches against Baba and Inoki but he makes this an excellent NWA title defense. 3 3/4* SEIJI SAKAGUCHI & MICHIAKI YOSHIMURA vs DORY FUNK JR. & DICK MURDOCH (12/12/1971; JWA World Champion Series; 00:36:38) Sakaguchi also filled in for Inoki in this match. By this time, Inoki was expelled from the JWA, as months earlier, he and Baba attempted a coup to take over the company and Inoki ended up as the fall guy, leading to the founding of New Japan Pro Wrestling a few months after this match. I mention this because Inoki and Sakaguchi were the All Asia Tag Team Champions, but the titles were vacated, and this match was to crown new champions. LE PETIT PRINCE & MICHEL SAULNIER vs GUY RENAULT & BOB GENELE (12/13/1971; French Catch; 00:30:40) Segunda Caida review of the match. THE STOMPER & BEN JUSTICE vs FABULOUS KANGAROOS (12/18/1971; BTW Detroit, MI; 00:13:40) Always a pleasure to see the Kangaroos, one of pro wrestling’s first top heel tag teams. TIBOR SZAKACS vs JOHN HENRY YEASLEY (12/18/1971; Joint Promotions; 00:17:52) PAT PATTERSON vs ROCKY JOHNSON (12/26/1971; Big Time San Francisco; 00:04:50) RAY STEVENS & PEPPER GOMEZ & PETER MAIVIA vs RIPPER COLLINS & PAUL DEMARCO & HARU SASAKI (12/26/1971; Big Time San Francisco; 00:02:53) DON CALOT vs LESAGE (01/03/1972; French Catch; 00:09:23) TONY CHARLES vs TERRY RUDGE (01/05/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:32:06) Terry Rudge still has hair here. TERRY RUDGE vs LES THORNTON (01/12/1972; Joint Promotions; 00:20:32) HARLEY RACE vs JOHNNY VALENTINE (01/14/1972; St. Louis; Kiel Auditorium; 00:03:47) FRANZ VAN BUYTEN vs JACQUES DE LASARTESSE (01/17/1972; French Catch; 00:34:42) Segunda Caida review of the match. Good and worth watching, but not everything you’d hope for based on how it looks on paper. BATTLE ROYAL (01/22/1972; Big Time San Francisco; 00:03:45) HAYSTACKS CALHOUN vs SUPERSTAR GRAHAM & ROGER KIRBY (01/22/1972; BTW San Francisco, CA; 00:03:15) RAY STEVENS & ROCKY JOHNSON & PEPPER GOMEZ & PETER MAIVIA vs RIPPER COLLINS & HARU SASAKI & PAUL DEMARCO & PAT PATTERSON (01/22/1972; Big Time San Francisco; 00:03:12) MARCEL MANNEVEAU vs LE SAMURAI (01/31/1972; French Catch; 00:23:30) Segunda Caida review of the match. Special thanks to Cameren Lee for helping with background information on the Japanese matches.

History of Pro Wrestling #73 (04:30:14) Matches from September-December 1971 RENE BEN CHEMOUL & WALTER BORDES vs ANTON TEJERO & ANTONIO MONTORO (09/20/1971; French Catch; 00:27:15) Segunda Caida review of the match. GUY MERCIER vs KAMIKAZE (10/04/1971; French Catch; 00:33:02) Segunda Caida review of the match. JOHNNY WEAVER & GEORGE BECKER vs RIP HAWK & SWEDE HANSON (10/16/1971; JCP House; 00:09:52) The earliest of the Mid-Atlantic film footage we have. For those unaware, this and other 70s JCP film footage was rescued from a dumpster by Jim Cornette when Crockett sold to WCW. M’BOABA LES CONGOLAIS & PIERRE BERNAERT vs VASILIOS MANTOPOULOS & JEAN CLAUDE TRIJO (10/08/1971; French Catch; 00:40:57) Segunda Caida review of the match. MARCEL MANNEVEAU & CLAUDE GESSAT vs JACKY CORN & GHAS DOUKHAN (11/01/1971; French Catch; 00:32:20) Segunda Caida review of the match. MAURICE DUMEZ & UNKNOWN WRESTLER vs KAMIKAZE I & KAMIKAZE II (11/15/1971; French Catch; 00:32:55) NICK BOCKWINKEL & RAY STEVENS vs THE CRUSHER & RED BASTIEN (11/20/1971; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:05:01) RAY STEELE vs LARRY COULTON (11/29/1971; Joint Promotions; 00:19:17) VIC FAULKNER & BERT ROYAL vs ROY ST. CLAIR & TONY ST. CLAIR (11/29/1971; Joint Promotions; 00:28:09) Just a phenomenal tag, light years ahead of anything happening in the United States or Japan at the same time. Fast-paced technical wrestling that wouldn’t look even slightly out of place today. 4 1/2* PETER MAIVIA & PEPPER GOMEZ & PEPPER MARTIN vs RIPPER COLLINS & PAUL DEMARCO & HARU SASAKI (12/04/1971; Big Time San Francisco; 00:02:20) PAT PATTERSON vs ROCKY JOHNSON (12/04/1971; Big Time San Francisco; 00:03:09) ANTONIO INOKI vs DICK MURDOCH (12/04/1971; JWA World Champion Series; 00:26:04) Inoki defends the NWA UN Title. It was vacated upon his firing and won by Seiji Sakaguchi and Akihisa Takachiho (the future Great Kabuki) before the JWA closed. Jumbo Tsuruta revived the belt three years later. Very good match and the earliest standout footage for Dick Murdoch. 3 1/2* TERRY FUNK vs GREAT KOJIKA (12/06/1971; JWA; 00:09:53) Special thanks to Cameren Lee for helping with background information on the Japanese matches.

History of Pro Wrestling #72 (03:44:39) Matches from July-September 1971 GILBERT LEDUC vs DER HENKER (07/31/1971; French Catch; 00:32:58) Segunda Caida review of the match. ANTONIO INOKI vs JACK BRISCO (08/05/1971; JWA Summer Big Series; 00:35:42) Inoki defends the NWA United National Title, which he won from John Tolos in March. This title would be merged into the All Japan Triple Crown in 1989. An absolutely brilliant match, and one of the best of the decade. Some of the most spirited grappling you’ll ever see. 4 3/4* PAUL BOESCH vs GEORGE HARRIS (08/13/1971; Houston Wrestling; 00:11:18) Another tremendous comedy match from Houston. BRUNO ASQUINI vs MARCEL MANNEVEAU (08/14/1971; French Catch; 00:12:30) MICHEL SAULNIER vs RICARDO TORRES (08/14/1971; French Catch; 00:15:41) JERRY JARRETT vs DON GREENE-SCAFFOLD (08/15/1971; NWA Mid-America; Louisville Gardens; 00:26:09) Likely the first scaffold match in wrestling history, and possibly the best one. While scaffold matches often disappointed, this one didn’t, and it’s no wonder they kept trying to replicate it. 4 1/2* MAMMOTH SIKI vs L’HOMME MASQUE (08/21/1971; French Catch; 00:26:47) Segunda Caida review of the match. DAN AUBRIOT vs LA BETE HUMAINE (09/03/1971; French Catch; 00:20:59) Segunda Caida review of the match. SHOHEI BABA vs FRITZ VON ERICH (09/04/1971; JWA Summer Mystery Series; 00:24:42) This is the last Nippon TV-aired JWA match in circulation. Most surviving NTV JWA footage (and just about all post-Rikidozan) is descended from a nine-week series that they aired after axing their deal in 1972, and this was the last match on it. This has to be one of the greatest unsung rivalries in wrestling history. Not as jawdropping as their 1966 classic, but another fantastic brawl. Fritz is just an amazing heel. 4 1/4* TIBOR SZAKACS vs JOHN HENRY YEASLEY (09/11/1971; Joint Promotions; 00:17:52) Special thanks to Cameren Lee for helping with background information on the Japanese matches.

History of Pro Wrestling #71 (04:04:49) Matches from May-July 1971 BARON VON RASCHKE & HANS SCHMIDT vs HAYSTACKS CALHOUN & MOOSE CHOLAK (05/15/1971; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:09:54) Most of the AWA matches during this time are clipped, but a decent amount is shown, with commentary from Bob Luce. They provide a good glimpse of wrestlers we wouldn’t see much or anything from otherwise. BATMAN & PACO RAMIREZ vs INCA VIRACOCHA & DON GONZALEZ (05/17/1971; French Catch; 00:28:32) Segunda Caida review of the match. ANTONIO INOKI vs THE DESTROYER (05/19/1971; JWA World League; 00:29:41) SHOHEI BABA vs ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER (05/19/1971; JWA World League; 00:18:04) Much like 1969, the finals of the World League ended up as a four-way tie: this time between Inoki, Destroyer, Baba and Abdullah. Once again, they teased the possibility of Inoki vs Baba for drama, but they did not deliver on the match. Baba wins the league in a good brawl! 3* DER HENKER & KAMIKAZE vs JACKY CORN & GILBERT LEDUC (06/14/1971; French Catch; 00:35:59) Segunda Caida review of the match. MOTA DOS SANTOS & ANTONIO PEREIRA vs FRANCIS LOUIS & PIERRE PAYEN (06/19/1971; French Catch; 00:26:04) Segunda Caida review of the match. JACKY RICHARD vs ANGELITO (06/29/1971; French Catch; 00:21:31) ROBERT DURANTON vs L’ANGE BLANC (07/05/1971; French Catch; 00:08:14) Segunda Caida reviews of the above two matches. BILLY ROBINSON vs BIG K (07/17/1971; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:01:11) RED BASTIEN & JON CORTEZ vs BARON VON RASCHKE & HANS SCHMIDT (07/17/1971; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:06:09) WILBUR SNYDER vs MAD DOG VACHON (07/17/1971; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:01:23) BATMAN & PACO RAMIREZ vs JO GONZALEZ & INCA VIRACOCHA (07/17/1971; French Catch; 00:30:46) Segunda Caida review of the match. MAURICE DUMEZ vs INCA PERUANO (07/24/1971; French Catch; 00:27:21) Segunda Caida review of the match. Special thanks to Cameren Lee for helping with background information on the Japanese matches.

History of Pro Wrestling #70 (03:41:14) Matches from March-May 1971 ANTONIO INOKI & SHOHEI BABA vs MIL MASCARAS & SPIROS ARION (03/02/1971; JWA; 00:24:48) Mascaras and Arion placed first and second in a fan poll to gauge interest in wrestlers who were not booked in Japan. This post goes into more detail. BILLY CATANZARO & GILBERT LEMAGOUROU vs ALBERT SANNIEZ & BOB REMY (03/12/1971; French Catch; 00:32:20) Segunda Caida review of the match. PEDRO MORALES vs BLACKJACK MULLIGAN (03/15/1971; WWWF MSG; New York, NY; 00:23:42) Incredible heat for Mulligan taking on the new WWWF champion. BILLY ROBINSON vs KARL GOTCH (04/02/1971; IWE; 00:04:12) We sadly only get a few minutes of this 30-minute draw, but this would qualify as a huge dream match. GILBERT LEDUC vs BERT MYCHEL (04/12/1971; French Catch; 00:27:05) ZOLTAN BOSCIK vs JON CORTEZ (04/14/1971; Joint Promotions; 00:23:54) DICK THE BRUISER vs SHOZO KOBAYASHI (04/24/1971; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:06:08) JIMMY DULA vs ANDRE DRAPP (04/26/1971; French Catch; 00:33:16) BOBBY JENERE & GUY RENAULT vs MICHEL SAULNIER & PEDRO CABRERA (05/03/1971; French Catch; 00:35:49) Segunda Caida reviews of the above two matches. Special thanks to Cameren Lee for helping with background information on the Japanese matches.

History of Pro Wrestling #69 (04:29:37) Matches from December 1970-February 1971 GILBERT LEDUC vs BERT MYCHEL (12/12/1970; French Catch; 00:27:03) Segunda Caida review of the match. SHOHEI BABA vs GENE KINISKI (12/18/1970; NWA Hollywood; Wrestling at the Olympic Auditorium; 01:02:50) Baba regains the NWA International Title. The match has Japanese commentary. COWBOY BOB KELLY vs FRANK STANLEY (1970; Gulf Coast; 00:04:45) Kelly was the top babyface in the Gulf Coast area for a decade, and the childhood favorite of Michael Hayes, John Tatum, Robert Gibson, Paul Bearer and many others who grew up in the area. Unlike most cowboys in wrestling, he was the real deal, having excelled in rodeo before entering pro wrestling. COWBOY BOB KELLY & RIP TYLER vs THE INTERNS (1970; Gulf Coast; 00:14:19) This is the Bill Bowman and Joe Turner version of The Interns. JACQUES ROUGEAU vs MAURICE VACHON (1970; Montreal; 00:00:25) ROCKY JOHNSON vs MYSTERIOUS X (1970; NWA Los Angeles; Olympic Auditorium; 00:15:17) RENE BEN CHEMOUL & WALTER BORDES vs UNKNOWN WRESTLERS (01/02/1971; French Catch; 00:31:46) Segunda Caida review of the match. DORY FUNK JR. vs JACK BRISCO (01/12/1971; CWF House Tampa, FL; 00:04:52) The earliest available footage in the defining in-ring rivalry of the 1970s. Dory is not defending the NWA title here, and Brisco picks up a win. BRUNO SAMMARTINO vs IVAN KOLOFF (01/18/1971; WWWF MSG; New York, NY; 00:07:55) Footage of one of the most famous matches of all time, as Koloff defeats Bruno, after an 8-year championship run, to win the WWWF title. According to legend, an odd silence fell over the crowd and fans started crying. GORILLA MONSOON & PEDRO MORALES vs THE MONGOLS (01/18/1971; WWWF MSG; New York, NY; 00:06:04) Clipped version of the match, which went to curfew. This card drew a record 21,666 fans to MSG. LES BLOUSONS NOIRS vs GILBERT CESCA & BRUNO ASQUINI (01/25/1971; French Catch; 00:28:20) Segunda Caida review of the match. JACKY MONTALLIER vs LA BETE HUMAINE (02/08/1971; French Catch; 00:23:54) Segunda Caida review of the match. IVAN KOLOFF vs PEDRO MORALES (02/08/1971; WWWF MSG; New York, NY; 00:14:58) Morales wins the WWWF title, setting up what was a shorter but even more gigantic MSG run with the title than Bruno had. RAY STEVENS vs DR. X (02/19/1971; AWA All Star Wrestling; 00:00:34) LE PETIT PRINCE & FRANCIS LOUIS vs JACKY RICHARD & DANIEL NOCED (02/22/1971; French Catch; 00:32:33) Segunda Caida review of the match.

History of Pro Wrestling #68 (04:07:01) Matches from August-December 1970 ANTONIO INOKI & SHOHEI BABA vs DORY FUNK JR. & TERRY FUNK (08/04/1970; JWA NWA World Champion Series; 00:15:16) We only get less than half the match, but what we have looks GREAT, and finding an Inoki-Baba tag match against The Funks is the type of thing that makes this hobby worth pursuing. GUY MERCIER vs PETER KAYSER (08/22/1970; French Catch; 00:18:07) Segunda Caida review of the match. DR. X vs BLACKJACK LANZA (09/01/1970; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:02:23) Clip of a match from the Chicago Amphitheatre. JOHN TOLOS vs FRED BLASSIE-STRETCHER (09/04/1970; NWA Hollywood; Wrestling at the Olympic Auditorium; 00:01:23) JACKIE PALLO vs BOBBY GRAHAM (09/14/1970; Joint Promotions; 00:09:36) BRUNO SAMMARTINO vs BEPO MONGOL (09/14/1970; WWWF MSG; New York, NY; 00:17:03) Bepo wins by countout, which set up a Texas Death Match the following month at MSG (which we don’t have). MAD DOG VACHON & BUTCHER VACHON vs KENNY JAY & SANTIAGO ACOSTA (10/03/1970; AWA All Star Wrestling; 00:12:02) JEAN FERRE vs FRANCK VALOIS (10/31/1970; French Catch; 00:28:45) Segunda Caida review of the match. COWBOY BOB KELLY vs THE INTERN (11/1970; Gulf Coast; 00:17:55) JEAN CORNE & MICHEL FALEMPIN vs JEFF KAYE & IAN GILMOUR (11/14/1970; French Catch; 00:33:15) Segunda Caida review of the match. BRUNO SAMMARTINO vs BULLDOG BROWER (11/16/1970; WWWF MSG; New York, NY; 00:00:57) GORILLA MONSOON vs CARLOS PEREDES & MIKE CONRAD (11/19/1970; WWWF Washington, DC TV Taping; 00:01:24) ANTONIO INOKI & SHOHEI BABA vs JOHNNY VALENTINE & GENE KINISKI (12/01/1970; JWA International Champion Series; 00:34:59) What’s shown is worth 4*, even with clipping in the first fall. Always an absolute treat to see more Johnny Valentine footage. His offense is every bit as brutal as you’d expect. SHOHEI BABA vs GENE KINISKI (12/03/1970; JWA International Champion Series; 00:44:50) Kiniski wins the NWA International Title in a good match, but nowhere near what you’d expect it to be. Watch out for Baba’s ridiculous bump to the floor. 3* DER HENKER vs JACKY CORN (12/12/1970; French Catch; 00:18:39) Segunda Caida review of the match.

History of Pro Wrestling #67 (03:23:05) Matches from June-August 1970 VIC FAULKNER & BERT ROYAL vs HONEYBOY ZIMBA & MASAMBULA (06/02/1970; Joint Promotions; 00:23:18) Really fun match for seeing everyone showcase their athletic ability. FRED BLASSIE vs THE HANGMAN (06/10/1970; NWA Hollywood; Wrestling at the Olympic Auditorium; 00:01:28) THE MONGOLS vs TONY MARINO & VICTOR RIVERA (06/15/1970; WWWF MSG; New York, NY; 00:28:13) This took a while to get going but turned into a fun match. BATMAN vs CESAR LEONI (06/27/1970; French Catch; 00:18:38) LE HIPPY DU RING vs GILBERT BERNAERT (06/29/1970; French Catch; 00:14:22) Segunda Caida reviews of the above matches. GREAT KUSATSU vs EDOUARD CARPENTIER (07/09/1970; IWE Big Summer Series; 00:02:37) RENE BEN CHEMOUL & WALTER BORDES vs BLACK SHADOW & EL ARZ (07/25/1970; French Catch; 00:30:20) Segunda Caida review of the match. BRUNO SAMMARTINO vs GEORGE STEELE-CAGE (07/25/1970; WWWF MSG; New York, NY; 00:21:30) Incredible heat for this, and consider that Bruno was over 7 years into his championship run at this time! DORY FUNK JR. vs ANTONIO INOKI (08/02/1970; JWA NWA World Champion Series; 01:04:37) More really good work, but not as great or high-end as you might hope for from these two. Still a 3 1/2* match.

History of Pro Wrestling #66 (04:22:47) Matches from February-June 1970 KURT KAISER vs REMY BAYLE (02/01/1970; French Catch; 00:03:38) RENE LASARTESSE vs GABY CALDERON (02/01/1970; French Catch; 00:23:12) Segunda Caida reviews of the above two matches. STRONG KOBAYASHI vs VERNE GAGNE (02/06/1970; IWE AWA World Championship Series; 00:09:51) Kobayashi gets the first crack at the AWA World Title on this tour (he also challenged the night before), preparing him to be the ace of IWE. This thread has more information on this tour. ANTONIO INOKI & KINTARO OKI & MITSU HIRAI vs JIM OSBORNE & PHIL ROBLEY & CURTIS IAUKEA (03/03/1970; JWA Dynamic and Iron Claw Series; 00:33:07) SHOHEI BABA vs FRITZ VON ERICH (03/03/1970; JWA Dynamic and Iron Claw Series; 00:29:59) ADNAN AL-KAISSIE vs IAN CAMPBELL (03/19/1970; Wrestling From Iraq; 00:10:53) Ian Campbell was a Scottish wrestler often billed as “Mr. Scotland”. DUSTY RHODES & DICK MURDOCH vs THE STOMPER & BEN JUSTICE (03/21/1970; BTW Detroit, MI; 00:14:34) 14 minutes of silent footage, and a rare extended look at a young Dusty Rhodes, who is pretty spry and almost wrestles like a younger version of Terry Gordy (and I’m hardly the first person to make that observation). THE CONVICT vs MOTOSHI OKUMA (04/04/1970; JWA World League; 00:08:06) The Convict is better known as Uncle Elmer, who participated in one of the most famous wrestling weddings ever. GUY MERCIER vs KIYOMIGAWA (04/11/1970; French Catch; 00:36:40) Segunda Caida review of the match. PETER KAYSER vs GUY MERCIER (05/02/1970; French Catch; 00:22:09) Segunda Caida review of the match. STRONG KOBAYASHI vs BILLY ROBINSON (05/14/1970; IWE World Series; 00:05:51) GREAT MALENKO vs PAUL BOESCH (05/15/1970; Houston Wrestling; 00:17:07) One of the greatest comedy matches you’ll ever see in your life! All the stars. JACKIE PALLO vs IAN GILMOUR (06/02/1970; Joint Promotions; 00:24:51) RAY STEELE vs LEON ARRAS (06/02/1970; Joint Promotions; 00:22:59) This is Ray Steele’s television debut!

History of Pro Wrestling #65 (04:02:29) Matches from December 1969-January 1970 GILBERT LEDUC vs GONZALEZ (12/20/1969; French Catch; 00:16:44) L’HOMME MASQUE vs L’ANGE BLANC (12/23/1969; French Catch; 00:32:48) EL SANTO vs BLUE DEMON (1969; 00:09:41) THE SHEIK vs TOM JONES (1969; BTW Detroit, MI; 00:05:00) THE SPOILER vs SPIROS ARION (1969; BTW Detroit, MI; 00:04:12) ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER vs JACQUES ROUGEAU (1969; Montreal; 00:04:44) BOB GEIGEL vs BOB ELLIS (1969; St. Louis Wrestling at the Chase; 00:16:03) KILLER KARL KOX & THE SPOILER vs MARIO MILANO & ANTONIO PUGLIESE (1969; WCW Australia; 00:22:02) BULLDOG BOB BROWN vs THUNDERBOLT PATTERSON (1960s; NWA Chicago; 00:18:35) BEARCAT WRIGHT vs CYCLONE SMITH (1960s; NWA Chicago; 00:07:10) DICK THE BRUISER vs THE BRUTE (1960s; NWA Upstate; 00:05:48) HURRICANE SMITH vs BILLY RED LYONS (1960s; NWA Upstate; 00:07:30) HURRICANE SMITH vs ILIO DIPAOLO (1960s; NWA Upstate; 00:09:26) DR. JERRY GRAHAM vs ANGELO SAVOLDI (1960s; WCW Australia; 00:13:31) JOHNNY VALENTINE vs TOM JONES (1960s; WWA Indianapolis, IN; 00:07:50) JACKY CORN & GUY MERCIER vs TED LAMARRE & JO MARSALO (01/01/1970; French Catch; 00:32:27) Segunda Caida review of the match. GUY MERCIER vs ALLEN LE FOUDRE (01/24/1970; French Catch; 00:29:26) Segunda Caida review of the match. Le Foudre also wrestled as Johnny Londos and Charly Verhulst.

History of Pro Wrestling #64 (04:04:39) Matches from October-December 1969 TAKESHI OISO vs TETUNOSUKE DAIGO (10/29/1969; IWE; 00:15:05) Excellent biographies of Oiso and Daigo, courtesy of Cameren Lee. TOSUKE FUJI vs ASATARU SANO (10/29/1969; IWE; 00:11:44) These matches are likely available because TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) aired a late-night program called Young Fight that spotlighted younger talent in pro wrestling, boxing and kickboxing. Cameren “always found it bizarre that undercard bouts of Takeshi Oiso vs. Tetsunosuke Daigo and Asataro Sano vs. Sankichi Fujii made tape, but I'm certain I have found the smoking gun.” JEAN CORNE & MICHEL FALEMPIN vs INCA VIRACOCHA & STEVE EGG (11/08/1969; French Catch; 00:30:37) ANGELO POFFO vs LUIS MARTINEZ (11/22/1969; BTW Detroit, MI; 00:14:56) DORY FUNK JR. vs ANTONIO INOKI (12/02/1969; JWA NWA Series; 01:03:47) I thought this match was a mix of excellent wrestling and wrestling where it was hard to concentrate because they didn’t seem to be doing much. Moments of the match are brilliant. I’d still call this worth watching based on the stature of the wrestlers and as a look at a 60-minute broadway during this time period, but I do like other NWA title matches during this era much better. 3 1/2* DORY FUNK JR. vs SHOHEI BABA (12/03/1969; JWA NWA Series; 00:33:01) Great match with a nice slow build to an all-action third fall. 4* STRONG KOBAYASHI & GREAT KUSATSU vs SHEIK EL MANSOURI & EMIL EL MANSOURI (12/05/1969; IWE; 00:03:59) RENE BEN CHEMOUL & WALTER BORDES vs ANTON TEJERO & INCA VIRACOCHA (12/13/1969; French Catch; 00:33:24) Segunda Caida review of the match. SHOHEI BABA vs FRITZ VON ERICH (12/19/1969; NWA Hollywood; Olympic Auditorium; 00:19:34) Their 1966 classic blows this one out of the water, but this was still a cool find. BATMAN vs INCA VIRACOCHA (12/20/1969; French Catch; 00:18:32) Segunda Caida review of the match.

History of Pro Wrestling #63 (04:36:41) Matches from May-October 1969 ANTONIO INOKI vs CHRIS MARKOFF (05/16/1969; JWA World League; 00:22:57) A terrific match with Inoki fighting from underneath and turning into a bloody mess, and Markoff using every cheating tactic imaginable. Inoki wins the league for the first time, ending Baba’s three year-streak. It’s notable that this is also the first time Inoki used his famous manjigatame (octopus stretch), which was hyped in training videos prior to the match. 4 1/4* SHOHEI BABA vs BOBO BRAZIL (05/16/1969; JWA World League; 00:33:13) These two matches represent the end of the 11th annual World League, as all four wrestlers were tied and the two final matches were determined by a native-foreign wrestler double coin toss. This was the other half of the final. The tease of a Baba-Inoki match was used for drama, but they never followed through. (h/t the incomparable Cameren Lee for the information on this series) BLACKJACK LANZA vs JOHNNY KACE (05/17/1969; WWA Indianapolis, IN; 00:13:37) DICK THE BRUISER & THE CRUSHER vs JOHNNY DIAMOND & JIM ASKEW (05/17/1969; WWA Indianapolis, IN; 00:09:44) DICK THE BRUISER & THE CRUSHER vs CHAIN GANG (06/01/1969; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:05:51) JOHNNY VALENTINE vs BULL CURRY (06/20/1969; Houston Wrestling; 00:19:39) A brilliant bloody match, and a rare look at a complete Johnny Valentine match. What a tremendous wrestler he was. This match was also chronicled in Phil Schneider’s Way of the Blade. 4 1/2* DICK THE BRUISER & THE CRUSHER vs CHAIN GANG (07/26/1969; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:05:11) BRUNO SAMMARTINO vs GEORGE STEELE (08/09/1969; WWWF House Philadelphia, PA; 00:24:21) Speaking of rare, how about this: A full-length Bruno Sammartino title defense from a house show! ANTONIO INOKI & SHOHEI BABA vs DICK THE BRUISER & THE CRUSHER (08/13/1969; JWA Summer Series I; 00:16:24) A good brawl, as you’d expect. Superstar Sleeze gives the match 3 1/2*, as reviewed in the link above. DICK THE BRUISER & THE CRUSHER vs MAD DOG VACHON & BUTCHER VACHON (08/30/1969; AWA House Chicago, IL; 00:04:29) LE PETIT PRINCE vs MICHEL SAULNIER (10/04/1969; French Catch; 00:35:48) Segunda Caida review of the match. These two had what were probably the most thrilling and action-packed matches of the era. JEAN FERRE vs ROBERT DURANTON (10/25/1969; French Catch; 00:06:55) VASILIOS MANTOPOULOS & UNKNOWN WRESTLER vs PIERRE BERNAERT & PIERRE LAMAGOROU (10/25/1969; French Catch; 00:32:38) GREAT KUSATSU & THUNDER SUGIYAMA & TOYONOBORI vs BUDDY COLT & GORGEOUS GEORGE JR. & GORDON NELSON (10/29/1969; IWE; 00:45:54) Our first look at International Wrestling Enterprise! This forum has some excellent history on IWE from the above-mentioned Lee Cameren for those who are interested. This is also by far the longest match we have on tape for Buddy Colt, a Florida-based wrestler who was considered one of the best workers of his time.