David Mantell

Another, longer Mitzi Mueller docu. Includes life at home with a young Brian Dixon and a very young Laetitia. Talking of early appearances, watch out for Princess Paula years before she even met Dave Finlay. Heel Hellcat Haggarty is great, a 70s version of Klondyke Kate. Also note WRESTLING ENTERPRISES on the corner pads - this is rare early footage of the promotion that became All Star. Entry Of The Gladiators (aka the Clown song) is the ring entry music just like Joint's RAH shows and the CWA. Colour film stock is rather faded and could do with remastering. Watch out for the kitschy 70s decor if it ever does get that treatment.

This looks from the flickery picture like it has been camera converted by a bootlegger - somewhere in the process the colour signal has been lost (possibly an early primitive b/w camcorder.) Rocco has trunks but is already evolving down the path of being the Rocco we would know. He has the moustache. JIP Round 3: We first see Rocco kick out of a pin then get a headlock to side channcery. Jowett straightens and scissors the arm. Rocco takes bumps from both the whip and a throw. Jowett gets a rather lopsided folding press but tidies it for 2. Rocco keeps on trying to grapple as Terry gets up and is warned by referee Ernie Baldwin. They uneasily shake hands. Jowett goes for a backslide but Runs Out Of Mat. Rocco kips up and they run the ropes. Rocco drops down but Jowett stops running and kicks Rocco on the ground - more in jest than real aggression but Rocco takes it seriously and complains to both Jowett and Baldwin, making this the first example we've got of Rocco's infamous temper! Rocco atomic drops Jowett and suplexes and monkey climbs him. He gets a side chancery throw for 4 and tries for a double underhook suplex but Jowett reverses it into a seated back hammerlock/armlever combination.He armdrags Rocoo and backslides him but again R.O.O.M.'s. Rocco shakes hands and runs the ropes but Jowett ignores him and jobs on the spot.Once again Rocco is complaining. He gets a headlock.into grovit into forearm smash flooring Terry. He gets another forearm, legdive and leg weakener before the bell goes. Round 4: Rocco gets a headlock into back hammerlock. Jowett fires off a (formerly illegal) back elbow counter.He gets a snapmare and throw but Rocco lands feet first. Rocco gets a headlock into further nelson. This time it's his turn to ROOM (I like that acronym.) Rocco gets a front chancery but Jowett grabs the arm and whips Rocco who takes the bump.Rocco gets rear double legs into reverse double leg nelson into a folding press but Terry gets a George Kidd/Rene Ben Chemoul/Johnny Saint ball. Jowett gets a wristlever but Rollerball rolls out and gets a top wristlock. He takes his man down but Terry gets a headscissors.Rocco kips out and gets a rear chinlock but Baldwin calls a break for discontinuous movement. Rocco smacks Jowett who goes for a single leg but again Baldwin breaks them up. Jowett cranks the back of Rocco's neck to level him for a forearm smash. Rocco gets a headlock and pounds on Terry's head with the fist edge. He gets a forearm, legdive and leg weakener but again Baldwin rules no continuous movement. Rocco gets two kneelifts but is reprimanded for a follow down blow and gets a first public warning. He gets almost a full nelson but Jowett counters with a fireman's carry takedownn. Rocco gets a side folding press but another ROOM situation occurs.Rocco gets a standing inverted rear waistlock but Terry easily backdrops him for 1. He tries an armstrtch but loses his grip. Rocco gets a suplex and a snapmare, a side chancery throw and a vicious kneedrop for 9 and kneelift for 7 then a full nelson into snapmare He tries for a cross buttock, doesn't quite make it but gets an armbar for his troubles and drops a knee on it. He armdrags and arm weakeners Jowett for 5 and the same sequence again for 6 then gets an armbar and another weakeners for 5. The bell saves Jowett from a figure four top wristlock but Rocco's strategy going into the break is clear. Round 5. Rocco continues with the left arm getting an armbar into rear armhank. Sending that Jowett is looking for a trip he dismounts (he was a horse rider after all) and lands another weakener. He gets that figure four top wristlock he was trying before the bell and converts to a Semi Japanese Stranglehold, the unwinds and pulls in a bodycheck.He gets the Semi Japanese Stranglehold again and tries another bodycheck but Jowett is ready and backdrops him. This is the start of a real blue-eye rally as he whips and posts Rocco so he lands Tree Of Woe style upside down and bounces off. He throws Rocco for a bump and dropkicks him out of the ring. Jowett flips him in, bodychecks him, but Rocco kips up, inverted waistlocks his man and powerslams and kneepresses him for the one required fall. A clue as to the identity of the bootlegger - a male voice from the room where the camera copying is being done says says "I did my best " and a Scottish female voice says 'Never mind". A star on the rise. I also liked the story with the arm although it was not involved in the finish.

Judge for yourselves:

Wikipedia said 98. Whatever. WCW went to Channel 5 in 1999-2001 Point is they jilted ITV and ran off with Superchannel which keeled over on them. Before that Regal promo.

Just mentioned the above match on the Hulk Hogan Dead At 71 thread. Apart from this we have him tagging with the France-based Mammouth Siki and a tiny bit of early 70s docu footage of a young Hansi with dark hair. Plus I just turned up THIS from 1986. Hansi is working heel here against a young Franz Schumann, although some fans are still cheering for him. Hansi beats up Franz, Franz retaliates and Hansi is urinated that fans cheer for Franz when he is just as dirty. Hansi double-crosses on a handshake, they both like up the yellow cards, 2 each, Franzl gets a cross buttock press on Hansi, a ringside brawl, the big blond man gets a win with a powerslam. If the match with Kirk reminds me of Daddy's mid 70s bouts with John Elijah.then this is like Daddy Vs Kendo Nagssaki circa 1975 or the two Stax Daddy Vs Veidor & Tibor matches with the big blond man acting rough. Jeff Kaye is the referee by the way.

Just realised that last reference will go over the heads of people not familiar with German Catch. I'm on about the blond one, btw

WCW was not on ITV anymore by 1997, it was lured away in 1995 by Superchannel, a pan-European NBC affiliate which keeled over in 1998, so I would take this story with not just a pinch of salt but a large sack labelled SAXA ... Sarah "Rockin' Robbins started wrestling in Britain aged 12. James Mason started at 14. Lots of kids were already getting their first push over here at 17, typically beating Jim Breaks for a Lightweight/Welterweight title (both Bulldogs. Danny Collins.). It's still a thing over here in the 2020s eg the three Bryant Brothers.

From latterday to even more latterday. Bernard Van Damme ("Rob who? I was ripping off Jean Claude!"). wrestler and promoter of Eurostars takes on Murat Bosphorus from Turkey in that packed IWSF tTV show from 2007. Belgium Vs Turkey. (I refuse to let Erdrogan make me call it Turkiye, but enough about politics .) Bernard gets an early rear waistlock but Murat breaks it open. BVD rolls out British style and gets a standing back hammerlock. The Turk considers a rear snapmare but ultimately opts for a fireman's carry takedown into an armlock. Rob backwards rolls up and gets a. drop toehold on Murat into a folding press for 2. They have a full finger Interlock test of strength. Van D gets an armbar of his own. Murat opts for a bodyslam cover but Bernard keeps the hold and comes up with Bosphorus in the guard still in a wristlock. Murat twists out horizontally Bernard gets another armbar, Murat reverses it and throws him off. Murat gets another arm. It gets a bit brawly until Bernard gets a reverse flying elbowsmash, slam but misses a top rope move. The Turk gets a suplex for 2. and shoves Bern down and throttles him. Rob gets a sunset flip for 2 Murat gets an over the knee backbreaker for 2. He starts posing with BVDs belt so the referee puts it back and Murat covers Van D for 2.the Turk complains but it's his own fault really. Rob gets a flying forearm off the top corner for 2. He leaps at Murat but the Turk gets him with a powerbomb for 2. Murat goes for a superplex but BVD pushes him off and gets a Superfly splash for the win. Early stages of this were pretty good technical wrestling, I think I shall check out some more Bernard Van Damme sometime soon.

Another veteran Vs youngster match. Grim Rocker, face painted Spanish mate of future Legend of Doom Johnny South and whom I believe I am correct in saying is the former Elliot Frederico Le Rocky Du Ring of early 80s French TV Catch seen feuding with the Gordon/Bordes tag team c. 1983-1985 on Antenne 2, takes on Jean Phillipe de Lonzac, a promising kid we've seen on here before. Grim gets the better of a top wristlock battle and armdrags JP to the mat three times. The fourth time JP goes for the flying headscissors, misses but gets a bodycheck, guillotine elbowsmash and splash for 2, Al moves one associates more with Superheavyweight monsters, not a young kid. Grim gets a standing side headlock into cross buttock into mat side headlock sequence. JP forces up but the Rocker bodychecks him down. JP straightens a side headlock into a straight arm behind the back then grabs his ownside headlock. Grim throws him to the ropes but JP cartwheels back past him and resumes the headlock, then gets an armdrag. JP gets the headlock again and holds on as Grim charges to the ropes and crotches himself on the middle rope. He gets a side chancery throw and flying headscissors and dropkick. Grom reports to brawling, a fist an axehandle, a kick a chop, etc. a bodycheck, a posting or 2. He pulls JP up on his knees. and kicks him around. Finally he gets a long suplex and another splash for the win. Demolition job mostly.

I seem to recall he was around in the early 70s.

Old Catch veteran Jacky Richard, now in his Travesti Man persona, takes on top rookie from Brittany, Jann Caradec fellow Celtic Orig Williams is on English commentary. Travesti is at the dirties from the start cooking and hair pulling with one decent snapmare. Caradec managed to throw him out of the ring, armdrag him He later forces a whip and hard bump. Caradec kips out of Richard's headscissors and turns a headlock into a hammerlock. He bridges out of the heavier man's cross buttock throw and press. Travesti wins with a powerslam and splash. Squash match but with some good moves from underdog Caradec.

A few more Interesting points. 1) La Bete puts on an armhank and tiers it with his legs so it becomes a figure four armhank. 2) One of Les Bons uses the flying scissors takedown, as counter to armbar, on la Bete. In France this generally worked to the point where it was done instead of a rollout on the mat. In BritIan, wrestlers would throw the headscissors off. Here, the takedown attempt looks like giving BH, presumably a Frenchman,real trouble until he goes to his corner and gets secret Brit Zarak to hUl the Bon off him! 3) A noticeably older looking Le Petit Prince helps out Couderc on colour commentary. He sounds quite, impressed with La Bet.e, all t.hings considered. 4) Crowd encourage the bons with chant of Allez Les Verts although only one. DiSanto actually wears green trunks (Mores wears navy blue)

We've reviewed quite a few of these from the 70s and 80s. Unlike in Britain where in the Winter local councils would drain public swimming pools, board them over and put wrestling and other entertainments on in the "Baths Halls", in France they would just leave the water in the pool and put in a floating ring. The French just saw this as a normal natural place to hold wrestling shows, but some other people on here disagree and see them as cheap gimmicks. This has led to some heated debates on here. Occasionally in the summer when the weather was seriously good, some places took it further and set up floating rings in the duck pond of a public park or, as here, in a harbour. Generally Catch A L'Eau was not a consistent dunking fest as this highlight reel implies. There would be long no-no sense sequences inside the ring like any other wrestling show.

Oh dear., still there were others, from the fans from the Trente Glorieuses through to kids who grew up watching Flesh Gordon and Prince Zefy against everyone from Jessy Texas and Marquis/Travesti Man/Monsieur Jacky Richard to Scott Ryder and Cybernic Machine.

We should have him on here.