David Mantell

Amusing AI generated image found on Facebook of The Hart Foundation versus two blokes who are supposed to be Demolition but look NOTHING LIKE THEM. Actually this might be a good representation of what Demolition looked like in the collective unconscious of hardcore NWA/Road Warriors fans who wanted to see Ax and Smash die in the ring at the hands of a raging Hawk and Animal. Although funnily enough Barry Darsow had that look for a while in spring '87 once his post-Kruscher Krushchev stubble had grown out into a suedehead.

Okay, here are the remaining three There's also a five page chapter on the rules and early Spanish history of "Lucha Libre Americana" which I shall posts here some time soon. Other than that, some of the images illustrating particular holds and moves are in a ring, but I couldn't tell you which images are from Spain and which are from elsewhere.

One of the four remaining profiles from Lino De Pablo Campo's book.

The flipside of that was Warrior backing out of selling out to Mr Perfect to become heel World champion at Summerslam 92 which took away what would have been the historic cherry on top of that event.

Warrior was basically a Handsome version of The Missing Link.

Be my guest: https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/topic/15983-the-beginners-guide-to-british-wrestling https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/topic/16764-french-catch https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/topic/51113-german-catch Except that for me, they're not niche topics. British wrestling is what I grew up with and still follow, French catch and the world of the German/Austrian tournaments were/are the two next door territories with a considerable back and forth overlap.

@William Bologna I've got you another Wrestle Me vlog about vintage British TV wrestling, this time about the 1980 The Big Time documentary.

If my British and French thread postings were both a bit on the short side this weekend it was to balance out this epic. Less than three months away from the Millennium, on a show that was put on by the VDB - so says @sergeiSem although the ring design looks distinctively CWA with the blue/grey mat, white ropes, large frame and sponsorship messages. Robbie Wildcat Brookside, the most hated Brit in Germany and he will remain so for another 15 or so years, far removed from his youth having a clean match with Johnny Saint on ITV - takes on veteran Mile Zrno from Croatia . On top of which, the referee is an aged Jeff Kaye, veteran of ITV and Stampede, occasional Stampede TV commentator, Giant Haystacks' Tim White in Stampede 1981 and a tag team The Barons with Ian Gilmour that made it to both British and French TV as well as Pancho Zapata's opponent in that The Final Bell clip from 30 years earlier. Flags are flying and Brookside is already in surly mood during the intros Runde 1: Brookside gets an armbar into hammerlock. Mile straightens it, tries a crotch hold counter then - unusually for him - does the British style of rollout albeit with the final kip up as a separate stage. Robbie forces a whip and bump but Zrno kips up. He monkey climbs Brookside who maintains the wristlever, switching to double arms then the single other arm then back to the original. Mile stands and forearm smashes Robbie who no sells it. So Mile rolls out again, hiptosses Robbie and crosspresses him but doesn't get a co7nt Some fans even cheer for Robbie. Mile gets a headlock and cross buttocks Robbie to the mat in it. Robbie momentarily turns Mile into a side folding press but Mile takes the headlock back to standing position as Robbie explores escape possibilities. Zrno gets a slam then a double crossface. The bell goes. Mile does not release and Robbie has to shove him off. Runde 2: They interlock and Zrno rolls backwards to tighten his twist on both arms. Robbie powers both arms straight and backdrops Zrno who turns into the mount and gets a reverse grovit on Brookside, switching to a chinlock, side headlock and kneedrop. Hecdelibers two bionic elbows to Robbie's head and Brookside is up and FURIOUS. He complains to Kaye who shrugs. Robbie gets a snapmare and kick to the back as one for his dad who wanted him to be a footballer. Zrno gets up only to be snapmared down and neck wrenched. He tries for a Fireman's Carry but Brookside wriggles off. Brookside gets a stomp in then a side chancery hold. Zrno armdrags him but Robbie responds with a headscissors, augmenting it with an armlock. Zrno starts bridging up so Brookside elbows him down in the stomach. Zrno eventually gets his arm free and gets the headscissors upright and lifts his head up Brookside pulls him in by the hair, so Zrno turns the hold upside down and uses his feet to uncork his head from the hold - just in time as the bell rings. The two argue over which corner is whose. Runde 3: As they grope for wrists, Zrno gets a great rolling legdive into single leg takedown He stomps Brookside 's thigh twice and turns him over into a single leg Boston Crab. Robbie, totally the heel goes straight for a rope break which Kaye grants him. He stares angrily across the ring. They lock up and Robbie gets a standing full nelson. Zrno throws him forward and bridges up when Robbie tries a sideways. He rolls over, nearly being caught in a backslide. and Brookside rolls over after him, still maintaining a kneeling full nelson. Zrno stands up, brining the Runde so far full circle with a standing full nelson once again. Robbie switches to an abdominal stretch . With difficulty Zrno manages a cross buttock and press for 2. They interlock, Robbie gets in a boot and forearm smash, they take turns pounding each other in the corner until Zrno gets a rear snapmare and kneedrop. A running snapmare on the grounded Brookside earns Mile a private warning from Kaye. The next interlock brings a drop toehold and crossface from Robbie but the bell soon goes. Reluctantly he releases. Runde 4 Zrno gets an armlock against the joint and drives it down into the mat. He converts it to a back hammerlock on the mat, driving his knee in and handstanding his entire weight on the hold, coming down in a bridge position and working his way back round the the original position, then going for the other arm to get a curious leg-held abdominal stretch. Finally he releases with one final chop and it takes Robbie an 8 count to get up. They interlock and Mile seems to go for an abdominal stretch but it all ends up in the ropes. They finally break after being barked at a lot by the MC. Zrno gets an armlock from in front and converts to a backhammer into armdrag into headscissors, cranking the hold forwards. Robbie turns the hold upright as the bell goes. He gets his head out but it's not clear if Zrno has just released on the bell. Frustrated, Brookside gets some stomps in and gets his First Yellow Card from Kaye. The MC, interestingly, calls it a Public Warning -in English. Runde 5 : Zrno snapmares and twice flying headscissors Brookside who bails out to ringside, eventually making it back for a count of 5. Zrno gets a single legdive, drags Robbie in from the ropes. He drops his weight on the inside of Robbie's knee and works over a single toehold, then turns Robbie into the mount and puts on a Frank Gotch figure four toehold., drops down and converts to an Indian Deathlock. Robbie counters by grabbing Zrno's pushing foot and putting an ankle lock on it. Zrno turns round into the original Gotch toehold position. Robbie scrambles for the ropes, forcing a break. Selling his knee, Robbie stays down for Eight then goes back down again for another 1. Kaye and the MC are considering calling it a TKO ( @ohtani's jacket wouldn't have liked that!) but a limping Brookside wants to go on. Zrno gets a fisherman's suplex but Robbie kicks out at 2. Robbie gets a headlock and concealed punch just as the bell goes. Runde 6: Robbie gets another headlock and concealed punch, using his body to block the view for Kaye, a very British piece of heel-pulling-wool over the ref's eyes. He gets in one more stomp as per the no follow down rule and hammers Zrno's back. Another bloke fells Zrno but Robbie falls with him so he can follow up with a crossface and then a crosswise surfboard just like the Keith Haward Vs Jon Cortez 1987 Reslo bout I posted yesterday. He eventually springs his man loose so Zrno lands with a thump in the guard, and stomps him again in the back. Robbie gets a snapmare and bodycheck but a second one catapults both men to ringside. Robbie gets justone stomp in at ringside before being back at 6. At 7, Zrno from outside rolls in and gets stomped by Brookside who takes a single leg and gets a toehold into grapevine leglock into Indian Deathlock, adding a grovit. Robbie casts off the grovit and makes a pure Indian Deathlock on the mat. He gets a spare arm of Mile's and makes a hammerlock of it. Mile partly gets out but Robbie still has the Gotch toehold on when the bell goes. He reluctantly releases it. Runde 7: Off a half- interlock, Robbie floors Zrno with two kicks, gets a leg and drives the knee into the mat. Luckily for Robbie, Zrno is no Johnny Saint and he doesn't go with the motion to spring upright - Brookside just gets the weakener, puts a Gotch toehold on, reaches for a one handed chinlock and wrenches down before focusing on the toehold then applying a two-handed crossface to make a Masa Chono STF. Brookside releases, Zrno is up at just 3 so Brookside Drapes him upside down on the corner pad in a somewhat messy Tree Of Woe. Kaye frees Zrno just as Brookside lands a low flying dropkick, earning himself a Second And Final Yellow Card from Kaye. Again the MC uses the Anglicism "Public Warning." Zrno gets in some forearm smashes but Brookside gets in a bit to Mile's already weakened knee. Zrno is up at 7 but holding onto the corner. Robbie gets a single leg Boston Crab. Eventually Zrno grabs the ropes and Brookside releases but gets in a cheeky little kick to the inside of Zrno's knee. Brookside gets a snapmare and single legdive, fends off Zrno's other leg and looks to take back the single leg Boston Crab but instead drops his weight on the knee of Mile. He locks in the other leg (sadly the camera angle prohibits seeing how) and both men illegally grab each others hair. Zrno gets his own first yellow card (yet again the MC says public warning) as the bell goes. Runde 8: A half Interlock becomes Robbie kicks and a big long suplex from Brookside for just 1. Zrno bridges out of a belly to back suplex and monkey climbs in response to a Brookside single leg and rear superkicks to the back of the head in response to another legdive. He stomps and lifts Robbie who gets a posting and shoulder ram into the corner, Robbie gets another posting and follows in but Zrno gets a sunset flip into double leg nelson for the one required pinfall. Mike Zrno is the winner and successful defender of the title belt he wore at the start. He is presented with belt and bouquet by two elderly officials. A surprisingly good Even Older School British style technical heel Vs blue eye bout. Zrno the last of the old slow methodicals still in his prime, Robbie a former Brit TBW whizzkid matured into thirtysomething heel. (He was already TWA British Heavyweight Champion by this time and may have held the All Star version by this point.) hitting his stride as the biggest most hated heel in Germany/Austria. It wasn't speedy but it was intelligent and scientific with what little brawling there was kept in it's place and the only just enough dirty wrestling to keep the heat flowing. I rather think Kent Walton would have liked this one. It doesn't challenge Steve Wright Vs Tony StClair for me but it's the second best heel/babyface German match I've seen after Inoki Vs Bock nearly 21 years earlier.

Here's a longer edit of that match with English commentary by Orig Williams. Danny and Jimmy Ocean were both British/European champions - Danny would also become World Middleweight champion this year 1991, Ocean was British /European Lightweight Champion- but expect more of a fight than a technical exhibition. Orig is in lustful mood over the "Glamour Girls" (not Leilani and Judy.). Promo time: Accent spotting - Jimmy is Norfolk n good, Danny is Bristol/Somerset. Jimmy has clearly been watching the trailer for Ringmasters The Great American Bash as he rips off Hawk's "Just when you thought the nightmare was over" promo. Monsieur L'Arbitre gives Ocean a bunch of (private) avertisements over what is Interdit but he rushes past to attack Danny, pounds him down and lands a snapmare into guillotine elbowsmash before resuming the brawling. Danny dropkicks Jimmy out. Ocean undoes a pad and gets in the dirties- kidney punch, slam head into naked turnbuckle. Ocean gets a Randy Savage flying axehandle twice among the fouls. He finally gets his first (public) Avertisement after walloping Danny with a chair at ringside. Danny retaliates with a foul of his own, a reverse crotch kick, plus an over knee backbreaker but Ocean gets a crotch shot of his own (Orig says that this would have been a summary DQ in Britain) Danny is back with a snapmare into kneedrop, posting, spinning kick, frontward and backwards atomic drop, double legs into butt to stomach. Ocean is up at 8 for a Manchette. But Ocean is back on the dirty moves with a neck on ropes and choking with unwrapped wrist tape. A chest smother gets a referee break but Ocean puts his knee on Danny's throat while he argues. and garrotted him with tape. But he it sitting on Danny's shoulders so Danny uses a German suplex to escape. Danny gives Ocean the tape treatment back and earns his own Premier Avertisement. The two trade concealed fists and visible elbowsmashes. It all goes more American with clotheslines including a top rope one from Ocean. Danny gets a gorilla press into stomachbreaker. Ocean nearly gets his Deuxième Et Dernière Avertisement with another crotch shot - L'Arbitre is VERY suspicious - then gets a slam and a Superfly Splash worthy of Jimmy Snuka himself. But Danny kicks out at 2 and responds the same to an Ocean DDT. The two brawl on until a Danny flying tackle sends both out. Ocean gets back inside first but Danny floors him with first a missile dropkick then a flying bodypress for the side folding press pin. Some good high flying spots but mostly a brawl which is OK if that's what you like. And if you want kayfabe justice for the afterbirth of the Danny/John Harvey Vs Ocean/Doc Dean match, here it is.

Keith Ha(y)ward and Jon Cortez had one of the most glorious no nonsense matches of the colour TV era in 1980 on World Of Sport. Five years later they had another one. Then two years later, astonishingly one of Brian Dixon's first ITV bouts for All Star was a third such bout. Imagine my astonishment to find they also did their thing on Orig's Reslo show. A minority of the crowd are heeling Cortez. I think he did have a few experiments that way in the mid 80s but he behaves himself here. Likewise Haward who did have one funny turn on ITV getting a public warning and as seen on Screensport in 1986, could fight fire with fire when necessary. Here, it's old fashioned classy technique all the way. Keith gets a half nelson and tries to add a crossface but Jon throws him off. He gets a guard armlock and when Keith turns upright to perhaps roll out, he transfers to a back hammerlock but Keith spins out horizontally. They lock up again and Keith gets a snapmare into front chinlock. Cortez throws himself sideways and out past Keith's armpit and snips round 180'until he hasr a mount of his own Keith in an armbar which he augments into an armhank. He tries switching to a further nelson but Keith slips out and mounts him. Cortez throws him off and turns himself over into a crosspress for 2. Good crowd reaction. Cortez gets a low waist lock and drapes Haward over his shoulder . He lowers his man down until the shoulders are down for 1. Haward does a half turn on his head (not a full spinning toupee, just a halfway turn but it gets him up on his haunches. Cortez tried for a mount of his own which Keith reverses but Jon bucks him off and gets a mat side headlock. As Keith tries to stand, Cortez converts to a grovit. Keith breaks it open and high whips Jon who rolls up from it and comes back with a flying tackle. but is rolled off at 1. Another low waistlock, this time from Keith who lowers his grip to the knees. Cortez responds with a sunset flip and double leg nelson. Keith breaks out with a double ankle chop, stunning Cortez as he stays down for 7. He is soon back with an armbar and tries an over shoulder throws. Keith uses a crossface to pull back. He gets whipped into th3e ropes by his spare arm but rebounds with a sunset flip into double leg nelson for 1. Cortez escapes and gets a quick crosspress for 1. Keith gets his rear waistlock and tries for his trademark bridging belly to back into German suplex- a legacy of his Commonwealth Games silver medalist days. But Cortez swivels round for a feet first landing. The second time, Keith stays with the hold and goes for a side folding press. Cortez escapes and tries another crosspress.Both get just 1. Keith tries another ride, but it goes into the corner. Cortez is up just before referee (and commonly MC and sometimes English commentator on New Catch season 1) John Harris can start a KO count. Keith gets a wrist lever, turns to tighten and switches to a legdive, taking Cortez down in the guard. Cortez tries to push him off with the flat of the free boot but Keith gets that leg and makes a Gotch toehold, leaning across his man to stop him rolling away. He adds a one arm crossface and pulls his man back in a crossways surfboard. He has it for several seconds before Cortez reaches round with a free hand and unplugs one foot. This triggers him into spring rolling (almost a splash) into a cross press for 2. They try for more but Harris calls for a break. Cortez gets an armdrag into armlock which Keith counters with a headscissors. Cortez turns the hold upright, goes into a headstand and levers out beautifully. Keith goes behind and gets a standing full nelson. Jon tries powering out while going to his knees but Keith follows him down, maintaining the hold. He slowly converts to a cross press, getting a 1 then another 1 (this is the lull OJ was on about) before Cortez kicks out. Keith tries for a front facelock but Jon gets his other arm in the beginning of a hammerlock then switches to the shoulder to turn his man into the guard then a front folding press but Keith legscissor throws him off. He gets a single leg but Keith leaps over and goes behind for a side folding press for the one required fall. If this reminds you of RINGS then the likes of this is where RINGS comes from. Also a cheerful reminder that while shows like Reslo pushed the boat out for gimmick matches and rulebreaking violence, they also kept one foot firmly in the pool of classy scientific wrestling.

Including the early November 1988 "Dry Run" for Demolition as babyfaces - the sympathetic heels, unaccompanied by Fuji (despite what Mike McGuirk says) destroy The Bolsheviks and are roundly cheered by fans, proving that without Fuji and with heel opponents, Ax and Smash were natural babyfaces. Also famous for the former Kruscher Kruschev shouting "Come on you stinking commie" at Volkoff, his one time tag partner in Mid South.

Quick guide to the Faulkner family: Vic Hessle – Wrestling Heritage Bert Royal – Wrestling Heritage Vic Faulkner – Wrestling Heritage Apparently "Hessle" was a leftover from an Austrian gimmick Lew/Vic Sr did in the 1930s.

Did the English commentator come up with the name "Butch Leteur" ?

Well we don't have that footage but here is a snippet from Manchester Belle Vue of Assirati against George Gregory. Bit of a splice job of high spots - a snapmare, a suplex, a bunch of throws with a suitable added sound effect.

Just a quick clip to even things out: Anyone got any idea who that is doing The Ball at 0:10? Could it be a young George Kidd?