David Mantell

They all sound great.. Would love to have them on YouTube and posted to here. Right now I've only got one 1980 video left.

Like this weekend for instance. I'm going out later like I said on the British thread so it's going to have to be a quickie Flesh Gordon in his later years (in the 2010s) in a mixed tag match. I'm not sure who the other 3 were. The two women start out. La Bonne resembles current Liverpool based wrestler Harley Hudson. La Méchante is a goth temptress in Black and Red. The male heel I'm not sure if I've seen him before. The women do basic clotheslines and suchlike then the men tag in. I think Monsieur Jacky Richard is at ringside., he argues with Flesh. Female heel hax a go at Flesh. She slaps him around, He gets the odd armlock on her and smashes her face on his knee. Male heel goes berserk at this and sort of heel hot tags bashing the Flesh around. Flesh fights him back. Ladies are in, heel dominates. Female heel does good armdrags and good Planchette Japonaise. Not so good drop toehold or folding press pin attempt. Men are back. Flesh gets a good front grovit. They taught him well in Mexico - or wherever Monsieur Hervé really learned his Catch. Heel has flesh down in a guard armlock, kicking him and getting heat. Flesh can still do a good kip up and armdrag. (Remember this was a true high flyer 30 years earlier teaming with Walter Bordes.) Male heel rolls out, female heel tags in, jumps on Flesh's back and gets slammed for her pains. La Bonne is back and gets beaten on by her counterpart who does a high whip and a good sitting armscissor and armhank even if she does risk a pin count leaning that far back, luckily for her therefore doesn't notice. Female babyface rolls up the hanked arm into a side headlock and hiptosses the female heel. into a cross press. Male heel makes the save. Female and male heel both slam the female heel. They double team her until she rolls out the way and Flesh clotheslines them both. Flesh and female Face start celebrating but the heels attack.They try posting them into each other but Les Bons switch round and each clotheslines a Méchant. Flesh dumps the male heel outside, aeroplane spins the female heel and holds her down for the female face to Superfly Splash and pin her. Win for Les Bons.Loads of little kids run amok at ringside Basic family entertainment. A Big Daddy tag match. Send the kids home happy.

More Hanover 1980., While us Brits got Sammy Lee. Germany got Takashi Ishikawa. He had previously done Western assignments in Amarillo for the Funks, Central States for Bob Giegel and the WWC in Puerto Rico. Here he's on against old time Canadian heel Moose Morowski. Nearest British equivalent would be Crusher Brannigan Vs Kwick Kick Lee from ITV 1982. DJ plays a surfy version of Morricone's The Good The Bad and the Ugly. MC mentions Takashi's sumo past. Runde 1. Takashi might not be Sammy Lee but he knows his moves, taking Moose down in a rear double legs into side Headlock. Moose has to slowly crawl to get Takashi into the ropes for a break. Moose acts menacingly but Takashi drop toeholds and chinlocks him as fans sing songs for him. Moose tries to crawl out but Takahashi switches to a full nelson on the mat. Moose stretches out a leg and gets a rope break. In Britain this would be serious heel heat. In Germany they sing something sarcastic sounding at him. Big Moose whinges to th referee who will have none of it. Moose finally goes on the attack with a full nelson takedown but Takashi slips out of the back and gets a mat grovit. Moose stands up and forces Takashi into the corner, again taking the easy way out fed up, he slugs the Japanese kid and throws him out of the ring, slugging him and choking him on the rope to prevent his return. I think he gets a public warning but no cards are shown. Moose abdominal stretches Takashi, illegally holding the rope. He switches to equally illegally pulling the tights. The bell goes, Takashi complains about the tights. The ref spends the whole break keeping them apart. Runde 2 Takashi is angry. He spits water at Moose (had Kabuki started spraying most by this point) and slaps big Moose around., corners and posts him twice then misses a charge . Both recover on the mat. Moose gives Takashi a big vertical suplex and a headbutt bu5 hurts himself and Takashi gives him a couple back - in th3n back of th3n neck where it hurts. Takashi gets a rear snapmare into sleeper. Moose uses an eye poke to get out, then ties and pounds Ishikawa on the top rope. They lock up and Moose gets a neck lift throw down. Takashi gets counted but is nearly back on his feet when Moose boots him down again. He throws Takashi outside onto a ringside table and stomps him as he gets back before going for a bearhug. The bell goes but Moose doesn't release and the Japanese babyface has to chop his way out. Moose spends the break in the corner selling his aching head. Runde 3. Takashi follows in with more chops including a scissor chop and goes for the top turnbuckle for a descending chop like Rick Steamboat at WM3 . He bodychecks the big Canadian and goes for the top again but Moose picks him off mid air and be crashes to the mat. A slam. catching one shoulder on a knee, finishes him off for the pinfall win. Crowd are angry but a heel win it is. Cut to Bellomo making his entry for the previously reviewed bout. This video is only 40 seconds shorter than the 1991 Reslo Johnny Saint Vs Chic Cullen yet took a much shorter time to review. The first round saw Takashi gives the German purists what they wanted, nice and slow and ponderous down on the mat. Rounds 2 and 3 were more the brawl and very much @ohtani's jacket's thing. OJ if you like Bull Power in 1986 you'll love Moose 6 years earlier.

I've got a night out tonight so I want to avoid anything too lengthy today. Fortunately I've struck some Gold in the short but sweet department.: This was from 1991 and the second time these two had met on Reslo. They had met back in the early 80s with the early red roped ring and they also had a match on Screensport in 1986 at that TV taping at a gardening festival with the matches in a glasshouse (I think I've posted one of the other bouts on here. We get the Reslo title sequence - depicting just about every kind of action except the sort of clean classy wrestling we're about to see - and then we get Bryn Fon not in some nice rose garden in the Valleys as on other occasions but a rather ugly rear carpark painted red and yellow. Obviously a bigger more urbanised location for this taping. Inside it's quite a roomy hall by British standards and a good crowd. Both men get a good cheer, referee is Irish champion Jack Flash Davey. Cullen gets a side headlock but it hits the ropes. He tries again but Saint makes it into a top wristlock. He yaks Cullen down in the guard. Cullen easily gets up but Saint passes the wrist overhead to maintain leverage so Cullen rolls through to straighten his arm. He then rolls backwards twice to reverse the torque onto Johnny and makes a back hammer out of the arm. He takes Saint down and slaps headscissors on while retaining control of the arm. Saint attempts the kip up and snap out escape. But Cullen is to strong so Saint turns the hold upright and goes for the kneeling position into a handstand. He then falls backwards and turns the hold upside down but instead of going for the uncork with the legs, he rolls up into the Boston Crab position! For a while it looks like he will get the submission but Cullen's leg strength helps him turn the whole hols upside down into a sitting double kneepress. Saint gets his legs up and pulls Cullen down into a seating double leg press but Cullen flips over, takes the upper thighs of Saint and flips forward into a bridging folding press. Saint sees this coming and scrambles out and way. They shake hands and start over again Saint gets a rear snapmare into chinlock but Cullen straightens the bar into a wristlever and again develops it into a back hamerlock, held with a double wristlock grip. He shifts from kneeling to mount position then uses a foot to turn his man over by the free arm into the guard and a cross press for a series of 1 counts. But Saint can get an arm up even after Cullen executes a 180 degree rotation on the Cross press, so Cullen lets him up and they start over. They lock up but Saint gets a wrist, spins horizontally on it and reels Cullen down into an armlock in the guard. He yanks the arm as a weakener, drops a leg on it forming an armscissor and twists on that to try for a submission. Cullen resists so Saint reverts to a simple wristlock in the guard, tightening and contorting the hold. He then switches to top wristlock on the mat as Cullen curls his legs up, anticipating some kind of rollout. Instead H3 hips up but Saint still has the arm so he posts Cullen. but when he charges in to follow up, Cullen boots him off and delivers a guillotine elbowsmash. Saint eventually gets up - straight into a posting. Cullen follows up with a slam and an arms-launched splash from the top rope. Saint is up at eight when Cullen double legs him from behind, lifting him by the thighs and smashing him down face first. Saint Ames another long count and when he is up Cullen is ready with a flying tackle and crosspress but Saint presses him off - out of the ring. Cullen is back and immediately regains the advantage with a standing full nelson. He resists Saint's attempt to throw him off. Saint breaks the hold by joining his hands around his leg, giving the added leverage necessary to his shoulder muscles to force the hold open. He then goes behind and gets a full nelson of his own, much to Cullen's amusement! BCullen simply backs out of the hold then fire an elbow into Saint's stomach, flooring him. He whips Saint into the ropes but then misses a dropkick and comes up selling his leg. Saint goes straight for it with a single leg takedown and a splash right on the knee. He gets the leg again and turns his man into a single leg Boston Crab. But Cullen resists long enough for Saint to release. Cullen turns a double interlock into the full Japanese Stranglehold. He drops to one knee, driving the other into Saint's back. Finally he leans back with it to complete the Surfboard! But Saint unhooks his legs, rolls backwards and gets a Japanese Stranglehold of his own. Cullen stands up and throws Saint off forward but Saint comes right back with a sideways folding press attempt. But Cullen carries on rolling into the ropes, forcing a break. They shake hands and start over. Saint gets a rear chinlock and takes Cullen down with it. He switches to a hammerlock with Cullen down in the mount. He briefly tries pulling up Cullen in an abdominal stretch on the mat, but Cullen resists so Saint goes back to the hammerlock. Cullen gets up in the hold - then drops to the mat flinging Saint out of the ring. But Johnny makes a good landing on his feet. He leaps back in the ring, leapfrogs Cullen an offers himself for a front folding press. Cullen takes it but Saint flips him forward, goes for a bridging folding press and gets a 2 count. Saint gets a single leg takedown but Cullen sits up, turns into the mount with his legs turning into a Gotch toehold - then grabs a side headlock on Johnny. He switches it to wristlever, passes it over his head , armdrags Saint and comes over with a crosspress but Runs Out Of Mat as Saint's foot reaches the ropes. Saint gets another abdominal stretch - a more conventional standing one this time - then switches to the old Zoltan Bostik 3 in 1 with the leg over the neck. He switches to front facing pressure points, then throws his man off the ropes, leapfrogs ehim and on the next rebound goes down into the Johnny Saint ball. He offers a handshake to Cullen who takes it and is dragged into a cross press but kicks out at 2. Cullen gets a side chancery throw but Saint lands feet first and trips Cullen into a folding press but is spun off by the feet. They double interlock and test their strength. Cullen goes down into a bridge, then kips up, still in the full Interlock. Saint rolls backwards and uses the leverage to force Cullen down on his knees. Cullen forces himself up, turns so that he and Saint are now back to back still in the full Interlock , then tips forwards so Saint rolls upwards along his back and lands in front of him. Saint switches and goes for double legs but Cullen spins him off. Saint is up at 6 but Cullen gets a wrist and passes it over his head to make a wristlever He drives an elbow into Saint's shoulder then switches to an abdominal stretch of his own, but held with a hold through the legs instead of the usual quarter nelsoned arm. Saint finds he can turn easily in this and shrugs the hold off, leaving Cullen on the mat. Cullen gets up into a Saint snapmare into further nelson press for a 2 count He turns into a crosspress but barely gets a 1 before Saint's arm points upwards like a sprouting shrub. He keeps a wristlock as Saint gets up, then posts Saint who takes the impact well, shoots between Cullen's legs and from there goes into his "Russ Abbott" sequence - he finger Interlocks him then unhooks both interlocks with a foot, gets a side headlock into a go-behind , leapfrogs Cullen, slides behind him, slips a leg over his head and takes him down and finally gets a side folding press for the winning fall. A fine short scientific bout between two great World champions (Cullen would beat Robbie Brookside for the World Heavy Middleweight Championship the next year 1992 and hold it for the remaining 10 years of his career until his 2002 retirement. ). Perhaps some time we will get those two earlier bouts done.

Following on from two weeks ago (in fact I did consider doing this first and doing Buffalo Vs Tony this week), here are Trujillo and Vircocha again a year earlier only in regular Catch Á Quatre, not Six, and without the benefit of a surly Saulnier helping them out due to a grudge with Les Bons. (Saulnier was still just finishing up from being active in the ring and the very model of a Lightweight championship clean wrestler as well see in bouts from the 60s and early 70s. Their opponents are both playing away from home - Gsss and Walter may make an Electric tag team but both of them have regular partners. Walter at this point was paired with Claude Rocas (earlier it was a senior Rene Ben Chemouel, later it would be a young Flesh Gordon.) while Doukhan paired with George Cohen as Les Israliens (George I believe we Algerian Sephardi Jewish, not sure about Gass.). Bordes and Doukhan did have a previous TV match against Josef El Arz and Black Shadow which I've already reviewed on here. We get quite a bit of spare footage of Roger Delaporte, his assistant and some other TV guy in a headset sitting around waiting for their cue, smoking their cigarettes. (No idea whether this was broadcast or if this is a transmission tape sent to INA after broadcast. There's no speaking clock so my guess is the latter.) The MC is announcing whom is on the bill n3 t time and it's a good lineup including Gilbert Le Duc. Bored crowd members are blowing airborne and harmonicas and chanting Pappa Doux Mais Mais to jumpstart Bordes's ring entry. Finally everyone climbs in the ring, along with a suited Jacky Corne who cordially shakes everyone's hand. even Les Méchants. Inca is again wearing his stripey coloured gown designed to get xenophobic heat from the French fans but he is outshone by Bordes in his gorgeous gold lamé gown with a red sash. Trujillo doesn't yet ear the stripey gear, preferring a grey sheepskin top, while Gass has his usual light blue jacket suitable for guest cast in Blake's 7. A young curly haired second is in Les Bons' corner - possibly a pre career Marc Mercier? Premiére Manche. Gass comes off the ropes through Trujilllo's legs. He comes back, gets a double legs takedown but Tomas spins him off before he can do worse. Doukhan cartwheels out of trouble and, carrying on rotating , gets a cross buttock throw on Trujilllo in the same motion, then a second one. He gets a side chancery throw, bodycheck and lands nicely from a backdrop attempt to come back with a dropkick, before tagging Walter and triggering fresh chants of PDMM. Inca also tags in and gets a nice side headlock takedown only for Walter to counter with the same Wedging Out escape that Salvatore Bellomo used on Klaus Kauroff on the German thread yesterday and that Johnny Saint frequently used on ITV etc. He used the same escape to get out of a side chancery throw into long press in the guard. Inca next instead tries a standing headlock but Walter uncorks himself much like Mike Marino would do at this time but with a certain agile skip as he yanks his head free. Inca does the same again with the same Water counter. Walter then dives through Inca's legs and gets two hiptosses. Inca is no slouch for agility either, he gets a side headlock takedown with a leap up almost like a sideways Planchette Japonaise only for Bordes to yet again wedge out. Inca gets another headlock takedown which Bordes breaks open to form a ground top wristlock which Vircocha himself counters with a headscissors. Walter forsakes the wristlock to wedge out and snap open th3 headscissors and kip up. Water tags Trujilllo demands L'Arbitre keep Bordes back until he is fully in the ring. Walter gets a standing full nelson, Tomas breaks a side and goes behind to reverse. Walter slips downwards and backrolls but Tomas catches him again with the Double Nelson as he gets up. He doesn't get a firm grip in time and Walter now goes behind then falls backwards, boots Tomas from behind into the ropes and catches him with a leg flip on the rebound. Tomas gets a shoulder but next Walte4 leapfrogs him then catches him with a pair of Scisseaux Volees on the run and a dropkick out of the ring! Doukhan tags back in and double interlocks Trujillo, picks off one side with a foot, gets behind in a loose standing hammerlock position, slips forward through Trujilllo's legs then catches him with a ground position dropkick. Again Les Méchants tag, looking and waiting for that heat moment. Viracocha seems to have it with a double Interlock into high whip and a decent if not earth shattering bump. But Gass gets a side chancery takedown and neck stretch in one motion to regain the Bon advantage for now. Gass gets a full nelson into a rear snapmare with quit3 a thump then tag Walter. But perhaps the tide is turning - Tomas gets an armlock in the guard position and sees off a couple of kicks and headscissor attempts before Bordes bicycle kips up, only to be pulled down again by the heel in black using the hair. Again Bordes tries bicycle kipping upright, steps over Tomas's head and snapmares him. Tomas ducks under the first rope run and drop toeholds Bordes's second rebound, blocks him into quite a strong Powerbomb like bump and then gets a sunset flip for the first pin attempt of the bout, only for Walter to double ankle smash even before one,. Walter gets a running leapfrog and again dropkicks Trujillo out of the ring into Couderc's area of seating - "sur moi" quips Roger. Trujillo clambers back, dodging pestilent ringsiders and tags Vircocha who gets a double interlock before releasing one side to get a high wristlever and reverse armhank takeover down into armscissor in the guard, switching to headscissor with the wrist still held. Doukhan reaches to prise open the scissor but instead opts to kip upright, still in the hold and go for the folding press, getting the first actual pin count so far and then only a 1 before Viracocha spins him off with the scissors. He keeps holding but Gass's legs hit the ropes. Vircocha has Run Out Of Mat. They start over and look to be headed for a double Interlock but Gass gets a spinning single legdive takedown. Mindful of his opponent's recent error, he drags Inca by the foot to the centre of the ring and gets a ferocious straightening leg weakened on the villain. Inca's legs are still in good Nick, he gets a fantastic drop toehold into Frank Gotch toehold. Gass curls himself up into the George Kidd ball (across the Channel Kidd was just retiring at this time.) tempting Inca with various limbs offered then hastily withdrawn. Gass eventually gets an arm in the confusion and armdrags his man into the guard. Inca makes it up only for Gass to high whip him back down (to no5 much of a bump- Inca absorbs it well, it must be said.). Both sides tag prompting some total Cul in the crowd to play Papa Doux on the air horn. La Publique don't pick up on it much, serves the idiot right. Walter meanwhile gets a wristlever as a set up for a chop to the chest. Mercifully the bout stays technical for now as another lock up results in Tomas getting a Full Japanese Stranglehold on the kneeling Bordes. He drops to his own knees - perhaps looking for a surfboard? Walter stands up and tries to throw his way out but Tomas goes with the momentum and reapplied the full Japanese Stranglehold. Water tries again, rolling round in the momentum until, on the mat, he can get a foot in for a singl3 leg flip. But Tomas is not down long enough for a count so they start over. Walter gets a spinning armlock takedown into crosspress (and quite a Beauty it is!) but L'Arbitre is slow to count and Bordes slaps the mat in frustration. Th3cref runs round and gets a couple of 1 and 2 counts before Tomas turns things over and gets his own cross press for one. Walter turns things his way up again but Runs Out Of Mat for the second time this bout. The heels tag a d Inca walks straight into trouble, Walter stepping over his arms to get into a spinning kick worthy of Sammy Lee 4 years later. Gass tags in, finger Interlocks Inca to the mat and stamps on his hands. He follows up with a spinning kick on the downed Inca but a gentle cheeky effort such that L'Arbitre lets it go. Another interlock and Vircocha gets a back hammerlock from a front facing position from which he lands blows to the back and front, felling Le Bon. Is this the end of the technical portion of the match? Not entirely, as Inca picks up Gass for a snapmare but upon getting it drops a knee. Not yet a brawl but moving into deeper heat. Inca kicks Bordes as he tries to tag in and kneelifts a recovering Gass just as he breaks contact with the mat with any body part bar the sole of the boot but is still not upright (the bare minimum for legality but still a long way from sportsmanship.). He gets another kne3 but knocks Doukhan into tagging range and in comes Bordes in brawling mood mnchettingbIn a into the heel corner and leading the jeers as neither villain wants to come forward. Trujilllo eventually comes forward and after a brief battle for arm supremacy-gets a fantastic rope assisted arm drag - shades of Mark "Kid McCoy" Boothman a decade plus later! Trujillo gets another one from the opposite corner. Tomas is still Un Méchant however and he pulls the hair to get Bordes in a reverse DDT and single permitted stomp before L'Arbitre moves in. He gets the hair again but Bordes gets that most classically French of escapes, the Reverse Snapmare - to park himself on the r8ng apron with Trujillo in the reverse front chancery with his neck on the ropes. He could get a nasty neckbreaker on that top rope but the ref earns him off . So Papa Doux releases and Trujillo missed with a chop, is knocked down and slingshot splashed á la Rick Martel but gets out the way resulting in a bump for the bon. Tomas goes for a Legdrop Of Doom but misses. Both sides tag and start over. Viracocha starts things off with a neat side chancery throw and comes back off the ropes with a bodycheck. Gass gets one back but Trujillo gets a decent swift backdrop in return. Gas ducks down under the next charge and comes up with a shoulderblock which fells the villain. He gets the same rear snapmare and forward neck weakener as earlier then tags Bordes. The roads chants Papa Doux Mais Mais as he side headlocks Inca . He comes off the ropes first with a bodycheck then with a flying bulldog side headlock takeover into a side headlock on the mat in the Mount, but yet again Runs Out Of Mat as the heel's legs tangle with the ropes. He keeps the headlock and goes for the same sequence, this time getting Inca down right in the middle of the ring. Vircocha gets up (with help from the ropes ) and tries a rear legdive but Walter rolls all the way back to his corner and tags Doukhan. Trujillo who was knocked off the ring apron during that last exchange ruefully tags in also as Gass watches on in some amusement. He baits Tomas and gets behind for a rear waistlock into atomic drop. Tomas comes back with a legdive, fells his man and turns into a leglock but Doukhan boots him in the backside into the corner where he takes the posting badly on his shoulder. Inca tags in and gets a mild bodycheck and a single shot to the shoulders before Walter tags in. Halfway through, the heels have had a strong Heat period but the bout is still mostly scientific. Inca keeps his distance nicely from a sliding leg attack by Walter, possibly even a drop toehold attempt, and gets a high whip that sends Bordes flying for quite a vicious bump. It's an emotional low point for the fans, one guy pointedly shouts "papa DOUX!" to perk things up. But Bordes has a painful expression. He gets an excellent back roll out of a wristlever but then falls victim to the same high whip and bump as earlier. Inca in the corner thinks this deserves more respect and tries to get the crowd to clap! Trujillo meanwhile has spotted that Bordes's arm took the worst of those high whips - perhaps he even bumped bicep first - and posts him so that he lands, bicep first also, in the corner. Still selling the arm, he is up at 7. Inca tries t9 post him but he uses his good arm to hang on to the corner. The referee , on appeal from Inca exercises his option to reject the rope break (something that would become critical in years to come when Saulnier turned heel) and kicks the arm away, springing the posting on Bordes who tags Gass. Gass charges straight in - and is caught and double teamed by Les Méchants until stopped by L'Arbitre. Tomas gets rough, doling out the Manchettes and stomps with the odd interjection by Inca. (If this is the official end of the science and the full takeover of brawling then that's something of a record for a Les Bons Vs Les Méchants bout, some 60%+ of the way through the video.). One irate fan calls Trujillo "un Connard". (look it up if you don't know) and demands he be given Un Avertisement. Yup, it the Paris version of the South London "GIVE 'IM A PUBLIC WAWNIN', REF!!!" guy!. Trujillo gets a couple of postings, the second into a fist loaded corner and a full nelson while L'Arbitre guides Bordes out of the ring allowing Inca to get blows in. Inca swats Bordes casually off the apron and continues the heat. (Bordes land in the lap of Une Spectatrice Charmane - so that's him Ratted Up for the night post match then! We forget how helpful wrestlers were to each other back in the day) and slingshots Gass Doukhan into the heel corner. Both Bons pull themselves up but Gass once again is double legged and slingshot into the corner. He falls down and Inca gets a cross press low splash for th3 three count and the opening Tombée. The villains celebrate and get a shove in on Gass as he gets back to his corner. Deuxième Manche - Les Méchants are now in the lead and feel like taking greater risks with L'Irregularité. Inca gets a Double Nelson and hold him for Tomas who lands a headbutt. Inca gets two Manchettes then the same Double Nelson for Tomas' headbutt. Walter dives through and gets a full nelson of his own on Trujillo who tries a rear through the legs single leg takedown but is booted in to backside. This however ends in the very repeat of the headbutt to torso the heels were trying for anyway. Not a smart move for Les Bons although Inca gets it badly too. Both sides tag and start over, a cold start to the Hot Babyface Tag. Now it's Les Bons turn to play the brawling game as Bordes gets two Manchettes on Trujillo and another on Inca in the corner. Soon he is whacking away both villains alternately before he slings them both to ringside to try their luck with La Spectatrice ( was she the blonde lady in the stripey top.). Inca makes it back first and is snapmared in And bionic elbowed by Gass who also has un Manchette for Tomas on the apron. He throws and dropkicks Tomas out and ties Inca in the ropes and dive-bombs him. When Inca tries to intervene, Gass double legdives and catapults him into Trujillo. Inca is in and gets a cross handed grovit on Bordes and Les Méchants double cream him but Les Bons reverse the tactics and soon have Tomas stomach butting Inca. Gass is still officially in and snapmares and elbowsmashes Tomas repeatedly. Tomas gets a side chancery throw back in return but Gass ducks down, leapfrogs and crosspresses for the equalising fall . Les Bons celebrate in the ring, looking like Strike Force in their matching white pencil trunks. La Belle: (Par-Ce Qu'Il Y A EU). Gass gets Manchettes and a kneelift from Inca and a 10F Prime from a ringsider with too much spare cash and a desire for 5 secs TV fame. Bordes tags in and for a moment it gets technical again as Inca back hammerlocks him. Walter gets up, tries to slip in the other arm for an armdrag or the foot for a reverse drop toehold but eventually gets a rear snapmare Inca lands well on his feet and gets another hammerlock, pinioning Bordes for an illegal Trujilllo stomach punch from the ring apron. He takes Bordes down into almost the mount with the hammerlock. Bordes tries a reverse snapmare but just ends up atomic dropping himself while actually tightens the hold on Le Bon. Oh dear. He tries the escape again with the same unsuccessful result. A third attempt is no better but the referee takes an interest and gives the heels Un Avertisement (shared, so it's a One Knockout Tag. I'm not sure what the Avertisement was for but let's hope Shouty Man from the 20-25 mins period was satisfied. Inca gets an overhead lever into another back hammer, a standing one this time Bordes gets a side headlock and FINALLY that classic French reverse snapmare to land behind his man, get a double leg takedown, run the length of his opponent laying in the mount and gets a side headlock of his own then headscissor the other heel and throw BOTH of them! Gass tags in and that's the end of the scientific wrestling for tonight as he wallops both villains with Manchettes like a classic American Babyface doing a Hot Tag, then gets a hiptoss and dropkick out of the ring in front of La Spectatrice and her equally blond friend, both giggling at it all. A four man brawl ends with Les Bons back to back. The both duck down, both heels collide, each face covers a heel, one gets out and rescues the other, Inca posts Brides but he runs the last bit and ends up on the top turnbuckle coming off with a flying bodypress for the decider and winner. Probably the best example of Old French Catch we've had in a while, mostly technical except for one run of heel heat in the final third of the video. Less of the comedy aspect of the Catch A Six a year later, more chance to see Vircocha and Trujillo's actual skills. As with the cleanup of remaining 80s bouts on the German thread, I intend to mop up on any remaining colour INA taped bouts for 1975-1987 then do the same for the remaining stash of monochrome overseas sale kinescope prints for 1970-1974 then ditto 1965-1969. I do however intend to bung in some New Catch or later (I)WS(F) or revived FFCP footage some weekends either for relief or because I'm busy or just remind everyone that Le Catch survived coming off TV IN December 1988 just like British Wrestling did.

Okay, let's start clearing off the remaining bouts from Hanover 1980 We've dealt a little bit with Bellomo's years as heelish Wildman in a Roman centurion helmet and with a beard, mainly on the French thread covering New Catch. Now we go back beyond his underwhelming WWF years to his time as a clean cut babyface in Europe. "Tino" Bellomo had previously appeared on World of Sport's Fanfare for Europe edition in January 1973 beating Sailor Tug Wilson Now seven years on he takes on one of Germany most hated villains. Handsome, smiling and white jacketed, he totally looks the part. Kauroff doesn't yet have his yellow fan cape, just a red dressing gown. Runde 1 and Kauroff takes his man down with a side headlock into hiptoss but Tino wedges out nicely. He hiptosses Kauroff into an arm lock in the guard., switches to a reverse kneeling arm hank,then a top wristlock then armbar in the guard and back. Kauroff gets a foot but Tino kicks him off. Klaus gets high whip but Tino absorbs the bump well, kipping up a while later Klaus again takes it badly. Eventually Klaus gets an double mat top wristlock into standing top wristlock reverting back to armbar. Kauroff has an armlock in the guard. Tino tries for a standing rear waistlock just as the bell goes. Runde 2. Tino gets a snapmare into a side headlock but Klaus slips out the rear exit to make a back hammerlock. He works further on the arm, getting his own reverse arm hank before Tino shoves him into the ropes to force the break. Kauroff gets the arm and starts bashing on it til Tino rolls round and ground position dropkicks him. The two have a lengthy standoff until Kauroff gets a full nelson into snapmare. There is anything standoff until the bell goes. Runde 3 Tino picks off one side of a full Interlock with o foot then turns and gets in a cheeky superkick. He boots off Kauroff's legdive and gets a full nelson. Kauroff reverses bu5 Tino butts out and reverse ground position dropkicks his man off. He gets a snapmare and bodycheck but Klaus bashes him over the head. Klaus gets a standing side headlock and hangs on some time before Tino breaks out and gets some bodychecks before being reeled back in. He eventually releases, gets a 3 count towards a KO and snapmares him back down, getting a kneedrop in just on the bell. Runde 4 Kauroff gets a side Headlock but once again Bellomo shoves him in the ropes. Undeterred, he gets another one and takes his man down. He gives up and Bellomo, up at about 4, gets some bodychecks. until being taken back down by the same Headlock. When Tino fights his way upright, Klaus shoves him off contemptuously. Klaus gets a semi Japanese Stranglehold to set up a forearm smash or two. They have the customary exchange of smashes for some time until Kauroff gets a side headlock down on the mat. Tino tries unsuccessfully for headscissors. He tries edging out again like earlier - no luck this time. Kauroff gets bored and releases Tino He gets a sleeper but Tino cross buttock throws him and gets his own side headlock, finishing by jumping on his face. Kauroff gets a side Headlock, Tino counters with a loose bearhug, Klaus adjusts his position and gets Tino onto the ropes and is ordered to release by the referee. Tino this time gets the side Headlock but Klaus converts it into a backhammer then a side Headlock of his own, taking his man down in time for the bell. Some nice late 70s rock n roll revivalist/neo Doo Wop music from the DJ - Until now it's all just been 70s Euro cheese, the German equivalents of Tie A Yellow Ribbon or Save All Your Kisses For Me. Runde 5: usts to a similar Tino offers a handshake but Klaus refuses so Tino drops his weight on Klaus's knees like Dane Curtis in the 1972 ITV Hornets Vs Dangermen bout. He further weakens the knee. Kauroff hits back with a bodycheck but Tino ducks under the next rebound and fires a dropkick on the one afterwards. He snapmares Klaus and goes for a rare(for this match) pinfall cover but only gets the one. Tino gets a leg, scissors the ankle and apparently works on the kneecap (hard to see from this angle.). He adjusts to a simpler leglock before releasing and getting a six count. Tino gets a rolling dive into ankle lock and scissors the foot for good measure. He turns Kauroff from his guard to his side, trying harder for the submission. Eventually he gives up but Kauroff is limping, still selling the hold. Tino gets a pleasingly good drop toehold which he makes into some kind of ankle lock, finally adjusting into what looks like a Scorpion Deathlock (did it actually exist back then before Masa Chono?). He gives up and Klaus, dodgy wheel and all, gets up at 4. The pair have another forearm smash contest with Kauroff knocked down just as the final bell goes. Afterwards Tino tries to shake hands but Kauroff refuses and stomps off. The recording runs into a Ringerparade and thecstart of anothe4 match. Some nice bursts of action but mostly an old fashioned pre Steve Wright slow methodical Old Germanic Style bout, especially as heel Kauroff mostly works cleanly. More leverage than tricks Good if you've acquired the taste for it. I'm

One of the lesser known moments of the Marty Jones-Fit Finlay feud of the early 1980s. This is September 1985 and the semi final of a four man knockout tournament. There are no rounds and about six minutes of action (about 2 rounds' worth) have already gone down when the cameras come in. First Session JIP - Finlay has a full interlock and he lops off one side, making an armbar. Resisting Jones' blows to the back, he high whips the World champion getting quite a bump. Finlay keeps up the good work with an armbar on the wounded joint in the guard. This however was part of an attack on the mat and, refusing to release it, he gets a Public Warning from headmasterly referee Gordon Prior. Soon he has a legal hold on the arm, stretching it, getting the front position hammerlock, another whip into hard bump and this time dealing out a Legdrop to the hurt shoulder. He taps on the joint with a foot and gets an angry slap across the face, snapmare and kneedrop from the Lancashire Lion. Finlay sell the pain as Jones taunts Paula. Jones gets a neat wristlock entry into a Fireman's Carry lift but Finlay uses a concealed fist while aloft. Prior is highly suspicious but has no proof to dish out a Second and Final so lets it go. Jones comes to rest unfortunately with his throat across the rope and is slingshot off. Finlay has another go but Marty is waiting and backrolls up to a fighting stance, dropkicking Finlay and driving a shoulder into him in the corner. Finlay for es forwards and the exchange forearms before Jones gets a legdive into kneedrop much to the crowd's delight. Finlay gets a rear standing armhank still working on that left arm. Eventually Jones works his way up, rolls out and hiptosses and butts Finlay in the chest. They gets into another forearm battle when Jones gets a side folding press from NOWHERE for an opening fall! Paula is furious, booting her man on the canvas and generally emasculating him to the crowd's delight. Second session. Finlay goes in heavy with the stomp and knees. He drives a knee into the same wounded shoulder as earlier while Jones is slumped in the corner. This finally gets him the second and Final Public Warning. The Belfast Bruiser tries for a piledriver but Jones escapes by pushing away with his arms from F8nlay until he is up in a powerslam position from which he drops behind. He tries a piledriver of his own but Finlay double ankle smashes out. Jones gets a posting and an over the knee backbreaker for seven. Finlay goes for a legdive and corners Jones, posts him, gets another legdive and takes his man down into a single leg Boston Crab but can't get a submission. Jones gets double legs into a full Boston Crab but no more luck. He does manage to intercept a Finlay bodycheck and make a legdive into front pointing Power lock but Finlay gets a rope break. Finlay gets a posting but misses a follow in charge. He does manage to "accidentally" dislodge the corner mad so when Jones likewise charges in, his injured shoulder connects with a corner peg. Finlay once again charges and misses, sailing to ringside and a 7 count. Jones intercepts yet another charge to get a front drop behind. Finlay misses a couple more times before getting a front folding press Equaliser that is as much from NOWHERE as Jones' opener was. Jones is furious and - astonishingly for a Blue Eye - attacks Finlay after the fall. He has to be pulled off by Prior and is summarily Disqualified. Finlay goes on to face Johnny Kincaid in the final. Action packed and heat packed, undeniably. Of course OJ won't like the finish. As for me I would have liked a bit more technical work.

I imagine this was explained to Warrior in the initial pitch for the angle as with Superstar Graham re Bob Backlund, Bret for his third reign re. Shawn and Hollywood Hogan to Crow Sting. "You get another run with the World belt but you finish up putting over the new kid". (Admittedly Hollywood sabotaged Starrcade 97 and Graham enlisted Bruno's help to try feign an injury to sabotage Backlund's win.) It really depends on how this was presented, particularly the finish. I don't think the Warrior would have agreed to submit in the Sharpshooter as Bret envisaged after a version of the plan later on found its way round the grapevine to him, but considering the finish for Warrior's loss at WM5 I could see him being okay about being ensnared by trickery, even clever legal trickery. If the Warrior had Bret in the Gorilla press but Bret got his head end free, turned 90 degrees to point downwards and dropped down behind Warrior and through his legs into a sunset flip position and we last see Warrior flailing away "Aloha Arn" style before going down like King Kong off the Empire State Building into a double leg nelson - or even a folding press with Bret flipping over into a bridge- that might be acceptable just as being tripped by Bobby Heenan while doing a suplex was acceptable. In real life, Bret reports, Warrior was actually very gracious towards him about the title win. The two tagged the next day with Warrior handing the belt to Bret at the end (the last time he publicly touched the belt.) Unfortunately I don't think this would have prevented some version of Halloween Havoc 98 as Hogan was also politicking for Yoko to be similarly brought into WCW to let Hogan get his win back.

In the short term Bret beats Flair for the vacant title and life goes on a personal the real world. But what if Warrior kept a copy of the belt on the indie circuit 1993-1995 and brought it back to the WWF 1996 for. feud with Shawn? Warrior gets Sid's spot at Survivor Series 1996 and beats Shawn with a stipulation that history gets rewritten and Warrior has been champion all along. Shawn regains at Royal Rumble 97 with the stipulation that the lineage is officially split and Warrior has been co champion to Bret/ Yoko/ Hulk/ Yoko/ Bret/ Backlund/ Diesel/ Bret/ Shawn all this time. So in the end Warrior gets to have been champion for 4.25 years from SS92 to RR97.

My own reading of this (regardless of whether the story is true or not) was that if it was true, then Warrior acted reasonably (on this occasion) and no differently from many of his colleagues who (felt they) had received promises that Vince did not fulfil. It just so happened that he was the chosen one while, unbeknown to him, others (the Powers, Bam Bam) were not. So others looked on jealously and angrily. when Vince came up with the goods ( 2 x IC reigns, a year as paternity leave cover World champion) to feed his prize beast when it screamed "hungry!"

Reportedly the original idea was for Warrior to eventually lose the belt to Bret at WM9 after a slow "dark horse" build similar to that given to Bob Backlund over the course of 1977 while Superstar Graham ruled. Warrior was replaced by Flair who had the inner ear injury so the coronation was brought forward to October 1992. (At this point word got to Bret who then fantasised about beating Warrior in a babyface match.) The wild card factor here is Hulk Hogan and his locker-room politics and what he might have done to sabotage a Warrior-Bret WM9.

One of these things HAD already happened. The Powers of Pain had been brought in as the new two man Hulk Hogan to STORM the WWF and squash Demolition for the belts and hospitalise both of them as rough justice for both the "theft" of the World tag title and the injury to Martel. The Aptermags who had always hated Demolition were WETTING themselves at the prospect of a grisly humiliating comeuppance for Ax and Smash two alleged goofs supposedly manufactured in a vat at Titan Towers to be Road Warrior ripoffs only to win the tag title. "WARLORD AND BARBARIAN - DEMOLITION'S NIGHTMARE!" declared the November 1988 PWI. It was going to be like Hogan coming in and squashing The Iron Sheik all over again. There were a bunch of dress rehearsals at house shows and at TV taping dark matches such as the one posted above. These all ended in either countouts or non-title pinfall losses after about 5 min if the Powers no-selling everything Demolition did. Then the whole push got retconned. The Powers had a few more matches Vs Demolition without the no selling and with Demolition at least as competitive as at Survivor Series 88 when they and the Powers were tagged in - usually ending with countouts but with one Power just scrabbling back to the ring at 9, not the Demolition fleeing the ring in TERROR finish you see here. Pretty soon the Powers were shunted into a feud with the Bolsheviks and Demolition were put with the British Bulldogs. Warrior would have been watching all this, and he would have had another pertinent example in Bam Bam Bigelow. At one point regularly tagging with Hulk Hogan against the soon to be Megabucks, performing incredibly well at the Survivor Series '87 gauntlet by beating King Kong Bundy and One Man Gang before falling victim to Andre. According to some accounts HE -Not Savage nor DiBiase - was originally meant to emerge from WM4 as World champion, do the 10 months as paternity cover babyface champion for Hogan then turn heel in early 89 to set up a Hogan Bigelow WM5. That never happened and soon Bigelow was doing nightly jobs for Gang. Bigelow could very easily have poured out his son story to Warrior before quitting late that summer. Both these and other examples could have preyed on Warriors mind when he went in to see Vince one time in August 1988 ...

Okay I'll get the ball rolling with the nice easy one. Warrior never accepted Savage's reformation I to being a good guy after WM7. He was deeply bitter and angry about Savage being Reinstated as a wrestler and saw Flair getting his trunks hooked by Savage at WM8 as evidence that Flair was a "Brother" victim of the Macho Man's treachery. Beyond that he had no use for Flair or Hennig other than as a meant to stick it to Savage. Indeed Warrior and Flair have a "sporting" SNME World title match that ends in Savage running in and attacking both competitors. Warrior was also bitter and distrustful of Sgt Slaughter and his turn back to patriotic babyface. He gets to do the spot which in real life went to Naliz who beat up Slaughter so kayfabe bad that it ended his career. As an added bit of garnish to cement Warrior as a bad guy, Hacksaw Duggan tries to rescue his buddy Slaughter but Warrior beats him down, confirming himself as a crazed wild an who has thrown the moral compass out of the window. I think he could also have had a double turned version of the Undertaker feud.

This is widely reported as being the big plan for Summerslam 92. Some versions have Warrior spitting the idea out on sight, others that he was going along until days before the big event when he thought long and hard about the resulting collapse in merchandise sales and chickened out, throwing everything into disarray. To my mind there are three subsections of this. 1) The short term 2) If the HGH firing doesn't happen - plan A for the long term. 3) If the firing does happen with Warrior as heel World champion. I'll post my own thoughts on these in due course but I'm going to do this in separate posts because they're just my ideas/deductions and othe people's ideas are equally valid. However I will point at Ric Flair's second reign as being replacement booking once the Warrior refused the heel champion spot.

Yes he did seem to have these get out clauses. If the Warrior story is true - or at least based on a slightly more reasonable version of the truth than "It's not fair, he threw a stroppy and went whinging to Vince". - then it shows Vince saw Warrior as some sort of special case that he wanted kept nice and fresh in the fridge ready for the post Hogan era. Vince did not want 1988 Warrior to get talking to other guys momentarily promised the world and come to the conclusion that he'd just been another sucker for Vinnie. It's easy to forget how many other short lived fads he was momentarily obsessed with, before getting cold feet in double quick time: To avoid Warrior thinking he was a similar sucker to these - and if there is truth in Brutus's story it shows you that the Warrior did have such concerns - he was fed juicy morsels during his years sat in the fridge waiting for the Hulk to disappear over the Tinseltown horizon. A couple of IC title runs. A chase of a cowardly thief champion. A year's run (cut to 10 months) as paternity cover World champion. PPV main events, open goals to upstage the main events and a main event run with Undertaker that outdrew the Hogan-Slaughter return series. It took massive cultural shifts for him to finally get cold feet on Warrior in about '91/'92 and go - if reluctantly - with Bret instead. Even then Warrior still had a possible use in a spot holding the belt - something I'll go onto on another thread. ...

He probably did try to lecture Dynamite who just ignored him or smiled mock-benignly while contemplating turning the guy into pulled pork in a cage in a few dates' time. The "Warrior Threw A Stroppy" story smacks of the truth taken and stretched through a very selfish and slanted lens. Bear in mind Brutus was largely getting his own IC pushes in both 1988 and 1990 as a favour wangled by Hogan. Vince made title promises to a lot of people, many of whom he shafted in the end. Some he came clean to, others he hypnotically BS'd and sent them on their way feeling great about themselves but gaining nothing. What stands out as different here is that McMahon actually took action to keep the aggrieved wrestler onside - clearly Warrior was VERY import to 1988 Vince.

Michel Saulnier was to be the first in a line of heelish referees including Louis Deblamecque, top heel in his own right of his local FR3 station 1982-1987 and "Arbitre International" George Weiss in the mid 80s on A2. Now on New Catch Season 2 in 1991, we meet another one. To the people of Germany, Didier Gapp was a comedy hero, a parody of petty officialdom. To his native Frenchmen in the 80s and early 90s he was nine more Aux Chiottes Arbitre. Buffalo is an American with the finest dyed black hair this side of (American) Greg Valentine circa Rhythm N Blues. , Tony a Brit of solid WOS/Reslo history but both appear in France 1991 courtesy of the CWA. Tony has previous in ref bashing - to his shame and embarrassment afterwards he lost control in 1987 against Mighty John Quinn in their tag match leading to a DQ fall each and tag partners Kendo Nagasaki and Neil Sands fighting the decider solo. Tony and Buff work very American syle match to accommodate Buff, lots of work illegally on the ropes. Smashing heads into posts. Clotheslines. Manchettes. Stalling. That sort of thing. Tony eventually takes his man down into a side headlock a couple of times. Buff gets the better of a flying tacklem asking it a slam but missing with a guillotine elbowsmash. Buf gets a good long suplex like any 80s American would. Like an American he has to be reminded of No follow downs but instead of getting into an argument with Gapp he looks up ruefully and Gapp gives a KO count for 6 until Tony is up. He does more trendy big American 80s moves like an over the knee backbreaker and a Superfly Splash and a Powerslam for 2. Tony fights back- with nothing very interesting, just bodychecks, clotheslines and Manchettes - until a flyer off the top turnbuckle catches Gapp. He is recovering but suddenly passes out as Buff goes out, gets a chair (a wooden café effort, not a steel one), wallops Tony and throws it out, then makes a sudden recovery to count le tombée. The footage cuts off but there must have been plenty of heat in that little theatre, mostly towards Gapp.

A fib, I fear, I have found a few more from Hanover that December on Signsquad's channel. There is just one bout left from Graz in July. Here we go: From the same summer, incidentally as the Giant Haystacks tag match I just posted to the British thread. This could be a more interesting matchup as Lasartesse was getting up in years - will Billy's power be to much? The colour signal is in better condition than the last match - both shot by the same camera operator. Talking of cameramen, I spy down by the corner post one of the professional crew who filmed the Otto Vs Don Leo main event. (As we start, the DJ is playing a song by a notorious convicted child molester containing the infamously rapey lyrics about being the man who put the Bang in Gang - something George Gray has never taken action over. You may wish to apply your mute button.). Runde 1 I assume, Rene gets some side chanceries but not a throw. Billy gets the better of a brawl and they lock up and go to the mat still in collar and elbow. Billy gets a top wristlock on the mat. It comes to life, ironically after the bel goes when they brawl on and referee Mick McMichael has to pull them apart. Runde 2. Rene gets a good cross buttock and press for 2. Mostly he has Billy down in a guard wristlock. Billy gets a couple of headscissors briefly. Runde 3 more of the same, a couple of good cross buttock countered by headscissors buys in amidst a lot of brawling and some KO counts Runde 4 Ditto. Rene takes down a corner pad and posts Billy into o the bare buckles. Runde 5 etc. in under 6 more of the same. Rene beats down, Billy figh5 back. It heads to ringside. Billy does a headbutt and comes back in better shape from another ring. Both men stomp on the ropes illegally. DJ plays the then relatively recent Denis Denis by Blondie. Mick and Billy have a long chat between rounds. Runde 7 Forearm Smash battle with the odd headbutt by Billy who at one point Runs Out Of Mat and gets hauled off a pin attempt by the foot by Mick. Billy goes for a suplex but Rene rolls him up in a side folding press for the one required fall. Oh well, he tried. More OJs thing than mine. Only a few fleeting bits of human chess. The audience liked it for being a hard hitting fight.

From summer 1980 Mighty John Quinn overcomes his aversion to Lineys to team with Big Daddy's other worst enemy. Apparently the Giant has been touring New Zealand and Canada (presumably Stampede) and won all of his 42 fights in the past 5 months. I'm surprised he only got 42 bookings in that period. MC John Harris, later on an MC in Welsh and referee on Reslo and later still a stand in for Orig Williams on English commentary on selected 1991 Eurosport repeats of New Catch Season 1 from 1988 on TF1, tells the audience chirpily to Say Hello to Johnny Wilson and improbably asks them to Welcome back Quinn. First Session. In the early stages Stax just lets the blue eyes bounce off him like in his later years. A couple of scissor chops from Roberts do make contact so in comes Quinn. Against Roberts this is a competitive match up. Pete counters a backdrop attempt with a leapfrog and comes back off the ropes with a flying bodypress for 2. Wilson tags in and gets a back hammerlock but Quinn uses sheer power to straighten his own arm then starts hitting with fists, looking to get an illegal punch in. He gets a shoulders blow, snapmare and big boot and cross buttock throw for 2. Wilson gets a kneelift and chop but Quinn floors him with forearms for 4, a full nelson and tag to Haystacks who clamps down on the back of Tarzan Johnny's neck. Suspecting that the real object is the Giant using his chest to suffocate, referee Max Ward calls for a break and Wilson is up at 5 straight into a bionic elbow for 7, headbutt for 5 and another elbowsmash. Quinn tags in again and tries again for a backdrop, this time successfully. He follows in with a stomp- a foul in the UK but legal in America giving Kent a chance to l3 ture against the Wild Ways of lawless All In American Wrestling. Like a boxing historian regaling horror stories of the old days of Bare Knuckle fights. Meanwhile Quinn gets a front chancery but wWilson breaks it open and gets a high whip, forcing a good solid bump. Roberts tags in and gets a back hammerlock but Quinn uses chest almost punches, a Headlock and bodychecks before being caught with a kneelift to the stomach. They brawl for a bit then Pete gets a rear snapmare and kneedrop. Wilson tags in and nearly ejects Quinn with a dropkick before Stax is back, beating on his man and finishing him with. Stinger splash and Big Splash for the opening fall. Second Session. Wilson is in a bad way but cannot tag until he makes physical contact with Stax again. This turns out to be a trap - Haystacks charges into the blue eye corner, Wilson moves away and thus Stax posts himself. Roberts is now free to tag in and go to work with karate chops on the Giant. He tags Quinn who brawls with Pete until Roberts nearly gets another flying tackle. MJQ overpowers and slams him but Roberts catches his man with a ground dropkick. However Quinn gets a very American finish- a chop and splash. almost a clothesline and cover - to get the second straight and the win . After the match, a suited Wayne Bridges comes in demanding his return match against the Canadian for the World championship. Made watchable by Stax being used minimally and being a lot more athletic back then while still being a great snarling villain. A lot of brawling but more than a few good heavyweight moves. Roberts especially was capable of more - and gave it his best shot even so.

For instance:

I can't find the exact clip right now but there was a shoot interview clip of Brutus Beefcake getting quite a lot of attention a few months ago where Brutus says he was all ready to win the iC title at Summerslam when Warrior went marching into Vince's office, kvetching about how he hadn't yet been given a title as promised. Unusually for him, Vince rolled over and gave Warrior Brutus's IC title reign (which kept him content until Linda Hogan got pregnant a second time and Warrior could be paternity leave cover World champion like Savage in 1988) There are other clips still up of Brutus saying similar but they lack the impact of that particular one.

Warrior had been earmarked as Hogan's eventual long term replacement in 1987 and was apparently still Hogan's heir apparent until 1991-1992 when a combination of the SS91 contract argument and the steroid scandal while resulted in a loss of size for Warrior and a drop in fashionablity for big physiques) saw him gradually replaced by Bret. These were done because a lot of fans sided with Savage coming out of the Main Event '89 so audiences needed to see Savage behaving a lot more like a heel., both by being cowardly against Warrior and by making pals with Rude at the end. Bottom line is down to Linda Hogan getting pregnant twice and Hulk being required to take Paternity Leave and go on Diaper Duty twice. The first time round, paternity cover wad Savage/ Both Times, WM Even Number ended with a face other than Hogan taking the blet home with Hogan's blessing. Jan or Feb of the next year the belt ended up in the hands of a heel (Savage turned, Warrior jobbed to Slaughter) setting up Heel Champion vs Hogan at WM Odd Number. Warrior had gone into Vince's office and demanded when this title push he was sold on was coming. Normally (Bam Bam, The Powers, Sid, Lex, Crush) Vince would just BS charm them out of his office, but in Warrior's case he really DID wast him as champ some day. so they fobbed him off with two IC reigns and a year as paternity cover World Champion (cut down to 9 months once Vince saw the WM6 PPV figures and started carrying on alarming about how face vs face with Pedro vs Bruno was a flop for his dad in '72 and swearing that for the hand-back to Hogan there would be an interim champion which was Sheik Tugboat Sgt Slaughter.) Heel Savage would usually deal with fellow heels who asked Liz for a kiss by kissing them himself! It's an old trick., if you are flirting with a girl but her boyfriend/husband is someone you like/respect or who (against expectation/prejudice) turns out to be a decent guy, seduce him also and have yourselves a threesome!

From a few years earlier, 1982 and GET THIS!!! - THE IRON SHEIK A BABYFACE!!! He's announced as Hussein Arab, his old ring name, he's an Allah-fearing righteous good guy and he's facing a cheating masked heel, possibly Bill Eadie as the Masked Superstar. (Not sure what the opponent is called "Al Halibut") Check it out.

If the former, it would have been kinescope films, not taped as such. If the latter it would have been a live screening At least in the mid 50s, it would, with both the above.