David Mantell

Have booked to see All Star at Dudley Town Hall on 28th October. Will give a show report afterwards. Steve Barker has also told me Rumble are having 3 shows filmed this month, hopefully some good old school bouts to post on here.

Okay, I've decided to farm the New Caledonia stuff off onto its own thread - any more comments about it, please go there... ...and am reviewing a replacement bout. Andre still looks a lot slimmer than the mid 70s. Under other circumstances Valois would be a fairly burly Heavyweight. Andre has him cornered at the start. He uses power rather than technique to get out of a top wristlock and a side headlock and bodychecks Valois down like Big Daddy (Andre could very well have seen Georg "Schurli" Blemenschutz by this point, maybe even fought him at the Heumarkt. Andre maintains an armbar during an armdrag thrice when Valois cross buttock or rope assisted throws him. Valois is a Canadian so he wrestled a North American style, little or no escapes or chain sequences. He soon breaks out the Manchettes and regrets it as Andre no sells. He blatantly punches Andre and it has no effect but would surely have been worth un Avertisement had it had any impact. The same ref tells Andre off for menacing Valois with a windmlliing arm. Things pause while Andre and L'Arbitre sort it out. Andre gets a bearhug, pushes Valois to the ropes, threatens to punch him, remembers himself and Valois uses the distraction to get a legdive into toe/ankle plus legspread. Andre boots him into the ropes and flips him with his feet, not a Planchette Japonaise/Monkey Climb as Valois would have collapsed under the weight! Valois gets an armlever out of a full finger Interlock and uses a hairpull to drag the Giant down into the Guard. Andre gets up and takes over, making a Japanese Stranglehold of it. He marches Valois across the ring and pushes him into the ropes. He releases and pats Valois who, angry and patronised, turns and threatens Andre with a back elbow, Andre tells him off. Andre gets a headlock but Valois gets the advantage with a jabbing thumb to the throat. He chops and Manchettes the Giant around., grovits him and turns him away from L'Arbitre so he can get in a concealed illegal punch the bigger man in the head. The crowd bay for an Avertisement and he eventually gets one. Andre gets a chinlock of his own and uses it to position Valois just right for a slug over the head. (I'm noticing this trope a lot in heavier weight European wrestling, using a hold to position an opponent just right for a clean strike.). He gets a side headlock but Valois overpowers him, ties onecsrm in the ropes and gives him a slap like Zsa Zsa Gabor. Andre pulls himself up, gets the windmilling going and gets Valois crying off and the ref reprimanding him. Andre complains that Valois pulled his hair just as Valois creeps up behind to do just that. Andre turns in time so Valois chokes and slaps him again. Andre decides to sort things out and Valois looks frightened as Andre corners him and slaps back. Not sure if he gets un Avertisement back. Valois gets Andre in a full nelson. Andre pulls the arms down easily. Valois gets a bearhug, Andre easily undresses it, pulls Valois in for a bodycheck into the ropes and ties him up The referee talks Andre out of following up and unties Valois. Andre gets a waistlock (not a squeezing bearhug) but Valois fish hooks his mouth and ties Andre in the ropes just like at WM6. He chokes and pounds the Giant until the ref pulls him off. Valois gets back in an pushes the still tied up Andres nose, picking him off the mat and carrying on the treatment. Andre recovers and lands four Manchettes, the last of which floors le Méchant. Andre gets a legdive and toe/ankle hold, Valois grabs the ropes so Andre does the old pull off and drop trick on him. Andre gets Valois by the back of the neck (the fingers in the right place could be a blood-choke) and smacks his head into the corner. He gets a rear waistlock, drops him and catches him in a rear seated bodyscissors and bashes his spine into the mat as the crowd chant" AH ...OUAIS!". Valois tries unlocking the feet but hasn't the strength and slaps them in frustration. The crowd are having great fun as they always did with this spot (there is film of it from the 1940s. Seriously.). Valois painfully turns himself into the front facing position and tries for a pin attempt - he is lucky IMHO to get that 1 count. He slugs Andre who pushes him off and threatens him with a fist. But Valois goes for the neck, possibly a similar blood choke as earlier as Andre's legs loosen and Valois walks free. Andre recovers and is up but Valois gets a side headlock on. Andre atomic drops him on one knee, lifts him up and drops him into the rear seated body scissors for some more AH OUAIS treatment. Valois eventually makes it to the ropes. Andre corners and nearly punches Valois until warned off by L'Arbitre. Valois gets a rear double wristlock. But Andre still has his other arm and he gets a crotch hold and bodyslam. Valois is up and getting a headlock, positioning himself to avoid a waistlock. He throws Valois to the ropes and gives him a big backdrop on the rebound. Valois spends too much time hanging on to the ropes and Andre complains to the ref who, for once, agrees and gives Valois his Deuxième Et Dernière Avertisement. Andre gets a rear chinlock but Valois backs him into the ropes. (The commentator mentions how the Elysée Montmartre is all nice and modern and refurbished these days.) Andre releases but such is his arm length he can legally grab Valois back in the sideways chinlock before he has gone too far. Valois again goes for the ropes and slips on a bodyscissors as he does. Andre blasts him off with a double axehandle. A brief slug and punch ends with Valois pushing Andre into the ropes - then gets a good posting on him, with Andre selling his back and a loud crack coming from the ring framework! Andre gives Valois a posting of his own. He is ready to pound him into the corner but L'Arbitre objects, Andre is ready to argue it with him but Valois gets him in the back first. Andre is determined to get some revenge and gets a side headlock and a concealed illegal punch worthy of the true Méchant he would not become (outside Japan) for another 17 years. He then tells the ref he slapped Valois's scalp like villains do. The crowd roars approval of this, the big boys is sussed to all the tricks. Valois gets his head free (but annoyingly there is a crowd shot so we don't see how he does it.) Andre gets some Manchettes and a might backhand chop like Billy Two Rivers. He gives one more blast before slamming and cross pressing Valois for the win. Despite everything, Andre still shakes Valois's hand and he accepts (it would be more than Valois's life was worth to refuse!) Another wrestler gets in the ring for his match and Andre tries to shake his hand but he angily refuses and backs off until Andre is gone. Buttonholed for a ringside promo, Andre says Valid was tough because of all his dirty wrestling tricks, before fans mob him. He mentions he has two brothers and two sisters and gives all their heights (in metric). and what he has for breakfast ! Slow and deliberate, although the brawling only gradually builds up over the course and there is the odd intelligent nugget. It says something that Andre The Bleedin' Giant was the superior technical wrestler here (student of Roy and Tony StClair) although Valois, as a North American, had a far more advanced grasp of ring psychology. Against a better technical wrestler, as OJ noted, you get better results. He still takes a lot of bumps that both Vince McMahons would be APPALLED by but stuff their "working strong" garbage anyway, I say.

General observations. They say the ring is an ex boxing ring. I thought it was a European ring but there is a gap between the top and middle ropes where a fourth rope once was. I like the white/turquoise colour scheme, it reminded me of Reslo .(or news footage of Orig Williams' BWF on tour in Ireland. The one thing that is very French Catch about this is the commentary. The commentator uses plenty of French terms like Manchette, Cagoule and Bons/Méchants. Despite it being a decent size venue, there was very sparse amounts of seating and much of that, even at ringside, was empty. I don't think this show did very well at the box office.

Each team is led to the ring by a lady in a leopardskin party frock. The babyface one looks like Olivia Newton John. I take it the older burlier looking guys will be the heels. One of them wears black and red like the pre-pink Hart Foundation. The other has an Aussie flag on his trunks with the Union Jack taking up the front. Together they look like Bulldogs Vs Harts circa 1986. Everyone in this match and on the show is very much a Heavyweight - another clear American influence. It's a very slow tag match, holds really are being used as rest holds rather than setups for a clever escape. The "ninja" if that's what he was meant to be, looks like a middle aged ring announcer in a mask and suit. He gets in the ring, gets hit by one of the heels and toddles out. As mentioned, the ring falls to bits and it ends up a mess.

Another wrestler called Scott. He came to the ring to Simply Irresistible which Jeff Jarrett was using as his music in Memphis at this time. He looks more like Blade Runner Rock than the Ultimate Warrior. He cowers outside the ring, uses the ropes as the first option to break a hold and uses the deceptive handshake trick. He's the younger and lighter man which makes it a bit counter intuitive that he's the heel. These wrestlers mostly work an American style, doing nothing to untwist armbars etc on themselves. In fact there is very little counter wrestling (other than the odd foul when in trouble by Scott.). I guess this is the lasting cultural impact of 14 years of Americanisation under Jim Barnett. It's a specifically North East US style too, without the amateur freestyle grappling sequences of Southern US wrestling and quite a lot of the space and gaps in contact of late 80s WWF. Marcello gets thrown out the ring and spends a long time wandering about outside before com8ng back to score a pin for the 2-1 win. The referee is a lot tougher than most American non-special referees, he is more like Max Ward, Roger Delaporte or Gorilla Monsoon in the 70s as special ref, roughing up and out of line heel. His name is Ian St John which was also the name of a former Scottish football (soccer) player turned TV sports pundit who had a show"Saint and Greavsie" with another ex-footballer Jimmy Greaves which was on ITV just before the wrestling on Saturday lunchtime in the mid/late 80s.

Tolios looks a lot like Roland Bock circa 1988. He was Greek, at a time when Kats Eleniki had less than two years to live. Black Scot looks like Darth Vader's kid nephew. The commentator said he was a former Scottish policeman LOL!!! I have visions of him with a British police helmet over his mask! Quite a lot of strength moves and paused for working the crowd like WWF action of the time. Tolios in a headlock complains of a hairpull. A bit of rope running, Tolios injured his shoulder on a fall outside the ring and BS starts doing the Bushwhacker March.

(goes and looks up New Caledonia on Wikipedia). Part of Oceania. Makes sense that a bunch of Aussies and New Zealanders were on the bill then. Curioser and Curioser. So even less French Catch than the WWF's French tours -in fact about as French Catch as Montreal Grand Prix wrestling -less even as some Catcheurs, most obviously Jean Ferre, used Montreal instead os Stampede as their foot in the door of North America. What was the INA doing holding a copy of this if it's not actual France? (EDIT: Apparently NC is constitutionally a part of France like Algeria once was, so that could be why. New Caledonia was a French territory, and the channel in question was created and owned by ORTF. Since this is a bit of a category error I've decided to give it its own thread rather than write about it on the French Catch thread. Reviews of individual bouts to follow.

Anyway, talking of Switzerland I just recalled that THIS took place there in the mid 90s:

(goes and looks up New Caledonia on Wikipedia). Part of Oceania. Makes sense that a bunch of Aussies and New Zealanders were on the bill then. Curioser and Curioser. So even less French Catch than the WWF's French tours -in fact about as French Catch as Montreal Grand Prix wrestling -less even as some Catcheurs, most obviously Jean Ferre, used Montreal instead os Stampede as their foot in the door of North America. What was the INA doing holding a copy of this if it's not actual France? (EDIT: Apparently NC is constitutionally a part of France like Algeria once was, so that could be why.)

Apparently this wasn't French Wrestling per se, but rather an Australian promotion on tour in France, therefore about as French as the WWF Tour De France two months earlier, with Hogan vs Savage headlining. Ring looks to be European.. @Dav'oh any of these guys familiar to you? This is a decade-plus after Jim Barnett pulled out. What station was this on? December 1989 sounds like an odd date- actual French Catch had moved to Eurosport by that point. I'd be interested to know the fuller story behind this getting on TV.

Just been rewatching this and noticed there is some footage of Jackie Pallo versus Johnny Kwango on the end. It's a pity it's silent as Pallo was one of the great talkers (in a territory not noted for this) brilliant at riling up an audience.

@Jetlag - Any idea what "Der sportliche Held" was?

Definitely not the REAL Captain Redneck (although he did show up in Germany against Otto Wanz in 1986- already posted to the German thread) but Ron Clarke did use the name so I previously thought it was him. But apparently it's Lesage. Any info on him pre-1988?

From the Heumarkt in 1987. Various short snippets. Indio takes his time to start a d gets caught in a Hammerlock when he does start and goes straight for a rope break. Cut to Roll giving Guajaro a high whip but Indio making a feet first landing. The two have a top wristlock battle. A round end sees Brasil sent back to his corner. Guajaro attacks him from behind but the referee misses this and turns to see Brasil forearm smashing Guajaro all around the ring and gives Rolo a yellow card. Guajaro does knock Rolo down in the next round. On a more positive note we see some good arm drags and a monkey climb. Indio gets tied in the ropes and the top of a corner but he overpowers Rolo's flying tackle attempt to get the pin. Hard to follow as it's a patchwork of little clips. Some of which look promising.

Possibly it was actually THIS one that OJ saw - this actually was Andy's TV debut and Kent says so. Joined in progress in round one - Gordon tries a high whip but Blair rolls through sharpish. Blair armbars and posts Gordon but the impact is so slow that Gordon no-sells and stands contemptuously, hands on hips. He gets a side chancery and, after a measured delay, the throw. Another posting and side chancery from the Lucky one. A follow up throw is resisted by Blair who rebounds thecropes with a dropkick. A legdive into legspread follow, then a leg weakener. Gordon regains his heat with a triangle sleeper (Million Dollar Dream). He lets go and tries to reapply but referee Jeff Kaye will have none of it. Blair gets a headlock into side chancery throw into H&S. Gordon pulls an armbar out of it, converts to a hammerlock and jumps on it once. Blair gets an arm and goes for a high Irish Whip but Gordon goes for the ropes and gets considerable coward's heat. He gets a headlock but the bell goes so Gordon gets a closed fist punch for good measure and Kaye admonishes him. Lucky Gordon is very lucky not to get a Public Warning. Round 2. Gordon offers Blair a handshake and, like a true heel, pulls him in for a bodycheck. He gets a posting, two bodyslams, side chancery and a stomp. He gets away with a closed first punch in a headlock but a headbutt on the downed Blair gets him that first public warning. He sneaks in another while the ref is notifying the MC. Blair gets a side headlock, Gordon tries a legdive counter but Blair uses the extra lift to get a sunset flip and a double leg nelson for the opening fall. It gets a big pop- the crowd delighted to see the horrid little man suffer humiliation. Round 3 and Gordon wants revenge. He headlocks Blair and drives his neck into the ropes twice. He continues to pound on Blair and gets a Second And Final Public Warning. He posts , slams and stomps Blair who Hulks Up (Blairs Up?) and gives Gordon a long distance slam., a throw that leaves Lucky on his knees, a posting and dropkick. Gordon resists another posting and when he does go, he parries the impact and gets a headlock and concealed punch. Kaye is tempted to go for DQ., he and Gordon argue heartedly. Gordon gets a single side interlock into legdive into toe and ankle hold plus legspread but Blair spins him off for a somersault and bump. He breaks open a front chancery into an armbar and forces a high whip and another somersault bump. He hangs in to the ropes before launching off them to get a legdive but Kaye doesn't like the repeated jerking weakeners and orders a break. Gordon still tries for dropping weakeners and is warned by Kaye. Gordon snapmares and slams him but follows down illegally for a grovit and again Kaye pulls him off. Gordon is CRUISING for a DQ. it seems. He gets a legdive into single leg Boston Crab into Gotch toehold but Blair gets the ropes. The Irishman gets a side chancery and chops to Blair He advances a hammerlock into a figure four armlock (back double wristlock.) in the mount. He drops knees and wrenches the hold. He throws Blair and forces a hard bump but follows down too early. The bell saves Andy and the MC gives Gordon a ticking off, reminding him he already has two public warnings. Round 4 and Gordon gets another hammerlock but Blair counters with a backdrop. He goes for the kneeling Gordon's ears but is quietly warned off by Kaye. Gordon bodychecks Blair on the rebound from the ropes. He gets a posting and bodyslam and reverse waistlock into tombstone piledriver for another KNOCKOUT and the crowd are FURIOUS. Gordon was a nasty little man of a heel and the crowd wanted to see Andy show him a thing or two. Perhaps he did but the crowd did not get satisfaction and wanted more. There would be other chances for Blair to avenge himself.

... And this was it. In the promo at the start, Flesh mentions he is averaging an injured friend, referring to the Zèfy match the previous week. I think that's all pretty unfair. Murdoch, we already know, is Dick Harrison aka Ron Clarke of UK opposition promotion tag team the Lincolnshire Poachers. Flesh's look, we now know, basically comes from his Lucha Libre background. This is him in an intermediate stage, no longer the high flying missile dropkicking tag partner of Walter Bordes but not yet the tubby bald aging moustachioed figure of the early C21st. It's the early Maxi Cuisine mat so presumably originally screened on TF1 In 1988. English language commentary is by British MC John Harris who also refereed the Johnny South Vs Johnny Palance bout I just posted to the British thread. Referee here is Charley Bollet (brother of Andre Bollet, Roger Delaporte's old tag partn Flesh gets a side headlock on but Murdoch resists cross buttock attempts. He gets a single leg coming off the ropes but Murdoch pounds him down, getting some stomps in., getting a 2 count on a pin attempt .Flesh fights back with two well executed flying cross buttocks and a dropkick. A snapmares gets Murdoch down for a 2 count. Flesh dumps Murdoch to ringside, gets in three elbowsm throws him back in, gets another over the shoulder snapmare, then a third flying cross buttock gets the win. Short but sweet and undeserving of the hatchet job @pantherwagner gave it.

Interesting. I assumed this was Ron Clarke who used the names "Dick Murdoch" and "Dick the Bruiser" in the UK. Okay then ... This comes from a new YouTube channel who have reuploaded various old odds and sods about 3 months ago, claiming to be a "Collaboration" between different promotions. As far as I can see, the only pre-1988 match on their channel is the 1987 FR3 Flesh Gordon & Prince Zèfy Vs Marquis Richard & Jessy Texas.bout we've already seen (but which so far has not turned up in any INA wash (unless @Matt D knows better ...) From the lack of a Eurosport stamp, I guess this is the original 1988 TF1 transmission on Minuit Sport. Murdoch gets to work with the dirty wrestling, pushing Zefy's neck on the ropes, pounding and illegally kidney punching him to the mat and stomping on him once downed, until L'Arbitre warns him. The damage done, Murdoch sticks to the rules for a bit, slamming the sweet Prince and applying a cross-handed grovit. He pounds Zèfy on the ropes getting another warning. Another slam draws approval from a blond girl at ringside. No accounting for taste. Zefy on the mat gets tired of selling and tries a monkey climb but his legs go either side likeca bodyscissors and Murdoch throws him off. Another slam, Murdoch is allowing the Prince up. Dick tries the cross hander again but Zèfy armdrags him twice, clotheslines and guillotine elbowsmashes him, gets in a crafty jump (earning himself a warning too) and delivering Manchette, a rear snapmare and - in his first flying move of the bout- a ground flying bodypress into cross press that gets 2. He tries this whole sequence again but Dick catches and slams him. So back to stomps, pressure points, thumb tomthroat .....He dominates a Manchette battle with Zèfy, slams his head in the mat, stomps his fingers, chokes, pounds and struts triumphantly. Eventually he gets a side chancery throw into chinlock and rests a bit before resuming the dirty work. With some effort H3 gets another slam. Murdoch goes for a pin but Zèfy bridges and can carry Dick's weight. Until he keeps over sideways. Murdoch gets an armbar and makes a hammerlock but the Prince does on of the three characteristic French counters, the reverse snapmares to land behind Dick, bounce him off the ropes and get hi m up in a Fireman's carry, aeroplane spin and drop, dropkick, Manchette and Planchette Japonaise. As one of the two commentators puts it "Voila Le Zèfy qu'on connais.". A headbutt and missile dropkick follow. Zèfy gets Murdoch in the ropes and splashes him but misses thesecond time and falls to ringside. Murdoch's female fan puts s snake on him - the penny drops, she's Murdoch's valet and we've seen her before. Murdoch pounds the Prince at ringside and finally gets an Avertisement. It continues all around the ring ending in slamming Zèfy's head on the post. Murdoch gets back in the ring just in time to win by KNOCKOUT. Murdoch and Snake woman celebrate as an irate Flesh Gordon comes to ringside to protest but gets arrested. Bit of a disappointing squash for a Prince Zèfy match. There was a follow up the next week...

Thanks for clarifying. I thnk I got confused by Dave still having dark hair at this point- blond Gunther looked more like the grey Morgan I was more familiar with.

Lucky Gordon, no relation to Flesh. Apparently not a favourite of OJs. He was a reasonable crumb heel who was able to make Andy Blair look good before destroying him. This is one of four warmup singles bouts before an eight man battle royal (won by the Birmingham Steve Logan.) The two men first met in Blair 's actual TV debut in December 1983 when the young Scot shocked the more experienced Gordon with an opening pinfall before being KNOCKED OUT with a tombstone piledriver. They had also been on opposite sides of a tag match recently with Gordon and his old Masked Marauders tag team partner Scrubber Daly (who trained with Blair in a Birmingham training camp) beat Blair and a young blue-eye Drew McDonald. (Ironically Blair, teaming with Big Daddy in 1987, would face Drew's alter ego The Spoiler in another all masked tag team with Bill "King Kendo" Clarke.) Blair had also been KOd by Rasputin so this was actually his fourth match, Round 1: Blair easily rolls up from a Gordon throw then a Gordon high whip. He tries a throw himself and Gordon is not so easily up, finishing on his knees for 4. Andy tries to high whip Gordon but the Irishman reverses the wristlever and whips Blair but he lands nicely again. Four throws - Blair rolled up cleanly from 3, Gordon took a mild bump from the other. So far the young blue-eye made to look stronger. He gets a side headlock and bodychecks Gordon but makes little impact. Gordon gets a a side chancery but Blair successfully resists the throw, chops Gordon to free himself and delivers a chop to Gordon's chest and a side chancery throw of his own. Gordon is looking worried x he gets up. He gets a side chancery throw of his own with only moderately more success than he managed before with Blair on all haunches. Gordon lands a headbutt and starts stomping and gets a public warning for his efforts. Gordon gets a side headlock, Andy breaks it open into a top wrist chinlock so Gordon tries for a rear chinlock but Blair gets his head clear and makes a back hammerlock. He bars the other arm and turns Gordon into the guard for a cross press The Irishman bridges out. and gets a more effective throw on Andy, keeping him down for 5 this time. He may have got a public warning but the fouling served to slow Blair down. Gordon high whips Andy and forces a somersault and a decent bump. Gordon is catching up now. He tries to pick up the fallen Blair but receives a private warning. Blair regroups with a full nelson, snapmare and quick guillotine elbow to Gordon's head all in the same move. He obeys the rules and lets Gordon up but Gordon catches him with a sudden bodycheck that floors him, then flirts with another public warning by getting in a stomp. Gordon gets a long side Chancery throw and goes in for a grovit but referee Max Ward warns him off. The bell goes. Round 2, Gordon meets a charging Blair with a bodycheck. He alternates between postings and forearm smashes. He gets a front chancery and lifts Blair into an over the shoulder backbreaker but Blair unfastens the grip and drops down free. He charges but Gordon sidesteps, collars Blair and pitches him to ringside for a ten count KNOCKOUT!!! (Again!) Oh yes. And that winning throw was probably good practice for that battle royal later. Gordon did a good piece of carpentry early on, showing himself to be the inferior pure wrestler and needing to resort to strength and ultimately foul tactics. Once he did, he took over, got a quick win and a ton of extra heat by being mean to the nice young kid. Next time they met, one could expect crowds to REALLY cheers Andy Blair to get his revenge!

A bit of an odd one here. Steve Regal and Dave Morgan in a TV studio having a sparring session on gym mats. A guy in a green pullover is refereeing. Regal cannot speak German so does no talking, Morgan does speak German with a pronounced South Welsh ascent. This isn't a shoot by the way, it's a pro wrestling exhibition done on a mat. They lock up and Dave armdrags Steve. Regal gets a crotchhold hold and slam on Morgan who is up at 2. Regal forearm smashes, side chancery throws and chinlocks the older man who throws him off, getting a 2 count. Morgan bodychecks Regal who retaliates with another forearm smash. Regal gets a double underhook suplex and cross press on Morgan who kicks out at two. Morgan gets a rear waistlock but Regal throws him off, keeping hold of the wrist as Morgan lands in the guard. Regal gets a top wristlock on the mat but Morgan turns over into a kneeling position, so Regal armdrags him over but he still gets up. Morgan gets a grovit then switches to a side chancery throw, following up with a Legdrop of Doom. Morgan gives Regal an inner arm blow and they slap each other a bit before the referee breaks things up. There is still some needle between them. End of Round 1, I guess. Morgan answers questions in his very accented German. (Don't ask me to translate.) A trainee in a loud mullet Jan Hind is also interviewed as is the referee. I think Morgan mentions places he's tired including India, Japan and South Africa. He also comments in slow motion about Regal's side chancery throw into chinlock. Regal and Morgan lock up for a second round. Morgan gets an armlock but Regal moves in behind with pressure points. Morgan straightens the arm and for a moment it looks like Regal will roll out but instead he opts for a drop toehold. Morgan chops Regal on the back of the neck, gets a crossface and starts to "ride" Regal.He keeps grip of Regal despite his attempts to slip out the crossface and switches to a grovit. Regal suplexes him but Dave moves out the way of Steve's cross press attempt. Morgan gets an armbar despite Regal's attempt to get back the crossface. He superkicks Regal off. Regal kicks and forearm smashes Morgan, flooring the Welshman. They slap each other around. Regal gets a full Nelson then switches to side chancery. End of the second round. Three women in the studio get interviewed. No idea what they say. I think the interview asks if they fancy giving it a go! Nice little clip of a wrestling match in an unusual setting.

Gary Welsh had another match in France. Unfortunately it was teaming with fellow youngster the Young .Wiganner against North American monsters Double Trouble (Rick Crawford and Carl "Quebecer Pierre" Wallace. I suspect a squash ... And so far I'm right. It looks like Demolition Vs enhancement talent b circa 1988. Lots of bodychecks and. Gary stays tagged in for most of the match, Wiganner gets in a tiny bit offence with about two dropkicks. The rest of the match is five minutes of bodychecks and double teaming, culminating in a Bulldogs style slamming ones own partner atop the opponent for the pin.

Ted Betley did, in fact, have another student even after John Hindley (John Savage/ Johnny Smith). May I introduce you to Chris Cougar aka the Karate Kid. Here, like Andy Blair before him, he gets a shot at British Light Heavyweight Champion Alan Kilby. Earlier that year, Kilby briefly lost the title to King Ben who was on a hot streak after beating his own son Kid McCoy for the Golden Grappler trophy. The hot streak didn't last, Alan won the 90 day contractual return match and now here he is defending as a two time champion. He would eventually make it to five reigns. Round 1: Alan gets the first wristlever but Chris rolls out nicely. He fires back with a side chancery throw but Alan in turn rolls nicely out of that. Alan gets a single interlock and drags Chris down into the guard. Cougar kips up but fails to go with Alan's high whip and sells his arm over it. He gets another armlever and holds it with the body to get a half crossface. He goes back to the armlever but Kilby rolls out and forces a high whip and bump on the Kid. (Betley did go for his Kid names- Wonderkid, Dynamite Kid, Karate Kid.) Kilby gets a legdive into seated rear leglock, Cougar gets back his crossface, almost a Gator hold. Both men have a hold. Cougar changes tack, pulls the champion over and smashes him with his heel. Kilby gets a cross buttock throw but Cougar responds with a headscissors. Kilby turns the scissors upright and easily extracts his head. Cougar quickly gets on a side headlock but Kilby opens it into a top wristlock and armdrags Cougar down on it. Kilby gets a side chancery throw into chinlock but Cougar makes a wristlever of the facebar. He gets in a couple of arm weakeners as payback for the whip with which he failed to go, before the bell goes. Round 2: Kilby gets a single leg and toehold into Indian Deathlock. Cougar tries forearm smashing out (apparently some fans think this is a punch and give him heat) but Kilby absorbs the blows and releases the hold eventually. Cougar gets a side chancery into H&S. Kilby lifts him into a Fireman's carry and places him on the corner. Cougar offers a finger Interlock but changes at the bast moment to chops and karate kicks, including a powerful one on the rebound from the ropes. Kilby gets a butt to the stomach and posting. Cougar absorbs the latter well but then Alan superkicks him. The champion gets a bodyslam and crosspress for the opening fall. Cut to Round 4: They lock up and Kilby gets a kneelift, side chancery throw and Legdrop of Doom, another side chancery throw, a bodycheck, a posting and a third side chancery but is then caught by Cougar in a reverse waistlock into powerslam for the equalising fall! 56 seconds! Cut to Round 6: Chris lives up to his Karate Kid name with a straight fingers jab to the throat almost like that of Kendo Nagasaki. Another chop on the ropes run fells Kilby at the knees. He gets an elbow to the back of the neck and a chop to the front of it. Kilby responds with a chop of his own and a big backdrop that has Cougar writhing in bad pain. This ends the contest as referee Jeff Kaye stops the bout right then and there and awards the contest and championship & belt on a TKO to Kilby. Kilby wants to make it a no contest but this can't be done in a title match, so TKO win it is. Kilby does however offer Cougar another title shot but this was two months before The Final Bell so if it happened, it wasn't on TV. Cougar certainly never won the championship or AFAIK any Mountevans title. A good veteran Vs youngster title match, Cougar,. He did slightly over re Cougar was a bit too reliant on his karat3 unlike Andy Blair getting a consolation fall. Cougar did rely a bit too much on his Karate skills for my taste (and that of some audience) but he certainly had the speed.

OK here goes. First up though, the theme music Simply Irresistible, originally the ring entrance music for white meat babyface Jeff Jarrett in that other CWA and in the USWA around this time. There are dining tables on the hard cam side and sounds of plates being scraped throughout. Round 1 gets down to business with a bunch of cross buttock presses, mostly by Wright. Bernie gets a toe and ankle hold. Markus throws him with his feet but Bernie cartwheels out with ease. Bernie gets a Headlock into side Chancery throw and crosspress for 2. He is pressed off and nearly lands on Didi who is not amused. Bernie tries the full nelson into snapmare into crosspress, again narrowly missing Didi. Bernie gets a side chancery, Markus resists the throw but Wright gets it and the 2 in the end Wright gets a double legdive and tums Markus over into a reverse double leg nelson, almost a folding for 2. He gets a side bodyscissors, turning his man over for a couple more 2 counts then sliding him forward off a bridge for another one. Markus tries bridging back for a fall but the bell goes. Round 2 and Bernie gets a full nelson. Throwing him off doesn't work. Markus gets his escape by some means we can't see as Bernie is in the way. Bernie lands a forearm smash and a lunge to Bucholz's stomach, then two more forearm smashes. Markus gets a snapmare into guillotine elbowsmash. Bernie gets a drop toehold and a sideways on surfboard, releasing after Markus had resisted long enough. He posts Markus and delivers an over the knee backbreaker. a snapmare into chinlock. Markus breaks open the chinlock into a wrist lever but Wright rolls back and forth. He cartwheels and somersaults in the lever before monkey climbing his man. But Markus still has the wrist, so Bernie kips up, unpicks the arm with his foot, snapmares and lengthwise covers Markus who bridges out, so Bernie snapmares Markus who again bridges out. They log roll in stalemate. Didi leaps over them but trips as they reverse direction. It winds up with Bernie in a bridge over Didi. The bell goes Round 3: They are running back and forth. Bernie gets a cross buttocks throw and press for 2. He gets a wristlever, Markus rolls out and gets Bernie's arm, dragging him down to the guard with a top wristlock. Bernie kips up but Markus drags him down. He kips up again, turns on a front wristlock into the armbar and rolls forwards, cartwheels back and forth and snapmares Markus. Bernie gets a semi Japanese Stranglehold, unrolls it and bodychecks Bucholz. He gets another armbar and smashes an elbow or two and some knees right in the joint. He flattens Markus into a hammerlock flat in the mount. He continues the hammerlock as Markus tries to find an escape, in the end Bernie releases the younger man who is still selling his shoulder. They finger Interlock and from there, Bernie picks off one side wi gets another hammerlock with bar and a high whip, forcing a somersault into bump, then follows with a long distance armdrag. The bell saves Bucholz. Round 4. They finger Interlock, Bernie picks off one side and scores a lean back dropkick. He forces a gentle bump with a whip and puts on a short arm scissors. He holds for some time, getting the odd 2 count until trying to armdrag and nearly getting caught in a folding press but pushing his man off into another short arm scissors and rolling him in the hold a good few times. He turns himself again into the folding press position but Markus lifts him in a human glove (I have seen this done with midget wrestler Mark "Little Legs" Sealy before but not a fully grown opponent!) Markus eventually dumps Bernie hard on the mat. Bernie congratulates him for this power move. Bernie gets a side headlock throws his man to the ropes and bodychecks him on the rebound. Marcus gets in a couple of good armdrags and side chancery throws before Wright gets a monkey climb but Bucholz lands feet first and they both fire a dropkick at the same time, both crash landing as the bell goes. The crowd gives standing ovation. Round 5. Markus gets the upper hand from the initial lockup, slings Bernie in the ropes and backdrops him with Bernie taking quite a bump. Markus gets in two postings. He overpowers Bernie in a finger Interlock and forces him down but Bernie bridges as he hits the canvas and Markus tries to overload the bridge but Bernie can take the weight and slip in a monkey climb underneath. He rolls back into a double kneepress but Markus turns him over into a double leg nelson. It reverses back and forward with Markus getting a 2 on a folding press. Markus gets a side headlock and runs the ropes, trying for a bodycheck but coming out the worst for it. Bernie side chancery throws Bucholz but as they run the ropes, Markus ducks under then leapfrogs over then cross buttock throws Bernie and presses him for 2. Bernie gets a side headlock and climbs the ropes and flips backwards like Kid McCoy's Yorkshire Rope Trick, lands in a position to go for the double leg nelson but Bucholz reverses it so Bernie turns it into a folding press held with a bridge for the one required pinfall. Perhaps I was a bit too harsh on Markus Bucholz - he does do a couple of interesting moves, the human glove (great power move especially with a full sized opponent) and one decent rollout of an armbar plus keeping yup with back and forth folding press attempts a few times. Most of this bout however was Bernie Wright and he carried the show. Bernie was as talented as brother Steve, he just didn't spend as much time in the territory as Steve did so had less opportunity to be the key influence.

Now compare Markus Bucholz's performance in that 1991 bout with Michael Kovacs in this bout eight years later against Jason Cross - one of The Three Js in the mid 90s along with James Mason and Justin Hansford. Cross was the European Middleweight Champion (still is, but he gets angry if you point this out) Kovacs comes up with as many interesting ideas as Jason and they both wrestle a very Kent Walton friendly bout.

I was recommended this match over on the French thread by @Jetlag I enjoyed this match and will come back at some stage to do a blow by blow account as there's enough interesting detail here to warrant it. The thing is, it's mostly Bernie who is doing all the interesting stuff in this match, most of the creative attacking moves and definitely all of the escapes/reversals. Yes, Bernie can do all this stuff as well as Steve. The difference with Steve from Bernie or. as I said, Caswell Martin or Tony StClair is that Steve was based in the Germany/Austria territory full time (enough time for the British fans in 1986 to see evil goose stepping German heel Bull Blitzer and fail to recognise him as that nice kid who challenged Brian Maxine 14 years earlier) and thus had a more consistent influence on the German scene. Bernie, Tony and Cas were visitors whose visits had more fleeting Impact on the overall development of German/Austrian Catch. Markus doesn't really open my eyes in this match. He reminds me of Khader Hassouni in Britain 1977 challenging Johnny Saint -able to keep his end up but not really producing anything eye opening to contribute to the bout to the point where it becomes a one man show for Saint like this is for Bernie. There's also the little matter of referee Didier"Didi" Gapp doing his comedy turn as a miserable petty official which unfortunately Germans thought was hilarious.