David Mantell

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

Managed to track down another clip of Vic senior in France. (See my potted history of the family on TV on the British Wrestling thread). Just a minute of action against balding Butch Leteur from 1948. You'll recognise Vic from the tag match above. Leteur gets an armdrag but Hessle upturns the Hold and pounds away on Butch. After some audience shots,,we see Vic has a single toehold on Butch and the crowd are doing the "Ah Ouais" chant as he intermittently tightens the hold. Butch gets a Manchette but Vic comes back with bodychrcks and a Manchette of his own. He snapmares Butch over the ropes and L'Arbitre starts a KO count. Cut to Butch tied in the ropes and getting dropkicked by Vic. The referee accidentally backdrops a charging Hessle and Butch tries to pounce on Vic but the ref pulls him off. And there the clip ends. Smarmy English commentary but he does refer to it being called Catch. If yo want to hear it without the commentary here's another version:

From the French Catch thread: I've done a bit of reading up on @JNLister's site about the history of the Royal Family/Royal Brothers tag team on TV. The earlier Royal/Hessle tag team never appeared on UK TV. Although Bert Royal was on the very first ITV broadcast in November 1955 and remained a fixture of ITV bouts until the early 80s, Vic Hessle only had one, possibly two ITV bouts ever. He was definitely on a 1957 show facing someone called Bataan and he MAY have been on ITV a year earlier from Belle Vue in Manchester facing the legendary Bert Assirati. I've found a Pathé Newsreel clip of Hessle but it's from France so I'll post it to the French thread. Vic Faulkner made it onto ITV in 1962. Tag Wrestling was not shown on ITV until 1964, possibly 1963 There was a - probably dark - tag match at a September 1963 live broadcast where the Royals beat Alan Collbeck and Ivan Penzecoff (if it was screened , it was the earliest ITV tag match). Then in March 1964, the Royals first definite TV appearance was a win over Tom Dowie and Ted Hannon. Shortly afterwards as part of the 1964 FA Cup coverage, there was the earliest confirmed TV tag match putting the Royals against Mick McManus and Steve Logan, the South London Hard Men. (No result but my money is on McManus using the Office Hold.)

We've just seen the Royal Brothers in action from June 1970 on the British thread. Now as promised here is some more of the Faulkner family 11¾ years earlier across the English Channel, dad Lew Faulkner aka Vic Hessle teaming with young Bert Royal. Old man Hessle (whom Kent gave props to during the Royals Vs Black Knights match). is a different kettle of fish from his sons physically, bigger bulkier body. He has lighter hair than Liehn which his how to tell them apart (Guy Robin is balding and young skinnier Bert is already thinning on top.). He has his son's skill but is more power than agility. In his day he had matches with Bert Assirati, post Wigan and possibly post India, Assirati at his most knowledgeable and dangerous, Première Manche - The bout is JIP - the previous show must have been overrunning. Robin is getting a KO count but he gets up only for Big Vic to legdive him down and work on a grapevine leglock. Guy tags Edmond who corners Vic til L'Arbitre (a third balding man in the ring) orders them apart. Vic gets the same leglock on Ed.Now both méchants are hobbled. Ed tries to pummel Vic in the mat but the ref pulls him off and Bert grabs him on the apron and holds him for dad Vic's charge. The ref separates them and Vic gets the leglock (clearly a speciality of his). Guy tags back in and chinlocks Vic from behind. Vic captures the barring arm and makes a hammerlock of it. Robin gets up and turns out so Vic applies his leglock for a 4th time. This gets him the opening submission. 16 mins plus so we missed about 14 mins. Father and son chat as they towel off. Deuxième Manche. Bert comes out with a dropkick. The heels threaten him by with punches but he laughs them off and interlocks Ed who rolls on the mat. taking a bump. Bert gets a reverse armhank. He snapmares Ed and long presses him. Guy on the apron tries to interfere but the ref sees him off. A four way brawl ensues with Manchettes akimbo. Both heels end up at ringside. The Bald Guy is back first and then Ed legdives Bert and front folding presses him. Robin's interference stops Ed getting a pin on Bert who ankle smashes Ed and Manchettes him. Ed attacks Royal from behind and chinlocks him down to the mat. Guy tries to interfere and dad Vic gets in to complain. Ed twice snapmares Bert and Guy flying kneedrops him. Guy is ushered out by the ref. Ed has an armlock but Bet uses a crossface counter inorde4 to get free. Vic joins in and a Manchette war ensues. Bert goes after both heels and gives dad a dubious in ring tag. Vic pitches Guy out and goes after Ed. It ends up Vic and Guy with Guy slapping around Vic who gets a side headlock. Guy forces him to the corner and the heels double team until Bert joi s in. Guy gets an Avertisement. He also gets a side armlock which Vic reverses eventually . Robin the heel vaults over him and Vic pounds him in the back. .He long throws the balding guy and Planchette Japonaises him, armlocks him and gets a leglock on him but Guy gets a rope break. Vic Manchettes him. Bert gets nasty on Guy, grabbing him in holds with elements of fishhooking. Quite a fierce brawl erupts. Bret Planchette Japonaises his man then drags him to dad who mistakenly clocks Bert. Ed gets a front folding presses him for the equaliser. Une Manche Partout. A lady is vending biscuits and sweets to ringsiders, the commentator runs down the menu (making me hungry!) La Belle: Vic takes over (was the Same Two Men rule not enforced in France 1958? It was later. Vic armdrags Ed but runs out of mat. They finger Interlock and Vic gets a shoulder lift on Ed like young Vic Faulkner would try to do to Zimba in June 1970. He pulls Ed up but can't get a throw. Ed pulls him down by the hair and gets a ground headlock into sitting chinlock. Vic makes it into a back hammerlock. Ed rolls out and lunges as Vic, injuring his shoulder in the process. Guy tags in and Vic headlocks and Manchettes him down. He tries a legdive but Robin grabs the hair and getd a standing rear chinlock. He gets the odd illegal kidney punch in. Both non legal men try to intervene. In Guy's case, this helps Ed get more fouls in. The heels get a false tag and Guy takes over the hold. The heels double team Vic and Bert runs in but Guy throws him out. Eventually Vic gets Guy headlocks in the heel corner, Bert pinions Ed in the Royal Family's corner and Vic bulldogs Guy into Ed as Bert moves away at the last second. L'Arbitre starts a knockout count on both méchants disrupted by Bert stomping on them. Thecref boils it down to Vic and Guy. Vic gets a legdive and toehold but throws it off. Guy gets an armlock into ground hammerlock but Vic fires up and scores a back elbowsmash (illegal in Britain at this time, I believe) . Ed tags in and takes Vic down with a rear chinlock on the mat. Bert scores the hot tag and Manchettes both heels with gusto. They double team him but he kicks them off. Bert has Guy down in a leglock in the guard but Ed tags in and they start double teaming Bert again. Vic comes in to slap villains around but the ref soon has it back down to Ed and Bert. Bert elbowsmashes his way out of an Ed bearhug and tags dad Vic who gets a monkey climb.and some Manchettes. They go for a top wristlock and Ed gets Vic on the ropes so Guy double teams with a top wristlock on the other arm which of course brings Bert in. The referee clams down and we're left with Ed pounding on Vic in the corner. Vic soon gets the better and fires him into the Royal's corner where Bert gets the odd slug in. There is even the odd technical move like a Vic Planchette Japonaise. Guy tags in but Vic gets a cross press. It goes into the ropes and the recorders a break. Soon Vic is back getting double teamed by the baddies. Guy suplexes him and tries for a standing armlock but Vic moves out of the way. More Manchette, another PJ. The heels ran Vic's head into Guy's knee. Bert comes in and does a Rude Awakening on Ed. He forces a whip and bump and an armscissor in the guard. In the end Ed submits making it a 2-1 win for the Royal Family, predecessor team of the Royal Brothers. The shake hands with the ref and the MC. Bert offers a handshake to Guy and Ed but the heels are feeling urinated off and angrily refuse. Bert is angry and hecand the heels trade insults. Dad Vic calms him down and puts his robe on the lad and they go home. I'm not surprised OJ liked it, quite a brawl. I shall have to watch more of how Bert and the younger Vic dealt with truly poisonous heels. Maybe I'll report back on the British thread soon, unless any nice surprises are posted to Rumble's YouTube channel.

Say the name Jesse/Jessy Texas and the image is summoned of 1980s French Wrestling and one of the first generation of cartoon minions in the rise of Flesh Gordon, beating a patch for Scott Ryder and Jacky Richard circa Monsieur Jacky later on. This time, the dubious "Texan" takes a step eastwards across the Rhine to take on Dave Morgan, sans Maschke. Texas comes to the ring in his un Texan furry muffler and Canadian flag (held by a guy in a lurid shell suit). Not to be outdone, Morgan, a Brit like me, is accompanied by the German flag and Deutscland Uber Alles. Round 1 - They roll around on the ropes before Jessy cheapshots Dave, establishing himself as the heel. Dave hiptosses Jesse and backdrops him. Jesse gets a toe and ankle plus legspread, dodges a Jessy flying axehandle. Mostly slow blunt spots designed to get a pp or easy heat. Jessy gets a front facelock converting into armbar which Dave rolls forward but doesn't roll the whole way, ending in a guard armbar. Dave retaliates with double ankles which gets a pop, then a backdrop and monkey climb which both ditto. An interlock into rollback into double ankles, a slam. Dave's German fans are happy. Round 2- Dave cartwheels out of a pressure points and lands a dropkick. Jessy flees the ring, come s back with a hiptoss into mat side Headlock. Dave turns him into 2 folding presses for 2, kips up, breaks the hold open and and makes a top wristlock of i , but Jessy throws him down for 3., gets a side headlock into armbar. Morgan nicely hiptosses him and follows down but Texas kicks out easily. He gets a full nelson which Morgan counters with a trip into hiptoss. Jessy gets a DDT. Don't tell Jake but Morgan is up at 7. It gets mor3 brawly from here with a Texas fist getting 8 and a followup axehandle getting 4. Dave bridges out of a pin attempt. Bell goes. Round 3 Jessy beats on Dave. Gets an armdrag into guard armbar, the odd 1 count. Dave rolls out of standing and kneeling armbars, ground dropkicks out of one too. Hiptosses in one but Jessy keeps the hold. Tries horizontal standing spin but Texas keeps control. Jessy beats down until Morgan gets a surprise headbutt to stomach in. Dave starts getting a standing armlock and adding twist when the bell goes. Round 4. Jessy axeing away. Morgan up a 8, down in a toe and ankle. Manages quite a decent escape turning into the mount and crawling out- best move so far. One German fan cheering for Jessy! Dave gets a double underhook suplex and blocks Jessy's own suplex attempt. Legdives his man during a beatdown, twice Runs out of mat . Jessy gets front chancery into armbar into backhammer. Morgan backdrops and crosspresses for 1. Counters another armbar with a stomachbreaker over the knee. Bell goes so Dave gets a cheeky slap in afterwards. Round 5. Morgan is up at 8 with a rope-assisted scissor chop. Texas gets across buttock and backdrop but Dave gets an inverted waistlock slam for the fall and the win. Jessy begrudgingly shakes hands. Apparently Dave has successfully defended a belt so that is ceremonially put back on him. Some nice hard rocking end music, likeca hair metal band with a DRM machine doing Adam and the Ants covers. Credits in German. A few good moves, mostly from Morgan, otherwise a slow brawl. Clear face and heel gave the German fans something to cheer and boo over so they enjoyed it. Someone had to

Just been remembering a load of stuff I read up at university about trade unionism under the Franco regime: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Syndical_Organization How did Castillo's organisation fit in with that? Were they "vertical" too? It's plausible if he was a promoter.

Okay. But he did the loss to Sting as an act of friendship so Sting wouldn't have the same problems as him.

No I'm just replying to things I saw while reading.

Yes I remember that in the TV guide magazine. I wouldn't have known what "Pressing Catch" meant if it hadn't said " Lucha libre Americana" underneath. Although from what you're saying it was just chance that it literally was "americana" (the WWF). Of course there were French promoters visiting as well so Spain never really "went dark" unlike Italy for stretches 1965-1988 or Greece after 1991

So 1986 was the end date of Spanish Wrestling? (until LIE in the early 90s which was fairly Americanised anyway. )

Another Mexican 25 years earlier than Carlos Plata and Sergeant Mendietta. We've already seen Pancho team with Anton Tejero and face Jeff Kaye on World of Sport. Here he tags with Victor Castillo the Artist Formerly Known As Quasimodo to take on Dan Aubriot and Remy Bayle the man later known as Der Henker. With Big Bon Martial as L'Arbitre. . A bout reviewed TWICE by OJ! Premier Manche - Les Méchants come out wearing black hoodies like they've just escaped from the Opus Dei. Bayle and Zapata start out. Bayle a lot slimmer than the French John Elijah of the 70s/80s. Plenty of throws and kip ups and Bayle does a nice handstanding escape from a Zapata headscissors. Zapata's not too bad technically, forcing whips and hard somersault bumps on Bayle. Bayle gets it together and rolls through throws then turns and gets a front chancery into backslide into guard armlock. He took uses whips whenever Pancho tries to get up. Aubriot tags and Pancho gets top wristlock dominance and tags Castillo who takes over the armlock (and hair pulling) treatment. Aubriot works Victor's jawcwith his boot to escape. A finger Interlock ends with Dab getting Vic in a double leg nelson for 2. It looks like Vic puts himself in a reverse bodyscissors from Dan then gets the ropes. Dan gets a rolling headscissors but misses a snapmare as Vic escapes. Dan bridges in an arm press but rather than go thecwhole Planchette Japonaise routine, moves out sideways leaving Victor to crash to the mat. Aubriot gets a hammerlock into side folding press for 2. Castillo gets another hammerlock so Remy tags back in. Victor refuses to release until Bayle threatens him. Victor gets morecwhip bumps but Bayle rolls out on one and starts a legspread causing Castillo to leap off quickly. He gets a headlock 8nto kneelift, Bayle gets a side headlock into backhammer into drop toehold into single toehold. He open collars Bayle who goes from armlock to ankle lock to lifting Victor by the leg and dropping him in his knee. (In Britain people try this on the likes of Johnny Saint and it backfires with Saint standing himself upmas the leg is lifted.) Both sides tag. Aubriot half breaks an Interlock to get a backhammer into headscissors takedown. Zapata does a kip up escape. Not what you would expect from a big ugly Toro of a Mexican heel. Commentator says Pancho is very well known in North America - any more information about this? Dan gets an interlock into Sunset flip but Runs Out Of Mat as Zapata's shoes hit the ropes. It's Pancho's folding press Vs Aubiot's headscissors as Dan attacks his nose (Martial disapproves.) Zapata chops out and gets dirty with stomps on the downed Dan. He somehow falls out the ring apron as Remy comes in and gets a reverse double leg nelson on Pancho as Castillo makes the save. Pancho has a chinlock but Martial shoves him off and orders a break. Pancho gets a lengthways press but Bayle bridges and gets thecspace for a Planchette Japonaise. Pancho gets a nice headscissors throw but Martial has to warn him off following in. Aubriot is back in with a Manchette. Pancho gets double reverse arms into a Gotch toehold - he has some good moves despite his brute heel image. Dan kneels up and crawls away. Pancho gets side headlock into kneelift and Manchette then pressure points. Aubriot gets a snapmare but Pancho fouls his way out. With help from both men tagging in the pressure points are maintained. They also smack Dan's head in the mat until Martial stops it, pulling Vic off. So it goes on, pressure points and illegal stomping. The crowd is angry and so is Bayle but Martial gently puts him outside. The pressure points and other dirties and failed rescues by Bayle continue. Ies smo Zapata tries smothering Dan with his chest. Bayle tags in with Manchettes, an atomic drop and a saus chessé that sends Zapata to ringside like Danny Collins did in the last match. Zapata gets the better of a top wristlock battle and keeps his man down with hairpulls and rear Manchettes. Victor tags back in, overpowers Bayle who stomps his fingers and pounds with Manchettes. It stays very manchetty until Victor gets a leglock and keeps it some time. He drags Bayle to the Méchants' corner where Pancho gets up to plenty of no good. He tags in and jumps and stomps while Victor STILL has the leglock. The Hispanic villains take turns, one in the ring with a hold, the other fouling from the apron. Traditional dirty heel stuff. Martial warns them. administers the odd smacked bottom (!) even drags Victor off by the neck only for Pancho to continue the tricks as he reprimands Castillo. Les Bons retaliate with a double team to get a legdive, toehold and drops on Castillo, tagging in and out. Aubriot eventually has Victor by the chin. He Manchettes, headlocks and headscissors him. Victor gets back the advantage with pressure points and a smother until Martial pulls him off by the ears. Pancho takes over with a snapmare and stomps and knees, Martial only intervening when the ropes are used. He throws Aubriot who scoots through his legs and gets the full Boston Crab set up but Zapata spins him off. But he lands upright and scores a huracanrana on the Mexican. He gets a spinning stomp and Manchette. Dan gets a hammerlock into sunset flip into double leg nelson for 2. The two brawl and whip until Aubriot gets another sunset flip on Zapata for the opening fall. They brawl on a bit after the fall, Castillo is ENRAGED. Deuxième Manche: Pancho gets a crosshanded grovit, shoves Aubriot onto the ropes and chops him. Dan tags Remy. Pancho slugs him around and tags Victor who uses eye rakes and fish hooks under cover of pressure points. Remy slips out backwards between Castillo's legs but straight into the heel corner where Pancho also fouls him. Victor gets a kick then a legal snapmare and headlock. He full Nelsons Remy as the heels double team Bayle. Zapata misses a charge and ends up at ringside. He gets back, Remy fires a dropkick but Pancho gets a toehold and help from a rope whenever Martial is looking the wrong way. The big referee eventually catches him and orders a break. A fight breaks out between L'Arbitre and le Méchant Aubriot takes over but ends up thrown to ringside. Pancho knocks him off the ring apron but misses the next time and Aubriot tags Bayle who gets to work with Manchettes, chops and stomps. Victor tags in and gets a bearhug into the heel corner but Remy slips out behind. The brawl continues until Castillo gets a leglock and keeps it a good while, seeing off Bayle's attempts to break it. Pancho tags in and slams Bayle who dodges a Zapata flying headbutt and tags Dan who twice slams Pancho. Victor tags in and they interlock but Aubriot cartwheels to twist one side into arm armlock on the mat, getting Victor up and throwing him in the hold. Castillo tries a cross buttock press but is still in the hold. He throws him off, chokes his man on the ropes but misses a splash. Aubriot bounces off his back before tagging Remy who gets to work with chops. Castillo slams him on Pancho's knee three times as Pancho stomps him. The heels finally get their first Avertisement for this. They still get a fourth one. They continue to batter Bayle. Pancho gets a slam and kneedrop and tags Victor. Bayle resists two face first (tombstone) piledriver attempts from Castillo but goes down for a slam. Victor gets pressure points. Bayle gets a leg out underneath, the heels corner and double team Bayle despite Martial's best attempt to stop them. Bayle fights back with Manchettes and a snapmare of his own but gets backdropped outside and despite crowd anger is counted for 10. KNOCKOUT, oh yes OJ. It appears to be a one knockout bout as that wins Les Méchants the match, KO-1. The villains strut around taunting the crowd (including someone with an umbrella) to near riot as Les Flics look benignly on. Last week we saw two burly Mexicans dominate two plucky good guys in colour on satellite TV. This week, we see One Burly Mexican and a burly Spaniard bellringer do the same 27 years earlier in 819 line monochrome VHF.Such is the continuity of live and of Wrestling territories. Same territory, different era, same situation.

Is he the same guy as the promoter?

Okay, after those last two modern EWP fights let's get back to the vintage stuff. Rolo Brazil, hardy perennial of the German scene Vs Franz Van B, the Belgian who is an institution on both sides of the Rhine. Round 1 starts off slowly with a top wristlock leverage contest that FVB Agents the best of. Then Franz gets a front grovit but Brazil breaks it open and gets a whip and a bump. Rolo gets the position for a straight arm lift then spins horizontally to reel Franz down and kneedrop his bicep. Franz gets a double underhook but Rolo pushes him into a corner. Both men single leg each other then give up as stalemate. They finger Interlock and Franz breaks one side with his foot, cartwheels backwards to tighten up the hold. Then gets up to force Brazil down in a guard wristlock, then does his own kneedrop to bcip. The bell (sounds like a saucepan!) goes. Fade to black. Round 2 and Rolo gets an armlock, Franz throws him but it ends up with Rolo on top and Franz in the guard. He flips his way upright and tries again, with the same result. Franz tries bridging and pushing Rolo's jaw with his boot. He tries to force his way up but Rolo maintains dominance. Franz moves to a kneeling position then gets up, tries to bounce Rolo on the ropes, gets armdragged and is back in the guard armlock! Franz tries the French style flying headscissors takedown counter but Rolo uses the traditional British reply and throws Franz off. Franz tries more of the boot on the jow, Rolo pushes the offending leg away, leaving himself with his guard armlock still. Franz tries again and manages a leapover and a hiptoss but no broken hold yet. For his next try, Franz horizontally untwists the arm, uses the referee to back somersault and hiptosses Rolo, finally breaking the hold to Rolo's bewilderment. Franz sportingly helps him up. Not long after the bell goes. Round 3. (Audio goes silent!) Franz gets a side chancery hold - and eventually the throw. He gets a cross press and a couple of 2 counts. (Audio resumes) He is back with the side chancery He switches to snapmare and gets the throw and a ground side headlock on Rolo. Franz takes Rolo up for another Roll but Brazil slams him. Franz maintains the side Chancery on the mat however, getting the odd two counts before bringing Brazil upright. Brazil throws himself and Franz into the ropes, catches him in a hiptoss. They snapmare each other and roll back and forth in a two way grovit that eventually gets into the ropes. They full finger Interlock and Franz ends up on top but Rolo again bridges up. Franz loads himself onto the bridge - Rolo can take the weight. In the end, Rolo monkey climbs Franz and flips him Franz gets a legdive and leglock. The bell (saucepan!) goes. Round 4 and they hit the ropes then suddenly stop. Franz gets a snapmare and bodycheck. Runs over Rolo and flying butts him twice. then flying tackles him for the one fall required. Franz is the winner. Plenty of hugs and sportsmanship. Good clean sportsmanly match but a lot slower paced than a British match or even a Steve Wright type match. This is the old German style being done by two reasonably young fit guys.

Zimba, from Wigan via Sierra Leone via the Windrush, a Wigan Snakepit man yet noted for being reliant on strength in the pro ring unlike the sleek, lover of a nice tasty goat for Xmas dinner (see Pure Dynamite) also a stiff worker with a real Wigan Snakepit attitude (source ditto) Round 1 and Zimba just throws Bob off a headlock (as Big Daddy did in both the 1975 Kendo fight and in 1977 Vs John Elijah) and rather nicely cartwheels out of a single leg ankle lock. Kirkwood gets a side chancery throw into rear chinlock, Zimba pulls out of it to leave a back hammerlock but Bob rolls off and away. Zimba gets an armdrag into guard armlock. Bob backrolls, tries for a legspread but Zimba corrects it so H3 rolls back forward and goes for a high whip but Zimba rolls out nicely, Zimba gets a front chancery but Bob snaps out, Zimba tries a cross buttock but Bob holds onto the wristlock even into a standing position, shagging off a flying headscissors attempt. Bob still holds steady with the armlock until switching to a headscissors. So Zimba goes upright with escaping the scissorhold and grabs a headlock on escaping, but Bob turns him into the mount and the barring arm into a back hammer. Zimba tries a couple of crotch holds but can't get the lift. A sidewards Fireman's carry slam does bump Kirkwood heavily but he keeps the wristlock and even tries a couple of crosspress pin attempts (Zimba bridges out), along with top Breaks Specials against the mat. Kirkwood eventually releases to try again. They full interlock until Bob gets a whip to force a somersault bump on the big man. Another lockup results in Zimba throwing but Kirkwood rolling up nicely.Bob gets a legdive into leglock. It's possibly a legscissor, Zimba tries a foot against Bob's head to upturn the hold. The bell goes and they release without any untying from referee Tony Mancelli. They shake hands. Round 2 Bob gets a grovit and Zimba one back. Zimba gets a suplex out and rolls over into a cross press but Bob has his shoulders up and fights upwards. Zimba uses a rolling suplex but still to no avail. Kirkwood gets a legdive but Zimba spins bi off. They get a single interlock and Bob gets a wristlever but Zimba replies with an armdrag. Bob keeps holding and has an armbar Zimba tries a legspread and a single leg but neither get him out. A snapmare does the trick however. Kirkwood jumps into a seated leglock . Zimba turns him over for a 1 then tries a side headlock which does free his legs but Bob stands and whops Zimba who rolls away well. They double interlock and Bob gets a standing back hammerlock. Zimba gets a rear legdive between his own legs but Bob boots him in the behind and Zimba gets leg flipped as he comes off the ropes. He takes the bump but gets the leg again upon landing. He gets a double clamp on it and slowly turns Bob into the mount in a single leg Boston Crab. He converts it into a folding press and Bob responds with a front bodyscissors. Zimba nonetheless keeps trying for pin including shoulder presses and an elbow in the stomach. Time is running out and Zimba switches to Indian Deathlock, throwing off the opponents' attempts at a sit-up counter. In the end Bob uses the momentum of Zimba's throwoffs to roll away backwards. Zimba gets a legdive and drops his weight on Bob's knee (nasty!) The bell goes as Mancelli's KO count hits three. Round 3 and Zimba gets an unspectacular hiptoss early on. Bob takes him down with a leglock so Zimba turns himself into the mount but Kirkwood gets a Gotch toehold, adds a crossface and and tries for a surfboard. Zimba resists by pointing his arms flat forwards and slipping out of the crossface. Bob drives an elbow into Zimba's spine which he instinctively grabs at allowing Kirkwood to get the arms but Zimba forces them back forwards and Bob decides to release. He gets a side chancery throw into seated chinlock and resists Zimba's attempt at a throw as he stands up. But Zimba is now in a standing side headlock and from there he gets an easy over the knee backbreaker. Bob is up at 8 but Zimba throws him to land on his back right on top of where the knee went in. Kirkwood takes another 8 count but then sharply goes for a lunge on Zimba. Honey Boy goes down but takes a single leg takedown as he does so. and makes a grapevine leglock of it which he keeps for some time. He eventually gets bored, helps Kirkwood up th3n chops him in the shoulder. Curiously Boob takes this sportingly - not everyone would. They double interlock and then Bob breaks to get a chop of his own. As Zimba gets up, Kirkwood gets a front chancery. Zimba lifts him but places him on the ring apron. They run the ropes and Zimba drops to trip Kirkwood but Bob just halts himself. They full Interlock and Kirk releases one side and backrolls then forward rolls away. Another full interlock and Zimba backrolls in the double arms to tighten the lock. They continue to battle for power until they end up back to back. They try for a backslide but end up sat down! At which point the bell goes. Round 4 and Kirkwood throws Zimba who for once takes a bit of a bump rather than roll through. Bob gets a rear snapmare, a posting, another rear snapmare and a crossface which he powers out of, getting in a headbutt. Kirkwood shoves him off into the ropes but Zimba rebounds with a flying elbowsmash for 6 (it could have been more but Zimba followed up a tiny bit early and referee Mancelli has a quiet word with him. Kirkwood bounces Zimba off the ropes and shoved him down just as Zimba fires off a headbutt - both men are impacted. Bob gets a snapmare and bodycheck and Zimba gets a flying headbutt to stomach. He gets another over the knee backbreaker for 4 and an overhead press into stomachbreaker on his knee for 8 and finishes his man with a slam and double knees for the winning fall. Some time ago (I've looked but can't find where I said it) I recall describing a bout as more Skill And Strength than Skill and Speed. The sane applies here. Kirkwood has the speed against another speedster and Zimba had some nifty rollouts earlier on but while it's still an intelligent game of human chess, there is a distinct lack of pace to the bout and Zimba seems to be the underlying cause. Kent Walton remarks that there is something "Lazy" about Zimba's style of movement and I take his point. I wouldn't wish appendicitis on anyone but according to the Wrestle Me guys, that's what transformed Masambula into a fast paced stylish Middleweight. His sometime Black Knights tag partner shows us which way Masambula was heading before he dropped all that weight and moved from power to speed.

From @Matt D. I'm about to do this on the French thread on account of it having a Mexican (Pancho) in it and last week's New Catch having two of 'em (Mendietta/Plata). So anyway, was he or wasn't he related?

It was the fashion at the time, sadly. Horrible yuppie trendy look, like Hipster beards nowadays. Barry Windham and Paul E. Dangerously also had ponytails. I used to go to school in central London at that time and see these stockbroker/financier eejits walking around the streets with their fn ponytails.

His contract had run out and he was fine except that he wanted to job to his friend Sting so that Sting wouldn't face the same credibility crisis he had faced with the start of his reign.

Amen to this. He was great as the heel World champion making Simmons look a million dollars before destroying him. It's no coincidence that Vader - Lex's replacement as Harley's Sith Apprentice - did the job to Simmons 10 months later (Vader took over Lex's spot lock, stock and barrel starting with the Jan 92 Clash tag with Hughes Vs the Steiners) but I wish it could have been Lex who did the job - and then won it back in December.

WCW Worldwide was on Saturday afternoon ITV (British wrestling's old slot) at this time. Central had it an extra 6 months after everyone else, continuing to show it until the end of 1995 Hulk and Flair did headline two shows in London and Brum late summer of 94.

The fans DID get the idea by the time Luger, Race and Hughes got out the cage. There's a definite bit of heat as they strut up the ramp, Lex leading the way. They figure it out quicker than the Survivor Series 88 crowd figured out the Demolition/Powers double turn. It did all hang on Hughes's involvement - without him it's just a face enlisting a legend's help to beat the hated heel who shat on him 3 years earlier. There's an interesting subplot with all the new moves Lex is doing in the bout, culminating in his new piledriver finisher. Apparently Harley was supposed to be teaching him them - and was doing this as a shoot! If Lex had stayed on with Harley until 1993 and had all Vader's reigns and carried on being taught new stuff by Race, he would have ended up quite a decent technical wrestler by American standards. If it had been that exact same finish but with Flair in Windham's spot, that would have been AWESOME - Harley telling Lex to Do It Now to Ric, Luger screwing Flair after years of the other way round, Race betraying his fellow Legend to go with the New Generation... Of course originally, a long time earlier it was meant to be Sting losing to Lex, ending a year as champion by getting screwed by his best buddy in what started as a babyface match. Then came Jan 11 1991 ...

Erm, he had the big GAB 91 cage match where Luger won the world title! Speaking of which ...

This being during the Second Republic, just before the Civil War (supposedly) shut things down for a bit? Presumably during the "bienio oscuro" of the conservative Gil Robles as PM.

Just to clear something up, would I be right in saying he was no relation to Vicente "Quasimodo" Castillo? (Whom I am about to review a match of on the French Catch thread.)

Here is the talky but from the start of the video with English subtitles. The bloke from the Castilian Federation interestingly gives that year again 1975 as an end date for "La Desaparición" - if not of the Spanish scene entirely, then certainly its rapid loss of visibility which he puts down to socio-economics and the media shutting wrestling out. He also gets asked about wrestling being a work and replies that there is as much percentage showmanship in other pro sports as wrestling. He also namechecks a bunch of legendary names including Hercules Cortez. Modesto Aledo, Felix Lamban etc I think that's Joe Adell in the thumbnail, stomping away.

Some New Catch. The EWF's resident Lucha bad boys Sergeant Mendietta and Carlos Plata take on European Welterweight Champion Danny Collins and Breton Yann Caradec in a cross- Channel linkup of youngsters. Charley Bollet referees. By the way, I propose that we call the original 1988 New Catch episodes Season One and all the brand new non- repeat 1991-1992 Eurosport episodes with the big ring with the shiny canvas and EUROSPORT logo Season Two. To quote Leon Arras, How's About That Then? Plenty of crowd working to start. Yann and Plata in heelish black and red start. Yann gets a good couple of armdrags on the bigger man. The bearded camouflage clad Sarge on the apron calms a hairpull. Orig tells us the heels won a tournament in Mexico. Plata gets his own three armdrags into armlevers on the kid from Breton but he kips up and makes it three apiece. Danny tags in and with the crowd behind him (the French in the late 80s/early 90s LOVED this guy. ) Plata tries a rear waistlock but Danny makes it his own back hammerlock and rides Plata down into the mat. Plata gets an armbar and - ironically given Sarge's complaint- hairpulls Danny down but Collins responds with a headscissors, side headlock and bodycheck on the bigger man. Caradec tries to get a tag in Charley warns him off but it's enough of a distraction to Plata for Danny to get pressure points and a kneelift. Collins gives young Yann his tag but Sarge also tags in. Collins tags back and does a back somersault to rev up the crowd. Sarge is unimpressed and goes to work with chops and a posting which Danny reverses and follows with a kneelift. He gets a snapmare and kneedrop on Sarge and only then lets Yann at him. Sarge is going for the tag but Yann, keen as Scrappy Doo, drags him back by the hair - and pays for it as the big brute gets a back hammerlock on. With a chinlock - almost a chicken wing on the kid. He kneedrops him and roars to the crowd. The Mexicans work Caradec on the top rope and catapult him to the mat. Sarge works on Yann's arm. He bites the kid's hand and the taste is a first Avertisement. Plata tags back in and posts Caradec. The second time he tries it, Yann reverses. Yann gets a headlock. Plata breaks out and sends him to the post but Yann reverse leapfrogs and snapmares the Mexican who gets a single leg trip in response. Both sides tag. Collins and Sarge take turns chopping each other in the corner. Sarge drops to avoid a Danny posting, a bit later than Ken Joyce would. He leads Danny cat and mouse out and in the ring and clotheslines him as he re-enters but Danny gets a boot up to shoot down a Sarge corner flyer. Sarge scurries to his corner, neither Mexican fancies facing Danny and the crowd knows it! Cut via a slo-mo repeat to Danny bearhugging and reverse atomic dropping Plata. Bolet doesn't like it and gives Danny an Avertisement. Sarge tags in again and also gets the reverse atomic drop, he complains about a knee to the groin- perhaps this explains the Avertisement if Bollet thought Danny did that to Plata too. No Deuxieme Et Dernière Avertisement though. Danny responds to blows with a standing full nelson. He tries to trick Plata into hitting his own man, succeeding when Sarge reverses the hold but Danny gets free at the last second. Taking on both men, Danny snapmares and Legdrop Of Dooms Plata and goes toe to toe with Sarge, hitting a double clothesline on both bigger men. Caradec tags back and Plata beatdown with fair and foul blows. He gets a toe and ankle with legspread but Sarge interferes. Soon Yann is similarly getting the big men crashing into each other, administering dropkicks and armdrags. The kid has both big Mexicans at ringside but when we return from another slo-mo they have their heat back. Sarge putting a full Nelson on Yann. Danny comes in and sees of Plata before breaking the hold but this time it's Les Bons who screw up as le Breton dropkicks The Briton. Plata whips Yann into Sarge's elbow a gets a front folding press. A win for Mexico, a loss for the Bristol - Brittany connection. But try telling that to Les Gosses- a crowd of eight year old boys come to ringside and bang on the apron to cheer Les Bons despite the defeat. This is a cut price version of the Dangermen Vs The Hornets from World of Sport 1972 with two kids trying their luck with two bigger heelish monsters and giving them quite some trouble before finally coming unstuck. I wrote a lot more about it than I expected to.