David Mantell

I think they'd had a bad experience the previous time so didn't want to make trouble if they could avoid it. It didn't help them that the WWF was at a more advanced stage in France (and Italy where they revived a territory mostly dark since 1965.) than in Britain. By the time of A2>FR3, WWF was well established on Canal +, by the time of the last Old Catch on FR3 in November 1987, WWF had held an exploratory Paris live show, by the time New Catch's initial TF1 run was over, WWF had not just held a bigger Paris show with Savage, Akeem, Demolition, the Bulldogs and a ladies title change on the bill but screened it in America on Prime Time. All the British had was six WWF specials and late night Challenge billed as Superstars Of Wrestling (which went underneath Greg Dyke's Radar anyway.) Greg Dyke could have done the same approach but he WANTED to make a big fuss about cancelling wrestling on ITV to impress advertisers with how upscale and Yuppy his network was becoming so he had that special press conference at a TV fair in Switzerland to announce it. It is interesting how differently the two countries' TV industries handled what was essentially the same parallel development.

Like I said, I think the early 60s episode is why French TV opted not to have a big Greg Dyke song and dance about Cancelling in the mid late 80s, instead presenting the end of wrestling on terrestrial TV to the public as being a series of channel changes - A2 to FR3 to TF1 to Eurosport. Once bitten twice shy. In reality, Eurosport replaced terrestrial wrestling in both countries at the turn of 88 to 89.

There's something not quite right about the colour tone on this recording but I can't put my finger on it. Might have been a film print used for transmission. Definitely, not a colour kinescope printed after the event, it's an INA off air recording - the speaking clock coding is on the spare audio channel. September 1980, same month as the Hannover tournament videos. Delaporte as referee is the polar opposite of Saulnier, an honest old sheriff who gets tough with the villains (of which he himself was one a few years earlier.) He looks asleep at the start Starts out quite fast paced. Heels have a standing argument with Delaporte. Richard has short grew hair - has he lost a hair match recently? Also in a red/black leotard. It all serves to remind that in a decade's time he will be Travesti Mm an throws Caballec and monkey climbs him. Caballec scoots through his legs and delivers two armdrags. Miffed, Richard tags Sanniez who gets two armdrags and a back somersault before Rene gets him down in a headscissors. Twice Sanniez corkscrew toupees out, the third time he uses his legs to uncork from underneath. Rene tags Corne and they go into a top wristlock then armdrag. Corne kips up then spins horizontally to a wristlock. Sanniez gets a headlock but Corne gets free then converts to a hammerlock on the other arm then backwards into a folding press. Sanniez gets the arms but Corne rolls back and kicks him. He tags back Richard who fires warnings at Corne but Delaporte will have none of it, he is authority in this ring! Richard throws Corne who somehow pops up and gets a hammerlock into rear leg trip takedown then hits the ropes for a flying tackle for 2. Corne rolls upright from two hiptosses but a Richard takes one badly, floppng out of the ring. Things slow down. Richard takes Cabellac down from a top wristlock to armlock on the match. Rene tries bridges and kip ups. Eventually a kip up and double whip forces Richard to take a bump. Richard gets the armlocks back with help from a hair pull. Rene armdrags out. Richard tags Sanniez. He gets a double leg nelson, then into Bascule then toupee by Rene. Sanniez gets a headlock, Rene breaks it open to a top wristlock into ground armlock. Sanniez rolls backwards to untwist but Caballec rolls forward to retwist. He high Irish whips Sanniez to force a bump then hiptosses him twice. Sanniez armdrags from a top wristlock twice. He finishes with a monkey climb and Sanniez tags Richard. Long pause as Richard taunts fans. He snapmares, bodychecks, snapmares again. They run the ropes, Rene backdrops Richard who returns the favour. Rene gets a ground dropkick before tagging Corne. Richard sidesteps the charging Corne to let him cool off. Richard gets a front chancery then drops him with a fist. Someone is playing music in the audience and Richard ain't happy! Complains to everyone but Delaporte says ignore it so he takes the front chancery again. Corne sins him out. Fans chant, annoying Richard some more. Corne gets his own front chancery, Richard unfurls his arm and whips Corne but he comes up alright. Another Corne front facelock sees Richard put him on the ring apron and uppercut him. Now it's Delaporte 's turn to be angry. Corne rolls upright from three throws. Richard forearms him and tries agaiñ with more success on a dazed opponent. The heels now have heat.Sanniez attacks Corne on the apron while Richard gets stomps in. Jacky whips Corne for a hardcbump and puscon an arm extension. Corne tries for the ropes but Sanniez kicks him off and pleads innocent to L'Arbitre and La Publique, neither of whom believe his protests of innocence. Corne tries again and pushes Sanniez off the apron.mThis enrages Richard who gives Corne's arm several extra nasty twists and whips before reapplying the straight arm, but Corne curls the arm up to make a side headlock on the mat. Richard stands up in the hold so Corne turns, converts to a front hammerlock and kneelifts. Both sides tag. Sanniez gets Rene in a full nelson. They reverse a couple of times before Cabellec legdives Sanniez through his own legs. Sanniez bounces Caballec off the ropes and flips him, Cabellec comes flying in for a splash but Richard hauls him off and gets under Delaporte's skin. Sanniez gets a Japanese stranglehold which Cabellec untwists into double arms. Sanniez tries to rolls back but Cabellec hooks the legs for a folding press pin attempt which Richard breaks. Les Mechants make great show of a legal tag as Delaporte scolds them. Richard wins a finger lock but Cabellec flips him off. Richard tries to bearhugs but his opponent tags and Rene gets in a quick double slap. Corne snapmares Richard and gets a cross face on ("un petit estrangement" says the commentator.). Richard struggles for the ropes and as Corne releases, Richard gets the same snapmare and crossface on him. Corne breaks the hold but Richard thumps and axehandles him. A bit more rhythm to his axehandles and Richard would have made a great member of Demolition 6.5 years later. He gets back the snapmare and this time more of a chinlock with the chin in inside elbow. It starts to turn into a choke so Delaporte bashed Richard in the eyes to break the hold. A frustrated Richard gets in one more axehandle that would truly make Bill Eadie proud. He splits his time arguing with Delaporte and forearming Corne, finally slamming him. More Demolition style tactics ending with stomping his man on the cord and getting pulled off by the hair by Delaporte who also drags Sanniez back to his corner by the earlobe. The heels take turns to try to distract big Roger while the other does the dirty but not much luck. Richard goes back to the snapmare I to chinlock. Delaporte warns him not to make it a choke. Corne turns it over into a hammerlock but Richard makes it a snapmare to chinlock again. His patience worn thin, Jacky lands a closed fist, earning himself a Premier Avertisement. He gets in a couple more slugs. Les Bons tag. Richard gets a snapmare and bodycheck. Another snapmares and they hit the ropes before Corne gets a cross buttock press broken by Sanniez who tags in. He appears to call a piledriver spot, Corne goes for one but throws him off. Sanniez buts Corne in the stomach. Corne backdrops him. Sanniez cross buttocks and presses for a 2 count but Corne turns it over for a 1. Sanniez gets a wristlock but Corne unhooks it with a foot. then tries for a cross buttock but Corne makes it a backslide for a 1 count. He whips and headbutt Sanniez then gets the hot tag to Sanniez who goes wild with the Manchettes. He posts and corners Sanniez (the music that annoyed Richard starts up again.).then flips over and lands in front and lets Sanniez step over him before flipping him into the top turnbuckle and splashing him for 2. Tired, Sanniez tags a well rested Richard who stomps around ("La Il et Mauvais" - "ain't he BAD" - says the commentator. ) He gets his snapmares into chinlock which again becomes a choke. Delaporte reprimands him and Cadellac comes in and startles him by tapping him on the back of the head. Richard rains down blows as Delaporte ushers Rene out. Richard gets a slam and an uppercut then Corne hits back with two uppercuts of his own. Richard gets a side headlock but Corne breaks it open into a wristlock. Richard gets a rope break then chinlock and takedown. Corne gets the wrist again and converts to a hammerlock but Richard rope breaks. Match is getting a bit quieter, 25min in with nil score. Both men standing around having a breather. Richard gets a full nelson, Corne drops out., ground dropkicks Richard and ties him in the ropes. He is going to pummel Richard but Delaporte charmingly talks him out of it. Roger and Sanniez unleash Richard . Corne bodyslams and forearms Richard who tags Sanniez . They exchange forearms and Cabellec tags in to continue the treatment. He slingshoots and butts Sanniez in the stomach, then forearms and snapmares him. Sanniez comes back with a dropkick and hauls his man up by the hair for a forearm smash. Richard tags back in with a powerful uppercut, a slam, and then an illegal axehandle and stomp on his fallen opponent. Nice burst of heat from the crowd and private warning from Delaporte. They argue while Sanniez gets in a stomp from outside. This distracts Delaporte so Richard can illegally lift Cabellec off the mat for a forearm, snapmare and illegal punch. Delaporte gets back in time for Richard's two snapmares and bodycheck and a rolling headbutt response from Cabellec. But Jacky is up first with a forearm as the MC announces 3 minutes left. Sanniez tags in and makes the cover American style but is refused by Delaporte under no follow downs. So he slams Cabellec and tries again with double knees but Cabellec knee smashes him from the ground, leaving him running to tag Richard. He floors Cabellec and hits with a forearm and a blatant closed fist punch. He starts reading Richard the riot act as prelude to a Deuxieme Et Dernier Avertisement but Sanniez reaches in and the moment is lost. Two minutes left. Richard gets un Manchette. Corne makes the hot tag with dropkicks and forearms. That Celtic music starts up. Richard is off the ring and looking to do a runner while Corne is still busy with forearms. He knocks Sanniez out of the ring too. Richard comes in and eats more Manchettes. Thirty seconds. Cabellec back in, grans Richard's ears forca big headbutt then a couple of dropkicks. Time runs out and Sanniez gets in and gets one last dropkick. Les Vertes get the decision. Les Mechants orotest. The Celtic music plays triumphantly. It is 11:10pm and back to the studio for the news. Recording ends, clip ends. One very action packed full time match. A lot of good technical tricks, enough to make it worth the blow by blow treatment.

I've posted this bout on here in the past (a discussion of phony Scotsman gimmicks in French Catch). but not properly reviewed it. Fit Finlay's World TV Premier. OJ's words "shenanigans with the ref" should give you one guess who that ref is going to be- yup, Michel Saulnier. He and Guy Mercier had had a couple of years to get their act together. A couple of other points to get out of the way- the design of Gilmour and Finlay's tops is the same as Gilmour wore on World of Sport 2 years later as the masked Kamikaze (especially against Jim Breaks) that Alan Mitchell is actually British and of course that Middlesbrough and Belfast are a darn sight closer to Scotland than wherever Alan MacGregor or Marc O Conner came from (or ditto Roddy Piper, come to that.) Oh yes and that is Indeed Couderc, with "la Reine", his answer to Kent Walton's Duchess. Right from the outset, Couderc gets Gilmour and Finlay muddled up - frustrating when you consider the Barons having been on French TV just 9 years ealier. The beret makes him look downright paramilitary but he has to ditch it for the bout. Finlay and Gilmour don't particularly chain wrestle in either the British or French style although they both definitely knew the former. Finlay is really keen on herl bump taking , whether it be missed top turnbuckle spots or taking an Irish Whip full in the rump. Forca guy about to take the role of a high risking mask man Gilmour doesn't bump around so much, generally getting snapmares then leglocked by both opponents. Gilmour isn't a natural heel like Finlay. If Finlay is a scary young thg then Gilmour is the panto villain, leering and twirling his moustache like Aladdin's wicked Uncle Ebenezer. Couderc has a twisted concept of English language imagining that conversation using phrases like "certainly" that must have been part of schoolboy Couderc's mock-English as a child. The sound of a Frenchman hearing the sound of spoken English without actually understanding phrases. "Certainly Non. Never" " I see, certainly no!" and, poking fun at former lightweight champion Saulnier's shirt stature "I am a little English!" Saulnier 'antics' of which OJ speaks, kick in about a quarter of the way through when he objects to Guy standing on the bottom rope (to lean over for the tag) and Mercier stands on the rope towering over Saulnier like an enraged giant. When Guy has Finlay in the inverted cross scissors ready to fire him off in a toupee, Mercier has both shoulders occasionally touching the mat and Saulnier has to race back and forth to count the pins. 12 minutes in, Saulnier calls a halt to proceedings for reasons that are unclear. He tells Guy off again for standing on the rope then blames him for Finlay being knocked off the apron. A standing row between Ben and Arbitre with both jumping up and down ends with Guy dropkicking Saulnier and this earning himself un Premier Avertisment. Then as Gilmour and Mitchell crisccross Saulnier is hit with a bodycheck by Alan so gets in a backdrop of his own letting Gilmour splash Mitchell for the opening pin. Mercier tries to break it up but Saulnier declared it a fall. All this and more Couderc finds HILARIOUS. Five minutes before the end of the clip, Mitchell gets the equaliser on Finlay, nicely converting from a standing full nelson to a sunset flip. Les Bons refuse to let Saulnier raise their hands. Later when Finlay has a full Nelson on Mitchell, Guy Mercier comes in, leapfrogs them both, throws Saulnier at Finlay who goes down. Then count's " Saulnier's" "pin" on Finlay (a variation of and old gag in Britain which Finlay would have seen, where British Ladies Champion Mitzi Mueller would count out for a KO her husband, referee/promoter Brian Dixon) . Needless to say, Saulnier throws this pin out but soon has to count down a Guy deciding pin on Gilmour. This time Saulnier hold up their arms and they are presented with a plaque - which promptly falls right out of its presentation box! Oddly this doesn't amuse Couderc. He ends the clip fielding a complaint from Mitchell about Saulnier's refereeing. Now more famous because of its youngest participant, at the time this was another chapter in the deteriorating relationship between Guy Mercier and Michel Saulnier.

Now Rolo faces a real test as a heel, in against triple champion Danny Collins, European Welterweight Champion for seven years now, twice British Heavy middleweight champion (won from Finlay 1989, lost by DQ then regained from Richie Brooks in Croydon 1990)and a year on from beating Owen Hart for the World Middleweight Championship although most fans in Germany probably recognized CWA champion Franz Schumann. Danny, the "young master of his craft" as Kent Walton was calling him by the end of ITV, is absolutely running rings round Brasil, coming up with loads of speedy tricks which Rolo struggles to keep up with. If not for the awkward camera angle behind the post, I might have been tempted to do a blow by blow of this. Inevitably Rolo digs out the same dirty tactics from the Steve Casey bout. It doesn't get him much further, the bout goes to a time limit draw, I'm not quite clear if or not Danny gets some sort of points decision at the end. Referee in these bout is Mal Mason from Britain who died of cancer 2020 and in whose memory Rumble reactivated the British Lightweight titlein 2021 held since then by Nino Bryant.

Roo settling in as a villain against Steve Casey aka Steve McHoy son of Scots monster heel Wild Angus (or as you Americans know him, Black Angus Cambell.) Rolo is booked from the outset. Rolo is part of the older generation along with Dieter, Chall, Bock etc although he's learned a few British tricks. Steve also knows some basic technical moves so it should make for an even if slower paced Old German contest, until Brasil starts the rulebending tactics, attacking on the mat, closed fist punches, the odd bit of fishhooking, even picking fights between rounds. Not that it does him much good, Casey wins with a flying bodypress. Rolo refuses a handshake.

So here we go with the tag match. @sergeiSem has the kid listed as then recently crowned World Heavy Middleweight Chic Cullen but he looks nothing like Frank! We'll call him "the kid" for now, I've tried listening to the MC but to no avail. RL and IG of course both have thoroughly heelish reputations on both sides of the Rhine. Rolo does his bit then tags in the kid who takes over. Trouble is when the kid wants to tag out, Rolo won't tag in, he steps back down to ringside. This goes on for quite a bit, Big Rene has noticed something is amiss with the good guys. He goes over and whispers something in Rolo's ear. The plot thickens ... Next time the kid wants to tag out, Rolo PUNCHES him. Rene and Indio (savage heel gimmick, very Snuka with Albano) beat the kid down while Rolo stands back and watches. Then chaos, someone I at first thought was a mark but turns out to be another German good guy in street clothes pulls Rolo off the apron and gives him a right proper pasting. He then jumps in the ring and hammers both villains, dumping them out of the ring and chasing all three out of the hall before going back to the kid and comforting him. I think maybe a triple tag is in order, but first ...

We've met Rolo Brasil already, seen him as a hero Vs Judd Harris in 1987 and wrestling closely against Jonny Saint 1987. Now here is a deep(ISH) dive into Roll as a heel in Hamburg, September 1992. He starts off in this match as the babyface against the legendary Rene Lataserre, about this time getting a fresh spot of TV fame from Catch Up on RTL. Lataserre is big and looming but by now getting on a bit in years. Imagine Sid trying to do his gimmick in middle age. He struts around like an elderly Jackie Fargo. Rene is still very devastating however and soon has destroyed Rolo. Another young wrestler comes to his aid and demands a match with Rene. Maybe there will be a tag match ...

This is the earliest of four TV bouts between Sanders and Hayward. Recording starts towards the end of round 2. Apart from the frosty handshake at the end of round 3 there is little of the needle of the subsequent title change but Sanders is possibly displaying symptoms of his later heel persona. The champion having secured the opening fall with a roll up folding press, he at one point taps his brain a la Buddy Rogers and offers a boobytrapped handshake to Hayward, going for a double legdives, but Hayward spots it and gets a backslide pin in first for the equaliser. Hayward gets the decider with his belly to back suplex and bridge, a legacy of his days as a legit Commonwealth Games bronze GR medalist. Sanders is the sportsman after both fall losses and accepts Haward's title challenge "Any time. Anywhere". Trivia learned, Sanders, Clive Myers, Dave Bond and Lee Bronson were all classmates at Tony Hurdle's wrestling gym in Stockwell.

Okay, here is the 1981 cup final day Title Change. Skillwise it's much the same as the 1983 bout, perhaps Hayward has a smaller bag of tricks at this time. What's curious is that there is a certain amount of needle between the two after Hayward capitalised on an accidental Sanders injury; after that they are somewhat snappish at each other, both taking time to break. It may just have been an excuse so the Max Ward could do his thing and growl at the two naughty stroppy schoolboys. There is reluctant sportsmanship when Mal gets his consolation pin and they do reconcile fully when the title changes with Mal doing his best to be dignified in defeat, but it's a different animal again from the 1983 and 1986 bouts. Anyway, get this, the title match came about because of an even earlier bout and yes it's up on YouTube.albeit from a ropey copy of the original March 1981 broadcast. I'll check that out over the weekend.

Okay, by way of comparison let's watch that earlier Sanders/Ha(y)ward match: This was part of the undercard of the Big Daddy and Kid Chocolate Vs Masked Marauders match shown on FA Cup Final day 1983. Obviously for the live audience a contrast was needed. Haward had previously defeated Sanders for the title on World Of Sport on 1981 Cup final day (headline Big Daddy & Alan Kilby Vs Giant Haystacks & Wild Angus) - we will check that match out in due course. (The title change, not Daddy. Keith opens up a headlock into a wrist lever but Sanders rolls out and does extra rolls as a flourish. Keith gets another headlock, Sanders headstands out and backwards over Keith to a standing start (a fave escape move of mine we've not seen enough of on here lately.) Kent Walton predicts a clean match and in relation to this particular bout, he's right. Keith side headlocks again Sanders opens it to a top wristlock and takes it to the mat. Keith tries to turn out, a slow predecessor of the rollout, but Sanders blocks the motion so Keith tries standing in the hold, after being dragged down a couple of times he dives in, points upwards the threads his arm in to create the shape to go through Sandrs' underarm and out. Keeping the arm he has Sanders doing all the rolls and flips he knows to counter each twist before rolling out himself at the end. Sanders gets a front hammerlock, Keith backdrops, Mal goes into sunset flip for double leg nelson, Keith double ankles out. Keith goes side headlock to side chancery to a snapmare to side headlock, Mal escapes with an arm into hammerlock, Keith spins out horizontally and gets a Japanese strangle. Sanders reverses but Keith throws him and comes off the ropes with a sunset flip to double leg nelson, Keith double ankles snapmares, power-breaks a full nelson, Sanders arm stretches him, Keith rolls back and breaks the connections to his feet (without Sanders getting a folder!) Gets a leg into Frank Gotch toehold into side surfboard. Sanders gets the arm stretches but again Keith disconnects with being folding presses. Keith flying tackles but Sanders overpowers for slam, doiuble knees and some 1 counts. Reset- Keith gets a wrist lever keeps it through a Sanders rollout and takes him to the mat. Sanders gets a long headscissors, Keith tries snapout and uncork from above, both fail. He gets the escape with a sideways fall. Sanders takes down with a wristlever, Keith this time gets the scissors but Sanders does an easy snapout. Keith gets a leg and Mal gets a front chancery. Stalemate. Keith gets snapmare, bodycheck, flying tackle but Mal makes it a slam and double knees Keith hits with ground dropkick, cross buttock and press for 2, step over escapes a Sanders legdive and folding presses him for the opening fall. Sanders uses the headbutt to the arm and a high kick like the Screensport bout, but legal and restrained. He snapmares and rolls to twist the arm extra. Keith gets two postings and charges in, Sanders tries for a sunset flip but gets stuck Stalemate. Sanders gets a cross buttock takedown. Keith tries pulling open with a crossface so Sanders switches to H&S (sleeper) Keith turns out into a wristlever. Keith overpowers to make it a posting then an armbar of his own into another posting. They try for finger interlock but hit the ropes. Sanders gets a sunset flip into a double leg nelson for the equaliser. They shake hands. A very different Sandrs' back then. Keith gets a headlock and wristlever, adding a knee then switching to a standing lever whip, Sanders does not go with it and gets a nasty arm weakener. Sanders gets a full nelson into snapmares but Keith comes up with the wrist and this time Sanders rolls with it into a wristlock of his own and a roll by Hayward up to standing. Keith double whips Sanders but again he doesn't go, stoically taking he pain and going for a legdive and leg weakeners. He releases and legdives again for a single leg Boston Crab to the softened up limb. Keith pushes up and Sanders, perhaps sensing some coming counter, releases. He still won't go with a whip and Keith capitalises by throwing him in a hammerlock position. Keith comes off the ropes for a folding press but Sanders gets out. He gets a full nelson but Sanders goes for the front hammerlock so Keith backdrops him, but into a sunset flip and double legs. Keith ankle smashes out and gets a simple toehold I to Gotch toehold and finally a foot weakener and break. He takes back the foot too early and the ref stops him. Sanders gets a wristlever, goes underarm to behind forca whip and bump then repeats. He then straight arm lifts forca possible deciding submission but Hayward resists so Sanders drops him and gets a single kick in. while keeping hold on the mat. Hayward stands and rolls but Sanders takes him down again. Haward is up and in a rollout position so Sanders again whips and forces a bump. He gets another straight arm lever but Keith converts to a sunset flip for 2. Keith goes from arm to leg to knee splash. He gets a leg while Sanders gets an arm, takes him down and makes it a standing arm hank. He goes for the same strsight armlift getting the same sunset flip, this time broken with double ankles. A snapmares and bodycheck is met by a slam and cross press for the winning fall. Afterthought number 1: comparing this to the Screensport bout shows how the same two workers can produce two or even three very different bouts like Ian McGregor vs Ray Robinson or to take a more modern example James Mason Vs Dean Allmark. Afterthought number 2 - it is ASTONISHING just how much small detail there is in these clean matches, much of it at a pace slightly faster than the brain can process. It's hard work typing and hard on my tablet batteries (about 40%used up on typing this post) but a joy in terms of the treasure of skill and detail you find when you drill down. I'll next post the 1981 title change. If it's similar to this I'll try to keep it brief but I may feel the need to come back and go through it for more fulsome details.

Support bout from the same Screensport TV taping. I can't find any past reviews of the bout but OJ put the boot into another Screensport bout in a tent pitting Stevens against Dave Taylor. Too American apparently. Not sure what was American about it but this looks Boiled Beef British. Stevens was basically a junior version of Sid Cooper, he's got the same beard as Cooper or Bearcat Wright. Here he and Brookside have a nice little technical bout to start with.. It gets brawler later and Stevens as any villain should, gets his Second and final public warning. Robbie has Shane Rolling around to untwist a wristlever til he has PS on the mat. They each reverse arm levers til Robbie has his man prone in a straight arm. Shane goes for the ropes (not too much heat from the crowd despite this usually being a chickensh1t tactic.) Robbie gets a leg. dive and arm weakener He spins Shane out of a legdive of his own. and use a dropkick. More spins, Brookside crosspresses. Stevens, dropkicks him. Psycho punches Brookside, they continue to reverse wrist levers. Robbie fires dropkicks, they both try folding presses. Stevens stomps Robbie on the mat. Robbie gets a monkey climb, PS is ejected. Stevens gets a public warning. and a backdrop. Robbie gets a leapfrog, a dropkick, later on a backdrop. Robbie misses a tope rope dropkick and Stevens follows down with a diving fireman's carry (a Kamikaze Crash - ironically Stevens would go on to team with Kendo Nagasaki) and a folding press. Eventually Brookside gets the win with a Further Nelson crucifix takedown and press. At this point Robbie was in full blossom on TBWhood but he was (for now) not on ITV and (for now) not getting any titles, mainly because he was too tall to credibly contend for the Lightweight/Welterweight titles that were traditionally the stuff of a TBW Baby's First Push. He did get a run with the World Heavy Middleweight title following Rocco's retirement in 1991 and before that he wrestled a technical classic with Johnny Saint and had a successful tag team with Steve Regal and even pulled off Kendo Nagasaki's mask on TV starring a feud that would run into the early 90s, but for the moment he was stuck waiting for All Star's water level to rise up to and beyond Joint's so he could have the suitable sized pond for the big fish he deserved to be. As for tents well this was the Stoke Garden Festival (a bit prim for a mudshow) and marquees had been used for French TV and would remain a staple of the German tournaments into the 21st century.

That was a disqualification finishing a trophy tournament. Let's wind back 4 years to when All Star was on Screensport and watch a title change on DQ. Sanders and Hayward had a long history of clean matches together. Hayward beat Sanders for Mick McManus's old European Middleweight Championship in 1981 and lost it back in 1984. They also fought in South Africa for a World Middleweight Championship after Adrian Street went off to America. OJ reviewed a 1983 bout earlier in this thread which I may look up. By 1986 both for Joint on ITV and All Star on satellite, Sanders was morphing into a Mouth Of The South with no megaphone. Hayward had flirted with heelism himself in one earlier TV bout and got a public warning for his troubles but Sanders had taken the full leap years before Danny Collins in 1994, Robbie Brookside in 1995 and James Mason in 2003. Location is in a tent (like some 70s French Catch). On Wrestling Titles, Hisa (not on here?) says this was Guildford but @JNLister has it down as Hanley and the commentators say Stoke on Trent (of which Hanley is one of the Five Towns). Referee Frank Casey - later the British Bushwhacker - is doing an angle where he had been suspended for being too lenient according to fans and was now extra tough on villains. It starts off clean enough - Sanders goes into the ropes and cleanly breaks snapmares Hayward and gets a wrist lever but Hayward rolls upright nicely. Sanders gets the leg and weakens it but fails to keep continuous motion when going for a headlock so has to break. Sanders gets a top wristlock into arm lever, weakens the bicep with headbutts and forces a bad landing on an Irish Whip. Sanders is slow to break on the ropes and does something nasty. He's not happy when Hayward extra rolls on a reversed wristlock to wrench his arm. He straight arms and forces another bump with another whip but then follows in with stomping. Mal snapmares and headlocks Hayward but Keith breaks it into a wristlever so Sanders bashed him on the neck and lifts him off the mat, Casey giving him audible private warnings all the way (British Accent spotters, this is Scouse, the Liverpool accent.) Sanders jaws with fans as much as Casey, telling them to keep quiet. He gets a front chancery with arm lever, Keith goes for a backdrop but Sanders makes it a sunset flip for a 2. One heckler in the crowd is unimpressed. Sanders gets a Breaks Special , resists Keith's bodyslam attempt and sneaks in an illegal closed fist. Casey misses this but cautions Sanders for following in with multiple fouls including fishhooking. Hayward allegedly bites Sanders fingertips (or Sanders fishhooks Keith's mouth), Casey pulls them apart, hurting Sanders. Keith whips Mal for a bump and back rolls on Sanders' arm to weaken it. Keith gets a leg but it hits the ropes. Mal undresses a front facelock to a wristlever and two postings but a third one is reversed and followed with a slam and knee press for the opening fall! Champion Sanders is now trailing. He gets a straight armlift, Keith falls but gets on a headscissor as Mal follows in. Sanders handstands out quite beautifully and gets some wrongway applause for it until he loudly appauds himself! He gets in a kick during a finger interlock, forces a bump whip. Keith fires back with forearms, Mal gets a double underhook into front chancery but it ends up in the ropes and he is slow to break. Sanders arm is hurting when he does not go with a whip. He takes Keith to the mat with a sleeper but argues over if Keith is unconscious before breaking it. He kicks and posts and cross presses Keith but goes for fouls during the pin attempt forcing Casey to break it up. Keith reverse rolls and goes for double arms on the fallen Mal but Casey won't have it from Keith either. Keith recurs Mal's undressing of a chinlock and gets an arm weakener, then another then goes to the mat. Sanders gets a headscissors but Keith used the Gilbert LeDuc toupee escape. Sanders gets a folding press for one, a hammerlock and gets the other arm for some pin attempts. Frustrated he resorts to a closed fist a crotch area fouls and not releasing him. Casey appeals to him to behave.Haward gets a bump whip, keeps the arm, figure 4s it briefly then gets a posting and cross press but Sanders low blows out then refuses to release Keith from more fishhooking and the champion gets a Public Warning. And so it begins ... Sanders gets a single leg, weakeners, but then pulls his man up and chokes him on the ropes. He whips Hayward outside but then follows out for a ringside brawl such as you could get away with on Reslo or French TV but not on ITV. If Kent Walton ever saw this one, I doubt he was a happy bunny. Sanders fouls Keith outside then kicks him back out the ring as he returns . Hayward is now in the uncomfortable role of avenging blue-eye. He storms back with a forearm, shoulderblock, snapmares, head wrench and head smash. Sanders openly delivers a low blow right in front of Casey for the Second And Final Public Warning. Sanders has an armlock on the mat and reaches under Keith to get various fouls in, playing mouse to Casey's cat as he tries to hide fouls, biting Keith's fingers. Casey demands a break and gets it but Sanders stomps his man. He gets three postings. Keith gets a forearm and dropkick. Sanders pulls him up by the hair and sidesteps a dropkick, nearly getting a knockout, and then gets the equalising submission from a straight arm lift. He brags to the crowd about his impending successful defence. But Sanders has accumulated a bad record of fouls in this match. He gets two bodychecks but when Keith goes for a slam he gets a closed fist punch to break it ...and that right there costs him the European Championship!!! DISQUALIFICATION!!! Hayward in a post match interview with his regained belt has no good words for his old rival, now outright enemy. He claims that Sanders can't wrestle hence the fouling. A bit strong but Sanders put on quite the performance of the crumby disgrace unworthy of championship gold. Despite this, Sanders would carry on dominating in the Middleweight division for another decade. He beat Clive Myers who had beaten Hayward, lost and regained twice to Steve Grey then lost it to Danny Collins in 1993 resulting in Danny having to vacate his European Welterweight Championship. Sanders won Danny's old vacant belt (as he had done with the British title, later lost to Doc Dean) and passed it back and forth with Kashmir Singh. He got the Euro Middleweight title back one last time from Collins before losing it to Jason Cross, one of the Three Js who were the mid 90s hot prospects. In 1996 for zRumble, he beat another of the Js, James Mason for the World Middleweight title (the third J incidentally was Justin Hansford who ended up as Kane tribute act Big Red Machine) before losing it to Grey . It didn't stop there as in the early Noughties, Sanders and Mason passed Brian Maxine's old British Middleweight title back and forth on Scott Conway's TWA shows (while Maxine and Johnny Kid fought for the old decommissioned belt on Premier shows.) But for this night Sanders had paid the ultimate price to get over as a heel, sacrificing a European Championship. He was far from the only wrestler to lose a title on a DQ - it happened to Gwyn Davies and Vic Faulkner in 1977, Giant Haystacks in 1979, Fit Finlay in 1984, Kendo Nagasaki in 1988 and a dazed and confused Danny Collins in 1990 against Richie Brooks in Croydon. But in no way was this instance about keeping Sanders strong. It was about getting him over as a foul heel and blotting his old Golden Boy textbook.

August 1967, just weeks before Channel 2 went colour. Bordes is the young kid versus the wily heel.. He is called Rene Ben Chemouel's protege, not his tag partner. It's cat and mouse with heelish Tejero as cat getting on holds that Rene slides out of such as wedging his way out of headscissors. Walter has backward rolling attempts in scissor s, forward somersaults Tejero has his power holds like scissors and full nelson. Waltermania is not yet running wild. There are no chants of Pap Doux Mais Mais, probably because said record is not released. Big Mr Martial is refereeing again and so far by halfway he has had little to do as Tejero has behaved himself. Inevitably the bad penny drops, Tejero gets in an illegal concealed closed fist punch, Martial is livid although Tejero challenges him for proof since he knows his own torso covered up the Mechanterie. He does it again but is negligent enough to be facing away from Martial so this time the referee seeks it and gives him an Avertisement. A third and fourth one iare better concealed. Tejero is getting bored and started stomping Bordes on the mat. Big hope spot when Bordes sends Tejero out of the ring. He has Tejero begging for mercy in the corner and drags him by the leg to centre ring fore more treatment. It calms down for a bit, Bordes wedging out of headscissors etc. Martial misses a hairpull but but does catch and admonish a stomp on the mat. As OJ says, we only get the trademark Walter at the end with a flurry of dropkicks, Scisseaux Volees and finally a Victory Roll for the one required pin. But have a heart, the kid was learning 58 years ago. Catch A Quatre would prove to be his forte, from RBC to Flesh, but he had to start from somewhere.

Some more good present day action. Nino defended the British Lightweight title against Danny back in 2022 when Danny was a bit more hellish. Hower Danny is more a reformed character these days and has mopped up three titles, including one if not two from the hated Tate Mayfairs. Starts old school technical before becoming more big movey towards the end. A good sporting 15 min draw.

Unfinished business: Ray Steele starts off the same old Ray Steele we knew from TV. Cheered by the fans, shakes hands with Brian Crabtree and his opponent. I however had seen a different Ray Steele a few months earlier in Croydon June 1990. Which would we see here? Round 1: McGregor breaks Steele's headlock into a top wristlock then an armbar with two twists then a headlock of his own. He tries for a bodycheck but doesn't achieve much. Steele gets a full nelson then switches to a side chancery then a front chancery. Ian straightens the arm and clamps on a front chancery of his own. Steele lifts McGregor and puts him on the ring apron during which the bell goes. Round 2. Steele gets a side headlock into side chancery. McGregor makes it Into a top wristlock then forearms Steele who does it back. Steele goes side chancery to neck breaker (a la Rude Awakening). Then another side chancery into a crossface. Bell goes. Kent mentions Ray Steele holding the (by then defunct Joint breakaway lineage) British Heavyweight Championship. Apparently ITV still recognises this rather than Dave Finlay who beat Tony StClair for All Star, even though Dalbir Singh renounced his claim in 1989. Round 3 Steele gets a side headlock but Ian slips out sideways so it becomes a top wristlock behind his head. Steele gets a straight armlever. Ian turns to brawling with forearms etc flooring Steele. He is not a happy bunny when he gets up.Still clean for now. He gets a legdive and open grovit but Ian 's shoulders are up. Steele goes from front headlock to side chancery (a favourite of Steele's , notes Kent) and lands a hefty uppercut of his own.He gets a full nelson, Ian breaks it with a backbutt, comes off the ropes and gets Steele's arm, makes the whip himself but is caught by a kneelift. Steele gets the reverse neck stretch for the opening submission. Partisan fans boo. Steele notices. Round 4. Steele getting dirtier, reluctant to let McGregor up on his own and slams his head into posts when he does. Side chancery takedown and guillotine elbowsmash. Side Chancery again to position McGregor for a forearm smash. Steele now into outright dirty wrestling, repeatedly stomping McGregor on the mat. McGregor gets his own side chancery but Steele gets a single legdive. Both holds are on, Ray gets the better of it and floors and open grovits Steele. Takes his upstairs by his handy side chancery for a posting, double legs and a full Boston Crab attempt but Ian spins him out to ringside. He gets back in, takes down McGregor for the open grovit again and is just making it a headlock and strangle (sleeper) when the bell goes. He takes a bit longer than usual to release. Round 5. Starts with a forearm exchange. Steele snapmares McGregor and gets a rear chinlock.Convert via side chancery (!) to a slam.Posting and knee backbreaker. McGregor gets a headlock, Steele tries the same knee backbreaker but misses and McGregor rolls him round into an equalising pin! Steele is furious and finally goes full heel. Punches McGregor and throws him out of the ring, shouting angrily at the crowd. He gets DISQUALIFIED and Kent is dismayed at his old favourite's change of style. I took was a bit surprised when I saw Steele like this a few months earlier in Croydon. Still, the "disgraceful" behaviour clearly rebranded Steele for those who remembered him on Saturday afternoon as a blue eye. McGregor meanwhile won his trophy in front of his fellow Scots and was a hero to the Aberdeen crowd while nonetheless continuing to be a naughty boy at halls elsewhere in the early 90s

Okay, here goes. Schuman comes to the ring to a traditional Austrian marching brass band. They shake hands. Round 1: Schuman armdrags Luger who does it back to him. Schumann armbars Ligercwho rolls then tuns 90 degrees and flips up going over on his head then takes Schumann's wrist. He goes through a similar sequence. The third time while rolling, Liger sneaks in a ground position dropkick but Schumann easily nips up. Liger gets a side headlock and two twists into drop toeholds into Frank Gotch toehold (Satoru Sayama as Sammy Lee would do this at dazzling speed in 1980 on ITV and leave TV audiences agape. ) Liger switches to a side headlock, Schumann breaks it open into top wristlock then armdrag. Liger handstand headscissors Schumann, goes up on his head and perfectly toupees Schumann. Bear in mind (1) he's got a mask with floppy horns on (2) he has probably still never heard of Gilbert LeDuc even now. Finger interlock. Schumann winning at first, bends back Liger who bridges nicely, then takes back advantage. Liger suddenly backdrops Schumann putting an end to that. Schumann gets fireman's carry takedown into armlock.Liger stands up but Schumman armdrags him. He still has an arm so Ligervuses a French style headscissor takedown counter. Schumann turns into upright position, rolls forward out and gets a headlock as the bell goes. DJ plays I Feel Love Round 2. Liger gets a leg, turns it over like a single leg Boston Crab and gets an arm too, forming a sort of half surfboard. He lifts up young Franzl for a sub He holds on to the end of the round Cut to climax Round 3 Liger side headlock into camel clutch end of round.Bell rings Round 4: Luger gets wrist lever, progresses to hammerlock, Franz gets another French escape with reverse snapmare. They come off the ropes and Liger's clothesline sends Schumman doing a 360 flip sell. Liger waits for the count Keichi suplexes Franz but only gets 1. He gets a perfect Johnny Saint/George Kidd/Steve Grey Surfboard. I reckon he's been taking lessons. Schumann hangs on and Liger releases and gets an eight count. Schumann Liger drop toeholds Franzl for 6 , slams and rolling splashes him for 9, gets an abdominal stretch then converts to a folding press. for 1. Bell goes. Round 5 Yamada gets a bunch of Sammy Lee kicks to Franzl's legs, German suplexes him. Piledriver, spinning dropkick, Cut to Franzl clothesline and top rope flying shoulderblock . Bell goes Round 6: Franz gets double underhook suplex for 2, Jushin gets middle rope flying bodypress for 2. Liger dropkicks Schumann out of the ring and reverse flying tackles him at ringside. (It's probably got a fancier name than that.).Cut to later -Liger charges and misses Franz who dropkicks Jushin leaning on the corner pad. They come off the ropes and Franz waistlock suplexes Liger for 7 then long suplexes him for a two count pin. Liger reverses a Schuman posting and flying headbutts him in the chest. He posts Schumann again but misses a follow up charge and Schumann belly to back suplexes Liger for 2. Schumann gets an arm but the bell goes Round 7: Liger fells Schumann with 2kicks, powerslams and flying headbutts him from the top for 2. Liger goes up top again but Schumman catches him up and Barry Windham Superplexes him . Liger knees Franz for 7. Liger this time superplexes Franzl and crosspresses him for a pin of 2. Liger belly to back suplex es Schumann. Covers him but the bell goes Round 8: Liger kicks a leg out under Franz. Gets an American figure four like Clay Thomson. Releases and goes to the top but misses an Ivan Koloff kneedrop. Franz gets a full Boston Crab but releases eventually. Liger is selling the leg. But when Franz whips him off the ropes, he comes back with a sunset flip which Franz reverses into a bridging folding press and a beauty! But Liger crawls out and we briefly have a bascule until Franz breaks when he runs out of mat . Schumann gets armlock on the mat but bell goes. Round 9. Liger side headlock, shoulderblock and kick and faceslam. Backbreaker sand moonsault (just like he did to Rocky Moran in Lewisham six years earlier on ITV) for the one required pin! They aboth shake hands with each other and with the referee plus Liger bows a bit. This is now my favourite German match. Ahead of Owen Hart Vs Dave Taylor at Haumarkt in Vienna 1990 and putting Roland Bock Vs Antonio Inoki into third place. A joy.

I haven't been reviewing too much of Signsquad's recent uploads unless one REALLY caught my eye, but this was one as it was professionally filmed. It's an hour of mixed bag so I'll try and keep it brief. Press conference for the show, including Hawk and Liger chatting in English over lunch. Ring is usual white ropes, navy canvas. Not changed much since Boch Inoki 14 years earlier. I lov continuity like that. Giant Haystacks vs. David Taylor Dancing Dave gets to dance with some really dumpy Deutscher Girls ( punk era Adam and the Ants reference there) He then proceeds to be largely squashed by Stax for a knockout win just at the start of Round 2 but then Stax delivers an extra guillotine afterwards and is DQd by Mick McMichael (sans kilt). You can almost hear Kent Walton tut-tutting away at how disgraceful Stax really is. Cannonball Grizzly vs. Bruiser Mastino PN News Vs Mancow. Just a couple of minutes of this is shown. Ten bodyslams matches are sometimes used to speed things up in elimination tournaments on World of Sport in the early 80s. They had good couple of minutes trying before the future Mancow slams the former Rapmaster Fit Finlay vs. Eddie Gilbert Good American style match. I don't think Gilbert could at all wrestle European so it's Finlay who has to bridge the gap. Finlay wins with a tombstone piledriver- Finlay says something about getting His Title back. I think he means the CWA World Middleweight title Buffalo Peterson vs. The Warlord Buffalo is Max Payne and he plays a good guitar piece. Warlord is Terry Schopinski in full 1990-1991 WWF getup including the W trident. Big American heavyweight battle but the finish has a nice tip of the hat to the local style. Peterson pins Warlord with a charming attempt at a back suplex folding press plus bridge. It almost looks properly done. Keith Hayward would be patting him on the head and saying not bad for a beginner. Fair play to him I say. He gets the CWA Intercontinental Championship and a nice big cup presumably instead of a belt. Franz Schuhmann vs. Jushin Liger Match of the night and I want to come back later and do a proper blow by blow of this. Liger is Fuji Yamada, twice former Mountevans World Heavy Middleweight Champion. Schumann is a key member of the post Steve Wright generation of German Youngsters who revolutionised the German style. Result: one for the purists (albeit with a couple of JapLucha aerial spots thrown in.) Afterwards there is backstage footage of Liger where he nearly forgets himself and starts to unmask on camera! CWA World Heavyweight title Rambo vs. Road Warrior Hawk Both get cheered - Rambo is the beloved slayer of Bull Power, Hawk, well everyone cheers a Road Warrior regardless as JCP found out in late 1988. Rambo has a French flag and gets the Marseillaise played for him even though like Dino Bravo he is Quebecois. Hawk looks hilariously proud and solemn as the Star Sprangled banner is olayed. It's not at all scientific (yet again two American Heavyweight lumps) and they don't really get Euro rules especially the round breaks, but there is respect there. Hawk wins and is presented with the CWA belt by a suited Otto Wanz. Four months ago he was riding a motorbike on sleeping pills in Wembley Stadium. Three months ago his old partner Animal was teaming with Crush in this same country. Soon he and Kensuke Sasake will form the Hell Raisers. Right now he's got Otto's old belt and being most unRoadielike sportsmanly about it. Credits including Otto in English encouraging Japanese fans to come to Bremen not just for the holiday but for the tournament also.

Okay here goes. The fan cam was mates with the wrestlers so we get a promo with Ray. Ian comes to the ring to much heat which intensifies when he cuts a heelish "gee" speech down the MC's mic. They spend the referee's instructions jawing at each other and Robinson the blue eye completely ignores the instruction to go back to his corner. Round 1 is mostly brawling until McGregor tries a full nelson and the chinlock/arm lever that is clearly a speciality of his. They briefly exchange uppercuts and McGregor takes Robinson to the mat in a front chancery into a cross buttock into side headlock. Robinson turns into the guard and wedges out.. McGregor gets a full nelson into side chancery into chinlock. The bell goes. They go back to their corners but then McGregor charges at Ray with a forearm, then points accusingly at Robinson and quits the ring. Round 2: McGregor gets back in. Ray gets a side headlock. Ian tries the handstand escape twice but can't get it up. He gets free running the ropes but then gets bodychecked down. Ray low snapmares Ian. Ian wants a handshake but Ray is having none and gets a side headlock instead. Repeat the previous off the ropes/bodycheck sequence. Finger interlock into kneeling front chancery. Bell goes. Round 3 Lockup into Ray armdrag and wrist lever on the mat. Ian pulls up but Ray armdrags down. Ian is up and knees & forearms Ray. They exchange forearms.headbutts and Ray gets in a good dropkick.Ian quits the ring. When he gets back he conceals a clench fist punch and more brawling. He gets a good snapmare and double knees which gets him some one counts but are distractiobs for illegal closed fists to Robinson's torso. This gets heat - one older female fan is right up by the apron complaining and pointing, soon joined by other fans. Ref gets suspicious, goes to investigate, Ian releases and protests his innocence, then twists the fallen Ray's neck. This bursts Ray's dam, he challenges McGregor to fisticuffs but Ian wants none. Bell goes. Round 4: Ian gets in an illegal fist. a legal knee and a whip into another knee. Ray gets a barrage of fists in (condoned as retaliation) then snapmares Ian out the ring. MC gives both men a (theoretically) private warning about fists, Ian grabs the mic to say it's all Robinson' fault. Robinson takes the mic and fires back. Ian cuts him off with a surprise attack and posting and uppercut. The ref spots one concealed punch and gives McGregor a Public Warning. McGregor shrugs and front chops Robinson who headbutts him twice into the corner. Robinson follows in on the ropes. The ref calls him off. Bell goes. Round 5: McGregor races across the ring into a monkey climb attempt. It doesn't come off but he gets in some slugs and a whip into a clothesline which fells Robinson but hurts McGregor's arm worse. MC Gregor capitalises forcing a high whip and bump twice (McGregor cartwheels on the second but it still ends in a bump, softer than the first.) Ray puts an armhank on the injured arm for the opening submission. MC and Ian exchange words on the mic. Round 6 Ian walks out, to have an argument ringside, Robinson makes to follow him but the ref holds him back.I an gets back in, but goes to his corner, calls up his second who gets in, closely followed by an audience member who the referee ejects. Crowd are rioting and have to be politely warned by MC. Second straps up Ian's arm but Ray targets it, getting a wrist lever on. McGregor could roll out but he goes for the ropes (traditionally chickenshit heat in Britain) but ref exercises his discretion not to break it. Ray continues to weaken arm, even trying for a Jim Breaks Special. Ray headbutts and kneedrops the upper arm, his game plan for another arm submission is clear. Ian slips out to ringside as the bell goes. Round 7. McGregor in at eight but Robinson gets a double underhook suplex. He works on the neck but the ref wants a break. Ian pitches Ray out of the ring, knocks him off ringside, goes out in search of Ray but decides to get back in as the count on Ray continues. But the ref stops the count and gives Ian his Second And Final Public Warning. Ian chinlocks Ray, puts his head on the rope but, mindful of his PW status breaks when the ref tells him. He drags Ray up and posts him by the neck. He corners Ray steps back then closes in to get a concealed illegal punch and legal uppercut. Ian throws Ray out, follows him out and flings him into a table (file under Things You Couldn't Do On ITV.) They get back in. Crowd are BAYING for a DQ. Ian starts a posting on Ray, Ray reverses but Ian gets a downward elbowsmash to fell Ray. He slams Robinson. Bell goes Cut to Round 8 in progress. Robinson carries on with uppercut, headbutt and open grovit on the mat. Still working on the arm, he post McGregor and charges in but McGregor meets him with a boot followed by a fine missile dropkick. McGregor gets a piledriver and equalising pin. Round 9 McGregor knees Ray who gets a forearm and a long vertical suplex for a nine count. McGregor kicks Robinson low but gets a count. He goes to follow in but Robinson catches him with a backslide for the deciding pin. Robinson the winner 2-1. McGregor and his second from the previous clip give Robinson a kick kicking then disappear off sharpish. But the damage is done and Ray has successfully made his return defence of the title and put ex champion McGregor out of contention. .

Okay so here they are again on a November 1989 camcording, this time Jan the batter young heel. Ray had a British Commonwealth Cruiserweight titlecwon overseas as mentioned by Brian Crabtree at the start of the last bout. Now Ian has the title and it is on the line. Ray is backstage training while Ian cuts a heel promo telling the fans their town has never had a champion of anything. Some fans chant for Danny Collins. The principals exchange words over the mic regarding the title. So on to round 1. Fans now firmly behind Robinson "we want Ray." They lock up and eventually Ray gets a headlock then anothter. Ian gets a grapevine but the bell goes They want to continue but the ref stops them. Crowd wants Ray Round 2. Crowd still wants Ray. He shoves Ian and wedges out of a side headlock. Ian gets the same armbars/chinlock which becomes a headlock/strangle then Ray turns out an armbar. Ray corners Ray then gets the armbars back but to dry Ian gets a front chinlock on. Ray converts it to another wristlever. Ian gets another headlock then another. Bell goes. Round 3, McGregor gets a full nelson but Ray breaks it. Ian gets dirty with a closed fist punch concealed by a bearhug. Ray posts Ian but his kicked when he follows in. Ian gets a neck breaker opening submission and a bonus kick too behind the referee stops it. He and Ray brawl off and on during the break. Ian gets warned that it's a championship contest but no actual Public Warning. Round 4 Ian gets a side chancery and elbow to the back of Ray's neck the the neck breaker again to try make it 2-0. Ray breaks out and gets a bit dirty himself, with fan approval stomping McGregor. One fan shouts out AAARIGHT, GIVE HIM WHAT HE GIVE YOU.. Ray snapmares Ian who begs for mercy but then springs up for another back of the neck elbowsmash. He floors Ray with forearms. Ray gets 2 with a flying tackle.it gets into a brawl and something is wrong with Ian's eyes. They brawl until the bell. Round 5 Ian suckers Ray in with a boot, then throws him out between the ropes. He stops Ray coming back and gets a definite Public Warning. He brings Ray back in and goes for a flying tackle but Ray overpowers him for an equalising pin. Fans standing up ready to riot are They brawl on and Ray gets a public warning. All equal. Round 6, they run the ropes and collide. Run again and Ray gets an elbow and backslide for the 2-1 win and the title. Ray's son runs in to present Dad with the title. Well done Ray, but soon there will be a return match and Ian will want to regain. It's on YouTube and we'll check it out tomorrow.

Ian McGregor and Ray Robinson had plenty more encounters subsequently but they weren't always as sporting as that Jolly Fisherman trophy semi. This is from Joint Promotion's late 1990 taping in Aberdeen and features Ray as the villain. By now. As Kent had predicted, Ian had bulked up a lot and was now a fully grown Heavyweight. Again this is a trophy tournament. McGregor is piped to the ring by a bagpipe band like Roddy Piper. Ray shakes hand and is cheered - at the start. IHe crooss buttocks Ian into a side headlock but Ian wedges out.ian gets an armbar and one srm chinlock. He moves from snapmares to Futher shoulder press attempts. Robinson gets a rear waistlock into folding press for a 2 and two 1s before releasing. Robinson gets an armdrag into armbar, Ian back role then front rolls but Ray keeps the wristlock so Ian uses a forcefully blown to break the grip then a snapmares into headlocks and srengle (Sleeper). Ray kneelifts Ian off but in a hint of things to come front chanceries a kneeling McGregor and is warned off by the referee. Ray briefly gets a side headlock and they trade forearm uppercuts.ian gets ina double kneelift to the chin. Low snapmares and drops feet first on Robinson's face.They lock up in the corner as the bell goes. Round 2, Robinson corners Ian and takes his sweet time releasing. Ray snapmares Ian twice , boots and slams and bodychecks, a headbutt, another forearm. He fells Ian and follows in with a guillotine elbow then a double underhook suplex. Ian forearms Ray twice who comes back with a fine far flinging cross buttock throw, Ian is up and firing forearms and gets a backslide for a near pin, then gets the openerwith a bodyslam. Round 3. Ian off to a flying start with two scissor chops, a drop toeholds and the same sarmbar/chinlock as early in round 1. They exchange blows culminating in Ray's snapmarecand guillotine. They crawl some more with a bodyslam by Ian and reverse waistlock suplex for 2. Robinson gets a headlock starts to get dirtierwith dirtier with a closed fist punch to the locked head, hidden from the ref but not the crowd who liven up. Or maybe not so well hidden as Ray gets a public warning. Certainly not hidden from Ian who is still sprawled ringside. He slowly crawls back straight into a chancery those, slam and splash for 2.More brawling then Ray posts Ian and corners him on the ropes until warned off. Ray gets another slam and a front chancery into high duplex for the equaliser. The crowd boos him. Round 4, Ray throws Ian by the head and throws him to ringside. Ian makes it back but is posted. He charges in but Ian catches him with a boot and finishes him with a missile dropkick for A KNOCKOUT, YES OJ AND THE REST OF YOUSE, IT'S A KNOCKOUT. Scottish fans cheer their home town hero. Ray isn't happy. he and Ian make threats at each other. But Ian has won a KO and he went on to beat Ray Steele in the final. He wasn't always the nicest kid. In one ITV match in 1988 he was hinting at a heel turn in one bout. By 1993 he and Drew McDonald were The Wild Jocks, feuding with Big Daddy in his final year. In the meantime. he and Robinson feuded on. Often with the shoe on the other foot....

Continuing with the Bernie Wright theme from the British thread, here he is in Germany against Dave Viking who IIRC was an expatriate Brit. Bernie reminds the German audience whose brother he is straight off by rolling then cartwheeling off a wristlever - and they love it. He Irish whips Viking for a bump.goes for two slams but Viking sabotages each with a low blow, so Bernie gives hip another high whip, steps over a finger interlock and superkicks Viking, sending him out of the ring. Viking gets a rear standing chinlock, Bernie tried for a fireman's carry counter but Dave is too strong and breaks him down to the mat. Bernie tries again and actually gets Viking up for a second before collapsing. A third attempt is broken by Viking apparently fish hooking Benie's nose (a foul) A big blow by Viking has Bernie on his back til 5. He drags him up and forearm smashes himdown twice but the second time Bernie kips up and fires a dropkick. Three forearm smashes fell Viking, Bernie lifting him for more as the bell rings. Round 2, Viking posts Bernie and illegally follows in with stomps and an axehandle and is reprimanded. He slams Wright who bumps backward a bit extravagantly. Viking follows in with more blows on his fallen opponent He posts Bernie and bearhugs him ready for a belly to belly suplex but Bernie gets free so Viking whips and backdrops him, bashing him down whenever he tries to get up.. He grabs a leg but the ref makes him drop it as Wright was still on the floor. More blows and a posting and axehandle to the back.The bell goes. Round 3 Bernie tackles Viking down and legdrops him, followed by two elbowdrops and pulling him up for a posting (Referee allows this for retaliation, I guess.). He gets a posting and two running shoulderblocks then hooks Viking's legs over the middle corner ropes. He then goes to work with illegal closed fists and knees and gets a red card. The crowd and Wright are furious at the Disqualification.

A bout I've been meaning to post on here, two relative youngsters for the time getting their break on TV during the Eurosport New Catch era. Jean Philippe de Lousac in pink is Le Bon a veritable TBW Francais at 18 years old, Lacroix is Le Mechant with manageress Miss Paris. Unlike Britain you can be a heel at a young age and Lacroix has all the youthful surly thuggy menace of Sean Waltman as the Lightning Kid in GWF around this time. Eric starts with a snapmares and elbow. JP gets a cross buttock &;press for a 2 count.. Eric gets a top wristlock on the mat and armdrags his man, De Lousac kips up, somersaults on the top wristlock (you KNOW you're watching French Catch when your see that move) and throws him out the ring with one arm (for an argument with his managers) and back in from the apron, then snapmares and dropkicks him twice getting a standing toehold weakener, then a leglock then elbowsmash thengets double legs. He tries for a Boston Crab then a slingshot but Lacroise lands short of the ropes. He moves around the ring to relax his leg ( a mistake to allow this says Orig on English commentary) then strikes with brawling tactics . He drags de Lousac (earning himself an Avertisement from arbitre Charley Bollet) into a full nelson then switches to a snapmare from behind over his shoulder, a dropkick as good and sharp as JP's ones earlier. He picks him up by the jaw but de Lousac takes over, breaks the hold and both men fire dropkicks at the same time, both taking a bump. JP up first and still in charge snapmares, slings and dropkicks Lacroix, but the young Mechant regains his heat with a kidney blow and headbutt. He posts JP and stomps and holds him before the referee and his own corner people demand the release. JP reverses a posting, somersaults across the ring and monkey climbs him then flings him back out of the ring and when he returns getting a snapmare and dropkick, whip to the ropes and flying headbutt for an eight count, then two forearms the second of which floors Eric. He grabs the heel's hair and asks the crowd what he should do next but Eric sinks in an elbow and this time it's Jean Philippe who gets thrown out. Theo and Miss Paris get their licks in while Eric keeps Bollet distracted then throw him back in time for Eric to score the winning fall with a long suplex despite JP's complaints. Good to see two promising young talent in the early 90s. Plenty of traditional French moves but the bout structure is more American with clear periods of dominance (hope spots, regaining heat etc). I'd love to know what both these Gosses got up to in the next couple of decades.

Indeed he has. I present to you a reformed character. Wright here in 1988 seems to have left Bearcat behind in the Bearkittylitter tray and re-emerged as a more mature version of the old Wonderboy Bernie who gave Young David his first TV match and gave John Naylor some serious worries on a Morecambe pier TV taping before going domwn 2-1 is back. Full head of hair, no mention Of Bearcat, he wears a German tournaments t shirt into the ring and gets an amiable pop from the crowd. Robinson gets a cross buttock into side headlock. He resits a Wright bodycheck and taken him down with his own cross buttock for the count of 2. He legspreads and trips Bernie and gets a Gotch toehold, Wright pushed up and Wright flaps into a double leg nelson. They come off the ropes into an equal bodycheck and Ray forces a hard bump. Brebyjtakes an armlock. Bernie cartweels and dive rolls out of Gordon's armlever and crross buttocks and presses to get a 1 count then tries a folding press but Runs Out Of Mat. Ray gets a full Nelson which Bernie twists into a front facing lockup. Ray gets a throw out of it but again it hits the ropes. Ray gets a side chancery throws. Bernie just a side chancery. He takes it to the mat where Ray wriggles out to applause. Bernie forces Ray to the mat in a finger interlock but Ray bridges and it holds Bernie's weight, so they reset. Bernie gets a slam, a posting and charges into the corner when the bell goes. He releases when the bell goes and they shake hands. Round 2 and Bernie shows that Wonderboy is now Wonderadult as he cartwheels upright from Ray's throws. Bernie gets a headlock but Ray counters with a slam for a 6 count. A double arm suplex gets a three (not a pin, a KO count.) Bernie kicks out of a backslide and twice headbutts Robinson in the small of the back. Robinson responds with his own headbutt and knee lift.and another slam, this time actually going in for the pin but only gets 1. Bernie gets a knee backbreaker then double legs and tries for a Boston Crab but Robinson resists. Bernie tries briefly for a pin then gives up.He gets a headlock, slingshots off the ropes and tries a vertical flying tackle but Robinson parries it with a shoulderblock, then capitalises with a reverse arm hank and posting. Robinson gets a headlock and bounces Ray off the ropes, who comes back with a shoulder but not much impact. They crisscross and Bernie drops, lets Ray pass over then catches him with the cross buttock and press for the required pin - but barely as Robinson kicks out just too late and is about to go for Bernie when the penny drops. His nose is bleeding but he still shakes hands and is a good sportsman. So this is what TBWs fully grow into after a decade in thecsun with plenty of nourishment and fertilizer. No trace of Bearcat, just the Wonderboy all grown up. He'll continue to be a force not just in Britain but in Germany too, there are plenty of his late 80s VdB bouts on @sergeiSem's channel for a start.

.... Well okay. this is a couple of months earlier but never mind. Tony Francis is gearing up to replace Charlie McGee and has already invested in the white leisure suit. The Emperor throws Collins out of the ring but this just leaves him to be Daddies. He has already lost his old mask to Big D in a previous misadventure and his new Conquig BB style one does a bad job of concealing Big Bill Bromley. Wright also gets pitched out. He and Danny resume and the European Welterweight Champion gets in a couple of good ground position dropkicks. Wright comes back with a bodycheck then Danny gets a couple of armdrags and takes a throw himself. One thing about Big Daddy tags you do get little nuggets like these between the two lighter men.Wright gets in a kneedrop in time to be part of the same time and a headbutt but misses an elbowsmash He gets in two forearms a slam and a kneedrop before tagging the masked man, getting a public warning on the way out for various hair pulls as the masked man pounds and slams Danny then backbreakers him but he escapes and Danny tags Daddy. Both heels get the treatment from Daddy who tags Danny. The heels also tag and Emperor chokes Danny with one hand before knocking him down and tagging Wright who roughs up Danny who does get a good monkey climb in. And a forearm. More blows from Wright. Danny gets a dropkick and sunset flip for the opening pin. Wright is back to work after the bell. Daddy charges the ring and headlocks both heels for a Collins split dropkick which earns him a public warning. The Emperor gets two postings to soften the back of Danny before equalising with a shoulder backbreaker . An over eager Emperor. tries to jump start La Belle and gets his own PW. After a few more back weakeners he puts the shoulder backbreaker back on but Danny wriggles out and tags Daddybut Jeff Kaye misses it and sends him out. Emperor guillotine elbows Danny but celebrates what he thinks is a KO count while Danny this time properly gets the tag. Four postings, a clothesline and splash get the job done 2-1. At least ex Snakepit man Wright didn't have to job to Daddy himself. Had he learned his lesson?