David Mantell

A simple throw over the ropes (except from point blank range) could be just as much a knockout as a finisher. Wrestlers didn't bumble through the ropes of their own accord (well not that often. ) Generally they were thrown or otherwise ejected. I understood this concept as a small child long before I understood pinfalls.

The RAH, only venue in the world to have hosted Joint, All Star, WCW and WWF/WWE . If Joseph Dixon ever gets All Star as it is now booked at Wembley Arena that would be a second venue. British wrestling steps out of the small halls and theatres and goes for somewhere Territory Monthly Show sized. This is the same show as the Kendo & George Vs McManus and Logan comedy match. Now one for the purists like me. The battle of the older brothers. Royals Vs Saints from 1971 is a favourite tag match of mine. They lock up and Bert gets an arm, transitioning to a headscissors. Roy just about gets his head loose when Bert flips him withis his legs.Up and Roy gets an arm and starts to twist. Bert takes control, trips Roy and gets armlever dominance. They get up and Bert transitions to a Hammerlock. Roy counters with a backdrop and Bert counters that with a sunset flip. A double leg nelson doesn't hold and Roybspins out of a headscissor throw. Roy gets an armbar deep by the armpit and forces a sonersault nd a hard bump. Bert stands up so Roy switches to figure four topp wristlock and forces his man back down. So Bert goes all the way down to roll Roy but he keeps the hold. Bert gets a headscissors but Roy shakes it off. Kent observes Roy is using more his power to get ahead than skill. Bert tries kip ups. He tries a legspread, Roy sidesteps itim. Bert tries to do an armbar with his feet. Roy tries a poor crosspress, gives up. Bert goes full nelson to snapmare to further nelson shoulder press then releases and gets a toe and ankle. Roy gets a side headlock , throws his man down, gets a Legdrops and a 7 count, Bert goes through Roy's legs, gets double legs for a Boston Crab but is shook off and cartwheels away. Bert gets rear waistlock, turned into side headlock into further nelson for some one counts. Reset and finger interlock. Roy gets an arm and double overhead twist. He tries to force an armroll but the bell goes. Round 2. Royal gets a snapmare and twisting foot motion. Bert gets a good throw and bump off the ropes. Roy stays down for 8. Bert capitalises with another throw. Roy gets a sunset flip but Bert's feet go in the ropes. Bert gets a wrist, rolls on it to tighten. Various weakeners then a figure four top wristlock Bert tries a crosspress. Gets double wrists on the mat,pins a bicep down. Converts to an arm scissors. Roy briefly scissors Bet's other arm. Bert finishes this long duration armlock with a high whip throw and bump. BArief cut section. Roy gets a full nelson. Bert breaks one side open but Roy regains. The bell goes. Round 3. Bert gets double legs, folds up Roy's legs and has a suspension backbreaker. Poor old Roy's head gets banged about a lot until he sits up and pushes Bert into a double leg nelson. Royal gets feet under Roy's arms, pulls him down into the backbreaker then down further into a double leg nelson, switches to non armbar then double armbar. Roy goes for the back of the neck but Bert throws him. Roy gets a smash to the back of Bert's neck. Roy gets snapmare and front chinlock. Bert rises to kneel and gets Roy up in a fireman's carry. Roy rolls backward into a further nelson but Bert's feet hit the ropes. Bert gets semi Japanese Stranglehold, collapsed one knee of Roy's to force him down. Gets a surfboard. Roy reaches back for Bert's chin and uses it to roll backwards and get a kneeling full nelson. Bert stands and breaks but Roy spins behind to regain. The same escape and counter escape then a backrolls escape and reclaim. Bert gets behind for a full nelson of his own and Roy escapes but Bert drops down into a front folding press! Roy rolls him off into a double arm stretch. Bert rolls back and standing while holding a leg. He goes for another folding press but gives up after a 1 count. Bert dropkicks Roy who is up at 9. Roy shoves him over. Roygets double wrists Bert sharply breaks it and gets a side chancery throw. Bert posts Roy. Follows in but . Roy elbowsmashes the back of Bert's neck. Double finger interlock. Bert gets Roy into double knees press but Roy bridges out. Roy gets a monkey flip but Bert has the double leg nelson so Roy turns for a folding press but is spun out but Bert's legs. Roy gets a legdive and leglock. Folds it into a Frank Gotch toehold. Bell goes. Round 4. Roy gets two side chancery throws then a LOOONG throw, almost a knockout. Roy gets a snapmare and legdrop. Roy posts Bert but Bert cushions the posting well as slips through Roy's legs only to be caught by a sudden kneelift. Roy moves in for a leg but Bert catches him with a knee of his own.He goes for a legdive but Roy moves in first with a backslide attempt for 2. Bert sidesteps a Roy charge and as he rebounds off the ropes, rolls him up in a folding press for the one required fall. More of a clinic that a shining pyrotechnic display (now how about their brothers Vic Faulkner Vs Tony StClair for that?) A few moments of real genius - the roll off a surfboard backwards into a full nelson, the sudden folding press during a full nelson exchange. Round 4 especially sparkled, a time when often good matches get demob happy and finish with a forearm exchange and flying tackle - this one actually upped the ante of technical work in the final seconds. On the other hand, particularly in early rounds some holds are worked in long and procrastinating detail like German wrestling pre Steve Wright. For more advanced fans, not so good for trying to make a new convert of someone.

No more than on ITV until 1987 but they did do a lot of buttonholing exhausted wrestlers for comment after a match or between falls. This could range from the disappointing (Duranton being uncharacteristically philosophical about a DQ Loss) to red hot (Delaporte and Bollet on that one surviving Jan 69 colour tape threatening to beat up the commentator who confronts them about cheating to get that opening fall.) ITV's 90s boxing show The Big Fight Live had similar post match interviews ringside. One time, after Chris Eubank KOd Michael Watson - and put him in a coma for months - a himself somewhat punch-drunk Eubank suggested Watson should take a urine test, he was so strong. This made Eubank into an even bigger heel than ever and led to calls for post bout interviews with boxers in a possible state of diminished responsibility to be banned.

Good review Phil One detail you missed was the angle at the start where Robert Duranton buttonholes Couderc and reads him the Riot Act over some slight. Lou is a very impressive monster heel, he reminds me of the young Andre Bollet in the late 50s. The episode of the cooperative was still making waves in recent years, you may remember it was an issue of heat between Marc Mercier's FFCP and WS head honchos Jacky Richard and Flesh Gordon.

Talking of Portugal, here is some film footage (probably a film insert from a TV broadcast) of the Ringerparade at the start of a May 1980 trophy tournament in the capital Lisbon. Since Portugal was CIC overspill and Spain became French overspill, it is reasonable to suppose that a French promoter put the show on, so this is the correct thread just as much as the IWSF TV taping in late 90s FYR Macedonia also counts as French Wrestling.

This may possibly be another of the new matches. It's never been reviewed on here before. We've discussed in the past how the 1980s generation of gimmick performers - Flesh Gordon, Jessy Texas, Mambo Le Primitiv, both Marquises de Fumulo (the second of whom became the Travesti Man) may have had their roots in an early 70s clutter of bad gimmicks - La Bete Humane, Le Hippie Du Ring, Le Batman (Dave Larsen) ... Now meet another of their number - Grelha Le Portugais. Imagine Bruiser Brody dressed in one of Big Daddy's leotards from 1975-1976 when he was still a heel. Portugal at this time along with Morocco was overspill for the dying Spanish scene of the CIC. After that collapsed, Spain itself (and possibly Portugal too) became overspill for Spanish wrestling. If this is what the French thought the Portuguese were like, it's no wonder Portugal didn't join the EEC until 1986. Three familiar figures in the ring. We saw Lagache recently as the nasty half of at 1977 tag team with gentlemen Mechant Albert Sanniez. We have also seen RBC and Bordes in their respective dotages. Here they are still in their primes or at least in RBC's case not in career senility. Walter Bordes gets his usual chant of Pappa Doux Mais Mais. RBC gets a similar cheer. Both Bons are as agile as ever. Grelha doesn't fair too well against them at first apart from a good headscissors on the mst. Grelha mostly just does kicks and stomps. Manchettes too. Apparently he used to be a footballer but got sent off too much for Lutte Ireguliere. In a football match. natch. A couple of minutes before the end, Grelha puts on a leglock and the commentator says it's Grehla's first hold of the match- co Monsieur L'Arbitre is constantly on his case. The end comes when Grelha and Lagache tie up both Bons in the ropes by the F3 deck, refuse to release Les Bons and are DISQUALIFIED. This after Les Bons have done a whole load of similar moves (especially Beard pulling.) The good guys are untrussed and celebrate their victory.

TV was not totally finished with Bouvet and Falempin, they would pop up again on New Catch. Meanwhile, Menard had become a Vieux Pontoufle heel in his later years. Bordes by now has had Flesh Gordon quietly dump him for a younger model. This was shot on camcorder and uploaded by Bob Plantin. Maybe he knows the date. Wanna try asking him?My guess is late 80 The ring looks quite modern, one of the ones used for Walter and Flesh TV tags 1983-1985. Everyone can do their old moves but with much less grace and agility than before. Most of them still have a decent cartwheel. Lots of hiptosses but no back somersaults off top wristlock s so far. Menard clearly tries one about 2/ 3of the way through . He looks like an elderly Mr Spock here. Bouvet is the one with the greying beehive. The odd fan breaks out into Pappa Doux Mais Mais for Bordes who looks like Lou Thesz in later years. Falempin has a moustache. . . The video occasionally jump cuts a bit -consider it's already 26min, almost long enough for a full length TV match up to 1985. Towards the end. Menard and Bouvet get more heelish, stomping opponents and getting an equaliser. Bouvet scores an opening pin. I can't see on who or how but it gets them a lot of heat. We don't see the equaliser but Falempin gets the decider on Bouvet with a great flying bodypress. The winners get a nice trophy, the losers get a nosy cameraman follow them back to the dressing room!

KNOCKOUT 2 of 2. Again not previously reviewed on here. This was a rescreening on ESPN, with a lead screen showing a very odd picture of Grasshopper looking like French Angel Maurice Tillet from the 1940s. No rounds here, best of three falls not that this will matter. Grasshopper wears a navy gi with white collar and red waist sash but on blurry video it looks like 1982 pop star gear (say Adam Ant circa Friend of Foe, the boy out of Dollar or a couple of Duran) but in bare feet and bald. He rolls nicely off a side chancery and a wristlever. Finlay, hands on hips, knows he's going to have some hard work if he doesn't want grief from Paula. He puts an arm under the armpit for a couple of high whips and this time forces bumps. Grasshopper tries some wristlevers of his own and Finlay rolls out of them nicely. Clearly in the late 80s his technical skills were not lost, merely neglected. He finally gets bumped with an underarm rope assisted throw. Frustrated, Finlay goes to his corner for a chat with Paula. (Pleasingly she carries a green towel colour coded to match her husband's green/white tights. ) Finlay gets a Japanese stranglehold and drives his man to his knees to avoid being thrown. Once his man is weakened, he loosens-and then reels him in for a bodycheck. Finlay tries to follow down but referee Jeff .Kaye reprimands him. Grasshopper gets a legdive and legspread weakener. Finlay rope a dopes some headbutts on Grasshopper who comes back with a sunset flip. Finlay retaliates with a punch to the head which Kaye doesn't quite clearly see. Grasshopper discards his jacket. Finlay gets two uppercuts and a posting but Grasshopper gets a toupee (in 80s Britain and throws Finlay leaving him fuming. Grasshopper gets a posting but Finlay gets a slam. Finlay stomps his opponent and gets a First Public Warning. He goes for another chat with Paula who is threatened with expulsion from the venue if she carries on like this. . Finlay dodges a chop and seeks refuge in the corner. Finlay gets a concealed punch (Kaye checks. finds a fist but cannot confirm) and a hard throw. He puts on a grovit on his fallen man but the referee warns him off. He press slams his man from a fireman's carry. He strikes a forearm smash and then a long suplex into chinlock but Grasshopper gets the locking arm and makes it into a hammerlock into armbar into two postings. He does a monkey climb but Finlay gets a good feet first landing (some more of his skill.) He gets in a concealed kidney punch then a kidney forearm blow for Kaye's benefit. He gets a posting, gets reversed on a second one but dodges a Grasshopper bodycheck in the corner and inverted waistlocks his man for a piledriver. Grasshopper escapes with a chop to the knees then follows with more chops and slamming Finlay's head to the corner. He gets a snapmare but Finlay catches him off the ropes with a kneelift. Finlay gets another piledriver and Grasshopper stays down for 10. KNOCKOUT. As with Kincaid, I must ask. In what way is Grasshopper protectied by this? There Knockouts areas definitive a way to win as two pinfalls or submissions.

It's Monday morning,and I feel like watching a good KNOCKOUT. Or two. So here's 1 of 2. No previous reviews on here of the bout. Kincaid has been abroad for some time so he's largely dropped any technical wrestling from his style which for Kendo is tantamount to a note from his mum saying he is excused technical wrestling also. Which is a pity as when he has to do a round or two of it, he's pretty good (cases in point the recently posted Rex Strong 1978, plus Pete Roberts 1978, Lee Bronson early 1977). Kincaid gets to work with headstomps, forearm smashes and typing Kendo in the ropes. Against a different opponent Kincaid would be the heels (and this is the same venue where two years later Kincaid and Dave Bond wrestled the Carribbean Sunshine Boys one and only TV tag match and nearly triggered a rare riot, soma lot of those people were cheering Kincaid this evening.) Now and again there are flashes of technical work like Kincaid rolling out of a Nagasaki top wristlock. Soon afterwards he takes Nagasaki down into a leg scissors which Kendo attempts to counter with a crossface. and Kincaid respond by giving the locked leg a yank. Kincaid switches to toe and ankle but Nagasaki gets the ropes and takes his man down in a side chancery hold. He is still dominant when the bell goes. Round 2 and Kincaid has had time to recover. Nagasaki works him in the corner but gets a public warning for his efforts He has his man down in a sleeper after having endured one himself for much of the previous round. Kincaid lifts him in a fireman's carry but Nagasaki regains his footing. Unfortunately for him, that includes one foot through the ropes so he has to break. Kincaid scores a headbutt which Nagasaki sells magnificently like the American Greg Valentine. Kincaid earns his own first public warning by following down. Kendo sells another headbutt and Kincaid gets a grovit on but in the ropes. The referee wants a clean break but the crowd want the mask off Kincaid pulls on the mask, referee Joe D'Orazio pulls on Kincaid's hair Joe wins and the mask survives. Kendo gets a grovit and Kincaid gets a legdive and a pushing match enues. Kendo ends up in a neutral corner forcing a break so he shoves Kincaid off. They spar menacingly but without contact for some time. Just before the bell Kincaid gets a wrist, twists horizontally and switches to a legdive into toe and ankle and gets a few weakeners in during the final seconds. Round 3. Nagasaki gets a wrist and high whip but Kincaid rolls out smoothly and up to a standing stare without any discernible bump. Kendo gets a bearhug but Kincaid gets one of his own. Kendo releases, chops his way out and tries his Kamikaze Crash finisher but Kincaid converts it to a crucifix takedown but is unable to transfer to a further nelson pin attempt. Kendo chops down Kincaid and scores some pretty good moves including a backdrtwhich Kincaid really takes a bump on but a flying tackle is caught neatly by Kincaid and turned into a bodyslam for the opening fall. Crowd goes mad like Luger and Windham beating the Horsemen at Clash 1 in 1988. Like that crowd, they're in for a crushing disappointment. Round 4. Kincaid corners Nagasaki to work on the mask. Referee finally convinces Kincaid to release. Nagasaki back on the attack with chops and blows. Kincaid does the tie up in the ropes spot common in France, Germany and Reslo but rarely done on ITV. After one charge the referee warns him off. Kendo frees himself and gets a flying kneelift and tries again for the Kamikaze Crash and this time gets it and a KNOCKOUT. Kendo is the winner KO-1. Question - in what way is Kincaid "protected" here? He is built up and knocked down. Or rather OUT.

Apparently not. Siki was also known as Cesar Viltardc and he and Gaetano actually teamed up, it says here: https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=11884&page=4

Serious question - are Bobby Gaetano and Mammouth Siki one and the same? They look similar although Gaetano looks a size smaller, but he might have dropped some weight between 1979 and 1981. This was Marty Jones's coronation as World Mid Heavyweight Champion, a title he would lose/regain twice to Fit Finlay in 1984 then lose to Steve Wright's alter ego Bull Blitzer in 1987 before then regaining from Owen Hart and holding for 12 years until finally losing it to Legend of Doom Johnny South in April 1999 in Bristol. A thought both are good guys there seems to be some needle, Jones not liking Gaetano using headbutts. Both Marty and Bobby use the French style headscissors as counter to armbars, Marty can also do a plausible Gilbert LeDuc toupee throw. Gaetano does his own version of the British style cartwheell out of an armbar, going over on the top of his head. The falls come thick and fast rather like a French Catch A Quatre, first Bobby then both of Jones, all as I recall folding press variants. At the end Mike Marino's mate former referee Lou Marco plus his widow Renee come in and present Marty with the belt. Bobby makes a nice speech in broken English about how everyone has been kind and friendly towards him.

From May 1981 in a ring with red ropes, possibly the same or a relative of the one from the late 1970s Roland Bock Vs Beau Jack Rowlands film insert. The big bad Swiss mostly does the expected demolition job except for a couple of hope spots and the referee is no help to Gaetano either.

Clip is 15 min but only 7 mins of actual match (JIP too) and 8 mins of Zefy's victory party. The former is easy, Zefy absorbs Karsten's slow WWF style attack while the Publique fill the ring with paper balls before the good Prince starts going on the warpath with 2 min of high flying stuff to get the win. Zefy's mates and manager celebrate, Zefy cuts an exhausted post match promo during which it is confirmed this is for some sort of TV, the freshly dethroned Karsten from Germany stands around looking envious before disappearing off as an official in a checked clown jacket comes in and presents Zefy with his new title belt. Zefy goes on a long tour of the entire arena so tout la peuple can see him and his new belt backstage. Then cut backstage for another promo by Zefy and his manager who reckons Zefy is the best thing since sliced bread to have happened to French Catch and how he started out at Elysee Montmartre . Ring looks very New Catch but I reckon it's just an old ring .

Current day Mechant Hugo Perez takes on Jr Jaguar with an elderly obese Monsieur Jacky Richard as Evil troubleshooter referee. (Flesh Gordon being the Good Troubleshooting referee.) They spend some time posing for the crowd before Perez fires a dropkick "Et c'est parti!"shouts the MC and indeed off they go. Perez foils most of Jaguar's early moves except a pair of victory rolls for a 2 each. When he gets the chance Jaguar shows he can flip and somersault like the best of the old timers. "Oui. Oui. Ouiiiiiiiiiiiis" goes the MC. Jag does an outside tope on Hugo and both men disappear into the shadows. The MC says if they don't beat the 10 count they are Disqualified. Not counted or KOd but DQ'd. Harsh. To prove it, Perez gets an Avertisement for wanting time out. Thankfully "exciter la Publique" is no longer an offence like it was in 2007 for Flesh Vs Horatio. Perez takes over and beats Jaguar down. He works him over and gets a second and final (or is it final?) Avertisement. Perez Thesz presses, chokeslams and dropkicks his lighter foe. Jag makes hicimebacknbut misses a Superly splash and Perez gets a dtomacbreaker and covers his opponent for the win. Jacky Richard is kept well employed in his senior citizen years.

I reviewed the below match quite recently and missed this post: Well yes that's kind of the point. (Goes back to page 49 and checks. Actually OJ reviewed this match twice and I quoted the other one.)

Luckily Matt uploaded the full bout: One definite negative about this bout is the Venue. It's quite a nice posh sports hall with painted lines on the floor, the sort at which New Catch would often be filmed 10-15 years later. Possibly an indoor tennis court or suchlike Unfortunately they've decided they don't want the spectators and chairs all over their nice playing surfaces so they are all confined to the upper levels. This gives a feeling of detachment to La Publique, like at Shea Stadium 1980 where the same was done. For much of the first 15 mins the dominant sound is crashes and bangs of the ring absorbing everyone's bumps, and springs straining like your next door neighbours getting frisky. When the crowd do get excited they dimly remember than RBC used to tag with Bordes and shout Pappa Doux Mais Mais at him (as happened to Flesh Gordon on a New Catch episode. They also, like German fans, prefer to whistle "the bird" rather than boo Les Mechants and it gets annoying like a badly tuned short wave radio. Rene Ben Chemoul is an old man, distinguishable only from his old rival George Kidd in 1975 by having dyed his hair black. He's a skinnier version of Arnie Skaaland putting on the tights one last time on a mid 80s WWF house show. Yet he is clearly the star performer. He's still capable of doing the headscissors takedown and the backflip from the underside of a top wristlock strength battle. He still does the ball like Kidd - I winder which did it first? and he can come off the top turnbuckle with ease to deliver a missile dropkick -ot viciously land on Lagache's leg and get his Premier Avertisement. (Lagache having previously got an Avertisement for going wild and stomping both Bons. Cabellec is the gentleman heel here. He can pull off the Gilbert LeDuc handstanding toupee and actually gets a nice round of applause for it from the crowd. Plantin tries to block it for a while but let's the old dear have his fun. Lagache is the devil. Like Guy Renault five years earlier he sports a Lee"Doctor Feelgood" Brilleaux hairdo and long black tights like Joe Stecher and Earl Caddock nearly 60 years earlier. He gets most of the crowd hate and the least sympathy when the Bons retaliate on him (the above mention drop on kneecap and some nose work earlier on. Plantin looks halfway between 1983 grinning heel Jack Briscos and a wrestling Mr Spock. He is there for all the FIP stuff. He conceded the first fall to Cabellec after a. Bodyslam then gets his own back with a double leg nelson folding press before RBC gets the decider with the same move. Not the classic TV Catch a Quatre but if this was indeed RBC's final match a respectable send off.

Am wondering if @sergeiSem read that last post as he's just gone andd uploaded ANOTHER bout of South as a heel LOD in Germany 1994. What's odd about this one is that it shows South was a vastly better worker and wrestler than the man he was impersonating. In a heel sort of way, the Legend of Doom has a good mat based bout that the real Mike Hegstrand could never have. (See also Demolition actually being better workers than the Road Warriors.) Schumann also has a bad rep for impersonations due to his pink/black outfit which made him look like Bret Hart (Bret in his book mentions being shown a photo by German fans and not being a happy bunny.)

I'm surprised this bout hasn't been reviewed before. Two TBWs having a fine scientific contest. You'd think there would be a glowing account from me or a hatchet job from OJ. Ring mat is also a surprise, they've dug out an early 80s design with the World of Sport emblem for a 1986 TV Taping for the standalone show. Round 1: Ian side chancery throws Brooks (who looks a LOT like Ricky Morton here) who snaps right up, cheekily tapping McGregor's wrist as he does so. McGregor gets two 1 counts from side takedown folding press. Both very sharp off the button with their moves Brooks gets an underarm wristlock switching to standing arm lever by pulling it over his head. Ian cuffs it open and snapmares his man forward into a chinlock on the mat. Brooks equally snaps out pulling the arm straight into a standing wristlever. McGregor gets up on his feet and side chancery throws Brooks but the latter stil has the hold. McGregor turns into the guard and stands up from there to work on the armlock upright and front facing. Hecreaches down and gets a crotch hold and slam but Brooks still has the hold and pulls his man back down with him. He gives the wrist a wrench. McGregor tries the standing position again and throws Brooks from there. McGregor cross presses Brooks but can't get the shoulders and anyway Brooks STILL has that arm! Brooks slips out and kips up, once again in the standing armbar which Brooks converts to a hammerlock in the bowing position. McGregor kneels back down to relieve the pressure so Brooks kneels down with him. McGregor gets back up and straightens the arm back into a wrist lever overhead. McGregor tries the crotchhold again and this time employs more of a throwing kind of slam to finally break that wristlock. Brooks is up at four, McGregor gets a standing side headlock and Brooks pushes him off the ropes, drops as he rebounds off the opposite ropes and is leaped over then up and fires a dropkick. McGregor is down but gets a leg and a leglock to take his man down with him. The leglock becomes an ankle scissor but Brooks regains his wristlock from earlier forcing Ian to release. They get up and Brooks side chanceries McGregor. He snapmares and rear chinlocks McGregor then converts the chinlock to a backwards neck crank. McGregor reaches up to try prise it open. Brooks stands up and converts the crank to a side headlock then switches arms. McGregor breaks it open into a top wristlock and throws Brooks in it., result in a figure four top wristlock on the mat. Brooks rolls backwards so McGregor stands up and passes the arm over his head to make a standing wristlever then cranks it, making Brooks cry out. He fires off a forearm smash and McGregor slips into the pre standing armlift position. Brooks fires a second forearm and McGregor drops the hold to retaliate (and pull up his srmpad). He lunges at Richie's stomach, throws him off the ropes and leapfrogs him and underhook for a cross buttock throw but Brooks spins round with the momentum and gets him into a backslide and kneels and leans forward to secure the opening fall in just Round 1!!! Round 2: McGregor gets an underarm armlock. Brooks tries to join hands to throw him but McGregor shrugs it off. Brooks backflips and takes Ian down in the hold which is now his armlock but the Scots lad gets a headscissors. Brooks snaps out but has to give up the arm to do so. They lock up and Ian twice underarm throws Richie. McGregor double legs and gets a folding press and bridge but Brooks easily crawls out. McGregor gets full nelson into side chancery into further nelson and gets four successive two counts, keeping the arm portion even after Richie rolls out to make a half nelson in the mount, switching to a grovit then whipping his man off the ropes and back elbowing him on the rebound. He throws him again off the ropes but Richie comes off with a flying tackle for a 2 count. This gets a lot of applause. McGregor gets a single leg and toe & ankle hold but Brooks boots him off sending him spinning until he takes a hefty bump on the mat. They stand and Ian gets an arm roll into double locked arm lever. He stans and throws his man in the hold. He puts a knee in the shoulder joint and gets a one handed chinlokmwith inecsrm while still gripping the wrist with the other arm, gets him upright and high whips hard and forwards on the stretched shoulder, wrenching the joint as well as getting the bump. Finger interlock and Ian starts going for the straight armlift again before scoring another high whip and bump (but without the shoulder wrenching forwards motion this time.) Another one handed finger interlock and Brooks goes for a front chancery but Ian makes it into an armhank. Brooks pulls through the legs to flip him man over and sticks on a bridging foot press on the folding press but only gets 2. Nice Round of applause. McGregor gets a waistlock takedown into a folding press but Brooks crawls away. Brooks posts Ian and bodyslams him for 9 then double legs and gets a Boston Crab but drops a leg to make it a single leg crab. McGregor crawls through the leg, puts a foot on Richie's head and slaps down on the knee to transmit the impact then gets a grovit on the mat from there roll his man into a small package but the bell stops him getting the equaliser. There then follows a decidedly buzz killing trailer for Samoa Joe on ROH with annoying Nu Metal music that really dates this. There then follows some adverts including a really disturbing one for the NSPC . You have been warned. (You might also consider donating!) But anyway, back to the good stuff. Round 3: McGregor takes a headlock but Brooks bounces him off the ropes. Ian is ready with a shoulderblock and then gets the side headlock back. Again Brooks throws him off into the ropes and then catches him with another fine dropkick for 8. Brooks posts McGregor and slam him. He whips him again to the ropes and throws him for a bump. Then another posting and a side slam onto a knee. He tries for an atomic drop but McGregor rolls through, gets a leg but can't get the shoulders down for an equaliser, but does get a headscissors out of it. It takes a while but eventually Brooks gets McGregor in the upright position andd kips up out. Brooks whips McGregor into the ropes again but tis time Ian comes back with a sunset flip and FINALLY gets the equaliser. Mostly he is applauded despite a few hostile En-Ger-Land type Brooks fans. Round 4: Brooks lunges and side chancery throws McGregor. He underhooks him and ties for a DDT but McGregor blocks the impact so Brooks works on the arm. McGregor stands, kicks off the armlock and whips Brooks into the ropes and gets a hard boot to the stomach for eight. Then another posting but Brooks backward leapfrogs his man and gets a folding press from behind leaning back for 2. Brooks tries the atomic drop from earlier but again McGregor counters with the hook leg and headscissors.He gets 2 and Brooks has to snap out of the scissors but Brooks stays down on his knees to pull McGregor into a backslide. McGregor tries rolling through but can't and Richie Brooks has the 2-1 win in round 4. A great fast paced match with a definite build towards the ending in that final round. Despite this, both men would end up as villains in notorious heel tag teams. Ian was already flirting with heelish on TV in 1987 and by 1993 was in the Wild Jocks with Drew McDonald. "Golden Apollon" Richie Books gradually lost his shine during his feud with Danny Collins (including the infamous DQ win for the British Heavy Middleweight title in Croydon 1990, avenged a few months later) and by 1993 he and Leeds Boys partner Tarzan Boy Darren Ward were heeling it up against the likes of The Liverpool Lads and Dynamite Kid & Animal Legend of Doom (Dave Duran). But that was in the future. This time, the two kids put on a scientific masterclass.

Some more Evil Legend of Doom, again from Germany 1994. This time he's announced as The Destroyer Johnny South. Paired with Dirty Dan Collins (Danny having turned heel on the Liverpool Lads in Croydon earlier that year,) they take on two of Germany/Austria's best young good guys, score and concede a fall each (Ulf backslides South, South DDTs and pins Ulf) before Collins goes wild and bludgeons both opposition with a ball shaped weapon of some sort that South throws him and so gets DQd. It's heartening to see that German fans in 1994 gave heat for breaking up a promising technical exchange by going for a rope break. Danny and John/Hawk (not to be confused with John Hawk the future JBL who appears on some of these CWA matches) would be on opposite sides on Reslo's elimination triple tag match in 1995. Ulf would be in that match too as the Hollywood Blond. Given that a year before this, Dave Duran was Animal Legend of Doom teaming with Kendo Nagasaki possibly South as Hawk Legend was a full time heel at this point.

One thing that was taken very seriously in classic British Wrestling was ref bumps. They were rare enough to start with and when it was an honest accident the match would be halted while a substitute referee was brought down eg the first Haystacks & Kirk Vs Jones and Logan bout in 1987. Attacking a referee on purpose was shocking stuff unlike America where heels did it with impunity or France where Les Bons cheerfully slapped around the miserable and suspect referees. This was partly down to the IBA ruling that the referee had to be seen to be in charge at all times. Sometimes as with Jeff Kaye against Mike Bennett a referee who was an ex wrestler would put the tights back on to sort out the miscreant heel. Other times as here the ref would just throw the book at the heel. With cricket and with clean British wrestling the hushed tones get broken when a good piece of play is pulled. So it is with anything that's just not cricket, people go into shock at the sheer foulness then they form lynch mobs to redress the wrong. At least OJ isn't complaining about THIS one having a screwy finish!

Here we are. Preceded by a GLORIOUS promo with Haystacks talking about how tough "Us Americans" are. in a broad Manchester accent!!! Although to be fair, third team-mate Mighty John Quinn once cut an in ring "gee" on ITV about how his "Congressman" told him to beat up Big Daddy. Quinn was a Canadian, Canada has MPs not Congressmen Something I've noticed about this 1986 bout. There were quite a few RTL logos about. Was this a one off TV broadcast rather than a home video?

An oddity. Johnny South had been a regular visitor to the German/Austrian tournaments scene going back to the 1970s. Here in 1994 he turns up in his full tribute Legend of Doom gear. Since the Real Mike Hegstrand had visited the CWA and beaten Rambo here for the World title less than two years earlier, here the Legend becomes "British LOD" a slightly cowardly heel wannabe who runs away from the man the real Hawk beat for the biggest prize in European Wrestling not so long ago. British LOD is presented as having some front but covering and covering up whenever Rambo gets aggressive. It takes careful listening to get that German fans are giving British LOD "the bird" not cheering him, but it's the same whistling noise they gave Indio Guajaro against Dave Morgan 11 years earlier. Rambo mostly easily breaks South's holds and overpowers him. It's like comparing Tony StClair Vs Kendo Nagasaki to Tony Vs Bill Clarke as King Kendo. Rambo of course wins with a flying forearm. The footage quality and production incidentally are very good, almost the professional TV quality of the home videos of Otto's biggest 1980s title defences such as July 1980 Vs Don Leo or the final defence against Bull Power. There's also a commentator present. I believe there are videos on this channel of the rest of Hanover 1994 in similar condition. This is the year before South filmed his Reslo appearances as the Legend (singles bout Vs Paul "Raging Bull" Neu, elimination triple tag, Rumble) By 1999 he would be popular enough to be the man who ended Marty Jones's final World Mid Heavyweight Championship reign in April that year in Bristol. By 2002 he was gone from All Star as part of a clean out of tribute characters and a renewed focus on young talent such as Dean Allmark. Robbie Dynamite Berzins, Mikey Whiplash Gilbert etc etc.

As promised to @ohtani's jacket, here it is. ^^^

Just a quick one to bring the German thread level with the British and French threads in the last couple of days(two bouts each, one long one short) Heel Vs heel with Kauroff as the sympathetic heel getting the "KAU-ROFF!!! KAU-ROFF!!!" chants. Just highlights including KK totally dominating Brody in a finger interlock and easily breaking a full nelson then flipping the Colonel around. Brody and Klaus have a fairly slambang cartoon brawl winBridy doing his fall over the top rope spot from his Owen Hart match on New Catch. Q. What does VIEDERKOMPF mean? All I know is that German/Austrian fans like to sing it at heels.

Grand Prix Belt seminfinal. TThwn current TBW Vs twenty something ex TBW. Logan is by now a sharp operator, his rolls out of Ian's armbarcarecsharpmand swift, so is his pushing up from arm presses on the mat. Ian keeps the arm while Steve tries all sorts of tricks to escape or reverse it, none of which quite come off for hiim until Logan gets headscissors and Ian has tofree his hand release to snap open the scissorhold. Logan gets a full nelson into snapmares into further nelson press for two one counts- his transitions are really sharp and snappy. McGregor gets the arm back in a top wristlock, trying for a grapevine. Logan rolls then gets a fireman's carry but Ian starts putting on an armlock up there so Logan dumps him on a top turnbuckle. Logan gets a rear waistlock into kneeling front chancery into side chancery into cross press for some 1 counts. McGregor gets loans arms then strikes with a lean back dropkick. Ian gets a snapmare into headlock. Logan breaks it up then curls the arm back again into a hammerlock into double wristlock, riding his man to the mat. He switches to shoulder press for 2. McGregor gets a side chancery and chop to the neck, then a monkey climb., but somewhere in this Logan gets a wrist lever which he keeps until the bell. Round 2 Logan gets a standing full nelson into armlock. He throws Ian to the mat but Ian stands so Logan come off the middle rope to throw Logan. Ian tries positioning but Logan throws him again. Logan has McGregor in the armbar, the knee holding it in place. Ian gets a great cross buttock press but McGregor still has the hold. Logan again gets the headscissors and twists with it. Logan turns into the upright and uses a foot to power his roll forward out of the scissors and straight into a side headlock, but Logan scissors him again. He lets go as McGregor exerts more pressure with thecside headlock - "He MUST keep his head away" notes Kent. Ian still has the headlock until Logan jams him in the stomach. Logan posts him to the corner, catches him on the rebound with a rear chancery throw and bodycheck. He backs out of a full nelson and comes off the ropes with a sunset flip into double leg nelson folding press for the first fall. Round 3., Ian gets a legdive and leglock. Logan tries grabs to the head, widening Ian's legs, going for the wrist and the head again, but the leglock stays. He turns himself into the Gotch toehold position but Ian manages to get it on securely and go for the arms for a surfboard but gives up the leglock to focus on the double arms. Putting a knee in the shoulder blades. He switches to a single arm and gets a posting. (a mistake, reckons Kent Walton.) Logan forearms him and knees him in the stomach. McGregor gets a headlock, Logan lifts him up but Ian while up there gets a headscissor and takes his man down. Logan turns into the upright then the other side position. McGregor still has the headscissor. Logan tries a bridge plus snapout. Then he tries a headscissor of his own which finally does the trick. They agree to stalemate. Logan gets a chest headbutt and forearm smash, side chancery into side headlock and bodycheck. He gets a rear chancery throw into double knees press for three one counts. He gets a legdive, flying elbowsmash and ground double top wristlock. McGregor straightens it into an armbar and rolls to tighten the hold. He forces a high whip and gets a bodyscissors. . Logan tries for three pin attempts, on the third using a foot to pull the bodyscissors down and off! He grapevines each leg. McGregor tries some prelim escapes but the bell goes. Round 4. McGregor takes a side headlock, Logan throws him off. He rebounds with a not very powerful bodycheck. Logan feigns a full nelson and dishes out a heel of hand to stomach. a headbutt and a knee then one more butt to the stomach which floors McGregor for 9. Logan delivers a rear snapmare an elbowdrop and a crosspress for two. They collide in the ring. Ian is up before, he whips Logan into the ropes. As before Logan comes back with a sunset flip but McGregor crawls through and flips it over into a bridging folding press for the equaliser - and a beauty it is! Round 5. McGregor gets a heädlock, Logan grabs an inverted side waistlock for an over the knee backbreaker. Ian gets double legs and a folding press but Logan crawls out. Logan gets a wristlever, whips McGregor into the ropes and catches him with a dropkick, reverses a posting and catches him again on the rebound with a forearm smash. He gets a side chancery and bodycheck but McGregor gets a cross buttock and press for 2. Logan gets a loose throw for 5, McGregor tries the same double legs into folding press but again Logan crawls out. Logan gets side headlock into side chancery I to low power hiptoss into armlock - a transition sequence of four moves in under a second! - and twists the Arn into a semi Japanese Stranglehold (the Million Dollar Dream). McGregor forces upright and so Logan loosens the cold, gets in two mighty shoulderblocks and turns his man into a back hammerlock on the mat. He resists long enough so Logan releases and Ian is up at 8. Logan elbowsmashes Ian's arm and further weakens it with a high forward Whip that not only makes Ian take a bump but also stretches the arm further. Logan goes sfor the arm again with a lean back dropkick straight on the bicep itself! He gets a stomach jab and McGregor gets double knees to Logan's head. Logan gets side heädlock into an armbar, driving his free arm into the joint. He lands an elbow on the back tricep where his free arm was sawing away. He yanks the arm and fires a forearm smash at Ian. The bell goes. Round 6 and final. Quick handshake. McGregor gets the wristlock, slingshot into ropes - and catches his man with a neat dropkick. McGregor gets a front chancery, Logan reaches for the knee counter but cannot get the grip. He gets the knee finally, lifts and drops to break the hold. Finger Interlock and McGregor gets an arm and a posting but Logan springs up in the corner, back leapfrogs Ian but is taken down behind in a folding press for a pin attempt but Logan crawls out. He throws McGregor into the ropes and young Ian comes back with a flying tackle but .Logan gets the better of it, secures a bodyslam and cross press for the three. That gives him the 2-1 win and a place in the final against Marvellous Mike Bennett. Bennett would win the tournament and belt, the final payoff of his 1985-1986 heel push. A belt, not the belt he was after a year and a half earlier when he started his pursuit of Danny Collins and the British Welterweight Championship. Good technical bout, only flaw is a certain amount of pausing and hesitation while thinking what to do next by both men. The falls were all great with McGregor's bridging folding press consolation equaliser the absolute gem of the match.