David Mantell

A few snippets of TV. So e docu footage from a sunny evening at Haumarkt in 1978. Jeff Kaye is a referee. Mighty John Quinn is there too, fresh from losing to Big Daddy at Wembley. Johnny Rasputin Howard/Doyle in there too. A couple of match clips interspersed with crowd shots. I recognise Judd Harris and of course Quinn and Rasputin . Short snippet of the Old and New Guards, Axel Dieter Vs Steve Wright. Heumarkt 1985 Two years earlier, Axel versus young hothead Klaus Wallas. Preceded by a Ringerparade including two guys who look a LOT like former WWWF World Tag Team Champions The Yukon Lumberjacks.

Bit of a short one this - Bernie Wright and masked man The Outlaw are to do battle but the mystery man does his knee in coming off the top rope and is knocked out and carried off on a stretcher. Even Bernie looks a bit worried.

I was hoping there would be some German/Austrian footage of Eddie Hammill/Kung Fu to tie in with my last 3 posts on the British and French threads but if there is any it seems not to be on YouTube. So instead I've got a few oddities starting with this from 1986: I believe this is the same tape where Haystacks called himself. Mal Kirk and MJQ "Us Americans" (in a broad Manchester accent.) Here there is no ribbing about the hometowns - Finlay, StClair and referee Mick McMichael are from different parts of the UK (respectively: Belfast, Cornwall although residing in Manchester, Doncaster in South Yorkshire) but the announcer still has to ask Finlay "what does this mean?" Finlay is already quite adept on the mic and tells StClair he is going to "kick you arse" - on British TV he couldn't talk about wiping it, never mind kicking it. All though having your behind kicked is the least in store for you if you ask questions like that in any Dublin pub. Unlike the TF1 bout two years later Paula is here, billed as "Princess Beautiful" . No headdress, and her dress looks like a hairdresser's smock frankly. Or is it an outsize T shirt? Finlay is actually in the same position as Danny Collins against Kung Fu back home a year later, taking on a champion in a bigger weight. Tony still claimed in All Star and BWF shows to still be twice and current British Heavyweight Champion since regaining from Haystacks in 1979 although Joint and hence ITV recognised a splinter version they created in 1985, held at this point by Pat Roach. This would be terminated in 1989 after claimant Dalbir Singh moved to All Star taking the title with him, restoring Tony (who briefly lost to Kendo Nagasaki in 1988) to undisputed status so that Finlay could beat him for the title in 1990. This matchup can be seen as an early step in that title quest. Only a few minutes of highlights - mostly brawling which OJ will like but also some big suplexes and a powerful dropkick from Tony. Paula interferes like she couldn't on ITV and gets chased out by Tony who gets the win with a folding press rear roll up. Mention has to be made of two female fans who if they are not plants must surely be German ring rats as they are dressed for Eighties style manhunting who get so excited about Tony getting the advantage they start making out with each other. Question - how was RTL involved in this? Did they make the tape for the IBV/CWA or did they broadcast this on TV?

Having reviewed theIr New Catch bout, I thought I'd come back here to compare it to this one. We start with Bryn Fon outside the prefab leisure centre where this was filmed. Then cut to inside where unlike in France , Princes Paula is part of the fixtures and fittings. Finlay takes down Kung Fu with a finger interlock, stomps his hand and gets a wrist lever. Hammill turns backwards, unpicks the hold with a foot, snapmares and double stomps Finlay 's face, all in one move. Finlay attacks Hammill on the ropes and floors him with a concealed closed fist punch. He posts him and holds him in the corner with a knee despite referee Brian George (Dixon) warning him. Finlay with another chop, concealed closed fist punch and pressure points. Finlay appears to release on the ropes but then follows in with chops until Eddie ducks sending Finlay flying through the ropes to Paula. Eddie taunts the Finlays from the ring. Finlay gets a legdive and standing toehold. Eventually Eddie spins him out. Finlay gets headbutts and elbows, following down illegally. This gets him a public warning, making him angry and the Welsh crowd happy. He slingshots Kung Fu into a backdrop but KF goes for a sunset flip which Finlay punches out of. Referee is suspicious ofit. Finlay illegally works Hammill in the corner but a posting gets reversed leaving Finlay landing crotch first. Kung Fu gets a couple of postings, a flying tackle and 2 count. Finlay stomps Hammill but Edie catches his foot, spins and chops him. Finlay is selling his throat. Hammill is by the ropes, seemingly not paying attention. Finlay attacks from behind but it's a trap and Hammill hiptosses him out. Paula says (in English ) that should have been a. Public warning but he didn't dump him over. Finlay gets a wristlever, Hammill goes from behind to go for the head but gets his fingers bitten by Finlay. He smashes Hamill into the post and bionic elbows him, moving out the ring to get his man on the ring apron and then dragging ihim out to the floor. S4C unlike ITV can get away with showing this but rules are rules and Brian privately warns Finlay. He misses a punch and hits the corner post, Hammill rolls back in as Paula checks on her husband's injured paw. Finlay argues a lot with Dixon. He gets on a front chancery, throw and kneedrop but misses a second one and Hammill kicks him out. Paula aids and comforts her husband who gets in and out again, trying Dixon's patience. Finlay gets a bearhug and concealed punch and two kneelifts. He uses the ropes to stand on Kung Fu's throat but Eddie pulls him outside before disciplinary action can be taken. Hammill hauls him in, whips and slingshots him and dropkicks him. Finlay offers a handshake which Hammill accepts after a brief pause. It works out and fans clap politely. Finlay gets a forearm, a fireman's carry into a throat first drop on the ropes which surprisingly Dixon lets go and gives an 8 count to. He double leg slingshots Hammill up into the ropes which Dixon warns him about but Finlay protests innocence until Dixon tells him about the ropes, then warns him again about the rules. Finlay boots Kung Fu out the ring and stomps him on the outside so Kung Fu gets his legs and drags his crotch knto the post, that old spot. Finlay protests but Dixon puts it down to retaliation. Hammill ties Finlay in the ropes and charges. Finlay dodges but Hammill headscissors him over the ropes. He gets the returning Dave with chops and knees, he responds with similar and gets the one fall required with the same inverted waistlock and slam as the TF1 New Catch bout. Longer than the French match and more of a fight, I can see this fitted OJ's tastes more than mine. A bout between King Fu and the younger hungrier Finlay of 1983-1984 would really have been something both for intensity and technical speed. The crowd were happy to see Bully Finlay get a hard time before he ultimately prevailed.

OJ on the British thread a long time ago: This all Irish bout was effectively Finlay's second bout on French TV, he and Ian Gilmour having dressed up as Scotsmen eight years earlier in a bout which might also have been on TF1. For French viewers, New Catch on TF1 was just a continuation of Old Catch on FR3 and previously A2 with shorter bouts, nicer rings and various British and German/Austrian talent popping up. This copy is taken from the recap repeat broadcast on Eurosport early 1989 just after the Astra launch with English commentary by veteran MC./referee John Harris. I believe Hammill had also wrestled in France a few times in the 80s but not on TV AFAIK. Hammill is introduced as "Jimy" which Harris picks up on. He also notices Princess Paula 's absence. Finlay can definitely get heat in France just as in Britain - this is the same year as the Croydon catch-weight bout with Johnny Saint on ITV. He has a headlock switching to front chancery now and then before finally switching to wristlever. Eddie takes two rolls to untwist then widens Finlay's leg stance to more easily fell him with a stomach stomp. This doesn't get the pop it gets in England,. Finlay is up and angry however. He gets a full nelson, spins and Manchettes him then gets pressure points. Hammill kicks and chops Finlay down and gets a flying tackle for a 2 count. Finlay boots Kung Fu a couple of times, eventually getting his foot caught, being spun round, chopped and thrown out of the ring. The French fans, especially the little kids, are having GLORIOUS fun antagonising Finlay. He comes back with a wristlever into back hammerlock. Kung Fu tries for a crotch hold and slam but can't get the weight. Finlay gets in a concealed closed fist punch just like his dad taught Rasputin to do in the Fighting Finlays documentary. The ref complains but Finlay insists in was an open hand. He gets pressure points bit Kung Fu gets a chop, posting and superkick. Another posting and Scisseaux Volees from Kung Fu. A posting, chop and snapmares follow. He goes for a lean back folding press on Finlay but only gets 2. Finlay picks up Hammill by the hair and gets in TWO concealed illegal punches. He snapmares Edie but misses with a kneedrop and Kung Fu further weakens the knee with kicks, then posts Finlay who comes back with a solid Manchette. He climbs the ropes but Kung Fu knocks him off. Another posting (breaking the top turnbuckle) and a backdrop follow. Finlay gets up, illegally punches Hammill again and pitches him out the ring. He catches Hammill returning and tries to bash his head in the corner. He tries a missile dropkick but misses, due in part to the ropes still not being right says Harris. A reverse waistlock bodyslam finishes Eddie for the one fall required in little more than five minutes. Mediocre OJ? I think Hamill gives it his all for good moves mixed with martial arts. Finlay was mainly concerned with getting over as a heel and a bully on national French TV and I guess he achieved that. I shall have a look at their Reslo bout that same year. to compare .

No previous review of this. Sound quality is pretty dire too. Still the bout itself is a pretty decent scientific match. Danny, double crown British/European Welterweight Champion (the referee here Ken Joyce once held said European title) was looking to challenge for heavier title. He'd started the previous year chasing Fit Finlay and got his tail kicked to the point where even Kent Walton criticized the matchmaking. Over three years Danny would improve against Finlay until 1989 when he beat him for the British Heavy Middleweight title . Meanwhile here he faced the then current champion, ex masked man Eddie Kung Fu Hammill. (although his title is not mentioned by MC Brian Crabtree and neither man wears any of their belts to the ring.) This was also Danny's first TV match since having an operation to remove a kidney Round one, Hammill gets a real waistlock on Danny, jabbing a foot or two through to term the young whizzkid to make a grab through the legs. Instead he breaks it first and when Hammill reverses, he reverses back a few times until Hammill switches and goes for rea double legs, runs up the spine to go for a double leg nelson but falls off as Danny gets up. Collins gets side headlock into side Chancery throw. Hammill gets a standing full nelson., switches to side chancery throws into further nelson/crucifix press. Danny bridges to prevent any pins being more than 1. Reset - Hammill offers Danny his foot to make into a Gotch toehold but this is a ruse so he can turn into a side headlock, take his man down with a trip from behind and switch to a further nelson, then a cross press. Danny bridges and resists. He goes wrist level to armdrag to cross press but Hammill kicks out. Danny gets a wrist lever and rolls to take down to the mat. Hammill stand so Danny switches to hammerlock. Hammill cannot unpick it with a foot behind. It goes down to the mat and up again with them hammerlock intact. Hamill tries snapmares which Danny resists. Danny still has his fist and takes Kung Fu back down to the mat. He kips up and rolls a couple of times before kicking Danny's ankle to finally break the hold. They finger interlock but Danny gets a leg takedown switching back into the wrist lever! Hammill stands and unpicks the wristlock with a foot. He snapmares Danny down, gets a rear seated bodyscissors. He managed to traps Danny's finger between his toes, tries for a further nelson.still has the finger. Hamill sportingly let's go. Danny gets a leg takedown as the bell goes. Round 2. Danny cross buttocks into a ground side headlock. switches to headlock & Strangle (sleeper.) Hamill turns, lefts Danny in a fireman's carry and places him on the turnbuckle. Break- Hamill throws Danny but he handsprings upright. They hit the ropes, Kung Fu gets 2 with a cross buttock throw and press. Hammill gets double rear wrists. Danny flips forward then backwards for a ground dropkick. Hamill gets an ankle takedown. He pulls up Danny to drive the knee into the mat but Danny pushes upright. Hamill folds Danny into a folding press but Danny straightens and a Bascule ensues. Stalemate. Hamill gets a folding press takedown but Runs Out Of Mat. Finger Interlock and Danny rolls back. He gets a wristlock into leg lock. Hamill tries widening the legs but Danny rectified. He turns himself into the Gotch toehold and a foot of Danny's neck to turn him into a folding press for 2. Danny gets a finger interlock, bridges and powers upright, moving Kung Fu into an underarm position. Switches into backwards roll up, he pulls Hamill over into a small package but Eddie kicks out. Danny gets a headbutt to the chest then a wrist lever then jabs him down with a double stomach blow. Kung Fu looks to be contemplating a Kung Fu blow or two but then the bell goes and they shake hands, no needle. Nice applause. Round 3 Hammill gets a rear waistlock, switches to pressure points, forces Danny to his knees, sits down and reapplies the seated rear bodyscissors from round 1. He gets Danny underarm into a folding press, untucking his own shoulders and using the bodyscissors (now in a reverse underneath position) to hold the pin attempt. He turns over into the seated bodyscissors then over again into a more securely applied version of his previous pin attempt. Danny turns it up right and when Hammill tries to keep the turn going back to pin attempt Danny four times rolls through before Hamill gets a one count. Danny rolls backwards Ito a standing start to rest. He offers his hand, Hammill bows instead, no matter. It is the thought that counts. Hammill gets a posting on Danny, keeping him down until 7. He bounces him off the ropes for a double handed chop that Danny oversells with a somersault. Up at 6, Danny retaliates with a bodycheck but Hammill gets a crucifix/ further nelson takedown for the opening fall. Round 4. Cut to Danny releasing either a Boston Crab or Gotch toehold. They shake hands. Danny gets a bearhug of all things (having just earlier done a bodycheck. That's quite a few heavyweight type strength moves he's trying out here.) He pushes Hammill back who comes off the ropes with a kick then follows in with a big splash and misses as does Danny with a guillotine elbow attempt. Hammill gets a snapmare and kneedrop follow down, allowed as continuous movement. Hammill forces Danny down from initial lockup to pressure points. Danny forces his way up. Hammill gets a double kneelift.then a flying tackle but Danny overpowers him with a Powerslam for a 2 count. Hammill gets a single leg takedown. He stands up with a toehold and behind to turn. Danny boots him into the ropes but Hammill stops himself going over, springs back and regains the toehold. He kneels to prevent a repeat of the the previous boot and turns Danny into the guard in a foldup leglock. Hammill looks to develop it to another Gotch toehold but Danny keeps his leg firmly straight. Hammill eventually gets the hold, lifting underneath for extra pressure, which Danny pushes up on his knuckles to relieve. The bell goes. Round 5. Danny must equalise In this round if he wants a 2-1 win. He gets a kneelift and snapmare and another sleeper. Hammill lifts and drops him by one knee with the free leg taking the weakener. They go for a finger interlock, Hammill tries a drop toehold but doesn't properly fell Danny who ends up with a wristlever out of it. He stands, gets in a twist an running whips Kung Fu who takes the bump.bDanny gets the wristlever slips in an underarm and throws Kung Fu, softening his bicep with a well placed knee before getting a seated armhank on. Hammill kicks from side to side like a high-kicking clockwork Majorette doll fallen over on its back, until rolling up the hanked arm and getting a side headlock on the mat. Danny turns into a further nelson press but Hammill back rolls out. Danny gets a wristlever and yanks it as a weakener, then a twisted wristlever. He gets a stranding armlift but Kung Fu shifts his weight to drop behind Danny, taking him down in a small package attempt but it doesn't come off and Danny still has the wristlever. Hamill gets in a low dropkick to the chest then a rear leg scissor in the mount, switching to rear double wrist (possibly a failed surfboard attempt.) He gets Danny kneeling with another low dropkick to the spine and applies a double arm scissors which becomes a crossed double wrist scissors. It has Danny pinioned from behind anyway. Hammill doesn't get a submission from this so he turns it upside down into a folding press secured by the wrists. He goes up onto his knees to further turn Danny's shoulders back but it isn't getting anywhere so he releases with help from the referee untangling the legs. They get up and Hammill gets a rear waistlock then switches to a hammerlock then gets a leg overvand straightens the arm to make a standing reverse hammerlock. He switches back to hammerlock this time from the reverse front-facing position. Danny puts his head between Eddie's legs and tries for a backdrop, eventually making it with some effort but is too worn down to follow up and in any case the bell goes. Danny sportingly helps Kung Fu up. Final Round 6 - Hammill can only lose by KO (or DQ - unlikely from Hammill and an undesirable finish anyway for a technical bout like this, as Kent notes). Danny's only other option against the heavier champion is to force a 1-1 Broadway with a final round equaliser. Danny goes to work to stop a 1-0 at time win for Hammill, jabbing, snapmaring and leg diving him but Kung Fu gets in a kick from behind that again Danny oversells with the somersault! He gets a kick to the stomach and a posting, but on a second posting Danny scuttles through Kung Fu's legs and fires off a night dropkick. He fires off a posting of his own but Hammill easily reverses. He tries a third posting but Danny goes into a sunset flip into folding press. It's a little lopsided but he gets the shoulders down for the equaliser. So there you have it, 1-1 draw. Shortly afterwards Kung Fu would lose his title to Chic Cullen who in turn would lose it to Fit Finlay at the same Bradford TV taping as Kendo Nagasaki's World title win over Wayne Bridges. Finlay and Kung Fu would face off in 1988 in New Catch's very first bout on TF1. OJ has previously reviewed that bout on here but I shall post my upcoming review to the French Catch thread instead. Danny also developed a new urgency to avenge the beating from his first TV match with Finlay by dethroning him - a goal reached in 1989, too late for TV. He also pursued world champion Rollerball Rocco with bouts on ITV, S4C and Eurosport but was never a Mountevans World champion above Middleweight (although in later years in the 2010s he became WAW's World Heavyweight Champion.)

Apparently his name was filched off a luchador who had toured Europe some years earlier. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Shadow_(wrestler) I added a little Legacy section about the French Catch Black Shadow.

Point being that exec decisions that produce inconveniently negative reactions can have impact on decisions decades later. "You've got to be careful and subtle about cancelling that show. Its cult fans are loonies, they will end up doing protests outside our studios. ". Entire genres, not just individual shows can be impacted. In those cases, tact and subtlety, not Greg Dyke/Jamie Kellner/Michael Grade publicity stunt cancellations are the order of the day.

I'd imagine an exec today would scrap AEW exactly the way Jamie Kellner scrapped WCW unless they were a wrestling fan (unlikely in such circles) in which case they would replace it with some better wrestling. If a show survives a cancellation attempt due to lobbying by a hardcore fan base, execs will be careful if they try again (compared the flagrancy of Michael Grade canning Doctor Who in 1985 to execs quietly scrapping it in 1990.) If ITV had a past bad experience cancelling wrestling - or if the WWF's UK Invasion had been more advanced - Greg Dyke wouldn't have been so cocky about it in 1988. Also I wouldn't bet the house on TV execs not knowing their history. The entire media stereotype of Star Trek fans as autistic spectrum "Trekkies" comes from the temporarily successful campaign in 1968 to prevent ST Classic Series being cancelled after Season 2. A very noisy lobbying fan campaign got Season 3 commissioned, it was generally regarded as jokey and crap and cancellation went ahead without fuss but the lesson was learned about SF/Fantasy series gaining small but obsessive cult followings which could make nuisances of themselves but could also be relied on to view or buy pretty much Anything related to the franchise. France only had one TV station in 1961. Events there could easily stand out in media history.

I'd imagine an exec today would scrap AEW exactly the way Jamie Kellner scrapped WCW unless they were a wrestling fan (unlikely in such circles) in which case they would replace it with some better wrestling. If a show survives a cancellation attempt due to lobbying by a hardcore fan base, execs will be careful if they try again (compared the flagrancy of Michael Grade canning Doctor Who in 1985 to execs quietly scrapping it in 1990.) If ITV had a past bad experience cancelling wrestling - or if the WWF's UK Invasion had been more advanced - Greg Dyke wouldn't have been so cocky about it in 1988.

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.