David Mantell

I'm having a weekend in sunny Blackpool but before I go I'll just get one of this weekend's reviews done and dusted. Here is Saxon Brookes' earlier bout: Wel join the action a couple of minutes into Round 1 (looking at the clip I expect it started at the kick off.). It's an odd start, Saxon wriggling free from a a standing full nelson and somehow forcing Dave to cartwheel away. Dave isn't happy about something, pointing at Saxon. Dave gets a side headlock but Saxon hiptosses him out then switches to a ground wristlock which Kent finds a bit unorthodox a transition. They take turns to roll out of each others' standing wristlevers. Dave eventually develops his one into a back hammerlock, drives Saxon to his knees and gets the other wrist, looking to turn Saxon into the guard when the bell rings. Kent says Saxon weight 15stone 4lbs => 234 pounds, Al full Heavyweight. Round 2. They take turns butting eack other in the stomach, Dave gets two infective ones, Saxon gets one good one, flooring Dave for 4. Saxon gets a posting and monkey climb for seven, Dave gets a monkey climb back but Saxon leads feet first. They shake hands but Dave uses it to get an armdrag. Kent is OK, regarding it as a clever trap.Saxon gets several armdrags too. Saxon gets a kneelift, a whip across the ring, and catches his man trying a but to the stomach and flings him over one shoulder, trying for an over the shoulder backbreaker. But Dave lands feet first, tries get get a backslide but Saxon rolls through, ,eaving both men in unpinionned folding presses. They exchange bodychecks with Saxon getting counts of about 7. Saxon tries a crotch old and slam but can't get Saxon up. Saxon whips Dave to the ropes but Dave comes back with a dropkick. Dave throws Saxon who cartwheels across the ring They both end up cartwheels back to the starting point. Dave tries a double held armbar in the guard but Saxon hiptosses him off . Dave gets a legdive into single leg takedown and toehold but the bell goes. Round 3. Dave tries for a victory roll, it comes out sort of sidewards and he twists Saxon's neck to make him drop Dave. Eventually Dave pulls the victory roll but Runs Out of Mat.ss Saon crashes into the ropes. Saxon gets a hiptoss and posting. Dave , with difficulty gets a rear snapmare and double kneepress but is easily thrown off. He gets a headlock but Saxon clamps down with a side headlock then switches into back hammerlock, drops and takes out Dave's legs from behind and gets a side folding press for the one required pin. And yeah, I copied and copyedited that bit from the Kilby match, as it was the same move. Short but nicely technical. Walton says he'd like to see Saxon face someone heavier which of course he gets with the Kilby match. If there's any fault it's the bits where the smaller Lawrence just didn't have the strength to pull stuff off, which put a damper on things when they were getting interesting.

Oh well, worth a try. I've left a question on the video about it. The same YouTube channel has more footage with the same theme music, titles and commentators but with the Eurosport ring. So maybe there was more of a stop-start story to the making of Series 2 and they already had some filming done before the Eurosport buyout by TF1.

The "Wrestle Me" duo have also done another video - this one about All Star's 1985-1986 TV show on Screensport, focusing especially on a Rollerball Rocco Vs Kung Fu match from Hanley.

Found a promo for this match: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1572592804362902/

Josh Faulkner has done an EXCELLENT four part career history of Brian Dixon and All Star Wrestling. Required viewing for all of you

@Phil LionsQuestion - when was this particular edition actually filmed? Yes it says 1991 on the end credits and we've got the TV listings cutting for it (not to mention that Sturry guy's vlog) and it looks like an older chunkier Flesh Gordon consistent with 1991 and none of these matches were in your 1988 episode guide. BUT ... I can't help but notice it's the old New CATCH ring from 1988 with no Eurosport logo - in fact no mention of Eurosport in sight! Was there an early taping for the 1991 run of New Catch with a plain ring? Or is this part of some abortive in-between run of filming that eventually became part of the 1991 season of New Catch?

I did have an idea of doing a couple of 1988 Otto Wanz bouts next but if you're following the French thread you'll have probably guessed there's a French Otto Wanz match coming up for review next weekend (and already posted to the thread.) so instead: Mike Shaw, the future Norman The Lunatic/Friar Ferguson/Bastion Booger and then current Makhan Singh of Stampede's Karachi Vice faction. Archenemy of Owen Hart also a popular figure in Germany. (This illustrates how Germany and Calgary were the gateway territories for wrestlers making the Transatlantic crossing either way. When I first saw Makhan Singh in PWI Scouting Reports this same year I thought he looked like Giant Haystacks but in the opening side profile shot he looks slimmer, more like one of the mid 80s WWF hillbillies. Still he dwarfs FYB. He is announced as a Canadian although he was from Saignaw, Michigan. Runde 1 - Shaw westles a lot like heel Big Daddy - bodychecks etc. FYB stamps on his toe. Talking of Shirley, Shaw uses a slow top wristlock like Schurli Blemenschutz. FYB actually wins the test of strength! FYB gets a front chancery, switches to side headlock and tries to hiptoss, finally managing it on about attempt number 10. Shaw is furious! FYB gets a wrist but Shaw is an American so can't roll out so FYB synches it down into a mat armbar in the mount, which becomes a mount back hammerlock. (Next logical step would be hammerlock with bar AKA double wristlock) The bell saves Shaw. Runde 2. - Shaw gets a surprisingly good snapmare into seated chinlock. FYB reaches up and rear snapmares him out.Shaw goes for illegal punches and equally illegal shoulder charges, about both of which the ref quietly warns him. He underhooks FYB , slugs him in the small of the back and bearhugs him. Franz tries breaking the grip and a front chancery. Neither work but a double chop to the head does. Shaw chokes Franz on the top rope, catapults him to the mat and gets pressure points. This becomes some sort of illegal choke (the crowd and MC are furious and the ref calls for a break.). FYB gets loose and rolls to Shaw's corner. Th3 bell goes, Shaw retires to his corner and puts a foot on FYB, then eventually throws him out of the ring. Finally he gets a yellow card (a system he should know as Bruce Hart nicked it and took it back to Stampede in about 1978.) Runde 3. Shaw stomps and corners and illegally punches FYB who bulldogs Shaw into a corner. Shaw posts Franz but misses a Stinger Splash when FYB moves. Franz beats the fat beardy man up, as you do, and ties him in the ropes then after arguing with the referee about it, flying tackles the tied up Shaw twice. The ref finally unties Shaw. FYB gets a single leg takedown into toe and ankle, some weakeners and a leg hank. He is after a submission but the bell goes Runde 4 Van Buyten pummels the future Lunatic/Trucker in the corner, side chancery throws him and gets two shoulder blocks. On the third, Shaw catches and slams him and points to his brain to show how cl3ver he is but Franz is up quickly and surprises him with a slam and crosspress for the one required pin. Franz Van Buyten is the upset winner and the crowd are DELIGHTED!!! Even more surprisingly they shake hands ! Quite entertaining if not particularly scientific match - Goliath versus an apparent David that is actually quite a match. Rather like Demolition Vs The Twin Towers.

Okay I don't seem to have reviewed the Falcons bout so it will do for this week. Yann Caradec from Brittany weve seen quite a bit off from Season 2 in 1991 mostly from his feud against Eric Lacroix (who also popped up in the 1988 run.) Hassan skulks bad temperedly down to ringside. The Falcons ruffle his hair. Is he their manager or their chauffeur. He reminds me suspiciously of The a royal hand, butler to Macho King Randy Savage and Sensational Queen Sherri from their appearance on Robin Leach's show. Who played him? Patrice gets some great armdrags and dropkicks in. Yann hiptosses to escape a full nelson. He rolls through a belly to belly suplex attempt and comes up feet first. H3 wedges out of a guard side headlock on the mat Johnny Saint style. Martineau gets dropkicks but is cross arm grivitted into the ropes for a Falcon double team. L'Arbitre Pierre Lagache (as in the old time Méchant?). warns them. Falcon gets a snapmare into chinlock, Martineau straightens the arm out but Falcon gets a ground dropkick , not a move commonly associated with Méchants En Masque. The Falcons get heat with a more orthodox heelish beatdown including double teams on the top rope and corner. Yann gets a not very hot tag but a Manchette and cover for two does start up La Publique. Les Falcons regain control after resisting a Yann snapmare. Eric breaks a full nelson so the other Falcon collides with his partner and THEN gets a proper hot tag. Martineau goes wilh Manchettes and Sous Chasées but gets an Avertisement - even the commentators don't get why. One Falcon powerslams him, the other Superfly splashed (insofar as a burly masked heel can Superfly splash) for the winning pin. Some surprising clever stuff from the youngsters but the veteran masked heel team got the better in this end. Who is the painted guy in the title sequence who looks like a young Randy Colley as Original Smash? Was he in the second December 26th bout?

Kilby has got his signing second with him. Saxon (from Melton Mowbray like the pork pies) has a pencil moustache that makes him look like Eric Idle playing a Spanish waiter in Monty Python. This is Saxon's second of two TV appearances, he beat Dave Lawrence 1-0 earlier in the year. Beautiful venue St George's Hall Bradford, nice scrolling work on the balcony. Kendo's 1987 World title win was there. Last used by Scott Conway's TWA as their regular Northern monthly residency (Southampton Guildhall was the Southern one) until at least 2000 and at most when tTWA closed 2003. Round 1. After a few shove offs, Kilby gets an armdrag into guard wristlock. Saxon backrolls upright so Kirby reverses his twist and Saxon has to roll back. Saxon tries again, Kilby whips him forward but he keeps going, reverses the wristlock and makes Kilby roll. Kilby reverses it back. Saxon kips up and gets an overarm whip. It carried on with rolling with 2hips, sometimes overarm until Saxon switches to chinlock.Kilb6bstands, lifts Saxon in the hold and deposits him on the top turnbuckle. Kilby gets legdive into leglock into Indian Deathlock. He sits up in the hold but Saxon undresses one leg and makes a legscissor of the other. Kilby won't submit so t's a stalemate and the ref untangles them. Kilby rolls up nicely from a throw (as a judoka Saxon should be good at these.) Kilby gets half interlock into wristlever aNd rolls to bring Saxon down and make a guard wristlock again. Saxon turns over, gets a wrist of his own and converts to standing side headlock. He throws Kilby to the ropes and resists a bodycheck. Double interlock becomes a test of strength and an even match. Eventually Kilby gets a lean back dropkick for 6. Kilby rolls up from a throw, gets a single leg takedown, resists two anvil boot offs with the other leg and leans back to force a bridge. Saxons sits up and is trying to stand in the hold when the bell rings. Round 2 This time Saxon gets the first armbars, knees Kilby in the tricep to force him down and splashed the arm for 5. He throws Kilby for 5:and rear snapmares him for 4. S.axon gets a cross buttock throw and press but Kilby bridges out at 1. Saxon reverse a posting, Kilby absorbed and comes back with a legdive but is kicked off. Kilby is down for 4 but gets 4 back with a forearm smash then a bodyslam and splash for the opening fall. Round 3. Saxon gets a rear collar and forearm smash. Kilby gets a kneelift for 4, posting for 5, tries for a throw but Saxon clamps down with a side headlock then switches into back hammerlock, drops and takes out Alan's legs from behind and gets a side folding press for the equalising pin. Round 4 and Saxon sheets a wrist (from behind!) and goes for a posting but Kilby sits down just like Ken Joyce (see a couple of weeks ago.) Saxon tries again, same result (Kilby signs that he "nose" that trick!) Saxon gets a high whip and forces a somersault bump. He gets a monkey climb for 5, side headlock but is thrown to the ropes and met on the rebound with a dropkick. Kilby tries for the cross buttock and press again but Saxon bridges up at 2. Saxon tries it too with the same result. He gets a crotch hold and slam for 5, Kilby gets a side headlock Saxon lifts and smashes him down (almost a belly to belly suplex) for 2 but Kilby bridges. Saxon gets legdive into toe and ankle into Gotch toehold. He tries to switch to a half nelson but Kilby pulls him over and gets a cross press for 1. Kilby collars Saxon and gets a couple of swinging "European" uppercuts but Saxon groggily absorbs them. Saxon does two back, the ropes catch Alan the second time. Not yet a brawl just a bit of a forearm smash contest, not enough to turn Walton against the bout. Single interlock a d Kilby makes a double wristlever and steps over into a standing armhank. He doesn't get much, nor does smashing the wrist. Saxon gets an arm and elbowsmashes the tricep but the bell goes. Round 5. Saxon gets a throwd and follows in too quickly.He gets heat from a few fans for this but this is quashed when the two shake hands Kilby gets a forearm smash, Saxon gets a side chancery throw - as he comes off the ropes, Kilby misses a waistlock grab (botch?) Lots of blows while running the ropes culminating in an ambush mule kick. Kilby gets a spinning powerslam for the win. A conspicuously fast heavier man versus a slower opponent who occasionally comes out with surprise bursts. This was Saxon's last TV appearance so perhaps the slow methodical style was actually a flaw as a worker. Nice consolation pinfall from Saxon (neither man was great for original ideas). The final round descended into blows in the final round which was a pity. Still the bout had its moments.

Les Falcons D'Or Vs Yann Caradec & Patrique Martineau. This is the episode I posted a video of in my last post

And just look who their manager is! Yes folks HASSAN BAMBANI, everyone's favourite loveable funny smiling midget Bon and football mascot. Working as a heel manager with a scowl and wearing the world's smallest funeral director outfit. Been going through episodes of New Catch Season 1 from 1988 in preparation for a deep dive when I came across this and just had to share now this instant.

Some Reslo this week from 1987 and an odd one - Comedian versus Monster: Round 1: Corneely/Corneely (we've had a few spellings of his name on here) doesn't do anything comic- or technical - or even aggressive. He just gets the snot pounded out of him. Even when he tries to domcomedybfalls, he's getting too much sympathy for the audience to laugh at him. After three minutes of this, the bell goes. Chang/Mason sensibly doesn't twist while agead- he makes it a clean round break. Round 2. Kevin is very angry and lets rip a whole tirade in his Irish accent. He's sympathisably angry so it doesn't really get any laughs. Mason collars him and slowly marches him around the ring. Kevin finally gets some offence, bending Chang's fingers back so Chang throws him to the mat and resumes. Chang gets a double underhook suplex, the first scientific move of the match- and scores a KNOCKOUT. If you didn't like Corneely's previous comedy, watch this for the schadenfreude of him getting beaten up. Otherwise it's an execution and a vehicle for Chang to build him up for bigger things like his one and only ITV appearance later that year.

The tape reel finishes with a Catch Á Quatre. Two fast paced high flying superheroes Angelito and the young Flesh Gordon team up to face Black Shadow and Elliot Frederico, future Grim Rocker, present Rocky du Ring. I'm wondering if Rocky has nothing to do with Stallone's character and is actually an Anglecism for a Rocker as in a biker - think the Rockers as in Peter Lapaque and Tommy Lorne (not Michaels and Janetty!) - the Greasers whoo fought mods in Brighton. Alleged African-American (actually Moroccan) Black Shadow's heel work over several years has drawn praise on here. Première Manche: Flesh easily absorbs Eliot's early attack and goes to work with an array of armdrags. Angelito easily rolls out of Elliott's throws and gets some good armdrags of his own off top wristlocks. Shadow gets the same treatment briefly has a long press on Angelito who wedges out. Flesh tries forca reverse snapmare but doesn't get the height so settles for a rear snapmare instead. He spins out of a standing hammerlock to get a shoulderblock. Angelito and Rocky take turns reversing whips on each other. Angelito resists side chancery throws by Black Shadow, lands feet first from a leg flip and comes right back with a dropkick. Eliot gets an advantage with illegal punches on Flesh. Shadow hits ringside after Angelito dodges a charge. Flesh gets a huaracanrana into double kneepress on Eliot and Shadow has to rescue him from a fall. Angelito gets a good money climb on fellow Spaniard Eliot but a second attempt sees him overpowered and backdropped by Le Rocky then kneedropped and covered for 2 by Shadow. Les Méchants are getting their heat on Angelio- he sells one bump spinning to a crash. Gordon gets hot tag.and one armdrags I to crosspress gets them the opening fall although La Publique are slow to react. Deuxième Manche: starts much the sam3 as th3vfirst- high flying stuff from Les Bons. Angelito is caught in a full nelson and Elite is as adept at helping the hold as Ken Joyce was keeping it on Jeff Kaye last week on the British thread. Angelito even tries spinning le Rocky off but he clings on. Angelito eventually throws Elliot forward like a rear snapmare onto the mat but he leg flips Angelito into the ropes. Eliot works Angelito on the mat and flips him to ringside. Angelito lands badly, Gordon comes to his side and acsecond drags him back to Les Bons' corner. Les Méchants go to work on Flesh, both stomping him on the mat, which earns Shadow un Avertisement. The villains keep Flesh in their corner until he suddenly gets a sunset flip into doubl3 leg nelson on Shadow while Angelito gets one of his own flying off the top onto Eliot. But L'Arbitre won't have them both scoring pins and refuses the counts. In response, Les Bons throw Les Méchants outside and everyone brawls at ringside. The two Spaniards get back and Frederico throws Angelito on top of his partner. But Angelito gets backs and gets a quick victory roll on Le Rocky for the second straight tombée and the win. Good high flying show from the babyfaces. A pity we don't get to see Shadow antagonise the crowd as much as some other bouts of his.

1988 - 17 December, on the day of ITV's The Final Bell and just nine days before the French equivalent, the season finale of New Catch Series 1. Salvatore Bellomo, weeks after appearing the latter and a month short of 16 years after being Tini Salvatore on World of Sport's January 1973 Fanfare for Europe here works villain for one of the first times, teaming with one of the German speaking Worlds most infamous villains. Kauroff starts the dirty stuff early concealing illegal punches to Schumann from referee Mick McMichael. Bellomo keeps the treatment going but he and Kauroff have an at times awkward relationship, arguing over a tag. When Bellomo scores a pin,however, Kauroff is happy t9 be his friend. When Steinblock equalises on Bellomo, the villains abandon competing, instead throwing Schumann out of the ring and double teaming Steinblock, tying him in the ropes by the neck and beating down on him 7ntil McMichael disqualifies the heels. Short highlight package of what was probably a fairly unsophisticated face/heel tag.

Quite a nice vlog from Josh Faulkner on Mighty John Quinn, even if he neglects to mention the "/My Daddy said all Limeys were Cowards in WW2" speech.

You'd be AMAZED who knows all about old British Wrestling - and who nearly got involved themselves ...

I forgot to mention, this is two months after he was special referee for the Harley Race Vs Junkyard Dog main event at Bercy Stadium for the WWF's debut European show. Probably both that show and this had a whole load of spectators from the respective opposite sides of the Rhine. In fact I guess many people went to both.

Dynamite Kid was off to Stampede so the British Welterweight title was vacant. Two aging but skills scientific greats, both soon to become referees, are hx bing a quarter final together. Joyce was European Welterweight champion previously (a title Dynamite also vacated) but, as Kent mentions, despite several close shaves, has never had the British title. Round 1 KJ counters an armbar with a kip up, JK with a Steve Grey horizontal mat spin. KJ does a rollout and while down gets a legspread. JK twists sideways to easily unhook himself. Double interlock and JK falls backwards, scissors and arm and makes it into a figure 4 top wristlock on the mat. KJ stand up and straights thecarm to make an armbar. JK rolls out but KJ drags him back down into a guard armlock twice. JK rolls, kips back, cartwheels out and gets a rare whip on a KJ who instead of his usual resisting takes the somersault and lands neatly on his feet. KJ gets a rear waistlock into front folding press for 2, JK gets a double arm stretch pushing against the shoulders. he rolls back and risks a folding press unpicking both grips but he does it. He helps JK up, they shake hands, quickly KJ gets a whip and forces a somersault bump but JK is up by 5. Double interlock and JK gets a neat drop toehold into ankle scissor. Ken tries to make an Indian Deathlock of it but to not much effect so referee Max Ward calls for a break and they comply. KJ gets a Japanese Stranglehold and resists JK's attempt to twist out. The bell stops a second attempt. Round 2 . Double interlock into JK side headlock but KJ headstands out. He does a Mike Marino esque escape from a second one - less corkscrew more spin-ny. Double interlock again and JK leans back and gets crossed headscissors but KJ slips out easily pulling himself a few inches backwards. JK gets a standing top wristlock, KJ counters with a perfect French Catch style Scisseaux Volees takedown. He drags JK away from the ropes by the hold, easily prevents JK kipping out or getting the hold upright. He does briefly get a kip up but KJ pulls him back down in the hold. He keeps the arm and pulls JK back in again The third time JK gets the upright kneeling position and pulls his head free but KJ pushes him back in. The fourth time, JK assumes the upside down position and anklescissors KJ's feet to uncork the headscissor. KJ gets another full Japanese Stranglehold off a double Interlock. JK tries slipping downwards in it 5en slipping upwards and out but he bell saves him the trouble. Round 3 and JK gets a single leg into toe and ankle hold. KJ widens the legs and boots JK in the stomach so that the lower centre of gravity is too much and H3 falls backwards. JK gets the side chancery but KJ blocks it in his characteristic style. JK tries and fails again, releases and then suddenly reapplies the side chancery and gets the throw. KJ gets a shoulderblock and dodged a JK flying tackle but JK leapfrogs him and gets a cross buttock throw and press for three! First fall to Jeff Kaye. Round 4. JK gets a single leg into ground leglock. KJ counters with both a half chinlock and bashing JK's grip with his heel, which works. They start over and JK gets a headlock but KJ does a more obviously Mike Marino esque twistout. KJ gets a standing full nelson, twice JK breaks one side but KJ goes behind to reapply. A slip down/backroll escape ends with KJ reapplying the hold. A force out and backwards dropkick finally does the trick flooring KJ for 6. JK throws KJ who rolls upright. JK tries a dropkick, KJ catches the feet but JK curls through into the Boston Crab position and crawling into the crab escape. then flips KJ over and sits up into a double knee press. KJ fells him for a double leg nelson but JK folds back into a folding press but KJ crawls forward. It's all too near the ropes so they break. (At which point we get a long advert breaks courtesy of the Fight Network. Fast forward). Double interlock ends with JK's foot on KJs hand so they break again. KJ gets double legs and crouches to try his usual banging the head on the mat low waistlock. JK tries to avoid the bangs with a beautifully done bridge. Hectries to sit up but gets a headbang. A second try and he comes forward, overbalances KJ and gets a double kneepress but KJ wedges out. JK is up at 3. He gets a hammerlock off a double Interlock but KJ goes through the legs for a rear legdive and fells JK who boots him off into the ropes and tries catch him on the rebound but KJ arrests his own momentum, walks over and casually takes an anklelock on JK. (Memo to Orange bloody Cassidy. THIS is how you do casual -not trying to play footsie with your opponent.). KJ clamps down on the single toehold. He folds up various other JK appendages and turns him over to make some kind of Indian Deathlock but the bell rings. Round 5 KJ easily slips out of a partial front chancery and escapes a rear waistlock slipping through the legs and behind to take down JK and turn him over into the reverse double leg nelson. JK easily slips out and gets a toehold but KJ goes up on his head. JK grabs the other foot but it's a stalemate. KJ again dodges a JK flying tackle and JK needs 7 to get up but then cartwheels cheerfully out of a throw. JK goes for the neck but KJ whips him but JK lands on his feet. He tries double legs but aKJ sharply folds him over ina front folding press for the equaliser. 1-1. Round 6. JK backrolls off a single arm interlock but KJ gets a firmer grip. KJ gets the standing back hammerlock and keeps hold a while until aJK tries rolling out but is caught in a guard armlock. JK gets up, goes into a headstand and while upside down gets a headscissors takedown on KJ but Runs Out Of Mat. He gets an arm and tries for a posting but KJ characteristically sits down to block this! He resists a second time and lets JK drag him by thecarm before getting up and whipping JK to the ropes. JK comes back with a bodycheck but KJ springs up. JK dives over for a sunset flip and pulls him down with his legs but KJ swings over by his neck and goes forward folding pressing JK and sealing it with a headstand. Ken Joyce wins 2-1 and goes through to the semifinals to lose to Steve Grey who draws with other semifinalist Jim Breaks in FA Cup Final day ITV before Breaks wins the rematch and belt at the Royal Albert Hall that summer - only for the wheel to turn full circle as Breaks' new challenger is Dynamite's young cousin Young David aka Davey Boy Smith. But that is for the future. For now, a fantastic technical bout from Ken Joyce and Jeff Kaye and a good antidote to Wanz/Andre 1987.

Okay here is That Special 1987 Bout: The rematch. Three to four weeks after Survivor Series 87 and less than seven weeks before actually capturing a World title on The Main Event, Andre has a crack at Otto's CWA belt. I guess this is a title shot earned by his non title victory over Wanz the previous year. If Andre was somewhat heelish in the previous bout, this time he is totally the Evil Giant of his 1987-1990 WWF stint. He's got the black one armed leotard on like Cyanide Syd Cooper, Steve Haggerty or Billy Canataxaro. Or indeed Bobby Heenan who is the one missing piece of the puzzle here. Actually it's not the first time Heenan has no showed a Heenan Family visit to the German speaking world - back in 1983 instead of accompanying Nick Bockwinkel on a transatlantic trip to face Otto, (a return match from Wanz's AWA World title exchanges) Bocky was instead accompanied by his old enemy Verne Gagne in what I guess must have been a rare heel performance by Bald Old Verne. Otto comes down to the ring in a patriotic Austrian Red and White Just think of patriotism in wrestling as a blank slate. It can be filled with Stars and Stripes or Maple leaves, or Union Jacks and Tricolores. Or it can be the kind of cod Welsh nationalism we got on Reslo, or here the local pride of the Osterleichs ((c)Giant Haystacks.) And so to the match. Runde 1. Didier Gapp in charge I believe. Andre takes his time starting, soaking up heel heat. He works totally as Heel Andre of the late 80, slow, lumbering but deadly. He gets a triangle choke early on (taught to him by Ted DiBiase perhaps? - it's a fine Million Dollar Dream if ever I saw one.) He gets a double underhook and is going for the Sloppy Suplex that would beat Hogan 47days later when the bell goes. Runde 2.Morecstallin. A bearhug. Otto gets a big pop pounding Andre to the mat but Andre trips and leglocks him. Both men have a bald second- Otto's is Steve Wright, Andre's has a beard and looks halfway between Baron Von Rashcke and Marquis Eduardo. Runde 3. Andre gets the leglock but Otto gets a rope break-Andre is slow to release and soon choking Otto on the ropes. MC pronounced Andre's name like the A in Andrew. Otto gets a chinlock, Andre gets the rope break, Otto pounds Andre in retaliation for earlier and I think gets a yellow card for it. Bell goes as Andre has Otto cornered. Runde 4. Andre gets standing chinlock. Changes to armbar, trying to make it into a double wristlock. Otto counters with successful single leg takedown. He makes a standing leglock of it. He converts it to a Frank Gotch toehold but the other leg gets free. Otto switches to armbars on the mat but Andre throws him off. Andre chops down as the bells goes. DJ plays If I Had A Hammer by the Seekers. Runde 5. Andre gets double underarms, switching briefly to double straight arms - gawd, is he planning a surfboard? Otto corners and beats Andre down.Then Andre's turn. Then Otto's. Otto is knocked down for a KO count but saved by the bell. Runde 6: Andre is at work on Otto's arm, headbutting the tricep and trying to make it into a hammerlock again. Andre gets thrown outside but pulls Otto out with him. They brawl at ringside, the count gets near to 10, Otto crawls back and beats the count, Andre does not. Otto is the winner and still the champion. Better luck for Andre 47 days later in Indianapolis. Verdict- It's a pretty lousy match between two plesiosaurs but no worse than anything Andre and Hulk did in the same time period. Okay, a few weeks of 1988/1989 and then we go back to 1987 - it'll last about a year (longer if interruptions occur) but it will finish off the 1980s project unless more footage becomes available.

Eduardo. The original Marquis before Jacky Richard. I'm kind of taking to him as a heel character, a snarling aggressive thug snob who thinks rules and decency are below him. He's got the butler Paul Butin Fluchard (actually a promoter) with him, interfering and all the usual stuff. Mallard is an older guy, I think this is the only bout we have of him . Ed struts around as he throws off Gerald. He's quite a power wrestler, dominating Mallard. He looks down his nose at la publique when they boo him for hairpulls. La Publique in turn love it when the arrogant brute takes a bump. George Weiss. a heel ref of the Michel Saulnier school, behaved himself in the last bout but he's starting to show favour to Le Méchant Marquis. At one point Le Marquis holds Mallard down while Butin does humiliating things to him with his feather duster. When Eduardo gets thrown from from the ring he struts around ringside, chest puffed up in arrogant fury. Butin ends up tied by the foot to all three ring ropes and a second has to rescue him. At one point Le Marquis is pitched out of the ring on top of Paul and he gives the common servant a good slapping. The end icones when the butler trips Mallard and Eduardo crosspresses him for a pin which Weiss counts, followdowns rule bevdamned. It's basically a vehicle for le Marquis and he comes over as just as much a brute as Mambo Le Primitiv in his own way. Sadly Eduardo only had one other TV match as Marquis before Marquis Richard took over the gimmick in 1985.

That's 1986 done. But there are only three or four 1988-1989 bouts Vs perhaps a year of 1987. So next week we'll do one very important 1987 bout, get 88-89 out of the way then come back for that year's with of 1877. See you next week for that special 1987 bout.

We've finally reached our last 1986 bout and it's a special one: Two big men go at it that summer. Otto is now obese, eight years into his second CWA title reign. Next year he and Peter Wilhelm will seize the IBV from Nico S and turn it into Catch Wrestling Austria. Andre has let the Machines angle get its own steam and is off having a rest , filming the Princess Bride,, chilling out - and having this match. Andre had plenty of visits eastwards across the Rhine before moving from France to Quebec. This is part of a professionally filmed Otto's Greatest Fights videotape - we see a caption slides with an image of the CWA belt. Runde 1 is very much built around armlocks,double wristlocks, Hammerlocks from front, position armbars. If Andre doesn't have a kimura/double wristlock/ hammerlock with bar in place, he is desperate y trying to get one, try to bend a straight Otto arm into a figure four position. It's very much an old German.Wrestling, the slow leverage battles of Axe CV6 Otto tries to counter with a crotch holds, trying for a slam. Andre is hesitant to release on the bell and although his alliance with Heenan is 6 months off, he settles into the heel role for this bout from this point. To be fair he only knew much of rounds from trips to the UK, Spain and Germany/Austria. Runde 2 is more of a slug and punch brawl. Otto slugs out of the armlock attempt and off they go. Andre tries choking Otto who shoves him to ringside and later ties him up. Otto is now the one trying for a double wristlock. He levers Andre down, turns him into the Guard, tries and tries for a cross press but Andre turns him over and gets an American small package for one (or maybe it was a very messy side folding press.Andrecgets up but misses a splash and is kicked around as he gets the ropes. They brawl in the ropes as the bell (hooter goes). Runde 3 - more of the same - armbars on the ropes - slug and punch. Andre gets a leglock on the mat. Otto gets a top wristlock on the mat then an armhank. Andre sells it noisily. Aand eventually gets his own leglock. Into Gotch toehold!. Otto tries to push up and holds on until the hooter goes. Runde 4. Andre gets long knockdowns from an elbow and a headbutt then choked Otto until Wanz reverses on the ropes. Wanz ejected Andre sits on Otto like he did in the WWF.to opponents such as Ax. Otto gets a front chancer.y into abdominal stretch. The hooter goes. Runde 5. Oddly like the finish of WM3. Andre goes to work, misses a boot, Otto gets a slam and somersault splash but Andre puts up a boot to catch Otto on the chin. Andre covers Otto and eventually gets a very slow 3 count for the one fall required

Astonishingly I can't find an earlier review for this 1978 tournament final, billed as the King Of the Ring, just like the WWF. Grey was newly crowned British Lightweight champion- a title he held on and off until his 2021 retirement (since when Nino Bryant has held it) occasionally dropping to the latest TBW sensation like Kid McCoy or Tony Stewart.. Rocco had recently lost his British Heavy Middleweight title to Marty Jones in a title v S ti5le match. This sounds promising. Originally this was supposed to be the second semifinal but Huntsman (Not Aristocrat!) and vicious heel Tally Ho Kaye has been " Disgraced And Disqualified" which sums up the British attitude to DQs. They were not a cheap way out., they were a source of SHAME. Unless the heel was such a villain that they didn't care about wins or losses, just fouling and hurting them. The sort of miscreant who wears school expulsions and even prison time as badges of pride. Naylor is in no fit state to wrestle the winner of this match so it gets upgraded to Final. Round 1. Grey willingly takes a hard bump from a Rocco wristlever to position himself for a ground position dropkick. He can also come upright from a throw. We get to see Rocco's own reversing skill as H3 rolls out of an armbar the classic British way. He gets a top wristlock but Grey pulls it down, gets a foot inside and forces Rocco to take a spinning bump. Grey dodges the rebound from,m a Rocco headlock and bodycheck charge. They exchange armlocks and Grey gets a back hammerlock but Rocco picks it open with one foot th3 reaches back and gets a neat rear snapmare but Grey takes the bump rolling til upright. Rocco gets a side chancery into underhook suplex into cross press for 2. Grey gets an armdrag and Rocco gets a side folding press for 2. Rocco picks off one side of a double Interlock and makes the other arm into a hammerlock. Grey counters with a backdrop but Rocco holds on with a flying headscissor and with motion arrested, convets to a sunset flip and front double leg nelson. Grey counters with a double ankle smash. Rocco gets a whip into ropes and bodycheck on the rebound for 6, then a bodyslam and double kneepress for several 2s. He then breaks out the forearm smashes for a 4 and a 6 but happily goes back to science with a snapmare into rear seated chinlock, adjusting sides. Grey gets Rocco's barring arm straightened into a wrist lever. Rocco picks it off with a foot an snapmares Steve down into the chinlock again but Grey uses the same escape to wristlock. He briefly tries a straight arm lift but Rocco gets him down. However Grey gets a second ground placed dropkick. Rocco gets a cross buttock throw into a side headlock. He switches to a chinlock then a crosspress for 2, then an armbar into low armdrags into another crosspress, this time for a couple of 2s. Rocco gets a stomach lunge. He gets a headlock, arrests a throw, gets a cross buttock of his of but gets headscissored. He turns it to the upside down position and nearly uncorks the hold with his knees, earning himself some applause - heel or no, that was good! He gets a full nelson but the bell goes - he slightly shoves Grey off which Grey isn't too happy about. Still a very good scientific first round. Probably the second most scientific round I have seen from Rocco, second only to his December 1981 World title match with Dynamite Kid. Will it last? I somehow doubt it. Round 2. Rocco off too a start with a front chancery into double underhook suplex into crosspress for a couple of 2s. Finally he gets into brawling mode, mainly with kicks that come so thick and fast it's hard for referee Max Ward to claim not continuous movement. He gets two side chancery throws, the secomd of which puts Steve Grey on the ring apron to tumble to the floor. He is back at 3 but straight into a magnificent Rocco monkey climb. A second I e gets a bump but Grey absorbs i5 well enough to fire back with a dropkick. Rocco recovers, whips Grey to the ropes, catches Grey's flyingbtacl3 attempt and gets a face first Piledriver (Tombstone) for six then another one plus double knees for the opening pin. Rocco now in the lead. Round 3 Rocco gets a stomp, a headbutt for 6 and a forearm for 6., an axe handle. kneelifts chops. Finally he slams the already downed Grey's head in the mat and gets a public warning. But he continues the roughhouse gameplan- Kent reckons he is going for Steve's back. After a headbutt he goes for a neck suspension backbreaker across his own back but Grey rolls upwards and flips into a standing front facing position, levering his head free of the grip to get a double Interlock and lean back dropkick.He gets a couple of headsmashes of his own for which Ward privately warns him but lets go for retaliation. Rocco is complaining of teeth hit. He clamps Grey on the ropes, gets a whip and kick to stomach for 7, a slam and double knees for 2, crosspress for another 2. He let's Grey up but gets a grovit. Grey whips him, catches the kneecap in passin. Gets the legbut A Rocco grabs the top rope. Rocco gets free and lunges for Grey's stomach. He backdrops and crosspresses Grey for 1s and 2s. He switches to double kneepress but after 1Grey bridges up, gets a leaning rear chancery, but Rocco shrugs him off to fall down. Grey is up at 8 but into a posting for 7, a rear forearm smash for 8, another posting and into an over the shoulder backbreaker (on top of all th3vback weakeners) looking for a second straight submission. But Grey breaks open the grip, slides down and gets a big backdrop for 7. With the clock winding down, Grey gets a legdive and all four limbs ready for a surfboard but the bell goes before he can hoist Rocco up. It's halfway through and Grey is still trailing. Round 4 Rocco gets a butt to the stomach. Side chancery throw and somersault splash, his sheer speed helping him get round the continuous motion rule. He gets a front chancery I to double underhook but instead of going for a suplex drives in a knee to Grey's chest. It gets a 2 mainly because Rocco brazenly kicks Steve on the mat, causing Ward to abort the count. Grey is barely up when Rocco gets an axehandle for 6, a posting for 5and a boot in the behind for 7, a side chancery takedown into seated chinlock into headlock and strangle. But Grey is pressed up and levers his head out, taking an armbar with him to help get a posting. Rocco stays up, gets a kne3 on Grey as he moves in and a front chancery but again Grey gets free and takes a convenient posting arm with him. The posting done, he follows with a dropkick, backdrop and a slightly awkward flying bodypress for the equaliser. One each with two rounds left. Round 5. Rocco gets a headlock and some illegal concealed punches. Grey falls and Rocco stomps him, earning himself a Second and Final Public Warning. Th3 next one, he will share Tally Ho Kaye's "Disgraceful" fate. Nonetheless Rocco gets some headbutts and Grey gets a spinning kick (nothing too fancy mind) and stomps. He throws Rocco hard , gets a leg on the ropes. Rocco kicks him off gets a kneelift, catches Grey's flying tackle attempt, slams him upside down into the corner gets anothercslam during which Grey's legs catch the ropes but it looks enough of an accident that Ward lets it go. He gets a whip but Grey responds with an easy kneelift.Rocco nonetheless gets double legs into a single leg Boston Crab for the deciding submission. Rocco is winner , 1978 King of the Ring and soon wins a tournament to get his British Heavy Middleweight title back. He does give up on moving up the weights, instead moving sideways to become World champion, holding that title on and off for a decade till he retires. Like I said, that first round is the most scientific I've ever seen of Rocco (still possible rival Round 1 of the Dec '81 Rocco Dynamite World title match. The crest stayed just about my preferred side of the Good Wrestling Match/Good Fight schism. That's two good matches so far this weekend, this and the surprising 1984: Primitiv-Lopez French Catch match. The German bout however will be at the other end of the speed spectrum from these two.

Okay, let's do another one of these unedited mid 80s tapes. Mambo is called Mongo here but otherwise it's the same Masked King Kong I reviewed three weeks ago. Same furry ITV BBC Patric Lopez later on would wear a full rugby playing costume on New Catch and Reslo on S4C in Wales but here he's just a no nonsense wrestler with a legitimate Rugby playing background like Mal Kirk. In many ways it's not different from American Footballers - Wahoo, Steve Williams, Duggan, Luger. Simmons - who make the "Gridiron To Grapplr" mov3 as Gordon Solie once termed it. Unlike other recent apprentices by Le Primitiv, there is no doubt here who Le Bon is. Without his rugge4 gear Patric is pretty athletic, cartwheeling from a MLP throw and nearly aborting a sidestepped dropkick. He backflips out of an armbar. Mongo gets some armdrags in. Lopez gets a classic Scisseaux Volees takedown (sadly we get a shot of the Orchestre instead of seeing how Primitiv freed his head from the scissor. Lopez has a great counter to standing full nelson, leaping up and twisting mid air to make a flying cross buttock throw into takedown. Mongo ends up ringside. He gets back but Lopez dropkicks him back out. Lopez dives foward to get a handstanding headscissors into huaracanrana into front double leg nelson. They do a slower slightly clumsier version of the back and forth folding press attempts of which the lighter weights in Britain are masters. Mongo goes into a headstand, he tries for the huaracanrana, doesn't quite manage it but does get a backdrop out of the situation. He gets a bearhug (not a gorilla hug?) and gives Lopez his own visit to ringside. Mongo follows in with a TOPÉ!!!!. Let's just stop to consider that- a man in a Gorillagram suit does a Topé on French TV in 1984. Even the TV station are impressed enough to do a slo-mo replay. Mongo gets an Ivan Koloff kneedrop for a 10 count KNOCKOUT!!! Seconds carry Lopez out. L'Orchestre are delighted with their man, a spectator less so- he tries to goad Le Primitiv into a fight before bouncers eject him. Mongo (not Steve McMichael) joins th3 party at ringside and they all parade off in a conga line to who knows where. Much better than a match between one wrestler with a gimmick and one with an idea fo4 a gimmick had any right to be. Some really good exchanges and ideas and some ahead of their time flying spots. Even in Britain it took visiting Japanese like Yamada to get those moves on ITV. Coming next week - Marquis Eduardo Vs Gerald Mallard. Feel free to let the video run on and spoiler yourselves before that.

Regarding OJ's first point it's just as well that none of Walton, the audience and ITV executives had seen Brody's N-bomb dropping behaviour on German home video circa 1985 which may possibly have sown the seed for fellow German tournament scenester Ed Wisowski's Colonel DeBeers gimmick in the AWA the next year. Perhaps Miss Petite Fleur was an attempt to back away from that kind of dark heat. Talking of Germany/Austria , Brody has the Vienna Cup he won the previous year 1986 with him. Alan also has a familiar face seconding him, his equally hearing challenged second Jimmy Napper, with whom he chats in sign language between rounds. Round 1: A couple of lockups end with Kilby against the ropes and Brody getting in a crafty knee as he breaks. Bald Brody complains about a hairpull (file under The Best, the Old Jokes are). When the situation is reversed, Alan asks the crowd if he should deal similarly and Brody is quick to take advantage. Kilby is up against the ropes but he ducks a descending heel of hand from Brody who ends up falling out of the ring. Kilby flips him in and dropkicks him out. Someone very audibly shouts something homophobic at Brody - a reference to his former "mean moody" Magnificent Maurice gimmick? We finally get some science as Brody gets a semi Japanese Stranglehold., forcing Kilby to the guard on the mat. Kilby forces his way upright but Brody takes him back down The first good reversal as Kilby straightens the barring arm into a rear wristlock. Brody the cowardly heel dives for a rope escape.. iIt makes little difference anyway as the bell goes. Cut to Round 3: Brody uses pressure points to drive Kilby to his knees, slipping his own knee in and getting a 4 count. He posts Kilby. He gets a late knee and slingshots him by the throat off the top rope, each of which earn him a private warning from ref Jeff Kaye. A forearm smash gets him a six count and a hangman's lift an opening submission. Cut to Round 5: Apparently Brody is on his second and final public warning, presumably accrued during round 2 (Kaye alludes to this in round 3 so I think both were in Round 2). Brody gets a single legdive into toehold , trying to turn Kilby for a single leg Boston Crab but Alan boots him off in the skull. Alan gets to work with a side chancery, mule kick and flying forearm smash. Brody swings at Alan and misses. allowing Alan to get behind. trip Brody and get an equalising pin with a side folding press - about the best technical move so far. At this point Brody is disqualified. Presumably for a third public warning but we never get to see what, however Kilby is down on the mat when we come back from an action replay so presumably Brody attacked Kilby between rounds. This was originally an opening match for Marty Jones Vs Owen Hart and a Golden Grappler trophy semifinal. Apart from that great folding press it was mostly a strength bout which is a pity as 8 know both men are capable of better.