David Mantell

There's not a lot more to be said, but a couple of points I will pull up on. 1) Bollet (and Bernaert) don't just get YELLED AT by L'Arbitre for that punch of Bollet's, they get a Public Warning (Avertisement) 2) No I don't think they have bullfighting in France, this was just some craziness concocted by RTF's light entertainment department. Bullfighting is a lot nastier and a lot gorier although exposure to wrestlers blading would prepare a spectator. Its main relevance to pro wrestling is that Plazas de Toros were often used as wrestling venues in Spain and this continued I to the 80s after the 1975 collapse of the CIC and subsequent invasion by various French promoters.

Talking of last matches, did that final comeback bout by Le Petit Prince in 2002 (before he went off to Thailand) get filmed at all?

I think this is the same Samourai as teamed with Pierre Payen and possibly he shows up in one of the last year or two of monochrome overseas sales kinescope prints before the INA opened up an started making colour recordings of stuff off air. As. Brit I mostly associate a wrestling samurai - beyond Kendo - with the sad last days of Rex Strong 1986-1987. The four toupies were two types of two toupie - two reeling in his arm from an armhank and two cross-headscissor throws. I've always been a bit sceptical about the crossed headscissor+ like a grovit using the ankles instead of the arms - but Gilbert did it well, pointing his feet toe to toe to hold the head as the performed the scissor throw. He did attempt his headscissor escape toupie about three times in succession but each time Bayle/Henker deftly maintained the hold by turning it sharply to one side.

I like Samourai too and so did Daniel Cazal in that 1976 bout where he teamed with Pierre Payen. He was obviously a skilled worker in his own right like the early 90s Kamikaze in Joint Promotions Not sure what comedy spot you mean, it seemed to be just the standard Bon Vs Mechant Catch A Quatre spots. I know Couderc has a tendency to burst out laughing at stuff , particularly if it's Les Mechants getting themselves in a fix.

Without checking I think I reviewed a previous colour match with Leduc - or am I confusing it with the Pompiers DecParis (RBC + Bob Plantin) match?

Problems, problems. It's a Samsung. I've managed to get the TV and tablet to recognise each other on Bluetooth which is something. I've watched the bout in full on the tablet but I'd really like to write a full length blow by blow piece of this one- there's enough interesting material to give it a go without it degenerating into a list of Manchettes. But to do that I really need a separate TV.

I'm about to catch a flight to go on holiday. I'll review it properly when I get to my hotel room (hopefully I can mirror my tablet onto the Smart TV in my hotel room.). I've watched the first ten minutes and it looks pretty fun so far. Leduc, Jacky Corne and Le Samourai ("Il est souple!") all in a tag match together. A bit of a further twist on the Remy Bayle puzzle given how he and Daniel Schmidt were not heels in the 1983 bout further up. Also IIRC it was Jacky whom Der Henker injured on TV in 1971 as previously seen on this thread. Nice to see Henk in colour VT.

https://www.topito.com/top-catcheur-francais-age-dor-bagarre Nice "Top Seven" article on French Catch Top 7 of the best French wrestlers, the ring of Frenchness Published on 10/11/2014 by Jean Nostromo When we think of wrestling, we first think of giant rings and oily American monsters, but what we don't know is that France also experienced a golden age of wrestling that continues to this day, albeit much more discreetly. In the 1950s, professional wrestling exploded on TV, and some fighters, masked or not, became real stars. A look back at the big names in French wrestling, less spectacular but much more romantic than its cousin across the Atlantic. Francisco Pino Farina - "The White Angel" Arguably the most famous French wrestler, along with André The Giant, Francisco Pino Farina remained incognito for a good part of his career as a masked fighter, until his promoters decided to make him take off his mask to revitalize his faltering popularity. His enemies were called the Executioner of Bethune or the Dragon of Bagnolet, and he beat them in the most beautiful way, like the pioneer of lucha libre that he was. André René Roussimoff - "André The Giant" The star of stars, the one who went to shine in the USA, the one who became world champion by crushing the competition with his extraordinary physique (2.24m - 235kg), the one whose face is plastered everywhere today without you even knowing it: André The Giant. A colossus who marked the history of world wrestling. Jacques Ducrez - "The Executioner of Béthune" Not content with having the best wrestler name ever chosen, the Executioner of Béthune had the chance to be part of the golden age of French wrestling, between 1950 and 1960. He liked to play the villain, constantly confronted with the supremacy of the White Angel, whom he fought on numerous occasions. Daniel Dubail - "The Little Prince" Daniel Dubail, also known as Albéric d'Éricourt, was surely the classiest wrestler of the golden age. This little man with the physique of a gymnast (1.59 m and 54 kg) stood out for his grace and elegance, which earned him the nickname "The Little Prince." He died in 2005 in Thailand where he was trying to open a wrestling school. Gérard Hervé - "Flesh Gordon" Not far from the pseudonym of a porn actor, Flesh Gordon is a French wrestler who did everything to give his letters of nobility to the genre after the splendor of the 60s, notably by going to Mexico to learn the art of lucha libre and becoming European champion in 1981 and world champion in 1985. This handsome 100kg baby is banking heavily on teaching wrestling to the younger generations, he also runs a school in the north of France. Roger Trigeaud - "Chéri Bibi" It's true that it's not easy to make a career in the States when your name is Chéri Bibi, but that didn't stop Roger Trigeaud from making a name for himself in the French wrestling world in the 60s. This retired tax inspector was apparently not the last to mess around and was very popular with his colleagues in his underwear. Maurice Tillet - "The Angel" The other "angel" in our selection is none other than Maurice Tillet, a funny guy suffering from a bone disease that caused many deformities and which forced him to flee to the United States where he became a professional wrestler. Although Dreamworks Studios has never confirmed it, many rumors claim that his face served as a model for Shrek, which doesn't seem entirely unfounded.

Battle Royal at the Heumarkt 1994. You've seen one battle royal you've seen 'em all but the sheer raw spectacle is pretty amazing. The Heumarkt looks pretty cool too in longshot with the sunset reflected in neighbouring windows. It comes down to Rambo, Fit Finlay and Cannonball Grizzly (ON News). The heels team up. Impressively Finlay slams Mr Neu on top of Rambo. The crowd were already behind Rambo at the start but now they REALLY really behind him. Rambl finally eliminated Neu, yo baby yo baby yo. So we are left with Rambo Vs Finlay and at least one heel supporter cheering Finlay! Rambo catapults Finlay over the ropes. He just hangs on but then Rambo clotheslines Finlay off the apron to finish the job and pocket himself a wadful of cash useful for doing Ted DiBiase impersonations. A Québécois the hero of Austria.

The Hero of France takes on the future Quebecer Pierre. I think I've already posted a tag bout of Double Trouble Vs Flesh and Franz Van Buyten but here they have a solo match. Carl does a promo like Frenchy Martin doing an impersonation of Randy Savage at a party. Dear old Charley Bollet as Monsieur L'Arbitre. Carl dominating Flesh with big American power stuff and Flesh doing it back to him- cross buttock presses. Slams. Clotheslines out of the ring. Flesh gets his monkey climb on Carl successfully although he doesn't fly that far. Tried it again and ends up selling a nasty looking head bump and nearly getting pinned. Carl does a splash using the roped. The German commentator calls it a Finlay Drop. Carl punches his way out of a Gordon sunset flip just like Finlay did to Funaki on the British Wrestling thread just now. Bollet gives Carl an Avertisement for putting his knee across Flesh's throat to cut off the air supply - good old school foul. They end up brawling at ringside.like French catcheurs have been doing on their TV since the mid 1960s but ITV would never allow. Flesh Gordon gets the win despite Brick Crawford the other half of Double Trouble interfering. The two heels collide then when Brick tries to break up the pin, Charley ignores it and counts Carl's shoulders down. Les Mechants sont FURIEUX!!! However it turns out that Brick had another trick up his sleeve, claiming Flesh used a chain. The referee searches Gordon and indeed finds the international object that Brick had planted on him. Disqualification. Kids band on the ring apron in rage. I can even hear a faint chant of Aux Chiottes L'Arbitre. Flesh doesn't seem too bothered, he goes out and celebrates with the fans. Kissing babies etc. Flesh matches were ending in this finish in the first half of the 1980s (the strap match with Mambo Le Primitiv) and he was still doing this "I Wuz Robbed" DQ loss finish in the early 2010s.

If you're wondering who Carwyn James was - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carwyn_James Fit Finlay Vs Flying Funaki. FF versus FF. When Fuji Yamada came back for a second tour in 1989 he brought a tag partner with his, Flying Funaki. I wish we had one of their tag bouts but here is Funaki on his lonesome. Fit Finlay in Bully mode being used as a Luxury Jobber like Ax and Smash at the Tokyo Dome. This same year he jobbed his British Heavy Middleweight title to Danny Collins, the kid he SLAUGHTERED three years earlier. So he was in the trim for putting the kids over and making them look good. Funaki's first big move is the same spinning escape from a side headlock dear old Mike Marino used to do! Finlay does a lot of attacking moves like his hammerlock and a lot of dirty wrestling to make sure the crowd are on Funaki's side. . He also still has a decent flip to bum out of Funaki's whip while growling with rage. Actually Funaki's rolls and cartwheels are as British as boiled beef steeped in Dynamite Kid and Danny Boy Collins and only became "Juniors shit" in Japan from the UK/Japan/Calgary triangle. ("Juniors" in any case is short for "Junior Heavyweight which is Americanese for Mid Heavyweight. Marty Jones and Nelson Royal were opposite number on each side of the Atlantic.) Funaki also gets a great sunset flip which Finlay punches his way out of like he did against Johnny Saint at Croydon on ITV a year earlier. Funaki also start putting on the Scorpion Deathlock (OK the Masa Chono Powerlock.) . Funaki also does a lot of chops which Finlay sells His Flying dropkick on Finlay gets a slow mo replay. Funaki gets the win and all the little kids in the audience run WILD banging on the ring apron. A Star is born and Finlay did his job making the kid look good just like Sid Cooper. Blackjack Mulligan and Tally Ho Kaye did for Sammy Lee nine years ago . Sadly no sign of Paula at the end giving her man HELL. WTF is that awful buzzing sound at the end?

Perhaps it was a bit lazy of me to substitute We are Dynamite for a match on Sunday, so here is an extra one to compensate. Two Austrian babyfaces (no foreigners! Even closer to "home" than Franz Vs Gil!) made to final of the 1985 Hanover Cup. This is what transpired: Big Otto by now is the full Superheavyweight of his later years, not the stocky guy who faced Don Leo in Graz July 1880 before a professional camera crew. Wallas, I suddenly realised, reminds me of good guy Daniel Schmidt from 1983 as seen on the French Catch thread. After a couple of collar and elbow lockups, Otto gets a standing rear chinlock. Klaus forces him into the ropes for a break. They lock up and astonishingly Klaus tries for a cross buttock throw. Not so astonishingly, Big Otto is just too heavy! They try again, Otto puts on a figure four top wristlock. He forces Klaus in to ropes, cut to Klaus doing it back to him. Clean breaks both times. They lock up then Klaus hauls off with a forearm. Otto steps back with a look like "Oh. So you want some of that, do you?". Instead on the next lockup, Otto gets a wristlever forcing Klaus down in one knee. For some reason I can't make out, Otto ends up with a hand on the top rope and has to release. They go for a finger Interlock. Momentum goes back and forth like Hogan and Warrior at WM6. Cut to Klaus bodychecking Otto to no impact whatsoever, then doing somewhat better with a forearm smash that has Otto reeling and bouncing off the ropes. Cut to Otto with standing pressure points on Klaus who battles back with forearms. Otto picks himself up and they stalk rack other cautiously. Cut to Klaus on the ropes selling a back injury. They lock up then Wanz fires a forearm, Wallas fires one back. Big Otto makes it 2-1 flooring Klaus. Otto gets a bearhug, Klaus struggles to break it like Hogan against Andre. Too gets his man on the ropes and headbutts him twice. Cut to Klaus dodging out the way of a Wanz guillotine elbowdrop. Wallas is up first with two forearm smashes, flooring Wanz on the second. Wanz gets up to what looks like a punch by Wallas then a dropkick. Otto is soon up and after a quick check of his teeth (or gumshield?) by the referee, we proceed. Klaus slugs Ottomfoen with four forearmscand a kick for good measure. Cut to down on the mat, Wallas has a chinlock which he transforms into a half nelson on the mat. He eventually gets the World champion into a crosspress position but can't quite get his shoulders down. A switch tomlong press gets a 1 count but no more, as does another cross press and a hooked leg. Otto tries for a cross press and double arm oress He gets no further and allows his man up. Cut to them back down on the mat. Klaus has the cross press again. Astonishingly Otto bridges out! Klaus is sent rolling to ringside. He makes it back, they lock up and Klaus begins bashing away again. He goes for a flying tackle and takes Otto down but it is too near the ropes .Ran out of mat, as Kent Walton would put it. They get up and Klaus flails away again, flooring Otto and booting him out of the ring. Cut to once again they lock up and Klaus smashes at Otto but this time Wanz pushes his man down in a cross press for two. Klaus pulls out and ends up at ringside. He comes back, wallops and fells Otto. Wanz gets up and whips Wallas into the ropes, misses him on the rebound and falls over Klaus tries another flying tackle but the big man catches him, slams him, cross presses and hooks the leg for three. Otto celbrates with his fans while Klaus leans on the ropes, emotionally spent. Otto shakes and raises his hand and pats his buddy on the shoulder. Babyface match if not scientific enough to be properly clean. A lot of slug and punch but some similar old German leverage stuff to Franz Vs Gil in the last bout (a year later.)

You may have noticed the bouts on this thread tend to be top heavy in American, British French and other such far flung talent. That's why it was such a pleasure for me a couple of months ago to dig up this bout. Okay it was a Swiss versus a Yugoslav but compared to some CWA rosters this was practically local. They also both had nice Germanic names, Franz and. er Franz. (And to be fair, if Messrs Van Buyten and Schumann have ever had a match, it's news to me.) Now here is Schlederer on a similar grassroots old time (as camcorders will allow) show from a year later against heel Gil Breihöder "No Relation To Colt" Cabanas in Hollabrunn, a district capital town in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, on the Göllersbach river, 12th August 1986. Franz is the babyface in red trunks, Gil is the heel with the moustache and dark double leotard. Franz starts by challenging Gil to a finger Interlock. Gil has the early advantage but soon Franz has him screaming. He breaks him all the way down to the mat and stomps on his hands! Gil looks for sympathy from the referee and cameraman but finds none. They lock up again, and this time good boy Franz goes down - but at the last second he pulls his hands out of the way and scores a dropkick. Gil is up at 8. The villain starts chopping away at the Yugoslav and throttling him on the ropes. Warned by the referee he throws Franz across the ring, booting him out the last bit of the way. Incidentally that's quite some big crowd! We cut back to the action and Gilmis bashing and stomping poor Franzl. He gets an armlock and forces his man down on one knee. Franz powers up, gets pushed down, powers back up again and fires Gilmour the ropes in a cross buttock throw but Gil keeps control of the arm and winds up in a kneeling armbars position. Franz forces his way up, gets forced down and when he is next halfway up tries (as best I can see past the nasty video scratch) to prise an arm in. It's very much an old school German pre-Steve Wright transformation Leverage Contest. Finally Franz pulls himself up and gets a flying headscissors take down on his opponent. He doesn't go into a headscissors on the mat as the French would do, rather comes out standing over the villain. He pulls his man up off the matin a one arm chinlock but the ref isn't happy with a grounded wrestler being attacked and blows his whistle. Eventually Franz has progressed to a standing rear chinlock but he has also earned himself a yellow card plus the bell - or rather a gong- has sounded for the end of the round. Franz throws Gil down. Matches over to the referee, rips up the yellow card and throws it to ringsiders. Cut to somewhere in the next round. Gil has what looks like a clawhold on Franz. (Bear in mind Baron Von Raschke toured Germany a couple of years earlier.) Gil switches to a side headlock then on to a rear hammerlock, like watching a slow motion video of Johnny Saint doing his Lady of the Lake sequence. But no, he doesn't proceed to to trip into folding press, he turns to face his man, forearms him down and stomps him like Ronnie Garvin. He picks Franz up, headbutts him down and has some ugly looking hold on his face that earns Gil his own yellow card (I guess the ref had a spare. Gil lifts Franz up with help from a handful of hair, whips him into the ropes and, on the rebound, gets what might just be an illegal punch to floor his man. He again pulls his man up with a tuft full of foliage but Franz reverses the whip and backhand chops Gil down like Billy Two Rivers. He then repeats the pull-up- Whip- backhand chop sequence. before giving Gil a nice long Suplex. Franz pulls his man up despite objections from the referee, throws him in the corner and pounds away with forearms. Finally heeding the referee and not his thirst for vengeance, he side chancery throws his man to centre ring, lets him up for a count of four, underhooks and bodyslams him then after giving him a couple of counts hauls him up for another better side chancery throw through the ropes to ringside and to a huge crowd pop! Cut to Franz tying up Gil in the ropes and preparing to charge him. The referee warns him off and while they are discussing the pros and cons of such tactics in the corner a chime goes possibly indicating the time limit expiring. Franz raises his hands in triumph, the crowd applauds. End of match.Cut to a lady wrestler on the same show making her entrance. Clip ends. A good mix of old fashioned face/heel shenanigans and the Old School leverage style of Chall, Dieter, Bock etc. Nice to get away from the glamour and swagger of the big city Germany/Austria tournaments and see a small town wrestling show.

Hopefully this should be a pallette cleanser, short but sweet Skill and Speed bout. From just over a month before The Final Bell. It'a one fall bout joined in progress round 1. Straight down to work, Nipper gets a rear waistlock into rear snapmare in to crosspress but Kidd bridges out. Eddie gets a leg but Kidd rolls himself into the figure four Gotch toehold and rolls out. Kidd gets an armbar, Riley needs two rolls to get up but when he does, snatches Kid's arm and forces a high whip and bump. They finger Interlock but Johnny breaks one half and slides in behind Eddie for a folding press, gently colliding with referee Ken Joyce (Kidd's trainer) who isn't too bothered. Kidd gets double legs and legspread on Riley but the bell goes. Johnny sportingly resets Riley's legs and helps him up. They shake hands and get a round of applause. Round 2 Kidd gets a standing full nelson, spins him round into a side chancery throw, gets in behind his man for a further nelson but only gets a 2 count. Riley lunges and doubles up Kidd and plants an elbowsmash in his upper back. Riley gets a wristlever in the corner and prepares to post Kidd but Kidd slips the arm over his head to take control andposts Riley, but Riley takes the impact on his foot, spins 180 and darts down and through Kidd's legs . Riley gets a finger Interlock, pulls down and steps over one arm to form two rear wristlocks (surfboard component) then drops into the arm stretch. Kidd rolls backward and Riley clamps his legs down in a bridging folding press but Kidd untucks his head in time and crawls away. Eddie gets a headlock but Johnny stretches it into a wristlever. He whips Nipper into the ropes. Nipper rebounds with a sunset flip but leaps too high and Kidd moves to the side, leaving Eddie to take a backdrop-type bump for an 8 count. Capitalising on the impact to the back, Johnny puts Eddie in an over the shoulder backbreaker but Eddie forces the grip open, lands feet first and rebounds with what looks like a bodycheck (hard to tell as the cameras change at just the crucial moment.) Both men are floored. They get up, Kidd charges Riley but he throws Kidd who goes over the top rope but lands well and climbs back in. He slips right behind Riley into a side folding press but Nipper scuttles out. They finger Interlock and Kidd rolls backward to make it a crossed finger interlock. Riley switches to one arm of Kidd's, getting a hammerlock, turning his man over and into the mat in the guard and slipping on a headscissors. Kidd turns the scissors upright and easily slides his head out, Kidd just as easily pushes it back in again. So instead Kidd puts a foot on Riley 's crossed feet to push himself fully upright as he uncorks his head. Finger Interlock and Kidd switches from there to abdominal stretch. Riley resists and Kidd switches to a rear double leg takedown just as the bell goes. Round 3. Riley gets a side chancery but Kidd backs into the ropes. Kidd gets a single leg into toe and ankle but Riley snips off and Kidd, to go with the momentum, has to somersault and take a bump. Riley twice whips him off the ropes and both times trips him down with his instep. He delivers a side chancery throw and a vertical splash (like Earthquake but quicker and sharper. It's just too bad John Tenta AFAIK never saw this bout.). Riley gets a headlock but Kidd extracts an arm, whips Riley into the ropes and aims but misses with a dropkick for his rebounding opponent. Riley posts Kidd but this time it's Kidd who takes it sole first, rounds and shoots through the legs (as Riley did in round 2) , gets a double legs takedown but gets spun out again but makes a feet first landing, bounces his man off the ropes, leapfrogs him on the first pass, then Riley goes behind for a folding press but Kidd grabs the legs of Nipper, clamps down in a double leg folding press and gets the one fall required. Aaah, now that's a refresh after all those repetitive throws and firearms of the Schmidt/Bayle Vs Ramirez/Wherle match and the various strength and brawling bouts I've reviewed lately. More interesting detail in those 7min 40secs than in some half hour clips of recent.

This bout confused me the first time I saw it as I was used to Schmidt as a heel from throughout the 70s so I assumed Bayle had gone heel too, especially considering considering the decidedly thuggish looking Blousson Noir he is wearing. In fact the big heavyset boys in red are Les Bons. I should have guessed since Paco was the mechant in 1979 against a young pre Flesh Gordon Gerard Herve. The first hint is when .Les Mechants, especially Paco, refuse a handshake from Daniel and Remy. Ramirez was Spanish but doing a Mexican gimmick with a whip. Where, we learn, had a day job as chauffeur and bodyguard to a French cabinet minister. Ramirez goes for the ropes every time Bayle gets a hold such as a hammerlock on, although this does not generate much crowd heat. Bayle does name amends with a high whip and bump followed by two side chancery throws then tagging Schmidt. Daniel armdrags Paco a few times before slapping on headscissors. He takes a wrist to stop Paco turning and escaping. He even turns the hold into across headscissor to exert more pressure. Ramirez fights back with a legscissor into Indian Death Lock. Wherle tags in. He spins out of Daniel's Boston Crab. But he soon had an armbar on Wherle. He tries a further nelson and shoulder press but one gets a 1. Both men trade armlocks. With Wherele in, this becomes throws. Bayle tries a backslide but only gets 1, then they both tag. Paco whips Schmidt into the ropes and headbutts his ribs on the rebound. Wherle slams Schmidt in an armbar!!! He advanced this to an armscissor. The heavy Schmidt backflips out of an armbar! He tags Bayle who gets a seated rear chinlock on Wherle. Paco runs in the ring and kicks Bayle earning himself a first Avertisement. Where gets up and gets the hold up top wristlock level before armdragging his man back down. Ramirez again interferes, grabbing and stretching Bayle's leg.. No public warning this time. Paco tags in. He has snapmares, guillotine elbowsmashes and more armdrags. He uncovers a corner and posts Remy in it which gets some heat. Paco get a full nelson but Remy powers out, slams and splashes the lighter Paco for a first fall. Paco insists that it was only a 2 and has a long argument with L'Arbitre and the commentator too about this that gets him nowhere. Deuxieme Manche - Paco gets a single leg into a legscissor. He switches briefly to a toehold then back. Bayle chops him in the face which the commentator thinks is a bit much ("ah c'est desagreable, ca!"). Both sides tag and a Manchette war breaks out. Wherle ends up at ringside but comes back to get a legdive into legscissor. Schmidt counters with a chinlock, eventually freeing his legs and advancing his own hold up into a standing side headlock. Wherle Manchettes his way out at the manchette war continues. Schmidt briefly tries a side chancery but the rain of forearms makes him forsake it. Remy tags in and stomps away at Paco until L'Arbitre warns him off. Paco is not happy, pointing and complaining. He gets a snapmare and chinlock on Schmidt, choking him on the ropes. Schmidt throws Paco over the ropes but Paco takes the referee with him. Wherle in the ring gets a grovit on Bayle who Manchettes his way out. Bayle ends up in the heels corner where Paco stretches his ears like British blue eyes often did to Mick McManus. Both sides tag and there are more Manchettes. Paco is ties in the ropes and horizontally splashed by both Bons. Schmidt slingshots Wherle into the top rope. Les Bons use him to ram the still tied up Paco. Finally Schmidt cross buttock throws and presses Wherle for the second straight fall and the 2-0 win with Paco STILL in the ropes. He complains even more, accusing the fans of being racist (shades of "Scottish" Marc O Connor's "Is this the French rules?" Speech in 1977.) but to no avail. The first two thirds are a strength rather than skill contest, after that it becomes a brawl. 1980s Remy Bayle reminds me a lot of 1980s Mick McMichael Of Doncaster even if it's just the stockier figure.

And is that the same Achim Chall Vs Caswell Martin bout as this one?

Where can we (I) go see these?

FAO all those who said 22:30h was a lousy timeslot (even if it WAS on A2 directly before the main evening news without a commercial break in between). Some horror stories from the American territories:

Short bout, only one fall and we join it in round 3. Bond looks like he is doing something untowards but the audience aren't too bothered. Steele tries an over the shoulder arm lever (should have tried over head with a taller man like Bond) and a hammerlock, but Bond easily rolls off then rides Steele to the mat in a hammerlock of his own. Steele gets Bond in a fireman's carry then places him in the corner. Steele gets a side chancery but the bell goes before he can do anything about it. Round 4 - Steele gets a legdive into leglock.He does some weakeners on it, then starts over after getting a leg from Bond but being unable to progress it further. Bond gets a side chancery. Steele untwists to am armbar then a side chancery of his own. He switches to a posting but Bond reverses it. After headbutting Bond's ribs but coming off the worst for it, he tries a flying bodypress and gets slammed by Bond. But Steele catches Bond with a ground dropkick. Bond returns the favour on Steele. Steele catches Bond coming off the ropes and nails him with a forearm smash. On the next rebound Bond gets a leg dive but Steele gets the reverse waistlock looking to progress to a piledriver but not getting it. Stalemate, reset. Steele gets a posting for a 7 count. He then slams and cross presses Bond for the one fall required. The two shake hands. Another heavyweight bout but better than Zarak Vs Siki or Eagle Vs Bayle on the French thread or even Dieter Sr versus Bull Power on the German thread. It's a pity it was just the final stages, the early rounds were probably really fine and technical.

Official video. Dignitaries include Owen Hart. Also check out Stax doing Opera.

This was the follow-up match You know the Daddy tag formula by now. Zuppi gets unmasked at the end but covers his face to hide that it's former referee Martin Warren. Unable to see due to this. a referee actually has to guide him to the exit. Kate gets the Daddy treatment. Wilkie is a lot less interesting than Kamikaze. Johnny Kidd steals whatever show there is - including a fabulous rolling press on Wilkie for the second straight fall, but he doesn't have a fantastic foil like he had in Kamikaze in the earlier bout. Zuppi would get some more of the same as one of Dai Dihyrin on Reslo on S4C. Good Northern insult by Daddy to Kate at the end "Get back to where ye come from! Get on yer way"

Two matches in under 25min. The room might be a bit bigger than it looks, we are facing a narrow wedge backing onto a wall opposite the hardcam. Later the camera turns and we see a bigger gymnasium with indoor soccer goals and dirty dark green wall panels held with metal joists. We start with Siki, the French JYD against the hated Batman turned villain. Sik in the corner side chancery throws Zarak and chops him while holding him underhook. He gets up and delivers an armbar taken over the head then splashed on. He has one arm, secures the other and turns the masked man into a further nelson fortdo lots of 2. Zarak drops an elbow somewhere dubious to get the break. He stands and floors Siki with a Manchette and kneelift. Zarak pummels Siki on the ropes and gets an Avertisement.He gets a grovit, rear snapmare, body check, runs over the top of Siki but then Siki leapfrogs him and gets a dropkick. Zarak gets a headbutt, posting and long Suplex. He crosspresses for two but Zarak kicks out. Zarak regains his heat with chops and a knee. It's a bit of a brawl til Siki gets a snapmare and upper surfboards He has a go at the mask but the ref pulls him off.bythe ears. Zarak regains control with a snapmare and kneedrop. Zarak kicks his way out of an arm lock. He has Siki on the ropes. Siki fights back but soon has his man in the corner. The referee again tries to restrain Siki and Zarak again let's rip with offence of his own. Siki headbutts Zarak who stays down for 7. Siki has a double top wristlock. He undies it and shakes Zarak s arm as an arm weakener. Zarak gets a front grovit. Siki fist-heels Zarak in the ribs. It's turning into a boxing match and the referee doesn't like it. Zarak dodges a legdive and corners Siki, pounding on his back. The ref earns him off and they brawl a bit until Siki gets an armbar and smashes the masked man down. He stomps him on the mat and traps him on the mat by the ropes. They brawl on. Siki gets the snapmare and chinlock. He has the mask strings undone. Referee pulls him off. Zarak gets a slam and crosspress for the one required fall. Very OJ friendly brawl . Few good moves other than some good rear snapmares. Simple heavyweight strength fight - streetwise Bon Vs Masked Mechant. Junkyard Dog Vs Masked Superstar for Euro TV. Golden Eagle comes in. gives his brother Man Of Mystery a big hug. They will be partying tonight about this one at the parts unknown Masked Ball. Eagle has a red cape and looks like a heel Mil Mascaras. Or a solitary solo Falcon d'Or. A very potbellied Remy Bayle comes in in a white sweater. I struggle to recall what he looked like young in the bouts above, but as I said re Aledo, Flesh Gordon has nothing to be ashamed of. He has a double strap red leotard on underneath. Maybe not so bad, more 1980s Mick McMichael Of Doncaster. Ref, mindful of the last bout, warns Bayle not to mess with the mask. Ring canvas is dark green to match the end wall of the venue. Golden Eagle bodychecks Bayle but gets backdropped, taking quite a bump. They throw each other, Bayle takes it well and rolls upright, Eagle lands messily with a bump. Baylectries another throw but Eagle takes him down with a legdive andv leglock. He switches to armlock. Bayle kips up and tries for a suplex but struggles with the masked man. Eagle gets the slam and resumes the mat armlock. Bayle tries getting up for something in the arm bar but has to roll and bump on the mat. So it's back to the armlock. Eagle counters another Bayle get-up with a concealed kidney punch. And so the hold goes on. Eagle adds a knee to the head. Bayle gets an arm but Eagle gets the ropes forcing a break. Eagle gets a standing full nelson. Bayle flexes his way out. They have a finger Interlock into top wristlock which Bayle clumsily throws of. Eagle gets another armbar. Bayle gets to the ropes and flings him off. Eagle whips Bayle to the ropes and chops him on the rebound. His kicks to the fallen Bayle do little except interrupt the KO country. More chops and attacks in the corner see L'Arbitre pull him off. He manchettes and pressure points his man back to the corner and the ref orders him off again. Bayle gets a manchette of his own BT misses with a second and Eagle takes him down with a second. This becomes a more respectable front headlock. Bayle gets his man in a Fireman's carry. The ref tries to stop him pitching the Eagle to ringside and ends up pushing them both down with Eagle on top in a cross press. And so back to the headlock. Bayle elbows and Manchettes his way out. Eagle corners him and goes back to work on the fouls . Another telling off from Monsieur L'Arbitre. Eagle is very cocky, swaggering around, pointing up That's The Way To Do It, inciting heat with this. He gets a rear snapmare and pressure points, almost a choke. He stomps Bayle, chokes him on the ropes. Bayle rear snapmares Eagle over the ropes to ringside, nearly taking the ref with him but Eagle lands on his feet. He stomps back in to a manchette, kneelift and cornering of his own from Bayle. Bayle also gets a snapmare and chinlock but hecalsongets the Avertisement that surely Eagle deserved? Annoyed, he starts to unlace the mask. Eagle steps out to the ring apron but is snapmared back. The crowd are chanting for LavKagoule and Baylectries to oblige but L'Arbitre tries to pulls him off. By the time the ref gets Bayle off. Eagle is in the corner, mask half mast. Nonetheless he comes right back with another standing full nelson. then slams his head in the corner, then an uncovered second corner. Eagle continues work as a second puts the corner pad back (dangerous work especially when a crazed villain wants it uncovered.) L'Arbitre again tells off Eagle who wanders off ignoring it like an insolent schoolboy, then gets another full nelson. Bayle breaks the hold, slams Eagle's head in the corner and generally bashed him a.round. He gets double legs into a slingshot into the corner and goes back to work on La Kagoule and gets it off! A balding dark haired man tries to cover his face as Bayle tries to stop L'Arbitre grabbing the mask back. The ref eventually snatched it and puts it on Eagle who has Benn crouching down in the standard position for unmasked masked wrestlers in France waiting for L'Arbitre to remark them. He posts and bea.ts on Bayle but Bayle posts him and manchettes and posts him again. Eagle gets a kidney punch but misses a charge into the ropes and is sprung back on the mat where Bayle splashes and pins him to win. Eagle protests, Bayle celebrates and so does some Mec in the crowd in a traditional French stripy shirt (no beret or necktie mercifully.) And then comes the evening news. Two people have been arrested on terrorism charges. Probably that pesky Action Direct. This was the better of the two bouts with a bit more variety to it. Neither were technical classics. They were strength heavyweight slug and punch bouts. Germany would have loved them.

One of the two OAPs "Only One Shooter Here" Dieter Senior has a short OJ-friendly brawl with the future Vader, only months after he was the squeaky clean Babyface Bull in the AWA that was tipped to threaten Stan Hansen (before Bocky got Verne from the office to hand it to him on a silver platter. A few minutes of slug and punch, throwing each other over the top rope, ringside brawl obstructed by the crowd and Leon chairs hitting Axel to get a First Yellow card then Axel low blowing Bull Power to get a summary red card. At least the picture quality is better than the 1980 videos - hi gen source from near to ringside spoiled only by spectators getting up to watch the ringside brawl.

From the same Graz 1980 tournament. No identity issues here. Music is Leader .of The Gang by a notorious sex offender. Rene as ever in the black and gold jacket. They lock up. They break off. Lock up and end up on the ropes. Bobby headbutts Rene. and throws him outside. Rene tries for a pin but gets two. He pounds on Bobby, gets a heädlock. Another lockup Bobbyy turns bad for Rene, Bobby gets p in a triable sleeperhold. Plenty of Rene cstruttng his stuff around. Rene is back on the attack, pounding Bobby. Rene is powering Rene dominating Bobby. Bobby takes control. Threatens to Fireman's carry thé We get some crowd shots. Gaetano punches and heaves Rene out. A round bee Bobby finishes big Rene with a missile dropkick. Lots of stuff is chopped. Rene tombstones Bobby for thecwin. Hard work to watch. Not so bad as the tag bout though. Even some wrestling skill at play

Well look, as far as we know there were no masked Kamikazes in Germany/Austria so we just have to make do. Villains versus OAPs - happens all the time in the mean streets. The OAPs are Achim Chall plus the man Orig Williams claimed to be Mile Zrno's trainer Charlie Verhulst. The Villains are hardy perennial of Teutonic Heeling Klaus Kauroff plus one Do Johnny El Corso who we last saw being ritually flogged by Roland Bock some time in the mid to late 70s. Sadly this is one of those very shaky July 1980 Graz camcordings. Almost as worn out as Achim and Charley. They both look like Verne Gagne on a bad day so excuse me for not telling them apart. An OAP takes a kicking then gets one back from first Kauroff the El Corso. An OAP gets double teamed by the villains in their corner. The crowd gives the bird like a badly tuned radio. The referee gets knocked down. The villains nurse him back to health. They then ask him to DQ the OAPs or Something. It all grinds to a halt Kauroff holds an OAP while Corso forearm smashes him. They try it with the other OAP who dropkicks Corso, shrugs off and rear dropkicks Kauroff and hot tags the other OAP who goes on a dropkicking spree.Both villains end up at ringside. An OAP escapes a Corso headlock and takes him down into a Hammerlock on the mat. He gets up and Bionic Elbows Corso. He snapmares and spin stamps Kauroff. An OAP pounds Corso on the mat. The villains double team him. El Corso is upside down in the corner Tree Of Woe style and the other three are brawling. Someone is DQ'd but I'm not sure who. End of clip. Well I tried .