David Mantell

Found this last week after watching Hurst Vs Hayward. A technical clinic although obviously the finish was not OJ's cup of tea. (My recommendation for best Caswell bout is Vs Marty Jones at the Royal Albert Hall - I think we've covered that one on here in the past.) This was taped at what in later life became a local venue of mine, the Royal Spa Centre in Leamington. All Star still ran shows here into the late 2010s and I've definitely posted at least one tag match from spring 2010 on here. The headline bout for both the taping and that week's screening was Big Daddy and Young David defeating The South London Hardmen (Mick McManus and Steve Logan MK1), a match Davey Boy Smith later claimed as an early landmark in his career. We join the action where WOS viewers presumably did, with no score at the start of ... Round 3. Hurst gets three side chanceries but Hurst is up each time at 3. He goes for a fourth but Martin gets on a side headlock then slips round behind to make it a standing hammerlock Cas then trip him forward into the mount and secure a double leg nelson. He goes to bridge back but Hurst secures a bodyscissors then turns onto his front to use the scissors to hold Martin in a folding press for 3. Hurst gets the opening pin. 1-0 to Lenny. Round 4 . Fresh off.scoring, Hurst rolls right up to Cas but it shoved down for 6. Hurst gets a single standing right ankle but Martin cartwheels out much the same as H3 might to untwist an armbar. Beautiful execution and it gets a round of applause so Hurst tries again and gets the same escape from Cas and the same crowd reaction. They double interlock and Cas puts his boot up on Hurst's chin and hammers his knee, driving the leg in and getting 7. Even Kent admits it's "a new one"Hurst can use his legs too, after sidestepping a lo kip he fires off a dropkick and dives on the fallen Martin all in one move for a front folding press but this time it's Cas who locks on a bodyscissors, bridging to hold Hurst in a kneeling position. Hurst counters by getting an underhook and standing up in the scissors. He reaches in for a crotch old and gets a body slam on Martin for 4. Hurst gets a toe and ankle in a kneeling position, Martin again twice tries to use his legs as a peg to shove Hurst away but this time to no effect. A third time he shoves Hurst off and into the ropes but Hurst cartwheels away to avoid rebounding into something nasty. Another double interlock and Hurst leans back and slaps on a crossed headscissors, possibly looking for a to7pibut Martin folds one leg to make a standing figure four leglock, holding the toe of the top foot down with his own floor and the straight underneath leg up by the heel. In return, Hurst pulls out Martin's own leg so he collapses sitting, then applies a leg spread. Cas can do the splits fine, butit does forc3 him to drop his leglock. Stalemate,. They double interlock and hit the ropes so Martin backrolls out of trouble. Another double interlock and Martin gets a fireman's carry, gorilla press and stomach breaker. He gets a 9 count - almost a knockout - and a single right leg but Hurst is on the ropes. Break. Hurst is still selling the stomachbreaker but he himself buts Martin in the stomach for 3, shoves him down for 2 and gets a backslide for 1 before Martin headstands out - a novel escape from a backslide if ever I saw one! Hurst gets a single interlock , twists on it to make a top wristlock and drags Cas down into a guard armlock but Martin rolls with the takedown so his legs pop up and clamp a headscissors on Hurst. Then he drags him down in the figure four headscissors and cranks forward with Hurst sell8ng the pain before dropping down. The bell saves Hurst. Round 5.- Martin reaches in and takes a single leg, (risking a front facelock there, it has to be said). Hurst counters with a one legged monkey climb but Martin lands feet first. Hurst gets two side chanceries for 2 each and a cross buttock throw for 3. They cross cross and Martin goes over with a leapfrog, under with a drop down and then he gets the trip into a reverse double leg nelson into folding press with a bridge he tried for in round 3 - and this time he gets the fall! 1-1 the score. Martin exuberantly backrolls out and the two shake hands again . Round 6 - they lock up and Martin gets a cross buttock throw into the guard and then switches to an ankle and putting it through several weakeners culminating in a bodily drop down on the crossed legs. Hurst is nearly KOd but makes it up after 8. Martin is clearly still after the legs. He gets a legdive but Hurst turns him into the ropes forcing a break. Hurst gets an arm, twists it good and then does a high forward whip forcing Cas to bump. and take a 7 count. A second go gets 6. Martin gets a rear waistlock but Hurst uses his own wristlock to break it open, sling Cas into the ropes and mett him with a bodycheck on the rebound. A second time H3 is caught and slammed but catches Cas with a quick ground dropkick before Martin can get upright. Martin kips up quickly though and leaps over Hurst into a sunset flip with Hurst again doing "Aloha Arn" as he goes down into a double leg nelson He is up quickly (as the ref trips on the ropes!) but spun off with a headscissors by Cas - almost a toupie - and not up until 8. He is soon back, dropping for a legdive into seated double anklelock. He leans back a bit too far as Martin tries various crossface and chi holds on him but holds firm on the leg until Martin uses his own other leg to pull Hurst off momentarily but he soon gets the hold back and Martin is reduced to th3 chin attacks. They are enough of a nuisance that Hurst finishes up with a mighty standing dropping leg weakener for 7. Both men legdive each other to form a standing H. Stalemate and so is a simultaneous legdive/arm taken. Hurst gets a dropkick and double legs and tries for a Boston Crab. But he can't get his man turned over and Cas goes up on his head. For a moment it looks like a toupie until Martin crawl on through Hurst's legs and huaracanranas him over then hooks booth legs as Hurst rolls back, for a rear folding press but Hurst bascules it into a front double leg Nelson. Martin tries a folding press but is spun off out of the ring onto the apron. They shake hands. Martin gets a side chancery throw and legdrop of doom for 8, another side chancery throw and walk over for 7. Hurst gets a rear snapmare and twisting stomp for 7 also. The two get locked up in a corner, the ref tells them to break and on top of all else the bell goes. This makes Hurst back off and the two shake hands. Round 7 -Hurst gets a wristlever, drives a knee in, forces a bump on a turn over knee height and rolls back and forth each way, delivering two legdrops to the bicep, scissoring the wrist and turning it into a guard top wrist scissors. He switches to basic wristlock as Hurst gets up, tries a headbutt but comes off the worst. Hurst gets a wrist, is thrown to the ropes but rebounds with a bodycheck. Martin kips up and takes his man down to the mount in a back hammerlock, turning him into seated and kneeling positions before making it a bar-hammerlock, still in the mount. Hurst tries to get up but Martin tightens the angle on the hammerlock. So Hurst tries the French Catch style reverse snapmare and goes over backwards - over the ropes to ringside, landing badly. Martin, the referee, MC Brian Crabtree and some St John's Ambulance personnel go to help but the contest is over. Cas is offered the TKO win but sportingly refuses. In consideration of the two falls, the ref calls it a 1-1 draw, not a no contest. Five good rounds of agile inventive athletic technical wrestling with two sophisticated and beautifully executed pinfalls. What more can you wish for on a Saturday? The first two rounds perhaps.

The Borgs were wrestling in London the day I was born 21st March 1974. I have a copy of the Evening News for that evening with the bill advertised.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telesaar There you go. Another private sector competitor to (O)RTF operating from just across the border, screening Le Catch, the one hit French TV show of which they can make their own version. Interesting no one set one of these operations up from the Channel Islands. Although of course viewers in some parts of France would have been able to watch World Of Sport and other ITV Wrestling, albeit only in b/w, 1969-1988 from either the Channel or Southern/TVS ITV regions, (likewise British viewers in parts of Kent with a new fangled 625 line BBC2-ready set might have been able to watch Le Catch on 2eme Chaine/A2 right from the start, TF1 from 1976 and FR3 from 1982 albeit also with no colour)

Sounds like a familiar situation. Presumably broadcasting from just outside the country to compete with (O)RTF while not being covered by French government regulations.

Kidd cheekily getting un Manchette out of a sportsmanly handshake (we saw some else do this more recently.) Andre doe.a Mike Marino spinning corkscrew escape from a headlock. A pity it degenerates into what Kent Walton would call a forearm smashing contest. Andre clearly the heel, ambushing Kidd and stomping him in the ropes and out the ring. Kidd returning fire with Manchettes Quite a substantial afterbirth with Andre getting a leglock on Kidd who just reversed it on the mat.

Some more Kidd. A battle of the folding press (Guy) Vs the double leg underhook submission (Kidd, operating on his back 23 years before the Jack Mulligan match!). Falling sideways from a seemingly blown side chancery into a bodyscissors. Kidd uses the bodyscissors perfectly, to manipulate Guy around. The hammerlock held by the legs by Guy which gets him the winning submission and a trophy.

Weekend comes early for Trad Euro Wrestling fans: I could be wrong but I'm guessing George is the black trunks. Beautiful counter to the high arm whip early on, turning round on the roll and clamping down on the attacker's wrist (it's not quite a wrist scissor because the legs are aligned, not crossed.). You can see the origins of both the British roll on the mat and the French back somersault off a top wristlock as they exchange control. Black trunks vaults nicely over after turning into the mount from a guard wristlock. The reverse fireman carry backbreaker (aka the Lex Luger Torture Rack) and a nice escape into a backslide for the opening fall. The SURFBOARD equaliser! The rest waistlock into rear double legs into another surfboard to almost make it 2-1 there- and the collapsing it in just the right direction for a folding press 2-1 Magic stuff from two all time great World Lightweight championship claimants.

Nine months earlier in September 1973, Angelito is back on TV. His first bout back in 1971 saw him self unmask midway through defeating Jacky Richard and that's the way he is here, receding but not yet shaven headed. That match was overseen by Babette Carole, ex catcheurs turned Madame L'Arbitre. And guess what? Two years later, she's also back! We JIP as the la Première Manche is in progress, introduced by the biker jacketed commentator as a middle aged female fan in a summer blouse looks lecherously at him. In the ring, the heels have heat, one stomping away on a fallen Bon, the other with a US Blackjack Mulligan moustache, on the ring apron. Angelito, for the Bon is he, does not long accept this treatment before com8nh up with a rear hammerlock, ducking to avoid rear snapmare attempts. El Alami, the other Bon, is a clean cut Moroccan kid, possibly a TBW, politely waiting his turn - for now - on the apron. He tags in and goes to word with Manchettes on the longer haired Guy (butch moustache is Roux). Guy fires back so Amir slips in a headbutt. The big cowboy Roux tags in. Amir does the quick armbar to hammerlock to rear legdive to drop toehold c9mboused by everyone from Flesh Gordon to Samm6 Lee. He clamps down on an armlock as Roux thrashes. When Roux backrolls he iwas forced to be hard-whipped back with a bump. Roux tried a front chancery but Alami slams him down. With the armlock on, Alami whips Roux around, slams him in the mat and still in th3vguard armlock. Roux tries the old Vic Faulkner distraction tactic but Alami fires back. Both sides tag, Angelito gets a hammerlock. Soon Roux has one on Angelito. Angelito gets a reverse snapmare on a hammerlock. Les méchants get some double teams in. The crowd give Babbette some Aux Chiottes chants. She eventuality gives the heels a beating. A confused Guy attacks a ringside second. Babbette tortures opponents by tugging their beards. Angelito gets a similar reverse snapmare to earlier my comments. Eventually Roux slams Angelito for the first fall. Deuxième Manche Guy is choking Angelito out.The heels double team him. The crowds abuse Babette until she beats up Les Méchants Alami doles them out with Manchette. Babette gets knocked down, she blames Guy and gives him a Planchette Japonaise. Méchants continue to get a hard time from Bons. Babette and each other inadvertently. Angelito snapmares Roux several time, Roux leapfrogs Angelito but winds up taking a dropkick. Commentator bizzarely claims Angelito is l'Ange Blanc's son! Angelito bars one arm of Guy's and stamps the hand of the other. He high whips and bumps Guy then tags Alami. Guy Alami around has the advantage throwing He handstands out,gets his own side chinlock. He gets a flying bulldog on by headscissor combo . All four men are in with Bons doing 2 on 2 unto the méchants. Babette gives EVERYONE un Avertisement. The heels try to double team Alami but Babette won't stand for it. Still the heels manage to work over El Alami'. Angelito tags in and neither heel wants to face him. The heels fight after Roux enters the ring - he think it's on purpose by Guy . They settle up . Roux gets idirty on the mat. So doesGuy. Angelito ends up at ringside bu6 female fans cmofo for5 him. Heels work him over. He does trick Roux into straight-arming his own partner Guy thinking it was Angelito after Guy sought help, unable to perform the straight arm himself. Angelito gets an armdrag, legdive and weakener on Guy then tags Alami and each man works a leg. Guy is eventually slingshot into Roux. Alami gets some great Scisseaux Volees on Guy, the last sending him ringside. When he gets back, Alami armdrags him down for a crossface equaliser. La Belle (Parce-ce-qu'il y avait Eu,). El Alami' gets a Manchette on Guy. He and Roux exchange fire and end up deep in the crowd. Guy ends up being thrown back to Angelito who continues the treatment in the ring. The bons both get good throws in. Heels double team Angelito Bons try out various complex pins some of which Babette doesn't like the look of until Angelito flying bodypresses Roux for the pin. Babette throws Roux out by the moustache. Afterbirth. Babette talks to camera about how sad it is that dirty wrestling continues. "La combat continue" and she has to pull them all apart Tightly packed acto into a short half hour including plenty of good science. Not a masterpiece but better than some recent ones.

More from 1983 Recklinghausen. This time heel afrokid Indio tries it on with Gunther's previous opponent Dave Morgan, a month before his match as Die Maschke Vs Steve Wright in Bamberg. Again we get a lot of into before the actual bout. We do have a commentator but he's in German. Runde 1: Indio gets a side chancery and eventual throw. Then a s3econd one. He gets a hammerlock into hiptoss but Morgan hits back with a ground dropkick. Dave gets a headlock, Indio tries atomic dropping him but can't get the lift an ends up thrown into a side headlock on the mat. Indio stands, throws Dave off, resists a bodycheck but it armdragged down twice He gets a legdive but is spun off for 6 . They lock up and Indio gets armbars in the guard. Morgan kips up but is dragged down until he gets a French style headscissor takedown. He tries a crosspress but is thrown on top of the ref. Dave and the ref shake hands. End of Runde. Runde 2. Indio gets a single leg folding press and some 1s. Morgan toupies him off. They exchange forearms. Dave leans back from a double interlock to get a double ankle smash. And forearm for t. Indio gets forearms. And a side backdrop but is flipped out of the ring. He uses a hair pull to reel Dave back into a headlock from two top wristlocks. Dave gets a front facelock and cartwheels off when Indio brreks it. Indio gets an armdrag into guard armlock. Dave uses the ref's shoulder to cartwheel out of the hold and gets an armhank. Cut to Indio furearming Dave to the mat. He bodychecks Dave but is cross buttocked and crosspressed for 2. Dave gets an armbar and boot to the stomach. He lunges and rear snapmares for 2. Indio gets nasty and stomps as the bell goes. Runde 3. Indio still doing the dirties, mostly in a corner. He eventually gets a respectable snapmare and the one follow up stomp the rules allow. He throws out Dave giving him a boot on the way out,. Runde 4 TBC Indio still pounding and fouling. Dave tries throwing him out. Cut to him flooring Dave and stomping. Dave fights back with dropkicks and flying head scissors and some pounding of his own. He ties Indio in the ropes, who stays ther3 between rundes. Runde 5 More of the same brawl n dirty from>Indio including headbutts. Dave gets a flying forearm and crosspress for for 2. He hooks the rope to stop a rebound and gets a sidewards folding press for the 3. A few Curate's Egg technical parts in this brawl. Probably brought to the mix by Dave.

Another good example of how many undercard bouts could be technical dark horses. Hayward is the former Commonwealth Games bronze medallist turned professional European Middleweight champion, quite outside the range of what the North American wrestling industry would consider hirable (a stint in Stampede notwithstanding). Here he has a veteran technician with whom to put on his scientific exhibition. Unlike such lighter or less experienced opponents as Tim Fitzmaurice where Keith's effortless superiority made crowds politely root for the opponent, Hurst is too experienced to get the sympathy vote. We join the action in round 4 . Hayward gets an arm weakener out of a one sided lockup. Hurst converts a double interlock into backdrop(putting his own head in an underhook to get it) into crosspress for a couple of 1s. Interestingly curling 1 leg to get extra downwards pressure. Hayward in the guard turns himself upright and gets an armbar in the process! He folds the arm into a hammerlock and hooks the other arm to turn Hurst into a crosspress, but his feet hit the ropes forcing a break. They are up and Lenny gets an underhook but Hayward pulls it straight and gets a weakener, (the second time he has done this in the bout instead of force a high whip plus bump . ) Lenny sells the pain, staying down for 6. Keith moves from single interlock to armbars to legdive. Hurst gets a retaliatory wrist lever. Hayward eventually re)eases the leg when Hurst figure four scissors the arm but instead lifts Hurst and places him on the top turnbuckle. They shake hands. Both men get a legdive - stalemate. A second try results in the same. Hurst gets a side chancery off a double Interlock and throws Hayward who rolls upright neatly. Hurst gets the same sid3e chancery throw but Keith takes it equally beautifully. Hurst gets a side headlock on Keith who makes it into a top wristlock and another armbar weakener. The bell goes as Hurst gropes for a leg. Round 5 starts with Hurst getting a side chancery off collar and elbow, getting the throw after some resistance. A second side chancery throw is more easily gained, even earning a 2 count. A third time Hayward stays down in a seated position and Hurst vertically splashes the back of his neck for a four count. He converts a fourth one into a kneelift.for another 4. A fifth side chancery throw and a standing full nelson ensue as Kent Walton wonders what has happened to the usually speedy Keith. Kent quickly gets his answer as Keith reverses the hold, slips down into a rear waistlock and gets his trademark German suplex finisher out of nowhere for the pin! Keith is 1-0 up. Round 6 and Hurst gets a wristlever from a collar and elbow. getting two twists and a long forward whip and bump. Any further and it would have been a posting! He gets the near posting whip again, getting even for the round 4 arm weakeners? Hayward is up at 4 but caught in a Hurst abdominal stretch, sideways on. Hayward won't submit so Hurst drives in a knee and gets another arm weakener before releasing. Hayward is up at 4 straight into another side chancery throw. Hurst whips Hayward into the ropes, misses a rear elbowsmash and gets hit with a flying tackle, but rolls over backwards as he goes down until Hurst has the cross press and an equalising pin! This finish is worth entry money in itself - a properly done version of what Wendi Richter and Leilani Kai BUNGLED at WM1. Round 7. Hurst gets a single leg off a single interlockbut Hayward leans forward, seemingly to get an inverted rear waistlock to start his trademark suplex. However the camera cuts to reveal Keith has reached all the way over and got a toehold. Stalemate and they start over. Hurst gets double legs and a lift but Hayward goes over into a sunset flip and double leg nelson attempt for 2 with Hurst giving it some SERIOUS "Aloha Arn" as he goes down. Hurst turns over and gets a high folding press for 1 but Hayward kicks out, himself getting a 6 count on Hurst. They single Interlock and this time it's Hurst who goes behind for the rear waistlock He takes Hayward down in the mount rather than attempt his opponent's speciality bridge ecsuple (I believe a relic of Hayward 's Olympic GR days.). Hayward easily twists out and gets a front chancery (allowed as Hurst is trying for a legdive on the mat.). but Hurst. Straightens the arm. Hayward briefly connects with the inverted rear waistlock - but can't get the weight for a suplex and Hurst regains armlock control with his man behind. He straightens the arm to a more conventional armbar shape Hayward does the traditional British rolloff and comes up with a sharp forearm smash. Hayward gets a double legs into folding press for 1, straight arm pres for another 1. Hurst bridges. They roll over and over with Hayward bodyscissoring his man. Both get long arm press attempts as they go on top. Hurst converts from bodyscissors to headscissors but Hayward uses the headstand escape. He lands in position to get a Gotch figure four toehold and augment it to make a simple cross surfboard. Hurst tips i5 over and lands on his knees. Hayward still hangs onto the crossface until the bell goes Round 8, the final and Hurst gets a dropkick, snapmare and twisting nose stomp. He gets an armbar into hammerlock from a collar and elbow but Hayward spins to untwist, single leg diving his man on the go and getting a single toehold, leg weakener and 5 count but is too hasty following in with another legdive and privately warned by the ref (the first such occurrence of the bout). who demands a start over. Hurst turns horizontally on a high Interlock to pull down an armbar and make another hammerlock. Hayward reaches back and tries for a rear snapmare but Hurst resists so instead Hayward reverse snapmares back over French Catch style and both men fire dropkicks, bumping heavily and both up at 9. Hurst gets a vigorous headbutt from above. Hurst gets another dropkick, Hayward a running elbowsmash, forearm and dropkick. The science seems to be fading in the final scramble for a decider, but it soon picks up again. Hurst can only get a 1 count from a crotch hold, slam and crosspress. Both men go down from a bodycheck for 8, a Hayward dropkick gets 5, a Hurst backslide gets 2 (after slipping grip on one arm first time - possibly a botch). as does a Hayward sunset flip into double leg Nelson. A Hurst side folding press hits the ropes and Runs Out Of Mat. Hurst tries leaning back from a full Interlock into a cross scissor toupie but as he locks on the feet and hand stands up, the bell finally goes 1-1 draw. Hayward looks a bit put out as a Hurst reaches for his water bottle then the Advert Break strikes, but one hopes it ended in handshakes. Several of Keith's exhibition victories including the Tim Fitzmaurice one saw Kent afterwards ponder what if Hayward faced a more experienced or heavier man. Here he gets one and doesn't get it all his own way but still,acquits himself well, getting at least 1 of 2 of his trademark bridging suplex pins. A fine technical match except for one short scramble in the final round. ,

Summer 1974, just months before the INA was formed and started taping Channel 2s colour bouts, of which this may have been one. This one starts JIP like Myers-Apollon on the British thread. Montreal has the muscles, Freddie M is the old guy. Take it from there. That's le Bon beating on Le Méchant with manchetes. Marcel tags Jean Pierre Le Compte, not to be confused with the Viscompte, Joel de Fremery. He has a moustache so easy to identify. Caclard we've seen before as a ratty little heel in patterned trunks. Reminded me of Buff Bagwell near the end of WCW. Helped turn Albert Sanniez méchant. He takes over on JP. Magnier is in and has arguments with the big tough L'Arbitre. Talking of hard nosed L'Arbitre, Delaporte has access to the commentators desk much like Mick McManus would do on ITV sometime Montreal has a side headlock on Magnier and a side headlok later on Caclard He slams and dropkicks Fred out of the ring. Les Méchants have JP cornered but L'Arbitre is of those tough Martial/Delaporte/Max Ward/Gorilla Monsoon type refs and himself pounds the heels on the ropes. It goes on like this until the heels win a fall, Magnier over JP. It seems clean enough - a crosspress in the middle of a forest of manchettes -but the crowd thinks it's a ripoff and so do the announcer and Montréal La Belle (match was 1:0 at the start says the commentator.). Heels pound on JP so e more, Caclard gets an Avertisement. Montreal gets the hot tag. He manchettes Magnier to oblivion then grabs Caclard and does him the same plus bearhugs him a good long while then switches to bodyscissors. Caclard does briefly get some in attempts in the bodyscissors. The two roll into the ropes. Marcel Montreal slams Caclard around then tags JP who continues the treatment, even giving him the old Ah Ouais bodyscissors atomic drop treatment with Montreal doing it to Magnier. JP and Caclard do finally dish up a minute or two of technical work, snapmaring and headscissoring and scissorthrowing and Gotch toe holding each other plus even the odd crawl through each others legs until Magnier comes in and it goes back to him pounding on JP. Marcel tags back and gets Magnier in an aeroplane spin, wiping out Caclard, slamming and splashing Magnier and getting the 2-1 win. Apart from that one little JP Vs Caclard bit at the 19 minute mark, it was all very slug and punch. Perhaps the science took place before the cameras started .Otherwise lightweight fun like 1983 Gunther & Gaetano vs Indio and Harris bout on the German thread.

You've got these two badly confused. Wagner is the taller German, and Dave Morgan is the shorter Brit, who notably spent a lot of time as a globe trotter and eventually settled in Germany. Wagners reputation as a worker really wasn't very good. Okay, here we go with 1983 this time. I've got the correct one for Gunther. Curly lighter hair, tall. gold trunks. Teaming with Bobby Gaetano and behaving himself to face John "Judd"/"Gunboat" Harris, a Brit like Morgan and Indio Guajaro, Germany's answer to France's Black Shadow. There's quite a bit of stop and start title sequence added years later before the bout commences. (Ther3 ar3 also so e odd voiceovers I don't understand.) When it does get going it's pretty much your typical fun 'n family friendly German tag match. The two big men start with Harris getting the early advantage with a mix of strength and dirty moves . Indio continues the trestment then Harris is back with a legdive and leglock. Th3 heels double cream Gold Gunther but a high energy Gaetano gets the hot tag, Ali shuffling, snapmaring Indio, leapfrogging Harris so H3 bodychecks the ropes and falls over for 6, Indio takes back the heat with a snapmare into some illegal stomps on the fallen Bobby, then Harris gets to forearm smashing, illegal choking work. Gaetano gets a hope spot cartwheeling out of an Indio cross buttock, leapfrogging to behind his man and scoring with some dropkicks and a chinlock.He eventually ties up both heels in the ropes and he and Gunther do all, the old battering ram spots to the baddies. By the time this is done we are 2/3 of the way through this clip. Gunther gets cornered by Harris a d the heels double team to get back their heat till Harris gets a pin on Gunther. Second fall, Gaetano tags in bu5 things still go the heels' way until Gaetano goes on a dropkicking rally, finding Harris to ringside and flying tackles Indio down for a cross press equaliser to make it 1-1. At this point things wrap up quick - between falls the two heels attack Gaetano and the referee forcing a DQ. They beat on until Gunthre comes to the rescue. Fun but lightweight compared to Myers-Apollon on the British thread.. TBC

Back in Myers' pre Iron Fist days when he wore the Union Jack trunks, he was quite the purist-friendly technician and much of that carried over into Clive's Iron Fist days so I don't see why this would be a styles clash at all. Apollon was trained by Lee Bronson who himself was trained by Wayne Bridges and was the son of 40s/50s star Norman "the Butcher " Ansell. He is however no relation to "Golden Apollon" Richie Brooks, at this point a couple of years away from turning pro. We JIP at the start of Round 3 - the bout being a warm up match, the first two rounds having been scoreless and this being quite a short round. Apollon gets in quick with a snapmare and Legdrop Of Doom for a seven count then gets a posting in. Myers stalls i the corner breaking Apollon's momentum. Myers gets a snapmare into side headlock but Johnny neatly straightens the arm into a wrist lever then switches to another snapmare and twice tries a bodycheck but the first has little impact and on the second, Clive gets in a superkick. And suplexes his man, using his duplexing arm to get the cover (see also Myers and YAMADA Vs Kendo & Rocco from 1987) and the opening fall! Myers leads one-nil. Round 4. Myers is not the only one to have scored that Saturday afternoon. This being the original transmission, the latest football scores pop up and apparently bubble perked legend Kevin Keegan hàs got a goal for Newcastle Utd. Anyway, back to the match. Apollon goes from side chancery to front chancery to suplex and gets three before Myers craftily breaks the count by putting his hands behind his get a rope break with his elbows! Myers gets an arm, teases a Johnny Saint style stepover then forces a high whip and bump. Apollon absorbs it well, taking it on his behind and swivels into a position from which it is eay 6 to spring up. Nice absorption move by John. They single interlock and Myers switches hands to get a wrist lever and deftly develops it I to a back hammerlock then a double wristlock. He armdrags his man in the hold but Runs Out Of Mat as Apollon's legs hit the ropes as he goes over. Break and double interlock . Apollon tries a lean back dropkick but Myers steps back and John crashes. Myers gets collar & elbow into armdrags I to guard armlock but Apollon gets up swiftly and gets an armbar into posting. Myers resists the posting, squatting down like Ken Joyce. Apollon has more jo6 with a snappish monkey climb, but Myers then resists a snapmare attempt. Apollon gets an armbar into ankle lock on the standing Myers. He drops the foot back as Myers seeps to be planning a superkick. (Apparently Apollon had one planted on him in the untelevised Round 1.). Myers tries for a legdive but only gets a shove to the stomach, leaving Apollon down to get a legdive attempt of his own. Apollon gets an arm and tries an armdrag but Myers clamps down to make a long press for 1 . Myers tries a double arm stretch in the guard but Apollon picks them off with his feet in a bicycle motion. Apollon gets a wrist but the bell goes. They shake hands. Kent Walton mentions that Johnny trains at a gym in the Railway Tavern which later became the Bridges pub, home of Southern Wrestlers Reunions for many years. Round 5. Apollon gets a headlock but Myers counters with his backdrop suplex but isn't quite in the right position for another pin. So instead he gets an armscissor and side headlock on, adjusting as Apollon moves. Apollon gets a headscissors and so Myers drops his own holds to fight it. He bridges up and swivels into the front upright position, spreading his man's knees to release his own head with which he butts the legs. Myers gets off a legdive swatting away Apollon's attempt at a topé to spin him off. He switches to crosspress then armbar then an attempted straight arm lift but has to drop Apollon when he threatens a headscissors. So he ends up with just a guard armlock and Apollon aiming kicks at his back. A lockup goes nowhere except Apollon falls on his seat. Again he gets an arm but Myers resists the armdrags attempt that was actually intended. Myers also resists a side chancery throw but goes with an attempt at a long suplex which switches to cross press and slam. They try for some more lockups but the bell goes before anything substantial can happen. Again they shake hands. Round 6 Apollon gets a stomach jab and posting. Myers cartwheels out of a cross buttock throw but is caught by Johnny's dropkick and briefly tied in the ropes like late period Andre or the heel in a continental tag match comedy spot. He quietly untangles himself. Apollon finally gets his armdrag in finishing on a guard armlock. Myers is up and off the ropes but runs into a sharp Apollon elbow. Johnny capitalises with a side chancery (taking advantage of Myers' head not being quite up ) and Harley Race head-drop. then another armdrag into armscissor. He pulhes Myers back and slings him into the ropes but Myers again holds the rope to break momentum. He gets an arm. whip and superkick of his own twice . Myers gets the same suplex attempt converting to powerslam as earlier - practically a Goldberg jackhammer! - and gets the second straight fall with it. Myers the winner 2-0 What I like is how a seemingly inconsequential undercard bout like this can turn into a real clinic of " Human Chess,". Good match in a Territory where such things were common.

It's horses for courses which version was better. Lane/Eaton was better for pure wrestling. Condrey/Eaton were better heels. Lane being genuinely handsome somewhat undermined the idea of a heel team of two plain-looking guys who thought they were God's gift to women. Question - could Condrey/Eaton have done a babyface run like Lane/Eaton did in 1988/1989?

Another clip of Roland Bock from Der Sportliche Held has turned up. This time he's up against Billy Samson. Fans are shown pouring into the venue and giving their comments rather like a similar piece at the Heumarkt in the 60s. We then cut to Billy with Bock in a chinlock, chin against the inner joint. Bock gets Billy up into a Fireman's Carry Takedown and throws him off. They exchange forearm smashes then Samson gets a snapmare and reapplies the chinlock in one movement. Bock seems to be going for another Fireman's Carry. aiming at Samson's ankle, but the Runde ends there (with a whistle, not a ball.). Cut to Samson getting a legdive into leglock/toehold. He works the hold for some time before switching to a standing single toe and ankle hold. Bock has to pull his shoulders forward to avoid a possible pinfall count. Occasionally he relaxed and takes a 1 count. He tries kicking Samson off, succeeding at the second attempt. Cut to Billy powering out of an armlock - he is standing and front facing - so Bock slams him down, restoring things to Bock having an armlock in the guard. Samson stands up again and gets a cross buttock throw but Bock rolls with it and so keeps his guard armlock. Samson powers up yet again and this time it's Bock who goes for the cross buttock to take things down again. Cut to Bock with the chinlock from earlier regained. Samson gets up and bounce-throws Bock off the ropes but Bock parries the throw and instead takes Samson down, back into the guard armlock. Cut to Bock getting a posting and a double underhook suplex for another 2 count. The ref is knocked over but Bock picks him up and sets him on his feet again. Cut to an interview with Nico S of the VdB. Then cut to a four man brawl at ringside with Nico dangerously close and distinctly annoyed! Bock Vs Samson is real old time German stuff, everything slow and deliberate with the last option tried being the one that works. Back to 1983 at the weekend.

Tag team action from the same January 1964 Madrid show. No idea who is who but I'm guessing the guys in black trunks who pull a double team are the heels. Mostly a brawl, someone does a good rear crawl through legs into ground dropkick, Same awful sound effects as before only worse including a "Birdies" sound effect for being dazed from one too many forearm smashes. Also a "boing" spring noice like that spring your parents put on a door to stop it banging and with which you used to play when given half a chaThe aforementioned black clad heel double team consists of a standing full nelson with the illegal man coming in to administer a headbutt to the stomach. Heels also do a simultaneous leglock on each leg and one does an over the knee backbreaker. The audience shots reminded me a lot of the spliced in "Women's Institute" shots in Monty Python's Flying Circus. especially the "Not Amused" ones. We also get a rare shot of the panel of judges, led by a bald beardy guy who looks like Lenin. Not clear who won but we last see one of the faces down in the mount getting a KO count.

Another of the remaining Alessio clips. From Jan' 64 in Madrid . Sadly with stupid sound effects, I fear. This is a pity as there's some good serious fast paced action in there. Pedro in black with a title belt takes on Polman in white trunks. Polman gets a Japanese Stranglehold but Pedro drops and armdrags Polman then tries to turn out of harm but Polman follows him and gets a hammerlock on. He then gets a wristlever and high whip and bumpb All slightly spoiled by a kick drum for the bump and hi-hat/guirros for everything else. Cut the audience members smirking. Pedro has Polman cornered but Polman backdrops him to ringside. Cut to a full finge4 interlock test of strength - and watz music Polman takes a bump (kick drum) and they exchange forearm smashes,, kneelifts, chops etc (to whip sound effects.). Polman gers another Japanese Stranglehold thhen, leapfrogs and superkicks Pedro (more whip sounds.) There is some sppeeded up footage of forearm smashes then Polman redoes his Japanese strangle to leapfrog to superkick. Pedro gets a sideways folding press but it goes into the ropes. Pedro gets a backdrop but Pollman counters with a sunset flip into double leg nelson for 2. He then tombstone Pedro for the KO win and Pedro's Spanish national title and win. This was probably a pretty good match until the jokers at the Newsreel had to ruin things.

After some consideration am posting this here rather than the French thread as it took place in Spain 2008. Yes it was for a French promotion with a French heel Vs a Belgian babyface. There was a tradition after 1975 for French promoters to take over and colonise Spain as overspill turf so it's interesting to note IWSF kept this going in Y2K8. Admittedly they had by then expanded into Switzerland and FYR Macedonia so the old wrestlers' road trip across the Pyrenees is nothing by comparison.

RIP to now All Four of the Skywalkers from Starrcade 86.

Yes I had a very nice day out for my birthday, thanks for asking. I think you all deserve an actual match, not just a clip (however rare) and chat show appearance (ditto) so here's a quickie: I'd say he had HEAT rather than was just getting heckled. "WORRA LOADA RUBBISH" is what football fans would shout at rival teams in that era.Stax had the gift of the gab anyway and could give more than he got verbally as we shall see at the fnh Round 1 - Stax easily throws off Cox's lock up attempts including a top wristlock, sending him down for a count of 4. Stax resists a legdive attempt and gets presssure points into a chinlock. Cox fires back with some forearm smashes but again Stax shrugs them off and bodychecks his man down before following in with his trademark guillotine elbowsmash. Cox is selling his ribs and the referee cuts the KO count short at 8 and awards Stax the TKO victory right then and there rather than wait the two seconds. I defy anyone to suggest that Cox is "protected" by this finish. Afterwards Stax give one hell of a powerful heel promo, waxing Alice Cooper - "No More Mr Nice Guy" and growling like an angry Bengal tiger - as the crowd in turn vents it's spleen at him. Cox was no enhancement talent but this quick squash was a vehicle to relaunch the Giant on TV after he'd been off touring the world as Kent says. Some of this we shall see - or have already seen - on the German thread. This was October 1986 and Stax had been off TV some 16 months since beating Marty Jones in June 85. This and a win over Tony Francis in November helped set up Stax for a big Xmas Triple Tag (Steve ("Roy") Regal's second TV bout and the final comeuppance of heel manager Charlie McGee).

Okay. That's me free to enjoy M6 birthday weekend. In the meantime here is the world of French Catch finally catching up with the world of Wrestling action figures.

Okay let's watch the other Noughties match Bernie posted. That will free me up to enjoy my birthday weekend. This is two years later, but still in the big arched place in Thaon Les Vosges. I mentioned BVD being an ex European Champion in 2005, this is the story of how he regained it from Starbuck, a Canadian in no way sponsored by a chain of coffee bars. Talking of which I spy a nice little open air café in th3 doorway of the venue. Starbuck looks like an evil Hacksaw Duggan. The belt is a knock off of the 1986-1987 WWF World title belt from WM2/WM3. He comes to the ring to ghastly Noughties Nu Metal. A disabled kid in a baseball cap is made keeper of the belt while the match is on Starbuck saunters from one ring side to another abusing the crowd. It is nearly five minutes into the clip before they lock up. Starbuck pushes BVD Into the corner and a slug n punch breaks out. Starbuck comes off the ropes looking for an armdrag, trying for one but getting it reversed then dropkicked by the Belgian and shoved to ringside. Bernie gets a wrist lever and takes Starbuck down to the mount. Starbuck being a North American cannot do a British rollout or French backflip or even the Spanish horizontal rollout. He does however reverse the armbar into a back hammerlock, dodges a Rear snapmare and finies up with a Manchette or two. Starbuck no sells a bodycheck and BVD pays him back in kind. We return from a slo-mo highlight to find Starbuck in charge, developing a guard armlock into something more advanced. He gets up and he and Bernie take turns with the armbar. Starbuck gets a kneeling fireman's carry takedown but BVD slips out the back to retake the hammerlock. Starbuck does roll over and gets a headscissors plus wristlock. BVD tries to bridge out then kips out. They go into a round and round repeat of this then briefly brawl as the bell rings for some reason (there are no rounds.) They brawl some mor3 and Asta uck gets a long suplex and a snap suplex. A back elbow gets a 2. Starbuck gets a snapmare suplex and guillotine elbowsmash for 2s also. He gets a chinlock on the mat but Bernie kicks upwards. They brawl on getting the odd 2 count each. Starbuck gets a reverse neckbreaker for 2. Starbuck gets in Avertisement and a nice double underhook,.a slam but misses a flying elbowsmash, a neckbreaker, a second Avertisement, a powerbomb and double leg nelson for 2. Someone somewhere is a , rear leapfrogs the champion and He slams Damme but misses another elbowsmash. Bernard battering rams Starbuck in a corner, backdrops him, posts and powerslams him. Hits two elbow drops and a reverse flying shoulderblock. Starbuck reverses a posting but BVD impacts well, backwards leapfrogs the champion but Starbuck superkicks him and gets a couple of 2s as does an over the knee backbreaker and elbowsmash, as too does a piledriver. Actually Starbuck looks to have won with the piledriver but Bernard's foot is on the bottom rope. Bernard gets a big powerslam but lands out of position for the pin cover. Both men getup wearily from a double KO count Bernard gets kneelifts, Starbuck tries and fails to get a piledriver but BVD shrugs him off. He is on a mission. He lands on the top turnbuckle from a posting and comes off with a flying bodypress for the winning fall, the same finisher he used to polish off Bad Mask in the other match to regain the title. Afterbirth - Scott Ryder comes to the ring with Cannonball who looks like the last years of Giant Haystacks to challenge new champ BVD. This would have made a good modern American epic - big spot moves and lots of 2 count false finishes - but it lacks the fluidity of the chain sequence style in any Euro territory.

It's my birthday this weekend so I'm going out so I'm getting this done early. We're between 1981 and 1983 on here so I gave this 1982 epic a proper long watch through. It's 1982 so Sarge is moonlighting between being NWA World tag team champion with Don Kernodle, being a WWF heel with the Grand Wizard and this. He's announced as Bob Slaughter and wears a cummerbund instead of his military uniform. I expect this was shot in colour but a combination of many generations of copies and heavy playback has worn off the colour signal entirely. It's no scientific classic - in fact a lot of the wild out of the ring brawling is very @ohtani's jacket- friendly. The Cobra Clutch does pop up a couple of times, the bell saving Wanz one time (is this what Sarge meant when he complained about the confusing European rules?). Wanz uses a couple of leglocks/toeholds and gets the one required submission with a full Boston Crab. Otherwise it's all very slug and punch, particularly the poor old referee who gets it badly from Sarge. After the match Wanz gets his belts and enough bouquets to restock Adrian Adonis's Flower Shop while Sarg3 the soldier gets a medal for valour. All te3 while through the end celebrations your eyes are on Sarge to see if he will trigger an after birth. In the end Wanz offers hima handshake but he refuses and storms off in a strop to return the next year.

Just found this morning - Adrian Street on Russell Harty's chat show 1972. Context - Harty himself was screamingly camp and was outed as gay himself in 1987 a year before his death. He did some famous TV interviews with Bowie and Bolan. He also got slapped around once by Grace Jones who thought he was paying too much attention to another guest. Russell Harty - Wikipedia Near the start there is a previously unseen clip of The Hells Angels in action. Not sure who the opponents are - Possibly the Borg Twins at Wembley, screened 6th May 1972 taped 29th April 1972- but @JNLister might well want the clip for the ITV Wrestling site (same as with the Daddy & Stax Vs Kendo & Rex Strong bout clip from Dec 75). Less of a certainty that the full bout survives as this is from a 1972 programme while the Daddy/Stax/Kendo/Rex clip was from a trailer 33 years later in 2018.

Staying with the modern era for a second week ... Okay, let's see how this impacts on a title bout other than Nino's British Lightweight title. Sid Manelli turned heel for the second time last year and shortly afterwards lost his Rumble Championship to middle Bryant brother Zander. From the same Xmas Ditton show as Callaghan-Marley III (hence the Xmas decorations), here is the return match. As usual, Rumble employs female seconds. Sid comes out in a lavender towel of which more anon. Round 1- Like Dave Viking in Hanover 1981, Sid goes for the false handshake and when H3 gets the Fake Shake he goes for the eyes. He jans Zander in the ribs and downs him but while down there Zander gets a quick side folding press for 2. Things get more Traditional British technical from there, Sid gets a wristlever and passes it overhead to tighten it, Zander rolls out - back, forward, back, forward - and forces a high whip and bump on Sid, leaving him in a guard armlock. The sequence repeats and Sid heads to ringside to break the flow. He gets back in, goes behind and gets a snapmare but the bell goes. Round 2 - Sid is getting a lot of heat! He again offers a handshake but Zander kicks it away and gets a cross buttock throw into side headlock. Sid folds himself up nicely to get headscissors, Zander gets a kip up escape. then rearcdropjicks Sid into the ropes. He aborts a 619 as Sid dodged and gets an eye fake and big boot for 2. Sid and referee Dave Macro argue. Sid gets a standing double wristlock and jerks it, getting another telling off from Macro. He posts Zander then does a kind of self reversing posting twic3 on Bryant, following in with a boot, getting a crosspress for a 2 count which he claims was a 3 ("Sid can't count" chant the crowd.). He gets another posting and Zander -like Bernard VanDamme on the French thread - takes it by climbing the corner but unlike BVD misses his man. At that point, the bell goes. Round 3 - Sid gets some scissor chops etc in the corner. He goes for a posting but Zander reverses and goes in for a monkey climb. Sid overpowers and makes it a folding press. He has his feet on the ropes but Macro doesn't see it so the fall still stands despite Zander's protests and Macro's suspicions. Unlike on ITV, MC Stephen Barker is not entitled to be a second pair of eyes. So, 1-0 to challenger Sid. Round 4. Zander tires to equalis with a rope assisted front folding press of his own but Marco this time seems the legs. He doesn't penalise Zander as he took is suspicious of that last fall. Sid gets dirtier throwing Zander across the middle rope and booting him. He takes down the red corner pad and as Marco is busy fixing it, grabs his towel and chokes Zander with it, then wipes his face and puts it back. Macro is suspicious of the towel but Sid claims to have the flu! He boots Zander around but Zander, sat on a top turnbuckle gets a boot of his own and sunset flip into double leg nelson for 2. Zander gets a dropkick and 619 (this time it connects) and Superfly Splash off the top for an equaling pin. 1-1. Round 5. Sid walks out for a while but comes back -then jumps and stomps Zander. He goes for the blue corner pad and the towel, using the latter while Macro fixes the former. This time Macro catches SidMoran(filmed late 1986,screened ear Moran with the towel and an argument ensues. Sid pulls down a white pad and Zander goes for some revenge with the towel, using it to sling Sid to ringside but Macro catches him but as Kent Walton would say, puts it down to retaliation. Zander topes Sid at ringside, 39 years since Fuji Yamada did that move on ITV to Rocky Moran (filmed late '86 Lewisham, screened early '87). Zander goes for another flying bodypress but Macro is in the way. Zander jumps down, lightly taps Macro on the shoulder and tells him to be more mindful in future! Sid gets brawl some and end up in a shoving match with Macro that earns Sid a bump and a Public Warning. Zander goes for a charge on the corner but the bell goes. Round 6. The final round but no sporting handshakes. They slug i5 out and Zander gets several clotheslines and goes for another superfly splash but Sid puts his feet up in the air to spike Zander, then gets a stomp and crosspress for 2. He grabs the belt and marches around with it, seemingly aiming at Xander but "accidentally" striking Macro. Zander gets a superkick and cover but there is no ref. Zander goes to revive him but Sid gets a crotch shot and folding press for the winning pinfall. 2-1 to recapture the Rumble Championship from young Zander. Well the reintroduction of Mountevans Rules (minus no follow downs and still with a slower cadence for KO counts) didn't stop Sid cheating his way to a title, did it? The antics with the towel, eye takes and belt would not have been appreciated by ITV although Screensport would probably have OKed them. Still there was a lot of good competent technical wrestling in here from both men amidst the dirties and retaliations. If anyone's interested here is Zander's previous title win from just before the above ruling came into force.