David Mantell

Actually the opponent in that video Jean Phillipe de Lonzac was quite a revelation, good young wrestler doing all the classic French counters/reversals like the Scisseaux Volees takedown, the backflip off the top wristlock etc. Twenty years old, another young lion of the era along with Zefy and Caradec. I wonder what became of him.

Talking of TBWs, here's a nice piece on Gary Welsh aka Gary Clwyd, at the time of his Reslo peak and a TV Star in Wales (and southern/eastern Ireland.)

Paul Neu from the same magazine, a year before he took up rapping in WCW (yo baby yo baby yo). Signed for me by nice guy Mr Neu at an All Star show in Bedworth England in the early 2010s, where he was working as American Avalanche, teaming with Joe E Legend and Brody Steele whom I saw last night in Dudley.

From Orig Williams' BWF official magazine Main Event Wrestling, 1990

An American dirtsheet writer in 1990 singing the praises of British Wrestling of the immediate post TvV era. A couple of your favourite TBWs like Danny Collins, Kid McCoy and Tony Stewart (Billy Reid) get singled out for particular high praise. So who was this Tom Burke guy? A rival for Melzer?

This isn't last night in Dudley. But it's the new ring apron as mentioned above:

Pretty good show. Highlight for me was the clean match, in its traditional Bout 4 slot, between Ethan Stone whom we've seen at Dudley before and Mo Talal, a newcomer who looked like World Class era Al Perez and seemed to have a fair chunk of his family at the event in the same section as me. main event was a ten man Royal Rumble, first three bouts before the interval were all blue-eye versus heel, two singles and a tag. Johnny Storm and Frankie Sloane were on the bill looking a lot older (a tubby middle aged Johnny Storm is quite a sight.) Brody Steele was over from America and there was another good heel Sheik El Shabwho had a fantastic costume. Hope to find some pics and even video online to share. Crowd was about 250. Tony Spitfire was MC, Joe Allmark, introduced as Joseph Dixon, was the referee. The ring has some rather nice new Star Wars style ring aprons, depicting flying through space, stars rushing past. All Star are due back at the venue February 2025, LDN have also been running shows there.

I've discussed this before on the French thread due to Orig's claim on the English commentary that Zrno's trainer was Charley Verhulst. Finlay had been pushed by Joint as a Bully heel partly to lead to his 1986 FA CAup Final tag confrontation with Big Daddy, partly to sow the seed of one of his victims Dany Collins eventually taking a title from Finlay (in 1989, too late for ITV. Yes there is plenty of mat wrestling although it's not chain sequences (check the 1982 Finlay Vs Davey Boy match for that), it's more horizontal top wristlocks down on the mat and Zrno bridging out. Finlay does get some nice legdives and well applied leglocks and toe holds from nowhere, as well as one rollout.. Finlay gets a double wristlock and Zrno lifts him in it into a fireman's carry takedown. Zrno topes and monkey climbs Finlay. Paula as much of a heat machine in Germany as back home. Here on CWA Video as on Reslo she is able to do her husband slapping faux-botch (banned on ITV.) Like how Finlay strikes a pose as Paula fans him down with the towel Olympic style. Finlay comes to the ring to Belfast by Boney M. Later during a round break Everything Counts by Depeche Mode is played. End comes when Zrno misses a cross body off the top rope and Finlay gets a face first piledriver for the pin. As on the French thread, here is a version with English commentary by Orig Williams: Apart from the claim that Charley Verhulst trained Zrno, there is the classic lineup to look out for - "WE KNOW THIS MAN AND WE KNOW HIS WIFE!!!"

Here is the match and the promo in question:

New Catch does clean wrestling just like ITV. Reslo, Screensport and Old Catch! Heavyweight clean wrestling but clean wrestling all the same. Franz Van B, everyone's favourite Belgian, takes on Boston Blackie, the then touted hot challenger to Fit Finlay's British Heavyweight Championship and eventual tribute show version of The Rock. Orig's commentary clumsily dubbed over Flesh Gordon 's French commentary (credited as Gerard Herve, his real name.) Blackie is profiled as "Blaky" - for those of you not familiar with classic British sitcoms and who don't get what's unintentionally hilarious about that, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Buses And just to rub it in, Herve says something about "titre de passenger" LOL Blackie uses strength holds, Van B lots of traditional "Couple" French Catch vaults and somersaults, culminating in a magnificent Scisseaux Volees takedown. Orig reckons that rather than get technical, Blackie should just use his strength to bash away at Franz which he does with a couple of clotheslines and some follow up strikes once Van B is up off the mat. Blackie showing off his physique but not in an arrogant hellish way, more putting on a show. He doesn't get heat for it anyway. Van B reciprocates and a Manchette Contest breaks out. Unlike the forearm contests Jim Cornette has complained about on his shows, these two do actually sell it and fall down. Blackie does an Ivan Koloff flying kneedrop and poses with his knee across Frank's neck but comes across as smiley and likeable so the crowd cheer him regardless. Blackie goes for another flyer but Franz picks him off and goes for a slam. They shake hands and it goes more technical, Blackie landing badly from a whip and Franz follows in with a stomp. Van Buyten throws Blackie out of the ring and on his return catches him with a rather clumsy flying tackle, almost a vertical cross bodyblock, for the pin. Just in case you thought this Clean Match was just an incompetent attempt at working heel on Blackie 's part, the two men shake hands and embrace after the contest and get a nice ovation for it from the crowd.

On the subject of Collins and Harvey Vs Dean and Ocean, Collins got hat revenge match he was clamouring for - and gave Ocean a darn good hiding:

Some English commentary versions of videos I've already posted.

A landmark moment, August 11th 1985. The last wrestling broadcast on Antenne2 formerly 2eme Chaine after 21 years when some wrestling broadcasts were diverted to the new channel on its 1964 launch. The very next week Flesh and Bordes would be over on FR3 battling Les Maniaks in the first of three changes of channel which was what France had instead of the end of World Of Sport and the termination of ITV's subsequent standalone Wrestling show. Jessy, as mentioned, comes in on horseback led by Gaby Lailee as Tonto in about the nearest AFAIK that she ever walked down a Heel path. Then again, maybe the horse was a closet babyface. Luckily apart from one kid patting it on the nose, the crowd leave the horse alone. It's all a bit Jerry Lawler. Someone called Charles Levesque is guest commentator. Elliot is wearing a fancy red peaked hat, Richard is doing the Marquis gimmick but honestly just looks like 70s Jacky. Better lit than usual, the Tricolore ropes and grey mat make it look like a cross between World Of Sport of that point and the WWF circa 1983. Good fast paced triple tag, Paul the butler making it a seven man handicap tag, running in to break up holds and participating in four on one beatdowns. Elliot comes up with one great move early on, leaping backward as Angelito goes for a headlock then sharing his arm. Flesh is still in his young agile phase firing a backwards dropkick at Elliot. Jacky despite his new title inherited from Eduardo is still the same surly heel as earlier, there's a touch of Ron "Damn" Simmons to him. A mass ringside brawl breaks out and a blonde dolly bird in beauty pageant gear gets involved. Walter still gets the old Papa Doux Mais Mais. Jessy Texas is more of a stomper and brawler. Angelito is still the same high flyer from the 70s. Les Bons seem to be picking up Avertisements a lot from Charley Bollet. Flying Flesh gets a cross press opening pin on Eliot Frederico. Jessy pulls down a rope and Walter falls out, Jessy and Elliot give Walter quite a kicking at ringside, Flesh and a second have to help him up. Elliot is fouling Walter in the corner and Bollet hauls him off by the moustache. (Elliot I believe is the same guy as Grim Rocker on New Catch later on.). Lovely teamwork spot less than three minutes from the end, Flesh has Elliot on the mat, but the other two heels are sneaking up on Flesh from behind, Angelito then vaults Flesh to flying tackle Richard and Texas. Flesh has had to release Eliot who gets to his feet to be nailed down by a Flesh dropkick. Only 2min 40sec of clip left and the heels are still leading 1-0. Will Les Mechants get an equaliser? Nope. Elliot and Le Marquis are tied in the ropes and Paul dumped to ringside while Walter who has been recovering on his tag rope, scores a flying bodypress on Jessy Texas to make it two straight falls. @ohtani's jacket I'm guessing this was the underlying issue with your"lack of structure", the lack of a heel consolation fall. Still it's not lopsided like Bordes and RBC Vs Shadow and Arz 1970, the heels do get some good heat spots and French fans seem to have been accustomed to the falls all coming in one big rush at the end, so who are we to impose our standards on them? The dolly bird from earlier and another identically dressed one gets in the ring to celebrate with Les Bons - were they the prize? No sign of the documentary, I guess @Matt D must have trimmed it off. Typical fast paced French tag match from what had became very much a tag team territory.

German Wikipedia is pretty impressive for wrestler info: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kategorie:Wrestler_(Deutschland) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kategorie:Wrestler_(Österreich)

Update - Signsquad has posted a video of CCJ versus Ulf Herman so presumably Cool Cat (George) won the above match and went on to face Ulf in the next round.

Dream match: Emil Mansour Vs Josef El Arz - Lebanese Bon Vs Lebanese Mechant. They were both on French TV around the same time, beginning of 1976, so it is plausible.

Arz and Shadow team again, this time in surviving colour, yet again at the Cirque d'Hiver. Shadow in a gold ring jacket, Arz in the red/white plus Cedar Tree colours/emblem of the Lebanese flag. Robert Duranton drops in to say hello and snog the elderly male MC, dressed in black and looking every inch the movie star he was by this time. The bad guys still lose but they put on their strongest performance yet, getting an opening fall about 10 mins in. It's all too much for one old boy who attacks Shadow and gets VICIOUSLY booted for his pains. Les Bons finally catch up and get their equaliser and decider in the last few minutes. Fans chant Mama Doux Mais Mais despite the lack of Walter Bordes.

Anthony, the son of 1950s star Bob Archer O'Brien gets a surprise opening fall with a bridged folding press in round 2 and spends the next several rounds coming close to two straight falls before getting the rug pulled under him with a missed dropkick Knockout. Good scientific contest, but I'm not surprised OJ din't like the ending! Crowd are unhappy with Barnes accepting the win but he's a heel so it's to be expected.

Part of a bout from Bath Pavillion, late 90s, either All Star or Scot Conway's TWA. Kate , former British Ladies champion in the role of an evil Big Daddy, teaming with 90s heel and former British Tag Team Champion Vic Powers. Opponent is someone called Tommy plus John Harvey the fire eating conjurer bloke who tagged with Danny Colin's in early 90s New Catch (see France thread.) Kate does the dirty with the ring rope on Harvey. Powers attacks Harvey on the floor. Good guys double team Vic, use Kate as á battering ram. Harvey gets into flying tackle with Powers and Tommy dropkicks Harvey down for a pin. After more shenanigans with Kate's weight used as a weapon by both sides, she splashed Tommy for the equaliser - and there it cuts out. Fun in a Daddy tag sort of way, not a scientific classic, Kate showing she can hang with the boys. Would like to see the decider and find out how it ends, but there you go.

Are you in the video? Why was Colonel Brody standing around in the background? It's funny, I just thought "Milde Sorte" meant what it looks like it means in English, that Otto was a mild sort of guy! An ironic way for a big bull of a man like Otto to describe himself! Brody and Regal did a face to face promo once for a 1991 German tournament match. Both the match and the promo got re-scrreened on New Catch. Brody made mention of the true story of how Regal got his foot in the door of the business by taking on Brody (then still Magnificent Maurice) in Bobby Baron's carny shoot challenge booth in the Horseshoe Ballroom at Blackpool Pleasure Beach (where Regal himself later became a carny shooter). "He had a big mouth at the beginning of his career," Brody told the camera, "but tonight his career is FINISHED." Regal was kayfabe- angered by that.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_Up Found this and have linked it to the CWA page on English Wikipedia.

Short clip from the same 1978 TV taping in the same sports hall with the same Breton bagpipe band as Mammouth Siki Vs Daniel Schmidt. Joined in progress, some spectators are in traditional Breton costume. Lateif is the younger guy in the white. Latif seems to be the bratty cocky young heel, the crowds side with older balding Momo in black. Some good action moves and so e Manchettes. Latif gets an Avertisement for a low blow. He wins cleanly with a suplex and cross press and the .two shake hands. Last minute or so is about the pipe band who are on some sort of charity bagpipes marathon, apparently.

Unknown date tournament match in a tent., crowd is deceptively large, wait until the camera pulls away from the ring. Helmut is a local heel, I thought I'd already posted one of his bouts but can't find it. Glaser is babyface and "American" and certainly wrestles like it. Not very remarkable heel Vs blue-eye match with the heel screwing a victory.

France and Britain Vs France and Britain. Jacky Richard as the Travesti Man you all know, no sign of Jean Claude the Best Boy (formerly Paul the butler. Patric Lopez doing his zRugby player gimmick, a surprisingly good mover well verse at British rolls out of armbars and even does toupees. Murdoch is not Duthty's old tag partner but Dick Harrison aka Ron Clarke formerly of the Lincolnshire Poachers with Bill "King Kendo" Clarke. Steve Prince. a soldier boy, is on his best behaviour as a good guy for once! Lopez gets the one fall required with a Powerslam.

Otto Wanz and Rambo on a news magazine show cutting promos on each other while Colonel Brody stands in the background minding his own business. Rambo's promo is in English with a Quebec accent.