French catch

[Phil Lions]

New Catch/EWF on Eurosport. I had always had a rough idea, but I had never really looked into the exact timeline of when New Catch/EWF was airing on Eurosport. So today I dug through the TV listings and pieced together the history of pro wrestling on Eurosport until the mid 1990s*. It goes like this:

- WWF: November 1989 through May 1991
- New Catch/EWF: September or October 1991 through May 1992**
- WWF: September 1994 through early November 1994
- NJPW: November 1994 through December 1996***

* This is based on TV listings from Continental Europe.
** The September listings just say "Wrestling", but don't specify what wrestling (I'm guessing it was New Catch/EWF but can't confirm). The ones from October specifically say "Wrestling from Europe" and then from December onward it's "New Catch".
*** The New Japan shows were originally branded as "World Superstars of Wrestling" and then rebranded to "Ring Warriors" in May 1995.

So yeah, that was the New Catch/EWF run on Eurosport TV in Europe. Not even a year. The show aired at various times: 1 pm, 6 pm, 10 pm, 11:00 pm, etc.

[David Mantell]

So why do a lot of what we know to be the 1988 TF1 Episodes circulate with Eurosport idents on them?

We know more episodes were made after the TF1 run because for example the Superflies did not yet exist as a tag team in 1988.

Also Bull Power's vacant CWA World title win over Rambo took place December 22nd 1990, this was screened as part of a New Catch episode which I have on VHS with a Eurosport idents and English commentary by Orig Williams.

(For what it's worth I saw a few of the New Japan episodes while on my ERASMUS year in Metz, France in Spring 1996.)

[Phil Lions]

TF1 wasn't co-owner of Eurosport until mid 1991. It doesn't make sense for their New Catch show to be airing on Eurosport before that. The TV listings back that too - the last mention of WWF on Eurosport is exactly May 1991 when the co-ownership was about to switch to TF1, and then later in the year TF1 brings on New Catch.

I'd guess some of the 1988 New Catch stuff was re-aired in 1991/1992. Yes, some CWA matches were for sure aired on Eurosport as part of New Catch.

[David Mantell]

Yes, this could possibly explain why tape traders like Adam Mumford's EWV claimed a 1991 date -just before Rocco's retirement - for the Rollerball Rocco/Danny Collins Paris World HMid title bout (We now know this was on TF1 in 1988)

Some 1988 episodes rescreened on Eurosport have John Harris (the MC from the Kendo Nagasaki Vs Skull Murphy bout recently on the British thread) instead of Orig Williams as A English commentary. Mainly the ones with the MAXI CUISINE ring canvas.

Most of the non 1988 episodes have a Eurosport logo on the shiny blue ring canvas.

[Phil Lions]

Speaking of the midget wrestlers, I just randomly stumbled upon this information while looking for something else. Hassan, apparently, used to be the mascot for the AS Saint-Etienne football club. Saw this mentioned in a 1988 article for a FEC show. Then I googled it and the second photo below popped up. It's said to be from 1976 and lists him as Hassam Handami (it's probably Hassan and they misspelled it).

[El-P]

16 hours ago, Phil Lions said:

- WWF: November 1989 through May 1991
- New Catch/EWF: September or October 1991 through May 1992**
- WWF: September 1994 through early November 1994
- NJPW: November 1994 through December 1996***

No idea how in the hell some WWF episodes ended up on Eurosport. I don't remember, did Canal + owned a part too ? They must have, since they had the WWF rights until the end of 1997 (then switched to WCW). 

Fascinating to finally have dates for the NJPW run, which was my very first taste of Japanese wrestling (and really, major non WWF wrestling). I thought it lasted longer than this, but then again. I'm pretty sure parts of the Super J Cup were showed. I absolutely remember watching Benoit and Malenko there before they got to ECW/WCW.

As far as New Catch goes, yeah, after two or three ill-fated weeks on TF1, they just dumped that stuff on Eurosport until they didn't. Needless to say, nobody watched that stuff.

[David Mantell]

49 minutes ago, El-P said:

No idea how in the hell some WWF episodes ended up on Eurosport.

Simple, it was co-owned by Sky until TF1 bought it and was on the same Astra satellite as part of the same package of satellite channels as Sky. It stayed on there after the buyout.

As I think I mentioned, any household in the UK capable of getting WWF (other than the bits ITV screened on the specials 1987-1988 and the small hours 1988-1989) could get New Catch too. Whereas in France you already had Canal + for the WWF.

49 minutes ago, El-P said:

As far as New Catch goes, yeah, after two or three ill-fated weeks on TF1, they just dumped that stuff on Eurosport until they didn't.

Preview run for the new revamped channel.

I equate that run with the Oct 1990 Joint Promotions ITV tapings in Aberdeen.

[Phil Lions]

1 hour ago, El-P said:

No idea how in the hell some WWF episodes ended up on Eurosport. I don't remember, did Canal + owned a part too ? They must have, since they had the WWF rights until the end of 1997 (then switched to WCW).

Yep, like David said, Sky (who already had a deal with WWF in the UK) co-owned Eurosport until May 1991 when TF1 replaced them as co-owners of the network. Back in that 1989-1991 period Eurosport was airing the syndicated WWF TV shows like Superstars of Wrestling and Prime Time Wrestling, but also showing some of the PPVs too. For example, I came across WrestleMania VI and VII airings (90-minute broadcasts, about a month and half to two months after the PPVs had taken place).
 

1 hour ago, El-P said:

As far as New Catch goes, yeah, after two or three ill-fated weeks on TF1, they just dumped that stuff on Eurosport until they didn't. Needless to say, nobody watched that stuff.

1 hour ago, David Mantell said:

Preview run for the new revamped channel.

Doesn't look like it was a preview - it looks like in 1991 it was already airing on Eurosport, before it aired on TF1.* The history of New Catch on TV goes like this:

- October through December 1988 (part of "Minuit sport” on TF1, New Catch actually replaced AWA and was then replaced by WCCW)
- September or October 1991 through May 1992 (New Catch on Eurosport)
- November 1991 (part of “3ème mi-temps” on TF1, only four episodes)

* I say it looks like, because I can't 100% confirm what was airing on Eurosport in September and October 1991. The September listings say "Wrestling". In October it's "Wrestling from Europe". First mention of "New Catch" on Eurosport is December 3, which coincidentally is the last TF1 date too. I guess it's possible some CWA stuff may have aired in September and October, but I think most likely it was New Catch and they just hadn't started listing it like that in the listings.

-----------

Another thing that struck me while researching this is how many upstart European TV networks used wrestling as featured programming to establish themselves on the market. Sky Channel launches in the UK in 1984 - they immediately start airing WWF. Canal Plus launches in France in 1984 - within 9 months they start airing WWF. Eurosport launches in 1989 - within a few months they start airing WWF. DSF launches in Germany in 1993 - they start airing WCW and GLOW right away. Etc.

[El-P]

10 minutes ago, Phil Lions said:

Yep, like David said, Sky (who already had a deal with WWF in the UK) co-owned Eurosport until May 1991 when TF1 replaced them as co-owners of the network. Back in that 1989-1991 period Eurosport was airing the syndicated WWF TV shows like Superstars of Wrestling and Prime Time Wrestling, but also showing some of the PPVs too. For example, I came across WrestleMania VI and VII airings (90-minute broadcasts, about a month and half to two months after the PPVs had taken place).

For whatever reasons I was thinking about the Canal + version of the WWF shows, which obviously would not have been on the English speaking channel anyway, so yeah.

12 minutes ago, Phil Lions said:

Doesn't look like it was a preview - it looks like in 1991 it was already airing on Eurosport, before it aired on TF1.* The history of New Catch on TV goes like this:

- October through December 1988 (part of "Minuit sport” on TF1, New Catch actually replaced AWA and was then replaced by WCCW)
- September or October 1991 through May 1992 (New Catch on Eurosport)
- November 1991 (part of “3ème mi-temps” on TF1, only four episodes)

Yeah, it wasn't a preview at all. The first show on TF1 in November 1991 was sold as "the big comeback of catch on TF1". Which was of course a laughable idea.

14 minutes ago, Phil Lions said:

Canal Plus launches in France in 1984 - within 9 months they start airing WWF. 

It was part of the Canal + strategy to import some american entertainment that had not been seen in France before. I dunno when they started airing the NBA, but it was a "big" deal (under quotation because Canal's paid audience was not that big, which is also one reason pro-wrestling never became big in France until the 2000's when it moved onto the TNT). They also imported the american talk-shows formats which really did not exist on French TV before, at all. So as far as Canal went, it was clearly part of a global strategy, where the modern TV entertainment was seen through an anglo-saxon, and very much americanized, lens. I think this is something that all private medias all over Europe went through to some degrees during the ending of the 80's and the 90's.

[David Mantell]

4 hours ago, Phil Lions said:

Doesn't look like it was a preview - it looks like in 1991 it was already airing on Eurosport, before it aired on TF1.* The history of New Catch on TV goes like this:

- October through December 1988 (part of "Minuit sport” on TF1, New Catch actually replaced AWA and was then replaced by WCCW)
- September or October 1991 through May 1992 (New Catch on Eurosport)
- November 1991 (part of “3ème mi-temps” on TF1, only four episodes)

Okay, how about "Sampler" then?

I seem to recall someone saying (possibly on here) that a few other Eurosport shows got the same treatment.

It occurs to me that New Catch was always meant to in some way become an international deal, given all the CWA and British talent on board, either unknown to French audiences eg Eddie Kung Fu Hamill or dim memories eg Fit Finlay, last seen on French national TV eight years earlier claiming to be a Scotsman in a kilt.

[David Mantell]

Anyway. speaking of 1991:

Quote

Tuesday is French Catch Day: Finale 2! Parmentiers! Rockies!

Michel Parmentier/Daniel Parmentier (Tony Lamotta) vs. Les Rockies du Ring (Eric LaCroix/Domingo Valdez) 2/17/91

MD: This last gasp of French Catch is from a show called the "3rd Half" or something along those lines, just a sports variety show. This one covered a Karate competition and then this fairly long (30+ mins) match. Michel is Marcel Parmentier's son. Daniel is Tony Lamotta, who we saw in a match from 1980. The Rockies were "Spaniards," but I'm not convinced in LaCroix' case. But despite it being 1991, the stylist side absolutely knew what they were doing and for the most part, this felt like it could have happened in 1976.

Just if it did, the commentary would be sharper, the camera wouldn't miss so many of the bits, and the heels would have been able to base just a bit better for some things. There were a few definite moments where they lost the plot, not going down for a leapfrog or up for a 'rana (I couldn't tell which), Lamotta doing the climb up takedown out of top wristlock only to sort of stumble over (it still worked). And maybe most jarring at all was the Rockies using both a clothesline and a front vertical suplex, neither of which ever showed up in the old footage, not even once until now. 

But the things that shocked being poor probably weren't as shocking to me than the things that went well, which was most of everything, even over 30 minutes. Lots of fast exchanges, lots of mares and takeovers and all the stuff you'd expect out of the back half of the footage (70s and on). They had holds to start, then rope running, then some hard shots and comeuppance. The Rockies controlled by cheating whenever they got close enough in the corner. I think at one point, the crowd gave a bonus, and they interviewed Daniel on the apron mid match. If this is the last match we have from the footage (and it is), it was nice to double back to a lot of those elements and the sheer technique that at least the Parmentier "brothers" brought into play. The commentary talked about the heyday of the 60s and 70s with the names you'd expect (Duranton, Delaporte, L'Ange Blanc, etc) but I'm more open to the idea that these guys were running small scale opposition to a small scale Flesh Gordon operation in a way that gave fans a more genuine traditional experience. The fans for this match seemed to be enjoying themselves at least. This was not without some missteps but in general, it's a nice way end our French Catch journey for now, on the notion that somewhere, even as late as 1991 at least some wrestlers were keeping at least some of the old magic alive.

SR: This was pretty fine. With it being 1991 you kind of fear French Catch might have turned into some kind of travesty (it was certainly going there with Flesh Gordon committing his horrors on New Catch) but wherever this was held they were still holding it high. The technicos looked old as heck but were still pretty spry and it was a long 2/3 falls tag with a quick pace just like in the glory days. The wrestling wasn't quite as mindblowingly fast and inventive but you still got your share of smooth ranas and guys getting bowled around. The rudos - Los Rockies - were a bit generic but solid hands. There was even some cool armworks which lead to some decent reversals. Tony Lamotta looked old as hell here with his balding head but could still deliver, and he looked fired up when he started handing out the manchettes. It does go a bit long but that's kind of the tradition with these.

I'll have a good overview this later over dinner.  I'm not doing the review now as this tablet needs putting on charge.

I wouldn't swear to it but Les Rocky's Du Ring look more than a bit like Kato Bruce Lee/Kato Gypsy and Elliot Frederico Rocky Du Ring/Grims Rocker (with hair grown out - Grim was Spanish so if the one I think is him turns out to be Domingo Valdez then I'm convinced ).

Tony LaMotta also appeared on New Catch -IIRC against Jacky Richard ( still a Marquis, not yet a Travesti Man.). So three of these four guys did New Catch anyway.

[David Mantell]

Hold your horses - I've just remembered EXACTLY who Eric Lacroix is!

On 7/15/2025 at 3:14 AM, David Mantell said:

It's been four months since we last saw young bratty heel Eric Lacroix.  We last saw him against fellow youngster Jean Phillipe De Lonzac. Now here he is against another promising kid of the post broadcast TV era, Yann Çaradec of Brittany

We catch the end of a tag match Which as far as I can tell saw Lacroix  screw Caradec of a win- at least that's what Caradec has to say in a promo afterwards. Lacroix is defending his French  Welterweight title  and medal and has moustachioed manager Theo Pouzade in his corner. Referee is Chico Roberts on loan from Reslo.

They lock up and Eric gets a rear snapmare on Yann.who returns with a Cross buttock press and dropkick.  A couple of whips later Caradec gets Lacroix in a sunset flip  folding press and double leg nelson for 2. Next lockup, Lacroix gets a double arm lever into armdrag. He tries again but Caradec reverses and follows with two side chancery  throws and a dropkick..  He gets the next wristlever and makes a loose hammerlock of it.  Lacroix gets a rear snapmare in the hold.  The same sequence repeats until Caradec shrugs off the rear snapmare and LacroiX crash lands. A third time Lacroix gets the traditional French reverse snapmare but Caradec. He gets a shove and Manchette but Caradec gets two rear snapmares and a dropkick.Caradec gets a side headlock into wristlever into armdrag. He gets thrown out of another side headlock but rebounds with a Manchette off the ropes. A third side headlock is bounced off the ropes by Lacroix who backdrops him but Caradec ground dropkicks his man.  Caradec pulls him up but gets a manchette and guillotine elbowsmash in return. Lacroix fires off a powerful headbutt flooring Yann.  He whips and clotheslines him, then pounds him in the back and gets in three stomps(the first one legal, not so the latter two and Roberts warns him.  Lacroix throws the Breton boy out of the ring but Yan gets tangled in the ropes on the way out. L'Arbitre warns Eric and frees Yann. Eric gets a rear snapmare and some more stomps, again only the first one is legal.  Lacroix gets another clothesline and guillotine elbowsmash. He presses and splashes Yann's arm then pitches him out of the ring, this time Yann making it outside, feet first. He makes it back at 5 to get another rear snapmare.  Eric I cushions a corner and posts Yann in it. He leaps up for a monkey climb but Yann throws him off in something resembling a powerbomb.  Once Eric is up, Yann sends him back down with two Manchettes.  Yann side chancery throws and shoulderblocks Eric. He hits the ropes but somehow falls out and loses by TKO - it looks like manager Theo got involved pulling the top rope down but Chico didn't see it so the result stands - a successful defence for Eric Lacroix.

A lot of good moves, but a lot of spaces for encouraging cheering and booing.  Fits and starts match.

In which case I wonder if Domingo "No Relation To Princess Paula" Valdez is actually Theo Pouzade the manager from New Catch and he's just got comedy attachments to his moustache when in character as Pouzade?

It still means at least 2, possibly 3 of these four guys  were on New Catch at some stage in its existence.

Incidentally, here's my review of Tony LaMotta Vs Marquis Jacky from New Catch season 1 in 1988

Quote

 

Another New Catch bout, this time featuring two survivors of Old Catch. Jacky Richard you should all know about, there's plenty enough on this thread 1970s-C21st. LaMotta (no relation to Marcello Motta in the last bout) had at least one previous French TV appearance reviewed by OJ on page 11 where he and a pre Flesh Gordon taken on the Golden Falcons/Halcones de Oro in 1980 (I may well dig that one out myself.) This is in the early Maxi Cuisine sponsored ring so filmed in 1988 and originally screened that year -not Kong before The Final Bell in the UK - on French Catch's now privatised ancestral home TF1 before being repeated on Eurosport early the following year. German commentary presumably by Peter Wilhelm.

Richard is in the full Marquis getup with wig, tricorn and velvet greatcoat. LaMotta has a red sequin jacket. Call it New Romantic Vs Glam Rock. Coats off. LaMotta is a baldy old guy like Axel Dieter Senior but Richard swaps his old black tights for purple and pink Jerry Lawler leotard. Possibly the beginnings of his morph into the Travesti Man. The butler Paul Butin De Luchard is in full effect, combing Richard's also balding locks. The referee is also dressed for the occasion in a shiny silver smoking jacket.

Down to business: they go into the ropes and Paul trips Tony. Richard tries for a quick pin but Tony kicks out and goes on the rampage. Despite their age, Tony gets a bunch of good fast moves off the Marquis - two snapmares, full nelson into another snapmares, double legs and neatly spins out of whatever response Richard is trying. More hiptosses and the Marquiss rolls out. Once back, Richard gets a standing full nelson. LaMotta slips down to escape but rolls over and Richard gets the hold back so LaMotta reverses it. The Marquis powers the hold open, comes off the ropes and is legflipped He bodychecks La Motta but is caught coming off the ropes in a crosspress for 2, saved by Paul running in and flipping La Motta off. Tony tries an armbar and forces the Marquis to take a bump. He maintains the wristlock on the mat for some whille. dragging him up to force another bump. Richard does the same back and gets a straight headscissor. He pulls the tights the first escape attempt but LaMotta gets out on the second try. A round break and Paul the butler prompts Richard who walks into a dropkick early in Round 2. LaMotta forearms Richard and ties him in the ropes and flings out Paul when he tries to free his master. He goes for a second charge but Paul trips and backdrops him and Jacky who has freed himself splashes him for the one required fall.

Short and to the point from two veterans of Old Catch. A good crossover bout between one era and the next. Watch it if you have issues accept hat New Catch was the rightful continuation of classic French Catch.

As the review mentions,Tony teamed with a pre-Flesh Gerard Hervé to take on the Golden Falcons.  There's a review of that in the archive but you'll have to go look it up as it's less relevant to the point of this post.

[David Mantell]

So anyway, the bout.  There's about 5 min of studio preamble in a studio set with storage draws and various trophies, footballs and other bric-a-brac that make it look like a 1970s episode of British infants' TV show Play School.  As Matt mentioned, the presenter goes on about the Good Old Days so presumably this is either a one-off or a first with possibilities (possibly squashed by New Catch resurfacing on Eurosport.)

It's an unashamedly retro presentation like the 1990 Aberdeen ITV taping,  the 1998 VDB video, Premier Promotions' merch table VHS tapes from Worthing Pier Pavillion (examples have been posted to the British thread) and perhaps most pertinently, the show in the tiny room from somewhere in Paris 2096 I posted clips from to this thread a couple of years ago.  So yes, Matt. there is life after this for this sort of show.  Except for the lack of cords halfway down the ropes, the ring looks like a late 70s/early 80s relic, exactly like the ones on La Dernière Manchette in fact with the red ropes and dull green mat.  (If the INA ever does chroma recovery on its prints of late 60s/early 70s Channel 2 bouts. expect a lot of those rings to be that same colour combination.) The venue is a sports hall with basketball hoops and climbing bars in the background but happily the lighting rig is properly focussed on the ring.  

Yes, that's the same nice red sequin jacket LaMotta/Daniel is wearing as on New Catch.    Michel has a nice spangly jacket too, in Cyan with matching trunks. Les Rocky's, as Méchants, are both in black. Curiously the fans give them a big pop.

LaCroix is the youngest by far and very much the star turn despite his Mr Spock hairdo.  He bumps around for the elderly Bons taking their side chancery throws, cross buttock throws etc. He leg throws Daniel (I must remember not to call him Tony LaMotta for this one) who spins out nicely- he hasn't lost it.   Valdez does the same for Daniel.  Hilariously the commentator calls a dropkick (saus chassé) a flying headscissors (Scisseaux Volees) !  Michel rolls nicely out of and up from Domingo's throws while Domingo takes a bump when the tables are turned.  Michel does huracanranas - somebody has been watching Scott Steiner on WCW! At one point we see Michel go up in the air and it's in excessive close up so it looks like he's going for a reverse snapmare but he comes back down the way he went up and bulldogs Valdez down back into a side headlock on the mat.  When Eric gets back, he is getting real heat, not like the cheer at the start. He flexes his biceps a lot. an odd thing for a Welterweight to do.

LaCroix kicks out of a crosspress and lands Daniel on top of Monsieur L'Arbitre. The second time it happens, Daniel gets a public warning. Other than this, the referee stays away from trying to be the heel.  Things slow down with Valdez in the ring, he gets an armbar in the guard and uses fouls to keep him there, eventually gets a bunch of Manchettes for his troubles. Eric carries on with the arm work on Daniel, he and Michel have a pretty good top wristlock battle.  Michel and Domingo end up outside with the Spaniard giving a ringside fan a lapdance .  The two brawl outside the ring.  

Eric headstands out of the headscissors on a second attempt and gives Daniel a hearty slap across the face.  Michel makes the hot tag, throwing the heels around before scoring the opening fall with a sunset flip mm double leg nelson despite protests from Eric.   Daniel does a promo while standing on the tag rope on the apron, just as Les Méchants are double legdiving Michel and kicking his knees in in stereo. Despite all this, Les Bons get a Deuxième Et Derniere Avertisement.  They flirt with a DQ after making a pile of   villains and ref.  Michel goes for a finger Interlock but Eric snatches away like Adrian Street and pouts lie Ada too.  

LaCroix gets a GREAT equaliser with a long suplex. Fans give it The Bird (ouch my ears!).  Michel gives a mid match promo calling it Epouvantable.  Domingo kicks him in the back midway.  We are past 30 mins of the clip and La Belle is only a few minutes long.  Very French Catch and can aspect of match structure @ohtani's jacket complains about in the old reviews.  Daniel gets a combination flying headscissors and flying headlock on both heels sending them both flying.  He gets a great flying bodypress on Eric, beautifully filmed but it only gets a 2.  A reverse leapfrog into front folding press finally does the job.  Yup that's about 3 mins of belle. Daniel does another in ring.  We get the credits over a soca track and match highlights before back to the studio and the presenter calling wrestlers Grandes Voltigeurs.  (Great High Flyers.)

Fast action packed bout but little in the way of chain sequences. Moves tend to be isolated spots unto themselves.  I DEFINITELY feel LaCroix deserved better than putting over two old guys. Eurosport New Catch and the French Welterweight Championship gave him that opportunity and the chance to work with other rising stars like Yann Caradec and Jean Phillipe De Lonzac.

 

 

[David Mantell]

10 hours ago, El-P said:

The first show on TF1 in November 1991 was sold as "the big comeback of catch on TF1". Which was of course a laughable idea.

You'd love the  Americanised New School promotions in Britain - always telling the same old lie that British wrestling "Died" in 1981 and that they are The Great Renaissance.  Then a few months later, they keel over while All Star just goes on and on for decades.

One unanswered question about New Catch is how the flame was kept alive for the concept over the course of 1989 and 1990 between the two blocks of episodes filmed.   There was hardly a lack of other new wrestling shows in Europe during the period - Catch Up on RTL,  Reslo on S4C, ITV's Aberdeen taping on Grampian and STV (and later Granada) and of course the above return to FR3.  Yet during this glut, New Catch found its way back.

[David Mantell]

I've been rewatching the LaCroix Vs de Lonzac bout and Orig Williams says in the English commentary that Pouzade was not Eric's manager. just his tag partner (which further fits him being Domingo Valdez) and Miss Paris being the actual manageress.

I'd quite like to see in full the tag match Caradec was complaining about in that promo (there is a short snippet).

[David Mantell]

On 10/21/2025 at 7:06 PM, David Mantell said:

@Matt D wrote:

I'm more open to the idea that these guys were running small scale opposition to a small scale Flesh Gordon operation in a way that gave fans a more genuine traditional experience.

I'm leaning more towards the idea that the promotion itself may have been doing as you say but the wrestlers were free to accept work anywhere they darn well choosy.  I base this on the point that (at least) three of the four, including one entire tag team, showed up on New Catch at one point or another.