French catch

[Phil Lions]

2 hours ago, David Mantell said:

Thanks for that. Did Marty actually beat  Walter Bordes on May 2, 1982? 

No, he was the reigning champion on that date. I saw this on the poster for the Elysee Montmartre card for that night. He was wrestling Jean Corne in the main event that night and I think it was a title defense, IIRC. Although my memory is hazy on that last part so don't quote me on it. I don't know when/if he won the title or it was just a case where Delaporte randomly gave him the recognition.

2 hours ago, David Mantell said:

Some other title ponderings:

What was the backstory for the European Tag Team Championship Bordes and Gordon claimed in 1983? Or Flesh's later European Heavyweight title. Or Eric Lacroix's  French Welterweight title on New Catch Season 2 in 1991? 

And did the Championnat Du Monde Des Poids Mi Lourds have a back story before Prince Zéfy in 2002 or is it unproblematic to treat Zéfy as heir to the title Jones finally  lost to "Legend of Doom" Johnny South in Bristol, April '99.?

I've completely ignored the New Catch titles in my article. I figured there's no point. Especially the singles titles were pretty much vanity titles for Flesh and Zefy to hold (for years and years on end).

Championnat Du Monde Des Poids Mi-lourds was actually Flesh's title originally. He had it from at least 1994 until 1999 or 2000, and then Zefy got the title.

P.S. The French Titles article is about to get a few small updates whenever I manage to get it. For example: I've narrowed down when and where Modesto Aledo beat George Kidd for the World Lightweight Title (either February or March 1955 in Amiens).

[David Mantell]

Strictly they were Eurostars/IWSF titles as there was no more New Catch after 1992 (Lacroix's title and medal were definitely New Catch and a big feature of that 1991) season.).  Gordon and Bordes as European tag champions were earlier, circa 1983.  I think Hisaru Tenabe has that one on his site.

Zéfy did a title loss/regain in the early 00s, I forget who to, I've got an uneasy feeling we've already said who on here in the past. 

Kato Bruce Lee had the European title off Gordon which he regained and We've had the video on here (or possibly the German thread.)

We may as well mention Bernard Van Damme's European Heavyweight title (we've covered him regaining it.)  

[Phil Lions]

29 minutes ago, David Mantell said:

Strictly they were Eurostars/IWSF titles as there was no more New Catch after 1992

Flesh was still using the New Catch name way past 1992. The latest use I've seen is from February 2002.

 An example:

On 5/8/2025 at 10:53 PM, Phil Lions said:

The part in the article about FEC going on hiatus in 1996 is definitely not true either. Flesh continued to have an active schedule after that too and was using the FEC name as late as October 1998.

Here's a fun fact. IWSF and WS were actually created as associations (i.e non-profit organizations) on the exact same day... in June 2002. One in Othis, the other in Paris. And later WS was also created as a company (i.e. business entity for profit) in 2008, and terminated in 2013. This is all traceable in the archives dealing with French associations and companies.

[David Mantell]

47 minutes ago, Phil Lions said:

Flesh was still using the New Catch name way past 1992.

The TV show on TF1 /Eurosport was finished after '92 though.   The TV show that later popped up on small private networks was Eurostars  and was BVD's babyface.

Anyway that poster says EWF/FEC, not New Catch.

[David Mantell]

Once again with a 1988 season one episode of New Catch, the appealing bout for the old time fans is match 2 so we'll fast forward tho the 11'minute mark. Jacky Richard Vs Michel Falempin with Charley Bollet refereeing .  Actually I was a bit worried I'd already covered this match but no, I was thinking of another one this season with Tony LaMotta.  (I found a bunch of casual refs to zRocas Falempin on New Catch also but that was it, so I'll sigh with relief and proceed.

Falempin we've previously seen teaming with Walter Bordes before he ran off with a younger Fleshier partner in 1983  and. since we've been talking titles, is announced as champion of France in the 88kg category.  @Phil Lions I see from your listings he and Marcel Roger passed the Championnat de France des Poids legères back and forth in the 70s.  I'm not too sure of the relation of metric bodyweight to size so I don't know if 88kg would be a lightweight.

Richard is doing the Marquis gimmick he took over in 1985 from beard sneery Eduardo. He has butler Paul Butin Fluchard with him and this time wears his old Black and Red heelish colours (this became purple and red for the LaMotta match.) H3 comes out in a long blond wig 7 years ahead of Lord Steven Regal (at this point in the Golden Boys with Robbie Brookside) Bollet L'Arbitre is just the same old guy he'd been for the last 20 years.Richard grabs the hair and forces Rocas into the ropes a couple of times.  Rocas gets as high side chancery. Richard backdrops him with quite a bump and moves in to follow up but is caught with a ground position dropkick.  Rocas gets a couple of armdrags, a dropkick and throws Richard out of the ring.  The crowd cheers as Jacky sells being dazed, Paul BF tends to him and Charley lays on the KO  count. Richard stalls for a long time before getting a top wristlock down into guard armlock. Rocas kips up but the butler pushes him down.  The second time Paul actually gets in the ring to domit and earns his master Un Avertisement. Rocas instead shifts to a Scisseaux de tête, cranking it up.while balancing on his hands. Paul runs across the ring and kicks Clause in the back.  The two wrestlers have a full finger interlock.  Paul trips Rocas so Richard now has almost a double arm press Charley L'Arbitre tells the butler off.  Still Paul persists, pulling Rocas flat and getting the Raynaud Brothers on commentary calling for un Deuxième et Derniére Avertisement. When Rocas gets a bridge Paul clips an ankle out from under him.  Rocas does get a pretty decent one legged h Planchette Japonaise on the Marquis and  corners him.m Bollet warns him off but Paul actually pulls him off.  Richard gets a snapmare into chinlock into elbowsmash over the cranium.  He Manchettes Claude down and riles up la publique,  soaking up the heat before interrupting Bollet's KO count with a kick to the downed Claude.  They lock up and Paul holds Rocas on the ropes so Richard can thump him.  When Claude gets up, Richard gets another snapmare into chinlock.  Rocas eventually makes his Bon Comeback with Manchettes and a snapmare of his own, a Scisseaux Volees and a other throw to ringside.  He aeroplane spins the butler down and Manchettes a returning Richard to join him.  He flying shoulderblocks the butler and crotch holds and lifts  Richard for a bodyslam but Paul pushes his master down on top of Rocas for the pin.

Potential ivy league match overshadowed by Paul Butin's tribute act to Bobby Duranton's manservant Firmin.

[David Mantell]

But wait!  There's another quick bout for the last 5 mins of the episode.  Speak of the devil, here is Tony LaMotta, facing Eric Lacroix, future young heel French Welterweight Champion (how does that fit onto the lineage Phil?) and student/tag partner of Theo "Popov Le Gitane" Pouzade on both FR3's on 1991 bout and New Catch Season 2 later that year, but back in 1988 just a promising TBW.  Once again old time heel Pierre Lagache is refereeing.  

They take turns shoving each other down from a collar and elbow start.  Tony gets an armdrag but Eric takes it well. So Tony gets a dropkick then a side headlock I to back hammer into rear takedown folding press - shades of Saxon Brookes on the the British thread. Lagache is late getting to the count but credit to Lacroix, he comes up with a fantastic escape, getting headscissors and going up into a handstand and throwing LaMotta with his legs - unfortunately into th3 ropes, causing Lagache to call for a break.  They got from collar and elbow to top wristlock. The younger Eric wins the test of strength and has Tony down in a guard armlock.  LaMotta eventually kips up and when LaCroix armdrags him down, he slaps on the Scisseaux a la tête. Lacroix turns the hold upright and tries to handstand out but LaMotta destabilises him and turns the hold back sideways.  Lacroix turns upright and uses a handstand to uncork his head.  LaMotta gets a but more brawly with a shovedown and two Manchettes. Lacroix reverses a posting but LaMotta backwards leapfrogs him and rear waistlocks him into a forward folding press for the pin.

Some good promise from Eric Lacroix here especially the handstand out of a folding press. The older LaMotta won this time but Eric would have his day as a Popov-mentored heel champion in Series 2.

 

 

[David Mantell]

Marc Mercier has died, reportedly.

[David Mantell]

On 12/25/2024 at 4:28 PM, David Mantell said:

 

Quote

On 10/1/2015 at 10:51 PM, pantherwagner said:

I was watching some Euro catch and those of you on youtube already know how this works: you watch a match then click on another link then on another one and you end up watching the weirdest stuff. I clicked on Flesh Gordon vs Dick Murdoch from FEC/EWF in the early 90s. Flesh Gordon looked ridiculous and wrestles like shit so I was curious to see what could Dick Murdoch do with him. Well, it was a fake Dick Murdoch so not much. Then Gordon comes out with two chicks and they have their tits out and are happily dancing around. WTF France.

I think that's all pretty unfair.

Murdoch, we already know, is Dick Harrison aka Ron Clarke of UK opposition promotion tag team  the Lincolnshire Poachers. Flesh's look, we now know, basically comes from his Lucha Libre background.  This is him in an intermediate stage, no longer the high flying missile dropkicking tag partner of Walter Bordes but not yet the tubby bald aging moustachioed figure of the early C21st.  It's the early Maxi Cuisine mat so presumably originally screened on TF1 In 1988. English language commentary is by British MC John Harris who also refereed the Johnny South Vs Johnny Palance  bout I just posted to the British thread.  Referee here is Charley Bollet (brother of Andre Bollet, Roger Delaporte's old tag partn

Flesh gets a side headlock on but Murdoch resists cross buttock attempts.  He gets a single leg coming off the ropes but Murdoch pounds him down, getting some stomps in., getting a 2 count on a pin attempt .Flesh fights back with two well executed flying cross buttocks and a dropkick.  A snapmares gets Murdoch down for a 2 count.  Flesh dumps Murdoch to ringside, gets in three elbowsm throws him back in, gets another over the shoulder snapmare, then a third flying cross buttock gets the win.

Short but sweet and undeserving of the hatchet job @pantherwagner gave it.

 

This was what I originally had planned for today -the first match on that New Catch episode, before Richard/Rocas and LaMotta/ Lacroix, but as you can see we've already covered it long ago.  Yes I know Murdoch was Alain Lésage not Dick Harrisson so I have struck through that bit.

I have noticed the topless ring girls thing was not exclusive to Flesh or even Les Bons - see Snake woman here or Judd Harris's "Wife" who thought she was a Rottweiler or Rocco's "Sensational Second".  Clearly someone in production at TF1 had a mindset that equated glamour with hiring in rejects from the Folies Bergères.

Oh well, I've got a plan B.  Just have to check if that's been covered ...

[David Mantell]

On 9/29/2024 at 11:00 AM, David Mantell said:

Been pottering around on the FFCP YouTube channel and found all sorts of stuff.

This is an older grey haired Marc having a comeback fight in 2004 against a masked man called "Der Hunker" - no relation to Oscar "Der Hunker" Versus. Marc is older, he had a career ending injury in 1989.  He can still take bumps including one hefty backdrop but can't somersault  on flip much.  Hunker lives up to his name by wearing sexy rockstar leather trousers (with a dodgy looking belt buckle) but lacks the countering skills, he does absolutely nothing about a wrist lever applied. Public including little kiddies are happy to see Marc win.

Not sure what promotion this is.  FFCP did not come back until 2006.  Could be IWSF- at some point Mercier fell out with Flesh and Jacky and went to the Americanised ICWA for a couple of years, so it could be them too. Bout is timed in rounds with a round card girl who spends her time between rounds sat at the timekeeper's table looking bored.

Oh well, that was Plan B.  Would have been a nice tribute to him (we've done pretty much all his other matches on video) but already done.  Plan C then ...  

[David Mantell]

On 5/5/2020 at 1:18 AM, ohtani's jacket said:

Henri Le Mao vs. Thadee Kojielski (aired 4/17/66)

Henri Le Mao is a joy to watch. With his moustache and receding hairline, he almost reminds me of a French Fujiwara. As with a lot of these new finds, we don't have enough footage of him, since surprisingly there is more complete footage from '57-59 than the 60s. But we get this gem. Kojielski was a young Polish wrestler, as best as I can tell. He was a nice dance partner, but this was the Le Mao show

 

OK, plan C is on, a grand return to the safe waters of Les Trentes Glorieuses.  One of OJs faves too.  It's striking that the older bald man is Le Bon and the handsome younger man is the Méchant but there you go. Zadi (I'll use Matt's spelling as it's simpler.) gets dirty from the off.

(Talking of dirty, what's with the dark murky film print?  Was the negative allowed to fade and pale resulting in a positive print that looks like it was filmed down a coalmine? But I digress.

Early on a concealed illegal punch by young Zadi gets a hefty bit of heat from la publique.  LeMao does his best to keep it technical. He gets armdrags and a step over finger interlock into spin in the mat, taking Zadi down into a guard armlock.  Zadi gets a rope break. He tries a double legdive but Mao spins his off.    They battle for top wristlock and LeMao gets a snapmare down and more good throws.  LeMao gets a drop toehold into Gotch toehold . Zadi gets  a guard top wristlock and keeps hold until LeMao kips up, somersaults over behind and again gets drop toehold into Gotch toehold  L'Arbitre refuses a rope break. Eventually LeMao gets a surfboard (I don't recall the French name but we've covered it in a past post.)  When he loses his balance, Le Mao still lands ready for a backslide.  He barely gets a 1 and converts to legscissor. Zadi gets rough with Manchettes and kicks and throws lLe Mao out of the ring.  Henri gets back but into a guard armlock and kips up . He gets a victory roll a falls back from an interlock into crossed headscissors and toupie.He runs out of mat on the last move as Zadi's legs hit the ropes and,annoyed, twists a foot on the Pole's face.  LeMao gets more brawl some, breaking out he Manchettes. It's a lot more slug and punch, Zadi is briefly kicked out the ring and has fan trouble.  Back in he chokes and slingshots LeMao on the ropes and kicks him around until warned by L'Arbitre, Jean Journal.  LeMao corners and posts him (the late 80s WWF watching teenager in me expects the crowd to start counting, in French.  Zadi tries to pay him back in kind but gets pitched to ringside the long way- high over a corner post.  He comes back, takes an arm  and forces a somersault whip and bump before slapping an armhank on the limb. LeMao looks to be gong for a roll up toupie but instead kips up in the hold only for Zadi to drag him back down. LeMao tries again but managed to get his own feet in against Zadi's side to push him off., (If Zadi had kept his grip, this could have been a nasty arm-stretching for LeMao.) Zadie gets a standing rear chinlock - and a bunch of illegal punches which he claims are open handed slaps.  La Publique don't buy that.  To coneal it from Journal (and get a bigger heat response from the other side of the room.). LeMao rear-escapes the chinlock and makes a standing back hammerlock of it so Zadi forces a rope break, falling forward on the cords.  LeMao powers out of a Zadi full nelson, hits the ropes and lands a shoulder block but Zadie no sells it so LeMao leapfrogs, dropkicks and Manchettes him.  They brawl with Zadie taking a couple of counts until he gets a single legdive and after weakening it, upgrades to a grapevine leglock. LeMao gets the leverage advantage so Zadi gets a rope break and gets called a coward by the crowd .  They exchange manchettes until LeMao goes down and Zadi stomps him. He shoulderblocks Henri in the corner but LeMao gets his legs on top and gets a sunset flip into double leg nelson.they both Bascule back and forth an Zadi gets a front folding press but LeMao spins him off. Zadi complains that he should have had a count for the folding press.  LeMao backrolls on a double Interlock and gets the leverage advantage.  He whips and boots Zadi who gets up at 9 for Manchettes.  Zadi has LeMao cornered but Henri slips through his legs and gets some dropkicks. He backrolls off and ingle interlock to reel Zadi down into a guard armlock into some other guard hold (hard to see what as his body is in the way but it may be a grovit of some sort.)  Zadi upturns it and has a grovit too or maybe just an illegal arm across the windpipe.  Journal okays it but the crowd are unhappy but LeMao gets a knee to Zadi's head to perk them up, then ties him up in the ropes. Journal frees Zadi who likewise ties LeMao up and beats him up - and beats Journal up but the big Arbitre doesn't dish out any Avertisement until Zadie kicks his man to ringside.  Fans help Henri back as the Pole waits to pounce.  But LeMao gets a rear waistlock and atomic doo. He tries to flee but LeMao flips him back in then throws him out after working him over.  He tries up and twice dropkicks him, pounding him in the ropes.  Journal frees the Pole so LeMao drop toeholds him making it an ankle scissors but Zadi does something to what remains of LeMao' hair to regain the advantage, ending up as a rear chinlock with a few fouls slipped in.  LeMao powers out and gets a hammerlock into double rear legdive into legspread (so not  another surfboard then.) rolling to Zadi's head to get a sitting chinlock sat on his shoulders which becomes a straight legscissors.   It hits the ropes so Journal separates them so LeMao gets and over the knee backbreaker. They exchange manchettes and leMao knees Zadi in the leg. They brawl and Zadi throws LeMao out Henri reappears on a different side - did he crawl underneath?  Zadi won't let him back, he absorbs a Manchette from the apron then dodges a bodypress over the top rope and applies a double kneepress but LeMao throws him off and gets a forward folding press for the win. The cameras cut away from an incipient afterbirth in which a shoving match leads to LeMao throwing Zadi as the clip ends.

Scientific Bon Vs Roughhouse Méchant - the old style clash.  A lot of "good wrestling match" and "good fight" alternating - LeMao being responsible for most of the former. Zadi however is a much better heel than OJ gives him credit.  His problem is that much of the fouls he does like the illegal punches, interference with breathing and attacks on a fallen opponent - are not really things that register with American Wrestling fans as fouls as they did with a French or British audience back in the day. But he is a good heel, young handsome and arrogant like Mark Lee in after his 60s heel turn.