Phil Lions Posted January 1 Report Share Posted January 1 On 11/19/2024 at 1:54 PM, Phil Lions said: Over the weekend I started researching the career of Gilbert Leduc more in-depth than I ever have in the past, because I want to help push his case for the WON HOF next year, and in doing so I ended up uncovering a bunch of new information on how catch worked in France on an organizational level in the post-WWII years through the mid 1950s. I became so intrigued by it that I've paused the Leduc research for now and have focused my efforts on the organizational stuff instead. Apparently, things were a lot more interesting and tumultuous back then than I realized (rival organizations, lawsuits, potential corruption...). So now I've decided to do a timeline/article chronicling all the important events in French catch history that I'm aware of. Haven't decided yet what year would be the cut-off point. I'll share the link here once it's ready, hopefully in the next few weeks. And here it is. Part one of the catch timeline that I've been working on. It goes up to 1940 when all pro wrestling was banned in France. There will be a part two eventually which will cover the post-WWII period. Link: Timeline - French catch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 On 1/1/2025 at 2:57 PM, Phil Lions said:  It goes up to 1940 when all pro wrestling was banned in France. Quote The end of catch (pro wrestling) in France… for now (October 5, 1940) - A few days prior a decision had been made by Commissariat General a l'Education Physique et aux Sports to put an end to all professional sports in France, including catch, and focus on amateur sports instead. Professional boxing and cycling were given a three-year grace period where certain limited events could still take place, but all other professional sports events had to stop effective immediately. When the decision was made there was already a scheduled catch show at Salle Wagram (a benefit show for the prisoners of war) and it was allowed to go on. The show was headlined by Albert Arnaud vs. Andre Trante. It was the final catch show in France, but not for long. Looking at the date, I see this was into the phase of Nazi Occupation with the Vichy Regime to to the South. I presume it was they who banned wrestling. Probably this belongs on the German thread, but in .Joe Jares' book, Paul Bosch is quoted as participating in the German downfall and finding a school textbook in Germany with a picture of a ladies' mud match labelled "This is how the decadent Americans treat their women" and remarking to a fellow soldier "OMG it's ME who started the damn war!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Lions Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 16 minutes ago, David Mantell said: Looking at the date, I see this was into the phase of Nazi Occupation with the Vichy Regime to to the South. I presume it was they who banned wrestling. Yes, it was them and actually this is a very good point that I didn't think to add to my write-up. I'll add some extra details now. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 What's the plan for an endpoint? Will you just vaguely say that it "went into decline" in the 70s or will you go into the Flesh Gordon era, the more from A2 to .FR3 then back to TF1 for early New Catch then Eurosport New Catch, then Eurostars and the C21st Richard/Herve/(I)WS(F) versus Mercier/FFCP_revival promotional war? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Lions Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 I haven't decided yet. I have about 160 pages worth of notes, articles, etc. and I'm still going through them trying to piece together the whole timeline and make it as coherent as possible. Plus, I'm also still looking into gathering additional information on top of that and trying to fill in some of the gaps. Most likely I'll end it at the end of the 1980s. And I don't see myself going into much detail past the mid 1960s. Not because I don't want to, but because I don't have enough info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 Maybe how about a short roundup of 1990-present? As with British and German/Austrian wrestling, the survival to the present - at least at grassroots level - is an important symptom of the success and cultural prominence of all three Stronghold Euro territories: the trails are still in the sky even now, decades later. Just as long as it isn't the French version of the British "It Died Out" myth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 Final minutes of Italian Bon in red Vs Spanish Mechant in black, both balding badly. Michel Saulnier the Chiotte Arbitre himself in charge, good old Couderc on the commentary.  Trujillo levers out of a headscissors nicely and does some rope assisted hip tosses that Kid McCoy would have approved of. He reverse front chanceries Asquini then drops and stomps him, just the one so within the rules. Asquini reverse snapmares his way onto the ring apron, ducks a Trujillo uppercut then strikes with his own. They take turns to dodge each others' diving moves. Trujillo takes his time taking a count. Asquini tries another reverse snapmares but Trujillo sinks a closed fist in his stomach, Saulnier lets it by, possibly because he is a heel ref. A TT kick to the grounded Asquini does get him a private warning however. Asquini wins a war of Manchettes, TT gets angry and stompy but Asquini goes through his legs and chest chops him from behind. TT again takes his time getting up.TT goes down a couple more times. Saulnier starts to kick in his heel routine when Asquini questions the slowness of he counts. Asquini reverses a rear waistlock, folds down to let TT jump over him then kips up to knee height to catch him with a snapmares then a dropkick out of the ring, again infuriating Saulnier. Each time TT tries to return, Asquini charges over but Saulnier stops him (so why doesn't he then get in while the going is good?). In the end, Bruno lifts Saulnier out the way and gets his Manchette in on Trujillo. This appears to earn the good guy un premier Avertisement. He protests but to no avail. TT benefits from another slow count. He uses various dirty tactics while Saulnier stands there., eventually putting Asquini's neck on the rope. Saulnier calmly asks TT to back off then, himself!!! - pulls the rope up against Asquini's throat and letting him drop. A bit later, Saulnier does his rope trick again, this time using both hands to shoot Asquini, cranium first. to the mat. TT posts Asquini, he attacks from behind but Asquini knocks him back then uses his legs to slingshot TT into the post then splash him as he falls. TT kicks out at two and Asquini land on Saulnier sending him flying. Saulnier is furious. TaT gets a posting and a sunset flip for a two count, as quini gets 2 for a German suplex into a roll up. TT finally gets the pin with a folding press. Saulnier makes a big show of parading around Trujillo as winner. Basically a vehicle for Michel Saulnier and his heel referee antics but there are some nice pinfall attempt too.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 And talking of Michel Saulnier, look who he has to referee next:  Only Guy Mercier with whom he spent much of this time feuding. . Officially at least, Guy is facing gypsy Jo Gonzalez. Jo gets several good throws in. Guy does his own throw and sends Jo into the front row on someone's lap!  He gets back and gets Guy in a side chancery and throw.for a number of 2 counts, many of them suspiciously fast. Guy tries to stand up in the hold but Jo forces him back down on the mat. He eventually gets out by widening the angle between himself and Jo, then spins round (to confuse Jo presumably), drops down and catches Jo's leg, takes him down, lifts the leg up and jumps into a sitting leglock. Jo tries unsuccessfully to grab a countering cross face but Guy stand and twists the leg like a spinning toehold or the start of an American Figure Four Leglock. He jumps one last time into the sitting position leaving Jo selling the leg, limping badly and making desperately for the ropes. They start over in the middle of the ring and Guy gets the leg back with the same spin and drop motion but Jo reaches the ropes. Guy jumps back into the down position as Jo gets up and leans on the ropes. Guy wants to go after him but Saulnier, who is counting Jo VERY slowly, orders him to stand back. Guy edges closer but Jo grabs him in a similar leglock of his own, still holding the top rope. Guy points this out but Saulnier is more interested in trying to count down Guy's shoulders.  When Saulnier looks up, Jo releases the top rope but then grabs it again when Saulnier looks down. Guy grabs the ropes to make his point but Saulnier takes this as a rope break request and refuses it, kicking Mercier's hands off the ropes. Gonzalez continues to hide his grabbing the top rope. Eventually he does see what is going on and forces Jo mto let go the top rope, allowing Guy to take control of the leglock. When Jo grabs the bottom rope, Saulnier this time agrees to a break and demands Guy relinquish. A disgusted Guy WALLOPS Saulnier, sending him sprawling and gets a first Avertisement. Jo gets the leglock and forces Guy into the corner, Saulnier lets him do this despite the ropes. Jo lifts Guy up by the leg, Guy bashes him over he head with the spare foot, Jo pitches forward head first into Saulnier's stomach. Heel and heel ref lay on the mat as Guy steps forward contemplating his next move. He gets a Second And Final (Deuxieme et Derniere) Avertisement, despite his protests.  The match changes tack. Mercier makes out like he is going to box Gonzalez, Jo takes a haymaker swing well wide of Guy, spins round and is taken down in a bodyscissors. Guy does the old "Ah .. Ouais!!!" routine, slamming Gonzalez spine first into the mat. Strangely, Saulnier refuses to allow heel Jo a rope break. The ref tries to kick Guy in the pants as he lifts Jo but Guy seems unaffected. Eventually Jo lands feet first to break the bodyscissors. He comes off the ropes and Guy flips him but he lands feet first by the opposite ropes and starts to brag about it. Guy dropkicks him out the ring then dropkicks Saulnier too for good measure. Gonzalez gets back in, goes down on one knee and begs for mercy from Mercier. He gets a wrist lever then kicks Guy down before he can counter, then brags some more, flexing a bicep. Jo snapmares Guy and gets in several stomps which Saulnier lets go despite being flagrant follow downs on the mat. Eventually Guy gets up. Jo slaps on a side headlock and Guy counters by grabbing Jo's thigh. Jo bashes and stomps Guy back down. Jo traps Guy's head in the ropes and bashes him in the back. Saulnier orders him off and Jo, now clearly getting the score, winks conspiratorially at the ref. Saulnier pulls the ropes apart but can't get Mercier out. He eventually puts his foot in and gets stuck while Jo is off, tying Guy up in a different set of ropes. Jo does so and Saulnier falls down and gives Jo a first Avertisement. Not bothered, Jo snapmares and kneedrops Guy. He stomps him on the mat once more, chokes him on another top rope and slingshots Guy back on the mat on his back. He ties Guy up in the ropes, chops at him and comes bouncing back from the opposite ropes to charge Mercier who escapes and dodges, allowing Gonzalez to catch his own head in the ropes! Saulnier tries desperately to free Jo. Guy wants to beat up the trapped Jo but Saulnier says no. So Guy drags him off and ties him in the opposite ropes the gives the ref's mose a hearty tweak before hurrying back and elbowsmashing Gonzalez out of the rope tourniquet and down to ringside. He then turns to the ref and leaves him there. Jo staggers back, Saulnier unties himself and the two wrestlers trade Manchettes. Gonzalez feigns being Manchette-drunk then jumps back to fire more at Guy but Mercier bashes him back down. Guy slingshots Jo who grabs the rope to resist but Saulnier breaks the grab and Jo is slung across the ring and butter in the stomach down on the mat. They do the Ref Breaks The Rope Grab routine once more but this time Gonzalez comes back with a surprise sunset flip for a two count. Guy the cross buttocks and presses Jo for a pin which remarkably Saulnier counts. Mercier has won! Saulnier raises Guy's hand and for a moment it looks like they might shake hands but Mercier turns away and shakes the MC's hand instead. So far that's half an hour of action in one evening of Michel Saulnier's heel ref antics. Delaporte obviously felt he was on to a winner with this as other referees started acting suspiciously but not Delaporte himself who remained a hard nosed unimpeachable Sheriff of the ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 On 7/14/2020 at 3:26 PM, ohtani's jacket said: Daniel Schmid vs. Mammouth Siki (aired 8/28/78) Schmid his best here, but Mammouth Siki sucks the life out of any match he's in. It's crazy how much time he spends in control of a bout given how shitty he is. I suppose Schmid could have sold more, but Siki is probably the worst worker in the archives. Shitty finish too. Things don't get any better for relations between referees and babyfaces on the next TV taping.  Siki ends up clobbering a referee and getting DQd. It was getting contagious. Or maybe it plugged into a certain anti petty authority sentiment in the French psyche. No I'm not posting another blow by blow account. I've posted this bout and talked a bit about it before. Siki was basically a 1970s French version of Junkyard Dog- but that's JYD in his WWF/TBS years. Just as charismatic though. Same funky streetwise vibe. (Well it WAS the late seventies). You can see why la publique liked him. It's odd though that British Wrestling never produced a black blue-eye funkster/soulman character like Thunderbolt Patterson or Rufus R Jones. We were as much into disco and funk as the Americans or the French.  (P.S. @Matt D it's Mammouth with a U. He wasn't a wooly mammoth.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El McKell Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 On 1/4/2025 at 8:37 PM, David Mantell said: He wasn't a wooly mammoth Well mammouth is just the French word for mammoth. So the name is supposed to mean a wooly mammoth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 8 Report Share Posted January 8 8 hours ago, El McKell said: Well mammouth is just the French word for mammoth. So the name is supposed to mean a wooly mammoth. 1) I think it referred to his size rather than any hirsutism on his part (the guy was receding) 2) If we start Anglicising names, where do we stop? Mark Mercier? Peter Bernaert? Mike Saulnier? Andrew Bollet? 3) In the below bout, for the crowd chant to work MA-MMOUTH must be made to rhyme with LA-KA-GOULE.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowtobeaMark Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 https://x.com/ostpies/status/1877448378600018011?s=46 Â Gilbert Cesca has died Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 93 is a solid knock. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 On 1/9/2025 at 8:28 PM, HowtobeaMark said: https://x.com/ostpies/status/1877448378600018011?s=46 Â Gilbert Cesca has died Bob Plantin mentioned it on his FB page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Lions Posted January 13 Report Share Posted January 13 Earlier today the 1954 French newspapers were put online (under French copyright law 70 years since the date of publication need to have passed for the papers to be made publicly available online) and that has now allowed me to finally answer the question: when did catch first air on TV in France? As mentioned before, catch highlights started airing as part of the TV news in 1949, but the first actual broadcast was on March 22, 1954, from Palais des Sport (i.e. the Paoli-Goldstein promotion). That night Primo Carnera vs. Hermann Reiss and Francois Miquet vs. The Great Zorro (Hans Mortier) aired live on TV at 8:45 pm. Claude Darget did the commentary. This broadcast was just a one-off, I believe. I've yet to research 1954 more thoroughly, but for now it seems like this was the only broadcast that year. On another fun note, I haven't looked much into it, but according to this one article I saw the first ever "catch aquatique" match in France took place on May 8, 1954, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. It was a women's tag team match with the ring in the middle of a big pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 13 Report Share Posted January 13 9 minutes ago, Phil Lions said: On another fun note, I haven't looked much into it, but according to this one article I saw the first ever "catch aquatique" match in France took place on May 8, 1954, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. It was a women's tag team match with the ring in the middle of a big pool. Yup, sorry @ohtani's jacket but this just goes to show how long swimming pool matches were part of the furniture in France. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 13 Report Share Posted January 13 In memory of the recently deceased Cesca... On 4/29/2020 at 4:02 AM, ohtani's jacket said: Gilbert Cesca & Bruno Asquini vs. Les Blousons Noirs (aired 1/25/71) Asquini is a name I've seen pop up a lot in match records. He was reportedly an Italian wrestler based in France, but it's safer to assume he was French-Italian since he had a successful amateur career in France and was a French military champion. Unfortunately, we don't have a strong singles showcase for him, but Bob ALPRA says he was one of the finest technicians of his era. This wasn't an ideal match to showcase that technique, but he did bust out a couple of fun spots. Everyone looked a bit long in the tooth, however. I'll mostly focus on Cesca's bits tagged in. I think this is the Cirque D.Hiver, I think I recognise that curtain. (This is the same month Ivan K beat Bruno to put this in historical perspective.). Match starts in progress so we have to work out who is who. Our first glimpse of Cesca is him being escorted out of the ring by L'Arbitre. He soon strikes a legal hot tag, hiptossing Claude Jessin all over the shop and catching Mannuveaux in a headscissors. Marcel is so confused he end up trying to tag in Asquini (who is as bald as he was a decade later. Cesca gets on a neat single leg Boston. Commentator mentions Asquini is wearing green trunks so perhaps this is colour on Channel 2 An odd finger lock Test of Strength starting on the mat and working it's way up to standing. A standing backbreaker but held in place like à backslide rather than with a top wristlock. Gilbert gets a bit naughty thing on a BN's moustache. Asquini gets the opening fall. Cesca gets kicked down to ringside by Manneuvaux where a second helps him up. (What is the point of that dwarf-wall? It must be the least effective crowd barrier ever! Eve makes the plastic roadworks planks/cones on Reslo look effective by comparison. MM gets the equaliser on Asquini. Caesca gets the cold tag, starts off slowly stalking Jessin and soon loses the advantage. Les Bloussons Noirs dominate both Bons. Finally we get some more good Cesca. He tags in, dodges Jessin's charges, comes off the top rope and butts Jessin in the stomach. Asquini is still selling his previous beatdown so isn't ready to tag in so more Cesca for now. He dodges round the ring a bit before tagging Asquini. Both heels get kicked out so they drag bald Bruno outside for a beatdown. Jan 71 as we've established was a bad month for Brunos in wrestling. In New York, Sammartino drops his World title and now this. Sensibly, in Britain Mr Elrington stayed off TV this month. Talking of Britain. the IBA would have had FITS about that four man ringside brawl! Commentator describes Manneuvaux with a glorious Anglicism "un peu Groggy" Cesca tags in but is in brawling mode, borderline closed fists, slaps, kicks. Manchettes, jumping up and down like a dervish or like a frustrated Jim Breaks. He eventually hurts his hand on one punch. Cesca and Asquini get the deciding pin with a double team move - he moonsaults over a BN, lands on his feet, leapfrogs him, Asquini comes in illegally with a missile dropkick then Cesca splashes and pins the miserable Mechant. The Bloussons briefly try to start an afterbirth then think better of it.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 KAMIKAZE UNMASKS!!! Well one of them anyway. The final fall of a clean tag match then we get one Kamikaze in the ring. During the introductions he takes off his mask to reveal a bald moustachioed little old man who looks like Warren Mitchell as Alf Garnett. His opponent is Nicholas Priory. Kamikaze uses a mixture of martial arts and dirty wrestling. Priore soon sinks to his level and gets an Avertisement for his pains. It all ends in a fight outside the ring the Kami knocks Priore down with something. The referee starts to count Priore down for a KO but stops and declares it a TKO.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 Fast Forward to the Noughties, - I think this was 2007. Some Eurostars footage in front of a respectably BIG house. Can't see any title belt on Zefy Bigger Balder Flesh Gordon and a matured but still in his prime Zefy take on two new heels. Zefy handles young Tribalius easily but gets himself into trouble when he complains about Mac's black belt- and, for his pains gets an Avertisement for getting the crowd excited. Never mind. Zefy gets to work on him even taking the big man down with a headscissors. Taraz looks a lot like Albert Hillbilly Hell On from the late 70s Big Daddy tag or even Daddy himself during his final t-shirt/football shirt under the leotard era. Gordon tags in. He's not the high fligher of old but he's still a decent worker at this age, taking down big Mac with a sequence of holds out of the Johnny Saint playbook. He uses a clothesline - depressingly called "Un Clothesline" (vive le Franglais) by the commentator. Mac walks out in protest (his short hair and clean shaven looks make him seem a bit young forca superheavyweight) but Walsh round to tag Tribal,ius. Gordon doesn't back somersault to reverse a top wristlock any more, he spins horizontally on his feet. Zefy tags in, gets the crowd excited with his dance and gets a public warning for it (leading the crowd in cheers was made an offence around this time). The villains double team flesh and pin him for the opening fall. Zefy gets the equaliser with a Superfly Splash off the top turnbuckle. Les Mechants double team Zefy until he tags Flesh who scores the deciding pin with a belly to belly suplex like Magnum TA. Entertaining enough Catch A Quatre with some great aerial moves from Zefy and a Gordon who has matured but is not yet past it.   Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 The more eagle eyed among you will have spotted a URL at the start of that video. I checked it out - it's dead now and for the final few years Bernard VanDamme had the domain in the mid/late 2010s he was just using it as his personal webspace for stuff like his band, but earlier on there was quite a happening website on (I)WS(F) there. Will be investigating. https://web.archive.org/web/20161002202944/http://www.eurostars-wrestling.com/ Also going to try find out who Imagen Plus Television are/were. There's an Imagen TV in Spain, no idea if it is related though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 Proof that the tradition of weird French gimmicks like Les Pihrannas and Les Maniaks is still alive, from 2017 I give you IGWE AND MUNGU!!!  (Commentary on the first bout is in Flemish aka Belgian Dutch. It's a whole cultural MINEFIELD if you call it a separate language or a dialect of Dutch. Mainly from Dutch people in the Netherlands who don't like Flemish being called a separate language like they don't like you calling their country "Holland".) Imagine a two man cross between Saba Simba and Papa Shango and you got it. La Bete Humane or Mambo Le Primitiv for the Twitter generation. The thing is, you can imagine these two in against Walter Bordes and young Flesh Gordon back in 1983-1985. Heels dominate with irreguliere tactics, Bons try to fight back but what can they do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Lions Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 It wasn't televised, but man does this sound like something I wish we could watch. February 9, 1951. A young Gilbert Leduc wrestled a young Rene Ben Chemoul for 59 minutes in Paris. "A fireworks display of holds, throws out of the ring, jumps, and acrobatics" is how the report on the right described it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 Poor old Firman in trouble, again. My first glimpse of pre 90s French Catch. Duranton in in trouble . Firman tries to attack Couderc but bites off more than he can chew. Eventually Messieurs Les Flics get involved.  Often misreported as a fan intervention.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 On 1/30/2023 at 2:11 PM, ohtani's jacket said: Jean Ferre vs. Robert Duranton (aired 10/4/69) This could have been a fun bout if it had gone longer, or we'd seen more of it, simply for the novelty of Andre and Duranton trading blows, but of course there's all the shit with Duranton's valet to contend with.  Firmin seems to have had the same heel appeal as Bobby Heenan minus the verbal humour. He bumped around, got beaten up and generally appealled to the audience's worst instincts. The spanking from Jean Ferre is probably his second most famous incident after the fight with Couderc (predating Gorilla and Bobby). The match itself, or what we see of it is basically If El Gigante And Sid Could Wrestle. Full marks for doing the "Ah Ouais" bodyscissors atomic drops on two men at once. The commentator compares the threesome to a bobsled team. Otherwise it's just Ferre unloading with Manchettes on Duranton. Andre/Jean Ferre seemsl to have enjoyed the spanking as he says in the interview. Nearly 22 years later Sherri got the same treatment from the Giant. Duranton gives his poor valet the same treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mantell Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 On 1/30/2023 at 2:11 PM, ohtani's jacket said: Pierre Bernaert/Gilbert Le Magouroux vs. Vasilious Mantopolous/Robert Camus (aired 10/4/69) I'm fairly certain that this is another pairing of Bernaert and Le Magouroux. It should come as no surprise that this was my type of Catch. Classic heel work, exciting stylists, no egos. These midcard gems are the best thing about late 60s Catch. The two matches kind of overlap, Ferre/Andre is still in the ring shaking hands with the next four wrestlers. Bernaert gets on the turnbuckle to shake the Giant'hand, the big man lifts him off. Ferre then comes outside the ring for his promo and some guy with a cigarette is hanging around trying to get some attention, the Giant just shrugs him off and he walks back to his seat despondently along the way. We shall see more of this fool later. Mantopolous was definitely one of the great European lightweights like Kidd, Saint, LPP and Saulnier before he became a Chiotte Arbitre. Vasil is clearly the star attraction of this tag. Cartwheels, rolls in either direction, snapmares, feet first landings, spins on his backside like Jim Breaks. Real fast moving stuff. If any of his mid 60s ITV matches resurface, expect Kent Walton to be DROOLING over the great VM, a real Skill And Speed (What They Like) master. ...  Lemagoroux is wearing a black one arm leotard. Symbol of a heel worldwide from King Kong .Kirk and Sid Cooper in Britain to Heel Andre in America 1987-1990. The match slows down whenever Camus tags in. On one occasion he holds down Bernaert so that VM can stomp him. Later Mantopolous returns the favour, standing on Lemagoroux s hands on the ropes so he can't get out of a Camus stomping. Things are also slow when the heels take over. The heels eventually catch VM and double team him for a bit til Camus pulls out Benaert and Mantopolous dropkicks both Mechants in succession. Later Camus tries again but Lemagoroux out thinks him but then Vasillious breaks fre and the heels collide like Sheik and Volkoff at WM1. Mantopolous ties up Lemagoroux in a George Kidd Ball - leaving the villain in pain every time he tries to move a muscl. (Unhooking the feet would have worked for untangling him.). Camus gets the opening pin with a slam, and splash. During the break the commentator chats to a young ladybehind him in the crowd and her boyfriend. Benaert does get a hammerlock on VM and he has trouble snapmaring out. He eventually escapes on a standing horizontal spin and skips back to his corner for the tag. Occasionally he darts in to help Camus with a Manchette or two and is back in his corner before L'Arbitre can intervene. Les Bons grab Les Mechants in a standing full nelson each and send them spinning into each other. Mantopolous does a Johnny Saint style escape from a Japanese stranglehold, loosen it then shimmying it down his body until he can step over, but he does it at top speed. Mantopolous does George Kidd's bait and retract version of the ball (see 1975 bout Vs Blackjack Mulligan ) on Bernaert . He finishes off Lemagoroux with two flying headscissors and a cross buttock & press to make it TWO STRAIGHT!  Afterwards the heels attack the babyfaces during their promo but Les Bons win the ensuing brawl. In the interim, Cigarette Man reappears, desperate to be VM and Camus's pal, patting them on the shoulder but they just ignore him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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