French catch

[David Mantell]

12 hours ago, Phil Lions said:

And here's a random TV listing for FEC/EWF on TF1 airing on a Monday night at 11:35 pm (November 11, 1991).

The brief return of New Catch to TF1 that year. I think these bouts may have posted here by me in the past. They've certainly been talked about - El P saw them.   

TF1 got privatised in 1987 so possibly the 1988 and 1991 broadcasts were outside the INA's remit. I take it they've been checked for on the INA's database?

The British equivalent was  Joint Promotion's first Aberdeen taping in late 1990 screened a few weeks later on Grampian/STV and then on Granada in early 1991, which were Kent Walton's last ever commentary work.

[David Mantell]

Off topic slightly but regarding Swimming Pool  Matches - I expect you all already knew this but it turns out WCW did one on Nitro once:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/979964607591567

(Only slightly different as the floating ring has an attached ringside but Ric Flair still takes a water bump.) 

Is that what you hated so much about those matches, OJ?

[David Mantell]

On 6/22/2024 at 4:57 AM, David Mantell said:

Original 1991 TFM transmission of New Catch episodes when it returned to the channel (British Wrestling equivalent was the Grampian/STV tapings of Relwyskow promotions in Aberdeen 1990, later screened in the Granada region). Only wrestling video on a YouTube channel with a disturbing obsession with the weather forecast!  Cuts out during the Danny Collins & John Harvey Vs Doc Dean and Jimmy Ocean match, so here is a different source for that bout.

 

 

The above was an episode from the 1991 TF1 run but if the date is correct it's two weeks later - presumably also a Monday night..

[Phil Lions]

12 minutes ago, David Mantell said:

The above was an episode from the 1991 TF1 run but if the date is correct it's two weeks later - presumably also a Monday night..

The date looks to be correct, technically. Catch was on at midnight (November 25th heading into 26th).

[David Mantell]

On 10/16/2023 at 1:24 AM, El-P said:

Well, I dunno if it's been posted on this thread before but, for something different (or not so much considering the latest dramas) and absolutely offensive, here's some EWF genius, which was showed both on one of the 1991 TF1 shows (the very first I believe) and Eurosport : Gaby Lailee vs The Kapo Woman. YEP. How about THAT for a gimmick ? And of course Gaby is native american squaw or something, because why the fuck not.

This matchup  is mentioned in the 1991 listing but may be a 1988 bout seeing as it's a smaller ring with no giant Eurosport logo on it.

[David Mantell]

1 hour ago, David Mantell said:

13 hours ago, Phil Lions said:

One more match to add to the list of aired matches that we're missing: Brigitte Borne vs. Leo Dewerdt (August 11, 1984).



Speaking of "La derniere manchette", it lasted on France 3 for less than two months, and I just found TV listings confirming that the following year the episodes were re-aired on TV5

I'm pretty sure there is a LDM with Brigitte on it on @Matt D's channel. Will go and check.

LDM wasn't really a wrestling TV show as such, more a docu series taking a wry look at wrestling.  It clearly did pave the way for the move of the proper TV wrestling coverage to FR3 the following summer.

Well there's this one that we've already discussed.  No sign of Leo Derwedrt/ Derweeri though.

 

 

[Phil Lions]

Just finished having a look through the TV listings in a 1975 newspaper* and I thought I'd compare with what INA has. At quick glance, I think a few of the matches are not available on @Matt D's channel. All the air times mentioned are pm. INA footage in bold.

- March 8, 1975 (on TF1 at 10:30): no specific match advertised
- April 13, 1975 (on A2 at 10:20): Al-Casi vs. Christian Preno + Daniel Schmid vs. Rocky James
- May 11, 1975 (on A2 at 10:40): Eric Joly vs. Le Samurai + Daniel Schmid vs. Gilbert Wherle + Rene Ben Chemoul & Walter Bordes vs. Gerard Bouvet & Black Shadow**
- May 24, 1975 (on TF1 at 10:45): a tag team match
- June 13, 1975 (on A2): Gilbert Leduc & Jacky Corn vs. Der Henker & Le Samurai***
- June 19, 1975 (on A2 at 9:50 or 10:55 - conflicting info): from Cirque d’Hiver
- June 28, 1975 (on TF1 at 10:25): no specific match advertised
- July 13, 1975 (on A2 at 11:00): Gilbert Wherle & Daniel Boucard vs. Gass Dhoukan & Yanek Fryziuk
- July 27, 1975 (on A2 at 10:45): no specific match advertised
- September 7, 1975 (on A2 at 10:00): Iska Khan vs. Claude Jartel + Latif Salah vs. Daniel Boucard
- September 14, 1975 (on A2 at 10:20): a tag team match
- September 26, 1975 (on A2): Georges Cohen & Gass Doukhan vs. Pierre Payen & Daniel Boucard****
- October 12, 1975 (on A2 at 10:30): Yanek Fryziuk vs. Batistou
- October 18, 1975 (on TF1 at 10:30): no specific match advertised
- November 29, 1975 (on A2): Arpad Weber vs. Josef el Arz + Walter Bordes vs. Le Samurai*****

* There are issues of the newspaper missing so the list of broadcasts may not be full.
** INA has the three matches as one video under that date, but the video is definitely two broadcasts posted as one. I think the Chemoul/Bordes tag is likely the May 24 broadcast, and it aired on A2, not on TF1 as advertised.
*** Date could be wrong - the TV listings for that day don't mention catch. Could be the June 19 broadcast.
**** Newspaper missing for that day. Can't check TV listings.
***** Catch was advertised for TF1 at 10:15 that night, but these matches clearly aired on A2 instead.

[David Mantell]

2 minutes ago, Phil Lions said:

. INA footage in bold.

And lo and behold they're all A2. 

Which clears up one mystery about the INA collection all going colour in 1975.  The INA just didn't bother with the B/W bouts on TF1 when there were enough colour bouts on Antenne 2 to fulfill the quota.

[David Mantell]

Also might be a good idea to check for Sunday evenings at around 1700h. We know there were such broadcasts from the time codes on the INA tapes.

[Phil Lions]

I've gone through the available French TV listings from 1974 to 1983 and in comparing those with what INA has it looks like INA's missing only about seven or eight TV matches altogether from the 1978-1983 period. Up to 1978 things are clearly on the decline for catch on TV, but still kind of alright with there being somewhat regular broadcasts (more than 10 per year, but less than 20). And then after 1978 and up to 1983 things get more dire and catch is airing on TV less than 10 times per year (and for half of those years the number is closer to 5 than it is to 10). There's also a clear pattern emerging where there'd be no catch on national TV for months, then A2 would bring it back as filler programming for a few weeks in the summer, and then there'd be no catch on TV again for months. This happened in 1980, 1982 and 1983. I know things are about to pick up a bit in 1984 though so at least there's that.

[David Mantell]

On 4/17/2025 at 9:51 AM, Phil Lions said:

This happened in 1980, 1982 and 1983. I know things are about to pick up a bit in 1984 though so at least there's that.

1983 is when Gerard Herve becomes Flesh Gordon. I'm not saying his personal popularity helped bring about the recovery but more likely it was the more gimmicky cartoony style he as lead bon exemplified that either tempted execs to put more on or else stimulated demand for catch among a younger audience. 

Some of the other characters like Kato Bruce Lee and Eliot Frederico (Le Rocky Du Ring) start to pop up around that time. So do more outlandish masked characters like Mambo Le Primitiv, Les Pihranas and Les Maniaks. Gordon has said that commentator Daniel Cazal was a willing collaborator of himself in trying to make le Cstch more "colourful" so perhaps the revamp of style and the revival in broadcasts were connected.

[David Mantell]

On 6/5/2020 at 11:34 PM, ohtani's jacket said:

Le Primitif vs. Jessy Texas (aired 7/21/85)

Mambo's posse are back! Albeit with a slightly different look. Poor old Jessy Texas tried to put up a fight here but ended up a bloody mess. 

Georges Cohen & Kader Hassouni vs. Anton Terejo & Pierre Lagache (aired 7/21/85)

Terejo is fat and out of shape here, but it's Terejo so I'm always gonna love it. Mercifully short

 

Talking of the new age of gimmicks...

This is just after the jump to FR3, the taping is in Dijon.  

Mambo Vs Jessy, the Gorillagram versus the Kayfabe Kowboy (I assume they have cattle herders in the French countryside but they dress nothing like in American Westerns)  with the gorilla again as Le Bon. He starts of well with a top wristlock but Jessy is soon outsmarting him. Jessy looks like a younger version of Orig Williams prior to and in the early days of Reslo when El Bandito had Harley Race side handlebars instead of a beard. He pulls off a neat monkey climb (the irony is diluted by it being called a Planchette Japonaise in French). Mambo has a neat wristlock he maintains., not as skilfully as the kids in Britain. Great spot where Mambo takes the corner pad off like George Steele and tries to whip Texas into the exposed buckles. Texas reverses but Mambo avoids the Steele links by jumping up on to the second turnbuckle so Jessy dropkicks Le Primitiv right over the pole to the floor.  The Mambo band are playing in the background, one of the drummers has invested in drumsticks, making it sound like a Dave Barbarossa  drum solo on a Bow Wow Wow record. Jessy gets another good Planchette Japonaise and dropkick out the ring.   Mambo throws some steps in the ring which referee Charley Bollet quietly and urbanely places outside again. Mambo gets a sustained advantage with some holds and some brawling, Jessy fights back but ends up headbutted to the stomach, pitched out the ring and carried back and thrown back in Warrior style. Texas has bladed outside the ring and takes a couple of Alabama Jams off the top rope before Bollet gives Mambo the TKO win. Le Primitiv and his band have a ringside victory parade. JT is carried out by two seconds.

The guest commentator is François Degeuelt, singer and former Eurovision contestant for Monaco. That's him in the thumbnail with the red YouTube logo on his nose like a clown.

Lagache has grown back his hair since the tag team with Jacky Richard. Tejeris older and tubbier but the two make a good pair of Mechants en Noir against George and  Khader Hassouni Les Bons En Blanc, a tag team of a Jewish Algerian and a Muslim Algerian. Cohen can roll and kip up as well as any British blue eye (and this being 1985 there were some promising ones coming along.)   Neat trick from Cohen, leaning into a standing hammerlock converting to wristlever so Lagache's head is down and Cohen can do a conveniently low flying Sciseax Volees all as one swift move. The sort of trick I would expect from Danny Collins, but Cohen is a veteran.  Tejero gets in and bumps around, taking a snapmare, two Scisseaux Volees and a dropkick which fails to connect but still knocks him onto the ringside table.  Cohen takes a double finger Interlock and rolls into a Japanese stranglehold.  With effort Tejero reverses but Cohen steps out and over to reverse back, releases and leapfrogs Tejero then bounces back with a scissor chop. Lagache tags back in and gets a top wristlock into mat wristlock, letting him up to smash him back down. Cohen eventually forces a whip with a bump and tags Husseini, still looking good eight years on from his 1977 cup final shot at Johnny Saint's World Lightweight Championship.  It hits the ropes but fails to become a brawl when Khader takes an arm meant for a Manchette and gets an armbar. He keeps the hold riding through a hiptoss or two. He dumps Lagache on the apron, no sells a foul and goes armbar into standing rear hammerlock, then survives another throw to make it an armbar on the mat. 

Cut to Lagache getting back in the ring and Khader getting a ground based cross headscissor on Lagache, who is up against the ropes trying to make it a folding press while KH alternately tries for a toupee and complains to Bollet about the ropes being used for pin attempts. Lagache turns it round but Khader hammers with a foot to send Lagache sprawling and tagging in Anton. Tejero gets a snapmare and throws Khader to the ropes but, - in a nice fast sequence - he comes back with an under leg crawl into double leg takedown in reply to which Tejero goes for bodyscissors but Khader spins out and gets two successive Scisseaux Volees and a dropkick out of the ring! Khader leads the crowd in the knockout count, displaying it with his fingers, all the way up to ten. Crowd is on a high thinking there has been a KNOCKOUT but it's a false finish, Tejero is up on the apron and Bollet tells Khader it's not his business to make counts. We get a slow mo replay of the nice fast sequence that impressed me so much then cut to Lagache and Cohen tagged in. He gets a Manchette, George gets a dropkick and cross press for two then slings Pierre outside and tags Khader back. Neither of Les Mechants want to get in and face him, like he's Big Daddy or something. Lagache comes back and gets his arm taken down and weakened with a kneedrop.  A wristlever and sudden jerk further weakens Lagache's arm then another one, but Bollet doesn't like the jerking in the hold and tells Hassouni off. Tejero tags in and gets taken down in the same mat armlock. He tries for the hair but Charley stops him.

Lagache comes in to break it up but Khader soon has the armbar on again, this time held with a knee in the bicep. Tejero powers up leaving Khader holding the wrist through his legs. Khader flips over, releases the hold, flips back and gets a reverse headscissor and flying scissors Tejero over! George tags in, comes off the ropes through Tejero's legs and off the ropes with a  flying bodypress for a 2 count which Lagache breaks up. Tejero shouldeblocks  Cohen who ducks underneath the running Tejero and scores with a fine Scisseaux Volees then ducks a Tejero charge to send him crashing outside. Lagache helps his partner back then regains his heat with a stomach punch (Irreuliere) Manchette (Reguliere) and kicks to the fallen Cohen (Irreguliere and Bollet ticks him off for it so Tejero gets some stomps in too.)  Lagache continues the dirty treatment and Tejero comes in with a powerful manchette.  Hassouni come in to complain but this just results in a shoving match with Bollet. Khader briefly collars Bollet and nearly gets an Avertisement for his pains before finally stepping out. Tejero delivers another powerful Manchette but Khader lands in his corner and makes the hot tag to George who wallops both villains out of the ring. Another shoving match between Bollet and a Bonnends with George making fist and asking the audience if he should throw it but winding up with Le premier Avertisement for his pains. Lagache tags in and gets a snapmare and shoulderblock on George but he trips le Mechant with a nice side folding press for 3'and the one fall required for victory!

Now that match was a surprise, a real action packed tag. I wasn't planning to drill down into details but couldn't resist. Mercifully short @ohtani's jacket? I would love to have seen an equalising and deciding fall of this.

[David Mantell]

On 6/5/2020 at 11:34 PM, ohtani's jacket said:

What is with catch and the Leatherman gimmick? So many guys do it.

See also the Road Warriors in Georgia before they went Cyberpunk and the Rockers (Pete Lapaque and Tommy Lorne, not Shawn and Marty!!!) in Britain this same year. Biker Gang and Hells Angels (not in the Street/Barnes sense)  heel gimmicks have been part of wrestling for decades.

[Phil Lions]

14 hours ago, David Mantell said:

1983 is when Gerard Herve becomes Flesh Gordon. I'm not saying his personal popularity helped bring about the recovery but more likely it was the more gimmicky cartoony style he as lead bon exemplified that either tempted execs to put more on or else stimulated demand for catch among a younger audience. 

Some of the other characters like Kato Bruce Lee and Eliot Frederico (Le Rocky Du Ring) start to pop up around that time. So do more outlandish masked characters like Mambo Le Primitiv, Les Pihranas and Les Maniaks. Gordon has said that commentator Daniel Cazal was a willing collaborator of himself in trying to make le Cstch more "colourful" so perhaps the revamp of style and the revival in broadcasts were connected.

Flesh had zero to do with it. The only reason for the slight increase in broadcasts (13 in total for the whole year) was La Derniere Manchette. A2 once again brought catch back (in this case Flesh and his guys) as filler summer programming for a few weeks, and at almost the exact same time FR3 decided to do the La Derniere Manchette show (which was a mix of retro matches, current day matches and some other stuff). Hence the increase in broadcasts. LDM on FR3 was airing in prime time on Saturdays around 9:20 pm and had a 70-minute time slot while the A2 shows were on Wednesdays around 10:30 pm and were slotted only for 30 minutes.

Just finished looking into 1984 and it's good to point out some of INA's dates are actually the taping dates. For example, they have the Gordon/Bordes vs. Maniaks match listed as having aired on February 25, but it actually aired on July 18. February 25 was when it was taped and it even says so at the start of the footage (enregistré le 25 February / recorded on 25 February).

[David Mantell]

It wasn't a series, more a run of sports specials.  Looking at the dates on @Matt D's videos, they were fairly spread out over a few months, probably regarded as Sports Specials or somesuch.  Apart from LDM it isn't until 1985 that we get any consecutive weekly dates.

I guess there's a connection between the dip in quantity of broadcasts from 1978 and this vague "decline" spoken of by all media articles on French Catch which ended with the WWF's arrival on Canal Plus in 1984 or 1985 (sources differ as to the launch date.)

[Phil Lions]

LDM was a series. It aired every week, except one, from July 21 until September 1, 1984. Then it was done. It was re-aired the following year on TV5. Here's an article talking about the debut of the series.


Based on the TV listings, WWF started airing on Canal Plus in July 1985. Only for about six weeks though. Then it was off the channel and returned again in late December 1985.

[David Mantell]

14 hours ago, David Mantell said:

Apart from LDM it isn't until 1985 that we get any consecutive weekly dates.

14 hours ago, Phil Lions said:

LDM was a series.

Yes, that's what I said. But in 1985 you suddenly get non-LDM broadcasts in consecutive weeks.

We don't know what - if any - role LDM played in (1) the upswing (2) the move of Daniel Cazal, Jean Pradinas and the crew to FR3 in summer 85. It did flip back and forth between A2 and FR3 over those weeks (just like in Britain during WOS's final months the timeslot moved back and forth between the old 4pm and the new lunchtime slots for a bit before settling down in lunchtime once WOS ended and it became its own show.)

[Phil Lions]

Here's what catch aired on TV in France in 1984 and 1985. INA has all of the footage, but a few of their listed air dates are not correct. Here is the correct info:

In 1984* on A2:
- July 4: Black Shadow vs. Angelito + Marquis Edouard Fumolo vs. Georges Cohen [taped on February 25]
- July 18: Flesh Gordon & Walter Bordes vs. Les Maniaks [taped on February 25]
- July 25: Mongo le Primitif vs. Patrick Lopez + Marquis Edouard vs. Gerald Malpard
- August 8: Mongo le Primitif vs. Eliot Frederico + Georges Cohen vs. Anton Tejero
- August 15: Angelito & Flesh Gordon vs. Black Shadow & Eliot Frederico
- August 22: Mambo le Primitif vs. Flesh Gordon & Angelito
- August 29: Georges Cohen & Gass Dhoukan vs. Eliot Frederico & Mano Negra

* INA has an additional match (Flesh Gordon & Angelito vs. Les Piranhas) listed as having aired on July 18 along with another two matches that for sure aired on other dates so that date is clearly wrong. And I think there's a decent chance this match ended up not airing.

La Derniere Manchette in 1984 on FR3 (the current-day matches only):
- July 21: Linda Blair vs. Nicky McDonald
- July 28: Franz van Buyten vs. Bob Ufo
- August 11: Brigitte Borne vs. Leo Dewerdt
- August 18: Marc Mercier & Pierre Mercier vs. Albert Sanniez & Mario Petrolini
- August 25: Linda Blair & Nicky McDonald vs. Brigitte Borne & Martine Gowart
- September 1: Franz van Buyten & Mr. Montreal vs. Bob Ufo & John Harris

In 1985** on A2:
- July 7: Mambo le Primitif vs. Les Golden Falcons
- July 14: Flesh Gordon & Kader Hassouni vs. Marquis Richard & Black Shadow
- July 21: Mambo le Primitif vs. Jessy Texas + Georges Cohen & Kader Hassouni vs. Anton Tejero & Pierre Lagache
- July 28: Angelito & Flesh Gordon vs. Kato Bruce Lee & Eliot Frederico
- August 4: Georges Cohen & Gass Doukhan vs. Black Shadow & Kato Bruce Lee
- August 11: Angelito, Flesh Gordon & Walter Bordes vs. Marquis Richard, Jessy Texas & Eliot Frederico
- August 18: Flesh Gordon & Walter Bordes vs. Les Maniaks [taped on March 2]
- August 25: Marquis Richard & Black Shadow vs. Marcello Motta & Angelito [taped March 2]
- September 1: Flesh Gordon vs. Mambo le Primitif [taped on May 11]

** INA has an additional match (Kader Hassouni & John DeBruyne vs. Les Piranhas), which was taped on May 11, that I'm pretty certain never aired.

And that 1985 summer run on A2 ended catch's streak of airing on national television for 31 consecutive years (1954-1985), albeit not always regularly.

On an another interesting catch TV note, looks like FEC/EWF's run on TF1 in 1991 lasted only four weeks (November 11-December 3). Catch is not mentioned in the TV listings before and after those dates.

[Phil Lions]

Another note. The original broadcast date of this match was October 31, 1988 (well, November 1 technically since it was on after midnight). It aired on TF1. The INA version includes the full Haystacks interview and a van Buyten interview before it.

EDIT - In fact, turns out INA has most of the 1988 New Catch footage, but apart from the Haystacks/Buyten match above the rest of the footage is not labeled with "catch" so it doesn't show up if you search for catch (hence why no one had really spotted it before).