French catch

[David Mantell]

What's happened to French Catch Tuesday on Segunda Caida? 

Has the stock of new bouts run out?

[ohtani's jacket]

1946.11.15 Henri Cogan vs. Charlie Fisher

We already had some Charlie Fisher in the archive footage, but he's fun to watch. I suspect if we had more Fisher, he'd be a favorite of many since he's a lively and energetic worker.

1946.12.18 Louis Loew vs. Butcher Johnson
1946.4.27 Butcher Johnson vs. Martin Butch

Butcher Johnson is another of those great black workers lost to history. A big star in Britain in the 30s and a stalwart of the business right up until Paul Lincoln broke off from Joint Promotions in the early 60s yet, i suspect, an unknown name to most folks. He worked barefoot and was extremely athletic. There was an exoticism associated with him, particularly in the 30s, because of his ethnicity and skin color, but fortunately that didn't prevent him from demonstrating his wrestling prowess in the ring. I suspect he would have been one to watch in the 1930s. 

[ohtani's jacket]

10 hours ago, David Mantell said:

What's happened to French Catch Tuesday on Segunda Caida? 

Has the stock of new bouts run out?

Time to start reviewing these clips @Matt D I know you love clips.

[David Mantell]

11 hours ago, ohtani's jacket said:

Time to start reviewing these clips @Matt D I know you love clips.

And hopefully get them posted some place us ordinary mortals can see them. 

[Matt D]

On 7/30/2025 at 7:27 AM, David Mantell said:

What's happened to French Catch Tuesday on Segunda Caida? 

Has the stock of new bouts run out?

Just on vacation this week. More to come.

[David Mantell]

16 hours ago, Matt D said:

Just on vacation this week. More to come.

Okay, for this week.  here's a nice short bout that neither OJ nor myself have touched before.

Alex Fontaine, presumably no relation to Pierre Booster Fontaine of New School French promotion the ICWA. He's the one in the black top, looking like a freshly unmasked masked man, or maybe Jon Guil Do.  Joined in progress with Cavilliers outside the ring.  They lock up and Guy gets a side chancery and monkey climb. Alex dumps some relative of Guy out of the ring followed by the man himself. They take turns dumping each other outside and get a lot of dropkicks and huracanranas on each other. They kip up, kip out of headscissors - and kip up straight into a head collision and double KO.  OJ won't like it, but a ringside lady here with kids, whose husband is a boxer, reckons it's a nice fair equitable conclusion.

[David Mantell]

On 1/30/2020 at 2:31 PM, ohtani's jacket said:

Rene Lasartesse vs. Franz Van Buyten (aired 1/17/72)

This was a disappointment. You hope for a classic between these two and you get a gimmick match, and a shitty gimmick match at that. Some of the work seemed okay but the match was long and they committed the cardinal sin of being boring. The finish was stupid and the match was completely unsatisfying. 

The thing is, the French didn't really think of it as a gimmick match.  It was just another place where wrestling shows were held. Obviously the entire evening's show had to take place in the pool including long serious technical bouts and phases of bouts when the audience would just forget about the water. 

In this case, any anticipation about seeing big Swiss Renecger wet was undermined when he managed to capsize his boat on the way y to the ring. Rene had something of Sid Eudy to him, big, tall blond and accident prone.(I bet Eudy wished a certain 2001 WCW PPV had been held in a pool.)

The bout starts off as technical wrestling for giants with snapmares and side chancery throws. Van Buyten showing he can do all the French somersaulting stuff as well as RBC, LPP, Saulnier etc.  Lightweight wrestler Bob Remy is L'Arbitre for contrast.  Later on it becomes something like an 80s WWF match, full of big power stuff. Lasartesse uses a big reverse piledriver a lot. You're showing your (lack of) age if you think Tombstone but that does underline my point about 80s WWF style. About 13 minutes in, Rene does it the fourth time and the commentator says "La Belge TOMBE le quatrieme fois.". Don't you just love unconscious multilingual puns.  At one point the commutator goes on about "Le Manchette Nautique" (Maritime Forearm Smash)"qui est different du Manchette Classique.". No I didn't spot any difference either.

Referee Remy turns the crowd off off him by refusing to allow FVB to bung Lasartesse in the water.  FVB end up pitching them both over and getting himself disqualified after claiming a KO victory (shades of Flesh Gordon getting DQd and claiming moral victory due to some unauthorized pin count - or else Jimmy Hart and his referee's stripes jacket at WM9.) So he pitches them both out again.  Franzl does get one moral victory although this means the clip ends in a cliffhanger as both men are last seen stuck on different corners of the ring while the boat - already badly taking in water - comes to an awkward stop halfway between them.  Presumably Franz  finally had to dive for it during the next programme.

Talking of peoples' wives on the wrestling show. we don't meet Franz's but apparently she was a lady wrestler says the commentator.

[David Mantell]

[David Mantell]

And here is his tag partner from a few weeks earlier:

Yes it's the same Samourai.  The commentator says he is in red with yellow patterns and if this was 2eme Chaine then viewers saw for themselves.

Heel Vs heel, Marcel is of course a Blousson Noir and wears his Blousson to the ring. He looks like Big Bully Busick with a comb over. Samourai throws Manneuvaux around and takes bumps better, rolling up. easily, even after his wrist has been worked on. He easily reverses a standing full nelson and gives moustachioed Marcel to take loud bumps.  Great escape from headscissors, unpicking one leg while in the ball and setting it to legspread.  He even does the monkey climb - after all, the French call it la Planchette Japonaise.  Neat crossface/bodyscissors combination too.  Defensively hecdoes one of Johnny Saint's old counters, being pulled upwards by a limb - in this case the leg- and getting the other leg full locked upright so instead of being dropped, he ends up standing upright. He gets the winner with a sunset flip, no selling a kick to the head from Manneuvaux. 

This is very much a vehicle for Samourai.  Despite all this, he gets booked by the crowd, both at the end (and bows to the MC and L'Arbitre)and whenever he gets a Prime from Un Sportif Anonym during the bout.  Mostly from the bit where he goes wild with the chops on the floored Manneuvaux and gets a Deuxieme Et Derniere Avertisement.  An over the shoulder backbreaker turns into an excuse to choke Manneuvaux on the ropes. 

Talking of Samurais, Kendo Nagasaki deserves and apology from all those who mock the disco ladder match nearly 15 years later. Compared to the cheap Son et lumiere here, that was quite a light show.  Fairy lights come on on the ring as an old beardy geezer called Phillipe is interviewed Then some police surplus flashing lights and something loud and banging we can't see clearly on screen.  This was a prelude for an Astronauts tag team match with about 5 mins of guys being shot into the ring while going about the early stages of a big standard Catch A Quatre which cuts out mid match.

 

 

[Phil Lions]

Step aside Ric Flair, there's a new top dog in town! Rene Ben Chemoul discussing his womanizing ways certainly wasn't on my bingo card when I started checking out a 2001 radio interview with him, but here we are. And if I'm now stuck with this info in my head, you might as well be too!

Quote

- Interviewer (a woman): Ah, you were a ladies' man.
- Rene Ben Chemoul: Well, uh, I can't...
- Interviewer: You still have a lot of charm, you still have a twinkle in your eye.
- Rene Ben Chemoul: You're very nice, but I've changed a little. No, but it's true that I used to really like women.
- Interviewer: So a bit of a womanizer?
- Rene Ben Chemoul: Very, I was very... Oh yes, oh yes. And I had, I still had a good method, no doubt, because I never got into any big trouble.
- Interviewer: Because sometimes you had several women at the same time?
- Rene Ben Chemoul: Oh, uh, you want to know everything, then, really. I mean, of course, because since I often went to the same cities or the same... Well, obviously, yes.
- Interviewer: What was it like? Were they female fans who came to see you at the exit?
- Rene Ben Chemoul: Often, yes, that was it, yes, female fans.
- Interviewer: Did they like strong men?
- Rene Ben Chemoul: Yes, it must also be said that seeing men fighting undoubtedly had a certain appeal for some women. I don't know. You know, fantasies, we don't know where they're going to go.
- Interviewer: So, even in bed, they were asking you to act like a big, tough guy?
- Rene Ben Chemoul: No, but they didn't need to ask me anything. (laughs) I was doing what was needed.
- Interviewer: Were you more gentle or more of a brute?
- Rene Ben Chemoul: Ah, but no, I wasn't a brute, on the contrary. So that's why they came looking for me. They were disappointed because it's... No, I was, I've always been gentle.
- Interviewer: So a life that's a bit hectic in that respect?
- Rene Ben Chemoul: Ah, very.
- Interviewer: Very?
- Rene Ben Chemoul: Oh yes. Oh yes, yes, yes, yes. Oh yes, yes. I've had a life in that regard. Very good. That's why I got married so late [note: he got married in his 50s after he retired from wrestling]. I waited a long time, you know... Well, I didn't try. I waited until I'd stopped doing the rest of the sport to settle down, so to speak.

[ohtani's jacket]

Can't say I'm surprised. 

[David Mantell]

Same story all over the world from Lou Thesz to Bret Hart to Gilbert Leduc

[ohtani's jacket]

Yanneck Fryziuk vs Batistou (10/12/75)

Bob ALPRA uploaded a house show match of Batstou's about ten years ago where he came to the ring with the same band. I've got a lot of time for Fryziuk as a wrestler. He wasn't at his fighting best at this stage of his career, but his accumulated wrestling knowledge was impressive to behold. This was a slower heavyweight bout, but it had some exciting moments, such as the part where Fryziuk had Batistou tangled up on the mat, and the forearm contest towards the end. Even though it had a slow, lulling rhythm, it never bored me. Kind of a gentle bout despite the manchettes. 

[ohtani's jacket]

I went down a YouTube rabbit hole that led me to Dara Singh matches, but I'm telling you, I don't think we saw the best of Jose Tarres in the catch footage. He was something else in his youth. Jack Dale (my new hero) was sublime in the way he sold for him. 

[David Mantell]

There's a viral clip going round of a floating ring on a lake capsizing in France. Cornette mentioned it on his show. I sent Jim and Brian a potted history of Swimming Pool Matches in France with some YouTube links.

[David Mantell]

On 7/23/2024 at 12:47 PM, David Mantell said:

Interesting to see the young Fred Magnier as I'm mainly used to him as the old codger heel in street clothes who sticks his nose into Michel DiSanto Vs Michel Chaisne clean match  and gets a good kicking frm the elder Michel before being sent packing:

To be fair he still looked pretty decent in the other bout on this non INA show from Bob ALPRA's channel:

I think this is actually a colour kinescope rather than a VT copy. It has that filmy look to it.

 

On 7/23/2024 at 8:51 PM, David Mantell said:

Actually Fred Magnier also gets a good kicking in that last bout from Roger Delaporte (French fans hated referees but they LOVED Delaporte)  but it isn't enough to save young Bob Plantin from getting carried out unconscious. Great moment when a disgusted Delaporte has no choice but to declare Magnier the winner, the look on his face says it all "Yeah, darn it, that slimeball is the ****ING winner."

The INA's copy of the full 3 bout show has surfaced on Segunda Caida

Quote

Tuesday is French Catch Day: Magnier! Plantin! Bordeaux! Pereira! Di Santo! Chaisne!

 

8/7/76

Bob Plantin vs. Fred Magnier

MD: Three matches on this show, with the second one being brand new and the first and third being new to us. They were on, coincidentally, Bob Plantin's YouTube channel. We get about 8 minutes JIP here. Plantin is quite young. Magnier is rather pigfaced in a good way for a heel. He's a former firefighter and called the legionnaire since he was apparently in the Legion for five years. Delaporte is the ref looking casual. They say he's 47 but he looks like he's 47 going on 67 with all the grey. 

Plantin was full of energy. While he sold with his whole body and flopped about sympathetically and then came back with fiery (even if he didn't hit nearly as hard as Magnier), I do think maybe he did too much too often, zooming out of the ring, doing a taupie escape without the build, going through Magnier's legs, etc. There was one great bit I don't remember ever seeing before where he went for a cross headscissors but sort of rode through with it into a roll up exchange. Eventually Magnier leaned on him too much and ignored Delaporte too much and they started scrapping but by then Plantin had an injured ear and Delaporte called the match. This would have been better if he called the match first and then when Magnier didn't let up, they THEN scrapped. Here the drama was backwards.

Antonio Pereira vs. Jean-Claude Bordeaux

MD: This went about ten minutes but it was an incredibly skillful ten minutes. Pereira is billed as Portuguese and Bordeaux we've seen in tags with Francis Louis. Both of them were lighter and they could absolutely go. They kept it mostly gentlemanly though Pereira was the aggressor. Bordeaux had a counter for everything though. Lots of sharp hanging on to holds and through throws, though nothing was worked for long as they kept things moving. Sharp headscissors and a 'rana and some very slick ways to land on one's feet. I'm not sure how much of it was Pereira's basing but Bordeaux looked extremely sharp. About two thirds through, Pereira started to lean down upon him a bit more, maybe apologetically, but definitively nonetheless. Despite that, Bordeaux was able to leap up to the top rope and then come flying back with a body press for the win. Definitely a good one to check out if you just have ten minutes to see just how good these guys were at what they did.

Michel Chaisne vs. Michel Di Santo

MD: This is a very late look at Chaisne who we haven't seen since the early 60s if I'm not mistaken. He's got grey hair and seems to be in charge of sports for some town or another as his day job. This is our earliest look at Lino's son Michel. It's twenty minutes or so (a little less) and it's very good. Chaisne had grey hair but he could still go, still knew all the tricks, still had all the technique. The start of the match had Di Santo whipping him around with his arm or his neck on these tight takeovers and they all looked brutal. Lots of hard hitting shots as well, with Di Santo bumping into the top rope throat first after one and Chiasne crashing into Delaporte (the ref here) and even over the top at one point. That gave us more extracurriculars as Magnier, in the crowd after the first match got into it with Chaisne and got routed out the other side of the ring for his trouble.

They didn't overtly play up the young vs old as much as you think, leaning instead into technique and hard shots. It did seem like Chaisne controlled the holds a bit more and had more answers, even if Di Santo was happy to move with energy and give him problems. Finish had both of them sailing over the top and the crowd helping Chaisne back into the ring first for the countout. This made me wish we had another fifteen years of Chaisne matches basically.

Labels: Antonio Pereira, Bob Plantain, Fred Magnier, French Catch, Jean Claude Bordeaux, Michel Chaisne, Michel Di Santo

Read more!

posted by Matt D @ 12:30 PM 

I'll do a write up later on that middle bout as I seem to have covered the other two adequately already. The first minute or two of Pereira Vs Bordeaux looked pretty cool on Bob's channel, I look forward to checking out the whole thing later tonight.

[David Mantell]

5 hours ago, David Mantell said:

The INA's copy of the full 3 bout show has surfaced on Segunda Caida

I'll do a write up later on that middle bout as I seem to have covered the other two adequately already. The first minute or two of Pereira Vs Bordeaux looked pretty cool on Bob's channel, I look forward to checking out the whole thing later tonight.

Okay, it's not a very long bout, about 12 minutes but it's a good fast paced contest.(incidentally that's six wrestlers on this show and five of them are Bons. Even the referee is an honest broker in a culture where Dangerous Danny Davis crooked officials were the norm, not the exception.)

Pereira has the moustache and the blue trunks. Bordeaux is in the green trunks.  Bordeaux gets off to a fast start. He snapmares Pereira and kicks off several single legdive takedowns, spins horizontally out of the last attempt and gets another snapmare.  Pereira gets his own snapmare and shouldeblock but when he tries for another. Bordeaux fires off a dropkick, sending him to ringside. Pereira gets a front grovit but Bordeaux breaks it open into a top wristlock and forces a high whip and bump.  They repeat the grovit>top wristlock>whip sequence. Pereira gets an underhook and appears to lift his man for a long suplex but chances his mind and dumps his man on the ring apron, forcing a break. Bordeaux gets the grovit and takes his man down to kneeling height. Pereira forces upwards and breaks it open into a whip but Bordeaux cartwheels with the whip and forces an armdrag on Pereira who takes the bump. Pereira throws Bordeaux off the ropes and scores a decent bump for it. When he tries again, Bordeaux takes hold of Pereira's arm and the momentum help him to convert his man's throw into his own armdrags.  Bordeaux gets a couple more strong quick armdrags. They go for a double finger Interlock and from there Bordeaux gets a standing full nelson. Pereira throws him off backwards and gets a rear legdive between his own legs. Bordeaux pushes him off with thectaken leg, single leg flips him on the rebound, gets the full nelson back.  Pereira breaks one side and goes behind for his own full nelson. Bordeaux slides downwards in the dropping, arms-last escape and tries to roll away but Pereira catches his legs as he rolls and turns him upright and slaps the full nelson back on. Bordeaux rears into him and comes off the ropes with a flying headscissors takedown.  Pereira gets aside headlock into standing hammerlock into side folding press from behind.  He turns so Bordeaux's legs are pointing away from the ropes and gets a couple of front folding press pin attempts for 1 counts but Bordeaux powers a shoulder or two up each time. Eventually Bordeaux handstands, gets an upside down armhank,flips himself over and throws his man, Pereira tries for another folding press but Bordeaux uses the same counter throw.  Bordeaux ends up with a wristlever running between his legs. Pereira pulls himself upright and goes in to attack behind. But Bordeaux flips over into his back, kips backwards into a ground dropkick knocking Pereira down.   He is up and gets running off the ropes.  Bordeaux backdrops him and goes for the lengthways press.  Pereira gets a rear chancery and bridges up and rear snapmares his  man, turns Bordeaux round and has him in another side chancery. He uses it as a weakener and eventually Bordeaux gets and underhook, crotchhold and slam.  He goes down for a length pres but Pereira does his bridging up into rear snapmare move. Pereira gets a side chancery. Bordeaux breaks it and rear snapmares Pereira who does it right back to Bordeaux and still keeps holding on the side chancery  with his man down.  Bordeaux turns him over and cross presses his man for 1. but is rolled off. Pereira gets a single legdive into leglock in the guard on him, This becomes a grapevine legloçk and then a Marty Jones Powerlock.  Bordeaux flips it over so he is on top. By now it's practically an Indian Deathlock He turns it over trying for a Frank Gotch figure 4 toehold but Pereira has the same idea and they both end up upright and hopping around back to back, each with a hold on the other's leg. They let go and shake hands, getting a warm reception from the crowd. Pereira gets a sudden side Chancery throw.  He goes for another but Bordeaux gets a leg Antonio backflips free and throws his man. They run the ropes, Bordeaux runs through Pereira's legs and gets doubled legs but is thrown off by . Pereira with his own legs.  Bordeaux spins out and gets a flying headscissors.  He gets the Frankensteiner on Pereira and the two men flip back and forth in folding presses until Bordeaux flings Pereira away with his legs.  He gets a side headlock takedown. Pereira tries but fails to force his way out, he forces upwards but gets hiptossed for his pains. He eventually pulls his head out from the headlock to make a back hammerlock in the guard.  He converts to a turning double underhook the n on into the hammerlock again, lifts his man upright and throws and bumps him with his arm in the hammerlock position still!  Pereira drops an elbow, just about legally on Bordeaux as he gets up.  He gets two Manchettes and a kneelift.  This is followed by a whip into the ropes and a bodycheck on the rebound.  Pereira gets a side chancery but instead of the relevant thow, he sends his man spinning horizontally.  He whips Bordeaux who comes back on the rebound with a flying tackle to get a 1 count. But Pereira bridges upright, turns hisman over and slams him. He cross presses for 2.  They exchange Manchettes and Bordeaux gets a posting on Pereira.  He gets another Manchette, a cross press  but is thrown off on top of Delaporte, who stoically keeps his cool unlike some French and German referees we could mention!  Bordeaux gets a posting, Pereira reverses but Bordeaux manages to skip the momentum and hops up onto the top turnbuckle for a flying bodypress and the one fall required. They shake and raise each others hands.

Delightful bout, agile, full of beautifully executed escapes and transitions.  Best purist scientific match I've reviewed on here in a while on these threads, probably since Johnny Kidd Vs Nipper Eddie Riley on the British thread a month ago.  

 

[ohtani's jacket]

1948.2.2 Yvar Martinson vs. Stan Karolyi
1949.10.19 Stan Karolyi vs. Sandy Orford
1950.6.28 Stan Karolyi vs. Big Benny
1953.11.29 Stan Karolyi vs. Mohamed Djaber
1954.1.24 Stan Karolyi vs. Pat Curry
1954.2.14 Stan Karolyi vs. Lino Di Santo

Karolyi was a grizzled, Hungarian veteran who was a fixture in the European scene from the 30s to the 50s. He was clearly a skilled light heavyweight, although we only get glimpses of his technique in these bouts as most of his matches turn into violent brawls (a winning formula in my books.) It's clear that that the formula we saw in the late 50s catch footage was already well in place by the time TV rolled round. It would be interesting to figure out whether audiences grew tired of foreign heels or if there was some financial reason they stopped being booked as often. It seems that more outlandish gimmicks because popular in the 60s and tag team wrestling began the top draw. There were still some of the old elements of the 50s brawls, but they definitely moved away from the big foreign singles stars 

[ohtani's jacket]

I forgot to mention that the Pat Curry clip shows a rare instance in catch  of a guy wearing a championship belt around their waist, and yep, it's ugly as all hell. 

[David Mantell]

Sandy Orford trained the Crabtree brothers as wrestlers and ended up on Big Daddy's episode of This Is Your Life in 1979. Orford told the audience of millions that young Shirley was more interested in drinking milk to put on muscle mass than learning holds.

Video is somewhere on the British thread.

[David Mantell]

For some reason this elimination triple tag was broadcast on Reslo in Wales with, of course Welsh commentary by Orig Williams and Nick parry.. From 1992, three Hispanic Mechants take on the two biggest Bons of the late 80s/90s/00s and the most happening TBW of the New Catch era in an elimination Catch A Six. Charley Bollet, human looking brother of mighty merchant of the sixties Andre Bollet is refereeing. 

The villains zoom in on young Yann and give him quite the treatment.. Flesh tries leaning way over the ropes to tag but Bollet will not have it. Soon Caradec is in no state to continue and things grind to a halt while he is revived (by Flesh slapping him around!) carried out.  

Zefy takes over, dazzles the heavier Carlos Plata and knocks him outside for a 10 count knockout leaving us with a regular Catch A Quatre.  Hectags Gordon who gets double teamed by the remaining heels, determined to send him to join Yann. Eventually they hit each other and Flesh makes the hot tag to Zefy who gets to work with dropkicks galore even holding up against an attempted double team. He missile dropkicks on Herodes and  Sgt Mendieta  makes the save just at 2. The good Sarge throws Zef bto ringside. Gordon helps Zefy up but Les Mechants boot him back down and Bollet finishes his count despite Les Bons' protests. 

(Interestingly Orig calls Les Mechants "Dai Dihiryn" - two villains, which you may recall was the Welsh team name of masked duo Martin "Count Von Zuppin" Warren and Johnny "Dr Death" Adams when they fought Big Daddy and Scot Valentine on the show)

Finally they turn their attention to Gordon, superhero of France.  The give him the same treatment as his partners but Sarge accidentally hits Herodes.  Sarge charges Flesh who dodges and Sarge pitches himself  over the ropes. He is left dressing like a cross between Kamikaze and Les Kellett  before Flesh knocks him to ringside for the 10 count.  That just leaves Herodes and the Flesh. Herodes tries to get to work on Flesh who brushes off the attacks. Sarge tries to interfere but gets hit by his partner again Bollet firmly removes him.  Flesh gets a side chancery into underhook into  long suplex, then a flying tackle into awkward armdrags and press for the final pin to leave himself winner and sole survivor.

Apart from some great dropkicks by Zefy, not a lot of real skill on show here but good family fun like Big Daddy was. Maybe that's why there are so many kids in the audience.

 

[David Mantell]

Quote

MD: More studio catch. We have this match in a different setting but I don't remember it well. I think, at the time, I didn't realize Bayle became Der Henker either and I imagine this is shorter which probably is a positive overall. As a slice of life thing, they have Couderc's grown up (or close to it) son introduce him, which I thought was a nice touch.

Match itself was a very good tag of its kind. Bayle had strength and technique. Aubriot had speed and technique. The Blousons pulled hair, came in illegally, controlled the ring, double teamed when they could. Thus there was a balance. Everyone worked into everyone else's spots well. It's a testament to Bayle that he could do both this and the Henker act. 

The stooging spots were all entertaining. The dogged offense by the Blousons was properly nasty and hit just the right note of enhanced reality (one pulling the rope up while the other draped the neck of his opponent over it). Gessat would miss a punch and bump on it but Manneveau was the one who would go way over the top with his reactions. Everything went wild midway through as a Blouson took a bump over the top from the ref (after tossing his opponent out) and they went towards the stands putting the cameras in danger. Just nice use of the studio. 

Great finishing stretch too as Aubriot really flexed his speed with rope running and ranas and what not. They did a double ko where they crashed into each other but Aubriot just beat the ten count (a finish I've rarely seen in any French Catch, let alone a tag) and there was much celebrating. Very fun stuff. 

SR: This was another match in that studio setting. A lot of quietness early on with no fans in sight, and they kind of wrestled in a suitable manner. A bit subdued but with plenty of neat wrestling going on. It never ceases to amaze me how many cool touches these guys would seamlessly work into an exchange, such as the blocked hammerlock that lead into a slick backslide. Even modern worker rarely think of things like that. They moved more towards the stooging, bumping and heel shenanigans that we associate with French tags and at that point the crowd came alive. Ridiculously well executed, down to even minute details such as Mannevau's headlock aiming the face perfectly at the camera. Things got more unruly with one of the babyfaces using the referee to flip out the ring and then the fight spilling into the audience ranks, which is not something we had quite seen like that before I think. They wrapped it up with some slick exchanges for a somewhat (18 minutes) match. A good match, not mega outstanding but definitely worth watching just for the clear look at the wrestling alone.

Hold it. HOOOOLD IT!!!!  We've already had this bout on here!

Quote

This appears to have been filmed in the same location as the Mantopolous tag match above.  No sign of the drumkit from the other match although at the end I spy a grand piano with a pianist all ready to go.  It's the same plain white backdrop. Actually I think it's a cinema rather than a TV studio and that is the screen. (Over in Britain,  Granada Cinemas had Paul Lincoln promotions shows at their cinemas which were then filmed and the prints bicycled round the country - there's even an example on the British Wrestling thread, the Wild Man of Borneo bout).

Gessard (no moustache) and Bayle start off.  Good fast technical start Manneuvaux (moustache  - Couderc makes a silly remark about the tache's lone weight). tags in and gets kicked out of the ring. Gessard in, keeps Bayle in a headscissors.  Manneuvaux takes down the other Bon (I think it's Dan Aubriot).  with a knee to the base of the spine and applies a headlock.  He really looks sinister with his moustache, thick eyebrows and slicked black hair like a 1920s Hollywood heavy. (Think early Oliver Hardy before he became Stan Laurel's comic foil) Aubriot wedges out so Marcel pulls hair to regain the headlock. What a Mechant!  He gets Bayle (who tags in after a failed Aubriot folding press pin attempt ) in a headlock on the ropes and L'Arbitre pulls him off by the nose! Gessard tags in and stomps on Remy's leg and gets heat.  Bayle twice slingshots Gessard acrossthe ring Dan tags in and grabs Gessard by the ears (Mick McManus's least favourite place to be grabbed) and knocks him down. Manneuvaux helps by headlocking Dan from behind and the villains double team him.  Manneuvaux cuts off Dan's air as  L'Arbitre escorts Gessard out but this does not get the same heat it would in England even though Aubriot is thrashing away with his legs to get the ref's attention. Dan gets shoved out the ring and the ref backdrops Manneuvaux out to join him. They have quite the ringside brawl, the hardcam catches the ringside camera swinging round to keep focused on the action.  All four guys end up in the front row seats with spectators fleeing for their lives (luckily no braver souls make a bid for TV fame and pitch in.)  Les Bons make it back to the ring first while Couderc begins leading the audience in the most godawful drunken singalong.  The hardcam actually captures him dancing around in his own little world!   Les Mechants stumble back and a tag team brawl ensues.  Couderc is still singing and so are la Publique. Gessard works Remy over with an armbar (he does nothing to escape)  then tags Manneuvaux.  Bayle gets a fireman's carry then an overhead press slam (Couderc sadly starts the bloody singing again!) the tags Aubriot.  Manneuvaux gets a bodyscissors in the corner but Dan knocks his hands off he ropes and he lands in a heap and the fans laugh at him.  He gets a figure four top wristlock on the mat, Dan kips up to make it a standing top wristlock. Manneuvaux tries to get the advantage pulling hair again but the ref flings him off to the ropes.  Aubriot gets a Manchette and a side chancery throw into front chinlock (more drunken Couderc singing). He takes Marcel's face (the ref ignores this or puts it down to retaliation) and switches arms on the chinlock then gets a crosspress for 2. Manneuvaux gets headscissors but Aubriot kips out and tags Bayle. Manneuvaux gets a sleeper (and crafty eyerake) The heels double team Bayle as they tag and get their first Avertisement.  Aubriot gets the hot tag and we get so evof Couderc:s infamous pro Bon bias "Allez Aubriot! Vas y Aubriot" and more singing. Manneuvaux ends up tangled in the ropes as Bayle tags back in.  It gets fast with ground dropkicks and missed splashes from both sides. Gessard tags in  Aubriot throws him with headscissors.  and Bayle throws him with a rear snapmare. Gessard gets some throws of his own. Bayle gets a powerslam for 2.  They knock heads and Bayle gets up but the villain is counted out for 10 - KNOCKOUT!!!

Not a technical classic, a simple Bon Vs Mechant brawl with a happy ending.

I like the extra bit at the start with Couderc's son.  Hopefully he's still out there.

I guess I'll have to find something else to make up the numbers on this thread, then.

[David Mantell]

In the meantime here is another press article. Nice scary picture of Bayle as Der Henker.

https://www.vice.com/fr/article/quand-le-catch-francais-vivait-ses-heures-de-gloire/

Incidentally,

19 minutes ago, David Mantell said:

. I think, at the time, I didn't realize Bayle became Der Henker either

I expect most of the French public didn't realise it was him either or cat least not until decades later.  Was he ever officially unmasked? (I don't mean one of those ones where they lay down flat on their fronts covering their head with their arms until Monsieur L'Arbitre comes and puts le Cagoule back  on them before anyone can get a good look and the crowd start up AUX CHIOTTES L'ARBITRE.)

[David Mantell]

3 minutes ago, David Mantell said:

In the meantime here is another press article. Nice scary picture of Bayle as Der Henker.

https://www.vice.com/fr/article/quand-le-catch-francais-vivait-ses-heures-de-gloire/

 

When French wrestling was in its glory days

By Adrien Franque

January 18, 2017, 5:00am

 

In “The World Where We Catch,” one of the chapters of his landmark work Mythologies , Roland Barthes examines the popularity of wrestling, this “excessive spectacle” that filled gymnasiums and ORTF television slots at the time. It was the semiotic exuberance of wrestling that seemed to fascinate him at the time, these “characters from the Italian Comedy who displayed in advance, in their costumes and attitudes, the future content of their roles.”

The fact that Roland Barthes was interested in wrestling at the time, in 1957, is not insignificant: it was a popular form of entertainment spread throughout France, whether through television or in various performance halls, in Paris and the provinces. The 1950s and 1960s were the high point of this sporting spectacle: Roger Couderc on commentary, The White Angel, the executioner of Béthune or Roger Delaporte in the ring, wrestling was everywhere. The spectators knew that they were witnessing perfectly orchestrated fights but ignored them; the whole point was to observe the virile ballet between the robust bodies of these “Michelangelos” of the ring.

This era is the golden age of wrestling, the period described by Christian-Louis Eclimont, author of novels and books on cycling and French song. In Catch – The Golden Age 1920-1975 , published by Huginn & Muninn, he looks back at the discipline that saw the birth of masked heroes and bastards that the public loved to hate, at the memory of Saturday nights watching Chéri-Bibi deliver headlines to René Ben Chemoul live from the Elysée Montmartre, at the spectacle of the “Série Noire and Audiard films” years that gave birth to future movie stars like Lino Ventura and André the Giant.

Elegantly laid out and illustrated with the precious archives of collector Jean-Marie Donat , The Golden Age of Wrestling offers a pleasantly nostalgic glimpse of a bygone era when choreographed combat drew crowds. We asked Christian-Louis Eclimont a few questions to find out a little more about French wrestling in those years.

VICE Sports: How did wrestling appear in France?
Christian-Louis Eclimont : In the beginning, it was actually the extension of the fairground exhibition sports of the 19th century. Wrestling was born in the United States at the end of the 19th century. In the US, wrestling owes its fame in the 1920s to the Gold Dust Trio, three former wrestlers who built the circuit. It was a bit mafia-like and rigged, but that was inherent to this kind of event. In fact, since amateur wrestling didn't pay, wrestling arrived.

In the 1930s, three French heroes, Henri Deglane, a former wrestler; Raoul Paoli, a mind-blowing guy with Olympic titles in several disciplines; and Charles Rigoulot, who at the time was considered "the strongest man in the world," would outline a wrestling circuit in France. If wrestling in France had to be born, it would be around the 1930s.

Henri Deglane, on the ground, trying to escape a hold from Charles Rigoulot.

Where did these French wrestlers come from? We see that they often have athletic backgrounds, sometimes in several disciplines. Was this always the case?
From the 1930s onwards, we can say that all French wrestlers came from wrestling. Some would come from judo later. But, they were mostly wrestlers of an excellent level who did not earn their living practicing this demanding sport. So they all switched to wrestling. From 1930 onwards, all these wrestlers were accomplished athletes. We are no longer in the Apollo culture of 19th-century fairs.

Was it a sporting spectacle that developed everywhere, or was it predominantly Parisian?
It was necessarily national once the TV network was established. There were wrestling galas all over France until the years 1975-1980.

Very quickly, we see that French wrestlers adopt well-defined characters, a bit like current wrestlers, even if there are also big names in wrestling with fairly traditional ring names...
There were several waves in fact. Among wrestlers such as “Mustapha Shikhane the extraordinary Turkish champion”, “M'Boaba the formidable Congolese champion” or the butcher of Budapest, there was a certain bluff with, sometimes, the use of superlatives in their names. While on the other hand, if we think of Roger Delaporte, Walter Bordes or André Bollet, it is true that we fall back into a certain normality. But, let's say that there were several entrances into wrestling: a more totemic aspect and a more normal aspect.

All of this stems from the very Manichean storyline found in wrestling: good versus evil. We're in the substance of the superhero with an extremely childish storyline but one that worked well at the time, because May '68 hadn't yet passed, and the cult of the super-strong male was still very effective. It crumbled afterward.

Has this ambiguity between spectacle and sport always been present in French wrestling? Or was it seen as a sport in its own right at one time?
It's always been somewhere between the two, between spectacle and sport. The sporting aspect was contained within the notion of a professional wrestling federation, but it was all very fragmented. It was a spectacle sport, inexorably. It was featured in the sports pages of Les Echos at the time, but it wasn't taken seriously as such. It's always been a sport-entertainment.

As we can read in the book, France even broadcast wrestling on television before the United States, which seems absurd given the difference in popularity of the discipline between the two countries today.
Yes, in terms of television, this is the only aspect where France was ahead of the United States. It was broadcast simply because it was popular; it was the fighting culture, the Clochemerle culture, the myth of the strongest man in the world. It was broadcast on TV on Wednesdays or Saturdays, sometimes twice a week. People were sensitive to this spectacle, which was full of twists and turns. The matches were extremely scripted, staged like plays. No one cared much about whether it was a sport with precise rules. Roger Delaporte had a rather wonderful saying: he called wrestling “the ignoble art.” So we can clearly see the circus element behind all this, but a circus where the athletes do the work.

When did French wrestling disappear, at least in that form?
In the collective imagination, the myth of the strong man who slaps everyone declined after 1968. Society had profoundly changed, and the means of entertainment were multiplying. And this wrestling, the one I talk about in the book, died out around 1975-1980. Afterwards, there was a renaissance with a heavy metal circus that interests me less. I wanted to keep, with this book, a childhood memory of that golden age, when everyone followed the matches on television.

[David Mantell]

7 minutes ago, David Mantell said:

Afterwards, there was a renaissance with a heavy metal circus that interests me less.

Funny way to talk of Gordon/Zefy/Jacky/Ryder etc.  Or indeed the Gordon /Bordes tag team. (The French original is "un barnum heavy metal" incidentally.)