French catch

[ohtani's jacket]

Alain Lesage vs. Batistou

 

I don't know if the well has run dry on French catch uploads, but this was certainly the worst one yet. It was wrestled in the provinces and had a bunch of women in traditional garb performing some sort of folk dance. Lesage was doing some sort of woodcutter gimmick. That might have been cool if this had been burly, but it was mostly bullshit. The ref was overly theatrical and the match broke down into terrible ref spots at the end. Batistou looked like he might be fun in a more rough and tumble bout, but Lesage couldn't do shit, and the folks in the country deserved better I thought.

[ohtani's jacket]

Remy Bayle/Dan Abriot vs. Victor Castilla/Pancho Zapata (11/28/65)

 

This followed the pattern of most of the 60s foreign heels vs. French babies tag matches; and while 40 minutes of the heels beating down the babyfaces and the babyfaces retaliating and being beat down again may wear on some, Castilla and Zapata were really effing good at beating people up. Castilla was the same guy who worked as Quasimodo though apparently he was playing himself here. I guess there's no clear timeline on this stuff. That deformity, or whatever it was on the back of his skull, was truly disgusting/awesome. Zapata was fucking awesome. He had really short legs and came across like a mdiget Terry Rudge. I thought he was spectacular in this. Match kind of petered out because of the length, but so much great brawling in this. I really want to see more Zapata.

[pantherwagner]

This is a perfect comment for the deceased "comments that do not warrant a thread" topic, however I guess it also fits in here.

 

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

[El-P]

Ah, yeah, Flesh and his topless valets. He also had a godawful look (even for the early 90s) and was a terrible promo. Such a beauf.

[pantherwagner]

Have you seen how he looks now? Still looks like a complete douche.

[El-P]

Have you seen how he looks now? Still looks like a complete douche.

 

Yep. And yep.

 

He was filmed by the belgium TV show Strip-tease (which I never cared for although it has always been critically applauded) in the 90's. That's the only enjoyable thing he was ever part of. Complete bullshiter, total carny (couldn't find a subtitled version, sorry) :

 

http://www.buzzmoica.fr/video/striptease-flesh-gordon-et-les-pompiers-1995-une-video-comedie-et-humour-9500

 

At some point he talks about doing huge ratings at midnight on TF1, and how the channel wanted to put them at 10.pm, but one (then) very famous soccer announcer said he would quit if wrestling was on TV.

[ohtani's jacket]

Iska Khan/Gen Tilly vs. Yves Amor/Pierre Rouanet

 

This was another of those impossibly cool French catch matches. It wasn't the best of ALPRA's uploads by any stretch of the imagination, but gave us another look at the 60s French scene and more insights into the rich history of professional wrestling in France. Iska Khan was a wrestler of Mongolian descent who appeared in a number of French films, including Belle de Jour. He didn't come across as anything special in this, but any wrestler who appeared in a Bunuel film is all right by me. Yves Amor wore the skimpiest pair of trunks ever. They were at least two sizes too small for him. Steve Veidor and Tibor Szakacs would have been embarrassed to wear them, and if you've seen what those guys wore in the 70s you'll know what I mean. Some cool grappling in this, but it didn't really have the build that most of us are looking for. More of a long exhibition than a compelling threepenny opera, and Khan didn't shine enough for it to be a must-watch.

[ohtani's jacket]

Pierre Combrouste vs. Ted Lamarre (1/22/60)

 

Nice little one fall opener between two lighter weight wrestlers. I wouldn't say matches like this became rare as the years progressed, but they certainly became less earnest as exhibitions of wrestling skill gave way to a higher propensity towards flashy moves. It was cool watching two small guys work a competitive wrestling match between them at their weight class instead of trying to up show the bigger guys.

 

Paul Villars vs. Michel Allary (1/22/60)

 

Allary seems to be a personal favourite of Bob ALPRA. I wonder if it's because of his career being cut short while in full bloom. It's neat watching a bout like this and seeing how "universal" wrestling tropes were on the continent. You had the slightly stocky Villars (complete w/ moustache) working all sorts of inside moves against the good looking, clean cut Allary, including that most unsporting of European heel acts: attacking your man while he's down. Villars gave Allary's back a working over, and Allary responded with clubbing forearm blows. When the match was worked on even terms, Allary dominated with his skill, and Villars had no answer for him. He resorted to inside moves and the cycle continued. A simple formula, but fun to watch.

[ohtani's jacket]

Michel Allary vs. Micha Nador (1961)

 

This was a good example of the skill level that most European heavyweights possessed in the 1960s. It was also a good example of common European tropes like how to finish a short one fall bout with a count out or injury instead of a decisive fall. Worth watching to see the standard of European heavyweight wrestling in this era, but won't satisfy the great match hunters.

 

Lino Di Santo vs. Horst Hoffman (1961)

 

My esteemed colleague Jetlag has already stated that a younger Horst Hoffman wrestles exactly the same way that he does in 1970s All Japan, but I would emphasize what a physical specimen he appeared to be. He wore tights in All Japan and appeared to be physically smaller, but here he was as close to prime condition as imaginable and it seemed the only thing that stopped him from accessing "beast mode" was respect for his French hosts. Like his future All Japan comrade, he seemed a cut above his opponent but only made a show of his physical strength on his bridging fallaway slam. If you've ever been intrigued by Hoffman in All Japan footage then you ought to make time to watch this.

[Indikator]

You might wanna stick with "Micha" Nador instead of using an Alpra spelling. IIRC Nador was like his colleague "Horts Hauffman" a former amateur and both at this point had less than 5 years of experience in the pro ranks. Matches like these showcase what an ideal European business would have looked like. To bad the actual credo was pretty much the "No Future" one of the 1970s punks so screw youth development.

[ohtani's jacket]

Thanks for the heads up. It's sometimes difficult getting the names right with these ALPRA uploads, though I think Nador went by the name Michael when he wrested abroad, which can then be shortened to Mick.

[pantherwagner]

Somewhere at the family house in Spain I have a listing (somewhat incomplete) put together by a gentleman who went through the reels of the entire French INA archive. I just can't find it. OJ, I may have told you that story about ten billion times times every time we go for ramen/beer in Tokyo. I need to look for that list again.

[Phil Schneider]

Does anyone have an approximate date on the Cesca v. Cantazarro match. Working on a MOTY by year project at SC and have no idea what year that match is.

[Tsort]

Hey guys, I've just signed up to this forum when I stumbled upon this (awesome) thread. Now that I've been through "new member validating limbo" (it took a while) let me tell you a bit more:

I am a French pro wrestler and trainer myself and I've been doing a lot of research about older pro wrestling (French, European, American). I've also started editing/creating Wikipedia articles about it. BTW, there ISN'T a George Kidd article on the English wiki yet? I guess I'll have to create it...

I've not had time to read through all the pages of this thread, but I'll catch up eventually. For years, as you know, there was absolutely no way to find older footage anywhere. The first black & white match I ever saw was on a VHS I found while in the US called "The Golden Age of Wrestling", which didn't feature any european match of course. Then the INA started putting stuff online, and eventually Youtube also started to deliver.

ALPRA is one of the best providers on YT at the moment for French pro wrestling. I don't know if you guys know but ALPRA stands for "Association des Anciens Lutteurs Professionnels Retraités ou en Activité" (Association of Retired or Active Professionnal Wrestlers") and is actually a gathering of all the old school (mostly retired) French wrestlers. Some kind of French Cauliflower Alley Club if you will. They're predominantly interested in older wresling since to them "lutte professionelle" was their craft, and not "catch" (kinda like the pro wrestling/sports entertainment dichotomy). Bob Plantin himself runs the blog and the the Youtube channel at the moment (hence the nickname Bob ALPRA). I've had him on the phone a couple of times, he's passionate, nostalgic and knowledgeable. A real class act.

Anyway, I'm eager to share stuff here now that I've found like-minded people.

[Phil Schneider]

Awesome, I would love to get more of a conversation going about French catch stuff, anyway you could ask Bob about a date on the Cesca v. Cantanzarro match? Really interested to nail that down.

[Shrike02]

Just watched this match and couldn't glean a date from the commentary, sadly.

[Rah]

Tried to source the date off their blog but between broken images and lack of helpful captions I haven't had much luck. I did find this, though:

 

 

Jim Breaks vs Billy Catanzaro!!

 

Blog: http://alpra.blogspot.co.za/2013/05/catanzaro-billy-de-tunis-paris.html

[ohtani's jacket]

Andre the Giant (Jean Ferre) vs. Franz Van Buyten (aired 1/20/68)

 

Jetlag hipped me to the fact that there is now 60s Andre on YouTube. Not only 60s Andre but 60s Franz Van Buyten. So excited. Andre looks like a country boy and nothing like Princess Bride Andre. At the beginning of the match, wrestlers come to the ring to greet him. None other than Rene Lasartesse -- in a suit, Ric Flair style -- comes out and insults Andre. Truly one of the great moments in wrestling history. The match is just brilliant. Andre wrestling! Andre taking bumps! Franz Van Buyten being a stud instead of a master. Roger Couderc being Roger Couderc, Who is this YouTube uploader doing the Lord's work? Andre doing the European 'European uppercut' exchange blew my tiny mind. This was something else. I will die and go to heaven if this is a Lasartesse vs, Andre match out there.

[ohtani's jacket]

Andre the Giant (Jean Ferre) vs. Scarface (aired 1/1/68)

 

This is some of the most fascinating shit you can watch. It's not just Andre being young and mobile -- I mean truly mobile, not oh, he was more agile in the 70s mobile-- it's young Andre working the European style. in particular, the European style where the clean, sportsmanlike match breaks down into a heated brawl. He's also playing face, which is interesting in and of itself. Andre doing FIP spots are the roots of his later HIP work. He was still a bit green in spots but I still came away thinking that 60s Andre was impressive.

[ohtani's jacket]

Andre the Giant (Jean Ferre) vs. Frank Valois (aired 10/31/70)

 

What a difference a few years in the city make. Andre had grown his hair out and was looking very suave compared the last match. Once his hair was ruffled, he looked pretty much like the 70s Andre we're familiar with and wrestled the same way. Gone were the holds and matwork. Now it was cocked fists and leaning heavily on his man in the ropes. I think Andre was already Valois' meal ticket at this point. Valois played the role of a journeyman heel using plenty of inside moves to try to get a handle on the Giant but only really succeeding at irritating him. It was slow going for the most part. I don't mind European bouts where the heel cheats but I expect to see some fireworks. It's interesting because it's early Andre but won't blow your socks off.

[ohtani's jacket]

Lino Di Santo vs Jack Van Dooren (aired 1/11/57)

I enjoyed this. When I went through the British style, I developed a real soft spot for the heavyweights. This had a ceiling since it was JIP but it was good while it lasted. It was a classic Euro bout where they can't better each other with technique so they start with the rough stuff. They didn't flesh it out like the Corn bout but it was clearly a go-to style even in the 50s. Di Santo is a guy we've seen before in the match with the young Horst Hoffman. So far he seems like a bit of a journeyman, but he was definitely solid. They way they wrapped it up kind of made you realize why it was a lower card match that was JIP but it was neat and tidy.

Jacky Corn vs. Luis El Gayo (aired 1/11/57)

I think this is the first footage we have of Corn. He was a prominent name in the 50s and 60s catch broadcasts. I'm pretty sure he was a middleweight (at least at this stage of his career.) This was faster paced than the heavyweight match with a lot of tosses and the odd wrist lock or head scissors. The Spaniard wrestler, El Gayo, was a lot of fun, especially when he started getting heat for himself. Corn was good but it's always hard to identify with the baby faces in this type of footage. It was clearly a showcase for him but he didn't exactly set the world on fire. The match was a lot of fun when it broke down and the forearm smash contest was well worked. I really liked the escalation in the final minutes. 

[ohtani's jacket]

Andre the Giant (Jean Ferre) vs. Andre Bollet (12/68)

This was another look at Andre as a young heavyweight star. His opponent, Andre Bollet, was a big name in French wrestling and resembled a French Mick McManus. It was a fairly predictable bout and not that exciting but it was interesting to see Andre work a standard heel vs face heavyweight bout and none of that monster heel freak show stuff. Like all matches of this ilk, the best parts where when Andre started get riled at the shots Bollet was dishing out. Andre had to hold back a bit since he was meant to be the face, but Bollet looked like he could be dynamite against the right opponent. Apparently, there are only four full length Andre matches in the INA archives but there is footage of him against the likes of Jack de Lasartesse which hopefully surfaces. 

[ohtani's jacket]

Kader Hassouni/Claude Rocca vs. Bernard Caclard/Albert Sanniez (aired 3/20/76)

This was an absolute gem of a match. European tag wrestling hasn't given me many reasons to be a fan of it but this match was a glimpse into what might be possible with the right heel team. Caclard and Sanniez were super slick as the lightweight heel team with the matching trunks. Caclard came across as a vicious little shit while Sanniez matched technique with divine bumping and selling. Rocca and Hassouni were vanilla by comparison, but they fulfilled their core role which was to retaliate to the heel tactics. I loved Sanniez jawing with the fan in the crowd and the older guy getting annoyed with the fan for carrying on with it. And Caclard attacking Delaporte was gold. I am sure there were a lot of matches like this in the halls in England with the Hells Angels (Bobby Barnes and Adrian Street) or Sid Cooper and Alan Dennison but never made ITV in this form. If I was recommending a list of the very best Euro matches of the 70s, this would make the list for sure. 

[Phil Schneider]

On 8/18/2012 at 2:13 PM, pantherwagner said:

Hey! Doing some research on something that has got nothing to do with wrestling I came across the webpage for INA (French National Institute of Media). If you go to their webpage http://www.ina.fr and search for "catch" or "catcheur" you can find a few clips, nothing much and no entire matches, but really interesting so I thought I'd share it here with an audience that will appreciate it.

 

Most of you probably have no idea about this, but France is one of the few remaining "treasure trove" collections left anywhere in the world that we have nothing about other than a couple of clips. The French being French, meaning very well organized and protective of their history, keep films of everything ever shown on their national TV stations.

 

I can guarantee that the reels are in perfect storage conditions somewhere in a Sports Institute vault in France (perhaps there is more than one copy, I don't know). I know the catch was restored, cleaned up, timed and catalogued a few years ago. I could be wrong but I believe that France is the only country (other than the UK) that taped wrestling and showed it on TV for decades.

 

I know people who have been chasing this footage for a decade but dealing with the French administration you have to go through a lot of loopholes and once you have charmed a person then it's replaced and you have to start over again. It's not a matter of money either (the people chasing this collection are, without going into specifics, very well off). So we may never really see the full collection of footage anywhere.

 

According to the Spanish wrestling historians I know, the finest technical wrestlers in Europe were the French, second the Spanish, and third the British. This may be a matter of opinion and indeed the footage doesn't show the style to be like World of Sport, but nevertheless it's an interesting piece of history.

This thread was 8 years ago, and we are about a week or so away from making all of this stuff available!! 

[ohtani's jacket]

Eddy Wiecz (Edouard Carpentier) & Eddy Koparanian vs. Andre Bollet & Georges Gueret (aired 2/23/56)

This was tremendous. Carpentier is a guy I've had mixed feelings about, but he was in his element here against guys who knew how to bump and sell for his offense. Bollet was incredible in this match. The first thing you notice about him from the Andre match is how quick and athletic he is. Then you start to notice the bag of tricks -- the counters, the selling, and the theatrics. He came across as a master. In the Andre match, I compared him to Mick McManus, but I've seen McManus matches from the 60s and Bollet looks even better here. I felt like I was watching Arn Anderson at times and that's about the highest compliment you can pay a wrestler. Gueret also looked like a talented performer and I enjoyed all of the heel antics in this bout. But it was the babyfaces that made this match. I've seen a lot of 50s matches where the heel cheats, the babyface retaliates, the heel cheats, the babyface retaliates. What I liked about this match was that the babyfaces were clearly the better, stronger team and it was all the heels could do to keep up with them. That was refreshing considering how good these heels were stooging. This was a great addition to the canon.