German catch

[David Mantell]

From the same tournament as Otto's return match with Don Leo. It's the younger more slimline Wanz in against an expat British heel and Dave Schultz lookalike. A grey bearded man in a suit and hat is interviewed in the ring.  Otto can still do rolling  cros buttock takedowns into an armlock at this stage.  He has a basic snapmares and an abdominal stretch and is a bit of a slugger.  Viking looks like a biker who took up wrestling to be paid to beat people up. Mick McMichael in his kilt is the referee.  It all ends when Viking charges Otto in his corner at the start of round 2 and slugs him but Otto takes over and slugs Viking then slams and pins him.

[David Mantell]

From 1986.  Rambo is another wrestler who comes down to disgraced paedophile Gary Glitter's track "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I am)" Later on after round one they play an awful knock-off of that Mr Postman song that the Beatles and the Carpenters both did (sung in broken English with a German accent) .  All the same camera mixing tricks as the Steve Wright Vs Tony StClair match from the same tournament 

Samson is a strength man and Rambo is a North American so the are best served by the slow old German style. Holds are worked for long periods of time and the escape that works is the last one tried.  Being a North American, Rambo pushes upwards on headlocks etc to power out rather than downwards to the mat to pull off a leverage based escape.  

Agadoo by Black Lace gets played between rounds. Ouch. 

I would expect Rambo to be the heels but he gets as much applause as Samson.  A babyface match with competitive needle. Still going at the same pace at the end until Samson rallies for the pin. The camera cuts away at the ruckal moment so only when Billy's hand is raised by referee Mick McMichael do we know the result. No sportsmanship, Rambo refuses a handshake.

 

[David Mantell]

Joined in progress. In 1987, Tony is younger and fitter and can almost match the big blond Swiss for size. It's a bit of a highlights package so we go from Tony kipping up in wristlocks to him walloping Rene with forearm smashes and don't find out how we got from A to B. It's also filmed over two peoples' shoulders and their heads get in the way. Lots of stomping each other, not much technical work ("Not too much wrestling" as Kent Walton would say.) Tony kneesmashes his way out of a tombstone piledriver, Rene misses an aerial move off the top turnbuckle. Tony gets the winner with a clothesline and cross press.

[David Mantell]

Masa Chono as a good guy at Heumarkt, Vienna 1987. (Chono was a rare heavy duty heel in 90s Japan, often beating babyfaces up til other babyfaces came to the rescue in groups) One fan shows his appreciation by shouting Japanese motorcycle brands at him. Chono makes nice transiions from chinlock to sleeperhold. He already has the step over toehold but not the extra facelock of the STF.  He works long and hard on Klaus's legs.   He also has good karate kicking skills like Saysma and Yamada. Clip appears to end with Kauf getting a public  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[David Mantell]

Another short clip, unusual because the Wright Brothers are on opposite sides. Steve and Bernie aren't tagged in together but Steve gets a few shots and a dropkick, I  n at Bernie on the apron. Bernie is no longer the Bearcat Wright violent case but he's hanging out with he notorious Indio.  Bernie spends most of his time against Bobby Gaetano .Ending comes when Steve gets a flying bodypress on Indio for a successful pin. 

[David Mantell]

News item August Smisl gives what I assume is a journo a good stretching.  Also Finlay and an American have a match then a backstage angle. The American threatens to shoot Finlay. So now you know where Austin, Pillman and Russo got the idea from.

[Jetlag]

That guy saying he's gonna shoot Finlay is actually Austrian Viktor Krueger of BattlARTS fame. AFAIK they actually had a 'shootfight' match at some point but I don't think I've ever seen footage of it.

[David Mantell]

16 hours ago, Jetlag said:

That guy saying he's gonna shoot Finlay is actually Austrian Viktor Krueger of BattlARTS fame. AFAIK they actually had a 'shootfight' match at some point but I don't think I've ever seen footage of it.

Ah, I see. Shoot was a Pun in that case?

[David Mantell]

Incidentally @Jetlag how influential would you say was Steve Wright on the 90s generation of young talent like Ulf, Eckstein, Kovacs, Schumann, Alex etc?  

Would you be inclined to agree with my suggestion - as discussed earlier in this thread - that the shift in German style away from the slower methodical style of Bock, Chall, Dieter Senior etc towards a more agile British-influenced style was attributable to Steve? If not, who or what else prompted the shift in style?