German catch

[David Mantell]

Quote

I enjoyed this match and will come back at some stage to do a blow by blow account as there's enough interesting detail here to warrant it.

 

OK here goes.  First up though, the theme music Simply Irresistible, originally the ring entrance music for white meat babyface Jeff Jarrett in that other CWA and in the USWA around this time. There are dining tables on the hard cam side and sounds of plates being scraped throughout.

Round 1 gets down to business with a bunch of cross buttock presses, mostly by Wright. Bernie gets a toe and ankle hold. Markus throws him with his feet but Bernie cartwheels out with ease.  Bernie gets a Headlock into side Chancery throw and crosspress for 2. He is pressed off and nearly lands on Didi who is not amused. Bernie tries the full nelson into snapmare into crosspress, again narrowly missing Didi.  Bernie gets a side chancery, Markus resists the throw but Wright gets it and the 2 in the end  Wright gets a double legdive and tums Markus over into a reverse double leg nelson, almost a folding for 2.  He gets a side bodyscissors, turning his man over for a couple more 2 counts then sliding him forward off a bridge for another one.  Markus tries bridging back for a fall but the bell goes.

Round 2  and Bernie gets a full nelson. Throwing him off doesn't work. Markus gets his escape by some means we can't see as Bernie is in the way.  Bernie lands a forearm smash and a lunge to Bucholz's stomach, then two more forearm smashes. Markus gets a snapmare into guillotine elbowsmash.  Bernie gets a drop toehold and a sideways on surfboard, releasing after Markus had resisted long enough. He posts Markus and delivers an over the knee backbreaker. a snapmare into chinlock. Markus breaks open the chinlock into a wrist lever but Wright rolls back and forth.  He cartwheels and somersaults in the lever before monkey climbing his man. But Markus still has the wrist, so Bernie kips up, unpicks the arm with his foot, snapmares and lengthwise covers Markus who bridges out, so Bernie snapmares Markus who again bridges out.  They log roll in stalemate. Didi leaps over them but trips as they reverse direction.  It winds up with Bernie in a bridge over Didi.  The bell goes

Round 3:   They are running back and forth.  Bernie gets a cross buttocks throw and press for 2.  He gets a wristlever, Markus rolls out and gets Bernie's arm, dragging him down to the guard with a top wristlock. Bernie kips up but Markus drags him down. He kips up again, turns on a front wristlock into the armbar and rolls forwards, cartwheels back and forth and snapmares Markus. Bernie gets a semi Japanese Stranglehold, unrolls it and bodychecks Bucholz.  He gets another armbar and smashes an elbow or two and some knees right in the joint.  He flattens Markus into a hammerlock flat in the mount. He continues the hammerlock as Markus tries to find an escape, in the end Bernie releases the younger man who is still selling his shoulder.  They finger Interlock and from there, Bernie picks off one side wi gets another hammerlock with bar and a high whip, forcing a somersault into bump, then follows with a long distance armdrag.  The bell saves Bucholz.

Round 4. They finger Interlock, Bernie picks off one side and scores a lean back dropkick.  He forces a gentle bump with a whip and puts on a short arm scissors.  He holds for some time, getting the odd 2 count until trying to armdrag and nearly getting caught in a folding press but pushing his man off into another short arm scissors and rolling him in the hold a good few times.  He turns himself again into the folding press position but Markus lifts him in a human glove (I have seen this done with midget wrestler Mark "Little Legs" Sealy before but not a fully grown opponent!) Markus eventually dumps Bernie hard on the mat. Bernie congratulates him for this power move. Bernie gets a side headlock throws his man to the ropes and bodychecks him on the rebound.   Marcus gets in a couple of good armdrags and side chancery throws before Wright gets a monkey climb but Bucholz lands feet first and they both fire a dropkick at the same time, both crash landing as the bell goes. The crowd gives standing ovation.

Round 5. Markus gets the upper hand from the initial lockup, slings Bernie in the ropes and backdrops him with Bernie taking quite a bump. Markus gets in two postings. He overpowers Bernie in a finger Interlock and forces him down but Bernie bridges as he hits the canvas and Markus tries to overload the bridge but Bernie can take the weight  and slip in a monkey climb underneath.  He rolls back into a double kneepress but Markus turns him over into a double leg nelson. It reverses back and forward with Markus getting a 2 on a folding press.  Markus gets a side headlock and runs the ropes, trying for a bodycheck but coming out the worst for it.  Bernie side chancery throws Bucholz but as they run the ropes, Markus ducks under then leapfrogs over then cross buttock throws Bernie and presses him for 2.  Bernie gets a side headlock and climbs the ropes and flips backwards like Kid McCoy's Yorkshire Rope Trick, lands in a position to go for the double leg nelson but Bucholz reverses it so Bernie turns it into a folding press held with a bridge for the one required pinfall.

Perhaps I was a bit too harsh on Markus Bucholz - he does do a couple of interesting moves, the human glove (great power move especially with a full sized opponent) and one decent rollout of an armbar plus keeping yup with back and forth folding press attempts a few times.  Most of this bout however was Bernie Wright and he carried the show. Bernie was as talented as brother Steve, he just didn't spend as much time in the territory as Steve did so had less opportunity to be the key influence.

[David Mantell]

A bit of an odd one here. Steve Regal and Dave Morgan in a TV studio having a sparring session on gym mats. A guy in a green pullover is refereeing.  Regal cannot speak German so does no talking, Morgan does speak German with a pronounced South Welsh ascent. 

This isn't a shoot by the way, it's a pro wrestling exhibition done on a mat.

They lock up and Dave armdrags Steve. Regal gets a crotchhold hold and slam on Morgan who is up at 2.  Regal forearm smashes, side chancery throws and chinlocks the older man who throws him off, getting a 2 count.  Morgan bodychecks Regal who retaliates with another forearm smash. Regal gets a double underhook suplex and cross press on Morgan who kicks out at two. Morgan gets a rear waistlock but Regal throws him off, keeping hold of the wrist as Morgan lands in the guard. Regal gets a top wristlock on the mat but Morgan turns over into a kneeling position, so Regal armdrags him over but he still gets up.  Morgan gets a grovit then switches to a side chancery throw, following up with a Legdrop of Doom.  Morgan gives Regal an inner arm blow and they slap each other a bit before the referee breaks things up. There is still some needle between them. End of Round 1,  I guess.

Morgan answers questions in his very accented German. (Don't ask me to translate.) A trainee in a loud mullet Jan Hind is also interviewed as is the referee.  I think Morgan mentions places he's tired including India, Japan and South Africa. He also comments in slow motion about Regal's side chancery throw into chinlock. 

Regal and Morgan lock up for a second round. Morgan gets an armlock but Regal moves in behind with pressure points. Morgan straightens the arm and for a moment it looks like Regal will roll out but instead he opts for a drop toehold. Morgan chops Regal on the back of the neck, gets a crossface and starts to "ride" Regal.He keeps grip of Regal despite his attempts to slip out the crossface and switches to a grovit. Regal suplexes him but Dave moves out the way of Steve's cross press attempt. Morgan gets an armbar despite Regal's attempt to get back the crossface. He superkicks Regal off.  Regal kicks and forearm smashes Morgan, flooring the Welshman.  They slap each other around. Regal gets a full Nelson then switches to side chancery. End of the second round.

Three women in the studio get interviewed. No idea what they say.  I think the interview asks if they fancy giving it a go! 

Nice little clip of a wrestling match in an unusual setting.

 

[Jetlag]

On 9/21/2025 at 6:34 PM, David Mantell said:

Blond giant Brit Dave Morgan didn't have his Maschke on and was in a good mood on this early 1983 show until a much smaller German called Gunther (not that one, he wasn't even born for another 4 years) Wagner stung him badly in this match.  It's a spliced together highlights package unfortunately but let's make the most of it.

 

Wagner is part of the same old school as Roland Bock, Axel Dieter Senior and Achim Challenge and he works the same methodical stoic style that was characteristic of German wrestling until Steve Wright changes things.  The David Vs Goliath angle here spruces things up somewhat. (Even if this Goliath happens to be called David.

 

 

You've got these two badly confused. Wagner is the taller German, and Dave Morgan is the shorter Brit, who notably spent a lot of time as a globe trotter and eventually settled in Germany. Wagners reputation as a worker really wasn't very good.

[David Mantell]

5 hours ago, Jetlag said:

 

You've got these two badly confused. Wagner is the taller German, and Dave Morgan is the shorter Brit, who notably spent a lot of time as a globe trotter and eventually settled in Germany. Wagners reputation as a worker really wasn't very good.

Thanks for clarifying.  I thnk I got confused by Dave still having dark hair at this point- blond Gunther looked more like the grey Morgan I was more familiar with.

[David Mantell]

From the Heumarkt in 1987. Various short snippets.

Indio takes his time to start a d gets caught in a Hammerlock when he does start and goes straight for a rope break.  Cut to Roll giving Guajaro a high whip but Indio making a feet first landing.   The two have a top wristlock battle. A round end sees Brasil sent back to his corner.  Guajaro attacks him from behind but the referee misses this and turns to see Brasil forearm smashing  Guajaro all around the ring and gives Rolo a yellow card. Guajaro does knock Rolo down in the next round. On a more positive note we see some good arm drags and a monkey climb. Indio gets tied in the ropes and the top of a corner but he overpowers Rolo's flying tackle attempt to get the pin.

Hard to follow as it's a patchwork of little clips. Some of which look promising.