German catch

[David Mantell]

On 5/6/2020 at 8:34 PM, Ricky Jackson said:

This bad boy just turned up yesterday 

Has anyone committed the time and know if it's worth a watch? 

It's my birthday this weekend so I'm going out so I'm getting this done early.  We're between 1981 and 1983 on here so I gave this 1982 epic a proper long watch through.

It's 1982 so Sarge is moonlighting between being NWA World tag team champion with Don Kernodle, being a WWF heel with the Grand Wizard and this.  He's announced as Bob Slaughter and wears a cummerbund instead of his military uniform.  I expect this was shot in colour but a combination of many generations of copies and heavy playback has worn off the colour signal entirely.

It's no scientific classic - in fact a lot of the wild out of the ring brawling is very @ohtani's jacket- friendly.  The Cobra Clutch does pop up a couple of times, the bell saving Wanz one time (is this what Sarge meant when he complained about the confusing European rules?). Wanz uses a couple of leglocks/toeholds and gets the one required submission with a full Boston Crab.  Otherwise it's all very slug and punch, particularly the poor old referee who gets it badly from Sarge.

After the match Wanz gets his belts and enough bouquets to restock Adrian Adonis's Flower Shop while Sarg3 the  soldier gets a medal for valour.  All te3 while through the end celebrations your eyes are on Sarge to see if he will trigger an after birth.  In the end Wanz offers hima handshake but he refuses and storms off in a strop to return the next year.

[David Mantell]

Another clip of Roland Bock from Der Sportliche Held has turned up.  This time he's up against Billy Samson.

Fans are shown pouring into the venue and giving their comments rather like a similar piece at the Heumarkt  in the 60s. We then cut to Billy with Bock in a chinlock, chin against the inner joint.  Bock gets Billy up into a Fireman's Carry Takedown and throws him off.  They exchange forearm smashes then Samson gets a snapmare and reapplies the chinlock in one movement.  Bock seems to be going for another Fireman's Carry. aiming at Samson's ankle, but the Runde ends there (with a whistle, not a ball.). Cut to Samson getting a legdive into leglock/toehold. He works the hold for some time before switching to a standing single toe and ankle hold.  Bock has to pull his shoulders forward to avoid a possible pinfall count. Occasionally he relaxed and takes a 1 count. He tries kicking Samson off, succeeding at the second attempt.  Cut to Billy powering out of an armlock - he is standing and front facing - so Bock slams him down, restoring things to Bock having an armlock in the guard. Samson stands up again and gets a cross buttock throw but Bock rolls with it and so keeps his guard armlock.  Samson powers up yet again and this time it's Bock who goes for the cross buttock to take things down again.   Cut to Bock with the chinlock from earlier regained.  Samson gets up and bounce-throws Bock off the ropes but Bock parries the throw and instead takes Samson down, back into the guard armlock. Cut to Bock getting a posting and a double underhook suplex for another 2 count.  The ref is knocked over but Bock picks him up and sets him on his feet again.

Cut to an interview with Nico S of the VdB. Then cut to a four man brawl at ringside with Nico dangerously close and distinctly annoyed!  

Bock Vs Samson is real old time German stuff, everything slow and deliberate with the last option tried being the one that  works.

Back to 1983 at the weekend.

 

[David Mantell]

On 10/5/2025 at 2:53 PM, Jetlag said:

Quote

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.

Okay, here we go with 1983  this time. I've got the correct one for Gunther.  Curly lighter  hair, tall. gold trunks.  Teaming with Bobby Gaetano and behaving himself to face John "Judd"/"Gunboat" Harris, a Brit like Morgan and Indio Guajaro, Germany's answer to France's Black Shadow.

There's quite a bit of stop and start title sequence added years later before  the bout commences.  (Ther3 ar3 also so e odd voiceovers I don't understand.) 

When it does get going it's pretty much your typical fun 'n family friendly German tag match. The two big men start with Harris getting the early advantage with a mix of strength and dirty moves . Indio continues the trestment then Harris is back with a legdive and leglock. Th3 heels double cream Gold Gunther but  a high energy Gaetano gets the hot tag, Ali shuffling, snapmaring Indio, leapfrogging Harris so H3 bodychecks the ropes and falls over for 6,   Indio takes back the heat with a snapmare into some illegal stomps on the fallen Bobby, then Harris gets to forearm smashing, illegal choking work.  Gaetano gets a hope spot cartwheeling out of an Indio  cross buttock, leapfrogging to behind his man and scoring with some dropkicks and a chinlock.He eventually ties up both heels in the ropes and he and Gunther do all, the old battering ram spots to the baddies.   By the time this is done we are 2/3 of the way through this clip.  Gunther gets cornered by Harris a d the heels double team to get back their heat till Harris gets a pin on Gunther.  

Second fall, Gaetano tags in bu5 things still go the heels' way until Gaetano goes on a dropkicking rally, finding Harris to ringside and flying tackles Indio down for a cross press equaliser to make it 1-1. 

At this point things wrap up quick - between falls the two heels attack Gaetano and the referee   forcing a DQ. They beat on until Gunthre comes to the rescue.

Fun but lightweight compared to Myers-Apollon on the British thread..

TBC

 

[David Mantell]

More from 1983 Recklinghausen.  This time heel afrokid Indio tries it on with Gunther's previous opponent Dave Morgan, a month before his match as Die Maschke Vs Steve Wright in Bamberg.   Again we get a lot of into before the actual bout. We do have a commentator but he's in German.

Runde 1: Indio gets a side chancery and eventual throw.  Then a s3econd one. He gets a hammerlock into hiptoss but Morgan hits back with a ground dropkick. Dave gets a headlock, Indio tries atomic dropping him but can't get the lift an ends up thrown into  a side headlock on the mat. Indio stands,  throws Dave off, resists a bodycheck but it armdragged down twice   He gets a legdive but is spun off for 6 .   They lock up and Indio gets armbars in the guard.  Morgan kips up but is dragged down until he gets a French style headscissor takedown.  He tries a crosspress but is thrown on top of the ref.  Dave and the ref shake hands. End of Runde.

Runde 2.  Indio gets a single leg folding press and some 1s.  Morgan toupies him off.    They exchange forearms. Dave leans back from a double interlock to get a double ankle smash. And forearm for t. Indio gets forearms. And a side backdrop but is flipped out of the ring. He uses a hair pull to reel Dave back into a headlock from two top wristlocks. Dave gets a front facelock and cartwheels off when Indio brreks it.  Indio gets an armdrag into guard armlock. Dave uses the ref's shoulder to cartwheel out of the hold  and gets an armhank.  Cut to Indio furearming Dave to the mat.  He bodychecks Dave  but is cross buttocked and crosspressed for 2.  Dave gets an armbar and boot to the stomach.  He lunges and rear snapmares for 2.  Indio gets nasty and stomps as the bell goes. 

Runde 3. Indio still doing the dirties, mostly in a corner. He eventually gets a respectable snapmare and the one follow up stomp the rules allow.  He throws  out Dave giving him a boot on the way  out,.

Runde 4

TBC  Indio still pounding and fouling.  Dave tries throwing him out.  Cut to him flooring Dave and stomping. Dave fights back with dropkicks and flying head scissors and some pounding of his own.  He ties Indio in the ropes, who stays ther3 between rundes.  

Runde 5

More of the same brawl n dirty from>Indio including headbutts.  Dave gets a flying forearm and crosspress for for 2.   He hooks the rope to stop a rebound and gets a sidewards folding press for the 3. 

A few Curate's Egg technical parts in this brawl.  Probably brought to the mix by Dave.

[David Mantell]

Dave Viking has passed away recently. So I don't want to be too negative about thim  but after the Holy Grail Young George Kidd clips on the French Catch thread and the Caswell Martin- Lenny Hurst scientific masterclass from 1979  i.expectbthis Will be a bit of a comedown. But it's the last 1983 bout and Eddie Stein lock (also deceased I believe) has the look of young 80s Barry Windham to him.  So let's give it a go.

 

Runde 1

Dead Dave is dirty from the off,  uses a hairpull to switch from hammerlock to headlock.Lots of slow power holds of varied cleanness by Viking. which Eddie struggles to escape. He does get a snapmare and a long running headlock.  Mostly Dave is in charge and stalling.

Tutti Frutti by Little Richard in the interval.

Runde 2.  Eddie gets an armbar and armhank but switched to blows.  Anytime it might get scientific, brawling starts  Viking attacke Steinblock after the bell

Runde 3

Dave carries on with a before the bell attack.  Beats down on Eddie.  Beats him on the ropes, neck first. More post bell stomping from Dave

Runde 4

Eddy fights back. Scissor chops. Ties   in the ropes quite a bit.  Dave has a bad time of it but he regains control and Eddie ends the round slumped in a corner 

Runde 5 Dave is the heel offering the babyface a handshake while the audience advice  NO!.  Eddie gets a rear snapmare and kneedrop.  He has Andy cornered but the. ref orders him off so Dave pitches Eddie to ringside an goes out to join him.  Dave  beats him up outside the ring til, the Ref orders him back.  Dave eventually has Eddie in the Tree of Woe in the corner and beats him til DQd, then some more after.

Well what did you expect? Big monster bullies kid is DQd and disgraced , still doesn't learn.  Still I suppose it's all good for building a monster heel.

On with 1984 next week.

 

[David Mantell]

 

Short TV feature from early 2014 of Axel Diter and son and a lady choreographer with whom they were working on a project.  No mention of there   of Only One Shooter Here or dog food pie. Some good shots  of the 60s including a Ringerparade. Also camcorder footage of Axel Vs Grand Vladimir, possibly poached from @sergeiSem's YouTube channel, already up and running back then.

[David Mantell]

Okay, on to 1984.  Johnny South with thinning hair, moustache and bushy sideburns, the Legend Of Doom many years into the future, actually looks the perfect part of the German working class babyface here. Like beardy Roland Bock, you half expect him to be smoking a pipe and out walking a large dog.  Here he takes on fellow Brit Gunboat Judd Harris.  Except Harris gets listed in the captions as being from Australia so often I had to go double check.  He was born in Plymouth and raised in Hebden, Yorks.  So yes, a fellow Brit and no more Aussie than Al Hayes and Ray Hunter in 50s France. Glad to have that settled.

Runde 1 sees Harris set out his heel credentials backwards choking South on the ropes. Judd gets a leglock and holds it some time till South bashes the heel with a heel over the head.  Judd gets a top wristlock and they go up and down on it.  South gets a headlock. Cut to Judd being counted for something then bludgeoning South down for various counts. South gets brawling, slams Judd's head in the corner and gets forearmed and fouled in return, choked on the ropes as the bell goes. It takes him a  goodwhile to release and he is soon back at it.  DJ plays something discoey.

Runde 2

South gets forearms, Judd gets a foul to the throat. Jud comes South on the ropes. South tries bucking him over the tope rope. No luck, maybe later?  Cut to South having apparently succeeded and getting a pop.    Now he's doing the dirty to keep Harris out- or failing that, down -  but being cheered.  Nice kneelift from South.  He puts Harris's legs in the ropes in the corner but Harris undies himself before he can be charged.  South gets double legs but the bell goes.  H3 gets a special ovation.

Runde 3

South gets two monkey climbs! He dropkicks Harris out of the ring.  Noticeably he obeys the rules and does not follow Harris out.  South gets the winning pin with a flying tackle!

Afterbirth:  Harris throws one helluva stroppy to all sides until South dropkicks him out the ring from behind.

Most of the best action in this is in Runde 3 with South's charge for victory.  The first two Runden were fairly standard tournament brawls. It would be interesting to see what Harris could do with an opponent who made him work more scientifically.  Over on the British thread. I may have the answer ...