German catch

[David Mantell]

 

Been a while since I did a German Catch review but just saw and enjoyed this one Signsquad put up.  Berlin, Leap Years Day 1992 (same day Sting beat Luger to win his second World title). The man I credit with revolutionising German Catch in with one of the children of his revolution in a good clean scientific match.

Ring looks suspiciously 1970s French, much like the one in the 70s Roland Bock Vs Beau Jack Rowlands clip, maybe it never did get transported back westwards across the Rhine. In fact the overall presentation smacks of being more the traditional VDB than the CWA. Small venue, looks like a hotel function hall. One fall match with rounds, seconds and full Mountevans rules.

Long five minute lecture at the start in German from the MC and we are off, good scientific match with plenty of excellent reveals and escapes from both men. Another long lecture after round 1 seems to be about Ted Bentley training Wight.

Only downside is some "comedy" from French referee Didier Gapp, doing his best to be the usual miserable SOB.  Two yellow cards are dished out to Wright, the first for leaning on Gapp during a somersault (actually I saw this on WWF TV today, from 17th Dec 1988 at the LA Sports Arena, Lanny Poffo, still a babyface, pulled this one during a match Vs Boris Zukhov, the ref just rubbed his shoulder and looked on in askance at Poffo) the second time for accidentally catching Gapp in an aeroplane spin after Didi and Schumann accidentally link hands while criss crossing the ring. Schumann also gets a telling off (but no public warning) for accidentally stamping on Gapp's foot while trying to resist a snapmares. The MC talks to Didi in French.

Finish comes with a neat side suplex and cross press by Wright. Then cut to an old bloke with a moustache giving a long speech, probably someone important that I've disrespected there, never mind.

[David Mantell]

From the sublime to the CWA. There's not a lot to be said for this match action wise - predictable brawl WCW might have treated as something exotic. OJ will like it though. Plenty of outside the ring action, tables and that.

It's interesting for Vader's intro tape which seems to consist of Leon White making asthmatic noises as he lumbers to ring. Also for being a bit of a crossroads in two NWA/WCW world champions. Fujinami having been NWA champ during the spring 1991 trial separation of the titles, before losing it back to WCW champion Flair. Vader meanwhile is just weeks away from beginning to replace Lex Luger as WCW heel champion and Harley Race's Sith Apprentice starting with the Jan 92 Clash where he and Mr Hughes lose to the Steiners in what was -  Luger to Vader substitution aside - was otherwise a rerun of the main event WCW in London night 3 of 3 just days before this German bout.

For winning, Vader gets a big bottle of champers and a trophy cup to drink it from.  Otto Wanz also posted up to congratulate him.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Mate, even I don't know if I'll enjoy a match before I watch it.

Franz Schuhmann vs. Steve Wright (Berlin, 2/29/92)

This was wrestled in a tiny ring in some sort of Berlin hotel or convention center. The setting reminded me of US indy shows from the same era. There was some decent action but it wasn't much of a match and never rose above the exhibition level. I can't really blame them though as it was an unnatural setting to have a match. 

[David Mantell]

  On 2/3/2025 at 8:51 AM, ohtani's jacket said:

Mate, even I don't know if I'll enjoy a match before I watch it.

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True but you've stated your taste for the German variant of hard hitting brawls (just as I have my Walton-induced taste for technical exhibitions) and Leon White, before Sting and Harley Race tamed him somewhat, is reliable for that sort of thing.

I forgot to mention there appears to be a professional camera crew operating at ringside. I wonder where that footage is now. Is it a Japanese crew that flew over with Fujinami and Hatori or were the CWA still doing their professional grade video productions?  I guess we can rule out S4C - they sent OB units across the North Sea for some other tours but not this one.

[David Mantell]

Reslo goes to Germany again! And this time they've bought some bits of ring with a Welsh Red dragon ring apron on the side nearest the camera and some emptied skins of Reslo corner pads stuck (badly) over the tops of the corner pads of what looks like the same make of ring as seen in the 1980/1981 Hanover tournament camcordings and come to that some of the early 70s B/W docu footage with the young HansI Rooks etc 

We join the action in round 6.  Starts like its going to be a brawl with Zrno pounding Ocean in the corner but turns into a pre-Steve Wright  German match of the Dieter Sr/Chall generation with lots of holds being slowly worked over to twist every last scrap of Pain and drama from a sleeper, an armbar, Zoltan Boscik 3 in 1  etc. Like the ghosts of the old ring are taking over it's young competitors. Ocean uses both round breaks to get fouls in. Round card girl in glittery baseball cap and bad early 90s lycra fitnesswear.

Backdrops and DDT from Ocean for pinfall and KO attempts in Round 7. Crowd perk up when Zrno leads them but then dies down again. Round 8 more forearm smashes. Ocean gets a flying axehandle. He tries a flying tackle off the top but Mike converts it into a horizontal blockbuster suplex for the one fall required.

 

 

[David Mantell]

This match was from the same show as the Reslo bout above with the same Reslo markings on the ring and appears to have been filmed using the same camera positions but has German commentary with a ringside intro by a German speaking host  - possibly Peter Wilhelm.  Not sure what this was for - was Catch Up still going by this point?  If so, did S4C ever try to get a similar deal with ITV or Channel 4 for footage to be broadcast to the rest of the UK, perhaps with Lee Bamber or even Kent Walton on commentary?  (Well there was the Wrestling Madness home video to consider- perhaps it was a pilot for a Rest of the UK edition of .Reslo.) In the final seconds of the video some zReslo style title graphics appear on screen if that's a clue.

Match is pretty much predictable CWA quasi American fare - the spirit of Otto's matches being carried on after the man himself retired from the ring. Michiyoshi Ohara as scowling Fuji Yamaha and local Eddie Steinblock are about the best workers here and probably deserved better than this.  Unfortunately all they get to do is chop each other a bit before Yamaha gets eliminated first and Steinblock second. 

Kauroff here is a babyface and German old school institution that fans bring signs applauding.  He goes down third, leaving  us with an all North American handicap tag.  Cameron, ex Stampede North American champion who died in a CWA ring a couple of years later, was a mutton dressed as lamb roid case.  Mastino on the other hand had a big time American career ahead of him - as Mantaur the human cow. Here he's a cheap replacement for Leon White who is about to dethrone Sting in a couple of weeks. I've speculated on Max Crabtree sending Leon in to do a Daddy tag -maybe Mastino would have fit that bill too.

Rambo, the third North American in this. is the hero of the CWA having sent Bull Power packing back across the Atlantic to replace Lex Luger in WCW.  Unfortunately he just works 80s/90s WWF style. Mastino finishes him off with a splash that would have made the said Big Daddy proud, leaving himself and Cameron as survivors.

Amusing moment towards the end - Mastino and Cameron both double team and elbowsmash Rambo.  The commentator calls this with the Anglicism "Double Elbow" which just so happened to be the name of Big Daddy alternative backdrop finisher 

Referee is Didier Gapp but even he doesn't do his "comedy" routine as miserable bossy  petty official a la Saulnier.  

 

[David Mantell]

By 1992 German/Austrian audiences were accustomed to the idea of Marty Jones as a heel teaming with members of the Riot Squad. We have already seen 1990 footage of Jones and Finlay teamed together as heels.  In Britain this was a new idea after old archenemies Jones and Finlay, forced to team together at Croydon, got on surprisingly well as a team, leading to a change in philosophy for Jones from quiet sportsmanly champion to arrogant boasting "World's Number One."   This then could have been a typical hot main event or upper card match on an All Star show in Britain at the time.  The future Wildcat Robbie's first non-Nagasaki induced heel turn (on Doc Dean) was still three years off - at this stage Robbie and Doc were the same white meat blue eyes in the German speaking world as The Liverpool Lads were in Blighty.

There's not much in the way of technical chain wrestling exchanges here, Doc Dean rolls out of a Marty Jones armbars then follows up by using a whip to force a bad landing for Jones.  Early on there is a fair amount of side headlocks being broken open into top wristlocks, skips over each other while coming off the ropes.  Mostly however it's a dirty tactics fest rather than a brawl. The villains bash their way out of holds rather than do clever escapes. Murphy punches his way out of a sunset flip without getting a yellow card (Fit Finlay got a public warning on ITV for doing this to Johnny Saint. Still it's better than it just being ignored like when numerous American white meat babyfaces at the time punched their way out of a  heel hold and we're supposed to accept it as clean wrestling.   Even more ironically, the Liverpool Lads get a yellow card each for twin scooting dropkicks to the baddies.

The falls are all pretty good. Skull gets the opening submission with his Gator hold on Doc Dean, with thread. He's been bashing the good Doc around so much before the first fall that once the opener is delivered, it looks for a bit like Dean has gone down for a TKO, Robbie is kneeling over him tending to him until the referee orders him out of face Doc being DQd.  Doc recovers and eventually he and Robbie get an equaliser with a rocket launcher a la Midnight Expres. Doc nearly gets a decider with a moonsault into flying bodypress.and finally Jones takes the first but breaks the second of two Monkey Climbs by Robbie. Landing him in the ropes and finishing him with a face first (tombstone) piledriver.

Not much science but plenty of action. The next year Skull and Robbie were back in Germany, the latter with a BBC Video Diary camera, warring early in the evening before packing off to sing karaoke together later each night. Breaking kayfabe was never so much fun!

 

[David Mantell]

Jorg Chenok, son of 50s star Karl Von Chenok, former European Welterweight champion on at least one occasion when he turned up as "Baron Von Chenok" to the 1985 FA Cup Final TV Tapings to lose said title  to Danny Collins (the title would be Collins's passport to regular touring of France and Northern Spain with the FFCP and EWF.) According to Ken Walton however, Chenok had been champion for four years and four defences after winning the title from Wolfgang Saturski (whom we saw facing Yasu Fuji several pages back.

Here he is up against countryman Markus Bucholz.  We get a nice tasty title sequence with flaring red graphics at each other and trading verbal barbs before agreeing to med and a fat German bloke in the locker room followed by the two opponents pointing at each other, trading insults before agreeing to meet in the ring . Bucholz looks like a young Robert  Duranton. Chenok is older, has lost his moustache and appears to have a combo,ver. Young Markus dominates the older man with big flashy moves like cross buttock throws, feet first landings from throws by Chenok., bodychecks etc.  Chenok takes over with a battery culminating in a kneedrop from which he gets a Nine ciount.  Chenok dominated large portions of the match using roughhouse but legal tactics with Bucholz mfiring back now and then with some nice escapes from headscissors and a Victory Faulkner distraction trick or two, but with the old man still dominating until after an eternity of nearly being knocked out over and over again, out of nowhere young Bucholz pulls out a folding press pin. The first time he gets two before Chenok kicks the ropes. So hecadjusts his position,mtries again and gets the pin.

Old versus young bout with ok LD having it all its way dragging it down to an Axel Dieter Sr generation bout until the sudden win for Young at the end. Bucholz really should have had more of a chance to show what he could do.

[David Mantell]

Another bout that could just have easily been on a Brian Dixon or Orig Williams show of the same period.  Or even a WWF undecardTen minute start of the show match to get them in a good mood. Next to no technical wrestling (and Doc Dean who was British Welterweight Champion at the time was capable of better) but it made the crowd happy.

Kenny does a promo at the start very much in the style of ITV promo's of 1987-1988 which does go to show that this is not just bootleg fan cam but officially sanctioned footage probably meant to be resold at the merch stands.

[David Mantell]

Similar remarks apply. George Burgess who died last year first got attention as vulnerable loser the Jamaica Kid getting squashed by Kendo Nagasaki in summer 175 and a heel Big Daddy in February 1976. By the mid/late 80s he had put on weight and age and become Jamaica George, mid carder for hire, but on Reslo in Wales and in Germany hecwad Cool Cat Jackon- most likely Orig's idea.

Brehney (or Buffalo Beany as British promoters called him) doesn't even bother to wrestle much in this bout, he just constantly attacks CCJ with a leather belt until the referee gets fed up and disqualifies him. ITV would probably have refused to show it. It's good in that it illustrated a DQ Being applied after a wrestler proves his inferiority through being unable or unwilling to compete and conform to the rules.

Another promo at the start, this time from Jackson. FAO British accent spotters , he's doing a  rural Somerset accent from the Southwest, the one the rest of the world knows as the Pirate Accent (Arrrrrr........).  A little bit odd  to hear a blck guybdona rural West Country accent, but it is what is is.

 

[David Mantell]

How to do DQs effectively.   (Even better than the Cool Cat Vs Buffalo bout)

Ulf Herman is in a handicap against former enemies Jones and Murphy. Actually less of a handicap tag and more of a Four Horsemen beatdown angle with the two English constantly kicking Herman while the ringside MC calls on them to SCHTOP! SCHTOP!! Heman does occasionally get an advantage but double teZming brings him down again.

Gradually the referee and MCs -and the audience's patience is worn thin by this and when the ref DQ the team after they give him an extended ringside beatdown, the MC gives them a LONG lecture in his broken English about what an utterly disgraceful shameful pair of naughty boys they are!  "JONES! MURPHY!! YOU ARE DISQUALIFIED!! YOU ARE DISQUALIFIED!!"  Felling as well be hung for a sheep than a lamb, they then beat down the ref. "YOU WILL GET NO WAGES!!!" shouts the MC so they thump him too and go backstage to no doubt grab their money and make it a police issue.

The audience are left in no doubt that these two are a disgrace to wrestling and deserve absolutely nothing and have gotten what they deserve (unless they have since resorted beyond ring villainy to actual civil crime.) A badly beaten up referee raises the hand of a badly beaten up Ulf. Referee and babyface have won the match but lost the fight but at least have the public support to hold their bashed-in heads up and celebrate common decency and honest citizenry.

****†*************

By the way, at the start Herman cuts a promo at what appears to be Haumarkt in Vienna prior to a show.  I wish we could have had a promo from Jones and Murphy also - Jones became a much better talker after his UK heel turn in 1992.

[David Mantell]

I don't know if YouTube's algorithms know about Butcher/Crusher Mason and Mighty Chang being one and the same, but this popped up.  Now I'm not saying Chang/Yamada was good apart from a few good little spots but this is far more deserving of the "Absolutely horrific" moniker. Billy Samson was no Jushin Liger and never would be although he would have made a good WWF Superstar, a sort of 80s update of Sailor Art Thomas.  He's the same sort of streetwise black babyface character as Mammouth Siki in French Catch or Junkyard Dog/Rufus R Jones/ Thunderbolt Patterson/Koko B Ware in America and was VERY over with German audiences but he not only looked but wrestled like a 1980s muscleman.  I think (don't quote me) it was him who wrestled in Britain as Samson Ubo in 86 and is not generally well regarded for it.

So we have a Muscle Man versus a Fat Man who can work a bit.  Eight minutes of this would have been like Hulk Hogan Vs King Kong Bundy. This October 1987 tournament final bout runs for half an hour of slow leverage and some slug and punch.

As I said, Samson was VERY over and there is a massive celebration when he wins the 1987 European Catch Cup.  Other things of interest - they play national anthems at the start and God Save The Queen is played for Mason despite him being in full Mighty Chang getup complete with moustache, flip flops and satin Dragon jacket. Terry Rudge is Mason's second and I think Samson's is Franz Van Buyten.

 

[David Mantell]

Nice to get back to an older bout. Unfortunately 1980 seems to be the start off point for German footage beginning with the professionally filmed Wanz Vs Don Leo CWA title fight in Julyand before that reports of Wanz/Strongbow in '79, highlights of about 5 Roland Bock fights for the mid/late 70s and two early 70s cinema mini docus in B/W plus a few similar going back into the 60s. Hanover in September 1980 is the first real explosion of Germany footage.

Chris Colt in Europe 1980. A phrase which brings about visions of druggy chaos, of an ITV match not being screened due to being - says Kent Walton- "nothing whatsoever to do with wrestling," a Big Daddy tag match at the Royal Albert Hall which he spends wandering around at ringside and is later mythologised to have him actually shooting on and exposing Daddy.

None of that is really in evidence here. He shakes his head as he gets in the ring like an old biker hippy- think a heel version of Boogie Woogie Man Jimmy Valiant (but strictly a heel BWM, not the earlier Handsome Jimmy) being the usual American playing heel in Europe here against aging Axel "Only One Shooter Here" Dieter Senior. Axel snapmares Colt who complains his hair was pulled. Bodychecks. Lots of playing for time/working the crowd.  Axel take the bump several times to undo Colt armbars.  Axel does a decent toupee on Colt which explains his balding head. Colt resists further attempts before getting a kick in the head. Colt gets a good legdive on Dieter when the round bell goes. Dieter gets in one badly done toupee before retiring to his corner. DJ plays bluesy 60s powerr pop with a Hammond Organ audibly on it.

Round 2. Some more crowd play including Colt crouching in the corner at an "Axel, Axel" chant. Colt gets a standing full nelson.  Dieter, in the rigorous old German style half tries a few options before going for a hiptoss into armbar like a British armlift  position but prone on the mat. Colt pulls him into a headscissor, Axel tries an underneath lever out, then flipping up into a Boston Crab before finally going for a Frank Gotch toehold. He tries for the cross face, Colt tries for the ropes. The referee refuses him but accepts when he starts grabbing at the ring apron. Dieter chokes Colt on a rope (but why? How much had Colt done to justify the ref allowing that much retaliation?). He armdrags and armhanks Colt more to get some kicks and stomps on.  They shave hands and Colt gets a full nelson which he converts to a rear waistlock. Axel counters with a hiptoss but Colt has yet another headscissor ready. Axel uncorks himself in the guard position and gives Colt a cheeky kick to the head. It becomes more brawling and dirty wrestling in the corner, carrying onto and beyond the end of the round. More sixties beat music on the disco.  

Round 3 and Colt carries straight on with the dirties and gets a yellow card, the MC translates it to English for Colt as First Public Warning. I expect Coltvwas familiar with the phrase from England.  Axel posts Colt who lands upside down like Flair, flips to the apron like Flair but then lands ringside and gets a long near KO count, coming back only to get a backdrop and cross press for the winning fall

One was an aged oldstyle German, the other was a druggy American. I didn't expect to write so much about this bout. Clearly pre-Steve Wright German Catch and Seventies American heel work meshes nicely as styles.

[David Mantell]

  On 10/15/2024 at 10:03 AM, David Mantell said:

And some more 70s Bock. I'd seen this clip listed before but assumed it was just Bock in Japan but have had a look at the ring and the decidedly Caucasian looking audience and now think it's Germany.

The ring in this - and come to that the Lasertasse Vs Inoki footage - looks a lot similar to the ring in the VDB single handheld CrappyCam footage of Hannover Sept 1980. Possibly this is what these show would look like if professionally shot like the IBV/CWA was.  (I'm guessing that the Inoki footage was a Japanese TV crew going over to Germany just like Reslo did 12 years later.

Warning:  HORRIBLE thrash metal soundtrack for the entire six minutes.

 

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  On 2/21/2025 at 1:02 AM, David Mantell said:

Unfortunately 1980 seems to be the start off point for German footage beginning with the professionally filmed Wanz Vs Don Leo CWA title fight in Julyand before that reports of Wanz/Strongbow in '79, highlights of about 5 Roland Bock fights for the mid/late 70s and two early 70s cinema mini docus in B/W plus a few similar going back into the 60s. Hanover in September 1980 is the first real explosion of Germany footage.

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Okay, over on the British and German threads I promised you all something special.

  Quote

Oh and I've found something REALLY SPECIAL for the German thread which I'm looking forward to watching in full.

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I've still got a nice surprise for the German thread tomorrow. Will look through it tomorrow..

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AND HERE IT IS!!!

Roland Bock Vs Antonio Inoki 1977.  In full.  With absolutely no awful thrash metal on the audio. Three years before Otto Wanz Vs Don Leo Johnathan, two years before Otto Vs a heel Chief Jay Strongbow. As deep a dive into Seventies German Catch as Clay Thompson Vs Tony StClair 1967 was into Sixties British Wrestling,

This match seems to be regarded as legendary among Japanese fans. For us, it's a chance to really get stuck into the old slow methodical style of German Catch before Steve Wright changed everything.  I don't believe, as some Japanese fans seem to do, that this is a shoot. There are too many dropkicks and forearms for that. It's just an old style very earnest Teutonic bout such as Dieter Senior  and Chall would work.

Ring is the same design as in the Hoover camcordings 1980-1981 and a lot of later footage.  Only advert on the ring is something on the ring apron about Schwaben Brau.(Swabian Brew? Beer, I suppose.).  No other commentary audible beneath the Japar. I guess Inoki's camp did a Reslo and brought their own OB crew over to shoot this.  Bit of a longer journey though. Cardiff Vs Tokyo.  Inoki has a nice purple robe, Bock a hooded jogging suit decades before the Hoodie Fad. National anthems are played. The Japanese one sounds a lot nicer than when that bloke sung it at Summerslam 93. I guess he deliberately sang it badly to get Yoko some heat.

So down to business. The referee gives instructions, then they shake hands, go back to their corners and the bell rings.  After stalking each other they lock up and Boch backs Inoki into the ropes.  They breaks abd try for armlocks, hands adjusting positions on forearms like chess pieces until it hits a corner, They try again and Bock gets and armbars plus a leg grapevine, takes Inoki down into a cross press and gets a series of one counts.  Fans are noisily chanting for Bock. Inoki gets his leg on the ropes, so break.  Inoki goes for the leg, Bock counters by going for Inoki's hip and throws him down into a leglock position. They breaks and Inoki gets Bock in a left hand front chancery, switching to a side headlock and then riding him down to the mat in a rear chinlock. Bock maintains height off the mat, topples Inoki and gets a leglock but it goes into the ropes.  Inoki gets in a quick kick to the thigh to make all the fans of his Ali fight happy. Bock gets a fantastic double underhook belly to belly suplex on Inoki, sending him flying!  Inoki catches Back with an upward kick to the jaw as Bock was backing off for the count.  Bock takes down Inoki in the mount and turns him into the guard. Inoki gets a foot under Bock's jaw but can't push off with it. Inoki gets a headscissors and twists to get the pressure. It's going to be very interesting to see Bock's escape but sadly the bell goes.

Sadly no disco between rounds. Was it not invented yet or was this too solemn an occasion? Or maybe the Japanese TV crew were worried about copyright issues. Nice split screen of each man in their corner being tended to buy their seconds. (just like Britain and France ) Round 2:  they stalk each other, Inoki drops to the mat and kicks Bockmin the shins like in the Ali Fight, Bock gives Inoki a football kick back in retaliation.  Bock rear waistlocks Inoki and gets a fantastic belly to back suplex which could have been a great pin attempt but Bock instead rides Inoki into the mount. Inoki gets an armlock on the behind Roland.   He tries to develop it into a hammerlock but Bock has the muscle strength to resist. Bock doesn't try to roll out. Inoki gets on top with the hammerlock, turns it into a ground full nelson then further nelson, the ref checks shoulders but it doesn't reach even a one count. Bock gets back in the mount but Inoki still has the hammerlock on top, developing to a double wristlock. Bock forces it to the ropes and has Inoki's leg, ready to pitch him to riingside but the ref breaks it up.  Bock gets a slap and two forearm smashes but Inoki gets the leg and pulls Bock down ... right into the ropes! Break (eventually) and reset. Bock gets a standing toehold. Inoki gets the ropes, break and reset.  They start to feel for a lockup but the round apparently ends (can't hear a bell.)

Round 3: as they lockup, Inoki fires a dropkick but Bock no-sells it.  Inoki legdives and standing toeholds Bock.  Bock tries to push off with the foot but Inoki makes it a double leglock.  Bock goes on his head and toupees Inoki into a headscissors, converts to armhank, pulls Inoki upright and toupees him again into another headscissor, gets a few one counts, converts to armhank, lets him up and pulls him down. Inoki rolls inwards ito get a mat side headlock on, convert to cross press, gets a one before Bock rolls him off. Break and a fists/chops brawl, a brief down trying to catch an armlock and collar and elbow into the corner for another break. Bock grabs Inoki's throat holding a closed fist menacingly (Michel Saulnier in France would have roasted Bock for this) but another inaudible round bell.

Round 4: Bock considers fisticuffs but gets a grovit instead. Inoki hiptosses Bock down but he gets headscissors.  Inoki gets into the front kneeling position for a rollout, Bock pulls him up and gives him a mini piledriver. Inoki recovers and turns into the guardand bridges until the headscissor is dislodges and folded into a Frank Gotch toehold but it's in the ropes.  Bit of a slap fight into a Bock full nelson but into the ropes again. German audience starting to behave more like typical German audience singing songs in support of Bock like on 80s/90s videos.  Bock gets a belly to belly suplex on Inoki and cross press for a one, then a two!  Inoki gets kneeling front chancery on Bock but it goes into the ropes.  Inoki gets a legdrive but it's not a clean break so the ref has none of it- Inoki gets a quick toehold and kick in before breaking, getting some heat (the bird, mostly) from the crowd, he glares angrily at them.  Bock front chanceries Inoki who degdives him but the bell apparently goes again. They snap at each other on the way back to their corners. Needle.  

Round 5 Inoki gets a front chancery, tries for a snapmare, Bock resists, tries again and takes Bock over into a kneeling front chinlock.  Crowd are rallying Bock for a jawbreaker escape so Inoki switches to side chinlock. Bock struggles and gets Inoki into a fireman's carry takedown but Inoki gets another upwards kick from the mat.  Inoki fires a dropkick and cross presses Bockmfor one, gets another dropkick but has to stand back for a knockout count. Confused and frustrated at the German rules, Inoki stomps Bock which gets him a private warning and more heat from the crowd (the British fans would be LIVID over this.)  The count resumes and Bock is up at eight.  Inoki gets a  side chancery into snapmares into chinlock. The crowd forgives and claps this.   Inoki converts to headscissors and has it on for some time when the bell goes (first time since Round 2 I can actually hear it.)  MC goes "Stop, break. Interval" and Inoki gets the idea and releases. Bock still sells in the mat before heading back to his corner.

Round 6 Inoki takes down Bockmin a chinlock. Bock tries to twist Inoki's leg to Inoki switches for a crosspress for 2 then 1 then Bock bridges out but collapsed and Inoki gets another couple on 1s then switches to an armscissor.  Bock rolls Inoki into a folding press then lifts him in a non comedy version of British C21st midget wrestler Mark "Little Legs" Sealy's Human glove before dumping him in the ropes for a 7 count. Bock gets a standing full nelson and giant swings Inoki into the mount on the mat.  Inoki pushes up but Bock maintains the hold until Inoki reaches the ropes. Up and they both try for a cross buttock but the bell goes.

Round 7 and Inoki goes for the legs and misses. Bock gets double legs and secures a Boston Crab but Inoki makes the ropes. Break. Inoki gets a headlock, Bock tries for a legdrive but Inoki gets the hammerlock as he goes down. Bock gets the head and pulls round into a grovit cum shoulder press on the mat which gets a couple of 2 counts.  Bock pulls up into the hub side chancery and back down into the shoulder press. Inoki escapes and Brock gets a front chancery and tries for a leg but it doesn't work out and he breaks. Inoki gets a side headlock. Bock takes him down and breaks it open into a top wristlock but Inoki turns himself on top.  He gets a couple of 1s then so does Brock and they break.  They lock up, go into the ropes but break bad tenperedly and Inoki is getting another private warning when the bell goes.

Round 8 . Bock gets a wrist lever, Irish whips Inoki down for a soft bump, briefly put a knee on Inoki's chest then tries again for the whip and this time forces Inoki to take a harder louder bump.  Bock puts the footin then armdrags Inoki whom comes back with a headscissors to which he adds a wristlock.  Bock tries a headscissor of his own then briefly considers an armlock before returning to the scissor. Two way headscissors.  Referee reckons it's a stalemate and calls for a break but Inoki puts on a headlock and keeps reapplying. Referee has finally had enough and gives Inoki a first yellow card! Crowd gives Inoki the bird again. He seems to be the subtle heels who doesn't get the European rules.  Bock is angry too, goes for three forearm smashes, bodyslams and posts Inoki. Crowd are behind Bock the babyface. Brock goes for double legs into a Boston Crab. Inoki makes it to the ropes but Bock is slow to release. Kent Walton would call it allowed-for retaliation by Brock.  Inoki legdives but Brock turns it into a loose side folding press for a few ones. The bell goes and it almost looks like Brock has got the fall but it's just he end of the round.  Crowd is singing, Bock is pacing around like a bull waiting to charge

Round 9. Inoki gets the leg but Bock turns him over into a pinning position. He gets a one. Inoki kicks out but then completely misses a dropkick.  The crowd pop but Inoki doesn't sell it that much.  They slap around then Inoki gets tangled in the ropes. Bock goes for him but Inoki hauls him out the ring  before following him out. Bock slugs Inoki a couple of times in a ringside brawl Kent would NOT have approved of (or the IBA).  Referee does at least exert authority and pull them apart. Bock marches back into the ring, Inoki follows. Bock lays in FIVE headbutts before throttling Inoki.  He modifies to an open grovit but the ref still isn't happy and orders a break. Enough retaliation says the ref.  Inoki gets in a headbutt of his own and some chops against the ropes. Ref calls break and gives a stern private warning to Inoki.  Bock delivers a standard front piledriver and side chanceries Inoki to the ropes and ties him up to pummel him but the ref says no. Gives Bock a definite private warning too. They lock up but the bell goes.  Into a music package of highlights so far with some late 80s synth music in top. Very Jim Crockett Promotions - think Starrcade 85 or 86. 

Not the end. Round 10 and Boch is hammering Inoki with headbutts before pitching him out of the ring. A visibly angry Inoki returns to the ring. They lock up and Bock clobbers Inoki in the back three times before Inoki dumps Bock over the ropes at point blank range. In Britain this would have been a second Public Warning for Inoki but the ref is trying to be lenient over a heated contest.  Bock gets a belly to belly suplex on Inoki. He holds off a crosspress with one arm but Bock still gets the odd one count. Inoki rolls in top but into the ropes for a break. Despite this, he keeps chopping away on the fallen Bock and finally gets a Second And Final Yellow Card.  They breaks and lock up.  Bock gets a front chancery, Inoki tries for a slam, Bock tries for a double underhook suplex. Neither succeeds and they break and re-engage. Bock batters Inoki with five forearm smashes flooring him on the third and fifth and getting a 6 count on the latter.  He twice slams and splashes and covers Inoki for a 2 count. Inoki fires back with a dropkick.  They lock up and fall into the ropes when the final bell goes. 

Three ringside judges give their score (see also old Spanish Catch, 1930s British All In and JCP Clash of the Champions part one although none of the judges look like pet of the month - this being Germany. pet of the month would be a large Alsatian dog!) First judge scores for Inoki to catcalls. Second and third to Bock. Clearly those two Yellow Cards cost Inoki dearly. So Bock is the winner on points. A big celebration breaks out, people run the ring, they try to lift Bock on their shoulders but he is too heavy for them. I think Bock gets a belt - he certainly gets a cup from a dignitary and a big bunch of flowers from a pretty blond girl. Inoki watches it all in disgust from his corner but chills out when the blond girl gives him flowers too plus a smaller cup. Bear in mind Kent Walton forgave Bret Hart for a lot worse in his match with Marty Jones in 1981.

So that was the German style pre 1980s. Look at what Bock does in this match with the slower more protracted more worked on holds and the styles of Axel Dieter, Achim Chall. Mile Zrno and others of the pre-Steve Wright era. I wish we had more full bouts from this far back but this is where the German scene was back in 1977 contemporary with Dynamite Kid's rise, Big Daddy's establishment as People's Champion and starting his feud with Giant Haystacks, Kendo Nagasaki 's unmasking, TF1 going colour, Albert Sanniez turning heel and Michel Saulnier starting to become can Arbitre Chiotte. And if course Otto Wanz coming back from South Africa with the CWA belt in his paws. THIS IS SEVENTIES GERMAN WRESTLING.  And I could do with some more. Where is the raw footage of Inoki-Lasaterre?

[David Mantell]

https://www.patrickwreed.com/blog/ywi3yijbus8ga9w6tqlfh56isokwpp

Apparently the bout was 25th November 1978 in Stuttgart.  People think it's a shoot but I'm not so sure. Too many dropkicks and suchlike.

THIS is what a shoot looks like.

 

 

[David Mantell]

  On 8/14/2024 at 11:29 AM, David Mantell said:

Here is the 1983 rematch in colour. I believe the storyline was that Slaughter claimed he was robbed in the 1982 match because he was confused by the Euro rules, so he and Wanz met in an American rules rematch.

I think the 1982 bout was professionally shot, it has a multicamera setup similar to other big Otto matches of the time.  I imagine @sergeiSem just had a low generation copy of the footage, or maybe he had watched it a lot.

(Quite discussion on page 2 about .Otto as a babyface)

I'm struggling to grasp the comparison between Bob Backlund - technician, about the only American to really master complex folding presses - and Otto Wanz - burly bordering on obese power wrestler, like a cross between Big Daddy circa the 1977 John Elijah bout (before Max Crabtree made him work strong) and Dusty Rhodes minus the white funkster showmanship.

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I never really said down and reviewed this one properly. It's very slug and punch, so don't worry you won't be getting complex, the nature of the action simply doesn't merit it.

Otto still hasn't fully bulked up to the Obese Otto of the mid/late 80s, he is closer to the more compact Otto of the 1980 Don Leo bout. Slaughter is slap bang in the era of the Cobra Corps  and the Alley fight match.

It's supposed to be an American Rules match but the ring announcer keeps telling off Slaughter in particular for rule infractions "Remus ..NO!!!"   Wrestle Only inside ... STOPPIT REMUS!! REMUS NOT THE CHAIR" "MISTER REMUS!". I bet this guy was a school teacher by day.

There is a large crowd of guys in white t-shirts/baseball caps wandering around at ringside for some mysterious reason, like Sarge has flown his local team over to cheer him on.

Oddly  enough there is one little chain sequence and it's done badly but it goes like this. Sarge has the Cobra Clutch on Otto but after a good long while he slips out the back with no real effort (Even Mike Marino's spinning escape from a side headlock had some sense of tugging and levering free.) Otto fails to take the arm with him but still grabs it and puts a hammerlock on. Then releases it. I think Slaughter grabs the ropes but the crowd are at such fever pitch they don't have time to give heat for such cowardice.  

Somewhere along the line Otto has done a blade job and is juicing away merrily.  I don't think Sarge is bleeding, it's hard to see in the murk. 

The end comes when Sarge misses a Superfly Splash off the top (Suma must have been partway through training him when he split from Albano and turned face in late 82.) They battle on a bit then Wanz manages a flying tackle for the win.

If you like a good brawl you'll probably love this. Me. I need an antidote.How about ..

[David Mantell]

...this?

 

I was going to review this originally but got caught by the temptation to review something OLD to follow Bock/Inoki. Another Germany Vs Japan battle of the former Axis Powers. (The geopolitics of Japanese heels in Germany never make any sense. And yes I know this is Austria and Alex is of British stock) This is from the same tournament as Alex versus Finlay - if it's up the that one ends with a Schuman run in and anyway that's not one of the two that turned up on the Marco's Catch channel 

Alex gets a big babyface pop coming down to ringside although the big blond girl sat right next to camera seems unimpressed by him.  Alex offers a handshake but Hiro kicks it away. Hiro gets a legdrive but Alex sends hip flying with a beautiful toupee.  He tries again and gets a leglock.  Haumarkt looks really beautiful at night but these longshots make it hard to follow the action. Hiro continues to work on the leg, Alex counters with a cross face. very Old German.  Hiro moves to a standing position, gets a kick in. The bell goes so he gets in a couple more. Some bad piano boogie Woogie between rounds.

Round 2: Hiro gets the leg and eventually gets Alex down with it.  He makes it into a single leg Boston Crab.  Alex won't give so he stomps, releases and retakes the leg. Alex kicks him into the ropes, slingshots him into the opposite ropes and fires off a dropkick, some stomps of his own (retaliation) and a suplex which Hiro reverses and gets a two count.  He stomps on, Alex rallies, gets some stomps. a dropkick and a toehold. By the end Hiro is back in charge with leg weaken til the bell goes. I think Hiro gets a yellow card but he reacts like he's scored something while the crowd catcalls.  To be honest I'm not sure.  Cue more boogie woogie piano jazz. Hiro paces around like Rollerball Rocco.

Round 3 . Alex really goes into action, kicking Hiro on a finger interlock, backflipping in a wrist lever then armdragging the Japanese, leapfrogging and taking him down with a flying headscissors which sadly he does not manage to keep once down. He then corners and batters Yamamoto.  Hiro whips him to the ropes but Alex comes back with a sunset flip and Hiro punches his way out (missed by the ref) and follows in with a Harley Race diving headbutt. He covers for a pin but the no follow down rule was clearly still in force in 1994, so no pin count.  They get up, Hiro heatbutts Alex who tried the sunset flip again.Sensing another punch, he slips out behind, fires two dropkicks and corners Hiro, getting crowd approval to bash his head into the corner then punching him on the ropes until warned off by the ref.  Hiro wants to make up and be friendly but Alex will have none of it. He drop toeholds Hiro and converts to a cross face into side headlock.  Hiro wrenches into a headscissor. Alex tries a bridging escape but the bell goes before anything exciting could happen.  Bright bouncy disco record during the interval.

Round 5 Alex gets a hammerlock into armdrags to floor Hiro.  Switches to straight armlock, Hiro gets up, forces it into the corner, gets a break then uses brawling tactics on Alex on the ropes. Alex bodychecks Hiro who replies with an excellent dropkick. He tries a piledriver but Alex makes it into a backdrop for a two.count,  then a guillotine elbowsmash,  then some stomps on the prone Hiro which earn him a yellow card.  Hiro gets a reverse flying elbowsmash then locks on a scorpion leglock. Alex pushes up to flip Hiro off and covers him but Yamamoto puts a foot on the ropes. Alex stomps him til he falls out of the ring. Back in, they both headbutt each other. Alex gets the worst of it. In an unintentionally funny moment he falls down just as the bell goes - the resulting CLONG sounds in context like a cartoon comedy sound effect. DJ plays. Some classical set to a disco beat. 

Round 6 Hiro again tries the handshake and gets some kicks in.  He forearm smashes Alex in the corner, snapmares and Hogan Legdrops him.  Then he snapmares again and splashes him from the middle turnbuckle earning a Second And Final Yellow Card. He somersault splashes Alex but gets no pin count due to No Follow down, so next he slams Alex. tries the corner again and misses. Alex fires him into the ropes and dropkicks him on the rebound. He gets a suplex but Hiro counts out at 2.  He flips over Hiro and gets a waistlock suplex but does not cover. He gets a roll up for 2.  One minute to go, a frustrated Alex stomps Hiro and is warned by the MC.  He tries a hold on the mat we can't see but the ref breaks it up. Hiro gets a piledriver but holds thecropes for leverage so the referee refuses to count the pin. They are both trying for finished when the final round ends. As far as I can tell it was a draw.

Not  really a technical masterpiece, Hiro works too American for that, but some nice little bits and plenty of action.

 

 

[David Mantell]

Continuing with the Bernie Wright theme from the British thread, here he is in Germany against Dave Viking who IIRC was an expatriate Brit. Bernie reminds the German audience whose brother he is straight off by rolling then cartwheeling off a wristlever - and they love it.  He Irish whips Viking for a bump.goes for two slams but Viking sabotages each with a low blow, so Bernie gives hip another high whip, steps over a finger interlock and superkicks Viking, sending him out of the ring. Viking gets a rear standing chinlock, Bernie tried for a fireman's carry counter but Dave is too strong and breaks him down to the mat. Bernie tries again and actually gets Viking up for a second before collapsing. A third attempt is broken by Viking apparently fish hooking Benie's nose (a foul) A big blow by Viking has Bernie on his back til 5. He drags him up and forearm smashes himdown twice but the second time Bernie kips up and fires a dropkick. Three forearm smashes fell Viking, Bernie lifting him for more as the bell rings.

Round 2, Viking posts Bernie and illegally follows in with stomps and an axehandle and is reprimanded. He slams Wright who bumps backward a bit extravagantly.  Viking follows in with more blows on his fallen opponent  He posts Bernie and bearhugs him ready for a belly to belly suplex but Bernie gets free so Viking whips and backdrops him, bashing him down whenever he tries to get up.. He grabs a leg but the ref makes him drop it as Wright was still on the floor. More blows and a posting and axehandle to the back.The bell goes.

Round 3 Bernie tackles Viking down and legdrops him, followed by two elbowdrops and pulling him up for a posting (Referee allows this for retaliation, I guess.).  He gets a posting and two running shoulderblocks then hooks Viking's legs over the middle corner ropes. He then goes to work with illegal closed fists and knees and gets a red card. The crowd and Wright are furious at the Disqualification.