This review was commissioned by grappleholics over on my Ko-fi account.
French Catch exists at an interesting intersection of pro wrestling history. The French scene is detached enough from what would become the most dominant traditions of pro wrestling–puro in Japan, lucha in Mexico, and good ole American rasslin’–that seeing what was achieved there makes so much of the action feel incredibly innovative. There’s a whole wealth of holds, counters, and maneuevers peppered throughout the French Catch footage we have that feels so ahead of its time even if you were to plop it right back into the present day. However, it exists far back enough in the recorded history of pro wrestling that it never feels out of touch with the elemental aspects of the craft that make it all so enticing to begin with.
I have found that the further back one goes in pro wrestling history–at least up to the 50s where we really start to have a relative wealth of footage–the more likely one is to see matches that really maximize the power of the basic elements of the form.
Take, for example, this match from August 1970. Of all the matches I’ve watched in recent weeks, this might be the most instructive in terms of what makes pro wrestling as a whole work. This is about as textbook as one can get–a bald, bruiser of a heel against a technically gifted babyface with a nice head of hair. Structurally, this is about as clean of a three-act structure as you’re bound to get too–shine, heat, and comeback about as neatly divided as the very best of the 80s southern tags.
Mercier relies on leverage and chain wrestling to control the match, in short he’s a better wrestler. His shine plays out in the early moments of the match by locking up Kayser in holds that initiate some fun problem/solution work. There’s that cravat that Mercier turns into one of the nastiest delayed snapmares I’ve ever seen, and there’s also a headlock that continues to flummox Kayser on the ground.
On his end, Kayser’s heel work is so simple but so effective. His transition gets built around Mercier leaving just enough of an opening for Kayser to goozle him by the throat. A simple choke right around the throat works wonders for Kayser here, he returns to it often whenever the match threatens to slip from his fingers. His own holds aren’t nearly as flashy or admirable as Mercier’s either. The double grip nerve hold seizes up Mercier relies purely on brute strength, and has none of the respectable technique that the babyface brought to the proceedings here.
Kayser’s bigger bombs here too are so good. He relies body slams and repeated Irish whips into the corner to create real tension in the finishing stretch. There’s a lovely touch where Mercier tries really hard to deadweight and block those Irish whips, only to get increasingly worn down by each bump he takes into the corner.
Mercier’s babyface fire is nothing to be scoffed at though. He believably rises to the occasion of Kayser’s dirty play. Mercier’s able to fire back with some real crispy European uppercuts, and even some twisted brutality of his own by ripping out Kayser’s armpit hair Satanico-style. In the back half too, he pays back all of Kayser’s sins with some Irish whips of his own, and taking the body slam further by setting it up with an airplane spin into a proto-Cradle Shock for the win.
This is the kind of match that just lays out the whole deal of the medium for us. The respectability of the babyface, the bullying of the heel, and the righteous vengeance of the comeback at the end. It’s about as pro wrestling as pro wrestling gets.
Rating: ***3/4
