WCW Worldwide on ITV Sat Afternoon 92-95 - Ratings?

[David Mantell]

5 hours ago, BigJag said:

On Sky? How did that happen? Surely Sky was WWF only.

Eurosport was part of the Sky package on Astra - yet it showed "New Catch" which was filmed in France (with the odd German CWA bout spliced in.) featured a mix of French, British and German wrestlers and was kind of the sequel to both British Wrestling on ITV and old-time French TV wrestling. (hence the title New Catch - I suppose, the said classic French TV wrestling being Old Catch in that case!)  It even had a pre-Astra preview run on TF1, France's former Channel 1 and French wrestling's original home.

(France and Britain both kicked wrestling off mainstream terrestrial TV at roughly the same time. However whereas in Britain Greg Dyke could hold a special press conference at a TV fair in Geneva and there proceed to make a big song and dance about scrapping the wrestling so to impress advertising execs for more upbrand products , French TV execs had a previous bad experience trying and failing to cancel wrestling in 1961. So in the mid/late 80s they were kind of cautious and sly about their cancellation, presenting it to the French public as a series of channel changes- from Antenne 2 to FR3 in summer '85, staying on FR3 til November '87 then next year 1988 returning to its original home TF1 before finally moving to Eurosport in early '89 and staying there into the early 90s. )

********

Later on, Eurosport featured Puroresu from New Japan. I remember watching it in France during my uni year abroad. Ron Simmons was on once as a heel and he told the Japanese fans to shut up and they all sort of looked at each other in bewilderment as if to say "Why exactly does this man want us to be quiet?"

Edited January 15, 2025 by David Mantell

[David Mantell]

On 1/13/2025 at 10:25 AM, garynysmon said:

I vividly remember that Van Hammer was all over those early shows.

I wasn’t even aware that WCW was on TV until my mum was up with my baby sister and happened to stumble across wrestling on ITV. She recorded it and I watched it after coming home from school.

Not long after it seemed to pop up in a better timeslot on HTV Wales, on Sunday afternoons. And this is where Lord Steven Regal’s long TV title run was showcased.

I remember at least one episode where Regal was co-commentat0

Notice that it's still advertised as Superstars Of Wrestling on Granada.  As I said, Granada kept on calling the show Superstars Of Wrestling even after the switch to Sat afternoon.

[The Reverend]

I know we got these odd variations of WCW shows, but I'm surprised that in the boom period of 1990-92 when Sky was doing so well with the WWF, that none of the TV stations didn't try and take WCW a bit more seriously. Ok, I know there were only 4 channels, but I would've thought that a regular show after the Saturday morning kids magazine programme (Motormouth etc.) would've been a ratings winner. The WWF used to show Superstars I think it was on a Saturday morning in the US. 

Considering the fact that there was plenty of WCW merchandise available in the country too, it would've been a good little business I would've thought.  

[gmoney]

My first ever exposure to wrestling was when a friend got cable in 1990 and seeing something that absolutely wasn't WWF. I can vividly remember a guy in a silver cape, and the ring being a much deeper blue, but no details beyond that really. My friend and I got into wrestling massively, but it was all WWF, and I've never worked out what that promotion was. It was probably NWA, but I'd love to see that clip again. 

[simonworden]

2 hours ago, The Reverend said:

I know we got these odd variations of WCW shows, but I'm surprised that in the boom period of 1990-92 when Sky was doing so well with the WWF, that none of the TV stations didn't try and take WCW a bit more seriously. Ok, I know there were only 4 channels, but I would've thought that a regular show after the Saturday morning kids magazine programme (Motormouth etc.) would've been a ratings winner. The WWF used to show Superstars I think it was on a Saturday morning in the US. 

Considering the fact that there was plenty of WCW merchandise available in the country too, it would've been a good little business I would've thought.  

By the time the WWF rose up, did loads of touring including Summerslam 1992 and into 93 I guess the market was getting pretty done in with wrestling. Bulldog did them good business in 93 but perhaps ITV or any other channel saw nothing worthwhile for expansion of programming. 

I can remember seeing shows on ITV in the early 90s but I was so young I actually can't recall a single match just talking head segments Infront of TVs. I would've been 5 or 6 in 91 to 92 but that memory feels a lot younger to me. Maybe even 89 or 90. 

There's an oddball memory I have from 99 or 00, as the wrestling craze was booming again in schools. I can specifically remember Meridian (southern ITV) airing an episode of WCW from that time period, it was late 99 early 00 footage of face Hogan after he went yellow again. All I remember was him getting beat down backstage and making a save in the main event. It all looked very rubbish and hokey compared to WWF is what me and my bro thought. The odd thing was it seemed to get broadcast a random weekend afternoon on ITV and never mentioned again. My brother has confirmed this happened. Any chance there is some evidence of this?

[Carbomb]

12 hours ago, David Mantell said:

Eurosport was part of the Sky package on Astra - yet it showed "New Catch" which was filmed in France (with the odd German CWA bout spliced in.) featured a mix of French, British and German wrestlers and was kind of the sequel to both British Wrestling on ITV and old-time French TV wrestling. (hence the title New Catch - I suppose, the said classic French TV wrestling being Old Catch in that case!)  It even had a pre-Astra preview run on TF1, France's former Channel 1 and French wrestling's original home.

(France and Britain both kicked wrestling off mainstream terrestrial TV at roughly the same time. However whereas in Britain Greg Dyke could hold a special press conference at a TV fair in Geneva and there proceed to make a big song and dance about scrapping the wrestling so to impress advertising execs for more upbrand products , French TV execs had a previous bad experience trying and failing to cancel wrestling in 1961. So in the mid/late 80s they were kind of cautious and sly about their cancellation, presenting it to the French public as a series of channel changes- from Antenne 2 to FR3 in summer '85, staying on FR3 til November '87 then next year 1988 returning to its original home TF1 before finally moving to Eurosport in early '89 and staying there into the early 90s. )

I remember watching some of that - the promotion was called the EWF. I specifically remember Travesty Man, "Superfly" Jimmy Ocean, and Ulf the Cruel (fairly sure this was Ulf Hermann).

[The Reverend]

5 minutes ago, simonworden said:

By the time the WWF rose up, did loads of touring including Summerslam 1992 and into 93 I guess the market was getting pretty done in with wrestling. Bulldog did them good business in 93 but perhaps ITV or any other channel saw nothing worthwhile for expansion of programming. 

 

Well WCW was airing regularly in 1991, and that was also the year that they did their first tour to the UK (horrendously promoted). IIIRC they also showed the Galoob action figure adverts on terrestrial TV over here (something the WWF never did) so I reckon they could've had a fair crack at getting a good loyal following had they been business savvy enough. I imagine the real answer is that it was just WCW. In later years they completely brushed over the UK with tours. 

 

[BomberPat]

18 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

I remember watching some of that - the promotion was called the EWF. I specifically remember Travesty Man, "Superfly" Jimmy Ocean, and Ulf the Cruel (fairly sure this was Ulf Hermann).

Ulf The Cruel was indeed Hermann The German. 

I watched some of the EWF stuff for a podcast; there's some fun matches on there, Fit Finlay vs. Mile Zrno was superb, and I'm pretty sure Owen Hart popped up there. 

Flesh Gordon shows up a few times, often with topless dancers in his entrance, putting the wrestling on Eurosport in the same category as Fashion TV and all the German channels for "stuff on Sky where you might get lucky and see a mid-afternoon boob".

[David Mantell]

10 hours ago, Carbomb said:

I remember watching some of that - the promotion was called the EWF. I specifically remember Travesty Man, "Superfly" Jimmy Ocean, and Ulf the Cruel (fairly sure this was Ulf Hermann).

EWF seems to have been a name especially created for New Catch, it was a collaboration between several European promoters including Orig Williams (the name SMACKS of his involvement.  Longtime French promoter (and former heel and referee) Roger Delaporte was winding down his business at the time, he closed in 1989 after selling his ownership of Paris venue Elysée Montmartre the year before.

Ulf the Cruel was indeed Ulf Hermann. He also appeared on Reslo on S4C as Hollywood Blond, a Sting ripoff complete with paint.

Jimmy Ocean made it onto ITV a couple of times in the late 80s including the final regular episode in December 1988 but he is most famous for the Superflies tag team with Ricky Knight, managed by Sweet Saraya (that's Saraya Senior, mum of the Saraya/Brittani you kids all know.) He also had a couple of runs with the British Lightweight title (currently held by Nino Bryant for Rumble Promotions.).

 

 

Travesti Man was veteran French heel Jacky Richard.  Richard had been on French TV since 1971 and came over here for an appearance on World of Sport in January 1973. He was a regular heel  on French TV in the 1970s and 1980s.  In the mid 80s when French wrestling was getting a lot more gimmicky and cartoony, he got a new gimmick as Le Marquis Richard, a pre-revolutionary Aristocrat in a wig, with a butler Paul Butard who would stand on the ring apron, mop Richard's brow and interfere in matches.  Shortly after New Catch started in 89 he became Travesti Man, an awkward three way cross between Adorable Adrian Adonis, WWF Dusty Rhodes and a heel version of Big Daddy. The guy playing Paul Butard was kept on as Jean Claude Blanchette aka Best Boy, a manservant -boyfriend figure.  After New Catch finished, Richard became Monsieur Jacky an evil heel promoter in a shirt and tie. He and Gerard "Flesh Gordon" Herve co-owned - and still do co-own Wrestling Stars (formerly IWSF, the French equivalent of All Star Wrestling in the UK, and were top face and heel until they both retired in the early 2010s and became troubleshooting referees (Jacky pro-heel, Gordon pro-babyface.)

 

 

 

(Travesti Man video should have gone above Monsieur Jacky video but it wouldn't let me.  Apologies)

Edited January 15, 2025 by David Mantell

[Carbomb]

Excellent work. Yeh, I remember the Superflies were Ocean and Knight - Ricky Knight has posted on here in the past about that, and I think even posted WAW events with them billed.

The rest was very enlightening. I never knew much about continental European stuff, so that was a lot of fun to read.

Thanks!

[Devon Malcolm]

That first match was really good, enjoyed that a lot, I'll have a watch of the rest of that tomorrow. Cheers, @David Mantell

[David Mantell]

3 hours ago, Carbomb said:

Excellent work. Yeh, I remember the Superflies were Ocean and Knight - Ricky Knight has posted on here in the past about that, and I think even posted WAW events with them billed.

The rest was very enlightening. I never knew much about continental European stuff, so that was a lot of fun to read.

Thanks!

Thanks.  Old School European Wrestling divides into six territories -;three Extinct  Territories (Spain, Italy Greece) and three Stronghold territories (Britain, France, Germany/Austria). The stronghold territories are defined by two characteristics

(1) They are still going to this day - not just modern Americanised Promotions but old school companies like All Star. Rumble and Premier in Britain, WS and the revived FFCP i in France and EWP, now CWP, in Germany

(2) There is a large bulk quantity of footage available.  Britain and France both had TV coverage - mainstream national TV from the mid 50s to the late 80s.  For much of this time (during the 30 year gap between the closure of the US  Du Mont network in 1955 and the launch of SNME in 1985) Britain and France had better TV slots than any individual American territory.   Germany/Austria did not have this but had a big programme of VHS video releases. These could vary from high quality multicam TV-quality productions such as Otto Wanz's big title defences sold in video shops, down to a single handheld camcorders at ringside and sold at subsequent shows

Old school Spanish, Italian and Greek wrestling died out in 1975, 1965 and 1991 respectively. There is a small amount of footage of each.

For more information:

https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/topic/56479-why-is-america-always-assumed-to-be-the-centre-of-the-wrestling-universe

https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/topic/15983-the-beginners-guide-to-british-wrestling

https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/topic/16764-french-catch   

https://forums.prowrestlingonly.com/topic/51113-german-catch

 

Edited January 16, 2025 by David Mantell

[davertfnewman]

Watching those European videos reminds me of watching them back in the day and the strange trope of managers and seconds standing on the apron, not on the floor.

Anyway, what were the ratings again for WCW shows on ITV after all?

[David Mantell]

6 hours ago, davertfnewman said:

Watching those European videos reminds me of watching them back in the day and the strange trope of managers and seconds standing on the apron, not on the floor.

It was only Butard/Blanchette who did that and Les Bons frequently complained to the ref about it. Back in the 60s, Robert Duranton's manservant Firmin would stand at ringside and interfere. One time Jean Ferre, the future André the Giant, dragged him in the ring and spanked his bottom!

In Britain on ITV, managers either had to go back to the passageway down to ringside (eg George Gillette) or sit on a ringside chair (eg Princess Paula).  On the Indies they stood at ringside as they did on Reslo in the 90s eg Saraya. The only UK ITV manager who ever ran in the ring was Charlie McGee, the IBA allowed this because it always backfired on him and he ended up being done over by Big Daddy.

 

 

6 hours ago, davertfnewman said:

Anyway, what were the ratings again for WCW shows on ITV after all?

Good question.

I'm thinking WCW did business with each individual ITV region so if we did have the figures, we'd have to add each week up individually. Probably on a spreadsheet. You'd think though that people would have been curious enough at the time.

My expectation would be 3 million, the lower-to-average score for ITV in 1988.

Thought- what numbers were WWF doing on Sky? What proportion of the population actually had a satellite dish?

Edited January 16, 2025 by David Mantell

[SuperBacon]

This "ratings" thread >>> all other ratings chat.