Comprehensive list of great European matches

Same deal as the shoot style list.

This is more difficult since it's often hard to pin down dates. I figure this could help the DVDVR guys as a starting point when they get around to the Euro set.

WOS

Jim Breaks vs. Adrian Street (2/12/72)
Jack Fallon vs. Tibor Szakacs (aired 4/19/72)
Les Kellett vs. Johnny Czeslaw (11/16/72)
Jim Breaks vs Johnny Saint (3/14/73)
Pete Roberts vs. Caswell Martin (4/4/73)
Jim Breaks vs Johnny Saint (5/3/73)
Jackie Pallo vs. Johnny Kwango (5/3/73)
Alan Sarjeant vs. Eddie Capelli (12/13/73)
Robby Baron vs. Peter Szacaks (3/14/74)
Mick McManus vs. Tony St. Clair (3/14/74)
Alan Sarjeant vs. Mick McManus (11/20/74)
Tibor Szakacs vs. Prince Kumali (2/13/75)
Robby Baron vs. Alan Sarjeant (4/17/75)
Steve Grey vs. Ken Joyce (7/31/75)
Clive Myers vs Steve Grey (10/8/75)
Clive Myers vs Steve Grey (11/20/75)
Johnny Saint vs. Mick McManus (11/20/75)
Mark Rocco vs. Marty Jones (6/30/76)
Terry Rudge vs. Marty Jones (11/30/76)
Zoltan Boscik vs. Alan Sarjeant (12/29/76)
Clive Myers vs. Alan Sarjeant (2/21/77)
Steve Grey vs Mick McManus (5/21/77) [Cup Final Day]
Jim Breaks vs Vic Faulkner (7/5/77)
Kung Fu/Pete Roberts vs. Johnny Kincaid/Dave Bond (10/4/77)
Clive Myers vs Steve Grey (12/6/77)
Mark Rocco vs. Marty Jones (7/26/78)
Steve Grey vs. Mark Rocco (10/11/78)
Jim Breaks vs. Young David (Davey Boy Smith) (12/3/79)

Jon Cortez vs. Pete Lapaque (1/28/80)
Johnny Saint vs Steve Grey (1/28/80) [Walton rant match]
Pete Roberts vs. Pat Roach (2/13/80)
Jim Breaks vs. Young David (Davey Boy Smith) (2/13/80)
Pat Roach vs. Gil Singh (4/21/80)
Mark Rocco vs. Pete Roberts (5/28/80)
Johnny South vs. Ringo Rigby (8/5/80)
Jim Breaks vs. Jon Cortez (2/2/81)
Johnny Saint vs. Steve Grey (2/11/81)
Marty Jones vs. Johnny South (10/7/81)
Johnny Saint vs. Vic Faulkner (11/18/81)
Ken Joyce vs. Johnny Kidd (JIP Rd 4, 1/27/82)
Fit Finlay vs Young David (Davey Boy Smith) (3/9/82)
Marty Jones vs. Dynamite Kid (1/19/83)
Fit Finlay vs. Alan Kilby (3/23/83)
Terry Rudge vs. Dalibar Singh (10/11/83)
Marty Jones vs. Dave Finlay (4/4/84)
Marty Jones vs Bull Blitzer (Steve Wright) (4/23/86)
Johnny Saint vs. Robbie Brookside (4/28/87)
Johnny Saint vs. Terry Rudge (10/8/87 handheld)

I remember a really great Yamada/Rocco match from the early 80's that was shown on TWC. Don't know the exact date though.

Added -- Marty Jones vs Bull Blitzer (Steve Wright), 4/23/86

This was awesome.

Pretty much the worst's best Black Terry vs. Negro Navarro match. Marty Jones is by far the greatest worker that people don't watch enough of. The match had pretty much everything that folks around here like -- awesome matwork and submissions, stiff strikes, well executed moves like Jones' dropkick and his takedown pin, and plenty of aggression and selling. The finish wasn't the greatest, but WOS finishes rarely are. There was a clear winner, however.

BTW, can a mod edit the title to great Euro matches or something.

Added -- Marty Jones vs. Johnny South (10/7/81)

Great bout.

The cool thing about WOS is that you have your key guys like Rocco, Jones, Saint and Grey, but you never really know who among the unknown wrestlers will step up. This was one of those face vs. face bouts WOS would run where tempers flared, and the result was a whole bunch of nasty looking matwork and Walton hoping that we don't see a bunch of forearm smashes and slugging.

Marty Jones is basically the superior version of Dynamite Kid and could be just as much of a prick when he felt like it. South gave him a fair run for his money and I was rooting for the upset because Jones was such a shithead.

Watched the Yamada/Rocco match. I dunno if it's the one UT is referring to, but it was OK. Rocco was carrying Yamada, but I wouldn't really call it a smart carry. Yamada was the champ but didn't look classy enough. His selling was okay, his offence was pretty shitty. Match had really good heat, though, and Rocco was great at times.

I dunno if Yamada was the champion in the one I watched. He won with a cross body block IIRC.

OK, different match. I'll change the date.

Added -- Steve Grey vs. Ken Joyce (7/31/75)

Some great counter wrestling in this, a bit of comedy and some lucha worthy submissions. Ken Joyce was always a bit of a nutter, but he had some of the most inventive spots in WOS and never once fell for the roll yourself into a ball trick. Lots of fantastic details in this. Match gets stiffer towards the end.

We should post links, either here or in the download forum.

Yeah, if you could share these links OJ, that would be really cool.

This is a pretty great thread, my knowledge of European stuff is limited so this is a great resource.

Man, that deathlock and leg wrapped around the head submission that Grey hooks on Joyce is incredible, it's like something Solar would do. Had a great flow, and I loved some of Joyce's reactions, especially the time when Grey avoids Joyce's referee's position trip and casually kicks him in the ass. Excellent bout.

Added -- Terry Rudge vs. Marty Jones (11/30/76)

Excellent catchweight contest. Match goes to a six round draw, so it's not for the faint of heart, but I thought it was well paced. Rudge is a good worker for a British heavyweight and Marty Jones is probably the greatest lightweight wrestler I've ever seen (and only in his fourth year as a pro here.) Some great strikes in the last few rounds and an awesome Boston crab battle.

Watched -- Marc Rocco vs. Chic Cullen (12/26/86)

Sound Rocco performance from the wanning days of ITV wrestling, but the Scot didn't do enough to impress me here. Kent sounded a bit jaded.

Added -- Marty Jones vs. Dynamite Kid (1/19/83)

This is the most brutal WOS match I've seen. One stiff blow after another and some crazy bumps from Dynamite Kid, who exhibited the most unsporting like behaviour I've seen from a heel in Joint Promotions. The match should've been thrown out, but it continued and Jones ended up getting busted open the hardway from an illegal DK flying headbutt. The reason I'm adding this and not the Dynamite/Rocco matches is because this actually had a finish, though Walton fucked up the call.

Dynamite Kid's selling was fine here. No popping up, and his whole "I've forgotten the European rules" schtick was great. Plus, he was just an incredible prick. It wasn't the football hooligan DK that you sometimes see, but a guy who couldn't control his temper. Watch what happens after MJ scores the opening fall.

Added -- Marty Jones vs. Dave Finlay (4/4/84)

This was a really good match. These guys had a long feud over the Mid-Heavyweight title and this was a special grudge match after Finlay won the title in November '83. Finlay was way more athletic in the early 80s than the methodical worker we'd see later on and in the early 90s. There were some amazing lucha style pin attempts in this. Jones was wearing a Dos Caras style get-up and did some moves that would've made Caras proud. The finish wasn't the greatest, but typical for a non-title match. The stretch run was hot and Walton marked out in that subtle way of his.

Watched -- Tony Charles vs Terry Rudge (1/5/72)

Couldn't get into this at all.

It was a similar sort of match to Rudge/Jones in that a younger, more inexperienced worker (Rudge this time) was given the rub by hanging with a vet for the full six rounds. Walton put Charles over as one of the best wrestlers in Joint Promotions, so I was kind of disappointed when he ended up doing the same kind of holds as everyone else. Rudge looked like a rugby prop, which I dug, but this was long albeit technically sound.

Watched -- Ken Joyce vs Jeff Kaye (1/31/79)

Fun veterans match that wasn't quite good enough to make the list, but damn close from an entertainment point of view. Joyce was a unique worker and this is well worth watching.

This was quite good. Street's flamboyance being the jump point for the inevitable heeling of Breaks is what really makes this as Street gets transformed from cocky to victim status pretty well here. I wasn't a fan of the chicken wing finish, but the hold working was strong, Breaks was great talking shit and Street's aggressive frustration was a nice touch.

Quite good doesn't do it justice.

I've seen little WoS and it's probably the best match I've seen from WoS up to this point primarily because of the clash in characters which was very well done. Maybe "quite good" sounds like minimal praise, but I don't mean it to be.

Well, that's more like it!

Breaks/Street is on Veoh. Ive probably watched it about 3 times. Street's outlandish behavior is wonderful. The fans seem to genuinely hate him and want to see him hurt, old ladies dressed in their Sunday best cussing at you is real heel heat. Really made/makes me want to see more of Adrian Street's work. I haven't seen in for awhile, probably watch it again tonight.

Watched --

Marc Rocco vs. King Ben (7/15/81)

Fun match from Rocco's prime. Not long enough to make the list, but a good look at Rocco as a performer.

Johny Saint vs Keith Martinelli (10/22/75)

Good match from Saint's younger days, but as with many Johnny Saint matches, it was the epitome of good and nothing more. There's something about Johnny Saint's style that prevents him from having a large number of great matches. I haven't figured it out yet, but it may have something to do with his offence.

Watched both of these.

Saint v. Breaks is a good match, but at times it's almost distracting how much better Breaks is than Saint. That's not to say Saint is bad here, but Breaks is the guy who sets the pace in this and at times seems to go out of his way to work an almost Flair-like exaggegated heel bumping schtick to keep things interesting. Saint just isn't as compelling for whatever reason and Breaks shit talking and "tricks" really carry this. Breaks gimmick of being highly skilled jock who is not as good as he thinks he is is actually a really true to form gimmick that is perfect for WOS which is part of the reason why I find him so enjoyable.

Jones v. Rocco is a match that I think I like a bit better than Saint v. Breaks, though I don't find either character as compelling as Breaks. I thought the build to the highspots was really good, liked the explosiveness of the slams, bodypresses and dropkicks and thought Jones was excellent selling the arm. Rocco is a guy that I like an awful lot, but he was pretty clearly the lesser worker.