Segunda Caida

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Friday, May 16, 2025

Found Footage Friday: GATTONI~! LYONS~! MILLERS~! CARPENTIER~! STANLEE~!


Maple Leaf Wrestling 1/15/57 

Baron Gattoni vs. Billy Red Lyons

MD: Lyons was so young that they were just calling him Red Lyons. They said he had worked in the States for a year but was newly debuting in Canada. Apparently Gattoni (who was billed as Italian though he was from Argentina I think) was also new to the territory. This was mainly to establish him as a threat while giving people a look at Lyons, being a plucky young Hamilton native. Gattoni controlled the center, shoving Lyons down repeatedly. Lyons threw some shots. Gattoni would hit him once for every four or five and floor him. He won it with a bearhug in just a few minutes. The sequence post match where Lyons was totally prone as they waited for the stretcher might have lasted longer than the match.

The Millers (Bill/Ed Miller) vs. Pat Flanagan/Ken Kenneth

MD: I can't say I'm super familiar with Flanagan and Kenneth but I'm kind of annoyed they didn't team Ken Kenneth with Stan Stanlee. Ah well. Kenneth was from New Zealand. Flanagan had a nice spinning back heel kick (mule kick as they called it) and they were fine. Good heart. Stayed in it. Slick at times. But this was the Millers' show. They were hulking brutes, one bigger than the other, but both far bigger than their opponents. They would yank an opponent into the corner by the leg, but would also cheat at every opportunity: hairpulls, tights pulls, double teams. If you got too close to the heel corner, you were in trouble and even two refs couldn't keep them at bay. In fact, the two refs did a better job of missing tags on the babyface side than they did controlling the Millers even if they tried. Usually that'd put heat on the refs but it felt a bit like chaotic joshi matches with lots of interference where you throw your hands up and wonder what the refs could even do.

They controlled for most of this with little bits of hope if the babyfaces could get a tag or even just stay out of the heel corner for long enough, but even just the reach of the Millers made it hard. They were very good at what they did and they won it by switching off on Torture Racks (Ohio Backbreaker) to create a strong visual. Solid stuff overall but maybe a bit too much of the same for a bit too long.

Eduoard Carpentier vs. Steve Stanlee

MD: This is what we're here for, as Carpentier comes off as a star as well as anyone of his era. Stanlee was Mr. America and the commentary likened him to Buddy Rogers (though maybe a little less unscruplious). He faked out Carpentier on the shake before the match but that was the last time he was going to get one up on him for the next ten minutes. Every time he did something (a trip, a cheapshot) Carpentier had an answer, bounding onwards and upwards entertainingly and always with a flourish after the fact to let the fans know that he was special. Stanlee was a good sport, playing along by failing to do some of those flourishes himself to high stooging effect. One bit and one tricked out escape after the next. Carpentier didn't come off as quite as technically sound as some of his French Contemporaries but he made every bit he did do resonate and stand out more.

Stanlee did get up on Carpentier eventually just by smashing at him with knees and punches, especially out of a headlock. Then he shited it around for an inverted headlock and that worked for a bit, right until it didn't as Carpentier did the Sliced Bread (and Chris Hero's joke, not mine, is that it's #1 if it happened back in the 50s). counter for the win. Quick but the fans got some value nonetheless. Post match Stanlee tried to make a scene and got his head twisted multiple times for his trouble.

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