France
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Notes on Fédération Française de Lutte
Also called: Fédération Française de Catch Professionnel
The FFL was created in the second half of 1933 by Raoul Paoli & Henri Deglane.
Paoli acted as the matchmaker and Deglane, naturally, was the top star.
Dan Koloff was brought in as he was a friend of Deglane's and had star power.
Koloff also had many connections meaning he could help bring worthy wrestler to France.
Charles Rigulot was brought in to be the third big name for the company.
Ran September to March/April each year with occasional summer shows.
The main venue during the 1930s was the Palais des Sports.
It had a capacity of around 18,000-20,000 - most likely the former.
The venue was run every other week on a Monday for the most part.
Another venue ran was the Salle Wagram which was a smaller venue holding a bit more than 1,200 people.
It was added for the second season eventually running all of the off-weeks of the Palais shows.
Elysee-Montmartre was the third venue being used and held around 1,200 people.
This venue was added in the fourth season so there could be two shows per week.
As well as Paris, Paoli would branch out when possible throughout France.
Paoli also ran shows in Belgium, Spain and Algeria.
Felix Miquet & Rene Michot were two stars trained and built up by the company.
They had little homegrown talent during this first decade and hahd to train their own guys.
Also foreign talent had to be called across the pond to help fill out cards & draw money.
The first two titles recognized were the French Heavyweight & Light Heavyweight Championships.
The most important title the company would end up having was the European Heavyweight Championship.
Kola Kwariani was brought in as the next big foreign star for the second season as Koloff was unavailable.
Ed "Strangler" Lewis" also came over creating big headlines during the same season.
Kwariani returned for season three.
Rigulot was not appearing regularly and thus Frank Bronowicz was brought in to fill the gap left.
Season four saw a new top star being created in Al Pereira.
Ed Don George was also brought in to work several big matches at the Palais.
Shows continued to run until the end of June for this season.
With a big summer match in August which was headlined by Jim Londos.
For the new season the big foreign name that arrived was Joe Savoldi and he was a big success.
Ed "Strangler" Lewis also came back for a one-off match.
The Wagram & Montematre shows continued until the end of June for this season.
The sixth final full season to be featured in this decade (1930s) saw Milo Steinborn take the role of a top guy.
Yvon Robert was also brought in to wrestle several big matches.
The Wagram & Montematre shows again ran until late June.
There would be smaller shows here and there [during World War II], but it was 1944 and especially 1945 when pro wrestling in France really got going again. Same as in the 1930s, there would be smaller events held in Paris at venues such as Elysee-Montmartre, Salle Wagram, Palais de la Mutualite, Palais de Glace, etc., but as always the venue for all the major events was Palais des Sports. The three initial headline stars who kicked off the new hot run for Paris pro wrestling were Henri Deglane, Charles Rigoulot and Yvar Martinson. Deglane and Rigoulot had been top stars for years and while Martinson had been around as well 1945 was when he really rose to fame in France as the reigning European Heavyweight champion.
As the years went on established international stars such as Steve Casey, Bert Assirati, Primo Carnera, Yvon Robert and Frank Sexton came over to headline Palais des Sport shows in Paris while guys like Felix Miquet, his brother Francois Miquet, Frank Valois and Eugenio Gonzalez built their reputations as headliners while working for Paoli's promotion. Another interesting aspect of the promotion, and this was a continuation of what was happening in the 1930s, was that Paoli continued to attract a high caliber of legitimate athletes to his promotion: Olympic wrestlers such as Axel Cadier, Jean Jourlin and Robert Herland, European judo champion Guy Verrier, strongman Rene Florent, bodybuilding champion Robert Duranton, boxer Robert Charron, etc.
Titles and the season they were created:
French Light Heavyweight Championship - Second half of the second season.
French Heavyweight Championship - Second half of the second season.
French Middleweight Championship - Second half of the second season.
European Light Heavyweight Championship - First half of the third season.
European Heavyweight Championship - Second half of the third season.
French Welterweight Championship - Second half of the third season.
French Lightweight Championship - Second half of the third season.
European Middleweight Championship - Second half of the fourth season.
European Welterweight Championship - Second half of the fifth season.
The promotion closed in 1960.
Notes by Phil Lions
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Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
All research has been completed by #PWHS or by a trusted contributor.
Information came from contemporary newspapers unless otherwise stated.
Promotion Information for France.
Updated: October 19, 2019.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
All research has been completed by #PWHS or by a trusted contributor.
Information came from contemporary newspapers unless otherwise stated.
Promotion Information for France.
Updated: October 19, 2019.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
