Just received an invitation to come here by Jake and I've got to say that being a guy who's fascinated by grappling and always intrigued with Catch since I first read about it (from Matt Furey many years ago), I've been enjoying reading these threads and seeing the old pics immensely.
I had a fairly recent meeting with Bob Wall who is a black belt under Gene LeBelle and long time martial artist, playing bruce Lee's nemesis in Enter The Dragon as well as many other pictures; and Mr. Wall said that Gene is the toughest man alive. Now, whether or not it's true (and if it's not, it's at least close to the truth) is of lessor importance to WHY Bob considers him so tough and formiddable. Bob said that BJJ'ers today could not handle the rough wrestling and domineering Gene would bring to the ring. Bob said that he has challenge matches of Gene on tape that, if I meet up with him again, he would love to show me.
Anyways, just want to give y'all a hello and look forward to continuing reading this amazing story of real American and European wrestling. I've read many knowledgable posters so far, and look forward to reading more.