Janos vs Roland, 1960

Janos Vadkerti vs Roland Daumal, Wrestling in Courbevoie (Wrestling in Europa)

My fascination with the smoky charcoal grays of old television wrestling is not limited to the USA. This light heavyweight match from October of 1960 is set in a northwestern suburb of Paris. The older wrestler, Roland Daumal, is French. His young opponent, Janos Vadkerti, is Hungarian - he bears a resemblance to 88Wrestling's Rex Bedford, or so I think. (The third and fourth GIFs below provide the clearest view of his face.)

Few of the midcentury wrestlers on both sides of the Atlantic were gentlemen, but gentlemanliness was still a norm and an attribute fans respected. The first to throw a punch or kick was easily pegged as the villain of the match. In this case, it's the more experienced Frenchman, Daumal. Once somebody broke the code, his opponent was free to pay tit for tat, and the young Hungarian, Vadketi, is not so in awe of his elder as to refuse to retaliate.

My interest in these old matches and similar matches in our century stems from the long and repeated stretches of time spent on the mat, grappling. Rolling over each other on the ring floor, binding each other in arms and legs, is, in my opinion, the sexiest part of wrestling. Grappling consumes most of this contest. The torments exacted by strong arms and legs are personal to the point of intimacy. The occasional short jab and rabbit punch heighten the drama, as do the pained expressions on the victim's face.

The fight gets my juices flowing.