Acrobatique

Michel Saulnier vs Daniel Dubail, 11 July 1961, Nevers (Wrestling in Europa)

I can look down my nose at acrobatic wrestling for only so long before I have to admit I kinda like it. How else to explain my return to Michel Saulnier (in the darker trunks) two months after my first post on him. Perhaps its my Germanic fascination with mechanical precision. Denial of my amazed delight in Daniel Dubail's nimble dodges and spectacular flips would be like the anti-gay congressman who's caught on camera with his boy toy.

This is adroit and speedy gymnastics, and it's blended with some hard slams and punches, too. This is not acrobatics taking the place of grappling; it's acrobatics supplementing the grunt-and-groan wrestling I love. The resolution is not as sharp as we saw in Saulnier's earlier match, and we get fewer closeups and midrange shots of the action. Still, Saulnier and Dubail are amazing. Dubail (aka le Petit Prince) was 18 at the time of this match; Saulnier, 28. We have lost both these gentlemen, Dubail in 2005, and Saulnier in 2017

A rematch in 1969 with sharper definition is worth watching, too. I may come back to it later.