[1969-04-10-France] Le Petit Prince vs Michel Saulnier

Saulnier, a mini European version of Dean Malenko, with his game face from the start. Really unique camera work, feels like multiple Black Terry Jr.’s went to France in order to bring this to us. The presentation enhances the grittiness of Saulniers holds. This time, Le Prince takes a little longer to counter Saulnier’s arm work, but when he does it shows some real fire. Saulnier cuts him off by dominating the same right arm and the enclosed camera shots show the Prince wrenching in pain. 15 minutes in and this is all Saulnier, who now has decided to work a snug headlock to wear down our hero, Kevin Von Erichcito. I have no idea what’s going on with the paintings inserted like water marks with music every few minutes but I dig them, wish someone in lucha would steal the idea with some mariachi. Great spot when Saulnier grounds the Prince hard on a headlock after a criss cross; poor guy can’t catch a break, every time he gets a semblance of offense in, Saulnier goes back to the arms. Again, a shtick spot involving the referee that doesn’t detract from the match, used to relieve some tension,  after which the Prince controls a hold for the first time with the crowd chanting solidly behind him. Saulnier does the lifting from and armlock spot to get rid of Le Prince but he doesn’t let go even after going over the ropes to the apron. Athleticism kicks in and both men go for quick pins resulting in near falls that get big crowd reactions, all this with a sense of desperation since the announcement of the impending time limit. A hard forearm sends the Prince out of the ring, who uses his high flying to get back to the ring and in a callback hits Saulnier with a stiff savate kick and a turnbuckle back flip off his chest. Both men exchange near falls and really stiff forearms as the time limit expires. Ringside interviews showcase both men’s demeanor, Le Prince’s baby face charisma and Saulnier’s quiet and methodical competitiveness even if you don’t understand a lick of French, like myself. Amazing match, flew by like a breeze, incredibly satisfying even for a draw. ****3/4