MLJ: Hechicero Spotlight 5: Héctor Garza vs Rey Hechicero [CMLL HEAVY]

Taped 2011-11-01 @ Arena Coliseo Monterrey
Héctor Garza vs Rey Hechicero [CMLL HEAVY]

Well this was a happy accident. As I mentioned previously, we have about one match per year online for Hechicero. Our 2011 match just happens to be vs Hector Garza. I didn't plan it that way. This was on an indy show in Monterrey but was apparently still for Garza's CMLL Heavyweight Title (he won it in August and held it until he went to Perros del Mal just a few weeks after this match). I had high hopes for this due to kismet and because I had seen signs of Hechicero's work really coming together. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disappointment, though not without its charms.

Let's start with the pros. Garza wasn't slumming. There's a laconic image to him during this period, certainly, but it's character-work not a lack of effort. He still flipped off the top rope and had zing on his rope running and took bumps. Moreover, there was no sign of him  seeing Hechicero as below his notice or anything like that. It was a very even match that felt like a big deal. I'm not sure about Hechicero's reputation at this point, but it did feel like Garza enjoyed having a match like this on this stage where he could really breathe.

That brings me to the other thing the match really had going for it, a different structure than all of the CMLL title matches we're used to. This was absolutely not a CMLL Ultimo Guerrero Heavyweight title match. It didn't have a quick primera, followed by an even quicker segunda where the loser got his fall back, followed by a laying-around heavy tercera with bombs and selling without a lot of meaning. The primera was fairly sure, with a feeling out segment of matwork followed by a fall out of nowhere, but they continued to work it into a much longer than usual segunda, before going into a fairly dynamic tercera without that selling. In fact, maybe because I'm so used to the other format, it messed up the build to the finish for me a bit. It felt like it came out of nowhere. They also were able to layer moves and repetition and all that good stuff, and it was definitely fun to see Garza interact with Hechicero's quasi-indy move set.

So in theory, this was very good. The problem was in the execution. I'm not a huge execution guy in general. I value storytelling and character work much, much more, but if you're going to try to do some complicated hold or roll-up, you have to be able to hit it. Hechicero stumbled through getting his leg over Garza's head twice. He also barely locked on his grounded, locked, abdominal stretch, and that in itself would have been fine but it was the finish of the primera. Immediately thereafter he went up to the second rope to celebrate and stumbled, and there, at least, he recovered very well by playing to the crowd. It was all set up in a fun way by Garza throwing his pants at Hechicero and then his shirt, with Hechicero ducking the second time to bring it to a finish but then the actual finish had been messed up.

I have a hard time faulting them too much though because the little things and the character work were good. I loved how Hechicero dug the elbow to the ribs on a later hold and then Garza returned the favor. They had a goofy little pants-pulling spot that seemed to amuse the hell out of Garza. They traded moonsaults throughout the match in an enjoyable way (and Hechicero made for a great base for the one that ended the segunda). The tercera didn't have the usual overselling, but they might have gone back the other way as the action really just kept going. It was at the end of one of those moonsaults where Garza was able to get his feet up and lock in a Tapitia, where both guys' shoulders were down for the Draw. Garza obviously got his up but the ref was giving him (and even the ring girl) a hell of a hard time throughout the match so who knows.

It was an entertaining bout but didn't quite meet my expectations. I'm not sure if Hechicero was nervous given the scope of it or just not used to working with Garza or what, but it was a shame since there was a good match in there. It just didn't completely come together for some of the big moments.