Black Terry Boot Camp 5: Black Terry vs Hechicero (10/26/2014)

2014-10-26 @ Arena Solidaridad (ChilangaMask)
Rey Hechicero vs Black Terry

I can't watch every single match we have from 2009 at this point. I think I got a pretty good idea of him from the four that I did. I wanted to move on to something more recent against slightly more familiar opponents. This is a Black Terry, Jr. handheld but it's well worth investing a few dollars to watch. It might be my favorite Hechicero singles match ever.

They matched up very well, with Hechicero stretching himself in certain directions he doesn't usually have to. He has so much STUFF, in general, that he can rely on that and be fine. Here, though, the opening and the closing felt different for him, with almost everything else in the middle grittier than usual. The feeling out process had less of his usual cross and twist submissions. Instead there were a lot of smaller battles over a limb or knees or stepping down on a limb, or even a Backlundian lift out of an armbar, to switch between advantages. Hechicero made sure to time his clapping or taunting in between, which paid off later in the match when Terry had an advantage and did the same. Lots of character here.

Lots of escalation, too. Both into the more complex, twisty Hechicero offense (and a throw or two) and into more brawling. They started with the kneeling JYD headbutts, and went into more striking in general, interlaced with some big moves. And not everything hit smoothly as the match went on, but that fit the gritty feel. These were two guys trying to lock in painful and complex holds, or desperate moves to hurt their opponent. There was very little sense of collaborative dancing here. And it all led to a brutal, fitting, hugely compelling ending that I don't want to give away here (since, opposed to usual, people can't watch the match before reading my review as I'm not posting it).

Terry's really not lost much of a beat since 2009. If anything, his strikes seemed gnarlier, and he hit one piece of crazy offense that was nuttier than anything I'd seen him do in 2009. I think Hechicero appreciated having an opponent and a canvas he could do so much with. His versatility in general is just amazing. He's got the basic matwork, the throws, the contrived but credible submissions, brawling, and the flipping, twisting slingshot in. It's a joy to watch a match where all of that comes together to make a greater whole. This led to a second match which I'm looking forward to. This one was worth checking out though.

(Here's Eric/Phil's review of the match, which was #11 for their 2014 MOTY list. It's slightly more spoiler-y: http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2014/11/2014-ongoing-match-of-year-list_4.html)