Catch

Devil Devitt vs Alexi Adamov, Hunkbash 22 (BG East)

So just seeing these two beauties together in the BGE ring makes the ring look smaller somehow. They circle each other warily, lock up, and Alexi backs Devil into a corner. He breaks the hold and steps back, and again they circle, and Alexi backs Devil into another corner. The third encounter, and Devil reverses and drives Alexi to yet a third corner--and releases. All this without a word being spoken. Then the wrestling starts. Alexi gets Devil in a full nelson. Taller, he is able to lift the Irishman off his feet. He bears down on him and pushes him into the fourth corner, face first, then releases the hold.

Positions reverse. Devil gets Alexi in a full nelson, but Alexi muscles free of it. They lock up, and Devil gets Alexi in an armlock. Alexi grimaces, grunts--piercing pain is introduced into the match, but still no exchange of words. The two bodies are exquisitely toned, but they are built for fighting, not posing, but there's no denying the gorgeousness of their bodies locked together. Alexi reverses. The ritual suggests the two are mirror images of each other. The formality of the contest reminds me of World of Sport and LDN matches I have seen on YouTube.

Alexi locks Devil in a full nelson again, his fingers clasped, pressing the back of Devitt's neck. A sudden shift in position, and Adamov crushes Devitt's ears in a side headlock, flipping him down to the mat. The old-school UK stylings of this match are obvious. A slow escalation of aggression, time for us fans to admire two breathtakingly fit gentlemen grinding themselves into one another, but with the rising intensity come rising tempers, and civility starts to peel away, exposing the raw nerves under the skin. Devil gets Alexi in a head scissors. Alexi writhes like a snared animal, then miraculously breaks free, pulling away to shake off the ringing in his ears.

The exchange of holds continues, but they are more brutal now, and gradually it appears that Devitt has a firm advantage. He makes Adamov suffer. Undeniably, Devitt is a machine designed to hurt men in the squared circle--he takes no evident pleasure in this--it's just what he's built to do. Alexi shows signs of fatigue. Devil looks at him with dead eyes and strikes like an anaconda. The lack of repartee adds gravity to the contest. The jokey taunts of American wrestling are absent. I prefer the somber, even deadly tone of the battle. Alexi's agony is undeniably real--and beautiful. He strikes back, vehemently, and his vengeance is equally alluring.

Constant back and forth, gradually accelerating, make it impossible to predict the winner. This is no squash job. It's a two-man show from beginning to end.  For me, the surprise here is Alexi Adamov, who always struck me as the consummate jobber in previous matches. Maybe he never had competition as serious and committed as Devil. Two thirds through the 30-minute match, and both bodies shine with sweat.  They're talking now, but in clipped and strident exclamations. Exhaustion stiffens the faces of both competitors. My expectation that the eventual winner will be revealed early in the final third turns out to be wrong. The attacks are stiffer--stiff enough that I have a clear sense of what each one feels like. The final blow--a piledriver--falls suddenly, bringing the fight to a sudden and startling halt.

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