On the other side of the door I was knocking on, Raquel was waiting for my arrival.  THERaquel.  Star of C & B videos (as well as Ringside, KenStar, DWW and Silver Sun). Undefeated by over 200 men and women. Skills to die for.  I was nervous!

Maybe my problem was that I had seen too many of her wrestling videos and had been too impressed with her style and skills. But now she was about to answer the door.  When she did, the first thing I noticed was that the African-American athlete was even smaller than I had expected (she is only 5'3" and 125 lbs.).   The second was that she was very pretty - no trace of any tomboy here.  Dressed in a sharp business outfit, she looked like she could have just walked out of any  Board Room and not be mistaken as a Secretary - but as a CEO,  for she carries herself with great assurance and grace.

As we prepared ourselves for the session, for some reason the Arnold Schwarzenegger film "Last Action Hero " came to my mind. In this case, Raquel was walking out from the TV screen to bring me into her world of wrestling. In the course of the next hour, I relived all of the matches I've seen her participate in, each one leaving a significant reminder of her limitless talent against other hapless but willing opponents.
 

The first fall started with both of us on our feet, our right hands behind each other's neck in the referee's position, in a test of strength and balance to see who would gain an advantage. The first thing I noticed was that she did not  seem very strong, but despite that, she was not giving in an inch.  She made several moves with her left hand and got hold of my free arm, and before I knew it, I became Dillon (C&B) --- Raquel pushed down and pulled the arm and simultaneously gained a headlock, taking me to the mat within seconds.   My head firmly locked in her grip while she was laying across my body, I struggled to find an opening and twisted to get out.  There was very little room to maneuver as she skillfully positioned her body for maximum leverage,  and I  noticed that the more I tried to move, the more I was locked in place by her  very deceptive power and her excellent position.  My shoulders were locked on the mat (the crucifix), and I became Blade (SS) - a large woman who outweighed Raquel by 50 muscular pounds but couldn't budge this small athlete off her. I'd seen this film before, and I was in good company; thus I  tapped out because I didn't want to stay in that futile position for an entire hour.

The second fall saw a little bit of everything - Raquel setting and releasing traps to see how I could adjust and react to her moves.  At one point she was setting me up for a headlock and scissors combination, but I became Christene Dupree  (KS), having to tap out when I suddenly became winded.  I hadn't realized how much we had wrestled in these three fast paced minutes, with me on the total defensive.  I saw that this was going to continue to be a very fast-paced match, but I had expected that, for I've seen this movie dozens of times before.

In the third fall, the inevitable headlock took me to the mat.  I used to get pissed at her male video opponents for seemingly conceding their heads to her - but it is totally unavoidable. Raquel continued to demonstrate her extraordinary leverage to prevent me from being able to get up quickly or to attempt any kind of offensive move on her.  One second she was on top of me, her always smiling face looking down as I twisted, and within a flash she did a complete 180 and the next thing I  new, her legs had my head scissored while she trapped my legs in her deceptively powerful arms so that I could not maneuver my way out. I became Ian (C&B) as she slowly increased the pressure until I realized there was no way out and it was just gonna get worse.

The fourth fall took less than a minute.  She headlocked me straight to the mat  and right into her awaiting body scissors - again, the pressure increased slowly  as she twisted her own body and head to keep out of any harm's way. I tried to struggle but she had me firmly trapped much as Christine Marshall (KS)  experienced.

In the fifth fall, I was able to surprise Raquel by gripping her waist, and hoisting her into the air for a takedown. The surprise was on me, as I became xxx- instead of landing on top, I found myself twisted in mid air so that I wound up flat on the mat, my head trapped in her lock and her body positioned to put on maximum pressure.  There was no escape.

In the next fall, Raquel did more mat work, maneuvering me into several different positions until she slipped behind me and applied her sleeper.  I became Jasmine  (RP) and could not shake her off, even falling backwards to try to escape.  Her grip became even tighter, and I had to tap out again.

She finished me off with another reverse head scissors, this one applied while she was doing a handstand.  There was just no escaping the inevitable as she simply set me up for it. Much like Juanita (SS) I could see it coming and couldn't stop her.

The falls continued in swift and furious blurs. The bow and arrow pin was next, a grapevine was inescapable, a traditional head scissors decisive, followed by a reverse head scissors.  Once again, one moment she was on top, smiling down upon me and grapevining me towards a pin when suddenly she spun  around in a 180 turn and my head was locked between her legs, much like Bob  (RP). She never slowed down throughout this session, maintaining a steady pace of wrestling, speed, skills and total domination.

In the final fall, Raquel lightened up and gave me several opportunities to try some offensive moves, but I was not able to capitalize, being exhausted.  I briefly had her headed for the mat but she slipped away and continued to tie me up.   She let me get to my knees and eventually stand as I continued to struggle for  survival. As she was about to throw me to the mat, I became Raquel herself in  the Marshall (KS)  match - the only fall she lost was when, off-balance, she was  trapped in a rather clumsy headlock which could have caused an injury.  I tapped out rather than take the risk when I lost my footing.

I had been thoroughly beaten 15-0.  She never seemed to break a sweat, and  was having a lot of fun.  Actually, so was I. I knew that beating her would be difficult,  but there are several reasons why she indeed is so remarkable:
 

1. 1.  Raquel is deceptively strong, and she knows how to control it.  She does not want her opponents to be injured as this is all in sport, and she can control all maneuvers and situations, especially when we would wind up near walls or furniture.

 
2. Raquel is fast, speedier than even Gemini, who I have compared favorably to Raquel in the past.  Just as you are reacting to one feint or move, she is already making another move.  She is a master tactician, always thinking. You can practically see it on her face as she is plotting her next move, and the sequences flow easily as you fall into a trap and you slip from point A to B to C (much like Vinnie - C&B) in what seems like one fluid motion.

 
3. She will use her power to a very gradual degree. The more of an effort you make, she will be one step ahead.  The more you try to escape from her scissors, the more she will increase the pressure. Unlike Gemini, who pours on the scissors power from the very first moment of impact, Raquel wants to see how much you can tolerate.  Her thighs are even more powerful than Gemini's since she has shorter legs, and her scissors were painful at only half her power.

 
4. She is an agile and gifted athlete, who has participated in many sports and endeavors - such as football, boxing, skydiving, scuba diving, bodybuilding, powerlifting (a 250 lb. bench press or twice her body weight!).  You may recall that she was also a winner on the American Gladiators in 1995.

 
5. She is always smiling, and the most "together" person I have encountered on the mat. A wonderful personality, you can't help but like her, and you will enjoy the session as much as she does.  Many of the ladies will act like they are doing you a favor by wrestling them and can't be bothered.  Raquel is having fun too, and is enjoying the opportunity to work out.

 
6. She does not have a big ego.  Despite her reputation, she retains a "small town girl" charm about her that is always looking to take things up a notch.  She claims she is at a plateau now but would like to improve even more.  I jokingly asked her why.  She also said she prefers matches with men because they are more of a challenge.

After The Raquel Experience, I can say without any hesitation that Raquel is the BEST female submission wrestler on a pound-for-pound basis, period. Come to think of it, she is the BEST female submission wrestler, exclamation point !

LTF