Intermediate Challenge, Germany’s Curie Vs Hungary’s Kim, Current Assessment

February 13, 2023,

It is always good to see Germany’s Curie in action.

As of this writing, it has been some time since we last saw her.

We are aware that she may have been wrestling at private clubs but this appears to be her first time back on our industry’s current largest stage, Antscha’s events.

She is making that return against an opponent we expect her to defeat, in Hungary’s Kim, who has been wrestling a lot, but given the rules of headlocks and body pins only, a reduction in options almost always favors the underdog.

KIM VS CURIE

fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetititor.com grapplingstars.com, Antscha Productions screen shot

As we view Curie’s body, she appears to have lost weight since our last match review of her against Sativa in March of 2022. We also purchased her matches against Anett, Bianca, Orsi B., Rage, Sheena and Kimbra.

Since she is a smaller size, we wonder how that will affect her strength.

We will soon find out.

The match begins with wrist grabbing to maneuver towards a position of strength.

Curie indeed has the strength as she pushes back on Kim, traps her in a form of a Guillotine Choke and finally pushes the Hungarian brunette down to the mats and lands on top of her in an ideal position for a smother style body pin.

Kim counters by positioning her arms in a blocking grip.

Curie tries to break Kim’s arms apart.

Kim locks harder but Curie is too strong and she opens Kim up to a grapevine smother.

As they tussle to the edge of the mats, Curie begins to take control from the top position and smothers Kim out.

1-0 for Curie (2:00).

The two fresh faced girls get ready for round two.

They begin with the usual wrist grabbing and once again, Curie gets the best of Kim.

Also, once again, she forcefully takes Kim down to the mats and is immediately on top of her.

She pins Kim underneath her and is coming in for the kill.

Kim tries to block her but is not having success and Curie energetically has her in a smother pin position.

The shoulders are down.

Antscha begins to count Kim out.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, shoulder up.

Curie is undaunted. She pins and smothers Kim again.

Antscha starts the pin count again.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, once again, shoulder up.

Kim is trying her best but appears to be growing weary, having Curie’s full body weight upon her. The perfect position after a headlock.

Always land on top.

The pin count begins again as Curie tightens the smother pin and makes it stick.

Kim taps out.

2-0 for Curie (4:25).

The two ready themselves.

Initial wrist grabbing again only this time Kim is quick like a cat and lunges at Curie and secures a headlock. Most important?

That headlock is secured from the top position so she can fall on top of Curie.

Great move Kim.

Now? What can she do with this superior position?

Curie struggles from underneath and breaks the hold.

The good news for Kim, since she captured the headlock from the top position, she stays on top and begins to transfer it into a frontal lock position, potentially tossing Curie from one side to the other. Had she secured a headlock from the bottom, Curie would now be on top of her, ready for another smother pin ten count.

Kim is holding on for dear life.

She takes Curie down again with another headlock.

A struggle ensures.

Curie fights Kim off as her hair flies wildly.

The upper body struggle begins and Kim wins it once more, taking Curie down to her knees with fierce aggression. Soon she is on top of the German warrior again. Curie struggles mightily and manages to fight off another Kim headlock attempt.

They part at a stalemate.

They take a deep breath and ready to engage again (7:00).

That was a lost opportunity for Kim and a small victory for Curie.

Time to engage.

Kim immediately leaps at Curie’s neck and takes her down with a headlock. Most important, she positions herself on top. Curie struggles underneath.

It is good Kim is finding her range and the upper hand but she is finding it difficult to do anything substantial with it.

Part of the difficulty here are the rules. Only headlocks and body pins. The pins are about strength and it is becoming apparent that Kim just doesn’t have the strength to push Curie over and pin her.

Curie breaks the hold.

Smartly, Kim stays on top, in a Guillotine Choke position, but then again, no chokes are allowed.

Kim finally pushes Curie backwards and makes an attempt to land on top of her but Curie quickly scissors Kim’s right thigh to prevent a full mount.

The girls splatter around, rough housing it and Kim finds herself on top again with Curie bent over.

Can she do something here? Time is running out.

They struggle more, Kim maintaining her top position which is somewhat meaningless if she can’t press Curie down to the mats for a pin.

Having said that, near the end, it is better for Kim to keep fighting from the top because if the roles were reversed, Curie would soon close in for a pin. If this keeps up, all that Kim can hope for it a stalemate, though she will lose the match.

She flattens Curie out on her stomach and sits on top of her.

No pins will come this way. Somehow she needs to push Curie over and mount her.

Kim grabs Curie’s wrist and gives the German maiden enough room to break the hold. The girls are apart and Kim has lost her window of opportunity.

Again.

Both girls are breathing heavily.

In a last charge, Kim lunges at Curie once more and takes her down. Vastly experienced, Curie quickly traps Kim’s body, preventing a mount and forcefully pushes Kim away, thrusting her about two feet across the room.

Kim gathers herself.

The heavy breathing continues.

The clock is winding down.

They begin grabbing at one another’s wrists from their knees. Kim beats Curie to the punch and captures her in a headlock and takes her down once more.

This is Kim’s best submitting opportunity of the match. She is on top of Curie, from the side, with a vice like headlock.

Seconds to go.

Can she make Curie tap out from the pressure before the bell sounds?

Kim tightens the grip.

Tightens some more.

Curie finally taps out.

The match is over.

Curie wins 2-1 but you have to admire Kim’s tenacity to launch a comeback. This is a big step for Kim because Curies is a very good intermediate fighter, which means Kim is getting a little closer to that level.

Inch by inch.

Had this match kept going, it was starting to swing in Kim’s favor.

Against other intermediate fighters we’ve have seen her get dominated, like Czech Republic’s Silvie, who also defeated Curie handily.

Still, we take our accomplishments and progress as they come.

Congrats to Curie for the victory and Kim for clear improvement.