2018 Ongoing MOTY List: Makabe vs. Navarro

Daniel Makabe vs. Negro Navarro 3-2-1 Battle! 8/24

PAS: I loved this match, Navarro is very high on my list of all time favorites, and this is one of his better performances in recent years. Makabe is clearly over the moon to work a maestro match with Negro Navarro (he mentioned in post match mic work that it was his all time dream match), and comports himself really well in very difficult circumstances. His matwork was much grittier then Sabre Jr. or Quackenbush who are the two indy guys I have seen work Navarro, they are both flashier wrestlers, and Makabe made everything look like more of a struggle. Both guys spent the match escaping holds, rather then catch and release, and there were some cool counters, I especially dug how Navarro got out of the cattle mutilation, and Makabe escape the figure four armbar. 321 Battle has a Seattle scenester crowd, but hipsters are clearly better wrestling fans then nerds, because they went apeshit for all of Navarro's stuff, which I imagine wouldn't go over as well at PWG or EVOLVE. Finish was cool with Makabe going rudo and throwing a sneaky Ishikawa punch (the only strike of the match) and rolling up Navarro, I like how the mat master couldn't hang with a mat god and had to take a shortcut. Both guys seem to be setting up a revanche, and I would love to see Navarro break out some dirtier tactics for the rematch. Such a blast.

ER: Hearing about this match is what made Phil seek out Makabe and 3-2-1 in the first place, so I knew he was excited for it and I'm glad it delivered. I'm very bummed I was in Seattle less than 2 weeks before this (if I could have seen Fastbacks at SPF30 and then jetted over to see Negro Navarro in front of a hot wrestling crowd I likely would have gotten teary-eyed over the vibrant 60+ year old arts scene happening) but happy I still got to see it so soon after it happened. This whole thing was a tightly constructed bit of heel nipping, bell to bell. Makabe offers a simple handshake to start and Navarro comes in for one of those two-handed handshakes, as if he were an elder greeting people and passing out bulletins at church, and immediately grabs a top wristlock. And that's how we go for 12 minutes. Makabe makes great facials in submissions, accurately portrays man getting tortured in the Hart Dungeon, but is also good at showing he's not lost in the woods. There were a couple moments where I thought the match would end when Navarro got a tough sub (we've seen his matches with Solar go anywhere from 6 minutes to 16 minutes, so once we hit that mark I was looking for killshot subs) and I always liked how Makabe would find a way out of a corner and annoy Navarro with a reversal. Navarro put on this awesome short arm scissors figure 4, and it was cool watching him assemble each little part of it, and even cooler hearing the crowd go nuts for it. I liked Makabe's headscissor Americana, looked like he really could have damaged Navarro, and the second I start feeling sympathy for the old man he comes out of it holding a wrist. I also got a kick out of Makabe going all World of Sport and was kinda rolling my eyes at Navarro having to kind of pause and let Makabe crawl through his legs, but loved how Navarro put a stop to shenanigans by clamping on a tight crucifix. I was loving it, but did not expect the loud "NAVARRO" chant to start up. This 3-2-1 crowd is really respectful and gets really excited for this stuff, feels like a fun crowd to be a part of. They're clearly in the bag for Makabe, but they're getting a kick out of Navarro the same way Makabe probably was, and that's even more apparent when Navarro locks him into a pendulum and shows Makabe's tortured face off to all sides of the ring. I think Phil and I were thinking the same way with the finish, Makabe throws the lone strike of the match and it leads right to the finish, and now Navarro can come back for revenge and stop playing nice.


2018 MOTY MASTER LIST