2021 MOTY List: Matthews vs. Makabe

29. Daniel Makabe vs. Nicole Matthews NEW 9/11 

PAS: Matthews is a Shimmer veteran who also works a technician gimmick, and this was a cool version of your Makabe maestro match. I liked how they let the counters sit a bit in this match, it wasn't just super fast holds immediately countered, which is a problem with a lot of the indy grappling matches. Here the holds got cranked a bit before being reversed. I liked how Makabe got more frustrated that he couldn't get the upper hand on Matthews on the mat, and wastes her in the corner with a dropkick, and dumps her on her head with a sick figure four German suplex (which he lifted from off the mat). I didn't love the moonsault attempt by Matthews, felt a little out of the spirit of what they were doing, but I did like how missing the move super charged Makabe's attack on the knee. The finishing submission was fucking sick. Makabe has clearly spent all pandemic dreaming up horrible ways to hurt people. Unfortunately the camera angle in the video isn't great, but check the clip on Twitter:

I Mean What the Hell is THIS

ER: This was cool as hell, cool venue, cool match up, cool wrestling, you get the idea. Makabe is really a master at not letting his trademark offense get stale, and this match had some of my favorite instances of that. He's a guy with a lot of cool stuff, enough to easily coast on, but I sure don't think I've ever seen a Makabe match where he was coasting. He has already established so many holds and reversals that it's cool to see him developing new holds and reversals based on established holds and reversals. My two favorite moments in this match (outside of the bananas Volk Han God level submission that he wins with, see link above) were twists on his bridging arm trap pin. That bridging pin used to win matches, but now it's anticipated and more often leads to cool twists. I loved how Matthews slipped out of the first attempt and wound up with her leg intertwined with Makabe's, and they fought for control from that trapped position. It easily could have looked like a slap fight but it came off more like some trippy UWF-I open hand neutralizing until Makabe grabbed a cranked in headlock. Later in the match he tried the same bridging arm trap pin, but this time he planted both his feet firmly on the back side of Matthews' knees. I don't know if there's another wrestler currently going who finds as many ways to branch off his own offense than Makabe, and the dedication is what makes his matches really sing.

 Matthews was fun working cravats and kicking at Makabe's knee, Makabe hits a blistering running dropkick in the corner to pay her back for some of those neck cranks, and we get some pretty satisfying suplex drops. Matthews had two different moments of strong "on her feet" selling, which is incredibly difficult selling to pull off. Most people who try to sell on their feet just look like a Mortal Kombat character wobbling at the waist while waiting for a Fatality, but Matthews looked awesome taking that wicked figure four German and rolling to her feet, only able to stand with her head between her knees. She did a similarly effective sell late in the match, showing good instinct on just when in a match to use a sell like that. Makabe was in return really great at keeping the timing of everything in check, slowing down or speeding up to match Matthews' timing (not easy with a few of the complicated sequences they pulled off), and this was a super satisfying look at some modern Canadian indy wrestling pillars. 

2021 MOTY MASTER LIST