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Daniel Makabe versus Zack Sabre Jr. from Prestige Wrestling's Roseland 8: The Seven Year Anniversary Show, 04/14/2024

[also dedicated to Jackie @schadentekkers <3 Highly recommend you check this one out if you haven't, I liked it a whole lot!]

#prestige wrestling #zack sabre jr #daniel makabe

2024: The Year Daniel Makabe Broke

I started writing here in 2016, and my first post was a statement of intent. I had found a collection of UWF matches, and I was determined to share what I had gleaned from each. I've dabbled at Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and while I love acrobatics and bludgeoning in professional wrestling, the part that engages me most is seeing the struggle on the mat, the jockeying for positioning, the parry and riposte of the body's natural weapons.

I have always intended to write for my own pleasure, and I do what I can to avoid caring about whether other people read my writing. This doesn't mean that I don't share my writing; I'd love for other people to read what I wrote and become interested in watching the matches that are the subject of my posts. But, first and foremost, I write for me.

I'm still human, however, and there's a part of me that wonders if I should try to monetize this hobby. Should I submit these posts as samples to some Web site? Should I collect them for publication? Is there a way that I can make this whole endeavor bigger or profitable? Capitalism is a hell of a drug, and I've had to push back against that mental intrusion too.

That might also explain why I took a break of 7 years from writing.

When Daniel Makabe announced that he would retire in 2024, I noticed but didn't think much about it. I had seen the name and had heard the reputation that he was one of the great technical wrestlers of his generation. On the other hand, if he were truly so great, why wasn't he wrestling in bigger companies?

I haven't watched Makabe's interviews about his career, and I certainly don't know him. Outside of a couple of short trips to work with wXw in Germany and a few matches on the American east coast, Makabe's wrestled primarily in regional indies in the Pacific northwest. I can only speculate that he made a similar calculation about the cost of trying to make something more of this thing that interested him and decided that his priorities lie elsewhere.

So, that means that we have to take Makabe's wrestling on his terms, which is probably the way that he wants it. With that said, let's dive in to some of the final matches of Daniel Makabe’s wrestling career.

I. Daniel Makabe vs. Artemis Spencer, NEW 15, January 27, 2024

Makabe and Spencer had faced off four times before meeting in the Nation Extreme Wrestling Intercity Title Tournament, and they each had two wins and two losses. This was a short match, and they packed as much as they could in seven minutes. There was striking, including Makabe's signature Big Unit punch, grappling, and a Spiral Tap from Spencer to put Makabe away, and it's a nice appetizer for Makabe's other matches.

II. Daniel Makabe vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Prestige Roseland 8: The 7 Anniversary Show, April 14, 2024

This is the highest profile match in Makabe's final run, and it more than lives up to what you'd imagine a Makabe vs. Sabre match would be. I would hold it up as the archetypal grapplefuck match, where respectful grappling turns mean the moment Makabe gets the better of Sabre, the winner of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Bryan Danielson Award for Best Technical Wrestler from from 2014 to 2020 (before Danielson returned to claim his award). Sabre and Makabe are all appreciative smiles at each other's skill until Makabe forces Sabre to grab the ropes to force a release. The next time Makabe and Sabre grapple, Sabre breaks with a European uppercut to Makabe's chest. (The irony is that Sabre claimed after his first match with Danielson that Danielson couldn't claim to be the best technical wrestler in the world anymore because Danielson was the first to strike and had to resort to blows because Sabre outmatched him on the mat.) From there, they turn up the intensity as each man starts reaching for their finishers, Makabe with his Makabe Lock, which is basically Danielson's Cattle Mutilation, and Sabre with his Jim Breaks Armbar, Article 50 Cross Armbreaker, and octopus hold. They trade penalty kick for Big Unit punch, and Sabre only manages to trap Makabe by playing possum at the end, springing his trap to drag Makabe to the ground. Sabre can only force Makabe to submit after locking up Makabe's arms and legs.

Highly recommended.

III. Daniel Makabe vs. Judas Icarus, 365 Pro Wrestling, June 1, 2024

By contrast, here is Makabe working with a fast-paced, more stereotypical indie wrestling main event style with Judas Icarus, who caught my eye this past WrestleMania weekend. Icarus reminded me of early Austin Aries here; while he doesn't twirl around as much as Aries would, the intensity, impressive physique, and high-powered offense felt comfortably familiar. Makabe shows that he's just as comfortable working in this style and guides Icarus through the match. Even though this was filmed on a handheld camera and thus wobbly at times, it's worth watching for the action, the proof of Makabe's adaptability, and the children booing and taunting Makabe throughout the match. This was an interesting intersection between a career on the ascent and one that's winding up.

IV. Daniel Makabe vs. Nicole Matthews, Dusk Pro The Year Daniel Makabe Broke: Stage 14, July 6, 2024

Indie wrestling is a land of contrasts, as we can see in this selection of Makabe's final matches. Makabe vs. Spencer was a midcard match in a packed Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, while Makabe vs. Sabre was the main event in a packed Roseland Theater in Portland. Makabe vs. Icarus was also a main event match, but it was for maybe 100 people in the First Metropolitan United Church of Canada in Victoria. Finally, we have Makabe vs. Nicole Matthews before 1 spectator in the Lion's Gate Dojo in Surrey. Obviously, this is the most intimate setting of the four, but the intensity is comparable to the other matches.

Makabe and Matthews start respectfully, and they even exchange smiles when they break so that Matthews can tie her hair up in a bun. However, as Makabe and Matthews start inflicting damage on each other and they become frustrated that they can't get the better of the other, tensions rise. Hair gets grabbed, faces get rubbed, and eventually Matthews strikes Makabe, which opens the door for retaliation. However, the two resume grappling on the mat because the point of the match is to prove who can submit the other. Makabe sums up the match by punching Matthews in the ribs from behind, wrapping Matthews into a sitting position, and then floating over into the Makabe Lock to force Matthews to submit. It was a joy to watch them improvise their way through the match.

Makabe's collected the links to the last matches of his career in this Twitter thread. Here are the specific links to the matches I watched:

Makabe vs. Spencer is available to view on NEW's YouTube page.

Makabe vs. Sabre is available to view on Prestige Wrestling's YouTube page.

Makabe vs. Icarus is free to view on 365 Pro Wrestling's YouTube page.

Makabe vs. Matthews is free to view on Dusk Pro's YouTube page.