One year on, we go back to Seattle for the rematch as Daniel Makabe took on Timothy Thatcher at another Wet Hot Seattle Summer…
Daniel Makabe vs. Timothy Thatcher
A lot’s changed since the previous summer. Daniel Makabe had lost, then regained the 3-2-1 BATTLE! Solid Steel title to The Bird, while Thatcher spent a lot of the subsequent year in Germany, winning wXw’s World Tag Team League before being a semi-finalist in 2018’s 16 Carat Gold.
Makabe’s title wasn’t on the line in the main event here as we’re still rocking the beach party theme, and Dan’s got some different music. Teenage Kicks out, Providence in. And this year, we’ve swapped sides as Makabe’s taken Timo’s surliness from last year, parading that RINGKAMPF scarf as if it were as it’s his turn to kick out the masked lifeguard referee, with Aubrey Edwards – under her Gearl Hebner moniker – taking over.
Rocking the Belgium shirt, Makabe’s taken into the corner as Thatcher avoided making the same mistake as last year, adopting a more measured start. Just like last year though, we’ve got an early half crab that ends in the ropes, before Thatcher grabbed a Corning hold as he began working the arm instead.
Makabe’s brought to his knees by that, but an attempt to get free for a Big Unit punch ended with him scurrying to the ropes as Thatcher seemed to have all the answers in the early going. Wrapping the leg, Makabe takes down Thatcher as the pair went for duelling heel hooks, with Thatcher pulling ahead as he maneuvered Makabe into a bow-and-arrow hold.
Breaking free, Makabe’s almost a little gunshy as he was caught by Thatcher for a suplex, before an uppercut took Makabe into the corner as Thatcher began to throw shots. A bodyslam and an elbow drop followed, leading to a two-count for Thatcher, who then went back to the arm, before a rear naked choke quickly ended as Makabe backed up into the corner.
Thatcher held on though, throwing Makabe into the buckles before Makabe took out the knee to send Thatcher face-first into the buckles. Makabe pushed on with a grounded cravat, only for Thatcher to break free and wrench away on the knee, forcing a quick rope break. Chops follow as Makabe looked to switch up his game plan, but he had to absorb uppercuts in return as the pair briefly slugged it out, leading to a backdrop suplex for a two-count.
Teasing going for the fingers, Makabe stomped on Thatcher’s neck, before he faked out going for the legs and instead hit a back senton. Following a quick kick-out, Makabe grabs the arms as he looked for the Makabe Lock π, but Thatcher gets back to his feet quickly and instead pushed Makabe into the ropes for a rebound belly-to-belly suplex to create some space.
Thatcher’s momentum’s quickly snuffed out as Makabe reversed a whip into the buckles through, before he went back to the arm and shoulder of Thatcher, who tried to kick his way free. Cattle Mutilation followed, but Thatcher’s able to escape the follow-up cross armbreaker as the pair traded those for a spell, before Thatcher changed up for an ankle lock.
Pulling one from the Makabe playbook, Thatcher holds onto the ankle lock as Makabe got to his feet and threw him back down with a trapped-leg German suplex, before a double wristlock on the mat kept the pressure on. Somehow, Makabe’s able to break free as things turned around with Thatcher being put on the defensive, rising up as Makabe threw elbows at him from above.
Eventually retaliating with palm strikes, Makabe tries to stem the tide with a Big Unit punch, only to be stopped with an enziguiri and a back suplex instead. A butterfly suplex is blocked as Makabe’s back body drop with a bridge looked to force a pin, before he tripped up Thatcher into a STF. It’s rolled out of as Makabe then crashed and burned on a running dropkick in the corner, allowing Thatcher back in with a rear naked choke.
A RINGKAMPF German’s avoided as Makabe instead hit a strait-jacket German for a near-fall, before another crack at the Makabe Lock π was blocked by Thatcher. Hammer elbows softened him up as the Makabe Lock π ended up being applied… but Thatcher’s able to roll out and quickly take the back, raining down elbows to Makabe’s neck ahead of a series of knees that almost took Makabe to the outside.
The referee stops Thatcher as Makabe was in the ropes… and it’s capitalised on as a Big Unit punch and a series of running dropkicks took Thatcher down to his knees. Another Big Unit lands, but Thatcher kicks out from the cover and pulls Makabe into the Fujiwara armbar for the rapid submission.
Result: Timothy Thatcher submitted Daniel Makabe in 15:20 (****¼)
A step up from 2017’s outing, these two played off of their prior match, with Thatcher being smart to Makabe’s arsenal – and able to find ways out of the hold that put him away previously. Unlike last year though, where the match ended with Makabe getting a seal of approval in the form of a scarf, Thatcher beating the reigning champion would have set up a rematch for the title… and while we would complete the trilogy, it wouldn’t be for the belt. Which you can read about here…