“The year that broke Daniel Makabe” rolled into Portland’s Roseland Theater as Zack Sabre Jr. came to town.
A belated birthday present for Makabe is what was a first-time match (quelle surprise). We’re into the final few months of Makabe’s career. Man, it feels like it was only yesterday when those Timothy Thatcher matches were breaking through the underground…
Commentary comes from Jordan Castle and Brian Zane – this one’s on IWTV for those who still have their subscriptions live after WrestleMania week…
Daniel Makabe vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Aubrey Edwards is your referee here, noting beforehand this is likely the last time she’ll be officiating a Makabe outing.
Sabre had just regained the NJPW World TV title 48 hours earlier, but that belt wasn’t on the line… and once we get the streamers cleared away, we get going with Makabe pointing out that it took long enough for these two to finally get put against each other. Chelsea hadn’t ruined Makabe’s weekend (and at time of writing, they’d not played) so that away shirt comes out to play as the early skirmishes saw Sabre trip up Makabe as the pair looked to work on the others’ wrists.
Headlocks and headscissors on the deck see Sabre scoot Makabe away from the ropes, before Makabe got free and went for a cross armbreaker. Sabre’s quickly out though as he worked over Makabe’s knee, tying up the legs into a bridging Indian deathlock. Christ, it’s a bit early for that, huh?
Makabe grabs the ankle to break it up as the pair went for each other’s toe and ankles… a modified Deathlock from Makabe has Sabre somewhat nonplussed, until Zack snapped out into a cross armbreaker. Makabe counters out with one of his own, before we ended up in the ropes as Sabre broke before the call.
Popping up Makabe into another cross armbreaker sparks a rapid set of transitions as the pair went for the same limb, ending with them backing away and resetting – giving the commentary team enough time to rattle off some of Zack’s long long move names. Yes, even THAT one. Makabe works over into a chinlock on Sabre, but couldn’t lock it in as Sabre goes for the fingers and switches into a straitjacket choke.
Bridging back allows Makabe to roll free and apply one of his own as we reset again, this time with an overhead wristlock and a trip-up from Makabe, who quickly had Sabre rolling through the referee into the ropes as Makabe grabbed a hold. Taking things to the ropes, Sabre sneaks in an uppercut as he looked to change tactics… but Makabe’s even with uppercuts of his own ahead of a pinning attempt.
Kicking out, Sabre tries to play “got your nose” with Makabe to avoid another submission, but Makabe ends up taking Zack’s back as he turtles up. An attempted abdominal stretch is blocked as Makabe instead rolled Sabre briefly into a Makabe lock, reapplying it as Sabre rolled out of it before he began to torque Makabe’s wrist and stomp on the hand.
Staying on the wrist and elbow, Makabe jerks the arm around before he twisted the arm in a hammerlock between his legs. Makabe looks to take things to the ropes as Sabre went back to the wrist, before he switched out into uppercuts… only for Sabre to hit an overhead kick to the arm. Makabe’s quickly back with a straight right hand to take down Sabre, proving that a simple shot can stop grappling in its tracks.
Sabre’s back as Makabe went back to uppercuts before the pair tried for a Cobra Twist… it’s Makabe who locks it in first, but Sabre’s able to break out into an Octopus hold attempt before a simple Dragon screw from Makabe broke that chain. We’re back to uppercuts though, before Sabre swiped away a Big Unit punch, before his front kick was caught and countered into a trapped leg back suplex for a near-fall.
Duelling leg locks follow on the mat, but it’s Sabre that looked to eke ahead before Makabe rolled the pair into the ropes for the break. Rolling back into the middle of the ring, Makabe’s able to keep the hold on, but almost a grounded enziguiri breaks up that heel hook as Sabre finally created some separation.
A guillotine from Sabre’s countered into a death valley driver by Makabe, who doesn’t go for a pin as he instead rolled back into a Makabe Lock. This time Sabre’s not rolling out of it as he instead scooted back towards the ropes to force the break. A gut punch keels over Sabre as Makabe’s back in with the strikes, only for Sabre to catch one and turn Makabe in with an Octopus stretch.
Makabe breaks the hold and jacks the knee with a Dragon screw… but Zack spins out of a second one and caught Makabe with a PK as it was his turn to create separation. A second PK’s caught as Makabe pulls Sabre down and began looking for the Makabe Lock π, but Sabre maneuvers out of it and rolls up Makabe into a Prawn Hold for a near-fall.
Another PK nearly wins it for Sabre as Makabe’s just about beating the count… he’s able to land a Big Unit punch out of nowhere though, sinking Sabre to the mat. Sabre’s deadweighting himself to avoid being covered as he flashes back in with a guillotine, only for Makabe to roll through the transitions… and get caught in a double armbar. Grabbing the spare legs leaves Makabe helpless, and there’s no choice but for Makabe to submit.
Result: Zack Sabre Jr. submitted Daniel Makabe in 22:08 (***¾)
You knew exactly what you were getting out of this match – and if you want to grumble about how Sabre regaining New Japan hardware might have telegraphed the result here… that’s fair. However between the bells, Makabe proved to be a viable threat for Sabre, only to have to submit when Sabre took away every possible option at the death.