I'm going to do the best that I can to not write a novella about this week's match but I hope I can be forgiven if that turns out to be the case as it's the first appearance of someone whom I already had a decade+ worth of history with by this point and someone whom would continue to be a fixture in the 3-2-1 Battle! locker room (and my life in general) for its' entire duration. That of course being the man whom I first met in a backyard in Surrey, BC in the fall of 2004 when he was using the unfortunate nickname "Greasy" likely because it rhymes with his shoot last name (which I won't disclose) but by 2016 had taken on the persona of "Uncle Muscles" and the last name of a Canadian pop sensation; Allan Jepsen. While this was his first match in a 3-2-1 ring and his first dabbling in a professional wrestling setting in a good 5+ years, he's someone that I not only wrestled countless times during his initial run as a member of the VCW roster (our backyard promotion) between 2004-2008 but also played on a softball team with for close to a decade in the interim. Additionally, we had been on countless journeys with one another be it to attend MLB baseball stadiums and independent wrestling shows all over North America including a particularly noteworthy 44 hour round trip drive in a mini-van to Reseda, CA to attend PWG's 2nd annual "Battle of Los Angeles" tournament in the fall of 2006.
Having teamed with one another in our former lives' as members of 'Van-City Championship Wrestling' in a stable initially known as The Fabulous Newton Boys with fellow Surrey, BC resident Tony Baroni (then known as 'Ruckus') in a nod to the Newton neighbourhood of the much larger municipality where we all grew up. That team would subsequently transform into Newton Boys Deluxe, a homage to the legendary 90s' Michinoku Pro Wrestling heel stable Kaientai Deluxe which would last for multiple years through various iterations of that promotion; in a variety of rented rings/facilities all throughout multiple Greater Vancouver suburbs. In 2008 he decided to get trained himself by local indie promotion ECCW where he would soon debut under the masked persona of Manther, heavily inspired by a legendary luchador who has experienced a career renaissance in the last few years: Blue Panther.
As previously mentioned it had been a few years since Al had wrestled on a pro show, having stepped away from the ring in the late 00s to focus on other aspects of his life, most notably his love of baseball as well as a relationship with someone who outright detested pro wrestling; which I can confirm is something that happens to a large amount of us as we become actual adults and engage in romantic relationships with people not in the industry. In the year prior to this match he had definitely caught the bug again, having participated in a handful of bouts during the final iteration of "VCW vs. The World", an annual backyard get together that by that point was being held in the gymnasium of a local Catholic Elementary School as was previously discussed in an entry last year where we in fact squared off on the opposite sides of a 6 man tag team match that headlined the first night. Piecing together enough of an attire that included a 3-2-1 Battle! t-shirt, a pair of Red/Black tiger striped biker shorts (that I believe belonged to the UKBYW legend himself Yakuza J) and matching kickpads purchased from Highspots (that I believe belonged to me), Al made his first appearance in the Battle Palace with a somewhat non-descript look in front of a crowd whom likely had no clue as to who he was or of our multi faceted history with one another.
This is where something like the 3-2-1's signature live commentary over the house mics was actually beneficial and could do some heavy lifting in introducing new characters and providing backstory to the fans in a manner that you can't always do effectively just through in-ring work itself. Cody Von Whistler and Murray Grande did a fine job of establishing from the get-go that we were former tag team partners and this was my first real challenge as the current defending Pacific Middleweight champion against someone with a deeper knowledge of my inner workings. We do our part of setting the table as well, wasting no time of getting right into the action with what appears to be respectful handshake between two former allies devolving immediately as Al fell backwards into a very sneaky low-blow that made it very clear that he was not looking to have an athletic contest based on our history or mutual respect; he was looking to start off his career in the Battle Palace with a big title victory.
Things get off to a very hot pace with a him backing me into the corner with punches all the while still selling the effects of hitting me below the belt, only for a quick series of reversals allowing me to take charge with my advantage in speed and agility proving effective. His face met the sole of my upwardly raised Asics wrestling shoe with the momentum carrying me to the apron where I swiftly scaled to the top turnbuckle and came crashing down with a Senton directly onto his back as he stood prone and hunched over. The impact of which sent him cascading through the ropes to the floor where I met him shortly thereafter by leaping over the top rope with a Tope Suicida in the same manner of another legendary luchador Psicosis; or what is more commonly referred to in certain circles as "the Taker Dive." This would be the first and last time I would ever execute this specific form of that dive which isn't to say it didn't go according to plan on this evening, but more so that it continues to be one of the scarier variations of the move that I've seen far too many people get hurt on by catching their feet on the top rope as they careen over them and potentially face first down to the unforgiving floor outside.
Back in I take control with an honest to god babyface shine sequence, one that's rooted in technical wrestling no less for what feels like the first time in forever in a 3-2-1 ring. Starting things off with a variation of a Nudo Lagunera hold, capped off a cheeky "The Thinker" pose; otherwise known as 'La Nieblina' or the 'Paradise Lock" for all you Mr Niebla and Milano Collection AT truthers out there. The previously discussed influence of legendary UK technician Johnny Saint continues to shine through in my work as my focus on working over "Uncle Muscle's" arm takes shape in the form of him repeatedly snapmaring me, with each successive attempt at a rear chin lock being easily reversed as I continue to put pressure on his uncomfortably manipulated arm over and over again. Finally having enough of it being twisted and bent thoroughly, he does his best to reach out for the closest top rope that he can for some reprieve which sets in motion the next portion of the match.
Having found temporary solace within the familiar grasp of rope wrapped in electrical tape, I in turn utilize them to momentarily neutralize him with a hard chop before an attempt at an irish whip is reversed and I'm sent crashing to the canvas with a hard Spinebuster; allowing Al to finally take control for an extended period of time. This is a very basic story telling device that I would always try to implement in my matches; using our surroundings within the ring to bring one chapter of the story to its logical conclusion, i.e. my technical dominance in the center of the ring, whilst introducing the next chapter in the process i.e. Al's strength and ability to dominate using separation and a series of high impact maneuvers.
What follows is vintage Allan Jepsen offense, which he executes very well for someone whom hasn't had a proper match in front of a paying audience in close to a decade. It certainly helps that he's someone I worked with so often that I became very adapt at bumping and selling for all of his spots so well. Beginning with a seated fist drop, a patented Curt Hennig flipping neck snap, and a classic back body drop which is a bump that I always loved to take as a babyface that is of course until my back, which I already had a history of injuries with subconsciously decided I would be better off by bumping on my hip instead in a classic Ric Flair manner. While I do appreciate that there's a logic to Al's continuous use of distance created via multiple irish whips (and I do think we could have done a better job of telling that story with me attempting to negate that with struggle in the interim), one flaw in his control segment is that it feels very repetitive and lacking in good transitions to aid in the rising action of it all. Nonetheless it is punctuated by a very cleanly executed Fall Away Slam to DDT (otherwise known as the 'B.I.G.') that's immediately transitioned to a Camel Clutch; a series of moves that I had been on the receiving end of from him for well over 10 years.
Al's control comes to an end via a classic struggle over an Abdominal Stretch which is worked incredibly well with him utilizing the top rope for added leverage. A borderline stereotypical sequence albeit an effective one nonetheless that is framed incredibly well by the camera work here allowing the viewer to see all of the components at once; the referee with a clear view of the anguish on my face which only intensifies as Al's right hand reaches behind him to grasp ahold of the firm yet malleable rope. Eventually all good things must come to an end (good for him; not for me) as the referee discovers his casual bending of the rules and brings it to its logical conclusion by breaking his grasp of the rope with a well timed boot, allowing me to break free of the hold with a hip toss that sends Al to the far corner where I followed in with my now signature charging hard drop kick to the face.
I follow this up by going back to what has so far been effective for me, hitting a very cool looking (albeit too close to the ropes) armdrag out of a top wrist lock and following up with a series of stomps to that extremity as it's placed in multiple uncomfortable looking positions; to the base of his elbow and an exposed shoulder. For a sequence that I used so frequently in this era (so much so that I've run out of creative ways to describe these moments as of late), this one really lacked any real sense of urgency or impact; although it did still receive a good reaction from the fans whom by this point had likely come to expect these nasty stomps within my matches. The Jim Breaks arm breaker followed suit with Al having done enough homework to know it was in his best interest to get to the ropes to break hold as quickly as possible. This is another such instance of the ropes being utilized to frame the flow of the action as it brought my resurgence of dominance of him and his arm, as brief as it may have been to an end and changed the setting of the final third of this match altogether as we found ourselves fighting on the apron like two characters in a 16-bit fighting game, straight out of the proverbial video arcades of our mutual early 90s childhoods.
What's certainly become an independent wrestling trope of the last decade ensues here as a classic struggle on the apron between the two of us breaks out. A teased German Suplex that is quickly dispatched by Allan creating separation (there's that word again) with his apparently superior posterior, as my attempt to close the distance once more is countered by a massive Back Body Drop (there's those words again) which sends me crashing down onto the apron with the momentum sending my dazed heap of a body into the first row of fans' laps. The visually impressive moment is met by an uproarious "Holy Fuck" chant, with Al grasping at me to bring the action back inside the ring and take advantage of my stunned status leading to a brawl breaking out and our attempt at a bit of a comedic sequence where we both barely make it back inside before referee Chris Boushee can count us out; which of course didn't really get any laughs or register with the crowd at large as well as we likely would have hoped for.
While I'm still showing some sense of struggle and doing my best to fight Al off, I do like that we had him maintain control of the match following the brutal looking back body drop and not fall into the trap that so many independent wrestling final thirds do of becoming too back and forth-y. Al continues his dominance first with a series of multiple clotheslines and one hard crossbody to my chest and stomach while I was prone in the corner of the ring, followed up with a disgusting looking Powerbomb onto the Knee. This was another signature of his that my inner masochist would always try to find a way to work into all of our matches because of how great of a reaction it always got, plus I always got a kick out of what he called it during his aforementioned days as Manther; the 'Apocalypse Meow.' Despite my best efforts to twist my way out of his grasps, taking hold of and neutralizing an outstretched arm with the hopes of securing a Fujiwara Armbar, he was able to reign me back in and hit the move with an expertly time last second kickout leading to a gigantic reaction.
Whatever hopes he had of following up are quickly diminished by a well timed albeit blatantly stolen from ZSJ. Enzigiri to his arm followed up by a massive Package Piledriver, another move that was a nod to our former backyard history where I regularly used it to finish off my foes; referring to it by the Drew Cordeiro (of Beyond Wrestling fame) coined name "Trapper Keeper Bomb" with another very large pop for the kickout from the somewhat delayed cover. I really got a kick out of how well I took my time selling the impact on my spine of not only Al's previous attempts to imbed his knee into it but also my own landing straight onto my behind while driving the top of his head into the canvas. All of this felt really well executed and beyond what I was capable of on a regular basis at this point in my career.
A follow up attempt of my patented Straightjacket hold German Suplex is quickly thwarted with a bit of a lazy and nonsensical low blow with Allan thrusting his free leg backwards between both of mine in moment of desperation. While there's certainly a logic there of him making one final gasp of freeing himself from what would likely be his certain undoing, it was the second low blow of the match and took place directly in front of the referee's field of vision; I wish we would have come up with something a little more original. Speaking of lack of originality however; a second Powerbomb attempt by Allan followed with me twisting in mid air and floating over behind him in a seemless manner into what at this point was my secondary submission finish; the Cattle Mutilation or the "Makabe Lock." Unable to secure the submission victory once more, I twisted backwards from the bridging position and with Al's outstretched arm across my lap, I drove my bodyweight across his body ending up with him on his shoulders in a Seatbelt Pin for the requisite 3 count victory. This is a pinning combination that I liberally took from the GOAT himself and would use a lot over the years, but this was the first time I ever won a match with it in a 3-2-1 Battle ring.
This was the first of three singles matches that Allan and I would have in the promotion over the course of the next 3 years, not to mention countless other interactions we would have as both friends (forming a team with one another later on in 2016) as well as foes. For someone whom hadn't had a proper singles match in front of an audience in quite some years he did a good job mechanically, executing all of his moves really well as well as bumping and selling for mine too. His charisma and character were something that definitely needed to be awaken within him which would happen over the course of the next year or so as he became a more regular member of the roster integrating himself really well. He's someone whom I have always had really good chemistry with both in and out of the ring and is the only person I'll write about in this blog whom I was ever roommates with or was the best man at my wedding. This is an early example of a pretty trustworthy formula that I would come to utilize with a variety of less technically adapt opponents where we could tell a good story, highlighting our differences in approach and showcasing both of us in a successfully entertaining manner. I'm interested to see how it will holdup with our futures matches that I will write about down the road but at this point, it's firmly planted in my top 10 matches in the promotion for the time being and was a match I really enjoyed revisiting.
The very next evening in nearby Bellingham, WA (about 20 miles south of the US/Canada border) I took part in an annual series of Valentines Day Cover shows put on by an amazing all ages art space called Make.Shift; which I had previously attended on multiple occasions myself. Having seen the previous years' incarnation where a local solo musician did a series of Death Cab for Cutie songs acoustically, I saw the call for submissions go out a few months prior and decided it was worth taking a chance on myself and similarly offering my services. Having learned a great deal of the songs contained within his legendary "Life's A Riot With Spy vs Spy" LP, I volunteered to contribute to the weekend's events by playing a set of Billy Bragg covers.
While it was not my best performance and I nearly had a mental breakdown in the moments following the completion of a set of songs that included multiple flubs and general disinterest from the packed basement of onlookers; I was still very appreciative of the countless friends that I had whom made the trek to support me from both Seattle and Vancouver including my own Mother whom I had converted to a fan of the British troubadour's' material years prior. In fact with some hindsight, I believe this may have been the last opportunity she had to see me perform live altogether as previous attempts at seeing various bands I was in over the year were deemed "too loud" by her and she never saw me wrestle live once over the course of my career. It was also the last time I ever performed musically as a solo artist, something that I've been hoping to rectify for many many years at this point and may or may not be in the process of doing so in the near future.
Watch:
Daniel Makabe vs Allan Jepsen [2/12/16]
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