Another month gone by, another Friday night spent in Seattle at my new home away from home, the Battle Palace or as Cody Von Whistler briefly referred to it during the play by play of this match, "The Battle Dome." Except it's actually been two months since I last step foot in the multi purpose gym that was Evolv Fitness as my initial foray for the most illustrious prize in 3-2-1 Battle was actually delayed by a full month due to some unfortunate circumstances that prohibited me from being in attendance for the originally scheduled date for this championship match.
I'm going to do my best to not implicate myself any further but this match was originally scheduled for June 19th having been built up on the prior month's show with my victory over 3-2-1 stalwart "Romantic" Romeo Ramirez. Chango himself was also riding a bit of a hot streak, having just won the title only a few months prior in the main event of that years' Battlemania, the same show where the Raincity Coalition and Fur & Loathing's years long (technically) feud finally came to a boiling point; which to this point is probably in the lead for the best match I'd had in a 3-2-1 Battle ring; but you already read all about it a couple of week ago I'm sure.
At this point there was still a level of uncertainty and inexperience on our behalf when crossing the US/Canada border in order to fake fight others whilst half naked. We weren't even getting paid during these early months as archaic regulations in Washington State made it illegal for 3-2-1 to charge admission; something that would not be rectified until the fall of 2017. Little by little, the promotion grew big enough and relying on donations from attendees, was able to pay us gas money for our carload at first and eventually proper POs for our efforts; although I don't think I can pinpoint exactly when that shift took place. But back in the spring of 2015 we were just doing it for the love of the game, excited to finally have a outlet to wrestle more consistently and more importantly grow as burgeoning professional wrestlers in the PNW. Collectively, we decided the best way to avoid any complications when crossing international borders was to outright lie about our intentions for the Friday evening ahead in the Emerald City as on that particular evening, beloved Canadian comic Norm MacDonald had a gig in town and thus, that became our alibi for driving south on I5 with a trunk full of spandex and feline paraphernalia.
Through a series of circumstances that I will not divulge any further at this point, leading to many hours spent patiently waiting to know our fate, we were eventually sent back north with our figurative tails between our legs; complete with a handwritten note advising the additional set of Canadian customs agents we were about to encounter that it was nothing related to drugs, weapons or anything of that ilk. With that nerve wracking situation over and done with, we retreated first to Red Robin to drown our sorrows in Freckled Lemonade and then to my Mother's house (whom lived closer to the US/Canada border than any of us) in order to watch the Kimbo Slice/Ken Shamrock fight that was occurring on that evening's Bellator show, live on Spike TV; having almost narrowly missed it due to the relatively short duration of the fight itself.
But fast forward to mid July and having learned our lesson, we were admitted entry to the US and the match that I had been eagerly anticipating not just for two months but for a good year+ at this point was finally set to headline that evening's show in the South Lake Union neighbourhood of Seattle. I first met El Chango Blanco all the way back in February of 2014 where he was apart of the first show that we worked for 321 in a literal underground boxing gym in Capitol Hill. He was a fixture in the local bar/club scene having met some of the guys who ran SSP (3-2-1's predecessor), slowly integrating himself into their crew. A life long martial artist whom earned his black belt in BJJ and helped train some of the biggest names in MMA in that time period all the while dreaming instead of incorporating his techniques and raw athleticism to the more performative world of Independent Pro Wrestling.
It was during some of those earlier trips that I would find myself in the ring before shows rolling around and working on my own grappling skills with him as well as his buddy Greg whom also trained at AMC Pankration, one of the first true MMA gyms in the country located in nearby Kirkland, WA. At that particular moment Greg was recovering from a recent knee reconstruction surgery but in due time would find himself training to make the leap from the martial arts world to the insular universe that was "Seattle's Weird Wrestling", making his in ring debut against yours truly a handful of months later. But in the interim, I patiently waited to be matched up with Chango as he was someone whom I could go hold for hold with in a wrestling ring as I deep down longed to work a style more akin to some of my favourite wrestlers on the independents at that time; namely Tim Thatcher & Zack Sabre Jr.
It was during some of those earlier trips that I would find myself in the ring before shows rolling around and working on my own grappling skills with him as well as his buddy Greg whom also trained at AMC Pankration, one of the first true MMA gyms in the country located in nearby Kirkland, WA. At that particular moment Greg was recovering from a recent knee reconstruction surgery but in due time would find himself training to make the leap from the martial arts world to the insular universe that was "Seattle's Weird Wrestling", making his in ring debut against yours truly a handful of months later. But in the interim, I patiently waited to be matched up with Chango as he was someone whom I could go hold for hold with in a wrestling ring as I deep down longed to work a style more akin to some of my favourite wrestlers on the independents at that time; namely Tim Thatcher & Zack Sabre Jr.
My initial meeting with El Chango Blanco back in early 2014; seen here wearing a Dos Caras mask alongside another 3-2-1 Battle regular Mr Fitness. This was also the one and only time that backyard wrestling legend Yakuza J would work for the promotion alongside the rest of us in the Vancouver crew.
With all that being said, I feel like I shouldn't bury the lead any further. In the spring of 2016, accusations were made against Chango that initially lead to him being asked to step away from his position in 3-2-1 Battle as one of the top stars as well as someone involved in the behind the scenes running of the promotion; albeit under major duress from the man himself. Eventually, he would move away from Seattle altogether and I have not seen nor spoke to him in close to a decade. It was to put it lightly, incredibly disappointing all around as he was someone whom had treated me with a ton of respect and appreciated what I had to offer to this little promotion that could and the feelings were genuinely mutual. He even used his industry connections to get me into a handful of concerts at venues that he worked with, including a particular great Godspeed You! Black Emperor show in Jan 2016 which was the first time I got to hear songs off their 2015 album "Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress" live and in person; a particularly underrated LP of theirs. However, none of that mattered in the face of some legitimately serious claims that he was unfortunately unable to falsify.
Getting to the match at hand, we found ourselves wrestling in front of a bit of a light house; in the midst of the summer which can always wreak havoc on a wrestling promotion's ability to draw. It also doesn't help that these were the early days of 3-2-1 where they didn't jazz up the lighting and décor, so every last body in the room is accounted for as Chango made his patented entrance through the entire crowd, attempting to high five everyone; all of which was on display in its fluorescently lit glory making it impossible to hide the fact that this was probably the smallest crowd we had worked in front of on one of these shows up until this point. While they may be lacking in numbers, it doesn't deter the fans that did show up from being pretty loud and receptive throughout with my now trademark entrance to The Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" and Chango's custom theme music both receiving pretty decent reactions, although there is definitely a smattering of boos that can be heard directed towards him; maybe the people in attendance all knew something that the rest of us didn't at this point.
My first ever 3-2-1 Battle title match was the main event that evening with the aforementioned Jimmy Jameson refereeing and my longtime friend "Big Cat" Scott Henson sitting in on colour commentary alongside the usual duo of Cody Von Whistler and Murray Grande; setting up his eventual challenge for the winner of this match on the following month's show (Spoiler: it wasn't me). Things start as one would expect with some chain wrestling, albeit leaning more towards a traditional pro wrestling style of hold exchanges; the standout moment being dueling top wrist locks complete with a nice pair of bridges that eventually results in kind of an anticlimactic clean break on my behalf. This leads to one of the prevailing problems with this match as a lot of the ideas and techniques are not implemented as seamlessly as I would like and come to expect from my matches in the future. To further expand upon that metaphor, blatant spot calling and a lack of cohesive transitions are the loose threads that are at times glaringly obvious and impossible to take your eyes off of with a rough fish out of water sequence ending in Chango hitting an elevator sweep from his guard to a straight armbar being the first occasion of such.
My first ever 3-2-1 Battle title match was the main event that evening with the aforementioned Jimmy Jameson refereeing and my longtime friend "Big Cat" Scott Henson sitting in on colour commentary alongside the usual duo of Cody Von Whistler and Murray Grande; setting up his eventual challenge for the winner of this match on the following month's show (Spoiler: it wasn't me). Things start as one would expect with some chain wrestling, albeit leaning more towards a traditional pro wrestling style of hold exchanges; the standout moment being dueling top wrist locks complete with a nice pair of bridges that eventually results in kind of an anticlimactic clean break on my behalf. This leads to one of the prevailing problems with this match as a lot of the ideas and techniques are not implemented as seamlessly as I would like and come to expect from my matches in the future. To further expand upon that metaphor, blatant spot calling and a lack of cohesive transitions are the loose threads that are at times glaringly obvious and impossible to take your eyes off of with a rough fish out of water sequence ending in Chango hitting an elevator sweep from his guard to a straight armbar being the first occasion of such.
This does eventually parlay to a nice grappling exchange of the shoot inspired variety, beginning with him attempting multiple leg locks that I confidently roll and weave myself out of; although it's shortly thereafter that it becomes clearly apparent to my 2025 eyes that I really didn't know what I was doing in this moment nor possess the kind of proper technique that I would years later. Having been a fan of UFC since 1995, I did always have a connection to that style of grappling and a desire to implement it into my matches but for the most part, it was all self taught and something that I wouldn't get a better grasp on until I began working with Vancouver's own Artemis Spencer with more regularity in the 2020s. Back to 2015 however and this sequence kind of awkwardly leads to a stand up into an irish whip in to the corner that Chango follows up with a big Stinger Splash and a press slam as he's fully in control at this point.
His dominance in this match is not long for this world though as he takes entirely too much time setting up the now oft used "3 Amigos" series of snap suplexes with me countering the 3rd one, albeit after the move had been executed via absorbing the impact and rearranging our arms upon landing to lock in an Anaconda Choke to wear the man down followed by a particularly stiff standing Senton to take control altogether. The Anaconda was a technique that I've always loved since the first time I laid eyes on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira using it within the confines of a PRIDE ring and it's a move that I've tried to implement on many occasions with its' subtleties rarely catching on or being received particularly well by a viewing audience. The standing senton probably began as a nod to Mitsuharu Misawa and was another trademark of mine for many many years and while this particular landing was definitely snug, it would not be the roughest for the White Gorilla on that evening.
What follows though is a defacto heel leaning control segment; dare I say "Proto-Wrestling Genius" with my nasty looking knee on belly hold transitioning to a particularly gruesome version of the top wristlock stomp that was now just a prerequisite in all of my matches at this point. The nice thing about that move is that it worked well in a variety of scenarios: be it as a babyface struggling from underneath, finally managing a comeback and enacting some form of revenge for the punishment I was previously on the receiving end of or in this case, as a domineering foe providing a form of vicious offense to further wear down whomever opposed me. Chango manages to Steamboat his way back into the match with a series of knees to the body utilizing the classic Thai clinch to set them up although it's when he creates some distance immediately afterwards and comes flying in with his patented Superman Punch that I'm able to out Blood him (ie Richard Blood); catching outwardly stretched limb in mid air with a really nice armdrag, transitioned to a Cattle Mutilation to regain control in a sequence that I don't recall ever seeing elsewhere or doing on any other occasion myself.
What follows though is a defacto heel leaning control segment; dare I say "Proto-Wrestling Genius" with my nasty looking knee on belly hold transitioning to a particularly gruesome version of the top wristlock stomp that was now just a prerequisite in all of my matches at this point. The nice thing about that move is that it worked well in a variety of scenarios: be it as a babyface struggling from underneath, finally managing a comeback and enacting some form of revenge for the punishment I was previously on the receiving end of or in this case, as a domineering foe providing a form of vicious offense to further wear down whomever opposed me. Chango manages to Steamboat his way back into the match with a series of knees to the body utilizing the classic Thai clinch to set them up although it's when he creates some distance immediately afterwards and comes flying in with his patented Superman Punch that I'm able to out Blood him (ie Richard Blood); catching outwardly stretched limb in mid air with a really nice armdrag, transitioned to a Cattle Mutilation to regain control in a sequence that I don't recall ever seeing elsewhere or doing on any other occasion myself.
These moments of control end with a rather lackadaisical grounded Cobra Clutch that more resembles a seatbelt grip you'd see in a defensive jiu-jitsu matchup leading to Chango's inevitable comeback consisting of southpaw tackles and clotheslines, concluding with a big push kick to my chest. As I awkwardly did my best to sell in a dazed manner, feeding all the way around to the near side of the ring, I was finally on the receiving end of the previously attempted Superman Punch which sent me violently crashing through the ropes and to the floor; doing the best Adrian Adonis impression that I could muster in the process. Following up at ringside, Chango's attempts to bring me to my feet and back into the ring are dashed by a waist lock switch and a really solid looking Release German Suplex onto the unforgiving mats, landing at the feet of a shocked front row of 3-2-1 diehard regulars. While I typically don't love structuring a match in this manner, preferring for the babyface to regain some semblance of consistent control before finding himself back in peril; in this instance I do kind of like the reset that it forces, bringing both parties to an even playing field as we desperately slide back in to the ring just before the count of 10 and find ourselves perfectly aligned in the center to exchange further blows.
What ensues is your prototypical indie wrestling trading of forearms except in this instance, there's some actual weight and value put into the strikes with both of us stumbling into the ropes, struggling to remain standing and fire back with a shot of our own. It's all for not on my end though as an attempt to gain any momentum by taking off for the far ropes is quickly brought back down to earth or the canvas in this instance with a massive overheard belly to belly suplex. A rough around the edges (ie blatantly mistimed) victory roll to counter the "Chango Driver" leads to numerous pinfalls as we struggle to gain traction on one another with him finally seizing a Rear Naked Choke out of nowhere. As we worked our way back to our feet, I turtled out of the hold through his legs and hit a sequence that would be familiar to any long time fans from my backyard days; rooted in discovering early 1990s AJPW and implementing my best facsimile of it. That of course being the Enzi-Lariat followed by a huge backdrop suplex, otherwise referred to as (and let it be known, I'm cringing as I type this out) the "Jumbo Tsuruta, F**K YOU!" This was predominantly inspired by a particularly nasty version of the move delivered by the man formerly known as Tommy to Tsuyoshi Kikuchi in a really great, somewhat under the radar tag match from January 1992.
In a bit of foreshadowing to many many matches I would have albeit years later, I attempted to set him up for a Tombstone Piledriver - a move that as best I can recall I had never hit in my entire life at that point. It was after the fact that Scott told me that he knew whole heartedly that it was going to be countered having basically been present for the vast majority of one another's careers at this stage of our lives. He was not incorrect as we did the classic falling over backwards out of a Tombstone and lifting the person up into one of your own reversal with Chango spiking me with a big one of his own. Years later this would be a move that I would gain a newfound love for, most likely from it's regular usage in 1980s NJPW that I dove deeper into during the early stages of the pandemic and would utilize myself effectively in a multitude of scenarios with various storytelling implications. Back in 2015 however, I found myself driven head first in the middle of the ring albeit managing to kick out last second, with the match finding itself at a bit of a stalemate.
In a bit of foreshadowing to many many matches I would have albeit years later, I attempted to set him up for a Tombstone Piledriver - a move that as best I can recall I had never hit in my entire life at that point. It was after the fact that Scott told me that he knew whole heartedly that it was going to be countered having basically been present for the vast majority of one another's careers at this stage of our lives. He was not incorrect as we did the classic falling over backwards out of a Tombstone and lifting the person up into one of your own reversal with Chango spiking me with a big one of his own. Years later this would be a move that I would gain a newfound love for, most likely from it's regular usage in 1980s NJPW that I dove deeper into during the early stages of the pandemic and would utilize myself effectively in a multitude of scenarios with various storytelling implications. Back in 2015 however, I found myself driven head first in the middle of the ring albeit managing to kick out last second, with the match finding itself at a bit of a stalemate.
At this point Chango isn't able to maintain control, taking entirely too long to navigate the fairly loose and unforgiving ropes, barefoot no less; eventually coming crashing down from the far corner with an attempted Superman Punch inspired Top Rope Fist Drop which I narrowly avoided. There was an element of realism to this that I really loved; how I was able to barely dodge the punch at the absolute last moment although it may have been too subtle as it didn't really register with the fans and almost came across as somewhat of a botch. However it didn't really matter because I took advantage immediately afterwards, hitting what easily had to be the grossest Dick Togo inspired Top Rope Senton of my entire career; absolutely crushing the defending 3-2-1 Battle Solid Steel Champion in the process to a massive reaction for the biggest and best nearfall of the match.
Not able to secure the victory with a pinfall I turned to my trusty Jim Breaks inspired double armbar submission which I'd been successful with in my most recent matches although it was ill advised as the BJJ/Submission expert managed to shoulder roll his way through it to an impactful waist lock takedown combo'ed with a gator roll and some ground and pound punches, once again locking in another Rear Naked Choke; although this time it was all to set up a vicious looking MiSu style reverse headlock takeover for a 2 count of his own.
Chango maintained control by battering me with more left handed forearms that looked really vicious although I managed to land a really clean counter European Uppercut to stun him long enough to set up a German Suplex Hold of my own. It's just as I'm about to send him crashing to the mat below that you can hear someone's attempt at singing "O' Canada" in the background; albeit amidst a cacophonic collage of various drunken cheers, boos, live commentary and otherwise. It's during the ensuing pinfall off the suplex that Chango manages to counter out to a double wrist lock and pull guard, a counter that I first saw used by unsung Michinoku Pro/Zero-One grappler Naohiro Hoshikawa and would be a reversal I'd incorporate into numerous matches of mine in the future. However on this instance, I managed to pass his guard utilizing a nifty headstand transition into an armbar, almost immediately countered by Chango to an armbar of his own, with me sitting up into his guard to avoid it. Successfully removing my arm from danger only for an errant punch attempt to be caught and locked up in the "Chango Shackle", a gnarly looking combination double wrist lock/head scissors that looks more akin to something you'd see in Arena Mexico on a Friday evening than your usual fare reserved for a jiu-jitsu contest.
After struggling and rolling around in search of reprieve, accidentally reaching the ropes in the process via my long legs which are normally more helpful than hinderance, I was trapped in the middle of the ring with no escape in sight; forced to tap out in defeat to conclude the first attempt at holding my very own piece of Solid Steel. The crowd reaction seems somewhat mixed at first and I don't know if it's more to do with how they feel about me losing or him winning; likely a combination of both factors. Immediately afterwards, I put the belt around the champion's waist while still showing the effects of his patented hold on my arm and shoulder. Having provided his own brand of snarky wit throughout, a then decidedly heel "Big Cat" entered the ring and stood face to face with the victorious champ to further set up their title match the following month.
After struggling and rolling around in search of reprieve, accidentally reaching the ropes in the process via my long legs which are normally more helpful than hinderance, I was trapped in the middle of the ring with no escape in sight; forced to tap out in defeat to conclude the first attempt at holding my very own piece of Solid Steel. The crowd reaction seems somewhat mixed at first and I don't know if it's more to do with how they feel about me losing or him winning; likely a combination of both factors. Immediately afterwards, I put the belt around the champion's waist while still showing the effects of his patented hold on my arm and shoulder. Having provided his own brand of snarky wit throughout, a then decidedly heel "Big Cat" entered the ring and stood face to face with the victorious champ to further set up their title match the following month.
Watch:
Daniel Makabe vs El Chango Blanco [7/17/15]
No comments:
Post a Comment