Carl Malenko return matches

[ohtani's jacket]

Carl Malenko is one of my favorite workers of all-time. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect that the Segunda Caida boys would be able to drag him out of retirement in 2026. I wasn't sure what to expect from a Carl Malenko match in 2026 as my image of him is from a different time and place. When he returned to BattlARTS in 2008 it felt like a comeback, but let's see what this chapter is about.

Karl Greco-Malenko vs. Matt Mako (ACTION Wrestling, 2/28/26)

Seeing Malenko walk out to the ring reminded me of them bringing back characters in Cobra Kai. Hey, he's in great shape for his age and the hair looks cool. This was very much a maestros version of a shoot style bout, but I'm okay with that. I don't expect Carl to move like he used to, certainly not in his first match back after so many years out of the ring. In fact, it's impressive that he looked as good as he did. The grappling parts were more interesting than the standup, and I could have done with a few more minutes of mat wrestling, but overall it was a successful return. I didn't get a feel for what Mako brings to the table, but good for him if he's working the style on the US independent scene. 

[Al]

Mako's great. Someone who seems just enough into the shootfighting gimmick to strip wrestling of its worst excesses, but not so much that he's up his own ass about it. His match against Conor Claxton at a Cannonball benefit earlier this year was a great five minute sprint.