As I continue to expand my knowledge of the current independent wrestling scene, I was pleasantly surprised to find KC Navarro vs. Stephen Gibki was a featured match recently on Catalyst Wrestling’s latest episode — which airs on Fite.TV.
Catalyst Wrestling formerly known as Capitol Wrestling, has done a great job acquiring some top tier indie talent and more so telling great stories in and outside of the ring. It goes without saying, but I was very eager to watch an episode very heavily focused on two faves — KC Navarro (who you’ve seen on AEW Dark and Impact Wrestling) and Steve Gibki (who’s been featured on AEW Dark as part of Jersey Muscle) in the $20,000 Tournament Finals.
I’ve seen this matchup a few times on the indies and it’s always amazing. In fact Gibki vs. Navarro and Gibki v. Navarro v. Rhett Titus (TCW) were my men’s MOTY picks on the indie circuit for 2020. What was so uniquely different about this storyline was the role reversal. KC was not coming in as the babyface underdog against the powerful cocky jock , Gibki, but quite the contrary. The #BLESSED one would make his way to this finals matchup through the use of interference, paying off his opponents and more underhanded tactics. Gibki would come into this one off a leg injury and a lot of personal frustration.
This speaks to the versatility of both of these men because it absolutely works either way. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. KC is a star. Anyone who has seen him on the indys or most recently with his match against Rey Fenix on AEW Dark knows. Hell, Rey Fenix knows. Conversely, Gibki has always impressed me ever since I first saw him in Wrestlepro giving Fallah Bahh a German suplex. He plays the arrogant jock to perfection. He’s another guy who is going to go very very far.
The match played out very differently than the last time I saw these two square off. Gibki usually dominates early with the power game tossing KC through the air. KC usually gets his frequent flyer miles until he is able to mount a quick offense and a quick victory. This time around Navarro absolutely dominated Gibki through the early goings of the match with several tilt a whirl DDT variations and a frog splash for good measure. However, Gibki was able to rally and allegedly make Navarro Tap according to referee and white tiger among zebras, Nick Shin. Gibki would win the $20,000 check while KC would go on to cut an absolutely amazing promo telling the fans that he DID NOT TAP. I was incredibly blown away by this promo, but the kid never ceases to amaze me.
Catalyst Wrestling is doing some great things right now and have made a fan out of me. There current roster features the likes of THE REP, The Meadowlands Monster, Darius Carter and more.
