Weekly Watchlist 023 - Nov. 17 2024

 What's new grappling groupies?

Back to my usual routine this week after a couple weeks of shaking up the formula to keep things fresh! Feels good to be back in the saddle again. I wasn't really feeling like watching a whole lot of wrestling last week for whatever reason, so it was kinda hard for me to just sit down and find something to pass the time with. This week, however, was not so hard. I had a big show I'd been meaning to watch for a while, DPW to catch up on, and some other matches that came across my radar that I wanted to give some time. 

So, without further delay, let's get into this weeks review!

Cactus! Cactus I'm flying!

Weekly Roundup

Like I said, this week was "back to normal" for my viewing habits. Less drama and issues around the house that sucked up all my time (if your vehicle sounds like it needs to get fixed, get it fixed. Don't let your muffler fall out when you just got a great pump at the gym. Kills the vibe.) 

Bridge of Dreams

The photo I included above is from a Japanese wrestling show called "Bridge Of Dreams ~ Dome Spring Full Bloom" from, would you guess, the Tokyo Dome. I'd never heard of this show but obviously the photo of a 51 year old Terry Funk covered in blood doing a moonsault caught my attention. 

Apparently, this is a huge show among tape traders and is regarded as one of the best, if not the most unique, wrestling shows ever. This was a cross promotional event between, get this, 13 different wrestling and MMA promotions in Japan. Initially, it was only meant to be 8, but because there was so much interest in this show, 5 more promotions joined in. 

Here's a list of the featured promotions;

•     All Japan Pro Wrestling
•     All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
•     Fighting Network Rings
•     Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
•     Go Gundan
•     International Wrestling Association of Japan
•     JWP Joshi Puroresu
•     Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling
•     Michinoku Pro Wrestling
•     New Japan Pro-Wrestling
•     Pancrase
•     Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi
•     UWF International

That's right, 22 years after Baba and Inoki left Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance to form All Japan and New Japan, respectively, the two are back under the same roof along with 11 of the other top promotions in Japan. 

Think of it this way, what would it look like if 13 of the biggest promotions in America put on a card like this? Let me fantasy book for a second.

• WWE, AEW and TNA would be the 3 biggest, by far. They'd have your "traditional" American wrestling matches. Sports entertainment at its finest. Top names vs. top names.
  
• ROH is the closest I can think of as a big American indie that could fill the slot of having amazing junior heavyweight matches or even "pure" matches. Code of Honor and all.
• CHIKARA would be perfect for having comedy matches. Just imagine the fun The Colony, Sweet & Sour International, or a 10 man match could be. 
• CZW and IWA-Mid South would be the best fit for your hardcore matches. Have a Cage of Death on the card or even a Fans Bring the Weapons match. Go all out, go nuts. Let's scar some fans for life.
  
• UFC or even Bellator could fill the shoes of having "shoot" style matches. I mean they had pancrase on this card, this is the "we've got pancrase at home" for the states. 
• WOW or Shimmer would be the right call to have women's matches on the card. Have a 6 or even 10 woman tag match on the show or go crazy with a 4 way. 
• PWG and Lucha Underground round my list out as a couple of wildcard picks. PWG is an insane mix of ROH, CHIKARA and AEW, really. They're the most indie out of any big name indie. Lucha Underground was a lot closer to a TV drama than actual wrestling but they could have a crazy matchup at a show like this. Hell of War match anybody?
  

That's pretty insane when you think about it. Now I need this to happen. Someone needs to find a pocket dimension or alternative timeline where this happens and is good too.

Another reason this show is so sought after and almost talked about in whispers amongst trusted ears, is because no official release of this show exists. New Japan apparently had the rights to release this show and just decided not to! So only 2 versions of this show exist, a fancam recording of the big screen in the arena, and a VHS recording of the original broadcast. The version I watched through archive.org is the VHS rip, and it's glaringly obvious that this is not the "master" copy. The quality is pretty fucking grim, and the All Japan tag match has no audio at all in the middle. But don't let the footage fool you! This is legitimately one of the best wrestling shows I've ever seen. There's something for everybody on here. If you consider yourself even a bit of a fan of Japanese wrestling, check this show out. Watch a match or two and enjoy. 

Also! Fun little bit of trivia! This match took place the same day as Wrestlemania 11! The one featuring Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper, and Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor! What a grim fucking show! Technically not the exact same time with time zones and everything else, but the calendar's line up!

 

November Rain

In an effort to hype up Full Gear on Saturday November 23rd, AEW released a music video and it really did the job. As if I wasn't already hyped for Mox and Cassidy, I went into great detail why their match 2 years ago is one of my favourite matches ever in Watchlist 012, but the rest of the card wasn't really getting me as hyped. It should come as no surprise to anyone that licensed music makes wrestling so, so much better. I mean think about how many wrestlers, matches, or shows are synonymous with iconic pieces of music? Would Rock and Austin at WrestleMania X7 be as iconic if Limb Bizkit's "My Way" wasn't the theme for the match? "Just one... more fight.... and I'll be history" (Had to re watch that video to make sure it still held up. Shit's iron clad. If I ever say otherwise please put me in the ground.)

I can only imagine the deal Tony Khan cut with Axl and the gang to get that 8 minutes of music in their media library, if Europe's "The Final Countdown" asking price is anything to go off of. 

"I was very excited about Final Countdown, but it was also the kind of thing that I was only able to get on a one show contract. It was a very expensive one-night thing and it was as expensive as a wrestler’s contract, but it was worth it, and I thought it added to the show."

                                                                                                                            -via 411 Mania

So who knows if we'll get Nightrain for another hype video or if Welcome to The Jungle will be used when Jack Perry decides to be an edgier, more rock and roll Jungle Boy. It served its purpose and I'm more than on board with using licensed music more in wrestling. Let's keep this ball rolling, gang. 

 

 

Stephanie Vaquer vs. AZM - NJPW Windy City Riot 2024 - 04/12/2024

La Primera vs The Queen of High Speed. NJPW

Back when I did my review of Stephanie Vaquer vs. Mercedes Mone from Forbidden Door earlier this year, I mentioned that I was going to keep Vaquer on my radar with her exceptional performance in that match. Truth be told, I have! I've kept up with her career since then but... a whole lot of nothing eh? At least, nothing really of note since then. She immediately  became the hottest name in the entire industry, with both WWE and AEW desperate to sign her on the spot, the former coming out of that deal the winner. She dropped her CMLL World Women's and Women's Tag Championships without even getting pinned for them, and is in the NXT shed a few days later. I initially wanted to review her NXT match against Jaida Parker from this week's TV, as I saw some buzz going around about that match and thought it would be a perfect match to watch, Jaida is someone I've been keeping an eye on since my review of her match against Roxanne Perez a few weeks ago as well. But, as it turns out, a random TV qualifier match isn't the best way to see anyone get highlighted, I shouldn't be surprised. 

With Vaquer on the brain, I went digging to see what other matches of note she'd had recently and came across this matchup from earlier in the year against AZM (or Azumi, as she'll be referred to for this review. Did you guys know she started wrestling at 11?!). If you look at the card for 2024's NJPW Windy City Riot it's absolutely insane, like straight up universe mode matchups. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Nic Nemeth? Matt Riddle, the NJPW World Television Champion, vs. Zack Sabre Jr?! Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley in a good match? In 2024?! Insane. 

This is a pretty quick matchup, clocking in at a few seconds under 11 minutes, and both ladies start with a strong lockup, pushing and pulling, digging in for the early advantage. Vaquer is able to take the back and forces Azumi's feet to slip out from under her, rolling her around from a seated position for an eraly bridging pin but Azumi is out pretty quickly. It's not so much an attempt to get a flash win, more of a message that "I can end this match whenever I want to."

The crowd is very much behind Azumi, with the crowd coming alive for a quick combination early on. Vaquer shuts down her flurry by countering a sunset flip attempt with a short hop to scrape her boots across the face of Azumi, darting to the ropes to rebound with a snapping leg drop. Vaquer's demeanor is more subdued, more focused than the boisterous Azumi, with commentary pointing out that she seems to be leaning more towards the role of a rudo (the lucha libre term for heel) for this matchup.

Good snap. NJPW

She locks Azumi in a tight, tight chinlock, grinding into her skull with the point of her chin to keep the pressure on tight. Azumi struggles to the ropes but Vaquer breaks the hold and drags her back to centre by her hair, playing basketball with her head. You guys know the spot, the one that has all the thirsty freaks on Twitter going nuts (I understand why).

Vaquer fires off with a volley of headbutts before hitting the ropes while Azumi is dazed, but it's enough of a window for Azumi to come alive and duck the strike of Vaquer, taking her back and turning her into a quick vertical suplex. There's a slight botch when Azumi shoots Vaquer out with an irish whip from the corner where they lose the grip but they recover from it so quickly and effortlessly it's hard to see it as a botch unless all you do is watch wrestling and nothing else.... moving swiftly on!

A dragon screw in the corner sends Azumi to the floor with Vaquer stalking her to the apron. She gets dropped stomach first and rocked with a kick to the head, falling to the floor as Azumi finds herself with the advantage. She climbs to the apron and ascends to the middle rope, taking off with a double stomp to Vaquer!

Somewhere, Balor sheds a single tear. NJPW

 Back inside, a shotgun dropkick plants Vaquer but she's able to roll out. Reracting quickly, Azumi transitions into a fujiwara armbar until Vaquer breaks the hold with the ropes. The right arm is nagging Vaquer, but she's still able to catch Azumi with a dropkick of her own and a back suplex to plant both ladies on the canvas. 

Back on their feet now, vaquer and Azumi trade shots back and forth. Azumi with stiff forearms, Vaquer with spine shaking headbutts. Azumi is able to fire off an array of forearms but Vaquer answers with a dismissive slap, encouraging Azumi to give her some more. Azumi obliges but she walked directly into a trap, with Vaquer snatching her arm and ripping her down into an armbar! Azumi almost has her pinned but Vaquer transitions into a tight LeBell lock, opting to warm her arm around the throat of Azumi. She rolls through to lock the hold in deeper but Azumi is able to get a toe on the bottom rope to break the hold!

 Vaquer pulls Azumi up from the canvas and she fires off with another forearm attempt, but Vaquer is too quick! She ducks the shot and uses Azumi's momentum to spin her around and drop her with a snap vertical suplex of her own this time. With Azumi reeling, Vaquer ascends to the top strand with an effortless jump, sitting perched as Azumi finds some life, kicking Vaquer in the face as she climbs to meet her. From the middle rope, Azumi drops Vaquer with a superplex and marches to the other side of the rong, climbing over Vaquer as she does so. From the top rope, Azumi goes for another double stomp and lands it! 

Cruise missile inbound! NJPW

She covers Vaquer but it's not quite enough to put the champion away. She pulls Vaquer up to her feet to finish her off but she is able to slip out, catching Azumi with an Eat Defeat to send the challenger stumbling backwards. Azumi charges at Vaquer in the corner but she moves just in time, drilling Azumi with a flurry of headbutts as she takes the corner instead. Tripping Azumi again to drop her into a seated position, Vaquer moves from pillar to post to land double knees in the face of Azumi, sandwiching her against the corner pad.

Back in the centre, Azumi is running from rope to rope, trying to catch Vaquer off guard but she's too quick, ducking her offence and eventually transitioning an attempted la mistica into a double underhook package backbreaker. Azumi hits the ring limp as Vaquer wraps her up for the pinfall and the 3 count, retaining her NJPW Strong Women's Championship. 

Her back is broken! Spinal! NJPW

This was a really quick match but it was really good. Vaquer was in top form with sharp, fantastic offence and Azumi was a brilliantly quick and adept challenger. I'd be down for these two to have a longer match somewhere down the li- oh whats that I hear you say? "Vaquer is with WWE now, remember?" Yeah yeah, let a man fantasy book. I know more matches like this one exist in Vaquer's library, I just need to keep digging.

Leatherface, Shoji Nakamaki & Terry Funk vs. The Headhunters & Cactus Jack - Barbed Wire Board & Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Bunkhouse Death Match - Bridge Of Dreams ~ Dome Spring Full Bloom - 04/02/1995

I know it's the quality of dirt but trust me, there's wrestlers in this shot.

Looking at this match purely on paper, it's fucking nuts. Cactus and Funk having a deathmatch in Japan? I'm sold already. Leatherface? I'm listening. Barbed Wire Board & Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Bunkhouse Death Match? I struggle to comprehend what that combination of words means if I can be honest, but I'm very intrigued. Let's do the damn thing already!

Initially, I thought this show had some dubbed over music and that this copy was a VHS recording of something that was released after the fact because they didn't want to use copyrighted music, but that's just not the case at all. This is exactly how it aired on TV, which makes it even more insane that Cactus and his pair of massive Headhunters use Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction," god I think this match was made for me.

Funk and his crew come out to "Spinning Toe Hold" which is a mark or three less badass than Megadeth but it would be hard to top that, honestly. Funk comes out and looks fucking pissed. He's staring a hole through Cactus and is so ready to throw down. For whatever reason, the two teams are introduced at the top of the ramp and they stay there. I'm assuming its part of the Bunkhouse Death Match" rules simply because the captions aren't perfect and they don't really go over the rules of the match before it starts. But they aren't all that important, in all honestly. It's a death match guys, you know what you're getting into watching this one. 

Before the bell even rings, they start a countdown and Cactus takes off! Funk launches the chair he brought out with him at Cactus but misses. All you can make out in the grainy footage is Cactus sprinting down the ramp as Nakamaki follows. The Headhunters, Funk and Leatherface are still at the top of the ramp doing god knows what.

Cactus with the boot! ...he's kicking him here, trust me.

Funk eventually stumbles into the ring to meet Cactus and immedieately gets a barbed wire bat to the head for his troubles. The two of them are brawling in the ring, as you'd expect, with Funk swinging the bat like he's trying to send the ball into orbit. The Headhunters are teaming up on Nakamaki, busting him open almost immediately to great effect, and Leatherface literally motions "fuck this" as he walks back up the ramp. Later!

Outside, Funk and Cactus are brawling around with Cactus brandishing a chair as Funk stumbles around nringside. He bumps into, who I can only assume to be, a ring boy as he paws blindly for anything to grab onto or help him figure out where he is, and he just starts swinging. Like a drunk uncle in a bar fight, Terry is swinging at ghosts and I am fucking fired up. 

Back in the rin- oh sorry, on the ramp now! Nakamaki is being brutalized wherever the Headhunters decide. They bodyslam him onto the ramp, which is elevated to be at the same height as the ring, and one of the Headhunters fucking crushes him with a top rope leg drop! (How fast can I get to Japan, brother?) The other take flight too, coming crashing down with a splash off the top!

Funk and Cactus get back in the ring and Cactus charges at Funk, leaning against the ropes. With a fearlessness reserved only for Mick Foley, he keeps charging forward as Funk moves away just in time, with cactus getting his head trapped between the top and middle rope! We're a year removed from, well, when his ear was removed when he did this exact same spot in Germany, but you can't stop crazy olf Mick! My favourite part about this spot, however, is you can very clearly see the referee come to the ropes and grab them as if he wants to help Cactus, but then he just, walks away. Cactus is literally screaming for help, but Headhunter Big and Headhunter Big Too are too busy bodyslamming Funk and raking Nakamaki's head with a barbed wire bat. One literally does a top rope splash on Funk at the corner beside Cactus!

Cactus will be fine, gotta get your spots in!

Eventually, Cactus head is successfully hunted and he's freed, dropping to the floor like a body released from the gallows. Nakamaki is in the ring and is getting some momentum against the 'hunters, and you can audibly hear one of them say "where the fuck is Leatherface?!" and you know what, I've been asking myself that question too, where is Leatherface? I didn;t hear him cursing Leatherface the first time I watched this, but it was around this point I started to realize Funk's team was one man short. 

Retrieving the barbed wire boards (literally 2 sheets of plywood with barbed wire covering them) from ringside now, one 'hunter bodyslams Nakamaki on one board, while the other 'hunter drops the second board on top of him, sandwiching him inside. No amount of sauce will make this one go down easy. Especially not when a Headhunter does a fucking moonsault onto the sandwich! My god!

Yeah I think he's dead, actually.

Not a moment too late, Leatherface shows up and he's carrying a god damn chainsaw! He's revving that bitch up like crazy as sparks are flying and he cracks Cactus and the Headhunters with it and they tumble out of the ring. It's an insane sight to see a dude in the ring with a sparking, live chainsaw (though I'm sure it was more saw, less chain). My jaw was on the fucking floor when I saw this. Batshit insane doesn't even begin to describe this.

Leatherface remembered to pack his chainsaw.

Now everybody, with the exception of Leatherface, is bleeding. The Headhunters heads are bleeding, Nakamaki is still bleeding, no change there, Cactus has a cut on his arm from the chainsaw, and Funk's cut on his head is even worse, with his entire face a deep crimson. Cactus and Funk are on the outside brawling and Funk stands to challenge Cactus, looking him in the eyes and egging him on. "C'mon motherfucker!" he says to Cactus, eating a punch and waiting for another, refusing to back down. He takes a few more shots before teeing off on Cactus, cracking him with a solid jab with a "motherfucker!" to punctuate the hit that drops Cactus. 

Funk is able to get one of the Headhunters in the spinning toe hold but it's broken up and he gets sent outside. Cactus makes an attempt at lighting the back of one of the barbed wire boards on fire, pouring lighter fluid on is but it won;t catch. He spends a few seconds with it but gives up, accepting that there won't be any fire in this Bunkhouse tonight.

In, what has got to be, the single funniest moment I've seen in a deathmatch in a long time, Funk si outside launching chairs over his head to try and fill the ring with plunder. He throws one, he throws two, and on the third throw, the chair goes straight up and catches Funk on the head on its way back down. He barely sells the hit, even if it had to hurt like a bitch.

"I'm gonna go ahead and throw these chairs in the ri-"

Now that I've managed to stop laughing, we're back to thye match at hand. It's crazy dives after dives here. Leatherface does a dive off the top, 'hunter 1/2 does a tope and accidentally lands on hunter 'hunter 2/1, and Cactus takes off from the middle turnbuckle with an electric chair bulldog off the back of a Headhunter to the floor. Completely insane stuff happening here. And now, for the moment that initially made me want to watch this show. Terry Funk climbs to the top turnbuckle and hits a 51 year old moonsault onto Cactus, Leatherface and a Headhunter. This man is completely insane. I love him with my whole heart.

Back inside the ring, Nakamaki reverses a whip attempt from a Headhunter and sends him into a barbed wire board leaning up in the corner. Headhunter eats the board (not literally, guys, calm down) and stumbles backwards, with Nakamaki covering him for the 3!

What a war this was, absolutely insane. I literally can't describe this match in any other way than that; insane. Headhunters are massive monsters that can move pretty well, actually. Cactus and Funk are in peak deathmatch form here, two wrestlers soulbound to get the best out of each other. Leatherface... Nakamaki was kind of a random pick here, honestly. There's not much of note about this guy and he seems to be a pretty middle-of-the-road worker that never really had a crazy big career. That said, he was fantastic in this match. Got his ass totally handed to him and came out looking really good. I loved this.

What a fantastic week of matches. Glad to be back to my usual routine. As always, shoot me an email if you’ve got some something to say. I’m shaking thinks up with the blog currently, changing some formats, making sure the domain is working properly, that kind of stuff. So if anything is broken that I haven’t fixed in a couple days, cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com and I’ll have a look.

Until next week, take it easy friends.

Cliff Morgan