Weekly Watchlist 037 - February 23 2025

Whats the story this week wrestling fans?

It's been a weird one, this month of February. Complete lack of motivation, a body that decided "yeah I'm just gonna make it difficult as hell to do any reviews this week, sound good?" and a backlog that refused to go away. But, better late than never, my motivation and drive is back! Caught up on some shows this week, got back on the DPW train, and feel good about March with the Chamber coming up this weekend (today if you are reading this on release!) and 'Mania right around the corner!

So, let's not waste any more precious time and get right into this weeks reviews!

NJPW

Weekly Roundup

Here's what I watched for the week;

Dani Luna vs. Miyuki Takase - DPW Live 6 - 06/16/2024

The battle lines are drawn. DPW

Man, it feels really good to watch some DPW again. I took an unintentional hiatus after Limit Break earlier this year to try and watch some other shows. Didn't really work out like I was hoping, but my break is over and I'm ready to start covering the best indie going today. Initially, I had Priest vs. Kozone from this show pencilled in as the match for the week, but when I watched this match between Dani Luna and reigning champion Miyuki Takase, I decided I'd give the women the nod this week. They tore it up.

At this point, Miyuki is in the midst of her 413 day title reign with the DPW Women's World Championship, with this being her third defence of the title. Dani Luna is making her DPW debut with this championship challenge and I'm really happy to see her show up in DPW. She's been on my radar for a while now and was looking forward to seeing what she'd get up to here.

The ladies start the match off with a handshake, a title fight with no animosity, no score to settle, just the spirit of competition. They circle each other and it's Luna who makes the first move, reaching a hand in the air to offer Takase the chance to meet her with a test of strength. Commentary pointed out that Luna is an actively competing powerlifter, and she uses her strength to get the early advantage on Takase with a double knuckle lock. Takase drops down and rolls backwards, stepping back through to reverse the pressure and twist the wrists of Luna, forcing her to fold over to try and alleviate the pressure. Takase takes advantage with a gut kick and a series of forearm shots, but when Takase takes off from the ropes, Luna is quick to take her down with a shoulder tackle and go for the pin, but it barely registers a one.

Luna is fierce in keeping on Takase, sending her into the corner and eating a boot as she charges in. Taking a second to collect herself, she twists back around and crushes Takase with a lariat against the buckles. The same lariat lands as Takase is sent to the opposite corner, with Luna pulling her out only to drop her flush with an exploder suplex. A sliding lariat connects as Takase sits up to catch her breath, but it only keeps her down for a brief two count as Luna shakes her arms out and resets on her feet.

Look out! DPW

Luna tries to send her back in the corner, but Takase leaps to the middle rope and comes back out with a dropkick that flattens the challenger. With a forearm from Luna catching the champion under the jaw, Takase gives Luna a shot of her own as they trade in the middle. Each shot stumbling their opponent, neither one holding back. Takase is the first to trade a forearm for a chop, with Luna catching her breath and snatching Takase by the back of the neck, drilling her with forearm after forearm until Takase catches a shot and turns Luna around, pulling her down for a big spiking DDT! Luna pops up to her hands and knees, with Takase stomping the foot and planting Luna with another DDT as she tries to shake feeling into her left hand again.  

Takase tries to get Luna up for a firemans carry but Luna grounds herself, driving forearms into the lower back of Takase to force her to create space. She shoots Takase off into the ropes and the champion tries to take Luna down with a crossbody, but Luna catches her and holds fast, tossing her up and over with a fallaway slam. Seated in the corner now, Takase finds herself in dangerous territory as Luna charges in with a disgusting dropkick. 

This had to suck. DPW

Luna goes for a cocky pin after a bodyslam, flexing as she holds Takase down with her knee but the champion powers out, digging deep to draw breath after taking a beating to the chest. Sent into the ropes again, Takase floats over and lands on the apron, calling for Luna to follow her and she obliges. Takase blocks a forearm and catches the arm, dropping it along the top rope as Luna recoils from the pain, stumbling to the middle of the ring as Takase pulls her back in with a stunner on the top rope. With Luna stunned in the middle, slowly rising back to her feet, Takase climbs the corner and launches herself with a dropkick that sends Luna crashing to the canvas and rolling back to the corner. 

Now, it's Takase's turn to return the favour, charging in with a huge corner lariat. She climbs to the middle rope (known in some circles as Bret's rope, the most dangerous rope!) and lands a quick flying forearm to the chest of Luna, going in for a quick pinfall but she's out by two. Transitioning out of the pinfall, Takase hooks the damaged arm of Luna and rolls through with a submission attempt, holding her left arm in the crook of her armpit, wrenching at Luna's head and neck with her left leg. Luna starts twisting, shifting and moving closer and closer to the ropes, eventually getting a toe on the bottom rope to break the hold. 

Luna staggers to her feet, using the ropes to support her as Takase charges in with a lariat on the ropes, catching her as she stumbles to the middle with a cleaving spear, rolling through for a pin but Luna gets out, still showing signs of life. With Takase firmly in control, she's able to get Luna up off her feet with a firemans carry, running forward and flipping through with a rolling senton near the corner. Climbing to the middle rope once again, Takase takes flight with a leg drop but Luna scoots to the corner to evade it, with Takase landing flat on the canvas. Luna takes advantage and charges through Takase with a single leg dropkick, with both women collapsing to the canvas upon impact.

Dani McIntyre? DPW

They struggle to their feet and lock eyes across the ring, charging in and each connecting with a lariat that staggers the other. They go in again and again, with Takase ducking a shot from Luna and rebounding off the ropes, taking the head of Luna clean off with a massive lariat but still, only two. Takase lines Luna up for the killshot in the corner, running out only to get hit with a crushing lariat herself, with Luna falling flat on her stomach as she follows through with the shot, unable to capitalize on the impact. 

Hooking Luna up in the centre for a suplex, Luna drops her hips each time Takase tries to pick her up, blocking her and turning the tides, picking Takase up for a big delayed brainbuster. Still holding on, Luna gets Takase up and drives her down with a Falcon Arrow, catching her legs and trying for another pinfall but she escapes at two, somehow!

 Luna is indignant now, rising to her feet and pulling Takase up for a firemans carry but this time, Takase drives elbow shots to the lower back and kidneys of Luna to block the move. Takase shoots her off into the ropes and Luna comes out hot, spinning a full 360 before connecting with a kick to the face of Takase, pulling her up immediately with a powerbomb that snaps her down with a disgusting clatter. She folds her in half and- no! Takase still gets out at two!

Luna climbs to the top rope as Takase gets to her feet and meets her on the buckles, slowing Luna down and ripping her off the top with a superplex! Luna lands and springs to her feet, trying to show signs of life as Takase charges in with another lariat that turns her inside out. Sensing the end is near, Takase pulls her to the corner and climbs to the middle rope again, taking off and crashing down on Luna with a middle rope leg drop, sitting down on Luna as she covers for the three count.

Miyuki Hogan? Brother? DPW

 I really enjoyed this match! For being only a few seconds over 10 minutes, they packed a lot in, hit each other hard and didn't let up for a second. Takase has been a real treat during her time with DPW, one of her earliest matches being an absolute banger. Luna does spend some more time with DPW, even appearing on their next show, DPW Live 7, so I''ll be looking forward to seeing what else she brings to the ring.

Yota Tsuji vs. Gabe Kidd - NJPW The New Beginning In Osaka 2025 - 02/11/2025

Shit's about to get real. NJPW

Suppose this is the year I get into New Japan, eh? Last year was TNA and I can;t say that things ended up... great for the company by the end of '24, so lets hope I don't curse NJPW by trying to keep up with their shows this year. They've been on a good run so far, with both Wrestle Kingdom and Wrestle Dynasty having some fantastic matches, and New Beginnings was no different. By and large, I enjoyed the show, but there's lots that I wasn't really a fan of or just didn't care too much about. The aging main event guys doesn't really draw me in, but the younger talent that's starting to make a name for itself is really drawing me in.

Chief among those names are Gabe Kidd and Yota Tsuji. Both men were featured on Wrestle Dynasty, with Tsuji pulling double duty winning the NJPW Global Heavyweight Title at Wrestle Kingdom the night before.  Both men have been with New Japan for a couple years, with Kidd dropping the -riel from his first name and Tsuji swapping the generic black trunks and short hair for longer locks and tasselled red boots. Commentary points out during Kidd's entrance that these two men have been linked for many years, (an 11-9-1 record weighs in favour of Tsuji) with a match between both being the first empty arena match of the COVID-19 era. What a time that was, eh?

It should be noted, this match is a Global Heavyweight Title match, with Tsuji in defence. Kidd is the current reigning NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion and comes to the ring with the title around his waist, but this is not a title for title match (thank the good lord above).I was really pleased with both of their matches earlier this year and was excited to see what they'd get up to here. And man, did they deliver in a major way. 

The bell rings as Kidd and Tsuji meet in the middle, standing nose to nose as they soak in the very vocal crowd. Kidd is the first to strike, slapping Tsuji across the jaw. The champion is quick to strike back with a slap of his own, Kidd smiling and backing to his corner, with Tsuji doing the same as they dig in and get ready to tear each other apart. 

They lock up like bulls, forearms being traded as they break until Kidd goes back in for the lockup again. Kidd pushes Tsuji to the ropes and they roll back and forth against them, Kidd cracking Tsuji with forearms as he breaks the hold. 

"Come on, bitch!" Kidd shouts, with Tsuji snatching a side headlock to trade places and takes off for the ropes, a shoulder tackle from Kidd dropping the champion to the canvas. Kidd is as cocky as they come, hitting a little jig before taking off for the ropes as Tsuji rises to his feet, rebounding off the ropes behind Kidd and pulling him down with a head scissors, but Kidd is able to land on his feet with relative ease. 

"This is New Japan, bitch" Kidd reminds Tsuji, cracking him with a chop and driving his forehead into the face of the champion, standing at the ropes and collecting himself. Kidd is coming off a huge main event against Kenny Omega from the previous month. He may not have been successful, but he took the Best Bout Machine to his absolute limit, so he's probably justified being as cocky as he is here. He bears his chest for Tsuji to chop him back, asking for another, and then another as Tsuji cracks his hand across the open chest of Kidd. A Kane style uppercut drops Tsuji as Kidd boots him to the floor, a place that Kidd thrives. 

A hard landing on the floor! NJPW

 

Tossing Tsuji into the barricade, Kidd goes for a chair at ringside but decides  against it, going back for Tsuji and sending him into the barricade again but Tsuji powers through the pain and charges for Kidd. His efforts are thwarted, however, as Kidd drives him into the floor with a big exploder suplex on the outside. With Tsuji on his feet, Kidd follows the champion around the ring and clatters him with chop after chop. Tsuji finally fights back with a couple chops of his own, but a thrust kick sends Tsuji to the floor again.

Back inside the ring, Kidd boots Tsuji in the back of the head as he starts to rise, goading the champion to fight back. Tsuji gets back to his feet and lands a single forearm under the jaw of Kidd, dropping him to all fours in an instant. As hard a Tsuji takes it, he gives it back, going shot for shot in the middle as Kidd stands again, sending the champion staggering back to the ropes. Tsuji bellows out into the crowd, feeding off their energy as he marches back to centre, landing gunshot-like chops over and over on the chest of Kidd, backing him up each time to the ropes and pulling him back to the middle to continue the onslaught.

They're back to trading again, with each shot hitting harder than the last as both men stagger more and more each time. A salvo of forearms sends Kidd to the ropes, seething as he catches himself.

"I'm a madman you know!" Kidd bellows as he winds up and steps back to the middle, chopping Tsuji with a chop that would make GUNTHER blush. 

Not to be outdone, Tsuji cracks Kidd back with a chop so vile, so vicious, laden with so much malice, it echoes off the walls of the EDION Arena as Kidd's knees buckle and he falls to the canvas. 

This sounds as horrific as it looks. NJPW

Somehow, Kidd takes this murderous chop and decides "I'm gonna give him one back!" My god, why?! He's gonna kill you again! Kidd keeps on the champ, backing him to the ropes with chop after chop that land with the same vicious impact as the one before, punctuating his offence with a lariat against the ropes. He takes off to the other side of the ring, but Tsuji charges out with him, booting Kidd in the face as he rebounds. Kidd uppercuts, Tsuji forearms, Kidd chops and Tsuji lands a thrust kick as Kidd absorbs the shot and screams to the heavens, standing wide open as Tsuji drills Kidd with another kick and he drops to the canvas, Tsuji falling to his stomach before crawling over for a pinfall, getting a close two.

Tsuji rises to his feet as he holds his chest, catching himself on the ropes before doing a lap of the ring, beckoning Osaka to get loud and they oblige, chanting "Yota! Yota! Yota!" as he grabs the legs of Kidd to try and lock in a submission. Kidd kicks Tsuji with his right leg to try and prevent Fsuji from following through, but he absorbs the kicks and is able to twist Kidd around and step through, sitting down with a deep, deep Boston crab. Kidd powers through and pushes up, but Tsuji sits right back down. 

Clark Connors, Kidd's stable mate in BULLET CLUB War Dogs is on commentary for this match and points out that Kidd's lack of flexibility in this position has had him tap out to this exact move in the New Japan Dojo many times. This is an extremely dangerous spot for Kidd to be in, and the agony on his face tells the entire story.

Fighting to survive. NJPW

 Kidd fights and fights, finally crawling his way to the bottom rope and breaking the hold, holding his back as he starts pulling himself to his feet with the ropes to his corner, biting the middle rope to transfer his pain. Kidd is slumped in the corner, and Tsuji takes off, charging from red to blue and connects with a huge running knee, crushing Kidd against the pad. Jumping from the middle rope to the top, he tries to fly but Kidd moves in, forcing Tsuji to instead jump from the top and land on his feet in the middle. 

With both men standing, they charge in with the same idea, both connecting with a running lariat in the dead centre of the ring. Tsuji falls to a knee as Kidd stays standing, stepping in to knee Tsuji in the head but his leg gets caught as Tsuji stands, driving his knee into Kidd's as he pops him off his feet, crushing him with a lariat and quickly covering for a two count. 

Taking the corner as Kidd collects himself, Tsuji charges in for a tackle of some sort but gets caught with an octopus hold, Kidd's right elbow driving into the divertic- I mean, kidney of Tsuji. He pulls Tsuji back deep, but the champion is able to shift and start walking himself to the ropes to try and break the hold. Kidd opts to break the hold himself, taking Tsuji over with a back suplex.

With both men on the canvas, referee Red Shoes is in their faces to make sure they can still compete, with Kidd rising to his feet in a flash and standing against the ropes, absorbing the energy from Osaka. Tsuji is slower to his feet, pulling himself up in the corner, but is rising nonetheless. Kidd charges in with a lariat as Tsuji falls back into the corner, crumpling to the canvas as Kidd climbs to the top rope. 

Improvised weaponry. NJPW

 

Tsuji moves into the corner to try and pull Kidd down but instead gets wrapped up in a guillotine choke, with Kidd straightening his back to sink the hold in deeper. Tsuji is able to get his feet on the bottom rope to lessen the pressure on his neck, cracking Kidd in the ribs with a couple rabbit punches that breaks the hold. Tsuji cracks Kidd with a forearm strike, still standing on the bottom rope. Kidd grabs the champ by the side of the head, reeling back and landing a headbutt that nearly drops Tsuji to the canvas. He's able to hold on, using the distance to shoot himself up with a huge headbutt of his own.

With Kidd possibly out on the top, Tsuji climbs and stands on the top, pulling Kidd up with him. They stand on the top strand, shaky legs from exhaustion as Tsuji prepares himself for the long trip down. At the last second, Kidd comes to, holding himself on the top and meeting Tsuji eye to eye.

"Fuck you!"

 From the absolute top of the ring, Kidd crushes Tsuji with a disgusting lariat as he folds in half on the canvas. The camera angle doesn't catch this perfectly, but you see enough to know that shit had to suck. Kidd screams to the heavens, pulling Tsuji up by the hair as he charges for the ropes, rebounding with a Hansen-like lariat.  

All that's missing is the chewing tobacco. NJPW

Kidd goes for the cover but Tsuji still has life, getting out before Red Shoes lands three. Kidd shoots back to his feet and beats his chest in defiance. Hooking Tsuji for a suplex, he gets flipped around with an X-Plex, a knee strike to the jaw as Kidd flips Tsuji off drives the challenger flat on his back and his front teeth closer to his back teeth. Tsuji is on his feet first, going to pull Kidd up by his head but lets him drop, taking the opportunity to shout in Kidd's face. I can't understand Japanese, but I can imagine it's something along the lines of "get up and fight me, bitch."

Kidd uses Tsuji to pull himself to his feet, with Tsuji cracking Kidd across the jaw with a slap. Kidd doesn't drop to a knee, barely staggers, he simply turns around as his gaze focuses and he catches his breath. Clark Connors puts it rather eloquently on commentary, "he just slapped life back into him!" 

These sick bastards are back on their feet and trading back and forth again, vicious slaps across the face and neck in a wild flurry. Kidd takes off for the ropes and meets a Tsuji lariat when he returns to centre. Tsuji pulls him up and drops him into the canvas with a powerbomb, a curb stomp drilling Kidd face first into the canvas as he tries to crawl out of the landing. 

Back in the corner, Tsuji lines Kidd up again and charges in for a spear, but Kidd braves the incoming attack and catches Tsuji's head between his legs, pulling him up and sitting out with a nasty piledriver. 

Gene Splitter-driver. NJPW

 Kidd pulls himself to his feet and brings Tsuji up with him but pays for it dearly, a vicious headbutt cracks Kidd as he stumbles back, firing up once again only to eat a knee from Tsuji. He falls back and rebounds off the rope, turning around and decapitating Tsuji with a lariat and moving towards the blue corner. With the arena rumble around him, Kidd pulls down his knee pad and sleeve, revealing his bare-skin, Oni-tattooed knee. He charges forward for the Oni-kee as Tsuji pulls himself up and leaps forward, cutting Kidd in half with his version of the spear, the Gene Blaster. 

Tsuji crawls for Kidd, crumpled up near the ropes, his strength leaving him with each inch he crawls. Red Shoes starts a double-count, with Tsuji barely, and I mean barely getting to his feet by the count of 8, collapsing to his stomach again as Red Shoes reaches 10 and calls for the bell. 

This match ends in a draw. 

 

To some, the ending of such a hard hitting match ending in a draw may seem like a really flat finish, but I loved it, honestly.  Kidd and Tsuji gave each other everything they had. The heaviest hands that refused to let up, knowing each others best moves and exactly how to counter them, these two know each other so well and fought tooth and nail for every inch of ground they took. It was an incredible war that I loved every second of. These two well and truly are the future of New Japan, and they can continue to go back and forth for years to come as eternal rivals and I don't think anyone would complain. I certainly wont.

Well, would ya look at that! Another week down! Feels good to be doing these long posts again, even if you guys don't agree! I had to do a bit of cramming this week to make sure I got everything done before the weekend, I plan on my free time being very occupied in the coming weeks. But, fear not! I'll always carve out time for wrestling, and this blog isn't going anywhere any time soon!

Want to tell me why my blog should go away? Give me more New Japan to check out? cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com is where you send it.

Until next time, keep an eye out for Matches of the Month this week!

Take it easy friends,

Cliff Morgan