Weekly Watchlist 039 - March 9 2025

What's new wrestling fans?

What a week of wrestling this was. And I know, I say that pretty often, but man, do I mean it this week. I get more in depth about just how good AEW Revolution was, but for those that read and scroll, it was the best show of the year. Full stop. Everyone else doesn't even need to try, the winner has been declared. 

And why, exactly, is that the case? Read on, dear reader, and let me tell you why!

The End. AEW

Weekly Roundup

Here's what I watched for the week;

AEW Revolution 2025

Alright, saying this right off the hop so feel free to quote me on this. This is the best wrestling show of the year. It will be very, very difficult for any promotion to come close to matching this show. Hell, beating it may be an impossibility. But I'm excited to see them try! Seriously, don't go off my quick notes on each match, watch this show however you can and see for yourself. 

Hangman and MJF was a hard hitting opening match. MJF had a mid life crisis in the middle of the match, Hangman's pants are showing more embers than flames, MJF nearly killed Hangers with a tombstone on a chair, and MJF may need his face rearranged after a nasty Angels Wings. An awesome way to start the show and set the tone for the rest of the night. 

Mercedes and Momo clashed for the TBS title in the second bout. There were a few moments of miscommunication and some clunky interactions but both ladies recovered fine and had a hard hitting, exciting match. Momo kicked the shit out of Mone but she managed to retain her title. Excited to see where the rest of her reign goes and who will be the first woman to pin her in AEW. 

Swerve and Ricochet faced off next with Jimmy Jacob's robe and a guaranteed match for the AEW World Championship on the line. Rico's recent shift to heelish tactics hasn't robbed us of the high-flying and athletic wrestling he's famous for, and Swerve continues to prove that he's better than people will ever give him credit for. Swerve picked up the win and gave Nana the jacket back, a lovely gesture. 

A match that never got to happen at the 2024 Continental Classic, Brody King challenges Okada for the title in one of Brody's first big singles matches. I've been saying it for a while now and I'm so happy he's being recognized, but Brody is so ready for a singles push and time with a singles title, this match with Okada more than proved that. He held his own and pushed the champ to the limit, but still fell short in the end. 

Outrunners challenge the Hurt Syndicate for the AEW Tag titles in a match that was pretty well open and shut from the moment the bell rung. There was a part of me hoping that they'd be able to get one over on the Syndicate because they don't take these two seriously at all, but they got steamrolled. To the surprise of none. Fine match, totally inoffensive. 

Mr. Omega challenges Mr. Alpha for the International title and it's a fantastic match. Should this come as a surprise to anyone? Omega may be one of the best in the world and Takeshita has been on an incredible run as the International Champion, my reviews of him on here speak to that enough. Omega picked up the win and honestly, I'm totally fine with him winning. be a nice way to get him back in the mix having title matches and further elevating the International title. 

My most anticipated match on the card pits Ospreay and Fletcher in a steel cage. God, this match rips. Much like Takeshita, I've gushed about these two way too much the last while and it should come as no surprise that I adored this match. Sure, Mark Davis running in was unnecessary, but it didn't detract from the match in a meaningful way. These two kids are completely insane and I love them to death. 

Mox and Cope main evented the show and I'm going to echo what everyone else had been saying; it shouldn't have. This felt like a WWE paced match which, isn't anything terrible, but on a card as exceptional as Revolution was, this match stuck out like a sore thumb and was not anywhere as good as the rest of the card. Christian Cage cashed in his contract and got choked out by Mox so he could retain. Perfect out for Cope to go after the title again but kind of a wet fart of a way for Christian to lose his title shot, wish they didn't use it here, but oh well. 

 

 

Ruckus vs. Sonjay Dutt - CZW Cage Of Death 5 - Suspended - 12/13/2003

Their emotions runneth over. CZW

With spring coming about, I've been in a good mood lately and wanted to watch some wrestling that really reflected that. AEW's show was exceptional, so I wanted to watch some of my favourite promotions to really get me in a great mood as the weather improves. CHIKARA will always be a comfort watch, with CZW being right behind it. I had Ruckus on my mind after CHIKARA's show featured BLK Out so went digging for a match of his I hadn't seen yet, and thus, here we are at Cage of Death 5. 

Coming into this match, Ruskus is the defending Junior Heavyweight champion against Sonjay Dutt, who comes to this match as confident as ever that he'll be able to rip the title away from the pissed-off hands of Ruskus. Commentary points out that Ruskus has never won a match at Cage of Death, losing his matches at CoD 3 and 4, so he's hoping to break that curse here tonight and retain his title at the same time. A tall order, but Ruskus is up to the task.

 They're nose to nose after the bell rings, but not before Ruskus takes to the floor with mic in hand, declaring that he's going to beat Sonjay's ass. Dutt seems pretty unfazed by this, confident as ever waiting for the match to start. Starting in a collar and elbow tie up, Ruskus backs Sonjay to the corner but stops short of shoving him against the turnbuckles, instead ripping him around and down to the canvas while never breaking his grip, transitioning to laying on top of Dutt as he chokes him against the canvas. Dutt bridges to break the pin's being counted, with Ruckus kicking the leg out to drop Sonjay back to the ring. The next time Sonjay goes for the bridge, Ruckus pulls him up but it's Sonjay's turn to take the champion down, armdragging him while maintaining the grip to be on top of Ruckus. 

There's a feeling of real animosity at the start of the math. Cooperation with a tinge of frustration. They break and circle each other in the ring, with Ruckus going to the floor and taking a seat in the corner of the ringside area, catching his breath and his thoughts. It's important to remember this match takes place in 2003, so it's to be expected that a guy who has a slightly heavier build will be ridiculed on commentary for being fat. Not saying I excuse it of condone those comments, quite the opposite actually, but this stuff just happened and nobody had a problem with it back then. 

Back inside, they trade wristlocks back and forth until Sonjay gets creative, going  between the middle and top rope with his wrist bent by Ruskus, he snakes back in under the middle and gets Ruckus' arm in a rope-assisted hammerlock of sorts, dropkicking his arm for extra damage. They trade wristlocks again until the momentum picks up, armdrags, flipping and ducking out of clotheslines and kicks, Sonjay goes up for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors and goes 720 around Ruckus, driving him out to the floor.

Spinning Sonjay. CZW

 Sonjay goes to follow Ruskus to the floor, jumping over the top rope and readying himself for a springboard but Ruckus catches his feet and rips him down to the concrete, hitting the apron face first on his way down. In front of a lively, heckling crowd, Ruckus bounces Sonjay's head off a chair and laces him with a chop after backing him into the barricade. He comes close to squaring up with a dude in the crowd who could probably out muscle Ruckus but doesn't. Smart move. 

It's easy to write CZW off as "ECW's baby brother, just more violent" and while you really aren't that wrong, much like ECW, it features some exceptionally talented wrestlers that pull out stuff that nobody else in the country are doing. With Ruckus in an armbar on the cavnas, he's able to transition off his side and roll through with Sonjay still holding his arm, transitioning into an armbar of his own. Looked clean as shit. 

Get out of the sky! CZW

Back on their feet, they crisscross in the ring running the ropes with Sonjay going to the outside and jumping to the top rope for a springboard, but again, Ruskus takes him out of the sky, this time with a dropkick to the top rope. Shooting Sonjay into the corner, Ruskus takes position in the opposite corner and prepares for the Razzle Dazzle. I know it sounds like a ridiculous move, but seeing a guy do several handsprings only to land a back elbow against someone in the corner never gets old. 

Alas, Sonjay saw it coming and got out of the way, sending Ruskus into the corner and hitting him with the Razzle Dazzle instead! Mustering the strength to reverse an Irish whip attempt, Ruskus channels Stan Hansen and lariat's Sonjay's head off when he rebounds off the ropes. Shit looked nasty as hell, I love it. Pulling Sonjay up and onto his shoulder, Ruckus spins him around for what I can only assume to be some sort of driver but we'll never know, as Sonjay continues to twist around and catch Ruskus in an octopus stretch! Ruskus powers up and tries to get control again, but Sonjay switches sides and keeps hold. Once again, Ruckus tries to power up and is successful, but Sonjay twists around one more time and pulls Ruckus down with a big spiking DDT!

 Pulling Ruckus to his feet, Sonjay laces him with a chop that back him to the ropes, shooting him off as he does so but Ruckus is more alive than he lets on, hitting a handspring off the ropes and catching Sonjay with a kick off the rebound that he calls the Afterburner, both men landing flat out in the ring. Ruskus tries for a pin but Sonjay gets out in time, with Ruskus trying to end it by pulling him onto his shoulders in the Burning Hammer position. He opts to not actually kill Sonjay wish said move, instead dumping him into the top turnbuckle, flipping him around into a neckbreaker after he lands on his face.

A smouldering hammer into a flipping neckbreaker. CZW

Ruckus floats around into a pin, but it's still not enough. Ruckus backs Sonjay into a corner and tries to shoot him off to the other side, but Sonjay baseball slides out of it and takes Ruckus down with an enziguiri, both men flat out with Sonjay pounding the ring to try and wake himself up. Feeling risky, Sonjay climbs to the top turnbuckle and springboards off the top rope for extra height, landing on Ruckus with a big elbow drop, but still, Ruckus gets out at two! 

Backing Ruskus to the corner, Sonjay shoves him up to the top rope and follows him up, looking to go for a superplex until Ruskus pulls Sonjay in and gets him in suplex position instead. Rising off the turnbuckle to stand with Sonjay on the top, Ruskus rips Dutt up and drills him down with a huge Falcon Arrow!

An arrow from the sky! CZW

Sonjay rolls across the ring after getting out of a pinfall, laying on the apron and using the bottom rope to help himself up. Ruckus pulls him to his feet and tries for a suplex back in the ring, but Sonjay is able to block and fend Ruckus off with punches to the skull. After recoiling from a shoulder block to the guy, Ruckus comes back around to try and pull Sonjay in who has managed to flip over the top rope, Buckshot lariat style, but with Ruckus catching his feet before they hit the ground. Pulling Sonjay up before he can pull Ruckus down and around for the 'rana, Ruskus uses the middle rope to rebound Sonjay up for a spinning sit out powerbomb. What the fuck, man. Incredible. 

Despite all that, Sonjay still get out at two, and Ruskus is pissed. He gets in the face of the referee and starts chopping back and forth with Sonjay when he gets to his feet. Taking advantage of Ruckus wearing a shirt over his singlet, Sonjay pulls the front up and over the face of the champ, blinding and binding him as he laces his chest with chop after chop, one hard enough to drop the champ for a close three count. Sonjay tosses him to the corner and tries running coast to coast, but Ruckus intercepts and pulls him in for a gutwrench cutter! Started out like a powerbomb but got so much height on Sonjay, it turned into a cutter. Nuts.

 Going for broke, Ruckus pulls Sonjay close to the corner and takes off with a moonsault, landing on Sonjay's feet pointed straight in the air and bouncing across the ring. With Ruckus rolling in pain, Dutt climbs to the top and flies, pulling Ruckus down with a Dragonrana and sits out for the pin, but it's only good enough for two! Wasting no time, he goes back to the top and flies with a Phoenix splash, but still! Only two!

Pulling Ruckus to his feet and shoving him back into the ropes, Sonjay tries to shoot him off but Ruckus collapses, unable to make it across the ring completely. Sonjay tends to him and helps him up, but Ruckus drew him in only to clobber him with a forearm to the jaw, collapsing to the ring along with his foe. Ruckus struggles to his feet and starts booting Sonjay in the gut, trying to tie his arms up for a magistral cradle but Sonjay counters into a pin of his own, keeping Ruckus down for the three out of nowhere!

Cradle reversal! CZW

This was a really great match, it picked up quite a bit after the middle but was exciting and fun the entire way through. It's amazing to see just how innovative and creative guys were so many years ago. I mean, WWE was doing some great stuff during the early 2000's, but save a few exceptions, nobody on the roster was doing this kind of stuff consistently. There's a reason these indies are remembered so fondly by fans that grew up with them, these guys were on the bleeding edge of what could be done inside a wrestling ring. Always a treat.

 

 

 

Toni Storm vs. Mariah May - Hollywood Ending Match - AEW Revolution 2025 - 03/09/2025

A prelude to the end. AEW

I've spoke very, very briefly about the Toni Storm and Mariah May story line on here,  which is a real shame because they've been such a highlight of AEW television since last summer. I just haven't been wowed by their matches enough and don't watch enough Dynamite/Collision week on week to feel like I should break down their segments on here, I'll take the blame for that. But this week, my god, if I didn't talk about this match, I'd be doing myself a disservice. This is going to be a tough match to beat for the best of the year.

 Prior to their match at Revolution, Renee Paquette sat down with the two during Dynamite to try and hear both sides of the story going into their final match. It's an incredible interview and is, I'd argue, essential viewing prior to the match. These two are so god damn good at what they do. Check it out;

 Alright, are we primed and ready for what's next? You think so?

I don't think you are.

It should be pointed out, for those not in the know, a "Hollywood Ending" match, is just a falls count anywhere match. No holds barred, no DQ, pin or submit anywhere in the building. 

Mariah is out first, already mourning the death of Toni in her white attire, veil covering her face and flowers in hand as she slowly walks to the centre of the stage. A black and white Hollywood sign sits behind her, and to stage right, there's a photo of Toni's bloody face the night Mariah turned on her on an easel. Mariah lays the flowers before the picture as she lovingly touches the bloody face of Toni. Sure, they want to kill each other, but deep down inside, there's still love in their hearts for one another. 

Next, is the champion, accompanied by Luther of course, Storm stands at the top of the stage and stares down Mariah in the ring. She tosses her title to the ground and disrobes as the camera catches Mariah charging up the ramp, the fight starting on the stage as Toni drives Mariah face first to the stage. She beckons Luther to help her set up the Hollywood sign that was in face just a table as Mariah is back on her feet and takes Storm down. 

Leaving centre stage, Mariah tries to toss Toni off the side but she reverses her momentum before it's too late. Mariah cracks Storm across the chest with a chop and pulls her in for a suplex into the black pit below, but Storm tries getting her up and over with a back body drop but Mariah shifts and drills Toni with a DDT into the stage. It's the first time either of these women have gone for a fall, with Toni kicking out at two after bouncing her skull off the stage. 

With Toni dazed, Mariah goes to retrieve her bouquet of flowers. From the bundle, she pulls a black object and holds it high in the air, the unmistakable, horrific buzz of a taser rips through the arena, the crowd reacting in horror. Luther is quick to react, grabbing Mariah's raised arm and spinning her around, only to get a kick to the jewels for his interference. He stumbles hack towards another table on the other side of the ramp, it really doesn't matter what's on it as Mariah dropkicks him through the pyramid of champagne glasses and falls to the floor. 

Returning to Toni, Mariah left her quarry alone too long and she was able to recover, snatching her up into a double chokebomb off the stage, blasting through a pair of tables at ringside. Toni grabs her face after the impact, collecting herself before she rises up and places her hands on the chest of Mariah, registering a pinfall as referee Aubrey Edwards goes to make the count, only getting a two.

Into the black abyss. AEW

With Mariah out on her feet, Toni drags her to the ring and bounces her head off the steps, climbing to the top step and pulling Mariah in for the Storm Zero piledriver already. Mariah tries to escape over the barricade but Toni pulls her leg out from under her and she lands crotch first! I don't care what parts you've got down there, that sucks. Draping Mariah feet first off the barricade, Storm plants her with a DDT on the floor. Grabbing at her back as she climbs to her feet, she drags Mariah's body up and rests her against the barricade, marching to the other side of the ringside area and lining May in her sights, charging in for a huge hip attack! Mariah was more conscious than she let on, rolling out of the way at the last second as Toni runs hips first into the barricade. 

Reacting instantly, Mariah pulls Storm to the top of the stairs now, drilling her with her own move, the Storm Zero, sending Toni to the floor in a heap. Marching around the ring, Mariah begins digging under the ring for chairs and other tools of destruction. Back with Toni, she's gushing blood. I mean, it's a lot. This is something I picked up on pretty quick and couldn't help but this was Toni Rossall reacting, not the Timeless one. She immediately presses her taped wrist to her forehead, looking pissed off. We see Mariah returning to her and as soon as we get audio with Toni, she audibly says "fuck's sake." I'm pretty sure she want a big deeper/wide on that cut than she was going for (sorry for breaking kayfabe, brother.)

Rolling Storm in the ring, the crowd audible gasps as Toni continues to wipe blood from her eyes as it pisses down her face. Mariah takes her to the corner and hangs her upside down, placing a chair in front of her face and crushing her with a hip attack, pulling her from the ropes as she tries for a pinfall. Sitting up quickly, Storm shakes the blood from her head and, again, can be very audibly be heard saying "fuck!" I was very, very worried things were going to go wrong with this cut and this match may fall short, but thankfully, it didn't.

With both back on their feet, Mariah goes for a german suplex but Storm switches and takes her up and over with a suplex of her own, falling to her ass by the ropes when she goes to stand back up. Mariah came dangerously close to landing on one of the chairs in the ring, thankfully landing just to the side of it. Recovering from the impact, both women roll to the floor and dig beneath the ring, both bringing a champagne bucket into the ring. At first, it seems rather innocuous, until a camera takes a peek inside to reveal broken glass fills the bucket. Jesus Christ. 

Now, with a roll of tape in the ring as well, Mariah and Toni decide to channel Ian and Axl Rotten, taping their firsts and digging them in the bucket of broken glass. It's time for a Taipei Death Match. Toni is stoic, digging her fist in the bucket to cover her hand with glass, while Mariah screams in agony. It's like we're watching someone figure out a SAW trap, hand slowly moving around in the bucket as she prepares her fist for war. They come back to centre with their gauntlets of hate, glass chunks sticking out at hideous angles. 

A walking nightmare. AEW

 They trade punches back and forth, narrowly ducking the blows until Storm lands a quick jab to the upper chest of May, dropping her to the canvas as she clutches at her neck. Now alone in the ring, Toni brings both buckets to the middle and dumps them out, glass scattering, nodding her head in satisfaction as she stands in the middle of a field of carnage. 

Mariah is back on her feet, using the apron for support as blood trickles from her head, a stray shard catching her on her way down. Storm grabs her by the hair and drags her under the bottom rope, pulling her to the middle and sitting her next to the heap of glass. Going back to the bucket, she grabs the broken top of a bottle and uses it to carve the skull of Mariah May, her screams echoing through the Crypto Arena. She manages to squirm away and make it to her corner, grabbing an intact, empty bottle as Toni marches over, smashing it into her crotch. Holy fuck. 

Storm falls to her knees and crawls back to her corner, Mariah following behind and pushing her to the top rope. Standing before the seated Storm, Mariah bites the wound of Storm as she peppers her with punches before getting shoved down. Mariah is quick to react, using the bottom rope to handstand- rope stand? Maybe? Whatever, she gets her feet around the neck of Storm on the top and pulls her down into the glass, bouncing and flailing around the ring upon impact. Looking for extra damage, May pulls her up on her shoulders and drives her into the glass with Mayday, sitting on her chest as Aubrey finds a square foot of glass free canvas and makes the count, but Toni survives!

Bad day to be Toni Storm. AEW

A shutout to AEW's incredible camera work and production team, we're treated to a fucking horrific shot of Toni, smeared in crimson, flat out in the ring after she escapes the pin. 

Beautiful. Horrific. Disturbing. Iconic. Art. AEW

Pulling her back up for another Mayday, Storm squirms out and pulls May down into a Storm Zero, planting her head first on the chair legs and glass! Another pinfall attempt but it's still only two. Rolling to the floor, she begins hunting around the timekeepers area for something. A chair? Her title? Who's to say. We cut to Mariah for a moment as she reveals what she was looking for, a white shoe, the white shoe. The one Mariah used to draw Storm's blood the night she won the Owen Hart Tournament, still stained with her blood tonight. The night the Woman From Hell was born. 

She grabs it and brings it to the ring, with Mariah rolling out the opposite side and running up the ramp, but it's no use. Storm is hot on her heels, grabbing her by the hair and putting her boot to the back of her head, drilling her into the ramp with a stomp. Giving Mariah a taste of her own violence, Storm taker her title belt and whips Mariah across the back over and over, her wails of pain only fuelling the champion more and more. She struggles to hold back tears before the last shot to the back, dropping her title (like, from her hand, not in the "I'm losing it" sense, brother) and going for the shoe.

No mercy for the wicked. AEW

 

Mariah pulls herself up Toni as she winds back with the shoe, shouting down at her former protege "no! no!" as she tries to beg for forgiveness.  Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, May is able to get Storm up on her shoulders, drilling her into the stage with Mayday! Storm is able to escape the pinfall as May sits up beside her, screaming like a banshee as her crimson mask continues to grow. 

Pulling Storm up by her hair, she brings her to the other side of the Hollywood-branded table where a pair of crates sit, previously used to prop the sign up but now used as stepping stools. With a fistfull of Storm's hair in one hand, Mariah reels back with the shoe in the other. Storm stops her right before impact, catching the arm and headbutting May to drop her to her knees, disarming her as she stands above the challenger. With the shoe held high, Storm drills Mariah in the skull over and over with the heel of the shoe, months of rage boiling over and finally expended in a brutal assault. 

From high above, Storm pulls May in and drills her through the Hollywood table with a Storm Zero, landing in a heap on the stage as she falls over for the pinfall, mercifully scoring three.

 

Despite it all, there's compassion buried somewhere deep. AEW

My lord, what a match. The culmination of one of the best story lines AEW has ever done, a violent match that felt dangerously close to a horror film at times. Despite coming in as the third shortest match on the card, just shy of 13 minutes, the action and intensity never let up for a second. They were hell bent on killing each other the entire time they were out there and came as close as they could have possibly hoped for. Mariah May has proved every single doubter, naysayer, and critic of hers wrong while working with Toni, showing that she is more than capable of being a main event level wrestler. Toni continues to make the Timeless moniker mean something every single time shes on screen, her performance and charisma are impossible to ignore in everything she does. It should come as no surprise that this match was an absolute home run, but just how much of a home run this was is what's really breaking peoples brains. Kudos. A thousand kudos. This match is timeless.

 

And there we have it! Another week of wrestling has come and gone! I'm starting to feel better with the weather improving and getting the desire back to watch and dig around for some good wrestling. Send whatever ya want to  cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com that inbox is as empty as the day it was born, still waiting for something to make its home there! You can be person number one!

Anyways, until next week. Take it easy friends

 

Cliff Morgan