Weekly Watchlist 41 - March 23 2025

Back again wrestling fans!

We've crossed another milestone with Roulette number 4 coming and going, meaning we are a mere 9 weeks away from post 50! How did we get here? Almost a full year of this blog. Unreal, honestly. 

I was actually able to use the roulette as intended this week, using it to broaden my horizons for this week and explore what else was out there for me to review. There were some last minute changes but I am very pleased with my picks this week.

Not, what are those, you may ask? You know the drill, keep a'readin and see!

 

NJPW

Weekly Roundup

Here's what I watched for the week;

WWE? Not For Me. 

Y'know, I've been doing some thinking recently. That usually ends up a recipe for disaster, but humour me here. 

When I finished watching WWE's Elimination Chamber earlier this year, I came away from that show feeling pretty indifferent about the whole show. Sure, Cena's heel turn was brilliant, but I was really glad I didn't spend the money to go to the show like I thought I would a few months prior because I just didn't really like it. 

That contrasted starkly to some of the reviews I was seeing online. 

I've made it no secret that I'm a frequent CAGEMATCH reader, and while I know sites like these shouldn't be treated as the biblical ratings for shows, it's a pretty good aggregate for what people are feeling. When I saw the ratings for the matches and the show itself were so glowing and full of praise, I had to ask myself, "is WWE really for me anymore?"

So, I went to my group chat. One of my buddies is a WWE die hard, he grew up in the Cena era and Ruthless Aggression is his bread and butter. The other buddy tends to be in and out. He likes his indies, caught up with NXT and WWE stuff a few years ago, and is really a casual fan of just about everything, I'd say. When my WWE-pilled pal said he loved the show, I told him flat out;

"My biggest takeaway, largely unrelated to the show, is the more I watch wrestling that is non-WWE, the more I realize the WWE style is not my style."

Couple this with the one co-worker that actively watches wrestling and asks me every week "did you watch RAW/SmackDown last night?!" and I tell him, "no, I don't watch a lot of WWE anymore," every single time, and then he tells me all about the promos and stuff and just says "yeah that was a good match, but Cena's promo!" and I check out pretty quick. For context, he's a Hogan-era guy, thinks they should do another gimmick battle royal. They'd need a wheelchair ramp to get the people he wants in the match there.

I do try and give WWE a try, I really do, I watch all the big shows and try to keep up with things that interest me, but it's not a wrestling show anymore, and that's what I want to see. Sure, storylines, the drama and character interactions hook me in just as much as a good match, but when half the matches on the Chamber show felt like guys were moving at half speed or just going through the motions, I check out. The matches in my spreadsheet are matches, high action, compelling stories told with the moves and the combat, that's what gets my blood pumping.

It's not necessarily a bad thing either, if WWE's brand of entertainment is your speed, go nuts! It's clearly working with the Netflix deal and how much it's infiltrated popular culture. All I know is I'm probably going to be taking a break after Wrestlemania this year. I feel like I'm going insane for thinking that GUNTHER losing to Jey "Yeetman" Uso is the worst move in history and have this sinking feeling that heel Cena isn't going to "hit" like we all want it to. But I know my WWE-pilled friends are pulling for Jey to get that title run and "prove he's a main event guy" and are on the edge of their seat for everything Cena is doing. 

Kinda feels like a losing battle, in that my interest is being lost with each passing week. I make no promises that I'll give WWE the same spotlight I have once Wrestlemania 41 is in the books this year, think I just need some time away to find the love for it again. If it's still even there.

 

 

Cactus Jack vs. Big Van Vader - WCW House Show - 03/13/1993

Sizing each other up. WCW

I've talked a few times recently about the death of the WWE Network has made finding WWE, WCW, and any other matches  from companies owned/bought out by WWE a whole lot more daunting. As a make good of sorts, the WWE has set up the WWE and WCW Vault YouTube channels, and man, whoever is in charge of these channels is doing the lords work here. Well, for the most part. 

For every upload of full length WCW shows or a dig through the archives to find some forgotten WWE gems, there's "Dustin Rhodes vs. Blacktop Bully – King of the Road Match: WCW Uncensored 1995" and I remember that even the best among us are human and make mistakes. There's no river long enough that doesn't contain a bend. But recently, someone sitting behind the WCW desk decided to upload some more house show footage, and that's how I encountered this match!

I remember a while back there was a lot of excitement around footage of wrestling from the Omni showing up on the channel and what it ultimately meant for it going forward. Can we expect to see more unseen, long since forgotten footage from this channel? Will this actually be supplemental to the deep, cavernous well that was the WWE Network? Will they actually upload the stuff we want to see? Probably not, but that won't stop us from hoping.

When I saw this WCW house show footage show up, I decided to throw it on in the background and see what all the fuss was about. Sting, Orndorff, Vader and Cactus were all names than enticed me, so how bad could this show be?

Folks, I feel the need to stress this; this is a house show. Now, for those who don't know what that means, really, let me lay it out for you. This is basically an off day for these guys. The matches aren't being filmed for TV, this isn't a pay-per-view show, the stakes today are at an all time low. It's literally a "go out and give these people a show" show. Enough effort to keep them pleased and wanting more the next time WCW comes through. Don't believe me? Let me give you a quick card rundown.

Johnny B. Badd vs. Scotty Flamingo - Badd was over as fuck but this was rest hold city. Nothing match, next!

Michael Hayes vs. Maxx Payne - Who the fuck cares about either of these guys. Not good. Next!

Van Hammer vs. Rick Rude - A tag match turned into a singles. If Rude wasn't here, we'd have had two stinkers in a row. Next!

Vinnie Vegas vs. Davey Boy Smith - Greener than goose shit Oz/Diesel/Nash vs. Probably so out of his mind on drugs Davey that he doesn't even know he's in England? Yeah! This sounds great! Said nobody. Next!

Sting vs. Paul Orndorff - Pretty bland, sadly. Sting was over, Orndorff put in an effort, but they never got into a rhythm or any sort of gear. Just cruising in neutral. 

But there was one match that stood out and, by some miracle of god, saved this show from being utterly forgettable. The eternal rivals of Cactus Jack and Vader decided "fuck it, let's have some fun tonight!" 

 I should also point out that there's no commentary for this show. Not that it's a big deal, really, but hearing someone else talk about the action, even in a foreign language, helps get you into the action better. Not like it's hard to get into this match, as Vader takes it to Cactus in the corner early and clubs him down to the canvas. Harley Race is, of course, at ringside with Vader so he gets some shots in when Cactus is down in the ropes and the referee is none the wiser. Don't worry, he'll get his eventually.

Stopping a charging Vader after getting sent to the corner with a boot, Cactus takes him down with two big spiking DDT's but it's not enough for the three. While Cactus has Vader in a sleeper, let me point another thing out about this show. The crowd is pretty excited all night, with cheers constantly, call-and-response horns every so often, and one fucking fan that won't shut up right beside a microphone. I swear, this kid just, every so often will heckle or call like a football dad whose too many pints deep. Especially during the main event. "STIIIING!" "C'MON STIIIING!" god, this kid drove me nuts. 

Somehow, Cactus didn't explode like a balloon here. WCW

 

Anyways, Vader plants Cactus on the ring when he tries to backpack himself and pays for it dearly. Cactus rolls to the floor, or should I say stage, and stumbles down to the floor. The setup for this show was similar to how they do a lot of New Japan shows where the ring is set up on a raised platform so that even the people on the floor can see all the action from sitting. I like the setup, it's a cool look. 

Cactus is on the floor now, leaning against the steel guardrail as he catches his breath and counts his ribs, when suddenly, Vader is on the move! He charges at Cactus and dives off the stage, landing crotch first on the rail! Jesus guys! This is a house show!

Terror from above! WCW

 

Mindful of the count, Cactus slides in the ring enough to reset the count before going back out and bodyslamming Vader on the floor! Cactus then digs a chair out from under the stage and clobbers Vader across the back and head with it, leaving him for dead as he stumbles back in the ring. With Vader crawling back to life, Harley gets in the ring to try and soften up Cactus, but he just gets a bodyslam for his troubles. Thanks Harley!

Pummeling Vader to a seated position in the corner, Cactus flies out and takes Harley's head off with a lariat as he rises to his feet. Should have just stayed down, champ. Charging back in, Vader gets a boot up and stops Cactus dead, climbing to the top to deliver a huge top rope shoulder barge that flattens him. With Cactus back on his feet, Vader shoots him off the ropes and awaits a back body drop, but Cactus tries for a sunset flip, but clearly has forgotten who he's in the ring with. Standing to his full height, Vader drops 450 pounds on the chest of Cactus again, booting him to the "floor" dismissively.

With Harley at ringside, he pulls Cactus up and holds his arms behind his back, Tiger Suplex style, waiting for Vader to do his worst. He does, but to Harley instead, with Cactus ducking out of the way at the last possible second, letting Harley eat the lariat. Back inside the ring now, Vader continues to use his greatest, or largest asset, his size, getting Cactus on his shoulders in a firemans carry and dropping him with a samoan drop. His positioning put him in the perfect spot for a Vader bomb, and he calls for it as he climbs to the middle rope, crushing Cactus as he comes crashing down. 

Bombs away! WCW

 Not content with one, Vader goes up for a second but somehow, Cactus survives! He uses to ropes to climb to his feet as Vader clubbers him with shots to the head, sitting him on the top rope as he climbs to the middle with him. He's not up there very long as Cactus headbutts Vader square in the nose, sending him flying, and I mean flying back to the canvas below. Vader isn't down very long however, as he rights himself and catches Cactus as he takes off for a flying crossbody, getting bodyslammed for his efforts. 

Vader shoots Cactus off the ropes again and tries for the back body, but we get a repeat with Cactus flipping over and trying to pull Vader down. This time, Cactus rolls away and lets Vader land flat on his ass in the centre of the ring. Showing sighs of life, Cactus eats a gut punch and takes Vader over with a big back suplex, latching onto him as he climbs the ropes to get back to his feet. 

Harley is up on the apron now, running interference to allow Vader to mule kick Cactus in the groin, giving him room to breathe and take Cactus back down to the canvas. From the middle rope, Vader flies with a splash and covers, but only gets two. It's hard to tell because it's hard to hear the referee's hand hit the canvas and it definitely looks like he's signalled for the bell, but Vader goes back to the middle rope so I guess we're not there yet. 

Another splash is attempted but it's an empty pool as Cactus rolls, moving to the corner to stand as Vader charges and again, nobody is there! As Vader turns out, cactus gets him with an atomic drop and a huge lariat over the top rope that sends both men to the floor! Harley is running interference again but this time it costs Vader, with Cactus landing a huge somesault senton off the apron to Vader at ringside! 

Climbing back inside, Cactus drills Vader with the double underhook DDT and has him covered for 3 and change, but Harley is on the apron and has the referee distracted! Furious, Cactus gets up and suplex's Harley inside the ring for his constant interference, but it's this that costs Cactus the match. Falling to the corner as he stands, Vader barges Cactus in the corner and crushes him, pulling him out and stuffing him with a huge powerbomb, folding him up for the three count. 

Surprise! It's Vader! WCW

 This match had no reason to be as good as it was. Seriously, this was a random, untelevised house show that half these people probably forgot about the next day. Vader and Cactus held nothing back and went all out, giving a quick little "greatest hits" of both of their stuff. Harley kept Cactus looking good in defeat and left with window wide open for these two to keep fighting more and more. These guys are a constant highlight of early 90's WCW and I'm so glad this match did not disappoint.

 

 

Jeff Cobb vs. Shingo Takagi - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 in Tokyo Dome - Day 2 - 01/15/2021

The Hatchet looks to cleave The Dragon. NJPW

 Coming off the heels of last week's Roulette, I initially had Genichiro Tenryu vs. Riki Choshu from June 3rd, 1986. I was feeling like watching more of Tenryu and Choshu after that blistering tag match and wanted to give them the spotlight. I was confident in this pick but an eleventh hour change happened that I'm very, very happy with. 

So I kinda told a white lie earlier, I have one other work friend I talk wrestling with, and I talk about wrestling with him the absolute most. But the funniest part? He doesn't watch wrestling. Seriously! He's someone that's interested in the athletics and feats of strength rather than the subtle nuances of an armdrag or why, 15 minutes into a match, it's so cool someone just kicked out at one after three finishers. He's the kind of guy that scrolls through IG reels looking at crazy wrestling clips and then shows me. I fill him in on the details. 

One such lunch break, he mentions "some guy named Cobb?" and I was immediately excited. How had I forgotten about Jeff Cobb?! He's been in headlines recently with rumours that he's signing with WWE and was all I could think of for the next hour. That lunch break, I dug around and found what CAGEMATCH says is his highest rated match, and man, it fucking rips. Don't believe me? Well, keep reading!

 For the NEVER Openweight Championship, The Hatchet challenges The Dragon in Shingo Takagi. It's his second reign with the title and it's his second defence after beating Minoru Suzuki for it in November. If there was ever a pair of dudes that better suited the "openweight" classification, it's these two. Commentary points out early on that Takagi is giving up a 20kg (42 pounds) weight advantage, and that factor is important for this entire match. 

Right from the opening bell, the pair lockup like bulls but Cobb is able to muscle Takagi away each time. They start with forearm shots back and forth, Takagi able to stand toe to toe with the monstrous Cobb and trade, but Cobb shoots Takagi off the ropes and waits in the middle as Takagi charges in with a shoulder tackle, stopping him dead in his tracks and barely even flinching. Takagi is able to get Cobb off his feet with an arm drag and a shoulder tackle even, but he needs to put some real effort in to do so. Whatever strength advantage he may have had against previous opponents, he wont have it here. 

Gonna need to soften him up a bit more. NJPW

 

This point is proven quickly as he covers Cobb for an early pin, but gets launched off after the count of one, nearly flying between the middle and bottom rope. After nailing Takagi in the mouth with a dropkick, Cobb tosses him out to the floor (or stage, rather, same as the WCW one mentioned from before) and whips Shingo into the barricade. He grabs him again and looks to send him all the way to the other side and into the barricade, but pulls him back in at the last second and sends him into the barricade one more time. Looking to capitalize on the damage done to Shingo's back, Cobb pulls him in and rips him up and over with a huge belly to belly suplex, dropping Shingo on the solid wooden stage below. 

Back in the ring, Cobb has a target locked and goes to work. He whips Takagi off the ropes and clobbers him with a big back elbow strike, like Ospreay's hidden Blade but his opponent comes to him, it's got huge impact with Cobb putting everything behind it. He goes for a cover but Takagi gets out, so he goes for a second immediately after. Honestly, I like this kind of psychology a lot. Sure, a pinfall is a means to an end, literally, but it can also be used "offensively" to wear your opponent down. If you force them to expend a lot of energy to try and shove a lot of weight (remember that 20kg weight disadvantage?) off their chest, it's going to exhaust them quicker than they'd like. Especially when you've already done damage to their mid-section, it's very clever. 

A bearhug puts the squeeze on Shingo but he boxes Cobb's ears to get out. He hooks the much larger man as if he's going to try and suplex him but his body gives in at the last moment, so Cobb fucking effortlessly pulls Shingo up and around for a vertical suplex. Magnificent. 

I'm convinced he could do this in his sleep. NJPW

 Stopping Cobb with a back elbow after he rebounds off the ropes, Shingo starts to get some momentum back, catching him with a shot under the jaw and a lariat. Cobb comes back with with shots of his own but when he tries for a lariat, Shingo ducks and grabs him by the waist, trying for a back suplex from a standing position but can't muscle him up. Instead, he maintains his position and charges forward, rebounding both them off the ropes and using that extra momentum to take Cobb up and over! 

Feeling energized from taking Cobb down, he climbs to the apron and meets his challenger, pulling him to his feet and attempting to get him on his shoulder for a Death Valley Driver, but Cobb holds the ropes and drops back to the apron. Shoving Shingo to the corner, he sits him on the top rope and grabs him in the crucifix position, sidestepping along the apron until he reaches the middle and setting up for a massive Razor's Edge. 

Thankfully, Shingo slips free and shoves Cobb to the floor, The Dragon rebounding off the ropes and flying over the top to crush Cobb beneath him. Back in the ring now, Takagi keeps the pressure on with a big DDT, quickly climbing the corner to drop a falling back elbow on Cobb, pressing the point of his elbow into his chest for a pinfall, but no dice. Takagi is sent into the corner as Cobb charges in, only to eat the double boots of the champion. Takagi charges out and tries to capitalize on the stunned Cobb, but he plays right into the monsters hands, picking him up and taking him around with a spin cycle. 

Different kind of spin cycle to the one I'm used to seeing. NJPW

These are the kind of power moves that really blow my mind. Think about it; 220 pounds comes charging at you and you not only have to pick it up, but stop it's momentum, then twisting it around and back the direction it came. Sure, they're working together here (kayfabe dude!) but it still requires an unnatural kind of strength. Cobb is unnatural strength personified.  

 After Shingo goes to the corner for respite, Cobb splashes him and grabs him up for a gutwrench suplex, but maintains the grip after landing. He twists around with his hand still locked, rising to his feet and pulling Takagi up with him, holding him deadweight as he goes for a second gutwrench suplex and still, he maintains the grip. This transition is a bit clunkier so he opts for a powerbomb instead, but Takagi fights out with a hurricanrana. With Cobb stumbling to his feet, Takagi tries for the Noshigami, his version of the Gory Special, but Cobbs stays planted and pulls Takagi up off his feet and into the crucifix position again. Holding him on his shoulders, he pops Shingo up above his head before drilling him back down to earth with a disgusting sit out powerbomb, but it's still not good enough for the three. 

Fending off Cobb after getting shot into the ropes, Takagi is able to snatch Cobb up onto his shoulder and lands the Death Valley Driver! It's a huge piece of offence this deep into the match, but Takagi isn't able to capitalize on it. He soaks up the energy of the crowd and crushes Cobb in the corner with a lariat. Somehow, he's able to muscle him to the top rope and does the impossible, superplexing him from the top rope. Good lord. 

As if that wasn't crazy enough, he's somehow able to grab Cobb by the legs as he crawls to the ropes, pulling him up and taking him over with a fucking wheelbarrow suplex! How? With Cobb seated, Shingo goes for a sliding lariat but gets caught on impact. Holding his arm, Cobb rises to his feet and pulls Shingo up with him, giving him his moneys worth with a big T-bone suplex. But The Dragon still has some fight in him! He rises to his feet and takes Cobb over with another suplex! 

They meet in the middle on their hands and knees, going strike for strike. They start with headbutts, rising to slaps, until finally standing with forearms. They stagger near the end of the exchange, with Shingo landing a punch after some distance is created and Cobb shooting off a superkick. Shingo comes in with a big lariat that staggers Cobb but drops Shingo from the momentum, with Cobb capitalizing on his opponents misstep as he grabs him by the waist, ripping him up with a german suplex. But Shingo rolls to his feet after the impact! He catches himself against the ropes and takes off with a lariat that drops Cobb and sends Takagi rolling to the floor. 

Bit of tit for tat. NJPW

In what may be a bad decision for Shingo "Icarus" Takagi, his offence has sent him outside and exhaustion is keeping him out there far too long. Sure, he can't lose the title on a count out, but you want to beat him in the centre of the ring, right champ? Takagi barely slides in before the 20 count, but pays for it dearly, getting drilled with a disgusting Gonzo Bomb as soon as he crosses the ropes. Cobb folds Takagi for the cover but it's somehow only a two. 

Sensing the end is near, Cobb shoots Takagi off the ropes for Tour of the Islands, but Takagi collapses once he's sent on his own. Cobb opts for the standing variant of Tour, but Shingo gets out, coming off the ropes of his own accord and chop blocking Cobb in the back of the left knee as he does so. The big man collapses instantly, stumbling around as Shingo seizes, landing a Dragon Screw before pulling him in with a pumphandle, drilling Cobb with Made In Japan! Cobb is able to get out before three, but the damage has been done. The redwood is on a shaky foundation. 

An expedited tour. NJPW

 

Cobb is able to snatch Shingo as he rebounds off the ropes with a snap german suplex, pulling him back to his feet before sending him into the ropes again for Tour of the Islands and lands it! What a sick fucking move. The second he does land it, however, he snatches his left knee in agony, the impact of landing on it after Shingo did his damage was too much to bear. He struggles to Takagi for the cover, but Shingo’s foot flops onto the bottom rope, so Cobb grabs both legs and lays down on the chest of the champ, but it's still only a two count! What is it going to take?!

Being the freak he is, Cobb answers that question by pulling Takagi off the apron by his hair and pulling him to the corner. As Cobb climbs to the second rope, he defecit deadlifts another human being to the top rope. I don't care if they're working together, what the actual fuck is Cobb made of. It's not enough to superplex The Dragon, as Shingo fights out and climbs back inside the ring, pulling Cobb down with a huge powerbomb that shakes the ring. 

Cobb goes for Tour of the Islands again but Shingo holds the hair of Cobb to block the move. Frustrated, Cobb changes tactics and instead hits a moonsault fallaway slam, going back with Shingo as he springs to his feet. He pulls Shingo to his feet and shoots him into the ropes, going for a lariat but the champ had the same idea. They exchange lariats until Shingo takes Cobb off his feet with a powerslam of sorts. The champ rises to his feet, fuelled by the energy of the fans, hitting the ropes twice to turn Cobb inside out with a Pumping Bomber lariat. Completely insane. 

With Cobb barely able to stand, Shingo grabs Cobb with a pumphandle and pulls him off the canvas with a modified version of Made in Japan, Last of the Dragons, covering him for the decisive three. 

An extinction level move. NJPW

Man, there's nothing I love more than two big dudes just going at it, throwing bombs and tossing each other around like it's nothing. This match absolutely filled that role and ticked every box for me. Shingo needing to be a bit more tactical and smart to fend off the powerful Cobb worked perfectly, with Cobb able to sneak in some power moves when the opening presented itself. Everything in this match mattered and both guys wanted to put on a classic tonight and it showed. Fantastic work from both.

And that does it! Another review in the books. I'm trying to find a balance right now between reviewing stuff I want to watch and enjoy and not reviewing the same wrestlers too often. I know it's going to be a struggle with how I select my matches, but I do want to keep exploring the wider world of wrestling and really see what's out there. If you want to keep going on that journey with me, I'm more than happy to have you come along.

Any advice? Matches you want me to check out? Literally anything you want to tell me? You know where to send it; cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com

Until next week friends, take it easy.

Cliff Morgan