I Spent Twenty Plus Years Seeking Knowledge Of Self

John Cena VS Dolph Ziggler - WWE Money In The Bank Briefcase Ladder Match 12/16/2012

CJD: I'm so so curious if you've seen this match before. I'm half expecting you to tell me we've watched it together, or that you've at least seen it with the gang. But on the off chance you haven't, this was my favorite of a couple of different options I considered for Cena. Big Match John was always so good at slaying monsters, but I love when he wrestles like a bit of a monster himself against more athletic opponents. This is my favorite era of Dolph's career, even though the angles surrounding this match don't add much for me. What these two guys did with this ladder match though does a hell of a lot for me! This was physical, dramatic, and made great use of every minute it got. It's amazing how varied Cena's career was when you dig into it. I'm really glad you steered us this way to sync up with his recent retirement.

JJZ: Babycakes! Yes I have seen this match. Not gonna lie, I only remembered two things. The finish and Cena getting busted around the eye. So this was pretty much getting to see it with fresh eyes. Dolph has always been someone I liked. I always dug his wild selling and body flailing offense. Cena and Ziggler used the ladder very economically which was a nice change of pace since most ladder matches do everything and anything with the ladder. Shout out to my favorite ladder match which also had Dolph in it. Him vs Luke Harper. You said this was dramatic and that is the best way to sum this match up, obviously this feud wasn't over after this match. Would love to watch more. I know Dolph was the heel but he always worked from under which gives you a different version of John Cena to watch. Great stuff.

Forever Forward Fridays

Sabian (c) VS LuFisto - CZW Junior Heavyweight Championship 12/8/2007

CJD: We've played forward intergender LuFisto matches before. We've played forward LuFisto matches that get extreme before. But I don't think we've played forward a LuFisto match quite like this before! This gets complicated and problematic, clearly on commentary, but also at times in the ring. This match is also freaking awesome. Do we watch it with 2026 lenses and omit it from our forward thinking Fridays? If that's your vote, I'll scratch this one and pick a different match. But I think we owe this moment in pro wrestling history its due, warts and all. Everyone came to play in this match and they took the crowd on a ride. I am glad I watched it and I'm glad LuFisto has it up for you to watch some classic CZW balderdash baby cakes!! Prepare to enter the combat zone!!

JJZ: Play It Forward has made me a fan of a lot of wrestlers but maybe none more than LuFisto. You were so right, this commentary does not age well at all. As far as the match itself, it's fantastic. Sabian plays such a good shitty little heel. I'm genuinely rooting for Lufisto to lay some shit in. When she dumped Sabian on his head I let out a "fuck yeah!" Can you imagine if LuFisto was in her prime in 2026? She was so ahead of her time. That chair shot was fucking brutal. That stomp was crazy. Good shit!

Forever Forward Fridays

Vita VonStarr VS LuFisto - CCW 2/19/2022

JJZ: Shout out to the women in the front row with the Iverson jersey. LuFisto. Without doing any research I'd say she is one of our top FFF Champions. And for good reason. The Wounded Owl seems to always deliver such quality wrestling matches in every promotion. Her polish really shines on these independent shows. I love that we got to showcase Vita in two different types of matches. In this Capital Championship Wrestling match she really displayed her athleticism and her fancy footwork. Got a classic indy feel between  Lufisto and VonStarr. I always enjoy a vet versus a rising young up and comer.

CJD: Classic indie feel to this match indeed. I really liked the way little things Vita did had to be built up to and earned that much more against a force like LuFisto. The Wounded Owl Ronin is such a bright spot every time we feature her, and is definitely on my short list of most underrated all-time. I did think the last little stretch of this could have used one more twist or turn, but that also speaks to how much I was enjoying where the match was taking me. This was two very different sides of VonStarr in the best way possible, and similarly I'm going to try to find something a little different for LuFisto since we've already featured her in so many different settings. Great way to start my Friday with this bout!

I Am Alive And Not A Second To Waste

John Cena VS AJ Styles - WWE 10/11/2025

JJZ: You know I've been on a huge John Cena kick with his recent retirement. So when I saw you Played Forward a Styles match to me I couldn't wait to play back to you what is my 2025 match of the year. A lot of people have different opinions about Cena's retirement tour and mine is that I liked it. It wasn't perfect but I very much doubt anyone can hit all homeruns for a year straight. I loved John and AJ's feud on a whole. All of their matches were great and we've watched a few of them together. I think Styles really brought out a better wrestler in Cena. First off here, the fucking crowd. Dude, incredible. The fans really showed up and out for Cena the entire year. No one knew that Cena was gonna give the ring announcer a special introduction for AJ. Not even her. In an interview I listened to Cena said he did it because he just wanted to do something nice for his guy. I loved how simple yet sweet that was. The match itself is a love letter to Cena's biggest WWE rivals and Styles' TNA rivals. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

CJD: I enjoyed this match. I think it's safe to say you enjoyed it more than me. But as I was saying to you on the phone, this is just a little more up your alley than mine. And it's great that wrestling can be different things for different people in that way. Especially this kind of match with all its pomp and circumstance, the unique crowd, an all time career coming to an end, the final chapter of a great feud. Or maybe more of an epilogue. The intros and first 10 minutes gave me chills. The love letter to their greatest rivals, for me, was a bit too tongue in cheek. I can't argue with the reaction it got, and the commentators did a fantastic job with a tough hand dealt to them balancing between a tribute routine and a great match. I will say that it was a bit like a joke that you don't think is funny, but then gets dragged on for such a ridiculous amount of time, you can't help but laugh. I was in on the joke too by the end, whether I wanted to be or not. This was a feel good match that did so much right, that I'll gladly say "different strokes for different folks" for the stuff I didn't love. I'm always game to Beat Up John Cena one more time, and I'm happy you got me to sit down to this one. Oh and this was a fun crossover choice for the episode of PLUR1BUS I just watched! Not going to spoil more than I already have with that!