Joseph and Colette Discuss Cactus Jack vs. Vader
Joseph and Colette agree to disagree and then find themselves agreeing on this WCW classic's place in history.
BIG EGG turned three a couple of days ago — November 2, if you want to start from the publication of Joseph's essay about the WrestleMania 13 Submission Match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin. This is the 72nd match we've covered in this format since launch, and between the rest of Horror Month and what we've got planned for the cycle that follows, both of us are extremely excited for the future of the blog. Whether you're a new or longtime reader, whether you're a free or paid subscriber, thanks for reading.
If you're not a paying subscriber, or if you've let your sub lapse, please consider hopping on board! This month, we're offering a one-year subscription to BIG EGG for $50, a $20 discount. That will get you access to all 117 members only posts — all 72 BIG EGG MASTERLIST conversations, 118 Monday Nitro match reviews and counting, EXTRA BIG EGG bonus write-ups by me, and 2022-2023 Best of the Month columns from Joseph, for y'all completionists out there. What's next behind the paywall? Well, the 288-sided die is compelling me to watch episode 236 of WCW Monday Nitro, headlined by Hulk Hogan and The Wall, and I'm in the middle of writing up the rest of the Cactus Jack vs. Vader feud. A veritable feast of World Championship Wrestling at its best and its absolute best.
But before we get to that, there's this week's MASTERLIST to attend to. Vader. Cactus Jack. There's a half star between where Joseph and I landed on this match, and neither of us budge from our position as the conversation wears on. Where does that leave us when we try to synthesize our opinions into one cohesive list of pro wrestling as ranked from first to worst? The answer may surprise you.
Up Next: Horror month would be incomplete without one of the W*ING Monster Army ghouls, and a trip to the Japanese indie deathmatch scene of the 1990s means we have a chance to catch up with Terry Funk. out on the very frontier of this great sport. From IWA Japan, it's Terry Funk vs. Leatherface in a steel cage!
Colette Arrand
Joseph Montecillo
I don't know if it speaks to where I am in fandom or the nature of this match but I actually found this match uniquely challenging to write about. There's a certain genre of matches where I just kinda shrug and go, "Hell yeah." I climbed out of that by watching their whole series in a day, and you seemed to have a lot more familiarity with it than myself. Did you know this feud and match well going into this?
Joseph Montecillo
Colette Arrand
Oh yeah, dude, this feud has been in my blood for a long time. It’s come up a lot on this blog, but I was obsessed with Mick Foley when I was a kid, one of the mythical millions who switched to Raw on 1/4 and saw Mankind win the WWF title instead of the Finger Poke of Doom when Tony Schiavone dropped the spoiler earlier that night on Nitro, and the stars aligned in such a way to make that obsession take hold. When his first autobiography came out in 1999, I was a day one reader, and the chapters about his pre-WWF career captivated me, but I didn’t find my way to tape trading or dirt sheets or forums replete with megaupload links until later, so my knowledge filled itself in strangely: the Pioneer Best of Cactus Jack in ECW tape, a copy of ICP’s Stranglemania a friend let me borrow.
Colette Arrand