5 Ups And 4 Downs From WCPW Stacked

By Scott Fried / September 5, 2016

This past Saturday, WhatCulture Pro Wrestling presented its grandest show yet - the appropriately-named WCPW Stacked. With a slate of huge matches that were guaranteed to deliver, as well as the promise of some new huge names in the company, Stacked looked like a must-see card.

In the end, Stacked delivered, but it was missing something. The in-ring work was by and large great, with Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay delivering yet another classic in their long-running war, Joe Coffey and Moose throwing everything at each other, and Bea Priestley and Nixon Newell having a weapon-filled battle to determine the first-ever WCPW Women's Champion.

Unfortunately, there were places where even great talent couldn't compete with some questionable booking. From stupid spots to awkward timing decisions to a completely baffling main event finish, the show suffered in ways that, for the most part, had nothing to do with the wrestlers.

This isn't to say Stacked wasn't very good - in a market where great wrestling is at everyone's fingertips and promotions need to do more and more to justify their value, Stacked was definitely worth watching. It's just that a more long-term approach to decision-making (which, admittedly, can be hard for an independent promotion) would have served the show well.

Here are 5 ups and 4 downs from WCPW Stacked:

9. Up - Clash Of The Titans

Stacked opened with a match pitting one of WCPW's most athletic strongmen, "Iron Man" Joe Coffey, against former Ring of Honor and current TNA star Moose. That meant that two very large, very powerful men - both of whom are capable of acrobatics that defy their size - would be going one on one. To up the ante, both men use a discus lariat as a signature move.

The bout didn't disappoint. Moose took the early advantage, sending Coffey to the outside and using a giant swing to slam him in into the guardrail. Coffey turned the tide, though, backdropping Moose out into the crowd and then hitting him with a crossbody over the guardrail.

Back inside, both men traded hard-hitting moves. Moose hit a huge dropkick, but due to damage to his back, Coffey couldn't get Moose up for the giant swing. He did hit a superplex, but Moose no-sold it and came back with a spear for two. Likewise, when Coffey was perched on the top turnbuckle and Moose tried to dropkick him off, "Iron Man" held on and hit a missile dropkick.

Coffey managed to hit his discus lariat, but Moose kicked out at two. In the end, Moose retaliated with one of his own, putting the Scottish star down for the three count.