All Tapped Out (December 2025)

December is over, as is the ungodly shit stain that was 2025. And what a cold, bland month it was. Literally it seemed to never stop snowing since the month began. I'm already ready to tap out of this winter and we're just getting started. So what did I collect and what piqued my interest in 2025's last month? Let's pump out about a thousand words and get it done.

It was a busy month for wrestling for both WWE and AEW. WWE's month culminated in John Cena's final match at Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13th. The finale of a 25 year career that ended with a whimper. A perfect encapsulation of John Cena's final year in general. Cena faced Gunther in Cena's final match. Gunther earning his shot in a month-long "The Last Time is Now" tournament that extremely underwhelmed. Gunther winning wasn't bad in its own right, it's just that him feeling like the only viable choice in a super lackluster tournament didn't exactly make me go "Oh this is how John Cena's final match should be booked". More "Oh, they really burned the clock so this is going to underwhelm no matter how hard they try." 

And underwhelm it did as while the match was great, the final moments are what sealed the deal in it being a colossal dud. John Cena, trapped forever in Gunther's sleeper hold, smiles to the camera and gives the lightest tap out in wrestling history. The man who built a career on "Never Give Up" easily gives up. It was an outcome that pissed off the fans, who mainly took it out on Triple H, which good, the bald fraud deserves heat for a lot of dumb shit last year, but bungling the retirement year of their biggest star is chief among them. Thank god they didn't do this show in Boston, there may have honestly been a riot. The WWE are clearly trying to reheat Gunther, which is working somewhat given the nuclear heat he's gotten for his arrogant gloating about making Cena "tap out like a little bitch", but to me this all would have been so much better had the company, you know, not made him tap out to Jey Uso earlier in the year. 

Over on AEW, we got a hell of a Continental Classic this year with a month of some of the best matches on TV you'll get anywhere. Okada vs Kyle Fletcher, Kyle Fletcher vs Speedball Mike Bailey, Konosuke Takeshita vs Claudio Castagnoli and so much more. Perhaps the rendition of the tournament with the most consistently high match quality. All to lead us to World's End where the semis and finals were fine, but I felt the results didn't satisfy me. Especially Okada/Takeshita. I get why the choice was made to go with a screwy finish (literally with a screwdriver) but I hate the idea that what could have been an amazing match was nothing more than just an advertisement for a bigger match down the line. Which would be fine if it was Dynamite or Collision, not a PPV you paid money for. Moxley winning the whole thing doesn't bother me, though I'd have gone with Fletcher or Takeshita. They're clearly building to a Mox face turn and inevitable Death Rider revolt, which at least unlike Okada/Takeshita feels less frustrating that it's all stuff to build on for a later date. MJF regained the AEW World Title and I'm already disinterested as I feel his shtick has been more lackluster in the last year or so. Hopefully the run itself is good because I'm not fully feeling it. I did ask for the fireworks factory of him cashing in and winning it, so who am I to complain about buyer's remorse on the deal?

I also got my hands on a Swerve Strickland figure. Haven't gotten many new AEW figures in a while, but I do plan to get back on track. Not my first Swerve figure either mind you as I do have a WWE figure from his woeful era as Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. But having two is still neat enough. Christmas was mostly money as usual, so I mainly got some cards and picked up a few Switch games on Sale. Those being Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Hades II and Red Dead Redemption. Haven't gotten into them yet, mainly still messing around with WWE 2K25 as it begins its death spiral before 2K26's release in a few months (Hopefully no Switch 2 delay). 

I also got an Amazon card for Christmas which spotted me enough to nab some Simpsons figures. Namely Milhouse and Lenny. I'm looking for a Carl figure because you can't have Lenny without Carl, but nabbing a Milhouse was still cool regardless. 

Tape finds were fine this month. Not as massive as months before, but still found a few things. Most notable ones being Treasure Planet and Fantasia 2000, as well as a classic era Mary Poppins tape. Not one of the earliest, but in great shape for an older copy. Found Scrooged and a working E.T. copy, but the most interesting thing for me as finding the Rambo Trilogy VHS set. Never saw the Rambo movies, and I'm not much of a Stallone fan, especially now, but I'm willing to finally give them a watch in January. As it pertains to Disney tapes I'm down to a handful of notable animated movies to get copies of. Stuff like Saludos Amigos, Make Mine Music, Three Caballeros, Pete's Dragon and Nightmare Before Christmas are ones I'm aiming for. I also, for no real reason, want a Beetlejuice VHS copy. The cardboard version not the later clamshell.

NES gets were decent at best. Not a month of finds, but I did get some stuff. With Canada Post running again I could finally take advantage of eBay once more. And with it were a few nabs. Zoda's Revenge, the sequel to StarTropics, Yo Noid, which I honestly consider underrated. Like not a perfect game, but better than expected. And Mega Man 2, 3 and 4. Like I said last month, I'm going cheapest to most expensive. Planning on 6 next, while still trying to find a good condition copy of Mega Man 1. Mega Man 5 will be the last because my god it is unjustifiably expensive. 

As for non-eBay finds, it boiled down to December 31st sale finds. A CIB copy of Goonies II, Cobra Triangle, Skate or Die, Battletoads, and A Nightmare on Elm Street, which I accidentally tore the back label on thanks to the poor placement of the price sticker. It's fine as I'm more concerned on the front label's shape over the back's. And I can probably get a replacement sticker. I like Elm Street, but don't love it. One of the few LJN games that actually plays fine. Rare actually tried with it. Though the original version that we never got is one I wish we had the chance to try. I have never beaten Battletoads. Maybe this will be the time to finally succeed? I doubt it. That game always feels like my challenge barrier. 

And that's mostly been my December. I got a lot done for the blog this month. I have plans for January, namely getting my remaining drafts done and books I promised to get done finally getting done. Been reading through a lot of Baby-sitters Club and that will still be a priority blog throughout 2026 as it fits with the 40th anniversary of the series in general. I hope to also get a few more games to keep building collections, even outside of the NES. No AEW PPV in January, so hopefully the TV makes up for it. And WWE has the Royal Rumble... in Saudi Arabia... I hat that this might be the one I have to skip watching live, but I also hate supporting WWE's propaganda. So we'll see if it's worth even discussing next month. Until then, hope to see you in a month's time for another update.