Welp, the some of the stock buttons on my years old MadCatz broke. And here I thought I was just having execution problems or just missing the cancel window because I was a noob.
It's the cheaper version of the old Fight Stick (the SE), so I'm thinking I'll just replace all the buttons and the joystick. I've always wanted to. Maybe I'll get another stick sometime later. Dunno, but I'll probably have to think about a PS4 stick sometime.