Ring Of Honor
Date: June 9, 2026
Location: Propst Arena, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Here we have a bonus episode of the show, which can go in a bunch of ways. The show wasn’t announced (at least in any meaningful way) so I have no idea what to expect. If nothing else, we have Global Wars coming up next week so maybe we’ll get a preview of what will happen on the special. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Dralistico/Lethal Twist vs. Dalton Castle/Adam Priest/Outrunners

Castle talks about freeze dried astronaut food because…well he’s a bit strange at times. Lethal and Castle start things off with Castle backing him into the corner but getting shoved away. A clothesline puts Lethal down and it’s off to Christian, who is thrown down in a hurry. Magnum comes in for an exchange of armdrags but Christian dropkicks him down and mocks the spin.

It’s off to Floyd for a double belly to back suplex before Priest comes in. That’s fine with the villains, who quickly strike him into the corner with Johnson throwing in some mocking kicks. Priest fights back and fires off some right hands of his own but Lethal cuts off Castle with a belt shot. The distraction causes Priest to be sent back into the corner and Dralistico’s running basement dropkick gets two.

Priest tries to fight all four of them off at once and gets caught in the Figure Four for his efforts. The Outrunners come in for the save and the diving tag brings in Castle. House is quickly cleaned but Dralistico counters the Bang A Rang into a rollup for two. We hit the parade of knockdowns but the villains have to save Dralistico from the Mega Powers Elbow. Everything breaks down again and Priest is left to slug it out with Priest. A running crucifix driver gives Dralistico two but Priest is back with a piledriver for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: B-. Nice choice for an opener here, with another fast paced match that let Priest get some shine on his own. It’s a rather weird way to go as neither of these sides are particularly feuding at the moment, but the Twists going after the Trios Titles makes perfect sense. Dralistico is just kind of there, but I guess this is better than going for the title match right off the bat.

We look at Shane Taylor attacking Wheeler Yuta on Collision to set up their match this week on Dynamite.

Trish Adora vs. Queen Aminata

Shane Taylor Promotions are here with Adora, who works on an armbar to start. Aminata is right back out of that with a bit of wiggling and Adora isn’t pleased. The hips to the face make it worse for Adora so she pulls Aminata down by the hair. A backsplash sends Aminata outside and she gets whipped into the barricade. Back in and Adora cranks on both arms, followed by that weird over the leg stretch that she often does. Aminata fights up with some forearms and a Sling Blade to put them both down.

One heck of a running boot connects with Adora in the corner but she’s right back with a boot to the face. A ripcord Lariat Tubman drops Aminata out of nowhere but she can’t cover. Instead they slug it out from the mat, with Aminata getting up for a sneer. Aminata headbutts her into the corner and a running knee finishes Adora off at 9:00.

Rating: B-. These two beat each other up rather well with Aminata getting ticked off to win in the end. That was a good way to go and that’s something Aminata could use going into her chance at the TBS Title. It’s a fairly cold match but they were slugging it out here and it was a good way to go.

IInspiration vs. Harley Cameron/Mina Shirakawa

Cameron knocks Lee into the corner to start and it’s off to McKay to grab the hair. A Sling Blade gets Cameron out of trouble and she slides down for a kick to the head. Shirakawa comes in and avoids a kick to the head, meaning it’s time for the four way chest shake off. Cameron and Shirakawa clear the ring as Riccaboni talks about being a married man for what I’m sure are innocent reasons.

Back in and the IInspiration take Cameron down and strike their pose, with Lee grabbing a chinlock. Cameron fights up and brings Shirakawa back in and everything breaks down. A double slam off the top brings Cameron crashing down but she trade rollups for two each with McKay. Something like a Widow’s Peak gets two on Cameron but Shirakawa flips Lee and McKay down. The spinning backfist into That’s Her Finisher finishes Lee at 8:08.

Rating: C+. This was a comedy match that wound up being fine, with the big shaking thing being the thing you knew was going to happen at some point. Shirakawa and Cameron don’t really have anything else to do besides team with each other so why not. On the other hand you have the IInspiration, who are some of the most “oh yeah they’re here too”, as somehow there is nothing for them to do at the moment. I’m not sure how, but this match was the norm for them.

Caprice Coleman sits down with AR Fox, who talks about how his match for the TV Title felt different. He’s been doing this for a long time and he’s finally getting the success. Wrestling is all he’s been doing for more than half of his life and he’s having issues not getting emotional. Fox has seen people doing things he invented, even long sequences of them, and it makes him excited to see it on a bigger stage. Back to the title match, he was stunned that he won the title and he was so excited that he didn’t break down.

Fox starts crying because he’s never gotten this kind of a chance. Since he won the title, all kinds of wrestlers have talked to him about what an inspiration he has been. Naturally the first person he called when he won the title was his mother, who knows what he’s doing every day. It’s going to take a lot to get the title off of him and he wants to show what he can do. This was really, really good and it’s very interesting to see Fox finally getting his chance after all this time. It’s working too.

Lio Rush has an umbrella and says it’s fine because he knows. It’s always been him. The rain (I think) is coming. The black goo coming out of his mouth took me out of this a bit.

Beef vs. Action Andretti

Andretti won’t shake hands to start so he goes with a wristlock instead. Beef reverses into one of his own and does his own posing, much to the fans’ delight. They go to a crisscross and Beef needs to pause for a breather. Andretti stomps him down in the corner and a springboard corkscrew splash gets two. A handspring Stunner gets two more but Beef cartwheels away and hits a dropkick. Back up and Beef snaps off the right hands before a running bulldog gets two. Andretti crotches him on top though and the torture rack neckbreaker finishes Beef at 5:56.

Rating: C. Beef is one of those guys who is put out there every so often to a nice reaction and then loses every time. That’s perfectly fine, but it doesn’t make for the most dramatic matches. Andretti is someone else who has nothing going on and hopefully he finds something that doesn’t involve a weird feud with Lio Rush and his Cru goo.

And now, a music video from Dalton Castle and the Outrunners (I knew that was an awesome band name) called Shortage Of Love. Think of something that is very 80s and then make it even more 80s.

Viva Van says she wasn’t ready when she faced Deonna Purrazzo before but now things have changed. She respects what Purrazzo has done but this division has changed and so has Van.

Women’s Pure Wrestling Title: Viva Van vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending under Pure Rules. They fight over hammerlocks to start with Van not being able to get very far. A cross armbreaker attempt is broken up and they get to a standoff. Purrazzo pulls her into an armbar and slaps on the Fujiwara armbar, sending Van over to the ropes for the first time. Back up and Van hits a rolling kick to the head before starting in on the leg.

Purrazzo goes right back to the arm but gets kicked in the head again for two more. Van’s springboard…something (commentary said forearm so we’ll go with that) gets two and she’s right back to Purrazzo’s leg. A stretch muffler sends Purrazzo over to the rope and they kick each other down. Another Fujiwara armbar is countered into a rollup to give Van two but Purrazzo escapes an electric chair. A powerbomb sets up Venus de Milo to make Van tap at 8:42.

Rating: B-. This was a fine title defense for Purrazzo and I’ll take that over going months and months without getting a shot. Purrazzo feels basically unbeatable in these things anyway so it’s not like anyone is going to feel like a threat. If nothing else, Van getting to showcase herself more is a good thing, as the division could use some fresh blood.

TV Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Angelico vs. Ace Austin vs. AR Fox

Fox is defending and flips onto Angelico and Guevara to start fast. A slingshot hilo hits Guevara and Fox adds a big dive over the top to the floor. The flipping double stomp hits Angelico on the apron, leaving Guevara to whip Austin into the barricade. Guevara gets a running start to run around the ring and poke Angelico into the eyes. Fox is back to take Guevara down and everyone goes inside for a strike off.

Angelico and Guevara are sent outside so Austin drops a leg on Fox, with Guevara running back inside for the save. Guevara goes up top but drops down to poke Fox in the eyes instead (it was better when he did the same idea the first time). Angelico tries his double submission but gets jumped by Guevara to break it up.

Austin is back up with a double fireman’s carry to Angelico and Guevara, so of course he throws in some squats. With Austin and Fox on the floor, Angelico ties up Guevara’s leg until Fox makes a diving save. Austin’s spinning faceplant gets two on Fox but here is Dralistico to distract Austin, allowing Guevara to hit a superkick. Cue Lio Rush to chase Guevara into the crowd so Fox small packages Angelico to retain at 10:21.

Rating: B-. This was pretty much a sprint from start to finish and it was nice to see Fox getting a main event slot. It was an interesting choice of challengers, as Angelico is technically sound but mainly a low level tag wrestler. Guevara is the same person he’s been for the better part of ever and that isn’t going to make him a singles champion. Finally you have Austin and can AEW/ROH PLEASE find something important for him already? He’s been on a roll lately and stands out. Do something with him.

Overall Rating: B. For a seemingly unadvertised show with a lot of random matches, this was perfectly good, with a shorter than recently average run time. That’s a fine way to go, though it’s going to make the regular show this week feel all the longer. I do like that they made this show feel more important just by having some title matches included, as it’s an improvement over some of these specials. Throw in the rather awesome music video (it’s that 80s) and this was a good show.

Results
Dalton Castle/Adam Priest/Outrunners b. Dralistico/Lethal Twist – Piledriver to Dralistico
Queen Aminata b. Trish Adora – Running knee
Mina Shirakawa/Harley Cameron b. IInspiration – That’s Her Finisher to Lee
Action Andretti b. Beef – Torture rack neckbreaker
Deonna Purrazzo b. Viva Van – Venus de Milo
AR Fox b. Angelico, Sammy Guevara and Ace Austin – Small package to Angelico

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: June 9, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re less than three weeks away from the Great American Bash and you can see some of the card starting to come together. The big story here would seem to be Naraku coming for Tony D’Angelo’s NXT Title, which has gotten some time to build. As for this week, we’ll be finding out who is next in line for Lola Vice’s NXT Title. Oh and it’s the Mr. NXT pageant, which is going to be…something. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Fraxiom vs. Noam Dar/Romeo Moreno

Dar and Axiom go technical to start with Axiom rolling out of an ankle lock. Back up and they both block kicks before Axiom hits a quick dropkick. It’s off to Frazer to flip over Moreno, who backs him into the ropes. Axiom is back in to help double team Dar down, with a basement DDT sending him outside. Moreno makes a save and hits a nice springboard dive to the floor. Dar hits a dive of his own and we take a break.

We come back with Moreno getting the tag and fighting back to clean house. It’s right back to Dar, who gets missile dropkicked down for two. Dar and Moreno both get ankle locks, both of which are broken up. Frazer superplexes Moreno, who rolls him right into a small package for two more. A double slam gets two on Frazer but a double superkick puts Dar down. Frazer takes Moreno down and it’s the Golden Ratio into the Phoenix splash to pin Moreno at 13:17.

Rating: B. This was the cruiserweight/all over the place high flying match that is often a great way to start a show. Fraxiom are much bigger deals around here and it’s always fun to have some NXT legends come back for a cameo. At the same time, Moreno’s losing continues, though at least his latest loss came in a good match.

Post match, respect is shown.

Wren Sinclair wants to defend her Women’s Speed Title, injury or not. Kendal Grey wishes her well as she leaves and Lola Vice comes in to wish Grey good luck. Grey doesn’t seem interested and will go after Vice after she beats Kelani Jordan tonight.

And now (oh dear) the Mr. NXT pageant between Tristan Angels and Shiloh Hill. There will be three rounds: talent, attire and public speaking, with a trio of judges. The judges are Evolve Champion Aaron Rourke, Kit Wilson, and comedian Matt Matthews. First up is attire, with formal wear, casual wear and swimwear.

Angels goes first and we get a montage of his gear, with Rourke’s jaw having to be closed at the Union Jack speedo. Hill gets his own montage and wears swimming trunks and flippers with a snorkel mask. Matthews goes with Hill (who gave him a beach ball) but the other two go with Angels. Rounds two and three coming up later.

Mason Rook vs. Naraku

For the NXT Title shot at the Great American Bash. Rook powers him into the corner to start before winning an exchange of shoulders. A backsplash gives Rook two but he misses a charge into the corner and gets slammed as we take a break. We come back with Rook hitting a super powerslam for two, followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for the same. Naraku comes back with a fisherman’s suplex and jawbreaks his way out of a quick sleeper attempt. Rook flips him into the corner for a kind of cannonball but here is Kam Hendrix for a distraction. Naraku grabs Enter The Abyss for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: B-. This was a good showing from both and Rook is cleared away so we can move on to Naraku vs. Tony D’Angelo, which has been pretty clearly ready to go for a long time. That being said, it was nice to have Rook get in a strong performance. He needed to be able to hang in there with a bigger name and it worked well here.

Tavion Heights suggests he should get a North American Title shot at the Great American Bash and Myles Borne seems interested. The Vanity Project comes in, with Jackson Drake suggesting he get a title shot. Heights makes a #1 contenders match against Drake for the Bash title shot, which works for Borne. Quick and to the point here.

Tate Wilder talks about loving to take risks, especially around here. That’s quite the departure from his modern day cowboy deal in Evolve.

Kelani Jordan vs. Kendal Grey

For the Women’s Title shot at the Great American Bash and Grey has some mini mirrors on her arms, ala Shawn Michaels back in 1997. Jordan tries to jump her to start and gets armdragged into an armbar. They go to the mat with Grey working on the arm, only for the two of them to trade flips away. Jordan knocks her down for a running basement cross body but Grey is right back with a waistlock.

Grey is sent into the corner for a stomp to the ribs but pops up with a kick to the head. A headscissors sends Jordan out of the corner, only to come back with a running neck snap over the top. Jordan’s swinging neckbreaker on the floor keeps Grey in trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Grey breaking up a dive and a double clothesline leaving both of them down outside. Grey knocks her down again back inside and drops the straps for a bonus. A superkick looks to set up a wheelbarrow rollup but Jordan rolls to the side (that was nice) into a crossface.

That’s broken up so Grey goes up but gets superkicked out of the air. Jordan’s frog splash gets two before she has to block the cross armbreaker. The Haas Of Pain is reversed into an ankle lock, which Jordan reverses into a cradle for two instead. Back up and Shades Of Grey connects out of nowhere to give Grey the pin and the title shot at 13:05.

Rating: B. This was a nice, back and forth match with Grey getting a clean win. That’s a good thing to see as she feels like she could be a real threat to win the title. What matters the most is that NXT is at least giving her a chance to show what she can do. Jordan very well will likely get back into the title picture soon enough, but Grey is getting the chance she deserves.

It’s back to the pageant, with the talent competition. First up, Shiloh Hill solves a Rubic’s Cube rather quickly and then does some kind of a juggling deal with sticks (it’s rather flashy). Angels storms in to say he can do the Cube faster but can’t get anywhere (there’s a special way of turning the blocks or it just gets more complicated). Rourke says Angels has taken too long so Angels breaks the Cube. He starts juggling but Hill rides by on a unicycle and steals the balls, which is enough to win the round. I’ll give points to anyone who can ride a unicycle.

Tony D’Angelo respects Naraku but doesn’t get him. All that matters is that he’ll be facing Naraku at the Great American Bash. Naraku comes in, gives D’Angelo an envelope, and bows. D’Angelo opens the envelope, which has a card with the symbol for EVIL on the back (no word on what, if anything, is on the other side).

Jasper Troy vs. Dion Lennox

Darkstate comes through the regular entrance instead of through the crowd. Lennox gets shoved over the top and out to the floor, followed by a hard running shoulder from Troy back inside. Troy’s chokeslam is broken up though and Lennox goes after the leg to take over. Hold on though as Saquon Shuggars pops up on the screen though to say watch your back.

Troy uses the distraction to get in a backdrop out to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Troy getting choked on the ropes but fighting out of a chinlock. Troy drives him into the corner but Osiris Griffin offers a distraction to break up a Vader Bomb. A powerslam gives Lennox the pin at 8:10.

Rating: C+. This was fine, with Lennox getting a win to keep some of his momentum before his big showdown with Shuggars. Troy is someone big enough to look like a threat to Lennox before going down in defeat. It wasn’t exactly a shocking result, but sometimes that’s exactly the kind of match you need.

Post match Shuggars pops up on screen…and then jumps Griffin from behind with a pipe.

Earlier this week, Jaida Parker attacked Nattie during a training session.

It’s time for the final round of the pageant, with Angels and Hill having to speak about why they should be Mr. NXT. Angels brags about how great he is and mentions that it’s his birthday, as he should win over someone with “a smile like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle”. Hill talks about how he’s always different and trying to find out who he is. That’s what NXT is all about and that’s why he should be Mr. NXT.

It’s off to the judges, with Matthews voting for Hill, Wilson saying they’re both toxic and picking Angles, and Rourke saying it’s close…so the fans can pick his vote! We go to a fan poll and believe it or not, Hill wins! Angels erupts and beats up Hill with both his cane and a chair. Eh fair as that was kind of a judge going a bit screwy. This whole thing was about as expected and that’s fine, as I’ll take something unique and entertaining rather than the same stuff over and over as a means to set up a match.

Robert Stone congratulates Naraku on his win but asks what was in the envelope he gave Tony D’Angelo. Apparently it was an invitation but here is Keanu Carver for a quick staredown. Naraku leaves and Carver says he wants a fight, which Stone says he can have next week. Carver says he better get one, or he’ll decide his own opponent.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The Culling wants Izzy Dame to win the Women’s Speed Title, starting with a win in the tournament over Thea Hail.

Women’s North American Title: Zaria vs. Tatum Paxley

Paxley is defending and grabs a small package for two at the bell. Zaria is back up with a spear for two of her own and Paxley needs a breather. Zaria’s suplex toss sets up a German suplex into the corner but she misses a charge into the post. Paxley sends her into the steps and hits a moonsault to the floor but Zaria pops back up as we take a break.

We come back with Paxley hitting some running forearms and a running flipping Fameasser in the apron. Paxley blocks a spear and grabs a kind of rolling pumphandle slam. Zaria is back up with a spear for a double down before they forearm it out. Paxley gets caught going up top but kicks Zaria into the Tree Of Woe. A coast to coast connects for two but Cemetery Drive is broken up. Another spear misses though and Zaria crashes to the floor, only to come back in with another spear. The F5 gives Zaria the pin and the title at 10:47.

Rating: B-. Thank goodness. Not that Paxley lost, but that Zaria won. She had a terrible reputation for choking in the big matches and she couldn’t have handled another loss like this. Winning the title here makes Zaria feel like a much bigger deal and that’s what she has been needing. Good enough match too, but Zaria winning clean is what matters the most.

Overall Rating: B+. There was some good action here and they set up more than a few things for the Great American Bash. That’s what this show needed to be about and I liked what they put together here. It’s still not the best looking card in the world, but at least there is a card now rather and that is a lot better than things had been going. Plus it had a unicycle and that’s always a bonus.

Results
Fraxiom b. Romeo Moreno/Noam Dar – Phoenix splash to Dar
Naraku b. Mason Rook – Enter The Abyss
Kendal Grey b. Kelani Jordan – Shades Of Grey
Dion Lennox b. Jasper Troy – Powerslam
Zaria b. Tatum Paxley – F5

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: June 8, 2026
Location: Accor Arena, Paris, France
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re wrapping up the European run this week with another afternoon east coast show and that should make for an interesting show. If nothing else, the crowd should be more than fired up and hopefully they have the show to go along with them. Rey Mysterio is challenging for the Intercontinental Title so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We recap the first week of the King and Queen Of The Ring.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. Femi thanks the fans for their appreciation before moving on to Paul Heyman. The two of them don’t agree on much, but they do both believe in spoilers. Here’s a spoiler for you: Femi is going to run through the King Of The Ring and win the whole thing at Night Of Champions. He needs a crown to be the ruler but there is another trophy he wants as well: Brock Lesnar’s head.

Lesnar cheated to beat him and then ran off. Heyman refers to Lesnar as the Big Bad Beast but Femi sees him as the Big Bad B****. When Lesnar is back, Femi will settle the score, but here is Dominik Mysterio (Femi’s semifinal opponent) to interrupt. After the fans boo him out of the building, Mysterio says he is a 20 year veteran and wants Femi to bend the knee and respect the stache.

JD McDonagh sneaks in with a chair shot but Femi just turns and glares at him with a look of “boy you have screwed up”. Mysterio gets in a quick 619 but gets tossed down with a powerbomb, sending Judgment Day running. Femi: “We all know that Rey Mysterio is your father. Next week, I’m going to introduce you to your daddy.” With that great line out of the way, the villains bail.

We look back at Bron Breakker accidentally spearing Paul Heyman last week and then losing to Seth Rollins.

Seth Rollins talks about how the last time he was in Paris, he was the World Heavyweight Champion. Tonight it’s about the King Of The Ring and getting back the title that he never lost. Somewhere down the line, he has a date with Roman Reigns and Rollins is ready.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title and there is a massive HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIV banner in the crowd for a rather nice touch and Morgan seems happy. Morgan is so happy that she does outside to soak in some cheers as Green goes after Lynch. That earns Green a trip to the floor so Bliss misses some knees to Lynch. What looks to be an Oblivion attempt misses and Lynch baseball slides Morgan on the floor. Green dives onto Bliss and Morgan and the fans are rather pleased again. Lynch posts Green though and we take a break.

We come back with Bliss and Green cleaning house, with Bliss hitting the other two with a standing flip dive. Green gets knocked down though and Bliss splashes her for two. Bliss goes up but Bliss is there to catch her, only for Morgan to powerbomb Green down. Twisted Bliss breaks that up for two, with Lynch making a save of her own. Back up and Oblivion is countered into Twisted Bliss for two with Lynch making another save. The Manhandle Slam drops Bliss but Green’s Unprettier…doesn’t do much as Morgan rolls Green up for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: B. This got going well and Green continues to shine under her fresh turn to the good side. The fans love her and she can do enough in the ring to make it work. At the same time, I’m rather glad to see Morgan win here, as having champions lose in these things gets annoying. Someone will take her out eventually, but seeing her win with the fans acting like this for a change was a nice moment.

Video on Rey Mysterio’s time in WWE and now he’s ready to win the Intercontinental Title tonight. Penta says he watches Mysterio for years but now it’s his time. It will be Penta’s honor to face Mysterio.

Chad Gable comes in to see Penta and apologizes for everything he did as El Grande Americano. The whole thing started because of his first loss to Penta. Gable took that loss like a coward. He doesn’t expect anything from Penta but Gable apologizes (the fans applaud). Penta says that wasn’t easy for Gable and he respects that, but there is one person Gable needs to apologize to. Gable understands.

Montez Ford comes in to see Seth Rollins, who thanks him for the help last week. The Usos and Jacob Fatu come in, with Jey Uso warning Rollins about how he speaks about the family. Jey is in the King Of The Ring but Rollins says Jimmy Uso is on the sidelines where Roman Reigns wants him.

Rollins says he’s not talking about their family because he’s only talking about Reigns. He thought the Usos were better than this but they’re just running errands for Reigns. Jey tells Fatu to get Rollins so Fatu (who had just been pacing around behind them, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else) gets in Rollins’ face…and walks away. A smirking Rollins says “family” and the Usos leave. Cole points out that last week, Fatu said he follows Reigns, not the Usos (nice catch).

Video on Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria, which was set up in a quick backstage challenge last week.

Bayley gives Valkyria a pep talk but Valkyria doesn’t seem to want her around.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria

Ruca is defending and works on an armbar to start. That’s broken up and Valkyria tries to pick up the pace, only to get taken down with an X Factor. Ruca’s springboard is cut off and Valkyria, eventually, backdrops her to the floor as we take a break. We come back with a double clothesline leaving both of them down.

Ruca shrugs off some right hands and hits a dropkick into a running knee for two. Valkyria gets her hands out to block an X Factor but has to block the Sol Snatcher as well. Valkyria’s charge misses though and she gets caught in the ropes, with Ruca hitting a quick Sol Snatcher (clean) for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. The best thing here is that Ruca made it through a match without a major issue. That sounds like a joke but she really needs to get around these issues. There is certainly a learning curve on the main roster, but if you get a reputation as someone who botches a lot of stuff, it’s going to stick with you for a long time. This was at least a step in the right direction so hopefully she can get the timing and experience she ends sooner than later.

We look at Jacob Fatu acknowledging Roman Reigns last week.

Jey Uso yells at Jacob Fatu, while Jimmy is a bit calmer in his criticism. Fatu makes it clear: he doesn’t acknowledge the two of them because he only acknowledges Roman Reigns. They need to worry about LA Knight, who has been told to stop talking about the Family. He’s probably doing it again right now and the Usos aren’t doing anything. Jimmy: “Group text then!” And Jey leaves when Jimmy isn’t looking.

Here is LA Knight for a chat and he gets a microphone thrown to him, which is thrown terrible. Knight even throws it back for another chance, which he catches with one hand to a big reaction. Knight is ready for his King Of The Ring match on Smackdown where he’s ready to go through all four of them (uh, LA…..) but he’s thinking about Roman Reigns.

The truth is that Reigns’ empire is crumbling and Knight is expecting someone to come out there and cut him off on Friday. There are people against him and he thinks Adam Pearce is one of them, because Pearce didn’t choose him. The people chose him and now he can’t stop. Knight wishes everyone in the match on Friday good luck, including Jey Uso, who comes out to interrupt. Uso is still rather over and hits the catchphrase, but the fans want him to run the entrance back. Well how do you say no to that kind of a request? Knight: “You don’t possibly expect me to stand here and watch this.”

Uso says he’s always there when his family calls and this is Knight’s warning shot. That’s enough for Uso to leave, but Knight says hang on. The fans aren’t happy and Knight gets that because the YEET thing is fun. Knight appreciates Uso’s passion about his family because that’s what a good man should do. He wishes Uso good luck on Friday and from the bottom of his heart….screw your family. That’s enough for Uso to come back for the fight but Jimmy Uso comes down cut him off. Knight is in a weird place as he almost has to be in the main event scene, though I’m not sure I can imagine him actually winning the title.

Chad Gable comes up to Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio. Gable starts to apologize but Lee says he knows Gable has learned and it’s ok. Mysterio says gable needs to stop beating himself up. Mysterio did want to knock Gable’s head off his shoulders at one point (Gable: “Fair enough.”) but they saw the mask vs. mask match. Gable has apologized enough and it is accepted. Gable goes to leave but Mysterio says Gable might have said and done some things he’ll regret before he ever put the mask on. That seems to resonate with Gable.

Intercontinental Title: Penta vs. Rey Mysterio

Mysterio is challenging and respect is shown at the bell. An early headscissors looks to set up the 619 but Penta backdrops him to the apron. The baseball slide misses and Mysterio hits an Asai moonsault (ala Speedball Mike Bailey) as we take a break. We come back with Penta sending him to the floor for the big running flip dive. Another dive is cut off and Mysterio hits a modified 619. The sliding sunset bomb sends Penta into the barricade and we take another break.

We come back with…the screen going right back to black, as it seems they brought the feed up before they were supposed to. Either way, the Penta Driver gives Penta two and they’re both down for a bit. Back up and Mysterio hits a 619 into the slingshot splash for a rather close two. A frog splash hits knees though and the Mexican Destroyer retains the title at 13:00.

Rating: B. That was exactly what it should have been, as Penta gets another big win over the king of all lucha legends. At the same time, Mysterio can more than hang in the ring to this day, which is rather impressive given how long he has been at this. Rusev and Ethan Page are probably still coming for the title, but Penta can have a special moment first.

Post match Rusev and Ethan Page run in for the beatdown. The Accolade goes on so Dragon Lee runs in for the save. Rusev knocks Lee down and takes Mysterio’s mask, with Penta diving onto Rey’s exposed head. This brings out Chad Gable (there it is) for the save, with a bunch of German suplexes. With the villains gone, Gable holds up Mysterio’s mask and (after a bit of a stare) hands it to Penta so Mysterio can get it back on. Oh yeah he’s a big deal if he gets the chance, but if he goes all mega evil and goes after Mysterio’s mask, we’ll need a new term for the level of heat he’ll have in Mexico.

Raquel Rodriguez is ready for Iyo Sky.

Video on the European tour.

Iyo Sky talks about Asuka trusting her with the women’s division and she’s ready to face Raquel Rodriguez.

Roxanne Perez apologizes to Liv Morgan for her attitude last week. She was upset about her loss and all that matters is the Judgment Day winning. Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh come in and Mysterio isn’t sure about Oba Femi. Morgan has an idea though. With them gone, Perez doesn’t seem thrilled.

King Of The Ring First Round: Je’Von Evans vs. Seth Rollins vs. Talla Tonga vs. Ricky Saints

Saints punches Rollins out tot he floor, leaving Evans to flip away from Tonga. That doesn’t work well for Tonga, who gets up and starts to wreck everyone around him. Tonga cleans house and stands rather tall as we take a break. We come back with Saints and Rollins managing to knock Tonga into the timekeeper’s area, with Evans adding a big running dive

Rollins gets knocked down again and Saints kicks Evans in the head, setting up a springboard tornado DDT for two. Rollins hits a Pedigree but Tonga is back in with a save. Everyone goes to the corner and Tonga hits a Tower Of Doom, with Evans flipping away to safety. A big clothesline gives Tonga two on Evans and he chokeslams Evans onto the announcers’ table.

Rollins is right there with a Stomp to Tonga, followed by another from the barricade. Back in and Saints avoids a Stomp but the tornado DDT is countered. The Stomp hits again but cue Austin Theory to pull the referee. Montez Ford cuts Theory off but Bron Breakker runs in to spear Rollins. Saints goes for the cover, only for Evans to hit an OG Cutter for the pin at 15:06.

Rating: B. They followed a formula here and it worked rather well, with Tonga looking like a force and a surprise result of Evans winning instead of Rollins. That leaves Rollins and Ford to continue their issues with the Vision while Evans gets another chance to rub elbows with some stars. He’s rapidly becoming a star around here and that is very promising.

Evans celebrates to end the show while Rollins is distraught. One thing of note: the replay shows Evans giving Saints a shove on the way back into the ring. Not only does it slow down the count, but it gives Saints time to get into position for the cutter. That’s a smart move and a great sign for Evans’ ability to think in the ring.

Overall Rating: B+. This show covered a lot of ground and has me a good bit more interested in Night Of Champions, and some other things, than I was coming in. The opening promo was good and even tied into the King Of The Ring for a bonus. Gable’s apologizes were great, but my goodness the idea of him going all evil again has me rather tingly. Pretty awesome show here, with the Paris crowd making it that much better.

Results
Liv Morgan b. Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss and Chelsea Green – Rollup to Green
Sol Ruca b. Lyra Valkyria – Sol Snatcher
Penta b. Rey Mysterio – Mexican Destroyer
Je’Von Evans b. Seth Rollins, Talla Tonga and Ricky Saints – OG Cutter to Saints

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #28
Date: January 15, 2003
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West

So last week was rather rough, with Vince Russo being the big focal point of the show and basically setting up his big NWO style us vs. them story. Naturally Russo is the big unstoppable star of the whole thing, with Jeff Jarrett leading the other side. Worry not though because Dusty Rhodes is here to even things out. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Jeff Jarrett vs. Vince Russo.

Mike Tenay sits down with Russo (of course) and asks him what he does as a wrestling TV writer (here we go). Russo says it’s all about the ratings and getting attention no matter what you have to do. He insults Tenay’s lack of creative abilities and says that wrestling has to evolve. Tenay brings up what really matters, asking if Russo takes any responsibility for killing WCW. He goes into a bunch of things that WCW did and complains about Russo’s ideas. Tenay even brings up specific audience and ratings numbers, which Russo doesn’t believe.

We finally move back to this promotion and Jeff Jarrett winning the World Title, with Russo ruining the moment. This sends Russo into a rant about how wrestling needs to be saved or Vince McMahon will own everything. And with that, Russo walks off. This was all of the inside baseball stuff that only Russo cares about as we rehash stuff from other companies that have nothing to do with what we’re seeing here. In other words, it’s very Russo as the fans wonder why they’re not watching wrestling instead.

Opening sequence.

Here is SEX to get things going, with the camera panning up and down Desire in a way that would have Jerry Lawler thinking it was a bit too obvious. Russo actually stands on a soap box and says this whole thing is about himself and Jeff Jarrett. They’re not the NWO so either step up or join them (sounds rather NWOish to me). Instead here is Percy Pringle to interrupt, saying he has known Russo longer than anyone. He remembers Russo begging him for an interview back in the day and now Russo has snuck his way inside.

Pringle says he has been around for a long time…and Russo might be right. He wants on the team but Russo yells at him for “cutting promos about me behind my back”. SEX beats Pringle down, even breaking the soap box over his head. Jorge Estrada tries to make a save and gets put through a table. Jeff Jarrett runs in with a chair for the real save. So yes, Russo and Jarrett are the big stars all over again.

Commentary runs down the card.

Tag Team Titles: America’s Most Wanted vs. Divine Storm

For the sake of simplicity, James Storm is “James” and Quiet Storm is “Quiet”. Divine Storm, with Trinity, is challenging and jump the champs from behind to start fast. That doesn’t go well as AMW (with a belt still on) clears the ring and Storm is backdropped onto the challengers at ringside. We settle down to James being sent outside, where Trinity snaps off a hurricanrana from the apron.

Back in and Divine’s tornado DDT gets two but he misses a top rope backsplash. Harris gets the tag to run both of them over without much trouble but Divine hits a big dive to take out both champs on the floor. Trinity moonsaults onto the pile and a super cutter gets two on Harris back inside. Divine is sent outside though and the Death Sentence finishes Quiet to retain the titles at 7:07.

Rating: C+. Divine Storm is the definition of a midcard team and while they weren’t the biggest threat to win the titles, it was better than throwing together a pair of random guys. This was a relatively easy win for AMW, even with Trinity out there as TNA’s answer to Lita. It’s working well enough, as Trinity certainly looks like a star.

Video on AJ Styles, showcasing his talents and pointing out that he turned down Vince Russo last week.

Here is Styles for a chat. He’s not with anyone and he wants the World Title. Cue Ron Killings, who says he’s next in line for the title and Styles doesn’t get a shot until he goes through Killings. Ring the bell.

Ron Killings vs. AJ Styles

Killings strikes away to start and grabs some armdrags to put him on the floor. Back in and a sunset flip gives Killings two but Styles hits what might have been a low blow. Styles nips up for a hurricanrana but Killings snaps off a Downward Spiral. That’s shrugged off though and Styles kicks him in the head, setting up a chinlock. A rather delayed suplex gives Styles two and he hits some shots in the corner.

Styles misses a dropkick and gets rolled up for a fast two, only to come back with a Muta Lock. Killings gets out and drops a headbutt to the ribs to start the comeback. They both go up top with Styles loading up a top rope superplex, which is reversed into…some kind of a crash to leave them both down. Cue Mortimer Plumtree for a distraction though, allowing David Flair to run in and hit Killings with his mystery bag to give Styles the pin at 8:49.

Rating: B-. I am absolutely for Styles moving up to the main event scene as you can absolutely see the talent in him. The World Title picture absolutely needs some younger blood and Styles is the right man for that spot. Beating a former World Champion is a good way to go and hopefully we’re on the way to Styles getting into the title picture soon.

Jeff Jarrett, with the Road Warriors, tells AJ Styles to get in line. Jarrett: “Now, let’s talk about Vince Russo.” He wants the Warriors with him in a six man tag tonight against Triple X (Christopher Daniels/Elix Skipper/Low Ki, as I don’t think they had officially debuted the name before). Naturally the Warriors are in.

Back in the arena, AJ Styles demands that Mike Tenay get him a World Title shot. Then he sits in the ring until he gets said shot, apparently thinking Tenay is that speedy. Instead he gets Larry Zbyszko of all people (the fans certainly like having him here) and calls Styles a fool. Zbyszko can’t stand Vince Russo and doesn’t want Styles to sell his soul to Russo. Styles tries to insist that he’s not with Russo but gets cut off over and over. Styles is ready to fight Zbyszko but it’s broken up in a hurry.

We look at Desire attacking Goldilocks and getting in a fight with Athena as a result.

Desire vs. April Hunter

Hunter jumps her to start and gets sent outside without much trouble. A side slam puts Desire down but she hits…I think a bulldog? Desire hits a dropkick but Hunter elbows her in the face. Sonny Siaki crotches Hunter on top though and Desire, eventually, jumps up for a hurricanrana and the pin at 2:49.

Post match Athena runs in for the brawl with Desire, who beats Athena down without much trouble.

A masked man, who is apparently Mr. Wrestling IV, arrives.

We look back at Mike Sanders’ debut last week. Yes we’re bragging about this one.

Here is Sanders for a chat. Apparently he’s SEX’s talent scout but he wants to talk about Vince Russo’s issues. Russo’s problems aren’t with wrestling, but rather with legends. It’s a difference of philosophy, which brings out Jerry Lynn. The challenge is on and we’re ready to go.

Jerry Lynn vs. Mike Sanders

Lynn starts fast and grabs a quick middle rope bulldog, followed by a baseball slide to send Sanders into the barricade. Back in and Lynn hammers away but here is Ron Harris for a distraction. Sanders gets in a cheap shot to take over and we hit the chinlock. Lynn avoids a Lionsault though and Lynn makes the rather quick comeback.

A high crossbody gets two but Harris pulls the referee out. Sanders’ swinging neckbreaker gets two from another referee but Lynn is back with a sunset bomb. Harris pulls the referee again but here is Dusty Rhodes to take Harris out (because the Harris Twins were invincible for months but Rhodes is different). A TKO finishes Sanders at 7:45.

Rating: C+. Ok there is at least a bit of sanity around here, as there was a grand total of no reason to have Sanders beat a star like Lynn. Sanders is not someone who is known for what he can do in the ring and Lynn is one of the more consistent stars around here. The good guys have to win something around here and this was a good choice.

Post match Rhodes says he’s glad that a man like Vince Russo is mad at him. Rhodes says we can’t lose tradition and talks about knowing wrestling was real when he was sitting in a cheap hotel room and seeing the NWA World Title sticking out of his bag. You do need change, but you need to respect the past as well. Do you want things like Ricky Steamboat wrestling for an hour seven nights a week or a midget doing things in a trashcan? Everyone has a choice so make your decision: professional wrestling or a midget with a trashcan.

Cue Russo, who says Rhodes never thanked him for inventing Goldust and making his son a star. Russo brags about getting to shave Ric Flair’s head bald and now he wants to slap the birthmark off of Rhodes’ gut. Rhodes invites him in to do it but Russo puts the two of them in tonight’s six man, making it an eight man instead. Oh but you know that’s not enough though, as Russo says that if his team wins, all of the titles are on the line next week. This was another case of “Russo writes himself to be on the level of legends”.

Jason Cross vs. David Young

They go to the mat to start and Cross grabs a hurricanrana as commentary ignores the match to talk about the main event (how WCW of them). They go outside with Young backdropping him against the ropes for two, which has commentary ignoring the match even further. Cross’ reverse DDT gets two and a flipping legdrop connects for the same. Young gets in a clothesline for two of his own but misses a charge in the corner. Cross gets crotched on top and here is Bob Armstrong to say the eight man tag is on. Crossfire misses though and a spinebuster gives Young the pin at 5:22.

Rating: C. Oh yeah this was straight out of Nitro’s NWO days, with almost no paying attention to the wrestling whatsoever. This was nothing more than a way to have something going on in the ring while commentary talked about what really mattered. It’s not a bad match, but it meant absolutely nothing and that was beyond obvious.

Post Bob Armstrong argues with his son Scott as Konnan gets in the ring to beat down both guys (further emphasizing how unimportant they were here). The NWA President (who was shown in the crowd during the match) orders him out and of course Konnan obeys. If nothing else, the President had a snazzy hat.

X-Division Title: Sonny Siaki vs. Kid Kash

Siaki, with Desire, is defending and Kash has Trinity with him. Kash clears him out to start and snaps off some armdrags back inside. Back up and Siaki knocks him to the floor, with Kash getting the better of a chop off. They head inside again with Kash getting suplexed into the corner for two. A sitout piledriver plants Kash for two but he runs the corner for a tornado DDT. Desire makes the save so Siaki is back up with the swinging neckbreaker to retain at 4:51.

Rating: C+. Well, at least commentary paid attention to them. It’s better than nothing but at the same time they only had so long to really do much. Siaki continues to work well as the villain you want to see get hit in the face, with Kash an acceptable enough challenger. At the same time, Trinity continues to look like a star, which hopefully goes anywhere.

Post match Trinity beats up Desire without much trouble.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Triple X/Vince Russo vs. Road Warriors/Jeff Jarrett/Dusty Rhodes

If Triple X and Russo win, SEX get title shots next week. Russo stays on the floor (He’s going to get the pin isn’t he?) as Jarrett clotheslines and backdrops Daniels to start. Animal comes in to shove Ki around without much trouble and counters Ki’s springboard into a sitout powerbomb. Skipper gets in a cheap shot but Animal suplexes Skipper and Ki at the same time. It’s back to Hawk for a dropkick to Skipper but Jarrett gets tripped down. Jarrett fights up again but gets taken to the floor for a lot of choking.

Back in and more choking ensues in the corner, followed by a front facelock from Ki. Animal gets the unseen tag so it’s off to Skipper for his own front facelock. Russo adds a slap from the apron and everything breaks down, meaning Jarrett’s small package doesn’t even get a count. Back up and a springboard kick Hart Attack sets up Daniels’ Boston crab on Jarrett. That’s broken up and they clothesline each other, allowing the tags to Rhodes and Skipper. Everything breaks down and Rhodes wants Russo (and his helmet). Cue Mr. Wrestling IV to hit Rhodes in the back with a chain though and Skipper gets the pin at 11:32.

Rating: C-. Well, Russo didn’t get the pin and I’m sure that’s good enough for everything. Russo barely did anything here so we’ll call that a plus, as it was basically a six man tag with Rhodes not doing much until the end. At least you had the other wrestlers doing ok, but dang Russo sucks the life out of everything he does.

And it’s…freaking Nikita Koloff of all people. Russo celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. As usual, the wrestling isn’t awful but it’s also pretty much not the point whatsoever. SEX is as NWO as you can get without being in black and white and Russo is getting to do everything he wants. He’s the entire focal point of the show with everyone either talking about him or joining him. It wasn’t the worst show, but that might be about as good as it gets. Oh and Koloff is here now because….well I’m guessing he was available.

Results
America’s Most Wanted b. Divine Storm – Death Sentence to Storm
AJ Styles b. Ron Killings – Bag to the head
Desire b. April Hunter – Hurricanrana
Jerry Lynn b. Mike Sanders – TKO
David Young b. Jason Cross – Spinebuster
Sonny Siaki b. Kid Kash – Swinging neckbreaker
Vince Russo/Triple X b. Dusty Rhodes/Road Warriors/Jeff Jarrett – Chain shot to Rhodes

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AAA On FOX
Date: June 6, 2026
Location: Arena Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico
Commentators: Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

It’s the second night of Noche de Los Grandes and that means we’re going to be seeing some big stuff around here. At the same time though, they might have a bit of a time keeping up with what they did last week. We have a six woman tag this week though and that should be a good time so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of last week’s mask vs. mask match which somehow exceeded expectations.

Octagon Jr. vs. Cruz del Toro vs. Lince Dorado vs. Joaquin Wilde vs. Mini Vikingo

For a Cruiserweight Title shot. Octagon and Dorado are sent outside to start, leaving Vikingo to get double teamed. Back to back moonsaults have Vikingo in trouble and Wilde tries a quick rollup. That leaves Wilde to go after del Toro, with the latter getting two off a rollup. Octagon is back in for a spinning high crossbody but Dorado and comes in as well. Dorado flips out of a monkey flip and sends Octagon outside.

Vikingo comes back inside and gets caught with a backbreaker, only to snap off a crazy headscissors. Octagon comes back in and is sent outside again with a hurricanrana. Wilde busts out his hairspray but del Toro hits a big dive to take out the non-Vikingo pile. A rope walk springboard dropkick puts Vikingo down but his hurricanrana gets two. Del Toro and Wilde get in another shoving match before Wilde facebusters Dorado for two more. Back up and Dorado knocks Wilde down and hits a shooting star press for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: B-. This was exactly what you would have expected from this match and that’s not a bad thing. They had a bunch of people flying around until one of them got a pin. That’s all it needed to be and I had a good enough time. Dorado is someone who can serve perfectly well as a first challenger for the title so it’s a good choice on the result too.

Apparently Octagon got badly hurt in there somewhere and was stretchered out. No word on how he’s doing but that’s always scary to see.

The War Raiders are ready for anyone.

El Ojo says the plan is finally coming together.

We get a press briefing with Rey Mysterio, who announces a WWE tour of Mexico and South America, with Raw and Smackdown being held in Mexico City. Also, his issues with Dominik Mysterio will not cause any issues and Dominik will be here later this month. We hear about the two night TripleMania again, with a Mega Title match headlining night two.

We look at a group of women fighting back against Las Toxicas, setting up this week’s main event.

We look at Chad Gable being unmasked and promising to return to AAA.

After last week’s main event, El Grande Americano had to be helped out by Los Americanos and thanks them for what they have done for him. He couldn’t have done this without the fans and people of Mexico who believed in him. Nice stuff here, as you can tell how big this really was for everyone.

Las Toxicas vs. La Catalina/Bayley/Lola Vice

Las Toxicas are dressed as cheerleaders. Catalina starts with Flammer, who does the tag out before fighting thing, which has become WAY too common lately. Maravilla takes Catalina into the corner and it’s off to Hiedra, who gets kneed down just as fast. Vice comes in for the running hip attack in the corner, followed by a triple suplex to the villains.

Some dives hit Las Toxicas but Catalina is sent into the steps. Vice is caught in the wrong corner and a wishbone into a Meteora gets two. Flammer knocks Bayley and Catalina off the apron, followed by a clothesline for two on Vice back inside. Something like a double chickenwing with a bodyscissors has Vice in more trouble.

That doesn’t last long as Vice slips out and brings in Bayley to clean house. The top rope elbow hits Maravilla for two but the Bayley To Belly is countered. Bayley gets crotched against the post for two and Flammer runs from Catalina again. Bayley puts Flammer down and Catalina hits a less than great moonsault for two. Everything breaks down and Maravilla walks into the Bayley To Belly. Catalina is back in with a hip attack and running knee to pin Flammer at 8:38.

Rating: C+. This was a run of the mill six woman tag but the only thing that mattered was having Catalina get the pin on Flammer. It should set them up for a big showdown at some point soon, though I’m still not sure I’m getting the appeal of Catalina. She’s ok enough, but the women’s division doesn’t exactly feel like the highest priority around here.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s weird to see this presented as something of a special as there is absolutely nothing here that stands out as a big deal. Maybe that’s just how things go in AAA as Rey de Reyes was kind of the same thing. Either way, it was a perfectly fine show and they moved some title programs forward. After last week though, it was kind of nice for a bit of a breather and probably rather needed.

Results
Lince Dorado b. Octagon Jr., Cruz del Toro, Joaquin Wilde and Mini Vikingo – Shooting star press to Wilde
La Catalina/Bayley/Lola Vice b. Las Toxicas – Running knee to Flammer

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Collision
Date: June 6, 2026
Location: Covelli Center, Youngstown, Ohio
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

The tournament season continues with more from the Owen Hart Cups. This weekend features at least one women’s match and there is a chance of even more. In addition, the Women’s Tag Team Titles are on the line as Tay Melo/Anna Jay get their shot after surviving five minutes with the champions last week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Commentary runs down the card.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Megan Bayne/Lena Kross vs. Anna Jay/Tay Melo

Bayne/Kross are defending. Jay and Bayne start things off with Bayne easily hitting a big shoulder. A bulldog out of the corner doesn’t work for Jay and it’s Melo coming in to Strike Kross down. The running knee gets two, with Bayne having to make a save. Everything breaks down and the champs are sent outside. Some big dives to the floor take them out again and we take a break.

We come back with Jay in trouble and Bayne tossing her down for two. A bulldog out of the corner is enough for the tag to Melo to clean house. Bayne gets planted for two and everything breaks down. A double DDT drops Kross for two and Bayne clotheslines Jay to leave everyone down for a breather. The Queenslayer goes on but is broken up and Melo is sent outside. That means it’s the Divine Intervention to drop Jay and retain the titles at 10:28.

Rating: C+. This was exactly what you would have expected and that’s perfectly fine. At some point the champs have to sweat a bit and that’s what they covered here. Melo and Jay are only somewhat serious challengers and that’s how they were presented here, which could have been a lot worse. Completely acceptable opener.

Video on Swerve Strickland vs. Brody King.

The Don Callis Family beat people up in the back while RPG Vice brag about getting rid of Konosuke Takeshita.

Shane Taylor vs. Alan Angels

Right hands and the Marcus Garvey driver finish Angels at 1:16. He lasted longer than I was expecting.

Post match Taylor says his Promotions are taking over as the most violent group in AEW. If the Death Riders don’t like that, come do something about it.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Death Riders

Moxley and Moriarty start things off as Shane Taylor is on commentary. They go technical with Moriarty taking him down by the arm and driving him back into the corner. Bravo gets to chop away, with Moxley switching places to fire off chops of his own. Pac comes in to stay on Bravo, with Castagnoli getting to do the same. Everything breaks down and we take an early break.

We come back with Pac down in the corner and Christyan XO helping with some cheating. Dean’s middle rope clothesline gets two and we hit the chinlock. The Bronco Buster makes it worse for Pac so Moxley makes a save, allowing Pac to suplex Moriarty. The tag brings in Castagnoli, who throws Bravo out of the corner.

Bravo escapes the Swing attempt so Castagnoli swings him into Moxley’s dropkick. Everything breaks down and Trish Adora crotches Pac on top. Wheeler Yuta dives onto Taylor and Marina Shafir cuts off Adora before she can use a chair. A bunch of clotheslines hit Bravo in the corner and the Brutalizer finishes him off at 14:41.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted but I for one am shocked that Shane Taylor Promotions, the team that loses every big match they have, lost another big match. That’s just what they do in wrestling and it can be rather tedious to see how long it takes them to lose most of the time. The Riders were good this week and there is a good chance that they’re on the other side next week, as it’s not like they have much in the way of stability.

Dynamite recap.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Beef

Ciampa knocks him down in a hurry to start and hits a running knee. A Liontamer makes Beef tap at 1:17. Total squash and “Ciampa hates Jericho” is kind of great.

Post match Ciampa puts it on again and insists that Tony Schiavone deem him better than Chris Jericho.

Shane Taylor has attacked Wheeler Yuta and wants a match with Jon Moxley on Dynamite.

Clark Connors vs. Juice Robinson

Connors chokes with a shirt to start and gets in a Thesz press for some left hands. Robinson is back with some lefts of his own so Connors bails out to the floor. That means the big running flip dive to knock him down again but Connors drives him into the barricade. Connors lights a match and, after it goes out, throws it on Robinson. Back in and Robinson is dropped again as we take a break.

We come back with a slugout not going anywhere so Connors hits something of a Pounce. Robinson fights up and hits the backsplash, allowing him to strike away. A sitout powerbomb gets two but the Killswitch is countered into a powerslam to give Connors two. The spear is countered into a flapjack though and Robinson sends him outside for the dive. Cue David Finlay for a failed distraction and Robinson gets to strike away. Finlay gets in a cheap shot from the floor though and the spear gives Connors the pin at 13:10.

Rating: C+. This was indeed a wrestling match between two professional wrestlers and…well what else is there to say about it? The Dogs are higher up on the food chain at the moment and that make the match little more than a way to fill in time. In other words, pretty much like everything the Bang Bang Gang does.

Video on Survival Of The Fittest, with various women wanting to win the TBS Title.

Jon Moxley is down to face Shane Taylor, even if he doesn’t think that’s the best move for Taylor to make.

Trios Titles: La Faccion Ingobernable vs. The Conglomeration

The Conglomeration is defending, just in case you thought that the team who are never around here had some titles for whatever reason. Cassidy and Guevara start things off and naturally that means a pose off. Stereo dropkick attempts let them both nip up so it’s off to Strong to take over. A backbreaker sets up Cassidy’s lazy elbow for two on Guevara but he’s back up to rake Cassidy’s eyes.

Cassidy gets caught in the corner for some running clotheslines and Guevara goes after the eyes again. That’s shrugged off and it’s off to Strong to clean house as everything breaks down. The champs are knocked to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Strong in trouble and getting triple dropkicked for two. Rush and Strong trade chops in the corner until it’s off to O’Reilly for an ankle lock.

That’s broken up so O’Reilly hits a double clothesline as everything breaks down again. The Stundog Millionaire hits Dralistico but Cassidy has to roll away from a Bull’s Horns attempt. Rush gets dropkicked over the barricade but Dralistico is up with a big dive to the floor. Back in and Cassidy escapes Guevara’s GTH attempt and gives him a Superman Punch. A rollup pins Dralistico to retain the titles at 12:50.

Rating: B-. This was definitely more interesting than the other six man, but again there is no reason to believe that LFI is going to win anything important. They’re brought in to AEW every so often and don’t get to do much more than lose. That doesn’t leave much of a reason to get interested in them here, but that’s what happens when you do next to nothing for months on end.

The Dogs want to fight the Young Bucks so they can do that at some point next week in Cincinnati.

The Conglomeration is interrupted by RPG Vice, who challenge Orange Cassidy to face Andrade El Idolo on Dynamite.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation First Round: Hazuki vs. Persephone

Hazuki grabs a headlock takeover to start and grinds away as Persephone seems to have something wrong with her eyes. The eyes are fine enough for a top wristlock to put Hazuki down and they trade some rollups into a standoff. Hazuki’s headlock is broken up and Persephone hits a basement dropkick. Some right hands have Hazuki in trouble but she sends Persephone outside.

That’s fine too, as Persephone pulls a dive out of the air and sends her flying as we take a break. We come back with Persephone having to fight out of a crossface. With that broken up, Persephone hits a running clothesline and gets a needed breather. A hurricanrana out of the corner puts Persephone down and Hazuki nails a springboard missile dropkick.

Persephone is able to catch her on top with a superplex though and they’re both down again. A rather nice bridging German suplex gives Persephone two so she tries a powerbomb, only to be reversed into a Codebreaker. Hazkuki’s la majistral gets the pin at 12:21.

Rating: B-. As is usually the case, the match was fine but it’s kind of hard to believe that either of these two have any chance to beat Mercedes Mone in the second round. That’s the problem with a lot of tournaments, as there is no reason to buy Hazuki as a real threat against the bigger star. It happens in all kinds of tournaments and it didn’t help that they’re both basically guest stars.

Post match Mercedes Mone runs in to jump Persephone so Hazuki makes the save for the big brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was as by the book of a Collision as you could get, as very little here felt even remotely important. You had a main event for the right to lose to Mercedes Mone, the Death Riders doing their same match, the latest Shane Taylor push which I’m sure will get over so well, and a bunch of…well nothing really. As usual, Collision needs a better draw than “here’s what’s coming up on Dynamite” and that just wasn’t happening this week. It’s not a bad show, but it felt completely unimportant.

Results
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Anna Jay/Tay Melo – Divine Intervention to Jay
Shane Taylor b. Alan Angels – Marcus Garvey Driver
Death Riders b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Brutalizer to Bravo
Tommaso Ciampa b. Beef – Liontamer
Clark Connors b. Juice Robinson – Spear
The Conglomeration b. La Faccion Ingobernable – Rollup to Dralistico
Hazuki b. Persephone – La majistral

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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With one of my favorite matches ever.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-wwe-over-the-edge-1998-review/

Smackdown
Date: June 5, 2026
Location: Unipol Arena, Bologna, Italy
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re still in Italy after last Sunday’s Clash In Italy and there is some controversy around the World Title. Cody Rhodes did retain the title over Gunther but Gunther’s foot was underneath the rope on the pin. That is going to have some issues going forward and Gunther has a big time complaint. Other than that, the King and Queen Of The Ring tournaments are on and get to continue here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Clash In Italy if you need a recap.

Clash In Italy recap.

Commentators welcome us to the show and here is Gunther to wreck the announcers’ table. He wants justice for what happened, because he is the Ring General and put his foot underneath the rope on purpose. Gunther calls out Cody Rhodes and here he is to answer. Rhodes says Gunther is absolutely right but Gunther is also a pro. Has he never had a finish go against him before?

Anyway, Rhodes only needs to make one phone call so let’s do the rematch right here tonight. Gunther is ready to go but Sami Zayn interrupts to say this is nonsense. Gunther doesn’t want to hear this but Zayn says he knows what it’s like to beat Gunther for a title. Rhodes says he’s kind of busy right now, with Zayn thinking Rhodes is ducking him. Last week, Rhodes said if he beat Gunther, he would teach Zayn a lesson, so when is Zayn getting his lesson? Gunther gets in and jumps Rhodes but he and Zayn clear Gunther out. Zayn isn’t interested in a handshake though.

Miz follows some cables into Danhausen’s laboratory. Danhausen tells him not to touch stuff but Miz touches it anyway…and gets electrocuted.

Gunther yells at Nick Aldis to fix this situation and threatens lawsuits.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Raquel Rodriguez vs. Bayley vs. Jacy Jayne vs. Kiana James

Everyone else goes for Rodriguez to start and she gets knocked outside. The Bayley To Belly gets two on James, who backslides her for the same. Jayne is back in for a rollup of her own but Rodriguez crossbodies everyone. We take a break and come back with Jayne in control and grabbing a running neckbreaker for two on Bayley. A backsplash gives Jayne two more and she adds a cannonball in the corner.

Rodriguez is back up with a Pounce though and a double spinning Vader Bomb elbow gets two. A powerbomb sends Bayley crashing into Jayne, followed by a double chokeslam and James making the save. We take another break and come back again with James flipping out of Rodriguez’s chokeslam. Rodriguez clotheslines James down instead but Jayne makes the save.

Bayley’s top rope elbow gets two on Jayne with James making a save of her own. The Dealbreaker into a standing moonsault gives James two so she rolls Bayley up, with Jayne making a save. Giulia takes Jayne out but James thinks Giulia broke up the cover. Rodriguez Tejana Bombs James for the pin at 15:41.

Rating: B-. This was a fast enough paced match and it wound up going well, as I wasn’t sure who was going to win until the ending. That’s a good feeling to have, even if I’m really not big on the whole four way stuff. Rodriguez is a good choice to move on and while I don’t think she’s winning, at least she can serve as a solid monster for someone to beat.

Post match Giulia helps James up and James shoves her away, earning a beating from Giulia. If you want to give Giulia a big moment, this makes as much sense as anything else.

Sami Zayn rants to Johnny Gargano until Nick Aldis comes in. Aldis tells Zayn to stay out of Gunther and Cody Rhodes’ business. Aldis has someone else to talk to, in the form of the returning Chad Gable (who gets a ROAR).

Royce Keys vs. Talla Tonga

The rest of the MFT’s are here with Tonga. Keys slugs away to start but can’t get in the slam. Some running clotheslines put Tonga on the floor though and we take a break. We come back with Keys avoiding a running boot in the corner and firing off some clotheslines to the front and back. Keys still can’t slam him so he goes with a pounce instead, followed by the running powerslam (that’s how you build to the slam working). He has to go after the MFT’s though and Tonga hits a chokeslam for the fast pin at 8:01.

Rating: C+. This was pretty to the point with Keys fighting back against the monster and managing to hit the big slam. That was a simple story that worked perfectly well, as did the interference to cost Keys the win. I’m not sure if I’d have Keys losing again, but it seems like this is part of a feud that will keep going.

Post match the beatdown stays on but R-Truth runs in for the failed save attempt. Damian Priest has to save R-Truth and Keys is left laying.

Judgment Day praises Raquel Rodriguez on her win but Liv Morgan makes it all about herself again.

Video on Finn Balor, who is making his debut next week.

Damian Priest isn’t happy with the injured R-Truth getting involved, especially since he doesn’t trust Royce Keys. R-Truth insists that he’s ok and his brother, a doctor, told him. Priest says R-Truth doesn’t have a brother but R-Truth says he does, and said brother is a Doctor Of Thuganomics. That makes Priest walk off so here are the War Raiders (the new AAA Tag Team Champions), who seem to want a title shot. R-Truth has no idea who they are and walks off.

Here is Rhea Ripley, with her knee wrapped up and clearly limping, for a chat. She’s glad to put the Jade Cargill chapter behind her, but her knee is a bit banged up. The reality is Cargill blew her chance thanks to, I guess we’ll say a friend, helping Ripley. This brings out Charlotte (to quite the reaction) to say she’s had fun teaming with Ripley. The Queen Of The Ring is starting up though and she’s a competitor, so she’s coming for the title. Ripley doesn’t seem to mind but here is Tiffany Stratton to interrupt.

Charlotte thinks Stratton is here to apologize but Stratton is here to talk about Ripley’s title. This brings out Jade Cargill and company, who says Charlotte is next for her. Cargill doesn’t think much of Stratton either and the fight seems imminent. Cue Nick Aldis to say not so fast, if nothing else because Ripley isn’t cleared to compete. Charlotte suggests a tag match instead and we seem good to go.

Charlotte/Tiffany Stratton vs. Michin/Jade Cargill

Charlotte powers Michin into the corner to start but an O’Connor roll is blocked. The Figure Four necklock works a bit better and Michin gets rolled around. Stratton comes in with a basement dropkick but Cargill sends her flying with a fall away slam. A blind tag brings Charlotte back in though and a high crossbody takes Michin down again. Another crossbody from the apron hits B-Fab and Cargill but Michin is back up with a suicide dive to Charlotte as we take a break.

We come back with Charlotte dropping Michin but getting cheap shotted by Cargill. That means Michin can Styles Clash Charlotte, who is able to avoid a charge into the post. Stratton comes back in to a heck of a reaction and cleans house, with a Swanton getting two on Michin. Cargill is back in with a sitout powerbomb to Stratton and Charlotte posts Michin. Back in and Jaded is reversed into a rollup for two but a second attempt finishes Stratton at 12:20.

Rating: B. The crowd was on fire for this one and it made for a rather awesome atmosphere around a rather good match. Cargill gets some momentum back and you can see some pretty big matches coming up for the women’s division. It’s smart to give Cargill a win back, though it’s not a great sign to see a champion get pinned, even in a tag match.

Jacy Jayne rants to Fatal Influence about her loss and they take out some anger by jumping Brie Bella and Paige. They also hold up the Women’s Tag Team Titles. I’ll absolutely take that as a way to save us from this reign already.

Royce Keys thanks R-Truth for his help. R-Truth suggests that Damian Priest can help against the MFT’s, but Keys doesn’t think that’s going to work.

Ricky Saints vs. Carmelo Hayes

Saints jumps him before the bell but gets sent outside. That means a big running dive and frog splash for two on Saints before Hayes can even take his jacket off. Hayes clotheslines him out to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Saints hammering away and grabbing a bulldog for two.

Hayes reverses a northern lights suplex into a DDT though and they’re both down for a bit. They strike it out until Dirty Diana gives Hayes two more. Saints’ tornado DDT out of the corner gets the same but he gets caught in the First 48. Hayes loads up Nothing But Net and gets crotched down, followed by a crash out to the floor. That’s good for a nine and a half and Hayes hits a superkick, only to get rolled up for the pin (with tights) at 10:10.

Rating: B. Hayes is someone who can wrestle that fast paced style and make it look effortless, which is quite the talent. He’s incredibly smooth in the ring and that isn’t something you can just manufacture. Saints continues to find himself around here and a win over a former champion is a good step in the right direction.

Trick Williams says he is concerned with himself only and he isn’t worried who is coming after his title. Then he wants to win the King Of The Ring and he starts tonight. Bron Breakker comes in for a staredown.

Chelsea Green asks Tiffany Stratton why she didn’t ask for help tonight. Stratton said it was ok and has to go to the trainers instead of being in Green’s corner. Green’s disappointed face is great, as her one sided enthusiasm is working very well.

Blake Monroe is still coming and seems interested in Tiffany Stratton. Tiffy Time is about to run on Monroe Minutes.

Chelsea Green vs. Lash Legend

Nia Jax is here with legend. Green chops away to start and immediately has to run from a chasing Legend. Back in and Legend stomps her down for a splash with Jax getting in a cheap shot. Green’s sunset flip is blocked and a pump kick gives Legend two. Green fights up and seemingly accidentally takes Jax out before hitting a big dive onto both of them. Back in and a missile dropkick puts Legend down for two but the Unprettier is countered into the Lash Extension for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C+. Green held her own in there for a bit but it would have been too far for her to be able to beat a monster like Legend, especially with Jax out there. The match showed what Green can do when she is allowed to actually open it up in the ring a bit and that’s a rare sight. The good thing is that the fans are already behind her and it’s easy to see why when she’s that talented.

We look at Jacob Fatu acknowledging Roman Reigns on Raw.

Solo Sikoa comes up to Royce Keys and says Keys needs some support. Sikoa talks about how he’s the only one to call Keys and they need to get ready for war. This seems to have Keys thinking, though Sikoa says to stop making this difficult or Sikoa will make it difficult.

Video on the mask vs. mask match from last weekend’s AAA. It’s worth seeing if you haven’t yet.

Rey Fenix is talking to Fraxiom when Chad Gable comes up. Gable talks about how he and Fenix had a match last year at Wrestlemania but Gable was doing it to mock lucha libre. He has since learned how great the Mexican culture is and wants to apologize. Fenix says he forgives Gable, but he’s not the only person Gable has to apologize to. The fans applauding Gable for what he said shows this thing is working well so far.

Cody Rhodes runs into Nick Aldis, who asks if the offer for a rematch with Gunther is still good. Rhodes says it absolutely is and he wanted to do it tonight but Gunther is already gone. Aldis has been talking to Gunther’s legal team (“They’re no fun.”) and Gunther wants a stipulation, which he’ll announce next week. That’s fine with Rhodes, but he doesn’t want to wait much longer, so the title match is two weeks from tonight. Works for Aldis. This was a rare case of a backstage conversation that actually sounded natural.

King Of The Ring First Round: Damian Priest vs. Trick Williams vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Bron Breakker

Non-title. Breakker immediately suplexes Williams to start fast and Mysterio bails out to the floor. Another suplex drops Priest and Breakker gives him a running clothesline. The big flying shoulder drops Mysterio on the floor and Breakker shows off by jumping from the floor onto the announcers’ table as we take a break.

We come back with everyone but Breakker fighting in the ring until Williams is knocked to the floor as well. Priest hammers on Mysterio and cuts off Breakker as he gets back inside. Williams and Breakker are sent to the floor again but Mysterio manages to kick away at Priest. Breakker is back in to super Frankensteiner Priest and gorilla press powerslam Mysterio.

Williams makes a save and slugs it out with Breakker with the former getting the better of things. A neckbreaker drops Priest and dang the fans like Williams. The Rock Bottom gives Williams two on Breakker with Priest making the save and taking over. Priest goes up top and gets double superplexed down and we take another break.

We come back with Breakker missing a charge into the post and Priest Razor’s Edges Mysterio. Liv Morgan offers a distraction though and Breakker is back up to wreck people. The spear hits Priest and Mysterio sends Breakker outside, with Williams getting two as Mysterio pulls the referee. Breakker clotheslines Williams through the announcers’ table and cue JD McDonagh to distract Priest. Morgan gets in a low blow and Mysterio’s 619 into the frog splash are enough to pin Priest at 16:53.

Rating: B-. I like Mysterio stealing the win, as it means he gets to face Oba Femi in the next round and that could be quite the situation. Priest losing again isn’t a great sign for him, as it’s kind of his designated role in these spots. At the same time, they might have something down the line with Williams vs. Breakker, which definitely had an aura to it that could go somewhere.

Overall Rating: B. The tournament stuff is giving the show a nice focus and I liked what the women were doing here too. Smackdown has turned around a good bit since Wrestlemania and that is a great sign, as those shows around that time were getting very hard to watch. You can’t do the tournament stuff forever, but it’s working well enough at the moment, with Rhodes vs. Gunther II looking like it has some major potential in a few weeks.

Results
Raquel Rodriguez b. Kiana James, Bayley and Jacy Jayne – Tejana Bomb to James
Talla Tonga b. Royce Keys – Chokeslam
Jade Cargill/Michin b. Charlotte/Tiffany Stratton – Jaded to Stratton
Ricky Saints b. Carmelo Hayes – Rollup with tights
Lash Legend b. Chelsea Green – Lash Extension
Dominik Mysterio b. Damian Priest, Trick Williams and Bron Breakker – Frog splash to Priest

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Let’s have some fun.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-wwf-prime-time-wrestling-review-2-13-89/

Ring Of Honor
Date: June 4, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

It’s a rare case where we have something coming up as Global wars is taking place in a few weeks. That’s more than we get most of the time and hopefully it is enough to give this show something of a focus. That could go all kinds of ways though and you never know what you’ll be getting around here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. The Rascalz

It’s Myron Reed/Zachary Wentz for the Rascalz here with Wentz starting against Drake. Wentz gets distracted and sent into the wrong corner but fights out rather quickly. Everything breaks down and the Rascalz are there with the stereo dives. We settle down to Reed headscissoring Gibson but Wentz is sent outside.

That leaves Reed to get caught in a Michinoku Driver and choked in the corner as things slow back down. Reed fights up and bounces around into an enziguri to catch Gibson. It’s back to Wentz to clean house, including a Blockbuster to put Gibson down again. A Swanton hits Drake but he gets his knees up to counter a splash into a cradle for two. Reed gets out of an electric chair though and superkicks Drake to the floor.

Wentz superkicks Gibson into a backbreaker and then dives outside onto Drake. Gibson is back up with a middle rope Codebreaker for two on Wentz and Drake’s Coast To Coast gets the same. Grit Your Teeth is broken up and the UFO Cutter plants Gibson. Reed’s diving cutter to the floor takes Drake down again, meaning it’s Reed’s 450 to finish Gibson at 9:21.

Rating: B-. This was certainly a fast paced match and while I don’t quite believe commentary saying this moves the Rascalz closer to a Tag Team Title shot, at least it was a fun opener. Tag wrestling is often a good way to start the show and it worked well here. The Rascalz don’t get to do much that matters but they know how to do this kind of match rather well, with the tags being mostly unnecessary making it more entertaining.

Athena brags about retaining the Women’s Title at Supercard Of Honor but now she has to get through Global Wars where she has some unfinished business. That means getting to face Syuri.

Lacey Lane vs. Queen Aminata

Aminata wants a test of strength to start but settles for a headlock takeover instead. Lane is back up with something of a dancing abdominal stretch, which doesn’t last long either. They go outside with Lane hitting a quick crossbody but Aminata whips her into the barricade. Back in and a swinging neckbreaker gives Aminata two and a side slam gets the same.

A Rings Of Saturn is broken up as Lane rolls out, allowing her to kick Aminata’s legs out. Lane’s springboard elbow gets two and she goes after the ribs. A big headbutt gives Aminata two and she kicks away in the ropes. Lane is back up with a swinging Downward Spiral for two and gets to stomp her down as well. Aminata suplexes her into the ropes though and a running knee finishes Lane at 8:30.

Rating: B. These women beat the fire out of each other and I’ll take that as a nice surprise. Lane has shown a great charisma and some in-ring abilities to back it up. Aminata was doing her thing rather well here too and I could go for more of this version of her. Solid match here and a lot better than I would have bet on seeing.

We look back at the Kingdom returning at Supercard Of Honor.

Bustah And The Brain are ready to take the Kingdom out again. They don’t like being talked down to and they’re after the Tag Team Titles. I can go with more of these two in a serious role. Or just a role that matters.

Kiran Grey/Alex Kane/Bruss Hamilton vs. Los Colons/Serpentico

Kane and Eddie start things off with the rather muscular Colon getting dropkicked. The Colons double kick Kane down and it’s off to Serpentico for a chop. The even bigger Hamilton comes in to miss some clotheslines but sends Serpentico into the corner. Grey’s legsweep lets Kane come back in but Serpentico flips out of a double belly to back suplex

It’s back to Orlando to clean house and Serpentico hits a double suicide dive. Ignore that he basically slapped two far larger men and they went flying. A Backstabber and…something close to a frog splash which lands in the vicinity of Grey is enough for the pin at 5:16.

Rating: C. This had some ok moments and the three monsters looked intimidating but the good guys were a bit of a stretch. The Colons didn’t work very well, with that finish looking rather messed up. I wasn’t feeling this one, but at least it didn’t take up too much time after the rather hot start.

Isla Dawn isn’t happy and wants to take her frustrations out on Deonna Purrazzo.

Isla Dawn vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Non-title Proving Ground match under Pure Rules. Dawn’s wristlock is reversed into one from Purrazzo, sending Dawn over to the rope for the first time. A test of strength actually goes to Dawn and she sends Purrazzo into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. Some running knees give Dawn two and she knees Purrazzo in the back as this is mostly one sided so far.

A boot to the head gives Dawn two and she grabs an arm as we’re at the halfway point. Purrazzo gets back up with a clothesline and a Russian legsweep connects, only for the Fujiwara armbar to be reversed into a rollup for two. Dawn’s Saito suplex gets two as they have three minutes left. They go into some grappling and Purrazzo gets the Fujiwara for the tap at 7:45.

Rating: B-. This was an upgrade as Dawn got in a lot of offense and mostly dominated until it got into the technical style. Dawn is someone who feels like she could be a bigger deal if she’s given the chance, though I’m not sure how likely that is to take place. She got in a good match here though and Purrazzo had to sweat a good bit to survive here.

Athena sits down with Caprice Coleman, who brings up Billie Starkz. Athena isn’t impressed with Starkz but knows the potential is there. That’s why Athena keeps her so close but she isn’t happy about the near throwing in the towel at Supercard Of Honor. Coleman suggests that Starkz could turn on her but Athena thinks Starkz is too emotional. No one would know who Starkz is without Athena and she brags about all of her success. Finally, she says she’s staying here because this place is her baby. I can’t believe they’re still building towards Starkz winning the title and my goodness I hope they don’t go there.

Bryan Keith vs. Tommy Billington

Billington starts fast by avoiding a charge into a German suplex but Keith sends him into the ropes. That doesn’t last long as Billington sends him to the floor and hits a dive. Keith grabs a DDT on the floor and tries an electric chair back inside. With that not working, Keith hits a big clothesline for two but Billington is back with a Tombstone for two. Keith knocks him back though and hits a running kick to the face. That just earns him a piledriver to give Billington two but Keith pulls a turnbuckle pad off. He also finds a well hidden spike to stab Billington, setting up a tiger driver for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: B-. Another good enough match here and it doesn’t seem like Keith and Big Bill have much going on at this point. That might mean more of Keith on his own, which isn’t a bad thing. He can do well enough with the cheating and this was a good look at what he has without Bill.

Queen Aminata and Lacey Lane respect each other and are willing to run it back.

Lee Moriarty vs. Mance Warner

Remember the non-title Proving Ground match? This is another one. Moriarty ties up the arm to start and gets hit in the chest for his efforts. They head outside with Moriarty being sent into the barricade and Warner grabs a crossface chickenwing. That’s broken up and Moriarty knocks him down, meaning it’s time to dance back inside.

Something like an Octopus on the mat sends Warner over to the rope so Warner punches him in the face for a warning and two. The big clothesline gets two on Moriarty and Warner’s crossface makes Moriarty use his first rope break. The Fang into a Border City Stretch…is broken up as Warner pokes him in the eyes. Moriarty gets the Stretch again though and Warner taps at 7:09.

Rating: C+. And this was another Pure Rules match featuring Moriarty. I’m not sure how this is supposed to really mean much, though we’re coming up on the Nigel McGuinness title shot. At least that is something to build towards, but I’m almost worried for how long we’ll have to wait to see it happen.

Deonna Purrazzo is happy with her win and is ready to keep the title.

Lio Rush vs. Griff Garrison

Rush crawls over to the corner to start and gets Garrison’s cup, which he throws out to the floor. The dodging frustrated Garrison and Rush knocks him down in the corner. It’s too early for the Final Hour though and Garrison hits a running clothesline for two. Rush is right back with a sleeper to take Garrison down but he slips out, only to be sent outside. A running kick to the head knocks Garrison off the apron but he’s back in with a powerbomb for two. Rush is back up to strike away and the springboard Stunner sets up a cravate choke to finish Garrison at 7:05.

Rating: C+. As usual Rush’s offense is entertaining and he can do stuff that no one else can pull off. It makes the whole weird/creepy thing all the less necessary as he can stand out on his own. Either way, at least he won something here, which is worth…whatever you can get out of beating Garrison in Ring Of Honor.

Los Colons and Serpentico want to face Shane Taylor Promotions and be a team going forward. I would hope this was taped in advance, as I can’t imagine how someone could see their first match and want to see more.

The Workhorsemen want to face Eddie Kingston/Ortiz.

The Kingdom vs. Bustah And The Brain

Price knocks Taven into the corner to start but gets caught with a dropkick. Bennett comes in with a knee to Price, who is right back up for the tag off to Oliver. It’s back to Taven, who kicks his way out of the corner without much trouble, allowing Bennett to fire off the chops. Taven’s neckbreaker gets two and his kick into the top rope elbow/backbreaker combination is good for the same.

Oliver manages to fire off some chops to Bennett and knocks him down, allowing the diving tag to Price. House is quickly cleaned and a springboard neckbreaker gets two on Taven as everything breaks down. Taven’s Just The Tip gets two on Taven but Price gives Bennett a super sitout gordbuster. Oliver hits a frog splash for two and loads up a Doomsday Device, only for Price to dive onto Bennett on the floor. That leaves Taven to roll Oliver up with tights for the pin at 11:06.

Rating: B. This feels like a way to keep Bustah And The Brain learning as commentary was pointing out how Price made a bad move by diving onto Bennett instead of going for the win. That makes sense and as long as they get to do something else, it’s fine. As for the Kingdom, they’re ok but it doesn’t work as well without Maria.

Athena vs. Hyan

Non-title Proving Ground match and Diamante is here with Athena. Hyan doesn’t seem impressed to start and they fight over a small package to no avail. Hyan’s knockdown gets two more so Athena hammers away. Athena sends her outside for a suicide dive into the barricade, followed by a choke in the corner.

The chinlock goes on but Hyan fights up and knocks her away from the ropes. A high crossbody gives Hyan two but Athena pops up for a headscissors. They trade some rollups until Athena’s curb stomp gets two more. Athena tries a springboard high crossbody but gets faceplanted for a near fall, with Hyan loading up her knee. The running knee misses so Athena flips her into a Koji Clutch for the tap at 8:20.

Rating: B-. That was a good way to make Athena look strong (again) on her way to her big showdown with Syuri in a few weeks. It helps that Hyan was built up over the last few months so this was hardly some nothing match. If nothing else, Athena deserves credit for keeping things fresh in the ring. It feels like she’s regularly adding in new stuff to her arsenal and it’s was working here.

Overall Rating: B. I’m not sure what was going on here but the wrestling was more energetic than usual. Maybe I just caught them on a good week or something but this worked rather well. Aminata and Lane had a heck of a match where they were putting in quite a bit of effort and Kingdom vs. Bustah And The Brain (which should have headlined) was a great bonus. Rather good show here and if you trim off about half an hour, it’s even better.

Results
Rascalz b. Grizzled Young Veterans – 450 to Gibson
Queen Aminata b. Lacey Lane – Running knee
Los Colons/Serpentico b. Kiran Grey/Bruss Hamilton/Alex Kane – Frog splash to Gray
Deonna Purrazzo b. Isla Dawn – Fujiwara armbar
Bryan Keith b. Tommy Billington – Tiger driver
Lee Moriarty b. Mance Warner – Border City Stretch
Lio Rush b. Griff Garrison – Cravate choke
The Kingdom b. Bustah And The Brain – Rollup with tights to Oliver
Athena b. Hyan – Koji Clutch

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6