205 Live
Date: January 22, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s another special show this week with two more Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic matches. That’s a very good idea as the tournaments are going to consist of twenty two matches and after tonight, nearly than a fifth of them will have taken place here. That’s going to relieve some pressure on NXT, which is a good service that 205 Live can provide. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long tournament recap, including the stories that lead into tonight’s matches. This is more detail than a 205 Live preview usually gets.

Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: The Way vs. Gigi Dolin/Cora Jade

It’s Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae for the Way and that would be Priscilla Kelly/Elayna Black, both of whom are making their debuts. This is also the first ever women’s match in 205 Live history. Jade gets in a shot to Hartwell’s arm to start and hands it off to Dolin in a hurry for some shots to the face. LeRae comes in but misses a legdrop, allowing Dolin to drive her back into the corner.

It’s back to Jade, who gets caught in an early neck crank to put her in trouble. Hartwell adds a running shot in the corner before slapping on the cravate. A side slam gets two on Jade and it’s back to LeRae for her own chinlock. Jade kicks her away without much effort and hands it back to Dolin to kick away at Hartwell. Hartwell powers her way out of a double suplex and hands it back to LeRae. That means Jade can grab a few rollups for two each but a belly to back slam lets Hartwell pin Jade at 5:57.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much of a showcase for Dolin and Jade but more a way to get their feet wet in a WWE ring. In that regard, it worked out fine, especially in a match they had next to no chance of winning. The Way very well could be favorites to win the whole tournaments and they’re already in the final four, so at least they’re off to a good start.

Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese vs. Tommaso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher

Ciampa and Thatcher have taken the spot of the injured Ashante Adonis/Desmond Troy. They just happened to beat the heck out of each other in the Fight Pit earlier this week but the word “respect” was dropped so all was forgiven. Thatcher grabs Daivari by the face to start and headlocks him to the mat. A hammerlock takes Daivari down again and the surfboard makes it even worse. Daivari gets up and manages to push Thatcher over for the tag to Nese, though I’m more interested in the Nintendo 64 shirt in the crowd.

That’s fine with Thatcher, as Ciampa takes over on Nese’s arm and hands it off to Ciampa. Nese takes him down by the leg but is quickly caught in a front facelock as this is a very grappling heavy match so far. Daivari comes in but Nese gets in a cheap shot, allowing Daivari to wrap Ciampa’s knee around the post. Back in and the Figure Four keeps Ciampa’s knee in trouble, with Nese offering a distraction so he can pull Daivari into the corner.

Ciampa gets out and scores with an enziguri, allowing the hot tag off to Thatcher. Uppercuts abound with Nese having to break up an ankle lock. Daivari’s Persian Splash gets two and the next hot tag brings Ciampa back in to clean house. Thatcher and Ciampa knock them both to the floor and it’s Willow’s Bell for the pin on Nese at 8:15.

Rating: C-. This was another match that wasn’t exactly in doubt but it was a little more competitive than the first. Ciampa and Thatcher could well be dark horses to pull off the whole thing and that could make for something interesting. The men’s brackets are looking good so far and we could be in for some cool matches as we move forward. Ciampa and Thatcher didn’t seem to quite trust each other but that’s the case for most thrown together teams.

Here are the second round brackets:

Undisputed Era

Tommaso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher

Kushida/Leon Ruff

Grizzled Young Veterans

MSK

Drake Maverick/Killian Dain

Lucha House Party

Legado Del Fantasma

Overall Rating: C. Again, this was a show designed to take pressure off of NXT and there is nothing wrong with that. 205 Live is hardly the most important show in the world on its own so switching things over for a few weeks isn’t going to hurt anything. The Dusty Classics are big tournaments so letting 205 Live host some matches is a good way to keep things moving. Nothing must see here, but it did what it was supposed to do.

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Main Event
Date: January 21, 2021
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe

We’re well on the way to the Royal Rumble and that means things should be picking up around here. Unfortunately that has a tendency not to be the case on this show, but at least we are only going to have to deal with a few moments from last week’s Raw, which isn’t something that should be highlighted. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Akira Tozawa vs. Angel Garza

Rematch from last week when Garza won because yay for continuity. Tozawa shouts a lot and kicks him in the ribs only to have Garza kick him in the face. That means GARZA TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, setting up a penalty kick for two. Garza bends the leg around the rope in the corner and fires off some more kicks (he has a theme tonight), followed by the leglock. The leg gets tied up even more for something like the STF’s weird cousin (I think he’s named Marvin) until Garza picks him up for a reverse slingshot suplex. Tozawa fights up and tries the Octopus but gets superkicked down. The Wing Clipper finishes for Garza at 5:15.

Rating: D+. Total squash here and that’s how it probably should have gone. I continue to be confused with the lack of anything for Garza to do on Raw as he really is good enough for something on that show. I’ve liked Tozawa for a long time but he was in over his head here as Garza was looking sharp.

Video on Adam Pearce winning the gauntlet match to become #1 contender, with a bit of help from Roman Reigns.

From Smackdown.

Here are Roman Reigns and company for the contract signing with Adam Pearce. In a nice touch, Pearce comes out with no music, because he really doesn’t have a personality. Pearce sits but Reigns wants his chair. Jey gets Pearce out of the chair to give it to Reigns, because he is sitting at the head of the table. They both sign, with Reigns smirking a lot. Pearce says he has been waiting all night for Reigns to do that, picks up the contract, and leaves.

Pearce starts limping on his way up the ramp, saying it’s an old injury that flare up every now and then. However, all WWE contracts say “card subject to change”, an as a WWE official, Pearce will find a suitable replacement for Reigns. That’s just what he has in mind, so cue Kevin Owens to sign the contract to face Reigns at the Rumble in the Last Man Standing match. Just like Raw has done a few times in recent weeks, the show cuts off during commentary’s closing line. Fair enough on the switch, and it worked well enough as a way to get Owens another match.

From Raw.

And now, the Dirt Sheet, because we need another talk show. Miz and John Morrison talk about how great things could be for Goldberg if he wins the title one more time. That brings us to their guest tonight: Goldberg! Uh….make that Gillberg! As cliched as that might be, it’s nice to see Gillberg after his recent health issues. Anyway, Gillberg talks about everything he does in his entrance, but here’s…..a mini Drew McIntyre to interrupt.

After putting in the mini sword (Joe: “That’s the Clayless.”), mini Drew (with his kilt a bit too low and having to adjust his hair) says he is here to address his Royal Rumble opponent face to face. Drew promises to kick Goldberg back to 1998 and then go home and eat some hagis. Morrison mocks Drew’s accent and Drew breaks character, asking if we can do it again. Miz snaps on Morrison for getting an actor from New Jersey instead of New York, LA or Cleveland. Morrison: “CLEVELAND???”

Gillberg interrupts with his goofy face and gets a double shut up. They decide to wrap it up with Miz saying Drew and Goldberg will both lose at the Rumble because Miz is cashing in, because he’s the Miz and he is……next. Miz and Morrison bickering was funny but after everything else on this show, this was a really bad idea. Except for Gillberg, because Gillberg is awesome.

We get a special report, featuring HHH (Henry E. Panki) and Stephanie McMahon (Anita Reelman) as news reporters. Weatherman Sunny McCloud (Roman Reigns) and Paul Heyman announce that Wrestlemania XXXVII will be in Tampa. Hailey Mary (Sasha Banks) is in Dallas, where Wrestlemania XXXVIII will be held in 2022. Then Hugh Kantseeme (John Cena) is in Los Angeles, where Wrestlemania XXXIX will be held in 2023. Then they’re off the air and HHH and Stephanie take off their costumes to say they were both awesome. This is….uh….well it’s different. We’ll go with different.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Drew Gulak

Feeling out process to start with Carrillo armdragging him into an armbar as commentary actually remembers that Carrillo had a US Title shot on last year’s Royal Rumble Kickoff Show. I watched that show yesterday and didn’t remember it so well done. Gulak fights up but it’s the springboard headbutt to put him back down for the first two. Another springboard is countered with a shove out to the floor in a crash though and we take a break.

Back with Carrillo fighting out of an armbar and nailing an enziguri for a breather. There’s a backbreaker for two on Gulak and something like a Spanish Fly into a small package gets the same. Carrillo’s high angle springboard armdrag is blocked and Gulak goes for the cross armbreaker. A foot in the rope breaks it up so Gulak plants him down for two more. Carrillo is right back up with a springboard kick to the face though and the moonsault finishes Gulak at 10:41.

Rating: C. Not a bad match at all here as both guys are good at what they do in the ring. The big problem for both continues to be a lack of a reason to care about them, but Gulak has shown some spots of charisma when he is given the rare chance to showcase himself. I can get why he isn’t given that chance very often, but at least he shines when he can.

From Raw.

From the shadows, Randy Orton talks about people who fight fire with fire usually wind up with ashes. We see a mask over his face as he says the voices in his head have never been louder. He talks about needing to redirect his pure hatred and we see Alexa Bliss throwing the fireball last week. The fire that melted the skin off his face will never go away. He is wearing his mask to protect himself but to shield everyone else from the horror.

The burns could have been much worse or could have disfigured him forever. Orton doesn’t blame her though because he blames the Fiend. Orton blames the Fiend for this because he knows what the Fiend wants. The Fiend wants to stop Orton from achieving the inevitable. We see clips of Orton’s two Royal Rumble wins as Orton talks about how he would be a threat to win the Rumble even if you chopped off all of his limbs.

He enjoys the pain and you can blame the Fiend when he burns everyone’s Wrestlemania dreams to ashes. Orton lights and the blows out a match. That was certainly different, though would it have been too much to wait more than a week after he was burned to appear again? That’s not enough to be gone for another show?

From Raw.

Here is Alexa Bliss for Alexa’s Playground. She wants to address the viper in the room. Things got a little heated with Randy Orton last week but she knows someone if he is interested in some sunblock. As for tonight though, her guest is Asuka, who looks scared of where to sit. Bliss says that isn’t your seat, but she wasn’t talking to Asuka. For now though, Bliss has some special news.

After asking the invisible person in the swing if she should tell them, she announces her entry into the Royal Rumble. That means she could go on to Wrestlemania to face Asuka, who says she is a big fan of Bliss. Asuka, sounding rather nervous, says yowie wowie. Bliss apologizes to whoever is next to her and Asuka starts dancing. Bliss shouts to stop it and talks to the swing. Asuka tries to calm Bliss down by saying he is still here, but Bliss says not to say his name. A scared Asuka leaves.

From Raw.

Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss

Non-title. Asuka starts fast and doesn’t seem so scared this time around. An early Shining Wizard connects and Bliss is rocked, but the lights go out Fiend style. Bliss smiles a lot as we take a break. Back with Bliss seemingly transformed (and maybe with different lipstick) into the serious version and Asuka not being sure what to do.

Bliss blocks and dodges a bunch of strikes before shouldering Asuka down without much trouble. Back in and the Mandible Claw is loaded up but Asuka manages to block it. The rapid fire kicks rock Bliss but she grabs Sister Abigail and, with a blank stare, finishes Asuka at 11:36.

Rating: D+. And so we have another example of WWE doing their storytelling thing. I get the idea they’re going for here and it does make Bliss out to be a monster, but Asuka being scared or whatever is not like her whatsoever. She can go with the silly and such, but having her be scared feels out of character. Also, can anyone give me a logical reason why she and Charlotte are Tag Team Champions at the moment other than Charlotte getting another title reign?

Post match the lights flash and Bliss’ makeup changes because she’s the happy version again. Fiend’s LET ME IN ends the show.

Overall Rating: C-. All this show did was remind me of the gap between Raw and Smackdown, which grows larger by the week. Raw really has become one of the most dreadful shows in a long time while Smackdown, which still isn’t exactly a masterpiece, continues its steady progression and that’s all it needs to do. The gap continues to expand and I’m almost scared to see how much worse things get in the next few weeks and months.

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This is one of the bigger ones as the angles are the things that carry the audience’s interest. There were some good ones throughout the year and it might be nice to look back at them after so many things went badly this year. Wrestling had a hard time making things work and yet there were more than a few good options to pick from. Hopefully my memory is working this time so let’s get to it.

As usual, in no particular order until the winner at the end.

Who Is Returning To Impact Wrestling?

I’m not sure what else to call this or even if it counts as an angle, but I had a great time watching this over the summer. Someone who had been released from WWE was going to be returning to the company at Slammiversary and it became a huge Whoisit story. That’s one of the best angles that can be done and the big reveals at the end were….well just ok at best, but at least the build up was great.

Golden Role Models Explode

It’s a story that was built up for a very long time and then they finally paid the whole thing off. I’m not sure if it was worth all of the time and effort put in, but everything they set up felt like it was building to a moment and then we actually got there. These two have a very detailed history together and then they kept building on it even more, with the two of them owning all of the women’s titles. It felt like a big deal when they got to the ending and the match in the Cell, with Bayley finally losing the title, was rather good. This was long form storytelling and you don’t get that very often in WWE.

The Rise And Fall Of Hangman Page

Now this one is interesting as I could see it seems like we have only seen part of the story so far. Page started the year hot by winning the Tag Team Titles with Kenny Omega but seemed to like booze more than anything else, including his partner. He continues to seem to be trying to find himself but has no way of knowing where to look. The idea of Page ultimately discovering his inner….whatever it is and dethroning Omega to win the World Title is incredibly intriguing, but for now, I’ll settle for him becoming a lost soul and slowly starting to work his way back to the real world, because the details in this have been very good so far.

Randy Orton vs. The Legends

I’m a sucker for Orton. Even though he has done something similar more than once before, it is something he does rather well and it was nice to see various other legends other than Ric Flair (though of course we had Flair in there too because we have to) involved for a change. The sequence of legends in the ambulance match worked too and Orton even wound up winning the World Title to have the story mean something in the end. Not bad for something that has been done probably half a dozen times before.

Those were all good, but there wasn’t much doubt on this one.

Roman Reigns Is The Head Of The Table

Reigns came back at Summerslam and seemed to have an edge to him but it didn’t exactly feel like some big game changer. Then one night the camera panned out to show Paul Heyman next to him and it was clear that we were in for something new. With the big change taking place, it became very obvious that Reigns wasn’t just a heel but rather THE heel, as he was the monster that everyone had been wanting to see him as for years. This went rolling for a few months and showed no signs of slowing down at the end of the year. Throw in Reigns getting great matches out of Jey Uso and this was the head of the list with no question about it.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: January 25, 2021
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe, Michael Cole

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and the big draw this week is the double return of Drew McIntyre and Goldberg. I’m not sure how much of an appeal that is supposed to have but WWE certainly sees something in it. Also we get a rematch from last week with Asuka defending the Women’s Title against Alexa Bliss, because WWE doesn’t like waiting on much. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Drew McIntyre to get things going. Drew is rather emotional to be back here and thanks everyone who sent him well wishes. The virus is a horrible thing but we are going to get through it together. Speaking of things we will get through, this Sunday it is going to be Drew McIntyre vs. Bill Goldberg for the WWE Title. Goldberg was 173-0 in WCW and ran through the Rock like he was nothing….and then he disappeared.

The last thing to go in a heavyweight fighter is his power but Goldberg has started a new streak. Every champion he has challenged since returning to WWE has gone down but on Sunday, Drew is ending the streak. Cue Miz and John Morrison to mock the idea of King Kong vs. Godzilla on Sunday because one of them could wind up injured after the match. That opens a door for a Money in the Bank cash-in because whoever wins is going to be a sitting duck.

Miz promises to win the title but here’s Goldberg to cut them off. Goldberg: “You, me, Sunday, you’re next.” The staredown is on so Miz and Morrison make some jokes from the apron, earning themselves a double beatdown, with Miz taking the spear and Morrison getting Claymored. Another staredown ensues as I beg of WWE to end the Miz thing on Sunday because it is managing to hurt a story that had almost nothing going for it in the first place.

Charlotte says she knows how to perform well under pressure. Tonight she wants Shayna Baszler to bring her invisible crown because it’s one thing to pretend to be a queen and another to actually be one. On Sunday, she is entering the Royal Rumble and defending the Tag Team Titles. As for Lacey Evans and Ric Flair, she has seen her father in some dark places before but this might be the darkest. She’ll be ready though, because she is Ms. Wrestlemania.

Charlotte vs. Shayna Baszler

Nia Jax is here with Shayna Baszler but Asuka isn’t here because she and Charlotte are the most worthless Tag Team Champions in the history of the title. Charlotte starts fast by kicking Baszler down and hitting a baseball slide on Jax. The Figure Eight goes on in a hurry but Jax comes in for the DQ at 56 seconds. Good, as there is no reason to burn off Charlotte vs. Baszler in a real match here.

Post match the beatdown is on with Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke coming in for the failed save. Lacey Evans is in as well and the six woman is ready for after the break.

Mandy Rose/Dana Brooke/Charlotte vs. Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax/Lacey Evans

Mandy and Lacey exchange wristlocks to start before it’s off to Dana to knock Lacey down again. Shayna and Charlotte come in with Shayna kicking away at the leg. That’s enough to send Charlotte over for another tag to Mandy, who takes Baszler into the corner. The alternating beatdown is on with Charlotte kneeing Baszler outside. Charlotte stops to glare at Nia and Lacey but gets rammed into the apron. Shayna throws her back inside….and doesn’t beat the count at 4:44. Everyone seems confused and I can’t imagine that was the planned finish because it just ended out of nowhere.

And never mind as we come back from a break with the match continuing thanks to a decision made by Adam Pearce during the break. Jax runs Brooke over with a clothesline and taking her into the corner. Shayna does the stomp down onto Dana’s arm but Dana gets over for the tag to Mandy anyway. Everything breaks down and Charlotte chases Lacey over the barricade as Dana gets the tag again. Nia misses a charge into the post and Dana gets two off a running flip neckbreaker. A powerbomb into a chokeslam plants Dana again and the legdrop finishes for Nia at 14:05 (counting the break).

Rating: D+. Again. They did it again. One more time, Nia and Shayna beat Dana and Mandy because that’s all these four know how to do. The law of diminishing returns has been in effect for months with these teams but here we are again. Speaking of again, Charlotte and Asuka still might as well not be a team, so hopefully they lose the titles on Sunday and end this worthless idea.

We look at Mace beating Xavier Woods last week.

Mustafa Ali loved what he saw and is ready to destroy Kofi Kingston.

Earlier today, Ali talked about coming after Kofi because he had the greatest moment in his life after Ali had the worst moment of his life.

Xavier Woods vs. Slapjack

Woods charges at him to start but gets kneed down for his efforts. Slapjack bangs up his knee on a missed double stomp though and Woods strikes away. Woods nails a running knee to finish Slapjack for the pin at 2:49.

Post match Retribution beats Woods down, with Ali grabbing a chair. Instead he sits down in it though and says for someone who acts like a king, Woods looks like a peasant right now. Ali has heard that Kofi won’t be competing in the Royal Rumble, but don’t worry because he’ll take Kofi’s place.

Riddle is on his way to the ring when he runs into R-Truth, who has heard about a birthday party. Truth thinks it is for him because it was his birthday last week and they might have 24 karat gold carrots for him. Goat noises are shared.

It’s time for the talk show before a match involving the people in the talk show, this time featuring the Hurt Business in the VIP Lounge. MVP is ready to own the Royal Rumble and tells Cedric Alexander to focus on the task at hand tonight. Bobby Lashley talks about how the team is draped in gold (and silver) and they are just beginning. They have a present for MVP in the form of a THB chain. MVP is rather impressed but Cedric and Shelton argue over the design.

Cue R-Truth to ask about the surprise party, because THB must mean Truth Happy Birthday. Shelton: “Truth, now is not the time.” Truth: “Is it a dance break?” Lashley apologizes for forgetting his birthday last week but he has a gift inside the ring. Here comes the Menagerie of Numskulls to go after the title, with the Hurt Business getting involved. MVP isn’t impressed, but here’s Riddle with the Final Flash to knock him silly. It takes talent to squeeze in two stupid ideas into one segment so well done.

Edge is back tonight. Works for me.

R-Truth asks Adam Pearce if he can enter the Money in the Bank match. AJ Styles and Omos come up with AJ offering his services in a qualifying match. Styles says he’s benevolent, so Truth says he’s a Capricorn. Pearce says if Truth can beat AJ, he’ll consider a Rumble spot. Truth things Omos is a Taurus, like the one he had that broke down one time. Confused Truth is still one of my favorite things in WWE.

We look back at the opening segment.

Sheamus vs. John Morrison

Both are officially in the Rumble and Miz is in Morrison’s corner. Morrison takes him down with a headlock to start but Sheamus is back up with a hammerlock. The chinlock keeps Morrison down until he fights up, only to get backdropped right back down. Morrison gets in a shot to the throat and break dances over for a kick to the back. Sheamus pops up and grabs the Irish Curse for two before heading to the top.

The top rope clothesline is dropkicked out of the air with a shot to the knee, setting up a running knee to put Sheamus on the apron. Back in and Morrison works on the leg with a leg crank and an elbow to the knee. Sheamus uses the good leg to kick his way to freedom, setting up a release Rock Bottom for two more. The Cloverleaf is blocked and it’s a knee to the face to set up White Noise to finish Morrison at 9:33.

Rating: C. As usual, this worked out well and I’m not surprised by this. They’re always good together and that was on display again. It’s a little weird to have the heel as the speed and the face as the power, but they kept Miz to a minimum and let the guys do their thing, which is exactly the right idea.

Post match Miz wants a handicap match so that’s on as well, as we now have a third Miz and Morrison segment in the first two hours.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Sheamus

No tags here as Morrison takes out Sheamus’ knee to start so Miz can get a DDT for two. An enziguri into a clothesline puts Sheamus on the floor, with Morrison nailing a nice dive. Sheamus gets sent hard into the barricade for some running shots to the head. Back in and Miz stomps Sheamus down in the corner but Sheamus manages to send Morrison outside.

A running clothesline drops Miz and there’s a powerslam to the returning Morrison. Sheamus Regal Rolls Miz onto Morrison and then sends them outside for the double top rope clothesline. Morrison breaks up the Brogue Kick back inside but Sheamus shrugs off the Skull Crushing Finale. The Brogue Kick drops Morrison but it’s the Skull Crushing Finale to finish Sheamus at 6:49.

Rating: C+. I liked this more than I thought I would have, and as much as I want to put Miz into that briefcase and send him to the planet Flaflooga, Sheamus got into the zone that he rarely reaches anymore and that’s a good thing. He really can do the power thing well and Miz and Morrison work well together in spots like this. Sheamus and Morrison have some very good chemistry together as well so I’m not sure why I’m surprised I had a good time here.

Ric Flair and Lacey Evans grapple a bit when Charlotte comes in. Lacey leaves and Flair says he’s doing what he wants to do. Charlotte says he spent his money on everyone but his family but this isn’t cute anymore. Flair is going from legend to old man and she isn’t the bad guy. Ric glares at her as Lacey comes back in and hits her with the Woman’s Right. Lacey asks Flair to explain the WOO as they leave Charlotte laying.

AJ Styles vs. R-Truth

Non-title. Feeling out process to start with Truth sending him over the top but getting caught in a staredown with Styles. Back in and AJ misses the Phenomenal Forearm, allowing Truth to start up the John Cena finishing sequence. There’s the Shuffle but the AA is countered into the Calf Crusher for the tap at 2:35.

We look back at Randy Orton being all masked and creepy. I think this is just airing the same segment from last week.

And now, Alexa’s Playground with Bliss reciting Mary Mary Quite Contrary. She loves what she and Fiend did to Randy Orton two weeks ago and looks at a video of last week’s promo (which we just saw). Bliss thinks he looks better now and says that she just wanted to have some fun with Asuka in her playground. Now we look at Bliss watching herself and Asuka from last week (after watching her talk on the big screens in the Thunderdome). Bliss throws in some Ring Around The Rosey and her face turns into the Fiend for the LET ME IN. Total time spent on watching recaps: seven minutes.

Riddle vs. Hurt Business

Gauntlet match and if Riddle wins, he gets a title shot at Lashley. Shelton Benjamin starts things off and counters a kick into a spinebuster for two. The chinlock goes on and Shelton adds a knee but gets pulled into a guillotine. Shelton tries to muscle him into a suplex so Riddle knees him in the head. A rollup should have Riddle pinned but Cedric Alexander gets on the apron. Shelton yells at Alexander and gets rolled up for the pin at 4:48. MVP is in next and, as he yells at Shelton and Alexander for arguing, gets pulled into a kneebar for the tap at 5:24. Cedric is in last and we take a break.

Back with Cedric putting a knee in Riddle’s back and cranking on the arm. Riddle fights up so Cedric hits a heck of a dropkick for two. The abdominal stretch goes on but Riddle reverses into a suplex, which is countered into a DDT. Back up and Riddle kicks him in the head to start the real comeback.

A t-bone suplex sends Alexander flying but he gets the knees up to block the Broton. Riddle grabs a German suplex to put Alexander down again, only to get pulled into a brainbuster for two more. A quick triangle choke is countered into a powerbomb but Riddle hangs onto the choke. Back up and Riddle grabs a rollup for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: C. Riddle vs. Shelton and MVP were about as nothing as you could get but Alexander had a good match. That being said, the whole Hurt Business in-fighting stuff is still one of the worst things going on around here as of late. It isn’t that surprising though, as the team is good, polished and feel like a threat so they must be stamped out.

Post match Lashley comes out to give Riddle the Hurt Lock to leave him laying.

The WWE Network is moving to Peacock. If it doesn’t increase the price and you get the same things, I’m good with it.

We look at the opening sequence again.

Edge joins us for the first time in several months to talk about how you aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. Ten years ago, he went to Wrestlemania XXVII and left as champion. Then he lost everything because of his neck and took nine years to get back. He remembers telling his mom that he wanted to be a wrestler and she told him you have to go do it.

With that in mind, he is entering the Royal Rumble. He doesn’t have much time left so he is going to fight with everything he has to make this far fetched dream come true. If you have been with him on this ride until now, you have to try. A world without dreamers and fighters is a much less magical place. He quotes Henry Ford, who said if you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. Edge thinks he can, and he’ll see us at the Royal Rumble.

Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss

Bliss is challenging in a rematch from last week. Asuka takes her down into an armbar to start but misses the hip attack. Bliss kicks her to the floor….and then gets on the rocking horse that appears in the ring. Back from a break with Bliss fighting out of a chinlock and getting kicked in the face. Asuka hits another kick in the corner but Bliss’ old music starts playing and now she has her regular gear on (and longer hair).

Bliss sends Asuka face first into the corner and then the lights go out, with Bliss going into the other corner. She does Bray Wyatt’s lean backwards and becomes Fiend Bliss. Asuka’s knee to the face just annoys Bliss and the Asuka Lock but Bliss powers out of it. The Mandible Claw goes on but here’s Randy Orton with red makeup because this company doesn’t know how burns work either for an RKO to Bliss and the no contest at 12:33.

Rating: F. I like Randy Orton, I like Alexa Bliss and I like Asuka. If you put all three of those people into a match and angle, I should like the product. Instead, this was like an eight year old on a sugar rush saying “And then this happens and then this happens but it doesn’t count and then this happens and then the show is over.” They had part of a match and then it was something about a horse and a goddess walking into an RKO. I would say I probably got some of the details wrong in there, but I don’t think there were any details involved in the first place.

Overall Rating: D. And yet, somehow it’s better than last week’s show. This show was going along somewhat nicely and then went FLYING off the rails in the end, with one dumb idea after another. Maybe it’s all the time that they have to fill, but the more I think about it, the more worried I am that this is really what they think is the best use of Raw every week. Between the wrestlers working multiple times, the people watching promos from last week and people doing completely stupid things just because the script calls for it, this was another shining example of how bad Raw can be and that’s a scary thought going forward.

Results

Charlotte b. Shayna Baszler via DQ when Nia Jax interfered

Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler/Lacey Evans b. Charlotte/Mandy Rose/Dana Brooke – Legdrop to Brooke

Xavier Woods b. Slapjack – Knee to the face

Sheamus b. John Morrison – White Noise

Miz/John Morrison b. Sheamus – Skull Crushing Finale

AJ Styles b. R-Truth – Calf Crusher

Riddle b. Hurt Business – Rollup to Alexander

Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss went to a no contest

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

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

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Royal Rumble 2015
Date: January 25, 2015
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 17,164
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

Pre-Show: Tyson Kidd/Cesaro vs. New Day

Back with Cesaro holding Kofi in a chinlock but Kingston comes back with a dropkick to Kidd. Big E. starts cleaning house with clotheslines and the fans are REALLY not pleased. Cesaro charges into a Rock Bottom (well close enough to one) out of the corner for two. Kidd is sent to the floor for a flip dive from Kofi, followed by Big E. spearing Cesaro through the ropes for a big crash.

New Age Outlaws vs. Ascension

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Damien Mizdow/Miz

The Usos are defending but Mizdow is the most over guy in the match. Speaking of things that have changed a lot in a year. The Usos took the titles from Miz/Mizdow to close out 2014 so this is the rematch. Jey and Miz get things going and the fans already want Mizdow. Something like a top rope Demolition Decapitator gets two on Miz as Cole recap Miz trying to get Naomi on their side with promises of Hollywood fame.

Anyway, Jimmy gets away and tags in Jey to take over with the running Umaga Attack in the corner but Miz grabs a DDT for two. Everything breaks down and both Usos hit a dive to take out both challengers, though Jey almost misses Miz, drawing a rather rude chant from the fans.

The pre-show panel chats a bit and we look at the pre-show match.

Wrestlemania ad. I had forgotten how much I hated that theme song.

Bella Twins vs. Paige/Natalya

Fandango says no one understands the power of the tango.

YES, Daniel Bryan thinks he can get back to the main event of Wrestlemania.

We recap the triple threat for the World Title. Rollins tried to cash in Money in the Bank on Lesnar at Night of Champions while Cena was challenging, triggering a feud between Rollins and Cena. Tonight they both get their shot in what should be awesome.

WWE World Title: John Cena vs. Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar

Rating: A. Good grief what a battle. This was the night where Rollins became a star and people knew that he was going to be champion soon. Cena put in his normal amazing performance here as well, but good night Brock looked like a monster. This is the beast that WWE wanted to build up for someone to take down and it worked perfectly here. Just outstanding action here with all three looking like they had been through a war. This was the instant match of the year leader and it would take something special to knock it off.

Brock walks off as the medics are stunned.

Rumble By The Numbers video.

Royal Rumble

Ziggler superkicks the giants and takes them both down with the running DDT. Barrett is sent to the apron and superkicked out but Ziggler gets caught in the Cesaro Swing. Cesaro sends him to the apron but Dolph gets him to the apron for a superkick and an elimination, only to have Big Show and Kane put Ziggler out. That also gives Kane the all time record for Rumble eliminations.

Rock poses with Reigns and the fans STILL boo. The Authority comes out to glare a lot as Reigns celebrates and points at the sign to end the show.

Ratings Comparison

Tyson Kidd/Cesaro vs. New Day

Original: B

Redo: B-

Ascension vs. New Age Outlaws

Original: D+

Redo: D

Miz/Damien Mizdow vs. Usos

Original: C-

Redo: C-

Bella Twins vs. Paige/Natalya

Original: D-

Redo: D

Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins

Original: A

Redo: A

Royal Rumble

Original: D+

Redo: D-

Overall Rating

Original: C+

Redo: D

How in the world did I add that one up last year?

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2015/01/25/royal-rumble-2015-more-teasing-than-a-15-year-old-on-prom-night/

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

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Royal Rumble 2015
Date: January 25, 2015
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

Pre-Show: New Day vs. Cesaro/Tyson Kidd

The opening video talks about wanting to have your moment and being the one. We transition into a video on the triple threat and how everyone is fighting for the title.

New Age Outlaws vs. Ascension

We recap Sting debuting on Raw and staring down the Authority, allowing Cena to pin Rollins to save his spot in the title match tonight and get Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback their jobs back.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Miz/Damien Mizdow

The expert panel (Booker T., Corey Graves and Alex Riley) talk about the show so far.

We look at the pre-show match.

Bella Twins vs. Paige/Natalya

This is the Total Divas match over who are the real stars of the show. Paige throws Nikki down to start as JBL says the Bellas have been twins their whole life. Off to Brie who walks into a double suplex, allowing the slow crawling cover from Paige. Natalya comes back in and slams Brie down before the Bellas start choking to take over.

Stardust talks about the Cosmic Key and Goldust breathes a lot.

Rusev will crush everyone at Wrestlemania.

Fandango says everyone underestimates the power of the tango.

Daniel Bryan thinks he can make it back to the main event of Wrestlemania this year. YES he does.

We recap Lesnar vs. Cena vs. Rollins. Cena had defeated Orton to earn a title shot against Lesnar but the Authority added Rollins to the match to thank him for bringing them back. Rollins has started to stand up to Lesnar and even Curb Stomped him, meaning Lesnar wants to kill him too.

WWE World Heavyweight Title: Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins

Everyone is down again but Cena grabs the STF, only to have the Stooges come in for the save. Rollins plays Reigns in a Triple Bomb as a stretcher comes out for Lesnar. Cena kicks out at two so Rollins grabs the briefcase, only to miss the charge and fly out to the floor. The Stooges take a double AA and Rollins gets the single version but kicks out at two. We cut back to Lesnar who says he wants to stay out here. Cole says Lesnar has at least a broken rib. Rollins enziguris Cena down and the Curb Stomp connects for another near fall.

Rollins busts out a Phoenix Splash but Lesnar CHARGES back in for some German suplexes as Beast Mode is on. Seth flips out of a German though and knocks Lesnar silly with the briefcase, only to have Lesnar pop up with an F5 to counter the Curb Stomp onto the briefcase to retain the title at 22:45.

Rumble by the numbers.

Royal Rumble

Daniel breaks it up with a top rope dropkick and unleashes more kicks, only to have Bray pop up and dump him out far earlier than I was expecting. Goldust is in at #16 as the crowd is just dead. Stardust tries to throw out Goldust (with Cole mentioning that Goldust was eliminated by his brother last year, despite saying Stardust was in his first Rumble. Like I said, splitting hairs) but Goldust saves himself. The fans start chanting for Bryan and them switch to booing.

Kofi Kingston is in at #17, giving us Kingston, Goldust, Stardust, Rusev and Wyatt. Bray catapults him over the top but Kofi skins the cat and comes back in with a springboard shot to the head. Everyone gets into one corner until Adam Rose is in at #18. You can hear every word of the songs now as the crowd just does not care at the moment. Kofi is thrown out but the Rosebuds catch him and walk him back to the apron. Rusev dumps Rose and Kofi a few seconds later and Roman Reigns is in at #19 to a lot less booing than I was expecting.

Ambrose dropkicks Wyatt up against the ropes and Bad News Barrett gets lucky #27. The ring is getting full but no one is in any real danger of being eliminated. Cesaro is in at #28 and joins the fray. Rusev sends Big E. to the apron and then kicks him out to clear the ring a bit. Big Show is in at #29 and everyone stops to stare him down. They all gang up on him but Show shoves everyone down as Kane chokeslams Ambrose. Show does the same to Reigns before the monsters dump Ryback with ease.

Swagger is dumped by the power team as well, tying Kane for the all time record at 39 eliminations. Dolph Ziggler is in at #30, giving us a final group of Wyatt, Rusev, Reigns, Kane, Ambrose, Barrett, Cesaro, Big Show and Ziggler. Dolph has to fight out of the chokeslam from Big Show and dumps Barrett. Cesaro swings Dolph around and gets him to the apron, only to be pulled out for the elimination. Ziggler goes up top and dives right into the KO Punch, allowing Kane and Show to easily dump him, giving Kane the all time eliminations record.

The Authority comes out as Rock poses with Reigns before letting Reigns point at the sign to end the show.

Results

Ascension b. New Age Outlaws – Fall of Man to Gunn

Usos b. Miz/Damien Mizdow – Superfly Splash to Miz

Bella Twins b. Paige/Natalya – Forearm to the face

Brock Lesnar b. Seth Rollins and John Cena – F5 to Rollins

Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble last eliminating Big Show and Kane

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

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

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Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Fusion #118
Date: January 20, 2021
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Jared St. Laurent

We’re back to normal this week after Salina de la Renta was in charge last week, but the interesting note came at the end of last week’s show. De la Renta’s Promociones Dorado seems to have been bought out by some group called Azteca Underground, which seems to be some continuation of Lucha Underground. That certainly gets my interest so let’s get to it.

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

ACH is challenging for the World Title tonight but has been attacked outside of the gym. The match is still on.

Opening sequence.

Zenshi vs. Daivari

Daivari is the newest Contra soldier and is in outstanding shape. Feeling out process to start until Daivari nails a running clothesline for an early two. There’s a backdrop out of the corner for the same and the armbar has Zenshi in more trouble. A hammerlock slam gets two more and the armbar goes on. Zenshi is sent outside but comes back in with some rams into the buckles. A slingshot neckbreaker gets two (with one arm) but a bottom rope 450 hits knees. Daivari grabs a hammerlock lariat for the pin at 6:11.

Rating: C-. This was designed to make Daivari look good and it did that well enough. Taking apart the arm was a bit of a twist on the normal setup but it went as well as could have been expected. I haven’t been much of a Daivari fan over the years but he looked crisp here and the physique is a marked changed from his WWE days, so well done on putting in a lot of work.

Myron Reed isn’t scared of Contra and wants some of Daivari.

Savio Vega looks at a picture of himself and promises to get the Caribbean belt back from Richard Holliday in a strap match. Vega will even provide the strap, which is the same one he used on Steve Austin. The contract is in the mail.

Jordan Oliver vs. Simon Gotch

Gotch wins an early slugout without too much trouble but Oliver is right back with more forearms of his own. That earns him a Saito suplex so Oliver grabs a waistlock into a snap suplex. They head outside with Contra hitting a kick to the back and adds an elbow drop from the apron.

Back in and some chops in the corner put Oliver on the floor, followed by an enziguri for two back inside. An armbar sends Oliver straight to the rope as Gotch seems to be toying with him. Oliver finally gets in a running knee to the chest for two and a big boot gets the same. That’s about it for Oliver though as his springboard is pulled into a sleeper to give Gotch the win at 7:28.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much of a competitive match but it told a story. The big appeal here was that Oliver was angry at Gotch for what he did to his friend and Gotch, being the more trained and experienced fighter, knew how to keep his cool and reel the overzealous Oliver in. That’s a simple story but it was all you needed here and Gotch played it as well as could be asked.

Post match Gotch lays him out with a piledriver for a bonus. Myron Reed runs in for the save.

We look back at Los Parks winning the Tag Team Titles last week.

Tom Lawlor and Team Filthy denies all allegations against them from last week’s title change. They don’t have any idea who attacked ACH this morning either, though pronouncing his name like a sound instead of the letters is funny.

Video on ACH.

Salina de la Renta isn’t having any of these questions about Promociones Dorado so Alicia Atout goes on a mini rant about how ridiculous Salina is for never answering anything. Alicia is going to find out what’s going on.

Mads Krugger knows that he will end Alex Hammerstone when they meet again in two week.

ACH has said that Team Filthy’s Dominic Garrini attacked him this morning.

Richard Holliday joins us from Martha’s Vineyard and says he has signed the contract to face Savio Vega against his lawyer/father’s advice because he is 12 steps ahead of Vega.

MLW World Title: ACH vs. Jacob Fatu

ACH is challenging and is rather banged up coming in. Daivari is here with Fatu to keep things unfair. ACH charges at him to start and gets knocked into the corner with ease. Some backflips allow ACH to dropkick the champ outside but the dive is knocked out of the air. There’s a ribs first drop onto the apron and Fatu sits down on the ribs back inside. Another drop misses though and ACH strikes away, only to get pulled into a Samoan drop.

Fatu drops down onto the ribs again as the game plan isn’t exactly complicated here (as it shouldn’t be). The running hip attack misses but ACH’s rather dumb slam attempt comes crashing down. Fatu grabs a neck crank and there’s a headbutt to put ACH back down. A missed charge into the corner puts Fatu down for a bit though and ACH gets to strike away.

ACH dropkicks the knee out and hits a basement dropkick to the side of the head (which shouldn’t work on a Samoan). There’s a slingshot cutter (which Fatu sells like a DDT) for two and a hurricanrana sets up an enziguri. For some reason ACH tries the slam again, this time earning himself a pop up Samoan drop. The moonsault finishes ACH at 9:52.

Rating: C+. They didn’t bother making Fatu sweat here and they shouldn’t have. ACH is a bigger star outside of MLW but it isn’t like he has done much of anything around here in the first place. Fatu is an absolute monster and doesn’t need to be in anything resembling danger outside of a major challenger. ACH is good, but he isn’t that good, at least around here.

Post match Fatu and Daivari proclaim Contra’s dominance but the flag bearers jump them, revealing themselves to be Injustice to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The main event was the best part of the show but the main thing about this week continues to be how much they can do with so little. There were very few people on this show who feel like stars but they managed to make a decent show out of an episode featuring Simon Gotch, Daivari and ACH. As usual, it’s all about the presentation and now they are making it work.

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

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https://wrestlingrumors.net/derekstoughton/breaking-news-wwe-network-moving-exclusively-nbcs-peacock/

For a billion dollars.  Basically the Network itself will be shut down and everything is going over to Peacock in March.  From what I can tell, you’ll be getting the same thing plus Peacock for the same price, or the Network with ads plus Peacock for half the regular price.  It doesn’t change outside of the US.

In other words: WWE continues to find a way to make a fortune without doing anything but signing away rights.  That’s why they’re #1 and have been for a really long time: their wrestling content itself may be bad, but they know how to make a whole lot of money.

These are the ones you remember. There are so many angles and stories that take place over the course of the year that it is natural to have something stand out as worse than others. WWE tends to have a corner on the market for these things but there are always a few others that sneak through. That may be the case again this year, but you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

As usual, in no particular order until the winner at the end.

Raw Underground

I’m not sure how terrible this was, but it was so random and came and went so suddenly that I think it warrants an inclusion. Above all else, it was barely used and didn’t really advance anything, so I’d call it more lame than bad. That being said, I’m rarely a fan of something along the lines of “this is the REAL fighting” on a wrestling show and while it was far from the Brawl For All, it wasn’t exactly great.

Retribution

It bothers me to have to put this one on here but it was such a pathetic story for so long that it’s hard not to. I like most of the people involved and I was really glad to see Ali get something to do, but egads how worthless did this team seem for so long? They’re getting better now, albeit at such a low level that it’s hard to make myself care. T-Bar had some amazing moments in NXT and Ali is one of the easiest people to cheer for in WWE today. Why is this the best they can do for them?

Viking Profits

Now I know this one was popular with some fans and that’s fine enough. I did like pieces of it but the whole thing went on for SO long without actually having a match that it felt more like a badly scripted reality series (The Raiders can play basketball but get confused by various common modern references?) than anything else. The cinematic deal with the ninjas and various Marvel/Star Wars references was entertaining, but (and yes this is the old school traditionalist in me), when you advertise a match after weeks/months of buildup, I’d kind of like to see it happen rather than another wacky skit.

Goldberg Returns, Wins Universal Title

So this one was the most infuriating at the time, especially when it was designed to set up the Battle Of The Spears at Wrestlemania, but Goldberg was in the ring less than ten minutes. We’re long past the point where WWE is going to care about how annoyed fans get at Goldberg, so you just kind of learn to live with it. Annoying yes, but at least Goldberg was gone at Wrestlemania, never to be seen…..never mind.

Then there is this, which is worse for one reason.

Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt

As I saw pointed out on SCF, this went on for THREE MONTHS with three pay per view matches, including Money in the Bank and whatever the Swamp Fight was. WWE seemed to think that Strowman was interesting enough to carry half of this feud and oh sweet goodness no. This clinched the worst as soon as you realized that they were going to a third pay per view no matter what. Strowman isn’t very good in the first place (at least not in situations like this) and then he feuded with Wyatt for three pay per views because he was an enforcer for the Wyatt Family (one of three). This just kept going and that’s enough to be the worst.

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

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 20, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for things to pick back up again as we are now done with the post Final Battle lull and get on to something new. That is not a bad thing either, as Ring of Honor could use a bit of a boost. I’m not sure what we are going to be seeing going forward, but we could be in for some good stuff if they play their cards right with the talent currently available. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We look at the endings to some of the bigger Final Battle matches (I still need to get to that someday).

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and we now have rankings for each singles title. You can only be ranked for one singles title at a time. Anyone in the top three can challenge for a title and if you want to go to a different division, you have to make a request of the Board of Directors (geez not Ring of Honor too with this corporate nonsense). Here are the rankings for the TV Title.

1. Rey Horus

2. Tony Deppen

3. Dak Draper

4. Kenny King

5. LSG

And the Pure Title rankings:

1. Tracy Williams

2. Flip Gordon

3. Josh Woods

4. Rhett Titus

5. Fred Yehi

Finally, Vincent and Matt Taven are banned from appearing in the same building due to the pure danger they cause.

Maria Kanellis tells us that the Experience is coming in January.

Rhett Titus talks about how good of a night Final Battle was for the Foundation. We live by a Code of Honor around here and Flip Gordon thinks the earth is flat. Titus is ready to stand up for Ring of Honor because that was disrespectful to everyone who paved the way for people like Gordon.

Flip Gordon says he didn’t shake Jonathan Gresham’s hand because he didn’t see much honor in him. Gordon is the #1 contender for the World Title so he’s slumming it in the Pure Rules division. Tonight he is going to beat Rhett Titus and it is going to put him in a lot of pain.

Flip Gordon vs. Rhett Titus

Pure Rules but there’s no handshake to start. Gordon takes it to the mat to crank on both arms to start but Titus reverses into a headscissors. Back up and it’s a test of strength as the feeling out process continues. Titus gets him to the mat but can’t break his bridge. Instead it’s off to an abdominal stretch, which is broken in a hurry. A takedown has Gordon down but he reaches over for the ropes and his first break. Back up and Titus catches him in a bearhug, followed by a surfboard.

The half crab sends Gordon to the ropes for a second time so Titus chops him down in the corner. Gordon finally knocks him down and hits a low superkick. The leg cranking ensues, sending Titus to the rope for a change. We take a break and come back with Titus hitting some running boots in the corner and grabbing the half crab again. Titus gets two off a bridging German suplex but gets caught with the Kinder Surprise to put him on the floor.

Gordon snaps off a suplex on the floor and another low superkick rocks Titus. Back in again and Titus slaps on another half crab, sending Gordon to the rope for the third time. Gordon hits another superkick but they go to the mat for a pinfall reversal sequence. Gordon finally pops him with a right hand, setting up the Stomp. The Flip Five is good for the pin on Titus at 14:47.

Rating: C. These matches are starting to lose a bit of their charm, but that might have been due to the people involved. You can only get so far with Gordon and Titus, who aren’t exactly the top of the card. Gordon may be #1 contender, but having him tone it down like this isn’t exactly something that is going to make me want to watch.

Post break, Gordon is told he has been suspended from the Pure Rules division due to that punch. Flip doesn’t mind as he’ll go into another division. Nice job of making the titles feel like they matter.

Rey Horus talks about growing up around wrestling and knowing a bunch of styles from around the world. Now he is coming for the TV Title.

TV Champion Dragon Lee promises to hurt Horus.

TV Title: Rey Horus vs. Dragon Lee

Lee is defending but Horus isn’t waiting around and takes him out with a big flip dive. They head inside with Horus hitting a tornado DDT for two and they’re right back to the floor. Lee is sent hard into the barricade but he’s fine enough to hit a running hurricanrana off of the apron. They slug it out outside but realize the count and dive in at the same time. Back from a break with another slugout until Lee charges into a Spanish Fly for two.

Horus shouts BRAINBUSTER so Lee escapes, probably because he was told to expect a BRAINBUSTER. Lee nails a chop in the corner but gets Spanish Flied right back into the corner. Back up and a sitout powerbomb gets two on Horus but Horus flips over his shoulders into a Canadian Destroyer for two of his own. The super victory roll is broken up and Lee hits a top rope double stomp to the back. A running knee retains the title at 11:16.

Rating: B-. It was good, though there is a certain standard you kind of grow to expect from these guys and it didn’t quite connect. What we got here was perfectly fine enough though as they did their big spots and you could have believed that Horus would take the title. Lee is a special talent when he is on his game, though it wasn’t quite that far here.

Post match Lee poses with the title on Horus.

Overall Rating: C. This felt like a filler show, even with the title match included. At least they had something with the main event, but there has been a spark missing from Ring of Honor for a good while. I know they only have so much material available, but the promo/match, promo/match format is wearing thing. It was a watchable show at best, as I don’t have much to get interested in most of the time around here these days.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs