Ring of Honor
Date: May 19, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Last week’s main event was a bit of a bizarre booking decision with Angelina Love and Mandy Leon cutting off the Cinderella story of Quinn McKay, which didn’t exactly leave a lot of good feelings. We’re coming up on I believe Best In The World though so it’s time to start setting some things up. Let’s get to it.

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

Ian Riccaboni welcomes us to the show and runs down the card. Quinn is back next week.

Battle Royal

PCO, Mike Bennett, Bateman, LSG, Danhausen, O’Shay Edwards, Brian Mooney, Joe Keys, Dante Caballero, Ken Dixon, Mark Briscoe, Eric Martin, World Famous CB, Sledge

This is between everyone who is currently unranked. The final two will have a singles match later, with the winner getting to choose to be ranked in the Pure or TV Title division. Dalton Castle is on commentary and only a handful get entrances. The factoids about PCO say that he last wrestled in a two winner battle royal in 1993 (!) and he is the only person in the match to participate in the World War 3 battle royal. He’s old you see.

Bateman jumps Bennett in the aisle and the camera keeps jumping back to their fight. Cue Dutch (Bateman’s monster friend) to run Bennett over and choke him out as the match is going on in the background somewhere. Bennett gets planted on the floor with a Boss Man Slam and is dragged towards the back (Castle: “You can’t just walk off with a human!”) but security breaks it up.

We take a break and come back with Dixon being baseball slided out. Matt Taven is carrying Bennett out, as Bateman and Dutch (the latter of whom might not have been in this in the first place) are gone too. Briscoe puts Mooney (formerly Ryan Nova, which is a better name) out and PCO gets rid of Martin. That gives us a PCO vs. Briscoe showdown but Danhausen breaks it up with a double chokeslam attempt….and is tossed. Hold on though as Danhausen has an El Generico mask and gets back in, earning himself another elimination.

PCO and Briscoe get to chop it out as they have long wanted to as Caballero is put out. CB goes up for no logical reason and is knocked out by Keys (in a bit of an upset), leaving Briscoe to slug it out with Edwards. Keys actually tosses Briscoe (in a very big upset), leaving Sledge to hammer it out with Edwards for a change. Edwards misses a charge and gets tossed out, leaving us with Sledge, PCO, Keys and LSG for an interesting final four.

PCO…well they call it malfunctioning and dives through the ropes onto absolutely no one. That’s through the ropes though so he comes back in and suplexes LSG into the corner. Now we get PCO vs. Sledge for the slugout and a chokeoff (Castle: “This is good! When one of them stops breathing, the other wins!”). PCO shoves him out but LSG and Keys run up from behind for the elimination and the win at 13:40.

Rating: C-. Not much of a battle royal (as we skipped the opening few minutes to watch the fight) as about a third of the people were dojo students, but I like the ending quite a bit. This is a way to jump start some runs in the company so this is about as good of an idea as they had. I’m not sure if the winners are going to go anywhere, but this is a good move and the right call.

PCO is annoyed and leaves as the winners shake hands.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Primal Fear vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Shane Taylor Promotions (Taylor/Moses/Khan) are defending and Primal Fear is a trio who have been together for five years now. Before the match, Primal Fear say they want the titles and Taylor and company say they’re giving the new guys a chance. Moses and Matthew Omen start things off with the much bigger Moses shoving him down without much effort.

Some elbows to the face put Omen down and it’s off to Khan for a running backsplash. Adrian Soriano comes in and gets driven into the corner in a hurry. A slap to Shane’s face earns him a heck of a forearm as we take a break. Back with a headbutt sending Soriano into the corner but some double teaming lets Fear get Taylor into the corner. Gabriel Hodder comes in and stomps away with some choking mixed in for a bit of flavor. A belly to back suplex into a moonsault gives Hodder two but Shane blasts Soriano with a clothesline.

The hot tag brings in Moses to clean house and a clothesline sends Hodder outside. Khan’s gorilla press gutbuster drops Omen for two but it’s a backbreaker into a spear to give Soriano two. A step up flip dive takes Moses out on the floor but he’s fine enough to hit a fall away slam, sending Hodder over the barricade. Back in and a super Jackhammer (that’s a new one) hits Omen, setting up a 3D into a Downward Spiral (that’s a new one too) to give Moses the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to think of Primal Fear, as they were three guys who worked well but there wasn’t anything that made them stand out. That being said, it kind of fits to have them as a unit instead of three individual people. The action was good enough and it was cool to see a pair of cool moves to wrap it up. I could go for more of Primal Fear too, which is a good result coming out of a match like this one.

Silas Young has been asked about why he turned on Josh Woods. Young is a successful star on his own so why did he take Woods under his wing? He taught Woods everything he knows about wrestling but then Woods blew him off. Everything has repercussions and this is his repercussion.

Josh Woods reluctantly sits down and is asked about Silas Young. After thinking for a good while, Woods walks off without saying anything.

Josh Woods vs. Silas Young

Young jumps Woods during the entrance and hammers away, including sending Woods hard into the barricade. Woods kicks a chair into Young’s face and we take a break. Back with the opening bell (well done) and Woods being sent throat first into the top rope. The slow beating begins with Young talking trash and hitting a stomp to the ribs off the ropes. Young says he is going to clothesline him and then clotheslines him, setting up a knee to the back.

We hit the chinlock with a bodyscissors for a bit before Woods blocks a suplex attempt. His back gives out though and Young runs Woods over again. A big boot drops Woods and we take a break. Back with Woods reversing an abdominal stretch into one of his own but Young is out in a hurry. Somehow Woods manages to pick him up with a suplex to drive him into the corner, setting up the running forearms.

A butterfly suplex gives Woods two and a bridging German suplex gets two. The Gorilla Lock is broken up so Young nails the anarchist suplex for two of his own. Woods is sent out to the apron and pulls Young out with him for the slugout. They trade forearms and trash talk until Woods throws him back inside for a wacky armbar. That’s fine with Young, who puts his feet on the ropes and pushes into a rollup for the pin at 12:06.

Rating: C+. Woods is a heck of a prospect and Young is the kind of a guy who can make anything work against anyone. The mentor vs. student story has worked for years and it was working well enough here too. This felt like an important showdown and that is the kind of thing any show can use.

Overall Rating: C+. What made this show work so well is that it felt like a mixture of multiple things. You had stuff for the future, a title match and a grudge match. It is the kind of show that feels like you’re getting to see something and that is what weekly TV is often missing. Good show here, with the format making up for some hit and miss action.

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Ring of Honor
Date: May 12, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re coming off a big moment last week as Tony Deppen won the TV Title in a rather surprising ending. I’m curious to see what they follow it up with, though there is a good chance that it is going to be part of the faction wars that have more or less taken over the promotion. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ian Riccaboni welcomes us to the show as Quinn McKay is making her in-ring debut tonight against Angelina Love.

Flip Gordon/EC3 vs. Briscoes

This is billed as the TV main event as I’m assuming this was taped out of order. Due to reasons of names that sound better on paper than in reality, EC3 is now “The Essential Character.” Before the match, Flip and EC3 don’t want to team together and the Briscoes don’t seem to like them. EC3 actually shakes hands before headlocking Jay down to start. They go with the grappling until EC3 takes him down into a chinlock.

That gets reversed as well and Jay gets in a boot to the face. Mark comes in to start cleaning house and we take a break. Back with Mark and Gordon striking it out until a blind tag lets Jay come in for a big boot. Some shoulders put Gordon down and Mark chokes with the shirt. Gordon manages to take Jay outside for a wheelbarrow suplex into a low superkick. EC3 is not pleased with the whole thing but comes in for a front facelock anyway.

Jay jawbreaks his way to freedom and comes up striking as we take a break. Back with Gordon hitting a Falcon Arrow for two on Jay but a clothesline gets him out of trouble. Mark comes back in with the Redneck Kung Fu into an Iconoclasm for two, despite Gordon’s arm being up. Redneck Boogie is broken up as everything breaks down. EC3 double clotheslines them down but gets caught in Redneck Boogie for two with Gordon making the save. A quick chain shot knocks Mark silly though and EC3’s reverse layout DDT finishes Mark at 12:25.

Rating: C. EC3 looked better here, but I still don’t really get the big the big deal. It’s an improvement if he doesn’t do the Control Your Narrative deal, but the in-ring work and talking aren’t quite good enough to get my attention. Just kind of a match that happened here, which isn’t what you expect from the Briscos.

Brian Johnson is sick of not being taken seriously so it’s time for an open challenge. This is rather intense as he talks about how he is going to take out various people, including promising to turn the Octopus into calamari.

Brian Johnson vs. Danhausen

Actually no as Danhausen has already beaten Johnson so he has a gifthausen for Johnson.

Brian Johnson vs. PCO

Danhausen joins commentary and talks about sending PCO a letter to get this match set up. PCO sends him hard into the corner to start and we take an early break. Back with PCO backdropping him over the barricade and beating up the ring announcer. Danhausen: “Certainly not what Danhausen would have done but it is what it is.”

Johnson gets in a cheap shot and hits a top rope clothesline as Danhausen talks about his efforts to get Johnson banned from talking. Johnson hits a top rope splash but it just wakes PCO up. The pop up powerbomb plants Johnson and the PCOsault gets two. As commentary tries to understand the kickout, Johnson hammers away. PCO shrugs it off and grabs the Deathgrip (like a Mandible Claw) for the win at 7:03.

Rating: C. Danhausen continues to be so much fun and it is awesome to see everything that he gets to do out there. Let him have fun and be genuinely different, even if he doesn’t wrestle very often. PCO was a great reveal, as he is as close to a boss fight as you get around here and shut up Johnson as well as anyone else.

Angelina Love talks about being a veteran former champion who can’t believe that the backstage interviewer is having problems with her. Mandy Leon comes up to say they have better things to do so they’re done.

Quinn McKay can’t believe she has this chance. This is her love, after spending eight years in roller derby (well ok then). She has been training for years and is in the business, but now she wants to wrestle. McKay can’t understand why someone with so much success is so bitter because that isn’t how you grow a women’s division. This is McKay’s chance and if she loses….she isn’t sure what is going to happen.

Quinn McKay vs. Angelina Love

Mandy Leon is here with Love and Maria Kanellis-Bennett is on commentary. If McKay wins, she is in the Women’s Title tournament. Love talks trash to start and takes McKay down for some hair tossling. We take a break and come back with Love choking on the ropes so Leon can get in some shots to the face. Some kicks to the head set up Lights Out into the Koji Clutch to have McKay in more trouble.

The rope isn’t reached and the arm drops twice…but Love lets it go as it drops the third time, meaning we keep going. McKay hits a jawbreaker, ducks the Botox Injection (Brogue Kick) and hits a powerslam for two. The Tangerine Dream (Cobra Clutch with a bodyscissors) goes on and Love is almost out, drawing Leon up to the apron. The Botox Injection finishes McKay at 11:29.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. This was a squash until the ending with McKay not only getting beaten up but then just losing in the end. Yeah there was interference and yeah McKay will almost assuredly wind up in the tournament, but I cannot bring myself to care about Angelina Love, or most of the Ring of Honor women’s division, in 2021. I haven’t seen it work well yet and while McKay is a nice story, I’m not sure if she is enough to carry things that far. The ending didn’t help here either, as it was one sided, then there was a brief flurry, followed by the evil veteran winning. Riveting.

McKay gets a standing ovation from commentary to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was rolling along well enough until the ending, which took all of the steam out of the show. I’m really not sure what the point was in building the main event up so much and then having the rug pulled out, but Ring of Honor has had some troubles sticking the landings before. Not a terrible show until the finish, but I was actually surprised they went with that finish, which is rarely a good sign.

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Ring of Honor
Date: May 5, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We continue on the road to whatever the next pay per view is down the line because Ring of Honor doesn’t do very many of them. At the same time, the faction wars continue and another battle takes place this week as Tony Deppen of Violence Unlimited gets a TV Title shot against Tracy Williams of the Foundation. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card. Actually she has a personal note though, as she will not be here next week because she will be facing Angelina Love instead. So she’ll be here but not….here. Dang that’s kind of deep.

Bandido vs. Flamita

Yeah this should work, as this is fallout from Flamita walking out on Bandido in a recent tag match. Flamita says it’s time for Bandido to feel his heat while Bandido, rather politely, says things can’t be repaired. They go straight to the forearm off to start but neither can hit a kick to the face. Instead it’s a staredown and some yelling in Spanish. Flamita manages a dropkick to the floor and there’s the big dive to take Bandido out again.

We take a break and come back with Flamita hitting a running kick to the face in the corner for two but Bandido is back with the really spinning headscissors. Flamita falls outside so Bandido hits the big dive, allowing him to wrap Flamita’s leg around the post. There’s a broom (yes a broom) shot to the knee but Flamita’s knee is fine enough to crotch him on the barricade. Just to show off, Bandido stands up on the barricade and snaps off a hurricanrana to Flamita, also standing on said barricade.

They both dive in to beat the count and it’s time to forearm it out. Flamita gets the better of things and knocks him down, setting up a quick 450. A MuscleBuster is countered into a kneebar, which is broken up in a hurry as well. They kick it out until they go down for a double breather. Back up and the referee gets bumped, allowing Flamita to hit a rather hard low blow. Flamita puts a boot on Bandido’s face for the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. The main point here was to make Flamita out to be a full on heel after Bandido suggested that they could be ok. Now the fact that they had a pretty awesome match with all of the flips and dives you would expect just makes it that much better. I’m still not entirely sure that they needed to split up Mexisquad but I can go for these two doing their crazy spots over and over again for a long time to come.

Beer City Bruiser/Ken Dixon vs. OGK

Before the match, Mike Bennett tries to calm Matt Taven down because he can’t get sidetracked from the Tag Team Title shot they are probably going to get. Dixon jumps Taven to start and stomps away in the corner until Taven snaps off a dropkick. A TKO across the top rope rocks Dixon again and something like a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. Bennett comes in for a clothesline but it’s off to Bruiser for a big right hand and an “I’M THE BEER CITY BRUISER!” as we take a break.

Back with Dixon pounding Bennett until a quick Death Valley Driver gets him out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Taven to start cleaning house, including a swinging neckbreaker to Bruiser. Just The Tip gets two on Bruiser and everything breaks down. Taven misses Aurora Borealis on Bruiser and it’s back to Dixon to knock Bennett off the apron. Dixon plants Taven with a powerslam for no cover and OGK is right back up with a backpack Stunner/enziguri combination finishes Dixon at 11:40.

Rating: C. Dixon and Bruiser are fine as midcard villains but I’m not sure how far they are going to go. Granted it doesn’t help to have them in this kind of a spot as they are going to lose to a bigger team like OGK. Taven and Bennett work well together and I could see them getting into the Tag Team Title picture in a hurry.

Post match Taven hits Bruiser in the head with the beer bottle to even the score. Cue Brawler Milonas to glare at OGK and help Bruiser up, telling him that he was right all along. Milonas takes Dixon out and the Bouncers seem to be back, as they probably should be.

TV Title: Tony Deppen vs. Tracy Williams

Deppen is challenging and Williams takes him straight to the mat to start. An armbar goes on but gets broken up in a hurry as Deppen kicks his way off the rope. Back up and the rope break gets Deppen out of trouble but he talks a lot of trash. That earns him a series of strikes into the corner, setting up a Gory Stretch to put Deppen in more trouble.

We take a break and come back with Deppen snapping the neck over the top. They strike it out on the apron until Deppen enziguris him to the floor. The running cannonball staggers Williams and there’s a high crossbody to make it worse. Deppen chops away and puts Williams on top, where he DDTs him onto the buckle for a cool counter.

The Crossface goes on but Deppen crawls over for the rope. They slug it out again until Williams grabs a Death Valley Driver for two. Deppen punches him down and sets up a one armed Cattle Mutilation, with Williams having to slip out. The piledriver connects but Deppen goes to the rope as well. Williams is livid and slugs away but Deppen grabs a cradle for the pin and the title at 14:26.

Rating: C+. Good back and forth match here with the story seeing Deppen wrestling a regular match and Williams being so used to Pure Rules that he was thrown off. You have to give the new stable something and Williams is going to be fine based on his in-ring skills alone. Ring of Honor doesn’t change its titles very often so this felt like the important moment that it should have.

Violence Unlimited comes out to celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Ring of Honor continues to be one of the better shows around, even if it doesn’t exactly feel like a big deal. They use their talent in the right way though and the stories are easy enough to get into while also having some history to them. Good show here and it felt like a lot of things moved forward, which is not what you would expect from a weekly show most of the time.

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Ring of Honor
Date: April 28, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

With last week’s pretty special milestone show behind us, it is time to get back to normal around here. Granted I’m not exactly sure what normal is around here these days but that is part of what is fun around here. I’m not sure what we have coming up next as far as a big show goes here so we’ll have to settle for the regular TV show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.

Eli Isom vs. Dak Draper

Thankfully no longer form promos before the match because I’m not sure how much these two have to say. We do get inset promos though with Draper saying that Isom might be happy with wrestling anywhere on the card, but Draper wants to win the main event. On the other hand, Isom is happy to be facing Draper because he doesn’t like Draper looking down on people with his participation awards. The bigger Draper drives him into the corner to start and drops Isom with a shoulder.

Back up and Isom leapfrogs him (that’s impressive) to set up a dropkick. Draper is fine enough to knee him in the ribs before pulling a kick out of the air and cranking on the leg. A springboard is countered as well but Isom slips out of a fireman’s carry and hits a high up armdrag out of the corner. Draper doesn’t like that very much and plants him with a hot shot, followed by an arm snap across the top.

We take a break and come back with Draper working on a waistlock and then tossing Isom down. Isom fights back up with a release northern lights suplex but Draper is ready for the big dive. That’s fine with Isom, who hits a middle rope moonsault instead. Back in and a high crossbody gets two on Draper, setting up the forearm off. Draper grabs the Doctor Bomb for two, followed by a heck of a springboard elbow into a nip up. Another fireman’s carry is countered into a crucifix to give Isom two, followed by the same thing but with a small package instead. Isom’s brainbuster is countered….and the time limit expires at 15:00.

Rating: B-. I don’t care that much about Isom or Draper but I wanted to see who was going to win this match. It takes something special to make that happen and they pulled it off here, with Draper controlling most of the match but Isom kept hanging in there. I was disappointed when the clock ran out so well done on doing something rather impressive here.

Post break, we are ready for five more minutes, but the lights go out…..and we have Dalton Castle, complete with a four boy dance troupe. Castle dances to the ring (in his pink suit) and talks about how the two of them helped him with his problem. The boys help him into the ring where Castle talking about how boring it has been around here lately. This is a TV show and we need to think about the viewers.

Draper is handsome and muscly, which is something he likes. Then there’s Isom, who he doesn’t like and kicks low. Draper busts out the participation ribbon and gets kicked low as well. Castle dances away after being more interesting than most of the things that have taken place in recent months.

Homicide, Chris Dickinson, Tony Deppen and Brody King talk about being the future of Ring of Honor and want to destroy La Faccion Ingobernable. They are Violence Unlimited (that isn’t exactly inspiring).

We see the ending of Beer City Bruiser beating Joe Keys. Post match, Bruiser loaded up a beer bottle but the rest of the ROH Dojo guys ran in for the save. Ken Dixon turned on them though and helped Bruiser beat them down.

Bruiser says Dixon picked up his bar tab. Dixon talks about how he isn’t like the rest of the Dojo guys and wants to be himself. Good, as the Dojo deal is fairly dumb around here anyway. Quinn McKay (looking terrified: “Well Godspeed. You smell like a brewery.”

Here is the Righteous, minus Vincent, for a chat. After a video on Vincent fighting Matt Taven to a no contest at the Anniversary Show, Bateman talks about how Vincent is gone but he is still the hand guiding the knife. Vita Von Starr reads a message from Vincent, talking about how this is a gateway to a new Righteous. Bateman talks about how evil the three of them are and promises more in the future.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Violence Unlimited

That would be Kenny King/Bestia de la Ring/Rush vs. Brody King/Homicide/Chris Dickinson. During the introductions, La Faccion rants about the Foundation and Violence Unlimited. Believe it or not, the brawl is on before the bell and everything heads outside in a hurry. We settle down to Dickinson working on King’s leg before they trade some kicks.

We take a break and come back with Rush getting in a kick from the apron to drop Dickinson but he gets over to tag King without much effort. Dickinson is back with a Falcon Arrow for two on Rush with Homicide making the save. Bestia and Dickinson chop it out until a double team puts Dickinson down. That means Bestia can hit a Swanton for two on Dickinson but King comes in with a chair for the DQ at 9:05.

Rating: C+. This was wild while it lasted and that’s what it needed to be. They had six people going nuts for a few minutes and the DQ ending was the right call. You don’t want to go too far in the debut of the new faction so having them lose because of the chair makes sense. Good enough for what they were going for here, but it was nothing but a preview.

Post match the brawl stays on until the Foundation runs in to join the fight.

We get a video on Tony Deppen getting a TV Title shot next week.

Overall Rating: C+. This show has become one of the better things going in wrestling today as they get in, do their two or occasionally more matches/angles and get out before losing their steam. They did it again this week, though having another big faction might not be the most thrilling idea. That being said, this is still a very enjoyable show and hopefully they stick with what is going well.

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Ring of Honor
Date: April 21, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Now we have a special event as it’s the 500^th episode. That means we have a major card, as it’s a double main event of Mark Briscoe vs. Jay Briscoe, plus Jay Lethal challenging Jonathan Gresham for the Pure Wrestling Title. In theory there is almost no way this show won’t work. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a pretty cool montage of the history of the TV show. I know it might not have the best history but there have been some huge stars on this show over the years.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and thanking us for being with them for so long. We run down the card, as picked by the fans.

Jay Lethal can’t believe he is here and is happy with the fans choosing his team with Jonathan Gresham face off. Lethal loves facing Gresham but then again, Gresham has almost broken his arm. Tonight, it would be disrespectful to not bring everything he had here. No matter what, the Foundation stays strong.

Gresham praises Lethal for everything he has done so far and knows what the World Title means around here. Well now the Pure Title might mean a bit more, because it means you are the best wrestler in the world. Tonight, it is time to see who really is the best in the world and Gresham is ready.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Jay Lethal

Gresham is defending and the two of them, plus the rest of the Foundation, come out together. Feeling out process to start with Lethal taking him down by the leg. With that broken up, Lethal goes with a test of strength to take Gresham to the mat, only to be kicked away for a standoff. Back up and they go with some grappling with Gresham headlocking him down four or five times in a row. Lethal tries to roll away and has to avoid a running kick to the arm as we take a break.

We come back with Lethal working on the arm, including driving a knee into the arm to soften it up a good bit. Gresham takes him down for a change and kicks at the arm, meaning the hammerlock goes on. Back up and they hit stereo shoulders, meaning they’re both in pain again. Gresham gets in another armbar and cranks back on the hand before switching into a cradle for two. Lethal manages a quick cutter for two more, with a rope break being used to get him out.

We take another break and come back with Lethal grabbing a Boston grab to make Gresham use another rope break. With that broken up, Lethal slaps on a Crossface into the Rings of Saturn so Gresham uses his final break for the escape. Back up and Gresham grabs a headscissors so Lethal tries to kick out….but Gresham cradles him to retain at 16:38.

Rating: B. Yeah this was what you would have expected from these guys and that is the kind of match that you should have seen on this show. I wasn’t sure who was winning until the finish and that is a nice feeling to have. Gresham has turned into an absolute beast and it is going to take something special to take the title from him. Heck of a match here on a special show.

Respect is shown post match and the Foundation is strong.

We look at the main event of the first show.

Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe

They take turns driving each other into the corner to start as commentary talks about the people who helped get us here. The pace picks up a bit with Mark snapping off a hurricanrana and it’s an early standoff. Jay takes him down into a front facelock which lasts all of three seconds. A chop puts Mark on the floor and Jay dives onto him as we take a break.

Back with Mark hitting a running dropkick through the ropes, setting up a Cactus Elbow off the apron. Mark suplexes him on the floor and grabs a Michinoku Driver for two back inside. Jey slugs away but walks into a high collar suplex to put him down again. They head to the apron with Mark knocking him to the floor, setting up a running neckbreaker (Mark: “NIGHT B****!”). They throw a chair in so Jay can hit a Death Valley Driver onto the chair, followed by a neckbreaker for two.

We take another break and come back with Mark hitting his own Death Valley Driver into the Froggy Bow for another near fall. Back up and the Jay Driller gets two so Jay (wisely) hits a second but the mostly done Mark rolls outside. They fight over a table with Mark putting Jay onto it and the elbow drives him through the wood. Mark is the only one to beat the count and win at 15:14.

Rating: B. Another match with two people beating each other up and having a good match as a result. These two know each other as well as anyone and it feels like one of the bigger matches you could get around here. That’s the kind of match that this show needs and the countout keeps Jay from taking another loss, though I could go with seeing Mark beat him for a change.

We get a quick graphic thanking the fans and the people who have been involved for 500 shows. That’s very nice.

Overall Rating: A-. This was really good with a pair of awesome matches and a feeling of celebration for making it this far. I haven’t been around for the show’s entire run but Ring of Honor has turned into a rather nice weekly show with a pretty deep history. It might not be the highest level these days, but when you have everything going so nuts everywhere else, it’s nice to have a much more down to earth show like this one.

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: April 14, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are on the way to the 500^th episode and that is going to be a heck of a show once we finally get there. Other than that though, you never know what you are going to see around here and that is a good thing, at least most of the time. I’m curious to see how they are going to do with the big one, but I’m also curious to see what they have with another normal one. Let’s get to it.

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

Quinn McKay runs down the card.

Delirious (with necessary subtitles) talks about how much Rocky Romero means to wrestling. This includes giving Delirious a scar above his eye and since that scar is forever, it might make him hurt Romero.

Rocky Romero is back after losing the Pure Title Tournament and is ready to beat someone from his past. They have a history together and Romero is ready to win the Pure Title, which he could defend elsewhere. Since that should make him a heel around here, I’m relatively sure that it won’t.

Delirious vs. Rocky Romero

Pure Rules and we hear about how Romero is representing New Japan. They go technical to start with Romero grabbing a full nelson to take over. That’s broken up but so is the chinlock so the grappling continues. Delirious’ headlock takeover keeps Romero down for a bit but he is right back up to grab Delirious’ rope. The threat of a half crab sends Delirious over to the ropes for his first break so he tries to grab the wrist for a change.

Romero sends him outside so Delirious comes back in with his series of forearms. A running clothesline drops Romero again but they both miss a series of clotheslines. Romero nails one of his own and we take a break. Back with Delirious working a hammerlock as commentary talks about the show being on longer than Nitro. It passed that years ago so wouldn’t “longer than Nitro and Thunder combined” sound better?

Delirious is back with cobra clutch so Romero goes straight for the rope for the fast break. Romero grabs an armbar, sending Delirious to the ropes for the second break. That’s fine with Romero, who hits a missile dropkick while Delirious is still in the ropes for two. Delirious is right back with a fisherman’s buster for a much needed breather.

The Cobra Stretch goes on but Romero slips out in a hurry, only to be clotheslined down for two. Delirious grabs a backbreaker and puts the clutch on again but Romero backflips over for two more and a break. They slug it out with a minute left and Delirious punches him down for two more. Back up and Romero flips him over into a cross armbreaker for the tap at 14:51.

Rating: B-. I’m not a fan of either guy but they did their thing here rather well. They played the time limit angle up by the end and I wasn’t sure who was going to pull it of. Good stuff here, and it felt like a wrestling match, which is exactly what they are shooting for with the Pure Rules stuff.

Respect is shown post match.

We look at Brody King debuting his own stable (Tony Deppen/Homicide/Chris Dickinson) to go after La Faccion Ingobernable.

The Briscoes talk about how they were supposed to fight each other last year at the Anniversary Show but the pandemic happened. Then EC3 got Jay’s attention so Mark got PCO to go after the Tag Team Titles. That was a waste of a title shot though, meaning it’s time for them to fight at the 500^th episode.

Rey Horus has been pulled from the main event but Mexisquad is a trio so Flamita is in instead. That needed a meeting?

Jay Lethal is ticked off and ready for Mexisquad tonight. Jonathan Gresham doesn’t seem to be as fired up, but that is a hard level to reach.

Foundation vs. Mexisquad

Jonathan Gresham/Jay Lethal vs. Flamita/Bandido and that sounds rather interesting. Lethal and Flamita start things off with Flamita armdragging him down. That’s fine with Lethal, who pops back up for the basement dropkick. Gresham comes in for a headlock and then snaps off a heck of an armdrag to put him on the floor. Bandido comes in and sends Gresham outside so Lethal can come in as well.

This time it’s Bandido taking Lethal into the corner so Flamita can come in with a top rope ax handle to the arm. The Squad has some communication issues though, allowing Gresham to grab a German suplex. Gresham cranks on Flamita’s leg and it’s off to Lethal for an armbar. Lethal stays on the hammerlock and it’s back to Gresham for a seated abdominal stretch. The Octopus doesn’t work so Bandido tries an enziguri….which hits Flamita.

It isn’t much of an enziguri though as Flamita is fine enough to kick Jay down and bring Bandido back in to pick up the pace. A dropkick to the back breaks up the Lethal Injection to Bandido but Flamita drops Bandido to mess up a double team. Flamita blames the arm but the fight is on anyway, allowing Gresham to take out Flamita on the floor. A powerbomb sets up the Figure Four, with Flamita taunting Bandido instead of making the save. Bandido has to tap at 13:45.

Rating: B. They told the story of the breakup here and that is exactly what they were going for the whole match. I liked what we got here and that is not surprising given how much talent was in here. The Squad didn’t go flying around as much as they usually do and it worked out well anyway. They’re that good, and the Foundation can have a solid match against anyone, so this shouldn’t be a big shock. Rather good stuff here.

Flamita walks out on the team to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a pretty great TV show and that is a good sign going into the big milestone show next week. They are on a roll and know how to make something like this work. Ring of Honor has sneakily turned into a heck of a weekly show and this was one of their better editions in a little while. Rather good show here with both matches worth checking out.

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Ring of Honor
Date: April 7, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things are in a bit of a shifting phase here as we are done with the 19^th Anniversary Show but I’m not sure if we are going to be seeing the fallout just yet. The taping cycle usually has a few weeks of lag but when everything is being taped in the same place at the same time, I’m not sure if that is going to be necessary. In other words, I have no idea what to expect here. Let’s get to it.

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

Quinn McKay gives her usual welcome.

We look at the end of Fred Yehi beating Wheeler Yuta to win last week’s Pure Rules gauntlet match.

Yehi is proud of his win and is in the business of breaking people.

Brian Johnson loves wrestling and hates Danhausen. The internet is ready for their third match because it is time to win the trilogy. He has a PhD in wrestling and it is time to take Danhausen to school. Johnson gets rather animated about how serious this is to him and isn’t having Danhausen disrespect him. It is Mecca vs. everyone.

Danhausen talks about how he beat Johnson at Final Battle but then Johnson cheated to beat him. He holds up a sack of money but it’s half empty because Johnson stole the win. Now it is time to do this again in a rubber match, though Danhausen has no idea what it has to do with rubber. No matter, because he’ll beat Brian Johnstone (yes Johnstone).

Danhausen vs. Brian Johnson

Mark Briscoe is on commentary. Danhausen is slimmed down to 300lbs (or at least he is billed as such) and is now twice as nice/thrice as evil. Johnson drives him into the corner to start and goes to the mat with a headscissors. That’s switched into some knees to Danhausen’s hammerlocked arm, followed by a running shoulder. Danhausen fights up but gets caught in a hot shot, followed by a Tower of London for two. A top rope clothesline stays on Danhausen’s neck and continues the complete dominance.

Some rollups give Danhausen two and a snap German suplex drops Johnson out of the corner. We take a break and come back with Danhausen not being able to hit the Good Night Hausen (GTS). Instead he goes with a slingshot bridging German suplex for two and a backdrop puts Johnson on the floor. A running hurricanrana off the apron drops Johnson again but he throws….something in Danhausen’s eyes.

Not that it matters as the Good Night Hausen connects but the referee gets bumped. That means there is no count on the cover so Johnson takes him down for a slingshot splash. The referee gets up and sees Johnson’s feet on the ropes and breaks up the count so they get back up again. Danhausen drives him into the corner but nearly crushes the referee, allowing Johnson to get in a low blow. Trust The Process finishes Danhausen at 9:23.

Rating: C. Danhausen is a weird case (to put it mildly) as his promos are awesome but he isn’t all that impressive once he actually gets in the ring. He’s completely fine, but when you get that kind of buildup, you need a bit more than what he gives you. Johnson has a lot more of an upside and should have won here though, and it isn’t like Danhausen is the kind of guy who loses a lot by getting pinned. Fine result, though it’s still a little weird seeing Danhausen wrestle.

Post match a limping Johnson says he’d done with the freak and the locker room is on notice. Johnson leaves, but shouts at Mark Briscoe a bit.

Jonathan Gresham is ready for the 500^th episode, where he will defend the Pure Title.

Jay Lethal is Jonathan Gresham’s friend but he is coming for the title in two weeks on the 500^th episode.

LSG wants to be in the TV Title division because that is where greatness comes from in this company. Years ago, he and Eli Isom had a match that was supposed to set them up as the future, but that was a long time ago. Now they are meeting again and Isom isn’t holding him back from climbing the TV Title rankings.

Eli Isom says he isn’t the same guy that LSG remembers. Isom can fly with the best of them and is willing to go through LSG to get where he wants to go. They are both one win away from being in contention for the TV Title and that win is going to him.

Eli Isom vs. LSG

They go to the mat to start and it’s an early standoff. A test of strength doesn’t go anywhere as they wind up on the mat again with LSG getting the better of a hammerlock. Back up and Isom armdrags him into an armbar but LSG sends him outside. LSG wins a chop off on the floor and another back inside, followed by a running forearm to the face for two.

A cravate holds Isom down and a running flip neckbreaker gets two more. Back up and Isom gets caught in a belly to back suplex to set up another cravate to slow things down again. Isom fights up and kicks away, meaning it’s time to slug it out from their knees. A release northern lights suplex sends LSG flying so he bails out to the floor for a breather. That means Isom can hit a springboard moonsault to the floor and then gets two off a bridging suplex back inside. LSG grabs a swinging faceplant to drop Isom and the St. Splosion gets two.

We take another break and come back with Isom catching him on top but getting knocked off again. LSG’s high crossbody connects but Isom rolls through into a Death Valley Driver for two more. Isom knocks him to the apron for a spear through the ropes, meaning it’s another slugout on the floor. The big dive lets Isom beat the count and they unload on each other back inside. Isom slips out of a Gory Stretch and grabs the Promise (a brainbuster) for the pin at 15:15.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing that Ring of Honor needs to do: pick someone and push them. I know Isom might not be the next star of the promotion and the main event guy, but he could be a somebody and that is what you can always use. Go with that and give him some wins, because it isn’t like they have anything else to lose at the moment.

Mark Briscoe is ready to face his brother Jay at the 500^th episode.

Jay Briscoe is ready to face his brother Mark at the 500^th episode.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s another stand alone episode and this time had a little bit better focus than last week’s. I liked the Pure Rules gauntlet from last time but giving Isom a long form win is a better way to go. The company still needs a lot of changes but the 500^th episode should be a good event in a few weeks. Ring of Honor is a completely watchable show and one of the easiest shows of the week, which is always a nice place to be.

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Ring of Honor
Date: March 31, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with the 19^th Anniversary Show, which I’ll get to at some point in the future. What matters here is that we had some big moments at the pay per view, though those will not be present here. I’m not sure what to expect here, but it is likely to be a stand alone episode anyway. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card, which includes a Pure Rules gauntlet. That could be interesting.

We look at Beer City Bruiser attacking Mike Bennett and Matt Taven.

Beer City Bruiser says he is tired of being the fun loving drunk and not winning.

Mike Bennett talks about how an angel on his shoulder saved his life but sometimes that angel falls asleep. Tonight won’t be a random act of violence because tonight is going to be a calculated assault.

Beer City Bruiser vs. Mike Bennett

Matt Taven is on commentary and Bruiser starts fast by knocking Bennett up against the barricade. They get inside for the first time with Taven hammering away but getting knocked down in a hurry. We take a break and come back with Bennett kicking him in the ribs and hitting a running forearm to the back of the head.

Bruiser is right back with a shot to the leg, which he then wraps around the rope. Bennett hits a few forearms into a Side Effect for a breather. Another running (or hobbling) forearm puts Bruiser down for two but he’s right back with a shot of his own. Bruiser goes to grab the beer bottle and the referee calls the DQ before he can do anything else at 10:38.

Rating: C-. Another match without much to see here but the important part is Bennett looked like a singles star instead of someone there as cannon fodder for a bigger star. He still doesn’t have much to go on here but at least he feels like someone who matters more than he did in WWE. That alone is a big upgrade and means quite the boost for him.

Post match the beatdown seems imminent but Taven makes the save.

Pure Rules Gauntlet Match

There are six entrants and each fall has a fifteen minute time limit. Another important rule is rope breaks carry over to the next fall so you don’t get them reset when someone new comes in. Dante Caballero is in at #1 and Will Ferrara is in at #2. They go to the mat to start with Ferrara getting the better of things off a front facelock. That’s broken up and Ferrara wristlocks him down onto his head for a nasty crash.

Ferrara starts in on the arm before switching into a cobra clutch. Caballero breaks that up with a right hand but the arm is too banged up for a piledriver. Instead Ferrara starts working on the short armscissors, with Caballero not being able to flip out. A crucifix gives Ferrara two so he grabs a jackknife rollup to get rid of Caballero at 5:57.

World Famous CB is in at #3 and we take a break before the fall starts. They shake hands and get things going with an exchange of wrist grabs, which sends both of them to the mat. Ferrara gets the better of a wristlock with CB not being able to roll his way to freedom. CB finally rolls over into a double arm crank to slow things down but Ferrara rolls over into a cobra clutch stretch. That sends CB to the ropes for his first break but he’s right back up with a rollup to pin Ferrara at 4:14.

Eric Martin, one of Ferrara’s students, is in at #4. An early headscissors doesn’t work for CB but neither can hit a shot to the face. Instead Martin takes him down and drops some elbows but CB gets to the ropes to avoid a Boston crab. A belly to back suplex into a knee drop gets two on CB, followed by a hard clothesline for the same.

CB gets smart with a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner. A low superkick gives CB two but Martin pulls him out of the air. That means a northern lights suplex into the Boston crab, meaning CB has to use his third rope break. This time CB pulls him down into a double arm trap (using his legs) and wraps Martin up to crank on the arms for the tap at 6:03 (seemed to be a hold from Mexico and it looked cool/painful enough).

Martin staggers out and it’s Wheeler Yuta in at #5. CB trained Yuta so he starts fast with some rollups for two each. Yuta is ready for an armdrag attempt though and a backsplash gets two on CB. A Gory Stretch has CB in even more trouble for a bit but he escapes into a pinfall reversal sequence for a lot of twos each. Yuta knocks him down though and gets up top for a super DDT and the pin at 3:09.

Fred Yehi is in at #6 to complete the field. Yuta wastes no time in hitting a dropkick so Yehi knocks him down and kicks away. The armbar has Yuta in some trouble and it’s time to crank away. That’s broken up so Yuta can hit an enziguri into an atomic drop into a springboard crossbody for two. Yehi rolls through a high crossbody for two of his own and it’s time to work on the leg. The hold doesn’t last long as Yuta gets out and dropkicks the knee, plus the side of the head.

You don’t do that to Yehi, who rides him on the mat and grabs a Koji Clutch. Yuta escapes by cranking on the leg so Yehi switches into a choke. That’s broken up with a rollup for two and Yuta’s kneebar makes Yehi use a rope break. Yehi grabs a Kofi Clutch so Yuta cranks on the leg, only to have Yehi switch sides to use the good leg and make Yuta tap at 6:24 (25:51 total, not counting time between falls and commercials).

Rating: C+. This was certainly different and it is kind of nice to see Ring of Honor stick with the Pure Rules division. It is perfectly acceptable wrestling, though it might not be a bad idea to start including some people who just want the title and aren’t interested in playing by the rules. I liked seeing Yehi and Yuta getting some time here and it is amazing how much easier it is to take CB now that he is playing it straight rather than doing the “I’m small” stuff.

Overall Rating: C. It was a total throw away show and for a total throw away show, it worked out well enough. They had something different by having so much of the focus being on the Pure Rules match. Above all else, it makes a lot of sense to have something that doesn’t play into storylines when the storylines might not have been known when the show was taped. Perfectly watchable but also perfectly skippable show here.

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Ring of Honor
Date: March 24, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the go home show for the 19^th Anniversary Show but in this case, that might not mean very much. Since this show is on a bit of a weird taping cycle, we might not be seeing anything about the pay per view for a few weeks, which is always a bit of a weird way to go. The show could use some extra build though and maybe we can get that here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay runs down the card.

Eli Isom has been with Ring of Honor for three years after a standout high school athletics career. Then he got hooked on wrestling with his mom….who died in a car wreck. He was ready to quit wrestling but his mom wouldn’t be happy with him. Then he met Will Ferrara and Cheeseburger to form the Shinobi Shadow Squad. Now he knows he can hang with anyone and wants the TV Title. He has not wrestled in a good bit here (I didn’t think he had) but he is ready for Rey Horus.

Rey Horus knows that Dragon Lee beat him but Lee is not better than him. The story will be different when they meet again, but now he needs to climb the rankings by beating Eli Isom. He knows that Eli Isom is the future, but he is the present.

Eli Isom vs. Rey Horus

They fight over wrist control to start and go to the mat for an exchange of near falls into a standoff. Back up and Horus chops away before knocking Isom to the floor. That means the big running flip dive connects on Isom and we take a break. Back with Isom not being able to complete a suplex with squats so Horus Spanish Flies him for two. That means some swearing on the kickout and it’s time for a slugout. Isom charges into a suplex into the corner for two but reverses a tornado DDT into the brainbuster….for the very surprising pin at 8:01.

Rating: C. I don’t get to say this very often but they absolutely got me here. I would not have bet on Horus taking a loss at all here, let alone a clean one, so well done with the big surprise. Isom is someone they pretty clearly wanted to push so giving him a win here is a good start. ROH needs someone to step up and Isom is every bit as good as any other option they have.

Respect is shown post match.

Someone wants to restore violence. I have no idea why I would believe this, but it’s going to be Tommy Dreamer isn’t it?

Matt Taven is ready to beat Vincent at the Anniversary Show.

EC3 wants Jay Briscoe to defend his island and control his narrative.

Jay Briscoe talks about how WWE has called he and his brother time after time with top level NXT deals but they have been turned down every time because they can make that much money landscaping. EC3 wants him to shake his hand but EC3 is going to have to earn it. If not, Jay is giving him a whipping.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Foundation

Eight man tag here and we have all kinds of time for this one. Amy Rose is on commentary and this is Rush/Kenny King/Bestia/Dragon Lee vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham/Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus. Before the match, the Foundation promises to regain power at the Anniversary Show by winning the titles, because titles mean power. Makes enough sense.

Gresham and Lee start things off and the pace picks up in a hurry, only to be cut off by some double choking. Some spitting at Lethal brings in everyone at once and it’s a quickly broken up staredown. Lee flips Gresham off though and it’s off to Bestia to stomp Williams down. Williams is back up with some striking of his own but walks into a suplex. Bestia misses a backsplash though and bails out to the floor for a breather.

Lethal and Rush give us a World Title preview with Lethal making the mistake of slapping him in the face, earning a trip into the corner. That’s broken up and Lethal enziguris him to the floor, followed by a triangle dropkick to the floor. Another brawl is teased and we take a break. Back with King and Titus shoving each other in the All Night Express reunion (nice catch by commentary).

Titus grabs a hammerlock and won’t let go, no matter how much spinning Kenny tries. Some chops in the corner rock King but a poke to the eyes gets him out of trouble. A high crossbody gives Titus two so it’s back to Williams to work on the arm. Lethal is back in to do the same, followed by Gresham with the complicated arm cranking. Everything breaks down in a hurry though and it’s the big wild brawl around the arena.

We take another break and come back with Lethal getting beaten up four on one in the corner. Lethal gets knocked to the floor so Williams takes his place and is knocked down in a hurry as well. Ian: “His chest is as red as the Ring of Honor logo!” Rose: “It matches our gear!” Titus counters Lee’s superplex but gets pulled off the ropes to put him down again.

Gresham kicks his way out of the corner and then kicks his way over to Titus for the tag (that is some serious honor when all of La Faccion is in there at once). Everything breaks down again and it’s Lee slugging it out with Titus, setting off the parade of big shots to the face. Gresham hits a big flip dive through the ropes to take out a bunch of people, leaving Titus to take the Bestia Driver for the pin at 18:50.

Rating: B. This got time and built up all of the title matches well, though I was rather surprised at the champions winning, especially with one of the challenges taking the fall. That being said, this was a rather intense match and I was rather pleased that they didn’t throw it out with the big brawl. It’s a nice way to build up four title matches at once, which is a tricky thing to do but made a bit easier when those matches are faction vs. faction. Er, Faccion.

La Faccion poses and brags a lot.

As usual, we wrap it up with the pay per view card rundown, which makes sense. Jay Lethal gets in a quick promo about how he is going to set this company right and even throws in some Spanish for a bonus.

Overall Rating: B-. It is never easy to do a rapid fire built to a Ring of Honor pay per view because they have such a weird schedule. What we got here was good enough, but I’m not sure I could tell you who is getting a shot at which title. The show does look pretty good on paper and at this point, that is as good as anything else I could expect. Ring of Honor has gotten mostly back to normal since the pandemic, so hopefully everything winds up feeling like one of their better pay per views.

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: March 17, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re on the way to the 19^th Anniversary Show and that means things are starting to get interesting. One of the bigger problems this promotions has is the lack of something to build towards but maybe things can get that much better with a goal in sight. Now just make the build work to go with the wrestling. Let’s get to it.

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

Quinn McKay runs down the card.

Jay Lethal is very happy about being the new #1 contender because he can get the World Title back to the Foundation. The Foundation is taking every title back at the Anniversary Show and Lethal is so fired up about the idea that he storms off.

Dak Draper thrives on success and he is chasing it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

Fred Yehi needs to beat Dak Draper because he has lost over and over and needs to secure his spot around here. If Yehi doesn’t win, he doesn’t eat. These were much shorter than the usual pre-match promos and that is a good thing.

Fred Yehi vs. Dak Draper

Pure Rules and Will Ferrara is on commentary. Draper towers over Yehi and they go for the grappling on the mat to start. That goes nowhere so they get back up and that goes just as far, meaning it’s a standoff. Draper slams him down but misses a knee drop, allowing Yehi to small package him for two. They go to the mat with Yehi grabbing a quickly broken waistlock. Back up and Draper tosses him across the ring and, after some cocky posing, throws in a chinlock.

That’s broken up in a hurry as well and Draper takes him into the corner, only to get knocked down for a slingshot dropkick. Draper blocks a rollup and tosses Yehi down as we take a break. Back with Yehi’s cradle working for two and then doing it again for the same. Draper’s powerslam gives him his own two but Yehi sweeps the leg and starts striking away. Draper is right back with a few shots to the face though and the Magnum KO finishes at 11:17.

Rating: C+. I know it’s not everyone’s favorite, but it is nice to see a company that focuses on technical wrestling so much. That is what Ring of Honor offers and it is a rather nice change of pace after what we are getting from Ring of Honor. Draper is quite the heel, though he needs to actually do something other than winning these one off matches. Yehi is a good hand, though I’m not sure if he is going to go anywhere either, which is kind of disappointing as he is pretty good at what he does.

Tony Deppen is ready to face Kenny King and become the new #1 contender to the TV Title. Yes he has to deal with La Faccion Ingobernable but he’ll be ready. That was as generic of an interview as you could get.

Kenny King is ready to go as well but doesn’t seem thrilled with Amy Rose. Quinn McKay doesn’t seem happy with how King spoke to Rose either.

Kenny King vs. Tony Deppen

Most of La Faccion is here with King, who suckers Deppen in for a shot to the face to start fast. Deppen gets stomped down in the corner and then hammered on the mat for two, with King getting annoyed at the kickout. Back up and Deppen gets caught in an over the shoulder gutbuster for two more and we hit the seated abdominal stretch, with King ripping at the face for a bonus.

We take a break and come back with King snapping off a spinebuster for two more and getting a bit cocky (well cockier) as a result. Deppen comes back with a bunch of strikes to the face and leg, followed by some running shots in the corner. A springboard backsplash to King’s back gets two and a jumping knee to the face puts him on the floor. Deppen grabs a tornado DDT on the floor and a top rope double stomp gets two back inside. A springboard doesn’t quite work for Deppen and King grabs a tiger driver for another near fall. King loads up the Royal Flush but Deppen reverses into a small package for the pin at 8:14.

Rating: C. Deppen continues to be a solid hand, though I’m not sure who looks at him (or his previous work) and thinks face. That being said, it has actually worked out well so far and fair enough on that. King losing is a surprise, but this should move Deppen on to a pretty sweet spot at the Anniversary Show.

Post match La Faccion comes in and Deppen gets laid out. Brody King makes the save but gets taken out as well. Kenny drives him through a table and La Faccion poses.

Flip Gordon vs. Flamita

Before the match, Flip says he’s sick of having matches that aren’t for the World Title. He’ll beat Flamita here, but the title shot better be next. Flamita says he’ll win. They have a quick posedown to start before Flamita hurricanranas him out to the floor. Gordon drives him into the barricade but misses a running knee. A superkick connects though and we take a break with Flamita in trouble.

Back with Flamita taking it back to the floor for a superkick of his own, meaning it’s time to talk to the camera. They head back inside where Gordon dropkicks him out of the air for a double knockdown. A slugout goes to Flamita but Gordon catches him with a jumping knee. Flamita plants him again for two, only to get crotched on top.

A superbomb into a spinning kick to the face gives Gordon two but Flamita catches him with a poisonrana. They slug it out from their knees until Flamita hits a superkick for two. Gordon is right back with a springboard Sling Blade for the same but Flamita reverses an F5. Someone slides in a chair and the distraction lets Flamita grab a rollup for the pin at 9:23.

Rating: B-. Take two people who fly around really well and let them do their thing for about ten minutes. This worked out rather well for both guys and Flamita winning is always a nice thing to see. They have something with Mexisquad and it is a good sign to have them win some singles matches at the same time. Then you have Gordon, who is pretty much the same person he has been for years now, which is not exactly surprising.

It’s Mark Briscoe, who runs off as Gordon jumps Flamita and unmasks him. The rest of Mexisquad runs in to take care of Gordon.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show here, as they continue their process of focusing on one or two stories a week while throwing in some rather nice wrestling to go with it. Ring of Honor is the most basic wrestling show going these days and that is probably why it is one of my favorites to watch every week. They know what they are trying to do and then make it work, which was on display this time.

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