IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: May 13, 2020

We have an interesting one this week with the company’s new boss, Marty Scurll. This is one of the more fascinating choices as you don’t often see the company’s boss as one of the most popular wrestlers around. Scurll is someone you could see being a top guy and he pretty much is, but never THE top guy. Let’s get to it.

We open with a Scurll video package.

Marty joins us from his couch and talks about how we have to do something like this because of the Coronavirus and they with they could be in the arenas like usual. It’s a crazy time so stay safe out there. Their job is to entertain you and the fans have always been loyal to them. Therefore, we’re going to be looking at a special subject: Marty himself! Marty debuted here and won the TV Title in a hurry over his longtime rival Will Ospreay.

And now, his first match, from All In.

Marty Scurll vs. Kazuchika Okada

We even get the Okada Bucks. Feeling out process to start with Okada laying Marty up against the ropes and slapping him on the chest. Marty teases doing the same thing but stops with a pose instead. The announcers entertain themselves with inside jokes as Okada’s wristlock doesn’t get him anywhere. Marty starts slugging away with running forearms and an apron superkick, followed by the suicide dive.

They chop it out with Marty getting the better of it but Okada flapjacks him back inside. That’s enough for in the ring so they head outside again with Okada DDTing him on the floor. Back in and Marty pulls himself up but gets caught in a crossarm choke. That’s reversed into a Backstabber followed by a tornado DDT for two more.

Another DDT gives Okada two and they strike it out until Scurll grabs the brainbuster to knock Okada silly. Scurll grabs a piledriver but can’t pick him up. Instead he stops to fire himself up, allowing Okada to hit the over the White Noise onto the knee to put Marty right back in trouble. They go to the corner to slug it out with Okada getting the better of it, followed by the pinfall reversal sequence for two each.

Scurll powerbombs the heck out of him for two so Okada missile dropkicks him for two of his own. Another DDT gets Scurll out of trouble but there’s the Tombstone. Okada spends too long loading up the Rainmaker though and Marty snaps his finger (Ian: “We found the umbrella!”). The Rainmaker is countered a second time into the chickenwing but Marty can’t get the grip. Okada stands up and drops back on him for the break, only to have Marty slap it on again.

Rating: C. It was pretty good at times but GOOD GRIEF this was long. They easily could have cut ten minutes out of this and when the show is already running long, it would have done them a lot of good. The story of Scurll trying to rise up to the heavyweight level was a good one, but sweet goodness it wasn’t the right time to go the better part of half an hour. I was worried they would do that late in the show and they did it here.

That’s the kind of match that makes him love wrestling. Just like this one, with a very exciting opponent. From ROH TV, September 18, 2019.

Bandido vs. Marty Scurll

The fans are VERY into both of them here. We get a handshake, with Bandido being nervous but going through with it, earning some applause from Scurll. Marty wrestles him to the mat to start and an early standoff takes us to a break. Back with Marty “accidentally” poking him in the eye, though Bandido is fine enough to superkick him outside. Scurll hits his own superkick on the floor to take over and he even heads into the crowd for a quick bow.

Back in and a slingshot into an arrogant cover gets two on Bandido as the fans are eating Marty up here. There’s a surfboard double knee stomp to slow Bandido down and the knee gives out on a gorilla press attempt. The knee is fine enough for a springboard spinning crossbody and a cutter puts Marty on the floor for a big flip dive. Back from another break with Marty suplexing him for a double knockdown.

A tornado DDT looks to set up a chickenwing but Marty settles for a pumphandle Ghostbuster for two more instead. The chickenwing is broken up again so Marty snaps off a half and half suplex instead. Bandido is right back up with a shot to the face and they’re both down for a breather.

Marty teases a chop off before punching Bandido in the face, only to have a middle rope hurricanrana countered into a buckle bomb. The 21 Plex is countered so Bandido hits a standing shooting star press for two instead. The superplex moonsault World’s Strongest Slam plants Marty but he’s fine enough to pull Bandido into the chickenwing. That’s broken up so Marty hits Black Plague for the pin at 19:43.

Rating: B. Sometimes the solution is to just have two popular guys do a bunch of stuff to each other for twenty minutes and let the fans go nuts. That’s what they did here and the match was a blast as a result. They didn’t need to go any more complicated than that and we can get one more big team match between the groups next week, because that’s what works best around here. I’ll take it over whatever else we can get and it should be another fun match, just like this one.

Marty is proud of his win and knows more great ones are coming.

Overall Rating: B. Yeah this worked well enough. Scurll is someone who can do a lot of things but most importantly, the fans like what he is doing and he gets strong reactions everywhere. Hopefully he gets a major push somewhere down the line, because he’s earned a chance on top, even if it’s something short. Good show here, as these continue to work.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: May 3, 2020

It’s a British week this time around as we look at Mark Haskins. That should make for some good stuff as Haskins has been one of the more continuously entertaining wrestlers on the roster. This has done a good job of opening the vault a bit, though I’m not sure how much longer they can keep it going. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Haskins talks about how he was bullied by a kid but then discovered wrestling. A friend of his with Cerebral Palsy introduced him to it and Haskins wanted to win a major title to prove what he could do. His friend died before he could and that still bothers him. He got a call to wrestle a match in Liverpool against Silas Young and won in his debut, which is pretty rare. Then he won the International Cup to earn a World Title shot.

From Honor Re-United: London.

Ring of Honor World Title: Jay Lethal vs. Mark Haskins

Haskins is challenging and his wife is at ringside. Lethal misses a charge to start and they go to the mat for a very quick standoff. Haskins’ armbar is broken up in a hurry and we take a fast break. Back with Haskins working on the arm again and trying a Tommaso Ciampa flip over armbar. That’s enough to send Lethal to the ropes and then the floor for a breather as he can’t do much with Haskins early on.

Back in and Haskins chops away, only to get hiptossed into the basement dropkick. Haskins starts crawling on the mat to kick at the leg before dropkicking the knee out. Lethal tries a sunset flip but gets the arm stomped down as Haskins is picking him apart here. Some rapid fire chops in the corner keep Lethal in trouble and we take another break. Back again with Lethal hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to send Haskins bailing to the floor for a breather of his own.

Some rams into the apron bang up Haskins’ back but a Chris Jericho triangle dropkick misses. Haskins scores with a kick to the head and goes back to the arm. A YES Lock sends Lethal bailing to the rope but he’s up in a hurry to suplex both of them out to the floor. They roll back in where Haskins hits an enziguri as we take another break. Back with Lethal grabbing a torture rack and hitting a reverse Regal Roll.

Lethal Injection and the Sharpshooter are both blocked and a double knockdown gives them a breather. It’s Haskins going up but Lethal crotches him with a chop. A superplex into a tiger driver gets two but the Figure Four is countered into a small package to give Haskins two. They slug it out with Haskins getting the better of it (and some polite applause), setting up a Canadian Destroyer.

The top rope double stomp gets two more and the Sharpshooter goes on. A rope break gets Lethal out of that as well and the Lethal Injection connects for two. Another Injection is countered into the flip armbar, setting up Made in England for a great near fall. They fight to the apron with Haskins being knocked to the floor. That lets Lethal hit back to back suicide dives but the third is blocked. They go back inside with Lethal hitting a cutter and then the Lethal Injection to retain at 27:05.

Rating: A-. This was excellent stuff as Haskins came to play and probably earned himself a job out of this kind of performance. Lethal was working here too and it was a heck of a performance from both guys. I had a blast watching this one as they were tearing the house down throughout the long match, which flew by with no dead spots. Check this one out.

Video on the Haskins vs. Bully Ray feud, which was every Ray feud ever. Haskins beat him in a street fight at Final Battle 2019.

From Free Enterprise.

Alex Shelley vs. Mark Haskins

They go technical to start (duh) as neither can get very far off arm control. Haskins’ rollup might get one as Shelley backs away for a standoff. A headlock takeover works a bit better but Shelley reverses into his very spinning rollup for two. Shelley grabs la majistral into an armbar but Haskins is out in a hurry as well. Haskins kicks him in the chest and we take a break. Back with a fight over an abdominal stretch but Shelley gets flipped into a Crossface.

With that broken up, Haskins starts kicking at the chest, which just seem to annoy Shelley. A slugout gives us a double knockdown with Haskins getting up first. Shelley gets in a snap suplex for a breather and sends Haskins hard into the corner. Haskins is right back with a suplex and a Samoan driver for two as the shock is real. Back up and Shelley hits Sliced Bread into a swinging Downward Spiral. The Border City Stretch (Gargano Escape) goes on but Haskins rolls into the Sharpshooter for the tap at 11:49.

Rating: B. Yeah what else were you expecting here? These two can do some great technical stuff and it was on full display here, as it should have been. Haskins is gearing up for either a Pure Title run or a World Title chase so putting him over here was the only option they had. Shelley is great as the veteran who is putting people over and that’s what they’re mainly using him for these days.

A Haskins highlight package ends the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I’ve liked Haskins since the first time I saw him and this was a great showcase for him. The opener was a great match that I hadn’t seen before and the second was a rather good one that I had seen just a few months ago. Haskins could be a big deal in a hurry if someone gave him the chance and it wouldn’t shock me to see Ring of Honor do just that. Very good stuff here and one of the better Best Of’s so far.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: April 29, 2020

It’s Flip Gordon week and that could be an interesting choice. Gordon has been around for a good while now and has had some big moments in the company. He has yet to break through to the other side, but there are enough moments to make for a good hour, at least in theory. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We look at Flip Gordon walking his dog and then talking about a rough childhood. He kept getting in trouble but then he saw wrestling and knew that’s what he wanted to do. Eventually he became a college mascot and learned how to control his body, followed by going into the military to join in his mind. After that was over, he drove to Boston and learned how to wrestle.

From ROH TV, May 3, 2017 (labeled as April 8, 2017 for some reason).

Matt Sydal vs. Flip Gordon

From Final Battle 2018.

Flip Gordon vs. Bully Ray

Gordon is in military gear and comes through the crowd carrying the American flag. He comes over the barricade and springboards in with a Phenomenal forearm as commentary is completely behind Gordon here. They fight to the floor with Ray being sent into the barricade for a running forearm. A trashcan to the head gets Ray out of trouble and it’s time for a table. Ray can’t powerbomb him through it though and Gordon grabs another table as commentary admits that they’re a bit biased here. Just in case you’re kind of dumb you see.

Ray gets in what looked like a chain shot and stops to yell at various executives before shoving ring announcer Bobby Cruise. The referee yells at him too and gets tossed aside, leaving Ray to threaten ROH ambassador Cary Silkin. Daniels runs back in and dives over Silkin to protect him but gets dropped as well. Gordon gets thrown down but won’t quite. Instead Ray grabs Gordon’s girlfriend and threatens to powerbomb her through the table.

The bloody Gordon wants to quit (without actually doing it) to save her but Silkin hits Ray with the kendo stick instead. Gordon gets up and makes the save before giving his girlfriend a very bloody kiss. A top rope flag shot to the head sets up a Crossface with the flag but Silas Young runs in for the save and Misery. It’s time for lighter fluid both on Gordon and a table so here’s Cheeseburger to go after Young.

That earns him Misery (shame they didn’t burn him instead) so Colt Cabana comes in to fight them both until a low blow from Young stops him as well. Silas gets the lighter….and there go the lights because Sandman is here. On the biggest ROH show of the year because THIS NEEDS TO BE ABOUT ECW TOO!!! Beer is consumed and Ray misses a charge, allowing Gordon to hit a good superkick (Sandman didn’t hit Ray). A less good Star Spangled Stunner lets Gordon grab a pair of kendo sticks and unload on Ray for the win at 14:23.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure on this one. They had a bunch of stuff that fit with the story, but at the same time there was too much crammed into less than fifteen minutes. Gordon winning on his own in the end was the right call so they got the finish right, but at the same time there wasn’t enough of a focus on him having to fight back and overcome the adversity. I did like it and it was good, but they needed either more time or less stuff. Like less Sandman for example.

Gordon talks about coming to Ring of Honor young but he got hurt twice. That’s why he became the Mercenary, and it fit the military theme as well.

From War of the Worlds: Buffalo 2019.

Flip Gordon vs. Bandido

The fans are VERY behind Bandido here and there’s no contact for a good while to start. Gordon takes him into the corner but lets him go for some floss dancing. My goodness there is nothing Best Of about that stupid dance. Bandido flips out of a wristlock and it’s a standoff to keep things in slow motion early on. Gordon runs him over with a shoulder and walks on his hands for a headscissors. That earns Flip a hurricanrana but he flips out of a second attempt and ducks a penalty kick. They both bounce up to their feet and it’s a standoff.

Back from a break with Gordon hitting a quick Blockbuster into an inverted Cannonball in the corner. The Kinder Surprise sends Bandido outside and it’s a springboard hilo for two back inside. We hit the double arm crank to keep Bandido down but he’s right back up with a spinning high crossbody. A Shining Wizard sends Flip outside and there’s the big dive to send us to a second break.

Back with Bandido showing off with the one armed gorilla press (geez) into a standing shooting star. Bandido reverse hurricanranas him out to the floor, only to get sent into the barricade. They both beat the count back in and the slugout is on again. Bandido kicks him in the face but gets pulled into a sleeper. They go into the corner for the break and Bandido crotches him on top, setting up the moonsault World’s Strongest Slam for two on Gordon. The 21 Plex is blocked and the Star Spangled Stunner gives Gordon his own near fall. Bandido hits the X Knee but it’s the Flip Five to finish Bandido at 25:35.

Rating: B. Take two talented high fliers, let them go out and do their thing for a long time. They didn’t build a ton of drama until the finish but the point here was to have two guys fly around a lot. Gordon getting a win here is the right move and I’m sure Bandido is going to be fine given the reputation that he has built up in a hurry.

Gordon talks to his dog and we get a music video on him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This might have been the weakest of the Best Of shows but Gordon doesn’t exactly have the longest tenure so far. Gordon is someone who is going to be fine, but I’m not sure how far you can get with the first name Flip. Then again, Dalton Castle is a peacock and former World Champion. Perfectly fine enough show, but nothing worth going out of your way to see.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: April 22, 2020

It’s Matt Taven’s week and that could mean a few things. Taven is someone who has done some good things in his time, but as long as we don’t hear him talk, everything should be fine. He has some solid matches on his resume and we might be seeing some of those here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Taven talks about rehabbing from a knee injury in 2016 and knowing he had some goals. He knew he would have to beat Adam Cole because they started at the same time but Cole was already the World Champion. Then he beat Dalton Castle, allowing him to bring in the REAL World Title. The match that gives him the most pride is going an hour with Jay Lethal, even though he didn’t win the World Title. Then he won the World Title in Madison Square Garden, which was all he ever wanted.

From War of the Worlds 2019: Grand Rapids.

Ring of Honor World Title: Matt Taven vs. Mark Haskins

Taven is defending and tries to hit him with the belt before the bell. That earns him a kick to the face and they head outside with Haskins kicking him in the jaw again. A penalty kick from the apron connects but Taven is back in to run the ropes a bit before getting kicked down again. Haskins hits a shinbreaker and a basement dropkick gets two. Something like an Indian Deathlock stays on the leg, followed by a DDT for two more.

Taven gets to the apron though and snaps the arm across the top to get a breather. They head outside with Taven staying on the arm, including sending it into the post. Back from a break with Haskins being thrown up the steps and onto the stage. Haskins has to dive in to beat the count at nineteen so Taven stomps on the shoulder some more. A Fujiwara armbar has Haskins in major trouble but he gets over to the rope for the break. Taven hits him in the face so Haskins says bring it on and wins a slugout with a leg lariat.

Back up and Taven catches him in a fireman’s carry and drops Haskins throat first on the top rope. We take another break and come back with Taven pulling on the arm again but getting pulled down into a Crossface. Make that the Rings of Saturn as Taven is getting too close to the ropes. A foot on the rope makes the save and Taven is fine enough to hit a running knee to the face for two.

An enziguri into a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Taven two more but he misses the frog splash. The Gibson Driver gets two on Taven and they’re both down again. It’s Haskins up first and kicking at the chest until stereo dropkicks give us another double knockdown. They get up and slug it out with Haskins dropping him and hitting the top rope double stomp for two.

Haskins takes him to the apron but gets caught with the Climax. Back in and Taven hits the frog splash for two and the big shocked face. Haskins is mostly dead but manages to roll into a Sharpshooter….and here’s Bully Ray (Commentary: “NO!!!!”) to ask how Haskins’ wife is. The distraction lets Taven get in a cheap shot and the Climax retains at 25:52.

Rating: B+. Man they had me going there until the Bully Ray ending, which has been done so many times before. As usual, Haskins is one of the most entertaining guys on the roster and Taven can do very well when he drops the talking and just goes in the ring. I liked this one quite a bit and if they had done ANYTHING but the Ray ending, it would have been even better.

Taven talks his feud with Ultimo Guerrero in Mexico. That made him into a bigger deal and they did it again in America.

From ROH TV, July 4, 2018.

Matt Taven vs. Ultimo Guerrero

Oh it’s a post pay per view TV show for sure. No Vinny Marseglia with Taven and TK O’Ryan here and I don’t find that to be a bad thing. This is an old rivalry and Guerrero works a top wristlock to start. The fans give that a LUCHA LIBRE chant and it’s time for a standoff, complete with a lack of commentary for some reason. After chasing O’Ryan away, Guerrero sends Taven to the apron and baseball slides him out to the floor.

Taven gets thrown into the crowd and O’Ryan goes into the barricade to keep things even. Another whip sends Guerrero into the barricade as well and we take a break. Back with Guerrero fighting out of a chinlock but gets enziguried out to the floor. That sets up Taven’s great looking no hands dive but Guerrero steps to the side. Taven and O’Ryan are set on a chair for a big wipeout, followed by some rapid(ish) fire chops in the corner.

A super gordbuster gets two but Taven is right back with a knee to the face. Back again with Taven getting two off a Lionsault but having a super hurricanrana countered into a superbomb. A springboard enziguri drops Guerrero again but he’s right back up to catch Taven on top. Cue the red balloons and Marseglia from underneath the ring for a distraction though, allowing Taven to hit the Climax for the pin at 14:17.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to say about this. It wasn’t boring and the work was fine but Guerrero is more a treat for the live crowd and he’s not exactly the biggest name in the world. This really felt like a main event on a show you didn’t need to see and while it was fine, it’s really not a match that I need to see or really care about. Taven has gotten a lot better though.

Post match the Kingdom celebrates for a long time before Taven says he respects Guerrero. Just realize that you’re not as good as Taven of course.

Taven talks about how important these matches are but Vincent cuts in and says he left Taven laying at Final Battle. Vincent is the best of Matt Taven.

Overall Rating: B. That opener is great and is enough to pull the just pretty good main event up. Taven is someone who does not have the best reputation in ROH (fair enough) but things get a lot better when he’s in the ring. This was as good as it was going to get from him and I liked the show well enough. Face Taven could be interesting, and seems like such a natural fit for him. Why did it take until the end of last year to make that happen?

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: April 15, 2020

It’s PCO week as we continue the highlight episodes. I’m not sure what to expect from this one as PCO hasn’t been around the company that long. It was cool to see his career renaissance but I’m not entirely sure how smart it was to push him all the way to the main event scene. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

PCO talks about how long he has worked to get here. At one point he quit but then he had one more chance. Now he believes that he isn’t human and here he is. A few months ago he and Brody King made it to the finals of a tournament to become the new #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles. After they won, the Briscoes attacked them and he never felt the pain. This set up their big showdown for the titles at the 17^th Anniversary Show where he and King won the titles for PCO’s huge moment. It was enough to get him into the tournament for the #1 contendership to the World Title and that’s where we’re going.

From ROH TV, November 13, 2019.

#1 Contenders Tournament Finals: PCO vs. Marty Scurll

They head to the floor with PCO going into the barricade so Scurll can pose a bit. It’s back inside for a chop off but PCO goes with a powerbomb and spear to take over. The chokeslam sets up the Swanton for two more and they head right back to the floor with PCO setting up a table. Scurll gets off of it before PCO can dive and sends PCO through it instead.

We take another break and come back with PCO hitting a powerslam but the referee was bumped. Cue Brody King for a Boss Man Slam on PCO to give Scurll two. Scurll hits PCO by mistake though and walks into a sidewalk slam for two. The PCOsault is broken up and the ref gets bumped again, but it’s Flip Gordon to kick PCO down. A belt shot gives Scurll two so PCO flip dives onto King and Gordon. The PCOsault connects for two but the Cannonball to the apron misses. Well not the apron but Scurll at least. PCO is fine enough to hit a clothesline and the PCOsault for the pin and the title shot at 14:33.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. This one was designed to make PCO look like a killer but that had been done in previous weeks. It’s another day where you look at Scurll and try to figure out why he isn’t a multiple time World Champion already, but ROH has not been known for its bright ideas in this area as of late. PCO getting a chance is fine, though he isn’t someone I would build my biggest show of the year around.

Post match, Scurll tells him to go win the World Title.

Then it was time for the title match against Rush at Final Battle.

Ring of Honor World Title: PCO vs. Rush

PCO is challenging and anything goes. They stare each other down to start and forearm it out with PCO shouting a lot. A clothesline drops Rush but he stops a suicide dive with a chair to the head. Rush whips him with a camera cord, followed by the running slap in the face in the corner. That means a Tranquilo pose but Rush would rather go over the barricade to get a small ladder. He throws the ladder at PCO and then wedges it in the corner before whipping PCO hard into said ladder/corner.

The posing takes too long though and it’s a pop up powerbomb to send Rush outside. PCO misses the Swanton to the apron though and Rush suplexes him onto the timekeeper’s table. They fight up the aisle and Rush hits him in the head with a barricade. Rush stacks up a bunch of barricades and chairs before throwing PCO off the stage for a huge crash.

PCO is a bit dead so here’s his trainer Destro to pop open the hoot of a well placed hearse…..and jump start PCO using some jumper cables. Well of course he does, allowing PCO to chokeslam Rush onto the car. Rush suplexes him off of the car and heads back to the ring, only to have PCO stagger after him.

That means it’s time for some doors, with Rush standing them up in opposite corners. Rush knocks him down and gets one off a top rope backsplash. PCO gets sent through the door but of course he’s right back up to send Rush through another door. The PCOsault gets two so Rush goes outside to beat up Destro. The delay lets PCO hit a chokeslam and another PCOsault through a table finishes Rush at 22:28.

Rating: D. And no. The problem here comes down to the fact that Ring of Honor was in a terrible place at this point and this is what they give us for the main event of the biggest show of the year? It was just a brawl, but a very slow paced one that should have been about ten minutes shorter. The PCO story is a nice inspirational one about never giving up on your dream, but this was a really rough sit, especially in this spot. It wasn’t the right way to go given where Ring of Honor was and it was a pretty terrible match as a result. Cut this down to ten minutes and put it in the middle of the card and maybe, but not like this.

PCO talks about how dreams come true and he can’t believe this happened. He thanks everyone who helped get him here, from his fellow Villain Enterprises teammates to Destro to the fans. This is only the beginning.

Overall Rating: D-. I really don’t get the PCO thing. It’s a nice story and PCO did an amazing job of reinventing himself but making him World Champion when you have Marty Scurll right there next to him? Yes I’m aware of Scurll’s contract situation around the time, but how many other people would have been better off in the spot? Just too much for someone who doesn’t have enough to make something like this work.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: April 8, 2020

It’s another profile edition this week with Jay Lethal, who really does deserve something like this. Lethal might not be everyone’s favorite but he has been one of the real constants around here for a long time. Those title reigns of his make him one of the few elite stars in the company, with his only competition also oddly enough being named Jay. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Lethal can’t figure out a choice for his favorite match around here. We hear a bit about his first big matches around here, way before he became a top star. He didn’t think he belonged here and two years into his career he was facing AJ Styles and Bryan Danielson.

Then Dusty Rhodes came in and because Jay was part of Special K, he got to get in a cage with him and he couldn’t believe it. As for his favorite match, it was against Jay Briscoe at Best in the World with his family being there in the crowd. His dad was at his first Ring of Honor match and begged Jay not to make him go back because the building was so hot.

And, from Best in the World 2015.

ROH World Title/TV Title: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal

We hit the chinlock for a bit before Briscoe fights back up and grabs a neckbreaker. Back from another break with the Lethal Combination getting a quick two. The Macho elbow is broken up for a bit, only to have Lethal shove Briscoe off to stop a superplex. Now the elbow gets two but a Koji Clutch is quickly broken up.

Lethal talks about not being able to hear anything after he won the title, even his own scream.

Another match he remembers is his match with AJ Styles, who has been one of his idols for his entire career. He fought AJ earlier in his career but now he has the confidence to make it work.

From Final Battle 2015.

Ring of Honor World Title: AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is defending and has Truth Martini/Taeler Hendrix with him. Styles, who has a bad back coming in, is part of the Bullet Club but comes out alone. We get some big match intros and we’re ready to go. Feeling out process to start as they seem to have a lot of time to work with. AJ gets the better of a technical sequence and Lethal bails out to the floor. Back in and AJ grabs a headlock as the announcers debate whether Elgin vs. Lethal will be for the title or not.

We get the drop down into the dropkick from Styles but Lethal hiptosses him down for a basement dropkick of his own. It’s time for some big chops until Lethal gets caught in the Calf Cutter, sending him straight to the ropes. AJ has to avoid a book shot from Martini and gets dropped onto the apron, drawing a TRUTH MARTINI chant.

Lethal gets smart by sending him back first into the barricade and the pace slows down. We hit a camel clutch as the fans swear at someone over something. A suplex into the corner (also becoming too popular lately) rocks Styles’ back for two more and Lethal grabs the world’s least convincing bearhug. Shockingly enough, Jay Lethal holding a bearhug doesn’t last long as AJ comes back with forearms and clotheslines, followed by a suplex into the corner of his own.

The springboard forearm is caught in the Lethal Combination for two and the champ takes over again. They fight over a suplex until AJ takes him over for a neckbreaker. I’ve always liked that move. Styles can’t get the Clash so Lethal throws him into the air and pulls him down into a neckbreaker for two of his own.

Lethal gets tired of this wrestling stuff and throws AJ over the barricade and into the crowd. Ever the genius, Lethal tries a suicide dive with AJ still behind the barricade. AJ, also not that bright, tries the forearm off the barricade but really just collides with Lethal instead. Naturally the fans think it’s awesome because you could put an ROH label on Lord Littlebrook vs. Little Beaver and they would declare it wrestling.

Back in and Jay grabs a Koji Clutch, only to get countered into the Calf Cutter, sending Jay into the ropes again. A big Lethal Injection out of the corner gets two but AJ snaps off a Pele, followed by the Bloody Sunday. Styles loads up something else but gets thrown over the top and through a table, absolutely destroying it in the crash. AJ dives in at nineteen and the Lethal Injection gets two (of course). Instead, Lethal uses Jerry Lynn’s cradle piledriver (due to Jerry saying AJ would win) to set up the second Lethal Injection to retain.

Rating: B+. This wasn’t a masterpiece or even a classic but it was a pay per view quality main event. Lethal pinning Styles clean was a good way to make Lethal look great as AJ has been considered one of the best in the world for a long time now. I’m not sure how long Jay holds the title but if they want to pull the trigger on something, giving it back to Elgin in Tokyo would be rather smart.

Lethal says he’s only 34 and has a lot of wrestling left, hoping that someone can look up to him like he did to Styles or Samoa Joe. That would make his career 100% complete.

Overall Rating: A-. This was an interesting one as Lethal is one of the most successful people in all of Ring of Honor history. He also came off as very down to earth here and that’s a cool thing to see. As he said he’s only 34 and really could be someone who is around for a long time to come. I could see him getting a WWE run at some point, but he might be the kind of guy who is happy with staying in ROH for the rest of his career. It’s not like he wouldn’t be revered there until he leaves, so good for him for having that option.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: April 1, 2020

Things have changed up all over again as Ring of Honor is out of new material to show for weekly television. However, being around for over eighteen years means you have a long video library to draw from and that’s what they’re doing here. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to have some special biography episodes on various stars, starting with the Briscoes tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We start in Delaware with Jay and Mark Briscoes showing us where they ran their trampoline wrestling federation in their backyard. Jay talks about a variety of memories wrestling back here, most of which involve a variety of injuries. Mark pulls out some barbed wire from underneath the porch. It used to be tied to a board but the board is rather rotten.

Jay’s barbed wire bat is still in the garage though and he talks about getting it at a minor league baseball game. The matches took place all over the property and you can tell this means a lot to them. Now it’s off to the chicken house, where they had to go around and pick up all of the dead birds every day. It was a two person job and they did it together.

From Driven on June 23, 2007 in Chicago.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Kevin Steen/El Generico

The Briscoes are defending and that would of course be Kevin Owens and NOT Sami Zayn (Completely different people entirely. Not even close you see.). Jay drives Generico into the corner to start and it’s almost scary to see how young the Briscoes look here. A headscissors keeps Generico down and seems to rough up the mask a little bit (you never rough up the mask). We take a break and come back with a double tag to Jay and Steen (who looks crazy young as well).

A springboard elbow drops Steen but he gets in some chops to slow things down. Steen runs him over with an elbow but Mark pops back up for some (yet to be named) Red Neck Kung Fu. Jay comes back in and everything breaks down with Steen taking some running kicks to the face in the corner. Steen gets in a knee to Jay’s ribs and it’s back to Generico as the double teaming begins. There’s a drop toehold to set up a flipping legdrop to the back of Jay’s neck for two as the champs are in trouble for a change.

Steen chokes Jay on the rope but stops to knock Mark off the apron in a smart move. Jay gets in an atomic drop though and Mark comes in with a big boot for two. A knee drop gets two on Generico and we take another break. Back again with Jay hitting a middle rope Fameasser for two on Generico and we hit a chinlock. Mark’s Samoan drop gets two more and he knocks Steen off the apron as a receipt from earlier. You don’t do that to Steen, who comes back in sans tag and hits a big flip dive onto Jay.

Mark gets sent to the apron so he flip dives onto Steen. Jay gets back in for a Cactus Clothesline on Generico to put everyone outside. A moonsault off the apron hits Steen and Generico gets LAUNCHED over the barricade onto a bunch of chairs in a scary looking bump. Steen powerbombs Mark over the barricade as well and everyone is down. Jay gets back inside and walks into a Pop Up sitout Powerbomb for two.

Generico takes Mark outside and hits a springboard moonsault, setting up the yet to be named Helluva Kick on Jay. Steen’s Swanton gets two in a rather hot near fall. Generico hits his corner walk tornado DDT to plant Mark but he’s right back up for a slingshot double stomp over the top to put Steen through a table. That leaves Jay to hit a gorilla press Death Valley Driver (dang) for a very close two on Generico. A spike Jay Driller ends Generico at 19:38.

Rating: A-. This was awesome and I can see why the tag team division had the reputation that it built up over the years. Steenerico was an awesome team but the Briscoes were the best team in the world for a long time. This was great stuff and I got way into the whole thing as it was a heck of a match.

The Briscoes talk about fighting as kids. Jay: “I’m a year older and a year more handsome.” Mark: “That means he’s gonna be dead a year earlier than me.” They’ve been wrestling for years but have been fighting even longer. Jay was in the first ROH match ever and lost, with Mark saying he let the family down.

Mark couldn’t wrestle in Pennsylvania but he could in Boston, and Mark beat him for the only time in his career. Then Jay won the rematch but they went to a draw in their third. Mark won in Philadelphia, making me wonder if he knows what it means by “the only time ever”. They’ve won a lot of titles and Jay rubs it in that Mark has never won a singles title.

From Best in the World 2013.

ROH World Title: Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe

Jay is defending. The fans are WAY into this as they fight over a lockup to start. Jay gets taken down off of the lockup and we take an early break. Back with the camera bouncing back and forth between the MARK/JAY chants for a cool shot. Mark gets backed into the corner as they’re waiting to really get going here. Jay isn’t about to be taken down and they stare at each other again.

They go to the mat for a split second before Mark scores with a spinwheel kick as commentary talks about the family not being sure what to do. Another handshake and the pace picks up a bit with Mark rolling underneath a kick and….I think dancing like a chicken? This time Mark won’t shake hands as it’s getting a little more serious. Mark knocks him to the floor for a chop off around (the very spacious) ringside. Jay gets dropped on the floor and we take another break as they get back inside.

Back with the fans chanting about chickens (oddly appropriate here) and Mark kicking him in the face. Jay scores with a superkick and a discus forearm, followed by a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle. Mark gets in an enziguri and Jay is knocked outside for a breather. For some reason Mark goes outside and sets up a table, followed by a Too Sweet and a slugout. Neither can get a superplex through the table so Jay throws Mark off the top to the floor for a big crash instead.

Back in and Jay hits a neckbreaker as we take another break. We come back again with Mark hitting an exploder and dropkicking Jay into the corner. An Iconoclasm gets two more and Mark sends him to the floor for a slingshot dive. Jay is laid on the table and the Froggy Bow drives him through for the huge crash.

Another Froggy Bow gets two back inside and something close to a Burning Hammer connects for the same. Jay fights back up and hits the Jay Driller, followed by a heck of a clothesline. Another Jay Driller only gets one and the fans are back into it. For some reason we look at the fans while Jay throws superkicks, setting up another Jay Driller to retain at 24:44.

Rating: A. There’s something interesting about watching two people who care about each other slugging it out and beating the heck out of each other like this. These two of course have great chemistry together and the story is set up just because of who they are. The fact that they beat the heck out of each other made it even better and they had an awesome match that lived up to the pay per view main event level.

Overall Rating: A+. I’m almost scared to imagine how long of a DVD you could make showcasing the best of the Briscoes. These two work together so well as you can’t recreate these characters no matter what. The Briscoes are as genuine of a team as you can get and it turns out that they’re both awesome at what they do. Awesome show here and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do with more of them in the future.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 25, 2020
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni
Host: Quinn McKay

From what I can tell, this seems to be the final weekly show that will feature new material. This is the start of a new event but for some reason it looks like the last episode they were able to produce. Fair enough as you never know how screwy things could have gotten thanks to everything going nuts. Things have been a bit better under the Scurll regime so hopefully they can go into hiatus on a high note. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a quick video on 2 Guys 1 Tag.

Quinn runs down the show.

Dan Maff/Jeff Cobb vs. Briscoes

Mark and Jeff lock up to start with Mark’s headlock trying to cut off the power. A dropkick sends Mark into the corner so it’s off to Maff. That earns him a forearm to the face and Jay comes in for the big staredown. Maff gets the better of it and forearms away in the corner….as we cut to a shot of commentary for some reason. A running clothesline in the corner rocks Jay but he’s right back to Mark in a hurry. The Briscoes get smart and it’s a distraction to set up the running clothesline to put Cobb down.

Back from a break with Mark getting suplexed and clotheslined, followed by a backsplash to Jay. The big shots to the back have Jay in trouble in the corner and a slam gets two. Jay finally slams Cobb down and the tag brings in Mark for another slugout. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Mark uses a chair for a launchpad to the floor. Jay’s running flip dive (no chair) takes Cobb out and it’s time to head back inside.

Jay walks into a spinning belly to back suplex and Maff jumps off Cobb’s back for a flipping splash onto Jay for two. There’s a Cheeky Nandos kick to Jay but Mark breaks up the Burning Hammer. A running kick into a dragon suplex (cool) drops Maff but Cobb clotheslines Jay to put everyone down. Back up and a pop up cutter (basically a 3D with a toss instead of a flapjack) drops Jay for two with Mark having to make a last second save. Tour of the Islands is broken up and it’s a Jay Driller into the Froggy Bow for the pin at 16:06.

Rating: B. These guys beat the heck out of each other and that’s what you want out of these matches. I was skeptical about having Maff around here but he’s been a pretty awesome big man, especially when you pair him with Cobb. The Briscoes have been doing their best work in years too, which is hard to do when they have been so good for so long.

Rey Horus vs. Alex Shelley

They fight over arm control to start before running the ropes with Shelley grabbing a spinning rollup for two. After a quick standoff, Horus grabs an armdrag into an armbar to slow things down. A dropkick puts Shelley on the floor but he ducks a baseball slide and chops away. That’s followed by a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on the floor can keep Horus down They chop it out again with Shelley getting the better of things before heading back inside. There’s a discus forearm to Horus and we take a break.

Back with a rather confident Shelley chopping away and grabbing the Billy Goat’s Curse. With that going nowhere, it’s off to a leglock to keep Horus down. A running clothesline drops Horus a second time but he dropkicks Shelley out of the air. Another dropkick puts Shelley on the apron, meaning the big running flip dive can take him down again. Back in and Horus grabs a Spanish Fly for two, plus an overhead belly to belly into the corner for the same. The 450 misses though and it’s a standing Sliced Bread #2 for two on Horus. Shell Shock gets two more so it’s the Motor City Stretch to make Horus tap at 15:01.

Rating: C+. Horus is an awesome high flier and Shelley is someone who can work with almost everyone but, as usual, most of his matches feel very scripted. I’m not sure what it is about them but there’s something about Shelley’s matches that keep me from getting into them. It’s still good, but it’s not great and that’s almost always the case for Shelley.

McKay talks about the awesomeness of the 18^th Anniversary Show and Past vs. Present. Supercard of Honor is going to be even better though and we run down the card. They couldn’t edit that out??? And dang it’s not a bad card either.

Tag Team Titles: 2 Guys 1 Tag vs. Jonathan Gresham/Jay Lethal

Gresham and Lethal are defending and jump Young and Woods before the bell. It’s a brawl on the floor to start with Lethal hitting four straight suicide dives. He doesn’t keep Woods down well enough though and it’s an overhead belly to belly to finally cut off the dives. Now we get the bell so Lethal can stomp away at Young in the corner. Back from a break with Gresham working on Young’s knee and Lethal coming in to do the same.

A strut looks to set up the Figure Four but, you know, the strut, lets Young kick Lethal away. Woods comes in for some suplexes and a TKO onto the knee gets two on Lethal. Gresham gets kneed out of the air but the Lethal Combination drops Woods for two more. A Backstabber sets up a powerbomb onto the knees with Lethal having to make a save. We take another break and come back with Lethal powerbombing Young down to set up a Figure Four (as we go back to the knee, as we should).

Woods finally gets back up and powerbombs Gresham onto Lethal for the save. Gresham gets clotheslined down and Young dive onto Lethal. The Doctor Bomb sets up the ankle lock on Gresham but a rope is grabbed. Young is back in but Misery is broken up in a hurry. Gresham moonsaults onto Young and dives onto Woods, leaving Lethal to hit the Lethal Injection. A shooting star press hits Young….for two? Dang I would have bet on that one. Woods grabs a small package but Lethal turns it over so Gresham can get the pin to retain at 12:08.

Rating: B. Another good tag match here as Woods and Young are somehow a rather solid face team. Lethal and Gresham are on fire though and they could hold those titles for a long time going forward. The tag matches have been ROH’s strong suit for a long time now and this was another worthwhile one.

Overall Rating: B+. And alas that’s how they go away for the time being. The tag matches were very good and the singles match was perfectly watchable. Throw in the sad/chuckle inducing announcement about the non-existent shows and I had a good time with this one. Hopefully they can keep this stuff going when they get back, but you never can tell with something like this. Really good show to go out on though.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 18, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni
Host: Quinn McKay

This has to be the last show from Baltimore right? If my math is correct, they should have seven or eight weeks of television from their last two shows, but after that it’s going to be interesting in a hurry. These shows have been good so far and hopefully the trend continues this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a recap of Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham winning the Tag Team Titles in a great match at Final Battle.

Battle Royal

Beer City Bruiser, Brawler Milonas, Tracy Williams, Cheeseburger, Josh Woods, Brian Johnson, PJ Black, Silas Young, Blue Meanie, Rhett Titus, Maria Manic, Gangrel, Delirious, Eli Isom, Kenny King, Dragon Lee, Crowbar, Dak Draper, Danhausen, Leon St. Giovanni

The winner gets a future World Title shot and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a regular battle royal in ROH. Gangrel blows the liquid in King’s face during entrances and most of the people get in at the bell to start fast. We take a break at the ten second mark and come back, seemingly with nothing having changed, meaning Delirious is running around ringside and King is blindly throwing punches on the floor.

Gangrel suplexes Danhausen and Impales Johnson as I’m trying to wonder if they’re really considering him a big deal. Draper fights off another Impaler and backdrops Gangrel out to a chorus of booing. LSG goes up top to dive at Draper, who throws him out with ease. Draper backdrops out Isom and Crowbar with ease so, say it with me, Cheeseburger eliminates Draper a few seconds later.

With that required annoyance out of the way, the Bouncers start wrecking a lot of people. Meanie tries to get the Bouncers to dance….and they actually do it, only to have Johnson throw Meanie out. As Amy Rose comes out to get King to the back, the Bouncers beat up Johnson and toss him….only to the apron as PJ Black makes a save. As a result, Johnson throws Black out in a good old heel double crossing. Manic grabs Johnson low and gorilla presses him out as we take another break.

Back again with Maria throwing the Bouncers out at the same time but stopping to hug Danhausen. Young and Maria have a staredown with Silas dropping her but not quite being able to eliminate her. Cue Bully Ray to pull Maria out, allowing Young to celebrate. Ray chairs her in the back and adds a powerbomb through a table (apparently giving her a concussion).

Back in and Danhausen gives Delirious some teeth but then throws them at Delirious, setting up the elimination. Danhausen German suplexes Young but gets tossed out anyway, allowing Cheeseburger to hit a springboard crossbody. Young rolls through and they go to the apron but Woods makes the save. A clothesline eliminates Cheeseburger and we’re down to Williams, Lee, Young and Woods. Young puts Williams on the top so Tracy manages a DDT onto the top turnbuckle.

Woods jumps in front of a spinning forearm so Williams blasts him instead, leaving Young to return the save. Williams gets double teamed in the corner with a slingshot elbow, setting up the easy elimination. Young and Woods stomp Lee down in the corner but Lee sends Young to the apron. Woods kicks him out by mistake and gets tossed, only to have Kenny King run in. Lee survives an elimination attempt, unmasks as Flip Gordon, and dumps King for the win at 20:30.

Rating: C. This was an entertaining enough battle royal with a surprise ending. Gordon is a safe bet for a future title shot as he’ll get in a good match and there’s always the chance he might pull off an upset. There were enough stories going on in here and they advanced some stuff, so well done with the whole thing, especially for a battle royal.

Post break, Gordon says he’s coming for the title at Supercard of Honor.

Clips of Session Moth Martina beating Sumie Sakai in what looked like a comedy match. Martina likes to dance and drink, meaning her finishing move is called the Jager Bomb.

Post break Quinn asks Sumie for a comment but she shoves Quinn against a wall and tells her to shut up.

Dan Maff/Jeff Cobb vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham

Non-title but if Maff and Cobb win, they’re guaranteed a title shot. The handshake offers are slapped away so it’s Cobb and Gresham starting things off. Gresham can’t quite wrestle him down as Cobb muscles him up for a throw into the corner. Back from an early break with Maff chopping Lethal and then slapping him in the face for a bonus. The Pounce sends Lethal outside and the champs need a breather.

Back in and Maff suplexes both of them before it’s Cobb coming in for a dropkick. The standing moonsault gets two on Lethal and Cobb pounds him down in the corner. Gresham comes in and goes after Cobb’s knee though as the champs take over for the first time. Lethal gets kicked into the corner for the hot tag to Maff but the referee doesn’t see it, sending Maff into a frenzy in the corner. Cobb suplexes the heck out of Gresham and now Maff can come in to run Lethal over.

We come back from another break with Maff hitting a Cannonball in the corner. The spinning belly to back from Cobb sets up an elevated backsplash from Maff to crush Lethal again. Gresham makes the save with an enziguri and Lethal cutters Cobb for two. Maff gets knocked to the floor so Gresham dives onto him with a sleeper, leaving Lethal to Figure Four Cobb.

Maff, with Gresham on his back, climbs back in but falls just short of a save. He gets up again and finally Attitude Adjusts Gresham onto Lethal for the big break. Everyone is down again until Maff spears Lethal, setting up the Oklahoma Stampede to Gresham. Lethal kicks Cobb to the floor and Gresham adds a suicide dive, only to have Maff hit a Burning Hammer on Lethal for the pin at 13:05.

Rating: B-. The tag matches have been rather good around here as of late and while this wasn’t quite up to the Briscoes vs. Mexiblood, it was a rather good power vs. technical match. There was even a nice twist of the power guys being the faces for a change and that’s not the kind of match you often see around here. Good enough match here though and the rematch will likely take place at a pay per view, whenever that takes place.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this one well enough as the battle royal was a nice change of pace from the usual ROH formula. Things are starting to get a little better around here under Marty Scurll and hopefully we can get to another level in the near enough future. I’m not sure when that is going to be, but at least they seem to have something better here. It’s a heck of a lot better than what they were doing for years though and that’s a good sign.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: March 11, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Host: Quinn McKay

We’re still in Baltimore and that means we should be getting close to the main event sooner or later. The show was built around the NWA invasion, meaning NWA World Champion Nick Aldis should be around. That could make for something interesting and that’s what this company is needing. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at the NWA invasion as we move towards Aldis vs. Marty Scurll for the World Title. This ties into Rush vs. PCO for the World Title.

Opening sequence.

Rey Horus vs. Brody King

Horus starts fast with the strikes but can’t get very far. Instead, King goes with the power to shove him down. They go outside and we take a rather early break. Back with Horus trying his own strikes, setting up a slingshot hurricanrana to the floor. King gets back in and blasts him with a clothesline, followed by the hard piledriver for two. Horus is right back up with a tornado DDT for two, but King blasts him with a clothesline. The Ganso Bomb finishes Horus at 8:51.

Rating: C. I can always go for a power vs. speed match and that’s exactly what we had here. King is a great big man and can beat people up with reckless abandon. We had a good enough match here as every member of the Mexisquad continues to look good no matter what they’re doing.

At this point we get the first of several ads for Past vs. Present, which wouldn’t be taking place due to the Coronavirus. Shame too as that looks like a decent show.

Brian Zane’s Top Five looks at the best oddball tag teams with Cheeseburger and Jushin Thunder Liger.

La Faccion Ingobernable is ready to work with Nick Aldis, even though he’s not even the most famous wrestler in his house. Rush is the best in the world anyway.

Nick Aldis/Rush vs. Marty Scurll/PCO

Rush jumps PCO from behind to start and hits a basement dropkick to the back. Marty comes in with a backbreaker to put Rush down and the fans are rather pleased to see him. It’s off to Aldis to work on Marty’s arm, only to get armdragged into an armbar. Aldis gets sent outside for a baseball slide but PCO misses the way too early Swanton to the apron. PCO sits up on the floor though and the brawl is on with Aldis, only to have Rush make the save.

Camera cord choking ensues until we settle down to Rush chopping PCO in the corner. Rush kicks him in the face and strikes the pose as we take a break. Back with Aldis dropping an elbow for two but a clothesline gets PCO out of trouble. Marty comes in and starts cleaning house but the CHICKEN WING is broken up with a shot to the head. A tornado DDT allows the tag back to PCO as everything freaks out.

PCO takes out Rush and Aldis with the big flip dive, but Aldis is right back with a Tombstone to Aldis back inside. PCO crotches him on top though and Scurll hits a big superplex. The Quebec Cannonball gets two with Rush having to break it up at two. Aldis drops a top rope elbow on PCO and now it’s time to stare it down with Rush. That’s enough for Rush though, as he walks up the ramp, leaving Aldis to get his fingers snapped. The PCOsault finishes Aldis at 15:35.

Rating: B. This was a solid main event style tag match and that’s what it should have been. The big deal here was setting things up for the future as you could have Scurll or PCO vs. Aldis, with Rush waiting in the wings for either of them. It’s the kind of thing that the company has been needing: a story that feels big instead of just going from one match to another.

We wrap it up with some rapid fire promos for the 18^th Anniversary Show, which was scheduled for TWO DAYS after this show. Unless I missed it, this is the first mention of the show so far. Mark Haskins gives a very passionate speech about wanting to become the World Champion to give his family a better life after all these years of hard work.

Overall Rating: B-. The key to this show is very simple: it feels like something happened. Maybe it’s because it came from a big show or the boss was involved in the main event, but this was a big difference than what you usually get around here. I could go for Ring of Honor being a lot better, but I’m not sure how much I should believe that this is going to continue. I’ll take it for now though.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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