IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: November 21, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re still in Philadelphia and the big story coming out of last week was the return of Dalton Castle, who helped Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham defeat the Kingdom. Then he made it clear that he wanted the World Title, which means he’ll likely be facing either Lethal or Taven at the upcoming Final Battle. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Castle returning and looking at the title. Stop trying to steal my job.

Opening sequence.

Here are Castle and the Boys to get things going. Castle mentions that he was injured for over three months, but he didn’t go home and just sip mint juleps. He went home and sipped mint juleps but started putting in the world. Castle went to physical therapy and even went to Australia to kiss a kangaroo. Now though, his lone mission is to get back the World Title. He wants the champ, but gets Matt Taven instead. He’s the only man who can call himself the real World Champion. That makes Castle’s head spin so much that he has a seat on the Boys. Castle: “Go home Matt. You’re drunk. You’re like Myrtle Beach drunk.”

Taven accuses Castle of cracking underneath the pressure and bailing on the company so Castle calls him a tall, gangly, uncoordinated idiot. As long as Castle is around, someone like Taven will never be champion. Cue the Kingdom and the good guys are beaten down. The Kingdom gets a bunch of chairs and pile Castle on top of them followed by a TRIPLE CONCHAIRTO. That was really cool. Then I remembered that it’s the Kingdom and my interest lowered.

We look back at Christopher Daniels being beaten down last week. ROH is trying to find a suitable replacement for Daniels in the Tag Team Title match. You mean the Daniels who is part of a trio? Half of which is in the title match already?

We recap Hurricane Helms vs. Marty Scurll. They’ve split two matches and then a third match was thrown out when they both beat up the referee. Therefore Scurll, who won the Survival of the Fittest tournament this year, is getting a fourth match with the old comedy guy. Marty also stole his mask to make it personal.

Marty Scurll vs. Hurricane Helms

No DQ and Scurll has the mask. Hurricane is on the stage….or not actually as that’s Delirious. Instead Hurricane is behind Scurll and hits a chokeslam for two at the bell. They fight outside with Hurricane sitting him in a chair for a running clothesline. Back from a break with Hurricane in trouble and Marty pulling out some umbrellas. Ian: “This is definitely something Marty pre-orchestrated.” Why is commentary so dumb tonight?

Marty unloads with the umbrellas and throws in a little Singin in the Rain for fun. Some stomps to the fingers have Hurricane in trouble but he’s right back with a neckbreaker. Instead of following up though, he puts the mask on and now it’s time to be a hero. That means an umbrella being broken over the knee and a Downward Spiral gets two on Scurll. Hurricane throws in some chairs but since that takes forever, Marty is able to get in a few shots and set up four chairs. That takes way too long as well (a villain never learns) and Hurricane press slams him onto the chairs.

The Nightmare on Helm Street gets two and we take another break. Back again with Marty hitting an AA off the apron through the table….for two. Marty throws an umbrella down and grabs a bag from underneath the ring. That would be thumbtacks but Marty blocks a drop toehold onto the tacks. Instead Marty snaps Hurricane’s fingers….but gets chokeslammed onto them for two instead. The tacks in his back are censored for a nice touch. Marty is back up with a low blow and puts some tacks in Hurricane’s mouth for a superkick. Graduation onto the tacks finishes Hurricane at 15:32.

Rating: B-. It’s a good brawl, but there are two problems. First and foremost, it’s the fourth match between Hurricane and Marty Scurll, the latter of whom should be a main eventer. Why is he toiling with a guy best known for comedy? That’s the other problem: Hurricane feels REALLY out of place in this kind of a violent match. Hurricane isn’t a hardcore guy and while he did it well, it felt way out of place.

Brandi Rose talks about being out with an injury for a long time but now she’s back. Her clavicle is being held together by metal and screws but she’s cleared to wrestle again. I can appreciate her efforts, but is anyone really begging to see her back in the ring?

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. So Cal Uncensored vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending and, shockingly enough, Scorpio Sky is Kazarian’s partner. Nick and Sky start things off and we’ve got a special hashtag for this main event: WatchROHSecondHalfOfOurDoubleMainEventHereInPhiladelhiaTheCityOfBrotherlyLove. That’s actually on top of the screen, because ROHTagTeamTitles is too simple. Sky flips out of a wristlock and takes both Briscoes to the floor for a dive. Kazarian adds a slingshot hurricanrana to stagger Mark and it’s Jay being thrown back inside to deal with the Bucks.

Kazarian comes back in to add a slingshot dropkick to Jay and an assisted tornado DDT drops Mark for two. The champs take over on Kazarian though and the referee stops to check on him as the Briscoes pose. Mark isn’t done as he takes Kazarian outside and rams his head into the barricade a few times. Back in and the pummeling continues in the corner. A Backstabber finally puts Mark down but Jay is smart enough to kick Sky off the apron.

Back from a break with Kazarian German suplexing Mark in the direction of the turnbuckles, which is good enough for the hot tag to Matt. Everything breaks down and Mark gets dropkicked into the barricade. The Sharpshooter has Jay in trouble but Sky makes a save, even as Matt’s back was about to give out. Nick throws Sky into the air for a spear from Matt and it’s a superkick into the Swanton for two.

A hurricanrana sends Nick into the corner for a tag to Kazarian and it’s a dropkick/sitout powerbomb combination for a close two. Sky grabs a slingshot cutter on Mark and it’s off to stereo dragon sleepers. Nick and Jay make the save with superkicks, followed by another superkick to Jay. The hot tag brings in Nick, who knees the referee by mistake. That’s enough for Matt to start throwing chairs (used in three different segments tonight) but Kazarian saves Sky from taking one to the head.

The Jay Driller (more like Angel’s Wings actually) gets two on Kazarian with Sky making the save. Matt slugs away at both Briscoes but gets backbreakered onto the chair. The Doomsday Device is countered into a powerslam to pull Mark out of the air for another near fall (with the referee stopping early). Jay chairs Mark by mistake though and it’s a powerbomb/Backstabber combination to give Kazarian the pin and the titles at 14:27.

Rating: B-. As usual, ROH isn’t the best at the structured tag matches but they didn’t go too far with the false finishes to mess with things here. SCU winning made the most sense here and while the Bucks were just there to prevent a rematch from Death Before Dishonor, they were their usual entertaining selves and it’s not like they lose anything in defeat. Good match, though a little more actual tag wrestling would have been nice.

Daniels, in a neck brace, comes out to celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. While I’m not wild on some of the booking (the Kingdom, with Taven in general, isn’t interesting), the wrestling was good and this show flew by. There are times when this show feels like it’s taking forever but that wasn’t the case here. It’s a good show, and you can see where some of Final Battle is going. That’s good too, as the show is less than a month away.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Death Before Dishonor 2018
Date: September 28, 2018
Location: Oracle Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 2,000
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

I know I’m a little behind on this one, but given how long it takes for Ring of Honor to catch up with its own schedule, it should be fine. The big main event this time around is Jay Lethal defending the World Title against Will Ospreay, who hasn’t actually been around on TV other than in pre-taped vignettes. It’s almost like the main event feels a little bit thrown together. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the card. That’s about as standard as you can get.

The announcers run down the card.

Kenny King vs. Jushin Thunder Liger

King is the hometown boy. Liger works on the wrist to start as Ian greets people in a live chat. It’s already time for the surfboard attempt so Kenny goes straight for the rope. Kenny slips out of a headscissors and shoulders Liger down but gets backdropped to the floor. See Liger is old and smart but King is….well he can spell his name. The running flip dive from the apron keeps King in trouble but he kicks Liger off the apron to take over.

Two backbreakers into a side slam set up a Boston crab as King is showing some intelligence here. That’s broken up and Liger nails the palm strike, followed by the rolling Liger kick. King gets in his own kick to the face for two and a swinging backbreaker gets the same. He takes way too long going up though and it’s a top rope superplex to give Liger two of his own.

The Royal Flush is countered into a small package and a frog splash hits King. Liger’s ribs and back are banged up pretty badly though and he can barely get up. King offers him some applause and a handshake, which of course is pulled into a spinebuster to give King the pin at 12:21.

Rating: C. Perfectly acceptable opener with the hometown boy getting a win over the legend. I’m not sure if it’s going to help him get to the World Title scene but that’s about all King has left at this point. Liger is still a legitimate legend and can work just fine in a role like this. The fans are going to react to him every time and while he’s nowhere near what he used to be, he’s still more than watchable.

Post match, King thanks Austin Aries for showing him the light. Nice touch.

We recap the Briscoes vs. the Addiction. The Addiction needs to win some titles for leverage before the end of the year because they’re about to be fired. The Briscoes are just mean and Uncensored have turned face in recent weeks to stand up to them, making it two stories in one, which has actually worked.

Tag Team Titles: Addiction vs. Briscoes

Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian are challenging with Scorpio Sky in their corner. Before the match, Sky says this is the worst town he’s ever been in (I know he’s a face and this is his shtick, but I really don’t get it), but Daniels says the town has some awesome wrestling fans. Jay and Daniels start things off but all four come in almost immediately. The champs grab some chairs for a staredown…which goes nowhere. Back in and it’s Mark vs. Kazarian for all of a few seconds with Kazarian taking him down and bringing Daniels back in for some alternation shots to the chest.

An STO rocks Jay so the champs start throwing in chairs. Kazarian misses a chair shot though and it’s a baseball slide through the ropes from Mark to take him down. The Blockbuster off the apron keeps Kazarian in trouble and things settle down with Daniels getting stomped in the corner. A double shoulder keeps the champs in control as Coleman tries to add up the number of years experience in the match.

Kazarian gets drawn in and of course the Briscoes use the distraction to send Daniels into the barricade. Back in and Mark misses the Froggy Bow, allowing Daniels to score with the Blue Thunder Bomb. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Kazarian so things can speed way up. The Backstabber drops Jay and a hurricanrana through the ropes has Mark in trouble on the floor. It’s not enough trouble to prevent Jay from kicking Kazarian in the face though, leaving Daniels to have to suplex Jay to keep things even.

Back in and it’s off to Daniels for the middle rope stomp to the chest, followed by the slingshot cutter from Kazarian for the same. Daniels breaks up the Jay Driller and hits a suicide dive as Kazarian has been busted open on the floor. With Scorpio Sky on the floor checking on Kazarian, the Redneck Boogie gets two on Daniels.

A double clothesline gets Daniels out of trouble but there’s no Kazarian. The Doomsday Device misses and Daniels sends Jay outside. The Rock Bottom to Mark sets up the BME for two with Jay diving in for a save. Now it’s the Jay Driller on the floor to kill Daniels dead….for two? Egads come on now. Another Jay Driller retains the titles at 17:43.

Rating: B. I liked this one more than I was expecting to with both teams looking awesome, even with Kazarian being down on the floor for the last part of the match. SCU’s face turn has been way better than I was expecting and I want to see them do well as we get closer to Final Battle. Cut out the last Jay Driller and this would be even better.

We recap the Women’s Title match. Sumie Sakai is the inaugural champion and wants the best competition. That sounded like a challenge to Tenille Dashwood and it’s on.

Women’s Title: Sumie Sakai vs. Tenille Dashwood

Sakai is defending and Dashwood has a very taped up shoulder. The champ gets aggressive to start so Tenille is right back with forearms to the jaw. It’s way too early for Smashmouth but Dashwood can’t get a double underhook suplex. Instead it’s some forearms to Sakai’s neck but she’s right back with a middle rope missile dropkick.

That’s enough to send Dashwood outside for a dive but Saki can’t get the cross armbreaker back inside. Dashwood makes the rope for the break and punches her in the face, only to bang up the shoulder again. A belly to belly sends Sakai flying for two but the shoulder delays the cover. Dashwood ties the legs up and bridges them into the air, followed by a stomp to the head for two.

Sakai is fine enough to hurricanrana her off the top for two and a running knee sets up Smashmouth for a closer near fall. A butterfly suplex into the corner has Sakai in more trouble and the Tarantula goes on. Sakai heads outside so it’s a powerbomb to the floor. Back in and a German suplex keeps Sakai in trouble but they forearm it out anyway. That goes well for Dashwood, but Sakai takes her down into a cross armbreaker and Dashwood passes out at 12:36.

Rating: C. The wrestling was ok but this was a great way to kill the crowd off. Now that being said, Dashwood was hurt and would need shoulder surgery so they couldn’t do the title change, but this Sakai title reign is killing anything they have. She’s been champion since April and wasn’t interesting when she started. Nearly six months later and things are getting even worse. Just find someone new already and let them try their luck, because this isn’t working.

We recap Chris Sabin vs. Punishment Martinez. The Motor City Machine Guns have broken up due to Alex Shelley retiring so Sabin is focusing on his singles career, including going after the TV Title. Martinez is more than willing to have a fight for the belt.

TV Title: Chris Sabin vs. Punishment Martinez

Martinez is defending. We get some Big Match Intros, with Sabin having his own entrance prepared. He’s introduced as a wrestler promised since the beginning of time with the Eye of the Tiger in both eyes, the last man standing of the lost civilization of Atlantis and a warrior poet among other things. You know, I’ve heard worse.

The chokeslam is countered into a rollup at the bell for two and it’s already time to start in on the monster’s leg. Those kicks are enough to send Martinez to the floor and there’s a big dive from Sabin. The suicide dive is countered into a chokeslam onto the apron, followed by a heck of a clothesline for two back inside. Martinez gets enziguried on top and a super hurricanrana brings him right back down.

The forearms just annoy Martinez so Sabin low bridges him to the floor for a suicide dive. A dive from the top takes Martinez down again and a missile dropkick keeps him in trouble. The ref gets bumped though and Martinez hits a spinning kick to the head. It’s time for a chair but Sabin is right back up with a tornado DDT onto said chair for two. The referee takes it away though and it’s the Psycho Driver into the Silencer into the South of Heaven chokeslam to retain at 8:01.

Rating: C+. This was a pure formula match but they did that formula well. I could have gone for a few more minutes and I wouldn’t have bet on that in a Sabin match. Martinez is really good as the monster, but the ref bump for the sake of the false finish wasn’t necessary. It’s a nice little match though and one of the more entertaining things on the show so far.

Post match Martinez grabs the chair again but here’s Jeff Cobb to stare him down. Martinez’s chair shot has no effect so Cobb suplexes him down and poses with the title.

We recap Bully Ray/Silas Young vs. Flip Gordon/Colt Cabana. This isn’t exactly groundbreaking stuff as Ray and Young are trying to get rid of the fake wrestlers because they’re the old, real men. Therefore, it’s a tables match because that’s what Ray does.

Bully Ray/Silas Young vs. Flip Gordon/Colt Cabana

Elimination tables match. Cabana heads over to hug Ian before we get going. I’m still not sure why Ian is playing any role in this but he doesn’t add much. Flip charges in and we’re ready to go in a hurry. The villains are knocked to the floor to start but Young sends Flip hard into the barricade. Back in and Flip knocks Silas off the top, setting up What’s Up on Ray.

It’s already time for the tables but Ray saves Silas from a double suplex. I mean, the suplex still happens, but Ray moves the table. Cabana does the same with a double backdrop and takes both old guys down with a double Lionsault. Flip sends Silas to the floor for a big flip dive off the top but Ray unloads on Cabana with a chair. Ray stops to yell at Ian, who comes down to ringside to check on Cabana. I don’t see this ending well but Flip takes Ray down and hands Cabana a chair to blast Ray.

That doesn’t seem to have much effect so Ray pops up and powerbombs Colt through a table for the elimination. Ray sets up another table in the corner and Silas chops away at Flip. Heel miscommunication gives Flip a chance but he misses a springboard missile dropkick. The whip into the table is countered as Flip flips off the table and sidesteps a charge to send Ray through for the elimination.

Young is right back with the backbreaker and clothesline, meaning it’s time for another table. Another clothesline flips Flip inside out to the floor but the ref gets bumped back inside. That of course means the 450 puts Silas through the table but no one sees it. Well save for everyone in the arena but the referee. Ray gets up and decks Gordon, who he puts on the broken table for the win at 13:34. Yeah just saying you put him through a table counts.

Rating: D-. Not only am I sick of this feud, but now it seems to be continuing because…I have no idea actually. I’m guessing Flip gets his big revenge at Final Battle but was there any reason he couldn’t do that here? It’s not like this is some epic feud and they’re running the risk of having Flip wait so long to get his revenge that it doesn’t mean anything. The match itself was bad with Gordon and Cabana not getting anything in and getting destroyed with the Ian stuff and the ref bump not needing to be included at all.

Tenille Dashwood has been attacked.

It takes some time to clear the ring.

Chaos vs. Bullet Club

Chaos: Kazuchika Okada, Best Friends, Rocky Romero, Tomohiro Ishii

Bullet Club: Cody, Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, Adam Page

This one doesn’t exactly need an explanation. Former NWA World Champion Nick Aldis is in on commentary. Page headlocks Ishii to start but the forearms and shoulders don’t work for either of them. The forearms continue until a suplex takes Page down. It’s off to Scurll vs. Okada so I’m hoping they have enough tape. Nothing happens so Romero, who is actually shorter than Marty, comes in to pose in the ropes.

Romero knocks him to the floor but a cheap shot from the apron breaks up the dive. The rapid tags leave us with Matt vs. Chuckie but Barretta and Nick come in as well. The Bucks are sent outside and Romero breaks up the hug, instead setting for triple dives. That means a three way hug before it’s off to Cody vs. Okada back inside. Okada chops him down without much effort and it’s off to Barretta, who has a tornado DDT attempt blocked.

Cody clotheslines him to the floor but misses the dive, allowing Barretta to run back in for a dive of his own. Page keeps the parade of dives going and Chuckie adds a big running version from the stage. Ishii even goes up top for a flip dive of his own (cool). They head back in and Brandi offers a distraction to put Barretta in trouble. Scurll adds a superplex for two but a missed charge allows the hot tag to Romero, who hurricanranas both Bucks at the same time.

The Forever Clotheslines have the Club in more trouble but they finally get up for a group superkick to drop Romero. Romero gets in a jumping knee though and the hot tag brings in Okada to speed things up again. Everything breaks down for….we’ll say the third time, with Nick kneeing Okada in the face but getting kneed right back by Chuckie. A bunch of people knock each other down with Cody’s Disaster Kick hitting Ishii, who just stares at him.

Double superkicks from the Bucks work a bit better but the Meltzer Driver to Okada is broken up. Instead it’s a spike Tombstone on Matt, followed by a Buckshot lariat for a bonus. Cody sneaks in for Cross Rhodes on Okada and then gets the tag but Okada is right back with the Rainmaker.

Ishii comes back in and takes a Buckshot lariat but pops back up for clotheslines of his own. We settle down to Romero punching Scurll in the face and fighting out of the chickenwing attempt. Nick superkicks Marty by mistake and Romero makes things even worse by breaking up the Meltzer Driver. Cody dives onto the Best Friends, leaving Marty to reverse Romero’s suplex into the chickenwing for the tap at 21:20.

Rating: B+. This was a lot of fun and it’s very clear why they put this match, or something with Los Ingobernables, on time after time. You have people who are working hard and doing everything they can to steal the show, which is what they did here. It’s nonstop action and that’s very entertaining, which is exactly what an ROH crowd is looking for. Really fun match, even if it doesn’t mean much long term.

Cody comes up to commentary and accepts Aldis’ challenge for 2/3 falls match at the NWA 70^th Anniversary Show.

We recap Jay Lethal vs. Will Ospreay. Lethal has avenged all of his losses and become World Champion again. Ospreay didn’t beat him but came close, so that’s a rematch.

ROH World Title: Will Ospreay vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is defending. Ospreay won’t shake hands to start, which works well enough for setting up a heel in a one off match. Feeling out process to start as they seem to have a lot of time. Lethal takes him down by the arm for nothing of note so they trade shoulders. Ospreay gets in a shot to the face to make things a little more serious and they chop it out. The Lethal Injection and the Oscutter both miss so Lethal chops him off the top.

The trio of suicide dives send Ospreay over the barricade as Lethal takes over for the first time. Back in and we hit the chinlock for a few seconds. The dueling chants bring Ospreay back up and he hits the spinning kick to Lethal’s head. Ospreay starts kicking away, including a running dropkick to a seated Lethal in the corner.

Lethal is right back with his own chops in the corner as Ospreay puts his hands behind his chest for an open shot. He’s fine enough to kick Lethal to the floor for a suicide dive of his own. They fight underneath the ring and Lethal pulls out a ladder but go back inside without it, thank goodness. Ospreay gets two off a Phenomenal Forearm, only to walk into the Lethal Combination for the same. They slug it out from their knees with Ospreay knocking him outside.

The Flying Space Tiger (I love wacky Japanese names) misses so Lethal tries a powerbomb through the table. That’s broken up as well and Lethal superkicks the ring announcer by mistake, meaning the World Title flies into Ospreay’s hands. Ospreay throws it down and opts for a slugout instead with Lethal getting the better of it. Lethal puts the ladder up against the barricade but goes with a DDT inside. The Figure Four is broken up though and Ospreay hits a reverse hurricanrana.

Some more kicks to the head set up the Batista Bomb for two so Ospreay sunset bombs him onto the ladder, which of course isn’t a DQ. Back in and Ospreay can’t hit the Stormbreaker, instead diving into a cutter. Ospreay superkicks his way out of the Lethal Injection and more rapid fire kicks set up the Oscutter for two. Stormbreaker is broken up again but the super hurricanrana is countered into a super Batista Bomb. The Lethal Injection retains the title at 22:50.

Rating: B+. Another really good match here, at least partially due to slowing things down a bit so we could have two guys beating each other up. The ladder wasn’t needed but at least they didn’t make it a focal point. Lethal continues to look like a star, but I’m getting worried about who they’re going to bring out next for an opponent. Ospreay didn’t feel like anything more than the challenger of the month, which is fine for a one off match but not the most interesting thing in the world. At least the match was very good though.

Post match Ospreay is willing to shake hands but here are Vinny Marseglia and TK O’Ryan to beat them both down. Jonathan Gresham tries to run in for a save but gets beaten down as well. A now mohawked Matt Taven runs out with his own World Title to knock Lethal silly. Posing ends the show. As uninteresting as Taven might be, he’s still a full time wrestler here and good for a next challenger.

Overall Rating: B. The last two matches more than carry this as they got the most time and were both very good if not excellent matches. When Ring of Honor is focused, they can put together some highly entertaining shows, which is what they did here. They can start the build towards Final Battle now, and that’s often the best time of the year. Above all else here: the show wasn’t three hours long and didn’t overstay its welcome, which is often one of this company’s major faults. If they can keep that problem under control, their pay per views will be a lot better in a hurry. Good effort here and a really fun show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: November 14, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re still in Philadelphia and on the road to Final Battle, but the big question is how many more ECW names can we get in here. I wonder if Blue Meanie is doing anything tonight. Anyway we still need a card for the pay per view so maybe we can start building things up this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Shane Taylor vs. Jeff Cobb

Non-title. Shane spits on his extended hands and they start ramming into each other. Cobb hits his swinging belly to back suplex but Shane pops up. That earns him a t-bone suplex and Cobb is right back up again. They slug it out until Taylor blasts him with a clothesline. Back from a break with Shane telling Cobb to show him why he’s the chosen one. Cobb is right back up with a running elbow in the corner and a dropkick as Taylor is on the ropes.

Since that’s not impressive enough, a delayed release suplex gives Cobb one. That means the standing moonsault for tow more as Cobb isn’t sure what to do with this guy. Taylor is back up with a running Canadian Destroyer of all things but Cobb is back up with a German suplex. The Tour of the Islands finishes Taylor at 7:05.

Rating: C+. This was EXACTLY as it was advertised with two big guys doing things that people their size shouldn’t be able to do. It was a lot of fun with both guys beating each other up until the other couldn’t stand any longer. Good, fun match that didn’t try to be anything more than it should have. I didn’t expect to like this and they entertained me so well done.

Post match Hangman Page comes in for a staredown with Cobb but they pause to beat up security. Page stares at the title….and one security guard is foolish enough to still be in the ring. Page leaves and Cobb hits a superkick and the Tour of the Islands.

Jay Lethal knows that being World Champion has put a target on his back and Kenny King took a shot at him. He’ll take care of King at Global Wars on November 11 (as in after this show aired) and tonight he’ll show that off in a six man tag.

The Bouncers aren’t sure of their opponents’ names tonight but know they have to win.

Post break, Brian Milonas has lost the Beer City Bruiser. Ok then.

Marty Scurll talks about being stuck in the story of superhero vs. supervillain. Next week, it’s round four. Earlier this month, Scurll won the Survival of the Fittest tournament to earn a World Title shot. There is zero reason for him to be in an extended feud with Shane Helms.

Milonas finds Bruiser drinking because Silas Young won’t talk to him. The talk of hitting people makes Bruiser feel better. Well I’m so glad that problem was started and solved in the span of five minutes.

The Bouncers vs. Cheeseburger/Eli Isom

Cheeseburger and Isom have Ryan Nova in their corner. Isom can’t do much to Bruiser to start so he steps on the big man’s foot. The suplex just isn’t happening though and Bruiser sends him into the corner, only to miss a charge. It’s off to Cheeseburger for a chop, followed by a sleeper to the also tagged in Milonas. He staggers over for a tag to Bruiser for a side slam/dropkick combination and it’s time to bite Cheeseburger. Make your own jokes.

Milonas sits on Cheeseburger in the corner but misses a charge and goes shoulder first into the post. That’s enough for the hot tag to Isom and the pace picks up. A high crossbody gets two on Milonas and everything breaks down. Cheeseburger DDTs Bruiser and Isom manages a suplex for two. The dive is caught though and Cheeseburger gets posted, leaving Isom to take Closing Time for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: D+. Isom has grown on me a lot and that’s not something I would have expected. They teased the idea of him outgrowing Cheeseburger (his mentor, which would make me want to quit wrestling) and I’m really hoping it doesn’t lead to some match and feud between them. I’d hope they can do better than that for a passing of the torch. As for the Bouncers…I don’t hate them. I thought I would have but for a team that plays a pretty specific role, they’re not terrible.

Here’s So Cal Uncensored for a chat, where they suck up to Philadelphia and insult it, because that’s what Scorpio Sky does. Kazarian calls this place sacred ground and there’s the required ECW chant. He lists off some names in the Hardcore Hall of Fame and gets the fans to chant SCU, who at least work for this company. Daniels (in an SC F’N U shirt) says he wants to be serious for a minute and talk about Joe Koff throwing out Kazarian and himself after this year’s Final Battle.

Some things have changed since then and now Koff should want to keep SCU around here. Maybe the best way to prove their value is to take the Tag Team Titles from the Briscoes. They came up short at Death Before Dishonor, but next week it’s the Briscoes vs. the Addiction and the Young Bucks. Daniels promises to win the titles next week and next year, the best thing about Ring of Honor is going to be SCU. Good fire from Daniels here, which tends to be the case. The trio goes to leave but here are the Briscoes to beat them down, including a Jay Driller to Daniels on the stage. That sounds like an injury angle.

Daniels was helped to the back during the break.

Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham/??? vs. The Kingdom

The mystery partner is…Dalton Castle, who is making his return after a lengthy injury absence. Castle’s thigh, elbow and back are taped up but he seems to be moving fine. Gresham and the now mohawked Taven start things off as the fans are behind Jonathan. It’s amazing how being not Matt Taven makes you popular. O’Ryan comes in before anything of note happens so Gresham takes him down and tries to spit on him. Some hero.

A kick to the leg sets up a dropkick to send O’Ryan into the corner for the tag off to Marseglia. Vinny wants the peacock though and it’s off to Castle for a big reaction. Castle can’t hit a bulldog but can hit the peacock pose with those wild eyes. Another takedown lets Castle work on the arm for a second, followed by a clothesline to the floor. The teased dive lets Castle bring back the slow motion strut and now Taven is willing to come in. Taven gets in Castle’s face but the rest of the Kingdom pulls Lethal and Gresham down, allowing Matt to take over with a cheap shot.

Castle gets thrown into the crowd but the good guys take over with Lethal putting Taven in a chair. The referee breaks up a dive…gets pulled underneath the ring. Lethal’s suicide dive sends O’Ryan into the barricade but, with the referee having been pulled into the abyss, Taven comes in with a chair to Lethal’s ribs. Back from a break with Taven kneeing the heck out of Lethal’s face but Jay fights up and brings Gresham in anyway.

Everything breaks down and Gresham cleans house, allowing the hot tag to Castle. A running knee in the corner gets two on Taven and Gresham elbows Marseglia down. That means a dive onto O’Ryan but the shooting star hits knees. Lethal hits the Lethal Injection on O’Ryan as Marseglia brings in a chair. That goes badly though as it’s the Bang-a-Rang onto the chair to give Castle the pin at 12:08.

Rating: C+. This was all about Castle’s return and that worked very well. The fans went coconuts for him and he adds another big name to the roster. I’m not sure what they can do with him at this point but having too much talent around isn’t a problem. Gresham continues to look like a star and it’s always nice to see the Kingdom taking a loss.

Castle poses with the winners but points at the title. Lethal isn’t sure about that so Castle extends a handshake, which Lethal accepts. Sounds like a title match is imminent.

Overall Rating: C. This show had the energy back again with some good wrestling and a nice surprise in the end. They’re starting to talk about Final Battle more too and that’s a good sign as we get closer to the biggest show of the year. Just keep up the angles and stories instead of the filler episodes and things will start getting better at the right time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: November 7, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Colt Cabana

We’re onto a fresh taping cycle tonight and, believe it or not, the big story here in Philadelphia is about an ECW wrestler as Bully Ray and Flip Gordon are sending in representatives (Ray has already announced Silas Young) for a match where the winner gets to pick whatever happens to the loser. Should we just pull up a Tommy Dreamer graphic already? Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Gordon vs. Ray challenge and the setup for tonight.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Ray with an envelope as we’re starting big. He explains the concept again, because airing that video in the arena was too complicated. Flip comes out as well and has his own envelope, labeled “Bully Ray’s Punishment.” I’m not sure I want to see what’s inside there. Colt Cabana gets off commentary and gets in the ring, much to Ray’s stunned displeasure. Ray: “You really are stupid Flip.” Colt says he’s here for two reasons: to support Flip and to be in the ring when he sees who Flip has chosen. And then this happens.

Silas Young vs. Sandman

Yes, because THE ECW TRIBUTES MUST CONTINUE!!! I get where they are and I get why they’re doing this, but do you really want to bring up this memory from ECW? The company that folded seventeen years ago? Meaning seventeen years after Sandman’s, ahem, athletic prime? Sandman canes him down for two as the fans chant for a company that is decidedly not Ring of Honor.

They head outside with Sandman in full control and grabbing a ladder. Coleman lists off some great ECW names and there are at least three of them who didn’t retire five years ago. Back in and Sandman gets sent into the ladder as we hear about Mikey Whipwreck and Joel Gertner. Silas gets in a few shots of his own and then grabs a table. Sandman puts the ladder on top of him and hits the Swanton onto the ladder onto Silas for two. That’s about it though as Misery finishes Sandman at 4:33.

Rating: D. Well it could have been worse. Again, I get what they’re going for here but egads this isn’t a good idea. It’s not like Sandman is an ROH legend. He’s a legend in the building they’re in at the moment. It’s bad enough that Ray is arguably the top heel in the promotion right now, but between this and Tommy Dreamer getting a spot at last year’s Final Battle, they need to cut out this ECW stuff. I’m sure the fans in the arena loved it, but there are a lot more fans on the other side of those cameras who are probably wondering why this is happening.

Post break, we see an edited version (with graphics and commentary saying it’s too violent to show in full) of Gordon’s punishment: ten Singapore cane shots to the back, because THEY DID THAT IN ECW TOO! Wrestlers eventually come out, including the Bullet Club with Cody making the actual save despite past issues with Gordon.

Everyone else gets out and Ray says this one is for Brandi. Gordon won’t give up and says F*** YOU to Ray because he has one more. Ray hits him low instead and everyone comes in to scare him off. It was an effective angle, though the ECW stuff really hurt it for me. Not worthy of using half the show, but it was good.

Karen Q./Britt Baker/Kelly Klein vs. Jenny Rose/Madison Rayne/Sumie Sakai

Mandy Leon is on commentary. Apparently Klein attacked Rose at the zoo in Japan. That’s not something you hear too often so at least they’re doing something. I mean, showing us that might be interesting but I’ll take what I can get. Sumie chops away at Baker to start but gets rolled into something like the Rings of Saturn.

That’s broken up just as fast and Sumie hits a running knee to the chest for two. The Sling Blade gets the same on Sakai and Baker runs the ropes, until Karen tags herself in (Coleman: “I wish she’d tag me like that.”). Jenny comes in for a headlock and it’s quickly off to Madison for a wristlock. A northern lights suplex gets two and we take a break.

Back with Sakai hitting a headscissors on Karen and bringing in Madison to dropkick Kelly. A crucifix driver hits Karen for no cover as she’s not legal (good referee) and it’s a ripcord cutter for two more. Rose and Kelly come in for the brawling but actually settle in with an abdominal stretch on Kelly. That’s broken up so Rose rolls Kelly up for the pin at 8:14.

Rating: D+. Another Women of Honor match with little story (though Rose vs. Klein was something) and no one really standing out. Pinning Klein is a big deal for Rose, but I still don’t know anything about her, though apparently she goes to Japanese zoos. The division just isn’t working and I’m not sure how they can fix it, though it’s not exactly getting better.

The Kingdom is ready for their six man tag next week.

Kenny King vs. Cody

Non-title, Jay Lethal is on commentary and Brandi has changed her outfit. Feeling out process to start with neither headlock going anywhere. Kenny’s wristlock works about the same and it’s time for some dancing. Cody tries a hammerlock instead and gets hiptossed down as it’s all King so far. The drop down right hand finally takes King down and a release gordbuster gets two.

Back up and King falls down but blames Brandi, who was nowhere near him. A Flatliner gets two on King and this time he accuses Brandi of a slap. King puts him down again and grabs a chinlock as we take a break. Back with a double clothesline taking both guys down for a breather.

Cody is up first with the Disaster kick for two and a superplex is good for the same. Kenny sends him outside for a dive and there’s a spinebuster for two of his own. With Cody down, King throws an elbow pad at Brandi, drawing her in to distract the ref. Cody gets up and King throws him the IWGP US Title before falling down, ala Eddie Guerrero. Another referee runs out to say not so fast so King shoves the referee for the DQ at 11:09.

Rating: D+. That ending was all kinds of messy and continues my streak of not liking something about King’s matches. Cody wasn’t doing any favors here either as he hit the Disaster kick and not much else. They were hyping up King getting a title shot this weekend so there was indeed a point to the thing, but it wasn’t working for me, as tends to be the case in their main event stuff.

Post match Kenny kicks Cody low and grabs Brandi but Lethal runs in for the save. Brandi leaves and Kenny belts Lethal down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This one was way off as the first half was spent on a single angle that featured Bully Ray, the Sandman, and an angle that felt more like a tribute to ECW than anything else. Then you had a women’s match that just showed how much the women all run together and a main event with an overbooked ending. I hope this was a one off bad show because this really missed bad.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: October 31, 2018
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things got more interesting around here last week as Jeff Cobb made his in-ring debut and ran over Punishment Martinez to become TV Champion. Sometimes you need to shake things up a little bit and that’s what they did last week. The show isn’t the most thrilling in the world at times but when they do something well, they do it very well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Scorpio Sky vs. Adam Page

Page doesn’t think Sky can strike gold and beat him. Neither can get anywhere with a headlock so Page runs him over with a shoulder, followed by a big boot for good measure. The stomping in the corner sets up a clothesline to put Sky on the floor and that means some whips into the barricade. A running fireman’s carry toss into the post rocks Sky again and we take a break.

Back with Sky hitting a super hurricanrana to get himself a breather with a two thrown in for a bonus. Sky grabs a chinlock but Page jawbreaks his way to freedom. The fall away slam and a German suplex give Page two, followed by Sky stomping him in the back for the same. Sky hits a fisherman’s buster for the same so Page turns him inside out with a discus lariat, setting up the Rite of Passage for the pin at 10:52.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable match here with both guys hitting a few nice moves and one of them winning in the end. Page is someone who could become a big deal around here with people moving on and off the roster so it makes sense to have him get a few wins. Sky is already in a perfectly fine midcard stable and will be ok despite the loss.

The Kingdom is sick of the conspiracy against them but it’s over now because Matt Taven is the REAL World Champion.

Page wants a title shot against any champion.

Clip of Cobb winning the TV Title.

Shane Taylor vs. Eli Isom

It feels like we’ve seen this match half a dozen times in the last few months. Taylor spits on his hand when a handshake is offered so Isom hits a quick chop. A jumping knee to the face rocks Taylor and there’s a dropkick to stagger him again. Isom’s springboard is broken up though and a hanging Stunner has him in more trouble.

Back from a break with Isom striking away and hitting an enziguri, earning himself a heck of a clothesline to cut him down. More strikes give Isom a breather and he actually manages a Samoan drop (impressive) for two. Not that it matters as Taylor plants him with Greetings From 216 for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: D+. They were getting somewhere with the Isom comeback but it would have been too far to have Isom beat a monster like Taylor here. I’ll give them credit for turning Isom into something better than just a goofy jobber. He’s not great or even very good here yet but at least they’re trying to do something, which is more than some people get.

Post match Taylor wraps a chair around Isom’s neck but Cheeseburger (GO AWAY YOU TINY ANNOYING MEAT THEMED MAN!) runs in for the save. Thankfully Taylor cleans him out with ease so Flip Gordon runs in instead. A few chair shots to Taylor’s back cuts him down and Gordon tells Bully Ray that he’ll fight him anywhere, anytime in any match Ray wants. Cue Ray to mock Gordon and say we’re NOT having a TLC match tonight or any night.

Gordon is a nothing and Ray is a two time Hall of Famer. Ray asks if Gordon is a betting man so Gordon says he bets he can kick Ray’s a**. Here’s Ray’s idea: next week, they both pick a guy to come to the ECW Arena. The winner’s guy gets to do whatever they want to the other. Ray says his guy is Silas Young, who comes out for a staredown.

Cody wants a one on one rematch for the World Title.

Jonathan Gresham/Jay Lethal vs. Kushida/Jushin Thunder Liger

Kenny King is on commentary. Lethal and Kushida start things off (I can go for this) and some snapmares don’t do anyone any good. They hit the mat with neither getting anywhere off some attempted arm holds so we’ll try Gresham vs. Liger for a change. Liger headlocks him down but gets broken in just a few seconds, as Gresham rolls him up for two. Lethal comes back in for a showdown that isn’t as epic as you might have expected. Liger’s shoulder doesn’t work so Lethal tries his own but Gresham makes a blind tag and catches a distracted Liger in a German suplex for a smart move.

A hard whip into the corner has Liger in more trouble as Lethal and Gresham start making more tags. Liger shoves them into each other though and brings in Kushida for the springboard elbow on Lethal. Gresham comes in for a very fast paced series of rollups for mostly zeroes until a rollup for two on Gresham sends us to a break. Back with Liger putting Gresham in the surfboard and Lethal getting caught in a cross armbreaker. Lethal and Kushida head outside so Liger wraps up Gresham’s arm and leg while wrapping a leg around Gresham’s neck at the same time. I’m sure that’s going to hurt.

Back up and Gresham sends Liger into Kushida and the hot tag brings in Lethal to take over. The Lethal Combination gets two on Kushida but Lethal takes too long setting up the Lethal Injection and gets taken down instead. Gresham takes Kushida to the floor for a running knee off the apron, leaving Lethal to kick Liger in the head. The Lethal Injection is good for the pin at 12:41.

Rating: C+. This felt like they were going for the special tag match and it only approached that level. The wrestling was fine but was there any serious doubt that Lethal and Gresham were going to win in the end? Right now we’re waiting on the start of Lethal’s next title program and maybe King is part of that, but this didn’t make for the most exciting main event. Pretty good, but nothing that you need to see.

Overall Rating: C-. While nothing great, this was a perfectly watchable episode of the show. I could still go for them advancing the top stories (or having a top story actually) but what we got here was fine enough. Just give Lethal something to do as we get ready for Final Battle, which is only about six weeks away. They need to start putting something together, and I hope it’s more than Lethal vs. Taven.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: October 24, 2018
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The road to Final Battle is on but it’s almost impossible to keep track of everything we have going on at the moment. You know, because there’s so much going on at the moment. In other words, there’s Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal which has yet to be announced as of yet. Also, Jeff Cobb gets a TV Title match tonight against Punishment Martinez. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the TV Title match, as well as Coast to Coast challenging the Briscoe Brothers for the Tag Team Titles.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoe Brothers vs. Coast to Coast

The Briscoes are defending and the announcers seem unsure why this match is taking place now. Coast to Coast comes out to say they’re not waiting on the main event. Mark takes LSG down to start and rubs his face into the mat just to be a jerk. Or a heel. Close enough. LSG isn’t having that and chops him into the corner, only to have Mark deck Ali so Jay can come in for some cheap shots. It’s Ali in trouble in the corner as we take a break. Back with Ali still in trouble as Jay comes in for a headbutt.

Another kick to the face ticks Ali off so Mark pokes him in the eye. We hit the neck crank for a bit until Ali fights up and rolls over for the hot tag to LSG so the comeback can be on. A spinning gutbuster sets up a flip neckbreaker to stagger Mark and Jay misses a hard clothesline. LSG gets sent outside to draw Ali over, allowing Mark to dropkick the heck out of him as the champs are rolling. An elbow off the apron crushes Ali and Jay sends him into the barricade for a bonus.

Back in and LSG is mostly done as well, though even the announcers are wondering why the champs aren’t going after the completely destroyed Ali. Some right hands give Mark an arrogant cover and it’s back to Jay for a kick to the head. We take a second break and come back again with LSG still in trouble and Jay talking a lot of trash, as he is known to do. LSG gets the traditional enziguri and there’s the diving tag to Ali so the pace can pick up…for all of three seconds before Jay kicks him in the face.

The champs take over again and hit a neckbreaker on Ali before kicking away. A fisherman’s buster gets two and Redneck Boogie (Razor’s Edge into a neckbreaker) is good for the same with the kickout shocking Mark. LSG comes in for the save and a Stroke/Downward Spiral combination gets two on the illegal Mark, though the referee doesn’t seem to mind.

Coast to Coast hits Coast to Coast but LSG hits a 450 so Ali can get two. Coleman accurately points out that the sequence took WAY too long and they should have covered while Jay was down a few seconds earlier. Jay saves his brother from a double superplex and it’s the Doomsday Device to pin Ali at 17:23.

Rating: B. You know, Coast to Coast has gone from a one more team to some awesome underdogs. I wouldn’t have guessed the two of them could have become an entertaining team but they’ve worked their way to that point. I could see them finally winning the titles at some point, which would be a very nice come from behind moment. This was much better than I thought it would be as the Briscoes continue to be one of the best teams in the world.

Jay Lethal isn’t cool with Matt Taven holding his own worthless title.

Matt Taven holds up his belt and says he’s the real champion.

The Briscoes say they’re the best in the world and invite anyone to come for the titles.

Video on Jeff Cobb wrecking the Top Prospect Tournament and then laying out Punishment Martinez.

TV Title: Jeff Cobb vs. Punishment Martinez

Martinez is defending. They slug it out at the bell and Cobb shoves him around. The stomp out of the corner is easily blocked and Cobb hits the spinning belly to back suplex instead. A knee to the face has no effect and Martinez isn’t sure what to do. Martinez kicks him in the face to put Cobb down on one knee. The Silencer is shrugged off and Cobb clotheslines him down with ease. The Tour of the Islands gives Cobb the pin and the title at 1:28 as Martinez is off to WWE. This was EXACTLY how this should have gone as Martinez has been a monster but now the bigger monster has devoured him. Very smart booking.

Here’s an injured Tenille Dashwood (jumped at Death Before Dishonor by a mystery attacker) for a chat. She talks about how she’s not as good as she’s been saying because she has an autoimmune disease that is fighting her entire body and now she has a bad shoulder on top of it. She’s kept fighting because she’s stubborn but now she’s ticked off because she’s been attacked.

Now there’s nothing she can do about it because she has to have shoulder surgery. Whoever attacked her is probably happy but now she has all the time to think about what happened. She fought at Death Before Dishonor at less than 50%, so imagine what she can do at 100%.

Adam Page is ready for Scorpio Sky next week.

Chris Sabin vs. Marty Scurll

On his way to the ring, Sabin talks about spirit animals and how much more awesome his is than Scurll’s. Right. They fight over wrist control to start with Sabin being a bit more technically sound. Marty’s shoulder doesn’t move Sabin so it’s off to a posedown. They keep trying the same thing, including both of them trying kicks to the ribs. Neither is willing to let it go so the referee has to put both feet down.

Marty is all fired up but it’s right back to the wrist battle. I guess he’s a wrist enthusiast. Sabin takes him down and hits a running kick to the face for the first two. Some running elbows put Sabin on the floor though and that means the apron superkick. Back from a break with Sabin caught in a crossarm choke until he fights up for a kick to Scurll’s chest. The forearm exchange goes to Sabin and a missile dropkick puts Scurll on the floor.

Back in and a hanging swinging neckbreaker gives Sabin two, followed by the pinfall reversal sequence. A running kick to the chest keeps Scurll in trouble but he’s fast enough to catch Sabin with a superplex for two. Sabin pops up for a superkick and that means a double knockdown. Even more kicks put them both down but Marty tries the chickenwing. Sabin flips backwards into a rollup so Scurll lets go and powerbombs him again. Graduation (a spinning butterfly slam) finishes Sabin at 10:39.

Rating: B-. Scurll has figured out his role very well and is having some entertaining matches as of late. Sabin is still the same guy he’s been for years now and that’s not the worst place to be. There’s a pretty strong midcard around here and amazingly enough, Scurll is that much better when you don’t have him trading wins with the Hurricane.

Overall Rating: A-. Easily their best show in a very long time, though the TV Title match should have closed the show. You had two very good matches and one very intelligent match, which makes this one of their best put together shows in years. Ring of Honor has a bad tendency to just put stuff out there to fill in time with no apparent purpose but that wasn’t the case this time around. It’s amazing how much better things are when they’re focused, which they were here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: October 17, 2018
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer, Caprice Coleman

We’re FINALLY after the previous month’s pay per view and that means it’s time to do something fresh. Of course around here that doesn’t mean much as Glory By Honor, as in the next major show, has already taken place. I really can’t even mock them for this anymore as it’s still such a problem. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the ending of Death Before Dishonor, where Jay Lethal successfully defended the World Title against Will Ospreay but the Kingdom came in and beat him down. Matt Taven, now with a haircut, has his own World Title.

Opening sequence.

Here’s the Kingdom to take over the ring. They’re about to do something that should have been done a long time ago. The Kingdom has been silenced for far too long and the referee has to hold the title while the ring announcer reads off Taven’s resume. The last line says Taven is the ROH World Champion, which requires some coercing to be announced. No one comes out, but at least Lethal has a new challenger.

Video on Jeff Cobb showing up and then wrecking TV Champion Punishment Martinez. That could be a heck of a fight.

Chase Owens vs. Kenny King

Owens is Bullet Club and King is the hometown boy. They go to the arm holds to start until neither can kick the other in the face. King goes after the arm again but gets sent to the apron and dropkicked to the floor. Back from a break with Owens hitting a running neckbreaker for a delayed two until King slugs his way back into it.

The spinning leg lariat has Owens on the floor for the spinning corkscrew dive. A high crossbody gives King two and we hit a quickly broken chinlock. Owens loads up a swinging neckbreaker but twists it back into a faceplant for two of his own. The package piledriver is broken up and King bounces off the ropes but his knee buckles. Since Owens is dumb enough to fall for this, King small packages him for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: D+. You would think King would start getting better at putting a match together over time but that’s still not the case. It’s just spot after spot and then the finish with nothing connecting the sections together. The match wasn’t horrible or anything but Owens is just kind of there and King needs someone to help him along.

Coast To Coast is ready to win the Tag Team Titles next week.

Back to Death Before Dishonor, where Colt Cabana joined Bully Ray and Silas Young to beat down Colt Cabana and Flip Gordon.

Flip Gordon vs. Shane Taylor

Hang on though as Flip grabs a mic. Gordon will fight him tonight but first, he needs to call out Bully Ray. At Death Before Dishonor, Ray had to cheat before the tag team tables match but Gordon put him through a table anyway. Ray couldn’t handle that though and had to screw him over. So what does Ray want next? TLC? A Las Vegas street fight?

Here’s Ray to ask if he’s bothering Flip. Ray: “Are you upset that I keep kicking you in the balls?” As Ray talks, Taylor grabs a chair and here’s Silas Young for a low blow. The beatdown is on and no one comes out to help Gordon, despite Ray begging for someone to do so. Ian seems more interested than anyone else.

The Briscoes aren’t worried about Coast to Coast.

Jay Lethal is proud about Ring of Honor selling out Madison Square Garden and he’d love to come in defending the title.

The Kingdom leaves the arena.

We recap the show to fill time.

Next week: Coast to Coast vs. Briscoes, Cobb vs. Martinez for the TV Title and Marty Scurll vs. Chris Sabin.

Addiction vs. Best Friends vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Young Bucks

One fall to a finish and it’s Evil and Sanada for LIJ. Since there’s no bell after the break, I’m not sure if this is joined in progress or everyone just being really rude. It’s a huge brawl to start (I mean….duh) with the Bucks taking over (I repeat my duh) until Chuck sends them together. The lawn dart cutter sends Matt to the floor but LIJ breaks up the big hug. It’s Addiction’s turn to clean house with a clothesline to the back of Evil’s head and a double stomp, followed by a pair of moonsaults to Sanada.

We hit the string of dives with Nick hitting the big springboard version. Barretta loads up one of his own but stops for a hug, followed by the stereo flip dives from the Friends. We head back in…..FOR THE OPENING BELL, three and a half minutes after the fighting started. Ian: “WHAT???” Sanada ties Daniels and Kazarian up to start (for the second time) and it’s a double dropkick for two on Daniels. Evil gets two off a side slam and we hit the chinlock to send us to a break.

Back with Daniels faceplanting Evil but the Friends, now in sunglasses, pull Kazarian off the apron. As Ian points out how dumb that was, Daniels fights back and makes the hot tag to Nick for the house cleaning. The Friends come in as well and get flipped around but it’s too early for More Bang For Your Buck. Kazarian’s slingshot cutter hits Trent but Sanada is ready for him with a hanging swinging neckbreaker.

Trent comes back in with a tornado DDT but Evil uses the referee for a Magic Killer. Angel’s Wings drops Matt and the Awful Waffle gets two so Chuckie actually makes a tag. How nice of him. The Dude Buster hits Matt but Nick Swantons in for the save. Nick superkicks almost everyone until Matt turns it into double superkicks to everyone else. A dive onto a bunch of people sets up the Meltzer Driver for the pin on Trent at 7:50.

Rating: C+. Well what we got was good and being realistic, you might as well add in the pre-match stuff as part of the match itself. This was all about flying all over the place with very little story involved and there’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever. We got a fun match out of the eight guys and there’s nothing wrong with that. Entertaining match with the fans way into it.

Overall Rating: C. It might not be a great show but it’s so nice to have something that ACTUALLY MATTERS. The Taven stuff is going to depend on your opinion of the guy and while I’m still not a fan, he’s definitely better than he was just a few months ago. The main event was entertaining as well and the show was far easier to sit through than some of the dumb stuff they’ve done in recent weeks. Now just end the Bully Ray As The Super Heel story and we’ll be fine.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: October 10, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer

We have to be getting close to the end of this taping cycle and therefore getting closer to everything that happened at Death Before Dishonor. Ignore the fact that we’re two days away from Glory By Honor, which is a major event in its own right. I’m not sure when things will be back to normal, but anytime soon would be nice. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kingdom vs. Coast To Coast

Vinny Marseglia and TK O’Ryan for the Kingdom here. Marseglia throws LSG to the floor to start where he has to kick O’Ryan in the face. Back in and things speed up until O’Ryan grabs LSG’s foot, allowing Marseglia to take over. Ali comes in for a double suplex as the fans are behind the Kingdom here. Coast to Coast is right back with forearms to the jaw and an uppercut into a neckbreaker for two on Marseglia. A kick to the ribs cuts LSG down though and we take a break.

Back with LSG rolling over for the hot tag off to Ali as the pace picks up. It’s time to unleash the balloons (I guess he was really desperate for a thing.) and Marseglia pops one next to Ali’s head, setting up a powerslam for two. A spinebuster into a middle rope headbutt gets two and a double flapjack (always loved that) is good for the same. The neck crank keeps Ali down until he fights up and rolls over to LSG for the hot tag.

Everything breaks down and a spinning gutbuster into a running neckbreaker drops O’Ryan. Marseglia is right back up with some running forearms in the corner and LSG gets beaten up on the floor. Ali makes the save with a quick dive so Marseglia dives onto everyone at once. LSG flip dives onto everyone as well and it’s LSG rolling O’Ryan up for the pin at 12:34. Apparently neither of them were legal, but that’s never mattered much around here.

Rating: C+. Fun match here, though a bunch of the dives started to get annoying after awhile. The Kingdom being ripped off again isn’t the most thrilling story in the world either as they feel like they’ve been doing the same thing for months now. It was a fine enough match, though as usual a little too messy for my tastes.

Post match the Kingdom yells and beats up referees.

Clip of Marty Scurll beating the Hurricane via cheating six weeks ago.

Scurll is ready to beat up Hurricane again and vanquish him once and for all.

Hurricane Helms vs. Marty Scurll

Have we ever gotten an explanation or even a mention of the title that Hurricane wears? Or why this is happening TWICE in 2018? We don’t get a handshake to start and Marty shrugs off an early chokeslam attempt. A tornado DDT drops Hurricane but he pops back up like Kane. Another chokeslam attempt is countered into a Backstabber for two…and Hurricane Hulks Up. A knee to the face gets two on Marty and it’s time for a People’s Elbow of all things, only to have Marty knock him outside for a suicide dive.

The fans are WAY into Marty as we take a break. Back with Marty hitting a brainbuster for two and Hurricane shrugging off some chops. A Ghostbuster gives Marty two more and he knocks Marty to the floor, only to have his tornado DDT countered into a northern lights suplex. Back in and they slug it out until Hurricane gets two off his reverse Unprettier. A Rainmaker gives Marty two but the Chickenwing attempt is reversed into a whip into the post.

Marty is fine enough for a superplex into a near fall, followed by a superkick to the back of Hurricane’s head. The referee gets distracted so Marty can hit a low blow into the Eye of the Hurricane for two more. Marty’s chokeslam is reversed into the regular version but the Vertebreaker is countered. They go into a rollup exchange with Hurricane stacking him up for the pin at 12:22.

Rating: D. Are you kidding me? Scurll is one of the hottest names on the indy scene at the moment and he loses clean to the HURRICANE??? Seriously, this is the best thing that they can come up with for Scurll at the moment? I know he’s not the most popular guy in the world with some people, but there is no excusing him losing to a glorified comedy guy like Hurricane, who isn’t even a regular anymore. Yeah it’s leading to a blowoff match but that’s the point: this should have been a one off and nothing more.

We recap the two matches so far.

Will Ferrara is ready to finish Cheeseburger and put it behind him.

Video on Cheeseburger vs. Will Ferrara. They were a tag team over a year ago and had some issues, so now it’s a Fight Without Honor. A freaking year later. And now I get to watch Cheeseburger in a main event. I’m so happy.

Cheeseburger doesn’t care about Ferrara anymore and is going to the top, with or without him.

Cheeseburger vs. Will Ferrara

Anything goes and Ferrara tells Rhett Titus to stay in the back for this. They get aggressive to start and Cheeseburger hits a running forearm. It’s too early for the palm strike though and Ferrara bails to the floor, only to get taken down with a dive and more right hands. Back in and Ferrara whips him with a belt, which Whitmer describes as funny. I do tend to get enjoyment out of Cheeseburger being in pain.

Ferrara chokes with the belt so Cheeseburger suplexes his way to freedom. Now it’s time for Ferrara to get whipped and he crawls over to the ropes for a breather. That’s fine with Cheeseburger, who chokes with the belt to keep Ferrara in trouble. Ferrara gets to the floor and Cheeseburger drives the hand into the post to take over. Back from a break with Ferrara missing a chair shot to the hand but connecting with one to the back for two.

Cheeseburger superkicks the chair into Ferrara’s face and unloads on him in the corner, followed by a DDT onto the chair. It’s table time but here’s Titus to run Cheeseburger over from behind. Cheeseburger escapes a powerbomb through the table but here are Eli Isom and Ryan Nova to powerbomb Titus through the table. Ferrara has a chain but punches the chair, allowing Cheeseburger to chair him in the back, setting up the palm strike with a chain for the pin at 10:30.

Rating: D+. Good for them. Now maybe we can move on to a feud where Cheeseburger gets beaten up by someone bigger than him and told that he shouldn’t be in this business. Then someone will feel sorry for Cheeseburger because he just fights oh so hard and then Cheeseburger wins the blowoff match. BECAUSE THAT WOULD NEVER GET OLD AND REPETITIVE AT ANY TIME OVER THE LAST FOUR FREAKING YEARS RIGHT???

Overall Rating: F. Absolutely unacceptable here on almost every level. Aside from the perfectly acceptable first match, you have the freaking HURRICANE winning a match over a top level star (you know, the guy who was main eventing a major pay per view earlier this year for your World Title) and your other match, the main event of your show, is blowing off a Cheeseburger “feud” that was started sixteen months ago and has barely been mentioned since.

Ring of Honor has an hour of television a week and this is what they decide to use it on? With all of the other talent that they have, and they have a lot, this is the best they can do in an hour? You don’t have some other people you could run out there? Or do some promos to set up some matches later? Really? That wasn’t an option?

We’ve been stuck with the stand alone episodes for weeks and this is what you expect to make us want to tune in next week? This was a failure on every level (again, save for the opener) and I haven’t been this dumbfounded by a show in a long, long time. If Ring of Honor wants to be seen as a major promotion, they need to get far, far away from everything like this because it makes them look like they don’t now what they’re doing.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: October 3, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re officially past Death Before Dishonor but you wouldn’t know that for a long time around here. Alas we’re stuck with another series of nothing shows that don’t follow up on the pay per view for a few weeks for reasons that even I’m tired of talking about. Hopefully they have something good for tonight, but you never can guess. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Eli Isom vs. Shane Taylor vs. Flip Gordon vs. Chris Sabin

One fall to a finish. Sabin shoulders Flip down to start and it’s time for a very early slugout. A double clothesline gives us a double knockdown and it’s off to Isom vs. Taylor. Eli makes the mistake of going right after him, only to get planted with a spinebuster for two. Sabin and Gordon go after Taylor as well but get choked for their efforts. Some double teaming puts him on the floor though and it’s Flip hitting the big dive onto everyone.

Shane is back up though and hits a Cannonball off the apron to take all three down and take us to a break. Back with Sabin dropkicking Taylor in the corner and flip spearing him through the ropes. One heck of a clothesline drops Gordon so Sabin comes back in with a high crossbody, followed by a missile dropkick. A tornado DDT gets two on Taylor but he slams Sabin out of the corner to get a breather.

Isom comes back in and avoids a charge before getting two off a suplex of all things. Sabin grabs a DDT/Downward Spiral combination for a double knockdown but Taylor is back up to be the monster again. A huge show drops Gordon but Isom rolls Taylor up for the huge upset at 11:31.

Rating: C. There’s nothing wrong with pushing an underdog but I really hope we’re not coming up on Cheeseburger’s replacement with Isom. This is his second big upset win but at least he’s not the smallest guy in the world. Having him pin Taylor is fine, but it doesn’t work as well if they have a singles rematch later. Hopefully they just let Isom get away with it, which is going to do more for him than anything else.

Post match Taylor cleans house until Gordon superkicks him to the floor.

Marty Scurll is ready to face Shane Helms again and wants Shane to be his hero.

TV Title: Aaron Solow vs. Punishment Martinez

Solow won a competition called Dojo Pro to earn this shot and is better known as Bayley’s fiance. A slap to Martinez’s face takes us to the opening bell and Solow has to duck a spinning kick to the head. The chokeslam is escaped twice and a dropkick has Martinez in some trouble. He stomps Solow out of the corner though and it’s time for a trip to the floor for a whip into the barricade.

Back from a break with Solow hitting a kick from the apron and clotheslining Martinez to the floor for the big flip dive. The chokeslam is countered again and the belly to belly (nice touch) into a spinning suplex gets two. Martinez is right back with the running stomp and a South of Heaven chokeslam retains the title at 8:43.

Rating: C+. Not bad at all here with Solow getting to show off a bit. That’s the kind of performance you need to put in when you have an opportunity like this. The match wasn’t exactly in doubt, but Solow looked good and showed off his talents, which is a good sign for his future. Maybe he’ll be back again, which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Coast 2 Coast is back next week.

Bully Ray isn’t happy that Silas Young is teaming with the Bouncers because he sees it as a step backwards.

We look at the Kingdom being cheated out of the Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Cody/Young Bucks vs. Silas Young/Bouncers

Cody, with Brandi and Bernard, and the Bucks are defending. Matt tries his luck with the massive Milonas to start and gets knocked into the corner without much effort. Bruiser comes in to overpower Nick so everything breaks down with the champs triple dropkicking Milonas to the floor. More kicks and dropkicks clear the ring and of course the fans love it. Back in and things settle down with Nick rolling over for the hot tag to Cody but a cheap shot takes him down as well.

Silas hammers away at Cody before handing it off to an already tired Bruiser. Cody sidesteps a charge and Bruiser knocks Bernard over, allowing Milonas to crossbody Cody down for two. Back from a break with Cody powerslamming his way out of trouble and diving over for the hot tag to Nick (which is what he’s best at). Everything breaks down (well duh) and the Bucks clean house, including breaking up a variety of near finishers.

The splash/standing moonsault hits Bruiser for two and Cody dives onto Milonas and Young. Bruiser dives onto the other five, leaving Cody to take a big Trash Compactor for two back inside. That doesn’t bother the Bucks though as they start firing off superkicks, which is enough to have Young walk out. Cross Rhodes to Milonas retains the titles at 15:37.

Rating: C. Cody and the Bucks can only do so much with guys like Milonas and Bruiser, who just aren’t the most versatile people in the world. Young leaving makes perfect sense, especially given him being a bigger star and having more success than the other two put together. It’s fine for a one off main event, but the Bruiser and Milonas need someone smaller to do a big chunk of the matches

Overall Rating: D+. This wasn’t a great show by any means and it gave a good illustration of how these post-pay per view shows aren’t all that interesting. The matches are all standalone and none of them were anything more than a run of the mill showcase. Solow looked good, but I need a little more than Bayley’s fiance turning in a nice performance over the course of an hour.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: September 26, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the go home show for Death Before Dishonor and now we actually know a thing or two about the card. Last week saw Will Ospreay answer an open challenge from Jay Lethal for the World Title shot on Friday, which should mean a quality main event. Other than that, it’s time to get the rest of the card ready for the pay per view so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week with Silas Young and Bully Ray attacking Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham to set up this week’s tag team main event.

Opening sequence.

The Boys vs. Best Friends

Chuckie and #1 start things off with the latter cleaning house off a dropkick and stereo hurricanranas sending the Friends to the floor. #2 hits a big flip dive of his own but Barretta chops #1 in the back of the neck, followed by Chuckie nailing a helicopter bomb for two as we take a break.

Back with #1 hitting a tornado DDT on Chuckie but having no one to tag. Everything breaks down for a few seconds and #1 slips out of an Outsider’s Edge, allowing #2 to tag himself in. Barretta turns him inside out with a clothesline though and drops him on his head in a scary crash. Things get even worse though with a Dudebuster and Awful Waffle for the stereo pins on the Boys at 7:27.

Rating: C. This was a good choice for a fast opener as both teams nailed what they were going for. The Boys have no reason to be anything more than a gimmick team but they were a perfectly fine smaller team here. We’ll call this one a pleasant surprise, which is always a nice thing to have.

Video on the Addiction vs. the Briscoe Brothers.

Adam Page vs. Kenny King

For some reason King comes out carrying two flotation devices. Feeling out process to start with Page powering out of a wristlock and giving us a standoff. King poses and dances a bit before slapping on a headlock. A shoulder puts Page on the floor and King even stops for a picture with a fan.

That’s just stupid though as Page gets up and hits a running shooting star off the apron. Page throws the flotation devices inside and suplexes King onto one of them as we take a break. Back with King fighting up with a backbreaker into a clothesline. A spinwheel kick keeps Page in trouble and a spinebuster gets two.

Page flips out of a German suplex though and forearms King in the face. King is right back with a kick to the face but the Buckshot Lariat gives Page two of his own. The Rite of Passage is reversed into a rollup with feet on the ropes but the referee catches King. Instead they go into a series of rollup with King grabbing the trunks for the pin at 12:04.

Rating: C-. I liked this one enough though I’d like to see Page get a few more wins on his own. King is only so good as a heel and it seems that we’ve seen everything he’s going to be able to do. Maybe he gets back in the TV Title picture soon but I can’t imagine him going much higher than that.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Dante Caballero vs. Brian Johnson

Jeff Cobb doesn’t waste time this week and comes in to take out Dante for the DQ at 58 seconds.

Johnson gets wrecked too. Cobb says the tournament is over (WOOT!) because he is the top prospect.

Video on Sumie Sakai vs. Tenille Dashwood.

Silas Young/Bully Ray vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham

Ray yells at Young before the opponents even come to the ring. Gresham and Ray start but Bully tags out before doing anything. It’s a feeling out process between Young and Gresham with Jonathan taking him to the corner for a clean break. A hurricanrana into a basement dropkick has Young in trouble and Gresham even slaps Ray in the face. That’s enough for Bully who walks up the ramp before coming back in to have Gresham run around him without much effort.

Another slap earns Gresham a heck of a backdrop though and it’s off to Lethal for the first time. They both miss dropkicks (!) and we take a break. Back with Lethal telling Ray to chop him harder and a slap off breaking out. Ray runs him over but Gresham comes back in and stereo suicide dives have the villains in trouble. Back in and Ray crotches Gresham though and Jonathan is in trouble.

Ray takes too long winding up an elbow though and it’s a dropkick to the knee. The Octopus hold goes on but Ray powers out in short order. Gresham tells him to bring it on so Ray chops him down a few times. A clothesline allows the hot tag to Lethal so house can be cleaned, including a double suplex on Ray. Gresham even plays D-Von on What’s Up and it’s Hail to the King into the shooting star on Young with Ray diving in for a save. Misery hits Gresham for the pin at 17:13.

Rating: C+. Giving Young the pin here was nice but I’m not sure if you can go with having either Gresham or Lethal losing here. In other words, it’s a match that probably should have gone to a countout or a DQ as there’s only so much you can get out of these guys with a pay per view on Friday. As in the pay per view Gresham isn’t actually on.

Addiction promises to win the Tag Team Titles.

Punishment Martinez tells Chris Sabin to stick to tag wrestling.

Sabin says he’s winning.

Silas Young thinks Flip Gordon and Colt Cabana are in over their heads.

Kenny King calls Jushin Thunder Liger old.

Lethal says it’s all about the title.

Bullet Club all talks at once to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a good example of why the Ring of Honor pay per view structure doesn’t work. They only started talking about Death Before Dishonor a few weeks ago and now we’re not likely to hear anything about the show until close to Halloween. The wrestling was fine, but there’s only so much you can do in such a short time, especially when the #1 contender isn’t actually on the show. Easy show to watch, but it didn’t make me want to see the pay per view.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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