Ring of Honor TV – March 20, 2019: In Which Long British Names Don’t Make Up For A Boring Show

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: March 20, 2019
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s time for things to get a little weird as we have the post-pay per view show taped before the pay per view, meaning we won’t be getting any kind of fallout. In other words, it’s going to be all about the wrestling and I’m not sure what that’s going to include. Hopefully they have something good here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. Silas Young/Briscoes

Oh this is going to hurt. Eli Isom and Jay start things off with Eli actually taking over for all of two seconds off a front facelock. A kick to the ribs cuts him down though and it’s off to Mark as the announcers tease spoiling a pay per view that hasn’t happened yet in a clever enough chat. Cheeseburger comes in and gets clotheslined as we take a break.

Back with Young clotheslining Burger as well before handing it off to Mark for a camel clutch. A missed charge lets Burger roll away a few times and the hot tag brings in Isom to pick up the pace. White Noise gets two on Jay but it’s the Death Valley Driver into the Froggy Bow….for two? The strong pushing of Isom continues and gets even stronger as his brainbuster hits Jay for another near fall. The Briscoes are done with him and come back in for a High/Low into the Jay Driller for the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C-. The more I see of Isom, the more I like him. There’s no reason for him to be anything more than a jobber but he’s trying hard and getting a bit of a push as a bonus. That’s nice to see and the fact that he’s an average sized person and not Cheeseburger sized makes it better. There was no way the villains were losing here, but at least there was a nice moment or two.

Rhett Titus is ready to win the NWA National Championship from Willie Mack next week.

Joe Keys and Brian Johnson are in the ring and don’t like the ugly women here in Florida.

Joe Keys/Brian Johnson vs. The Bouncers

Keys wants a posedown with Bruiser, who starts a BEER chant instead. A test of strength lets Bruiser hit him in the face and an atomic drop has Keys in the corner. Another chop sends him crawling over to Johnson and the jobbers get Bruiser into the corner for a double stomping. A double slam gets one on Bruiser, who gets over to the corner for the tag to Milonas without any trouble. Everything breaks down and Closing Time finishes Joe at 5:19.

Rating: D. This was a mostly squashy squash and that’s not the most thrilling thing in the world. I’m still not wild on the Bouncers but at least they’re now just there for the fun matches instead of anything important. This was a fun match for the crowd and while the jobbers got in a little too much offense, this could have been worse.

Madison Rayne doesn’t like Thunder Rosa disrespecting the Women of Honor.

Willie Mack is defending his National Title in all fifty states and next week Florida will be state #5.

Madison Rayne vs. Thunder Rosa

Sumie Sakai and Holidead are the seconds and Rayne charges to the ring and starts hammering away. A running forearm has Rosa in more trouble but Rayne and Sakai have to drop Holidead, allowing Rosa to take over. Back in and a kick to the back has Rayne in trouble and we take a break. We come back with Rayne hitting an enziguri but getting pulled down into a chinlock instead. That goes nowhere so Rayne is up with a spear, followed by another enziguri for two. Rosa hits a Gory Bomb for her own near fall but the reverse DDT gives Rayne the pin at 9:15.

Rating: D+. I still don’t care much for the women’s division, but at least they’re putting out some fresh talent. It’s still not the most thrilling in the world and Rayne is leaving, though at least there’s someone new out there. Rosa and Holidead should be pushed stronger, even if there’s nothing they can do because the Women’s Title scene is kind of a mess.

Coast to Coast is back next week.

Rocky Romero vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Feeling out process to start with Sabre taking over on the arm as only he (and I mean that literally) can. Romero gets out with a dropkick to the floor but Sabre is back in to work on the leg. Make that the arm again as Sabre switches up in a hurry. Another dropkick gets Romero out of trouble again so this time Sabre goes after the neck as we take a break. Back with Sabre still toying with Romero and grabbing a crossarm choke.

Romero reverses into one of his own, followed by a tornado DDT for his first real offense. A springboard crossbody gives Romero two and there’s a kick to the face for a bonus. The forever lariats in the corner are countered into an STF but Sabre tries to make it a little too flashy and Romero makes it to the rope.

Sabre does his cocky kicks to the face so Romero takes him into the corner for a running knee to the ribs. A DDT gets two and Romero wins a slugout, followed by a running Sliced Bread for two more. The Sliced Bread in the corner is countered though and Sabre pulls him down into Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All To Happiness for the win at 13:44.

Rating: B-. Sabre is one of those once in a generation talents with some of the most incredible holds you’ll ever see. Romero….I don’t get it. I know he’s a much bigger deal in Japan but I don’t ever remember seeing him do anything better than average in the ring. Sabre’s insane stuff worked well here, but it was just a one off match for a special main event due to Sabre’s appearance.

Overall Rating: C-. These shows are the definition of hit or miss as you never know what you’re going to get. This was all about wrestling and it wasn’t very good for the most part, including some lame long form squashes and nothing that meant anything long term. It wasn’t terrible, but nothing that you needed to see whatsoever.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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Ring of Honor TV – March 13, 2019: It’s Getting Longer

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 13, 2019
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I’m not sure what to expect from this show anymore and that’s a very cool thing to say. The stories have gotten awesome as of late and that makes me want to keep watching. This is the unofficial go home show for the Anniversary Show this Friday, where a lot of things will be set up for the MSG show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Jay Lethal destroying Matt Taven’s fake World Title last week.

Opening sequence.

Kingdom vs. Villain Enterprises

TK O’Ryan/Vinny Marseglia vs. Marty Scurll/PCO here with no one in either corner. The Kingdom jumps them before the bell but a screaming PCO clotheslines them both. He and Scurll clear the ring and pose before settling down to work on O’Ryan’s arm. Marseglia breaks up a sunset flip attempt though and whips Scurll nearly through the barricade to take over. Back in and a double suplex gets two on Marty as we take a break.

We come back with O’Ryan ripping at Marty’s eye like a true villain should. A headbutt misses and it’s off to PCO for the scary power. I don’t mean that he’s overly strong, but he has power while being scary. Scurll backdrops the Kingdom to the floor and then backdrops PCO onto them for a good visual. Back in and a frog splash gives PCO two on Marseglia, who is right back up with a Russian neckbreaker on Scurll. What looked to be a piledriver on the apron is broken up and Marseglia suicide dives onto PCO. That lets O’Ryan bust Scurll’s spine, setting up a Swanton from Marseglia for two.

We take a second break and come back again with another Swanton driving PCO through a table. PCO almost immediately sits up but gets shoved off the top, sending him face first into a chair on the apron. O’Ryan hits a moonsault for two more on Scurll but Marty is right back with a powerslam into a Boston crab. A middle rope legdrop from PCO makes it even worse and Marseglia gets catapulted into the corner. The chickenwing makes Marseglia tap at 16:33.

Rating: B. It was energetic and long, which is the kind of thing that this company does well. I like Villain Enterprises a lot and having a monster like Brody King on the team as well makes them that much better. There’s a good chance that they could go after some titles soon and I could live with that including Scurll being World Champion. At least it’s not Taven.

Rush rants in Spanish and seems to say this is his house. Bandido comes in and speaks more Spanish before offering a handshake. That’s not happening, but they’re meeting at the Anniversary Show so there was indeed a clear point here.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Holidead

Iwataini’s freshly won Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Iwatani kicks her in the ribs to start and ducks a big boot as they start fairly fast. A dropkick puts Holidead on the floor but she makes a quick save on top and tries a superplex. Since that might kill Iwatani, they knock each other to the apron instead, followed by a Stunner over the rope to drop Iwatani. An apron legdrop takes us to a break and we come back with Sumie Sakai cheering for Iwatani.

Holidead rams her back first into a few buckles and shrugs off the kicks to the ribs. A kick to the head works a bit better but Holidead is right back with a belly to back suplex for two. Iwatani is back with a crucifix bomb for two more, only to get blasted with a clothesline for the same. With nothing else working, Iwatani superkicks her into a German suplex, followed by another kick to the head. A good looking moonsault finishes Holidead at 8:23.

Rating: C. Iwatani is already about 184x more interesting than Sakai ever could have been so at least they’re going in the right direction. I just hope we don’t have to see the two of them fight in some teacher vs. student deal, as I don’t think I can handle that much more Sakai. Anyway, entertaining match here, mainly because Iwatani has some good charisma.

Post match Kelly Klein and Team Kelly (A bunch of people in track suits who we’ve never seen before. I know it’s probably something established on Honor Club, but you can’t expect us to watch all that stuff and know who these people are.) appears. Iwatani takes them out like the goons (who only attack one at a time) they are, leaving Kelly to hold up the title, setting up their title match at the Anniversary Show.

We look at the Briscoe Brothers fighting with Villain Enterprises, setting up their title match at the Anniversary Show.

Kenny King vs. Dalton Castle

Castle, with taped ribs, is shaken up after losing the fall in the ten man tag a few weeks ago. King isn’t shaking hands to start so Castle takes him down with a waistlock. The gutwrench is blocked though and we hit that Peacock Pose. King gets knocked to the floor and Castle does the strut. We take a break and come back with King working on the ribs because he’s smarter than he looks.

A short DDT gets Castle out of trouble but it bangs up the ribs even more. They take turns missing a series of clotheslines in the corner so Castle goes with a suplex into the reverse Sling Blade for two. The wrestling isn’t working for King so he heads outside and grabs one of the Boys to throw at Castle. The distraction sets up the Royal Flush to finish Castle at 6:48.

Rating: C-. This was more angle advancement for Castle, who might be heading for a heel turn after all of these losses. The problem with that is Castle being so charismatic and great at what he does that he’s going to get cheered anyway, but maybe they have an idea to make up for that. It’s a risky move, but something that could work.

Post match King promises to beat up Marty Scurll again at the Anniversary Show.

Matt Taven is distraught over his title being destroyed and swears vengeance.

Pay per view rundown, with the quick promos from various people.

The Briscoes say they kill people.

Kelly Klein promises to win her title back.

Marty Scurll says the match may be in Kenny King’s hometown but it’s Villain Country.

Here’s Taven to rant about the title being destroyed. He’s out here by himself and Jay Lethal needs to come out here and face him like a man one on one. Lethal comes out in street clothes but the Kingdom runs in and beats Lethal down. Taven rips off Lethal’s clothes and the comeback is cut off by the numbers game. A table is brought in but here’s Jonathan Gresham to make a failed comeback bid. House of 1000 Corpses plants Gresham and he goes shoulder first into the post. A top rope elbow puts Lethal through the table to end the show. Nice heat segment here, though it’s still Matt Taven.

Overall Rating: B. Did this company change creative recently or something? They’re even getting their go home shows right as this was way more entertaining and focused than most shows before a pay per view. The TV has been a lot better but the next thing they need to do is nail a big show. They’ll have a chance on Friday and they already have a good track record with pay per views, so hopefully history stays on a roll. Another good show in a lengthening series of them.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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Ring of Honor TV – March 6, 2019: Out With The Bad

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 6, 2019
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Believe it or not, things have gotten very interesting in a hurry around here with a bunch of different things going on, most of which revolve around Jay Lethal and the World Title. Last week saw Lifeblood pick up a big win over Lethal’s collected team, meaning we’re probably coming up on something between Lifeblood and the unofficially named Plague. Let’s get to it.

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

TV Champion Jeff Cobb is ready to defend against Silas Young. He’ll even give Young a Tour of the Islands.

TV Title: Silas Young vs. Jeff Cobb

Young is challenging and it’s certainly getting straight to the point. Cobb drives him into the corner for an early power display before taking him down amateur style. Young is smart enough to get to the ropes and we take an early break. Back with the two of them shaking hands with Young talking about a handshake. Of course that means a shot to the throat as Cobb is in trouble for the first time.

Cobb shoves him away without much effort and hits a standing moonsault for two. They head outside with Cobb being sent into the barricade, which is about all that seems to work on him. Back in and some shoulders to the ribs keep Cobb in trouble with a missed dropkick making things even worse. Cobb gets low bridged to the apron for a springboard clothesline as it’s all Young at the moment.

We take another break and come back with Cobb fighting out of a chinlock as ROH follows the WWE’s playbook. Young makes the mistake of talking trash though as Cobb comes back with forearms to the head. The backbreaker/clothesline cuts Cobb off for two and the hanging swinging suplex gets the same. That’s enough for Cobb to get fired up with shoulders in the corner and Young is rocked. Cobb’s swinging belly to back suplex drops Young and rolling German suplexes make things even worse. Young is done and the Tour of the Islands retains the title at 17:41.

Rating: B. They’ve got something with Cobb, as he’s kind of the ROH version of Brock Lesnar with a little less aggression and more of a laid back attitude. Young gave Cobb everything he could but got overwhelmed in the end because Cobb is just that good. It was a good story and Cobb looks even better than usual, making this a nice step forward for him and the title reign.

We look at a clip of the Briscoes and Villain Enterprises getting in a fight at a show in Texas, setting up a Tag Team Title match at the 17^th Anniversary Show.

Matt Taven rants about Jay Lethal being a fake World Champion. Tonight, he’s issuing an open challenge for his own World Title.

We look at Shane Taylor attacking Cobb, earning himself a title shot at the Anniversary Show.

We look at Mayu Iwatani winning the Women’s Title from Kelly Klein. Rematch, Anniversary Show.

Vinny Marseglia vs. Rush

Fallout from the Kingdom attacking Rush recently. It’s a brawl to start with Rush kneeing him in the face and flipping over Marseglia for a splash in the corner. Marseglia takes him down and hammers away before taking things outside as we go to a break. Back with Rush being sent into the barricade a few times, followed by the removal of the floor mats. A suplex on the floor doesn’t work so they head inside with the suplex working just fine in there.

Rush is right back up with a kick to the ribs and they go outside again with Marseglia being sent into the barricade this time. A chair is teased but the referee actually does his job for once and breaks it up. Back in and Rush kicks him in the face before hitting the Tranquilo pose. Marseglia is right back with a double underhook backbreaker for two but Rush suplexes him into the corner. That means a hard running dropkick to the face and Marseglia is done at 10:53.

Rating: C+. This was all it needed to be with Rush looking like a star who can beat up an established name. I’m liking him more and more every time I see him either here or elsewhere and that’s a great sign. He comes off as a big deal and if they keep pushing him, they could have something special on their hands.

We look back at Kenny King stealing a pin from Marty Scurll in Miami. They meet at the Anniversary Show.

Here’s Matt Taven with the Kingdom for an open challenge for his title. Before the challenger comes out, Taven goes on a rant about how Lethal is cosplaying as him and bragging about holding the World Title. This is an open challenge to anyone but Jay Lethal.

Fake World Title: Matt Taven vs. Jonathan Gresham

Taven is defending and the Kingdom is ejected. The beatdown is on early on with Gresham in trouble until he crushes Taven’s finger between his feet. A running knee to the elbow sets up an Octopus Hold but here’s the Kingdom for the DQ at 1:31. I mean, they don’t do anything before the bell rings, which is rather prejudiced of the referee.

Post match the beatdown is on until Lethal comes in for the save. The numbers get the better of him as well and it’s table time, only to have Lifeblood run in for the real save. The Kingdom leaves and Mark Haskins finds the fake World Title. Haskins hands it to Lethal and the ax and baseball bat have been forgotten as well. Lethal uses said bat and ax to destroy the title as Taven swears revenge. Good segment, as long as it doesn’t get replaced by the real title.

Overall Rating: B. Another good show here as they’ve been avoiding the less interesting talent and stories. If you do that long enough, those stories go away and the good stuff becomes the norm. They’re on a roll right now and that’s a good time to have with less than a month away from the biggest show in the company’s history. Now keep it up after that, which is the hard part.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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Ring of Honor Supercard of Honor XI: Maybe I Made The Wrong Choice

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor

Supercard of Honor XI
Date: April 1, 2017
Location: Jenkins Arena, Lakeland, Florida
Attendance: 3,500
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Kevin Kelly

This was requested at some point and I might as well knock it out. It’s the Wrestlemania weekend show down in Orlando, which is usually pretty entertaining. It’s also usually pretty long, which is quite the problem around here. The main event is a ladder match between the Young Bucks and the Hardy Boyz, which has awesome spectacle written all over it. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at tonight’s big matches and why some people come here.

We’re in the arena…and there’s no audio from commentary. It’s especially weird because the graphics showing the matches have sound, but not the people talking.

TV Title: Marty Scurll vs. Adam Cole

Scurll is defending and Cole, part of the Bullet Club, is running out of time around here. Marty kicks away a handshake offer because he knows what Cole is thinking. They go with the technical sequence to start but neither can get anywhere other than to a standoff. Cole strikes the pose so Marty rolls away and flaps his arms. A takedown lets Cole run the ropes and go with the Kevin Owens chinlock, which is broken up in short order. Scurll sends him outside for chops against the barricade but Cole grabs the umbrella.

Marty gets the belt and it’s an evil standoff. A missed big boot lets Scurll hit his apron superkick and it’s back inside with Scurll spitting at him. That fires Cole up enough for the fireman’s carry backbreaker as the fans sound completely split. An exchange of low superkicks goes to Scurll and a brainbuster gets two. Since he takes forever loading up the chickenwing though, Cole is ready with an enziguri, followed by a sliding kick to the face for two.

Never being one to learn, Cole loads up his own chickenwing but his own dancing setup lets Scurll roll him up instead. The finger snap staggers Cole but his feet are fine enough for some superkicks. The package piledriver gets two and it’s time to grab the belt. With the referee taking it away, Scurll breaks the umbrella upside Cole’s head, followed by a piledriver for two more. Cole gets two of his own off a Tombstone but it’s two more finger snaps into another piledriver to knock him silly. The chickenwing retains Scurll’s title at 12:59.

Rating: B-. Pushing Scurll as a bigger name is a good idea for ROH, especially with Cole on his way out. The wrestling was an interesting exchange between two heels and Scurll was just better overall. Cole’s issues with the Bullet Club continue and you can feel the split coming from here. Nice opener though, as the crowd was into both guys.

We recap Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser vs. the Kingdom. The Kingdom needed a partner to defend the Six Man Tag Team Titles so Silas offered his services but the team lost the titles, with Silas not taking the pin. Tonight it’s about settling things.

The Kingdom vs. Beer City Bruiser/Silas Young

The still injured TK O’Ryan is the odd man out here. Before the match, Matt Taven insults the crowd and O’Ryan says he’s sick of hearing the stupid fans offering their condolences. Not to be outdone, Silas says the loss was the Kingdom’s fault because they’re boys instead of men. It’s a brawl to start with Silas being sent into the barricade, allowing Marseglia to dive off the apron. Bruiser comes in to clean house and yells at Marseglia, which is the next logical step in a match.

Marseglia calls Bruiser a pumpkin and gets crossbodied for two with Taven springboarding in for the save. A headlock driver puts Bruiser down again and it’s time for a slugout with Silas. The springboard clothesline sends Taven outside and it’s a double superplex into stereo frog splashes from Bruiser and Taven for two each. Bruiser dives onto Taven for the squash spot but Marseglia stops….for a cigar? Silas avoids being blinded by the lit cigar, hits Misery and smokes the cigar as he gets the pin at 6:57.

Rating: C. Not a bad little brawl here and anytime you keep Bruiser’s ring time short, it’s probably a good idea. The story makes sense and it pushes Young and Bruiser, possibly towards a title shot, and Silas getting the pin makes even more sense. Seeing the Kingdom lose is just a bonus.

Bully Ray is ready to defend the Six Man Tag Team Titles because it’s a big deal. He’s still new around here and has already had a bunch of firsts. Tonight, he’ll have another first when he faces God (the Guerrillas of Destiny that is), who he just happened to train.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Bully Ray/Briscoes vs. Bullet Club

The Club (Hangman Page/Guerrillas of Destiny) is challenging. Tama and Mark start things off and the fans are into the Club (shocking I know) as they trade clotheslines. For some reason Mark decides to headbutt a Tongan and gets forearmed backwards but a crossbody works a bit better. Jay comes in but a blind tag brings in Loa for a hard clothesline of his own.

The headbutts actually work on Loa until a powerslam puts Jay down again. A double backdrop doesn’t work and it’s off to Bully for the big showdown. He wants a handshake because that’s how the Guerrillas were taught but the beatdown is on instead. Ray and Loa slap it out with Ray going up top and diving onto everyone, setting up What’s Up on Tonga.

It’s table time but the Club takes the Briscoes down to break it up. Ray’s spear is enough to keep Page down for the tag off to Mark for the house cleaning. Mark dives onto Tama but Page is right off the apron with the running shooting star. Everything breaks down and it’s the parade of big moves that aren’t even secondary finishers. Tama and Page get caught in a double Doomsday Device and the Super 3D finishes Loa at 13:30.

Rating: C+. This was a nice brawl and the teacher vs. student story, while not exactly emphasized here, worked as a story for the match. Bully being treated as a legend is a bit of a stretch but at least he’s someone with some status who isn’t going straight to the World Title picture. Also, it’s nice to see the Bullet Club not win even more titles, though this isn’t their top lineup anyway. Oh and the table didn’t get used?

We recap Cody vs. Jay Lethal. Cody debuted against Jay at Final Battle and turned heel to beat him. Lethal wants revenge and since Cody is the son of Dusty Rhodes, it’s a Texas bull rope match between a guy from New Jersey and a guy from Georgia in Florida.

Cody vs. Jay Lethal

Pin/submission to win. They’re in street clothes because that’s how you have a bullrope match. Cody does make up for it a bit with a LETHAL SUCKS EGGS shirt. Hang on though as Cody needs to go outside before the rope is attached. We get going with Jay choking but getting stomped down in the corner.

That just earns Cody chops and stomps in the corner before Jay gets smart by tying Cody up with the rope. There’s a posting and Cody comes up bloody. Lethal goes with both the side and bottom of the bell to the head before bringing in a chair. Naturally he takes too long setting it up though and gets pulled off the ropes into said chair to give Cody his first advantage. The Flip Flop and Fly is broken up, as is the Lethal Injection with a pull of the rope.

Cody goes after the knee with the bell and gets in a shot to the ribs as a bonus. The table is set up on the floor before Cody goes with the Figure Four. Jay gets smart by hitting him in the head with the bell for the break but Cody slams him off the top through the table for a well received crash. Back in and a low blow sets up Cross Rhodes for a close two followed by a boot to the head. A superplex is countered and Hail to the King gets two. The Lethal Injection finishes Cody at 17:23.

Rating: B-. They did a good job here with the vindication for Jay as Cody takes his first loss. I know ROH (and many other companies) love Cody but sometimes you need to have him lose and this is the kind of match where that should happen. The bullrope wasn’t used all that much but it was just enough of a factor to make it worthwhile.

Post match Cody hands Jay the bell, which is….symbolic?

Intermission, thankfully skipped on the video.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Cheeseburger/Will Ferrara vs. Rebellion

Rhett Titus and Shane Taylor for the Rebellion. Egads I had forgotten how pathetic that stable was. Titus and Cheeseburger get things going and it’s quickly off to Ferrara, who picks Cheeseburger up to drive him into Titus in the corner. Sabin comes in to trade rollups with Ferrara for two each before a blindly tagged in Shelley sends Ferrara to the floor.

Everything breaks down (What took them so long?) and the Guns clear the ring until Titus gets in a shot from behind to take over. We settle down to Taylor crushing Ferrara with a jumping legdrop but Titus’ splash hits knees. Cheeseburger comes in and tries the rapid fire chops, which have no effect on Titus. A springboard knee to the side of the head works a bit better but Taylor makes the save.

Titus boots Cheeseburger in the face and gets two off the frog splash. The Guns are left alone in the ring but it’s a bunch of kicks from the apron instead of the dives for a change of pace. Back in and Cheeseburger cleans house with the palm strikes until Taylor punches him out of the air. The Guns come back in with the Dream Sequence and something like a double Death Valley Driver finishes Cheeseburger at 9:24.

Rating: C. It was entertaining but this should have been a dark match to let the show breathe a little more. It’s not like this meant anything of note so having it on the card just made things longer than it needed to be. The Guns winning is fine as they’re the best of the three teams, but it’s nothing I needed to see.

Post match Ferrara isn’t happy with Cheeseburger for losing but here’s Punishment Martinez to scare Ferrara off. Martinez is in a match next so let’s cut out the stuff in between.

Punishment Martinez vs. Frankie Kazarian

Kazarian goes right after him in the corner but gets muscled across the ring and onto another corner. A shot to the face knocks Kazarian outside and that means the big dive over the top, which always looks awesome. Kazarian gets sent into the barricade and a release suplex slam have him in more trouble inside.

A Backstabber into a backsplash gets Kazarian a breather but Martinez is right back with a torture rack faceplant for two. The slingshot DDT really staggers Martinez and Kazarian follows him with a dive. Another slingshot into a cutter gives Kazarian two and the springboard spinning legdrop is good for the same. Cue Hangman Page for a distraction though and the South of Heaven chokeslam finishes Kazarian at 6:02.

Rating: C-. Weakest match of the night so far as it was little more than a glorified squash for the most part. Page and Kazarian having issues make sense as they’ve hated each other for a LONG time, but this felt forced in again. Martinez getting a win is a nice thing to see, but I’m not sure how much it needed to be on the show.

Now we get the intermission video.

Here’s Bobby Fish, who had been rumored to be on his way out of the company. He’s not done around here yet though and there are people on his list. Jay Lethal is on the top of that list…but here’s Silas Young to interrupt instead. Silas is tired of hearing Fish’s excuses for not beating Jay Lethal and they just make him a dime store punk. You know what that means.

Bobby Fish vs. Silas Young

Silas jumps him to start and they’re off fast. They head outside with an exchange of whips into the barricade, followed by Fish kicking him in the chest back inside. The referee gets his leg kicked out though and here’s a second referee. This one takes a chair away from Silas, who shoves him down for the DQ at 2:29. Uh, ok then.

Post match Fish spears Young through the ropes but gets spinebustered onto a pair of chairs. Security gets rid of Young. The post match match stuff was more interesting than the match itself.

Volador Jr./Will Ospreay vs. Dragon Lee/Jay White

International showcase. White and Ospreay start things off in a match that would be quite different just a few years later. Ospreay does the rapid fire nipups (without actually getting up) to escape a wristlock and we have an early standoff. White misses a kick to the head and it’s off to Volador vs. Dragon Lee, the latter of whom flips into the ring like a luchador should. The rapid fire trips and headscissors give us a standoff until Lee hurricanranas him to the floor for a suicide dive, which the camera misses.

White comes back in and forearms Volador down but it’s quickly back to Lee, who gets taken down as well. That means Ospreay comes in again as this is as fast paced as you would expect. Ospreay’s handspring moonsault double kick to the head takes but Lee is up with a running hurricanrana over the top to the floor. The series of dives begins but White catches Ospreay and brainbusts him on the top. Back in and White’s missile dropkick gets two on Ospreay and it’s a Downward Spiral into a German suplex.

Volador and Lee come in for some dropkicks and all four are down for a much needed breather. Lee’s Alberto Del Rio top rope double stomp gets two on Volador and it’s time for a luchador strike off. Lee gets in a snap German suplex but Volador is right up with a tornado DDT and a Canadian Destroyer. Just because he can, Ospreay runs the corner for a shooting star to the floor to take Lee out, leaving Volador to hit a (somewhat botched) super hurricanrana to pin White at 13:57.

Rating: B. Yeah what else were you expecting here? This was four guys going insane on each other for some time in front of a big crowd on a big show and it was one of the most entertaining things all night long. The action was great and it was exactly what it was supposed to be throughout. I’m not sure what else there is to say here and that’s a good thing to have on a card.

Christopher Daniels enjoys an Appletini and is very proud of winning the World Title but he’s ready to do anything to defend it, including against Dalton Castle.

Dalton Castle was getting worried about facing Daniels but then it hit him: he’s Dalton Castle and he’s fantastic.

ROH World Title: Dalton Castle vs. Christopher Daniels

Daniels is defending and Castle has the Boys with him. In something you don’t hear too often, Cabana flat out says that Daniels is 100% the better wrestler. They shake hands and we’re ready to go. They take their time to start with a wristlock not getting anyone anywhere. The fans are split here as you probably expected but it’s time to fan Castle off a bit. Castle can’t get a gutwrench suplex but he can hit the Peacock Pose to scare Daniels off a bit.

Daniels even takes Castle’s seat in the corner and asks for a fanning of his own, with the Boys having to stop themselves before they do the wrong thing. An O’Connor roll doesn’t work for Castle so Daniels sends him outside and steals the fans. Wait can he do that? The fans don’t seem to think so and the Boys get in to yell at him, allowing Castle to slap on a waistlock. A clothesline sends Daniels outside and we hit the strut. Back in and the waistlock goes on again but Daniel nails an STO to take over.

The champ gets two off a tilt-a-whirl slam and the Kofi Clutch goes on with Castle grabbing the mat, which Cabana insists was a tap. Castle gets to the rope and comes up with some shots to the face and a German suplex. Daniels gets laid over the top rope for a running knee to the head as the announcers debate sarcasm. With Castle in the ring, Daniels takes out the Boys, sending a flying Castle through the ropes to crush Daniels, as he should. Back in and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two and a release Rock Bottom plants Castle.

The BME is countered with a German suplex (cool) and the Bang a Rang gets the very close two. Daniels is right back with a Downward Spiral into another Koji Clutch but Castle powers up (Cabana: “No. No. NO!”). The Angel’s Wings and Bang a Rang are countered so Castle tries a German suplex with Daniels kicking him in the leg and rolling him up to retain at 15:47.

Rating: B-. Not bad here but there was no way that this was going to be able to live up to some of the other matches. Daniels definitely felt like a transitional champion even a few weeks into his title reign and there’s nothing wrong with that. They were really playing up the idea that Castle made a step towards the title and it was a good story to spend the rest of the year on.

Post match they shake hands but Cody runs in to jump them both and hold up the titles. Kazarian makes a save.

We recap the main event and….it’s the Young Bucks vs. the Hardys in a ladder match. I think we have this covered.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are challenging in a ladder match. The Hardys aren’t allowed to be Broken here….but they’re Broken. We get the staredown with the Hardys throwing down the Superkick Titles (stolen from the Bucks) and the fight is on because you don’t throw down vanity titles. It’s the Hardys taking over with their usual to start until Jeff dives into a superkick and Matt’s bulldog is broken up with another. Top rope knees connect on Jeff’s chest and Nick rolls across the ring for a Backstabber.

The Hardys are right back up with stereo Twists of Fate and we’ve got the first ladders. Granted that takes some time so the Bucks dive onto both of them but it’s WAY too early for a serious climb. The chops in the corner give us a DELETE/THE ELITE dueling chant and it’s a double DDT to send Nick outside. Matt throws Matt (erg) Jackson to the apron and Jeff ladders him through a table for the first big crash.

With the Bucks down, Matt tells Jeff to set up a kind of teeter totter but the Bucks get back up (because this took its sweet time) and Matt sets up a pair of tables on the floor. Back in and Matt uses the teeter totter to drive a ladder into Jeff’s face and Matt dives onto Matt (Hardy). A top rope 450 drives Jeff through a table, leaving us with a battle of the Matt’s on top of a big ladder. Nick comes in to make it the powerbomb into the enziguri in the corner but we need to stop for a superkick to Jeff.

The Hardys are back up for a Spin Cycle (that spinning double belly to back suplex thing of theirs) to drive Nick through a ladder but it’s Matt back up with a slingshot DDT to drive Jeff onto the apron. For your first really crazy spot, Nick goes up a small ladder, gets shoves onto a big ladder, falls from the big ladder to the top, and springboards into a spinning splash onto Jeff through a table. I think that description sums that up well enough.

Somehow Nick is up fast enough to slug it out with Matt on top of the ladder for a slugout and the DELETE/SUCK IT chants. They both crash for the four way knockdown but of course they’re all going up just a few moments later. A near crash sends Nick and Matt (Hardy) down and Jeff from one ladder to another (just go with it) until Matt (Hardy) has to shove Matt off the big ladder and through a table at ringside.

Nick shrugs off a double stomp in the corner and strikes away as his brother gets back in for a bunch of superkicks. Matt (Hardy) clotheslines the Bucks down and they’re all on the mat (oh come on) again. Nick and Jeff are backdropped over the top through tables and Matt Side Effects Matt (Jackson) off the apron through another table. The fans are behind the Bucks as all four come back in and both teams climb their own ladder. The Bucks are on the bigger one though and a pair of superkicks knock the Hardys down to give us new champions at 25:25.

Rating: A. Like this was going to be anything else. They hyped it up exactly this way and that’s what you got, with the Hardys again showing how great they still can be and making a big impact. The fact that they would return to WWE less than 24 hours later and win another ladder match for the Raw Tag Team Titles was even more impressive. This was awesome though, with a pretty obvious ending not hurting it one bit. Incredible stuff, and were you expecting anything different?

Post match Matt (Hardy) says the Bucks are the best tag team they’ve ever faced. He’s not sure how much longer he and Jeff can do this but they know the future of tag team wrestling is safe. Matt and Jeff knee to show respect and Jeff promises to celebrate by fading away and classifying themselves as obsolete. They said the same thing to the Lucha Bros the previous night at the WrestleCon Supershow. Celebrating takes us out.

Overall Rating: B+. For once, I think I might be questioning if I made the right choice by going to Takeover: Orlando on the same night. I mean, the fact that this was about an hour’s drive from my hotel instead of ten minutes away aside that is. They didn’t overstay their welcome here and the show never felt long, though there were a few things that could have been cut out to save some time. Almost everything ranged from very good to more than watchable though and the main event is a classic, so I’m not sure what more you could want here. Very entertaining show, as you had to expect.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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Ring of Honor TV – February 27, 2019: Honorable Fighting

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 27, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I’m not used to saying this but I’m looking forward to this show. The last few weeks have been awesome around here and that’s the kind of thing that you don’t get to say about Ring of Honor too often. Again I don’t know if it’s the lack of the Elite guys but if that’s the case, so be it as these shows have been very good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose vs. Madison Rayne

Madison and Jenny get taken down to start but Madison sunset flips Sumie for two. Jenny is right back up with a bridging suplex for two on Sumie, who rolls out to the floor so Madison can get two off an enziguri. Sumie is back in with a dropkick to Madison, making her DDT Jenny for two more. We get the triple submission with Jenny in a Boston crab from Sumie, who gets caught in a sleeper from Madison. Back up and Jenny enziguris Madison to send us to a break.

We come back with Sumie’s fisherman’s brainbuster getting two on Jenny but Madison comes back in with the Rayne Check to both of them for two on Sumie. Jenny and Madison head outside for a double dropkick from the apron as this keeps going. Back in and Madison gets rolled up for two more but pops back up for a reverse DDT to finish Sumie at 10:03.

Rating: C-. It wasn’t bad but it felt very Ring of Honorish: people doing moves to each other with no particular desire to win the match. Yeah they were going for covers but it felt like they were doing that because it’s what they were supposed to do instead of having a desire to win the match. It was fine, though it was missing a spark.

We recap the debut of Lifeblood and last week’s challenge to a ten man tag against Jay Lethal and friends.

Lifeblood vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham/Flip Gordon/Dalton Castle/Jeff Cobb

Lifeblood is David Finlay/Tracy Williams/Bandido/Mark Haskins/Juice Robinson with Tenille Dashwood on commentary. Each Lifeblood member gets their own entrance, which doesn’t feel like a way to stretch the show out whatsoever. Robinson and Lethal lock up to start until Robinson shoulders him into the corner. Castle gets on the rope and says he likes what he sees and wants to show Robinson some of his Honor Babies.

The fans want to see Bandido so Castle yells at him, allowing Robinson to grab a rollup for two. They both miss a series of right hands in the corner (with the Boys ducking as well) until Castle hits the Peacock Pose. Robinson does one of his own and it’s time for the snap jabs. It’s off to Williams vs. Gresham and they quickly wrestle to a standoff. A series of headlocks into headscissors counters goes to Gresham until Williams headstands to his feet and offers a handshake.

Back from a break with Finlay and Lethal missing elbows until Finlay scores with a dropkick. It’s off to Haskins and Cobb with Haskins looking more than happy to face the monster. Cobb can’t hit a pop up powerbomb but Haskins makes the mistake of running at him, allowing Cobb to catch him in a German suplex. Haskins flips out so Cobb nips up, which is one of those things that is just going to make you stop in your tracks.

With Haskins a little shaken, he hands it off to Bandido to face Gordon, which the fans certainly seem to appreciate. Everyone else drops to the floor as the flips begin, with both guys countering a hurricanrana and missing a dropkick for a pair of standoffs. We take another break and come back with Castle working on Bandido’s arm before it’s back to Williams to beat up Gordon.

Something like the Rings of Saturn has Gordon in trouble with Gresham coming in to make the save. That’s rather dishonorable. Bandido adds a slingshot hilo but Finlay gets dropped, allowing the hot tag to Lethal. House is cleaned and we take another break. Back with Lethal’s Figure Four being kicked off and Robinson hitting a running corner clotheslines. A full nelson slam drops Jay but Gordon springboards in with a missile dropkick.

The parade of secondary finishers is on until everyone but Gordon and Bandido are down on the floor. Gordon’s springboard flip dive sets up Bandido’s corkscrew moonsault onto everyone for the big crash. Back in and it’s Haskins trading forearms with Castle and countering the Bang a Rang into the really hard Sharpshooter to make Castle tap at 26:25.

Rating: B. This felt like a major house show main event and that’s what it should have been. They did a good job with making Lifeblood out to be a big time threat here and the extended time helped a lot. Lethal is going to have even more people to deal with sooner rather than later and I’m not sure how much longer he’s going to be able to hold the title. Or stay face at this rate.

Post match everyone but Castle (down) shakes hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The opener wasn’t great but this was all about the main event and that’s perfectly fine. Sometimes you just need a show built around a single match like this and it worked out very well here. There’s some interesting stuff going on at the moment and with the right direction, we could be in for some very good television as we move towards some of the bigger shows of the year.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Ring of Honor TV – February 20, 2019: Action! Talking! Lizard Man!

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 20, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Things have been on fire around here as of late, mainly due to last week’s debut of the Lifeblood stable. I don’t know if it’s no longer being able to rely on the Bullet Club guys or what, but the last few weeks have been a lot of fun. Now if they can keep this up, we could be in for a great time. Let’s get to it.

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

Luchasaurus vs. Chris Sabin vs. Shane Taylor vs. Flip Gordon vs. Kenny King vs. Rhett Titus

Tags with lucha rules. We come into the arena for the opening bell as everyone is already in the ring. Sabin can’t get anywhere with a hold on Luchasaurus, who shrugs him off and kicks him in the head. A middle rope hurricanrana works a bit better to send Luchasaurus to the floor so King comes in, only to have Titus tag himself in for an All Night Express showdown. They run the ropes for a bit without making any significant contact as they know each other that well. Makes enough sense.

Taylor, a former Rebellion teammate with the two of them, comes in so King and Titus kick him down in short order. Luchasaurus gets the same treatment but the fight breaks out over who gets to cover him, as tends to be the case. Gordon comes in with a springboard spear to King but Taylor LAUNCHES Gordon to the floor with a hard shoulder.

Luchasaurus comes back in with some great looking kicks until Sabin hits him with one of his own. Everything breaks down and it’s a six way knockdown as we go to a commercial. Back with Titus diving onto Gordon and Luchasaurus, leaving Shane alone in the ring, allowing Kenny to springboard in with a Blockbuster. Shane is fine enough to block Luchasaurus’ dive before hitting one of his own.

Now Luchasaurus hits the step up dive but Gordon has climbed into the balcony for his big flip dive. The 450 hits Shane back inside but King makes the save and hits Gordon with a chair. That’s enough to DQ King and we’re continuing as a five way. With Sabin down (apparently due to a torn ACL, which could keep him out of action for nearly a year), Titus tries his bet on Shane but gets caught in Greetings From 216 for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: B-. It was wild and I can live with the DQ ejection as this was almost all action from beginning to end. The important thing here though was having the match open the show, which is something you don’t get very often. It fits the idea of the promotion being all about action and that’s a nice way to open things up. Good, fun match too.

Trent Barretta has a family emergency so Chuckie T. has found a replacement for the Tag Team Title shot tonight.

Marcus Kross/Griff Garrison vs. Bouncers

Griff and Marcus like to dance with the latter looking a bit Super Sayianish. Marcus gets shoved down so it’s off to Garrison, who gets the exact same treatment. Double teaming doesn’t work very well on Milonas either so it’s off to Bruiser, who misses some elbow drops. A top rope headbutt rocks Bruiser but he pulls Marcus out of the air for a Samoan drop. Milonas’ reverse splash connects but Marcus smacks Bruiser in the face, allowing the hot tag to Garrison. The running splash misses in the corner though and Milonas nails a sitout Boss Man Slam. Closing Time crushes Garrison for the pin at 3:57.

Rating: C-. The jobbers were trying here and that’s as good as you can get from something like this. It’s not like the ending was in doubt so let them get in a little bit before they get crushed. There’s a good chance that they’re going to be around as commentary was hyping them up, so it helps to have them do something before they lose in the end.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Chuckie T./???

The Briscoes are defending and the mystery partner is…Colt Cabana, who happens to have his gear on underneath his suit. The brawl is on in a hurry with all four fighting on the outside until it’s Jay getting double teamed inside. They shake hands instead of hug (they’re just good friends instead of best friends) but the delay lets the champs take over for the first time.

We take a break and come back with Chuckie getting posted and chopped into the corner as Cabana tries to come in like an inept partner. Chuckie finally gets in a middle rope dropkick and the hot tag brings in Cabana to clean house. That means a double standing Lionsault and the snap jabs that so many people tend to use anymore. A Bionic elbow sends Mark into the corner but he’s right back with a middle rope bulldog.

Everything breaks down again and Chuckie hits a standing Sliced Bread #2 on Jay. Colt grabs a chair on the floor with Jay making a save. A Blockbuster from the apron knocks Cabana out of the chair and we take another break. Back again with Jay kicking Chuckie in the face but the Doomsday Device is broken up. That’s fine with Jay, who hits the Jay Driller to pin Chuckie at 11:51.

Rating: B. They’re pushing the idea of the Briscoes as part of the plague, which almost has to be the next heel stable. That could be something interesting with Lifeblood running around, though we’re still in the early stages of everything so it’s hard to say. It would seem to be where things are heading though and given the amount of people who have left the company, a stable war is a good way to bridge the gap.

Post match Mark hits the Froggy Boy to put Chuckie through a table.

We see a clip of the big Elite beatdown, which again would seem to point to the plague being a thing.

Clip of Lifeblood forming, which seems to point to the stable war.

Here’s Jay Lethal for a chat, though after he sends Ian out of the ring. Jay puts the title on the mat and says there is so much pressure on him other than just being World Champion. Some of that pressure involves watching this company deteriorate right in front of your eyes. You have people like Bully Ray and the Briscoes running around doing whatever they want and Jay isn’t going to stand for it anymore.

Then there’s a man running around with a fake World Title and that’s too far. Dark days are here but a change is coming. This brings out Lifeblood, who says they’re speaking the same language. Jay says he knows some guys who believe the same thing, which is why he doesn’t want to join a group like this. Juice says there was never an invitation, which doesn’t sit well with the champ.

Jay talks about how awesome the team is and goes through each member to sing their praises, though he has to stop for a few chants. After several minutes of praise, Juice says if Jay knows a bunch of people in the back like him, let’s have a ten man tag. The match is made for next week. This took a LONG time to set up but, other than a lot of the praise, there wasn’t much that could have been cut.

Overall Rating: B. You mean the solution all along was to stop focusing on the same people over and over again for years? I know the Elite guys were really popular but things have gotten that much better since they’ve been gone. This was another very good show in a series of them and if this is what we can get used to around here, I could see this becoming one of the real highlights of the week.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Ring of Honor TV – February 13, 2019: When Did This Show Learn To Be Great?

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 13, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

We’re still down in Atlanta and this time around it’s an old school feeling with the NWA World Title on the line as champion Nick Aldis defending against PJ Black. Neither of them are exactly regulars around here, but that’s never stopped ROH when guest stars are involved. We should be getting ready for a big show around here, though it’s kind of hard to tell which one it is around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

John Skyler, Corey Hollis and Josey Quinn (also not regulars) are in the ring and say they deserve the attention. No six man team can beat them, and I think you know where this is going.

John Skyler/Corey Hollis/Josey Quinn vs. Villain Enterprises

Before the match, Marty Scurll says he used to be like the three of them because they’re not a bit jaded. He’s sure the three of them are going to make a huge impact, but tonight they’re going to feel the wrath of Villain Enterprises. The fight is on in a hurry with Enterprises taking over with a grand total of no effort and standing tall in the ring.

We come back from a break for the opening bell with Quinn making the mistake of chopping someone who attaches himself to car batteries. PCO chops him right back in the corner, which amazingly enough works far better. A swinging slam draws in Skyler and Hollis, who get beaten up just as well. Skyler gets tossed into the corner and then chokeslammed for a bonus as PCO is doing this by himself.

A missed flip dive onto the apron just wakes PCO up even more and Hollis’ dive just earns himself a shove into the barricade. Scurll comes in for a chop of his own but Skyler takes him down with a slingshot spear. The villains (as opposed to the Villains) take over in the corner and Hollis grabs a chinlock. The comeback doesn’t take long as Scurll knocks Hollis away and brings in King for the house cleaning.

Skyler gets put in 619 position for a running cannonball to the back for a change of pace. A running backsplash crushes Skyler so it’s off to Hollis, who gets powerbombed into a Boston Crab. PCO adds a middle rope legdrop but his flip dive through the ropes sees his legs caught in the rope for a somewhat scary botch. King’s Gonzo Bomb (Dominator into a piledriver) sets up the chickenwing to make Hollis tap at 6:33.

Rating: C. The Villains were a lot of fun here and that’s what they were shooting for in a match like this. You set up three guys at the beginning of the show and have these guys destroy them, especially when it contains acts like Marty and company, who are going to be beloved around this place. Fun match here and a lot more entertaining than I was expecting.

Post match the Kingdom pops up to say they’re the best trio in the world and are glad to defend against anyone anytime, especially Melvin Enterprises. The match can take place…but not tonight.

Post break the Kingdom doesn’t think much of Villain Enterprises because the Kingdom is in control. He’s Matt Taven and this is his kingdom.

Jay Lethal says it’s getting hard to keep track of everyone in line for a title shot when Taven is running around with a fake title. Taven has his attention now.

Kelly Klein defended the title in a big match….which isn’t important enough to put on TV so you can see it on Honor Club.

NWA World Title: Nick Aldis vs. PJ Black

Aldis, with Kamilla Kaine is defending in the first title defense in Atlanta since 1993. They fight over arm control to start until Aldis gets backed into the ropes. A legsweep takes Aldis down but he pops up with a headlock takeover as they’re certainly sticking with the basics so far. Black bails away from the threat of a right hand and asks for a time out, though Colt doesn’t think that’s an option.

Another takeover puts Aldis down this time and Black gives him a clean break as well. Aldis gets two off a backslide and it’s another standoff. The next legsweep attempt works this time and Black stomps him in the back, only to get dropkicked for his efforts. A headscissors sends Aldis outside for a breather but he slides right back in and Black pokes him in the eye. You can’t be called the DAREWOLF and have your big spot so far be a Three Stooges move. Black loads up the dive but Kaine gets in his way, allowing Aldis to run him over as we take a break.

Back with Black fighting out of a chinlock so it’s off to a front facelock to keep him in trouble. That’s broken up as well so Black hits a spinwheel kick to set up a top rope elbow to the head. A top rope double stomp to a standing Aldis connects for two but he’s right back up with a powerbomb for two. It’s too early for the Kingsland Cloverleaf so Aldis crotches him on top instead. That means a release German superplex for a somewhat delayed two and we take another break.

Back again with Black hitting a super hurricanrana into a moonsault press for a rather weak cover. Black goes with something like a dragon sleeper, which Aldis countered into a Tombstone. A top rope elbow gives Aldis another near fall so he tells Kaine to throw in the title. With Kaine on the apron for a distraction, Black goes Eddie Guerrero by grabbing the title and throwing it to Aldis and dropping to the mat.

It’s enough of a distraction for Black to grab the Billy Goat’s Curse (Colt’s reverse Boston crab) but a rope is reached in a hurry. With Aldis on the floor, Black’s dropkick through the ropes hits Kaine by mistake, which is a huge deal because a wrestler taking a dropkick is something horrible. Back in and Aldis rolls through a high crossbody for two, followed by the Cloverleaf to make Black tap at 20:25.

Rating: B-. Well that was….long. It was a perfectly fine and even good at times match but it’s nothing that I needed to see and it just kind of came and went. Aldis is a nice choice for the title and certainly better than some of the losers that have held the NWA Title over the last few years. This worked well enough, though I really don’t need this title around ROH more than very infrequently. Again good, but it felt like a special attraction that no one was asking to see.

Clip of Bandido vs. Mark Haskins from last week.

Here’s Juice Robinson for a chat. He said you would be seeing more of him around here and he didn’t just mean for a tour here and there. Robinson knows this company stands for honor and he’s had something in the works for awhile now. Tonight the pieces come together right here in Atlanta. This place was founded by people like Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. The lifeblood of Ring of Honor has been due to people like Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black (Seth Rollins) because they cared about honor.

The Code of Honor was in effect and it was all about mutual respect. So what has happened around here over the last few years (An over-reliance on New Japan and WWE taking all the top guys?)? Tonight is a new beginning though and it starts right now. That brings up the heart rate monitor….and here are Bandido, Mark Haskins, Tenille Dashwood, Tracy Williams and David Finlay. They are Lifeblood and they’re bringing honor back to ROH. I have heard far worse ideas than this one.

Overall Rating: B+. When did this company get really good? The main event was a little more than it needed to be but the opener was fun and the ending segment makes me want to see more. Under the right circumstances, they could have a really interesting future and that’s the first time I’ve been able to say that in a LONG time. This worked quite well and for once, I want to see where things are going. Well done indeed, especially after some rather uninteresting months.

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/

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Ring of Honor TV – February 6, 2019: One Of The Best Shows They’ve Ever Done

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: February 6, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Juice Robinson

We’re onto a fresh set of TV tapings here with a big match between Eli Isom and Silas Young for a future TV Title shot. This is actually a tournament final, though I thought it would be slightly bigger than four people. Other than that we have the continued rise of Villain Enterprises, which could go somewhere with the right push. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Tracy Williams vs. David Finlay

This is Finlay’s debut. They trade headlocks to start with Williams taking him down and stomping on the arm. A rollup sets up a failed Crossface attempt so Finlay dropkicks him to the floor. Back in and Williams snaps off a suplex for two, setting up a quickly broken chinlock. Some loud chops just fire Finlay up for a jumping elbow to the face.

Back from a break with Williams rolling out of a Rock Bottom and hitting a DDT onto the turnbuckle. A discus lariat gets two on Finlay but he’s right back with an Irish Curse for the same. Finlay kicks him in the face for another near fall and slips out of a Crossface as a bonus. Williams gets two of his own off a Death Valley Driver, followed by a jumping piledriver for the pin at 11:10.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that ROH built itself on: two younger, lesser known guys getting to trade big moves until one person won. It might not be the most classically structured match in the world but that’s not what they were going for here. Sometimes you need to showcase new talent and that’s what they did here, with the popular Robinson pushing how much fun it was in a very good addition.

Video on Bandido.

The Kingdom tells Villain Enterprises to get their umbrellas.

Mark Haskins vs. Bandido

Feeling out process to start with the aggressive Haskins grabbing a headlock but getting shoved up against the ropes. Bandido starts the flipping and it’s an early standoff. More flipping ensues but Haskins kicks him down and avoids a charge to the floor. That means a suicide dive to drop Bandido and we take a break.

Back with Haskins charging into a boot in the corner, setting up Bandido’s corkscrew crossbody. The big running flip dive takes Haskins down again and, amazingly enough, the fans are way into someone who can fly like this. Bandido gets two off a pop up cutter but gets kicked right back down. That just earns Haskins a superkick but they kick each other in the chest for another double knockdown, which the fans seem to appreciate.

They (the wrestlers, not the fans) slug it out until Haskins charges into a torture rack, with Bandido flipping him forward into something like a GTS for two. Haskins is right back up and spins him into a Sharpshooter (a fast one at that too) but Bandido is right next to the rope. A top rope double stomp gives Haskins two so Haskins goes back to the leg. That’s broken up in a hurry so Bandido knocks him against the ropes (619 position but standing instead of kneeling), flips forward and bounces off the ropes (ala the Tajiri handspring) for a snap German suplex and the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B+. Well that was insane. This was all about showcasing both guys and I had a great time watching it. Bandido really impressed me last year at various times and Haskins looked great as well, which is exactly what the point of this was supposed to be. I want to see these two do this more often and I’d buy a ticket to see it. Well done here, with exactly what they were shooting for.

Nick Aldis is ready to defend the NWA World Title against PJ Black next week. I know the NWA World Title has been around ROH before but it’s nice to have it actually mean something (not much of something, but something) this time around.

We look back at Bully Ray, Silas Young and the Briscoes attacking the Elite (not named) a few weeks back.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Eli Isom vs. Silas Young

Silas takes him down with a hammerlock before going with the strikes instead. A quick rollup gets two on Isom and it’s off to a front facelock. Isom gets in a forearm to knock Young back a bit but misses a springboard missile dropkick. We take an early break and come back with Isom still in trouble and getting stomped down in the corner.

A release gordbuster (appropriate in Atlanta) lets Young talk some trash (as he always does) and we hit the chinlock. Isom fights up and gets two off a rollup before just unloading with right hands. White Noise gets two and we take a second break. Back again with Silas holding a full nelson of all things before dropping Isom again.

Silas’ springboard moonsault COMPLETELY misses (John Morrison would think it looked bad) but he covers for two anyway. Young hits a heck of a top rope superplex (drawing the Barry Windham comparisons) for one as Isom is getting fired up. They chop it out with their chests going very red until Misery plants Isom for the abrupt pin at 13:04.

Rating: C. This was nowhere near as good as the two previous matches, mainly due to there being no doubt as to the winner. Young beat the heck out of Isom for most of the match and I couldn’t imagine them setting up Isom as a major challenger to a monster champion. Silas won in a hurry too, as they didn’t exactly building anything up other than a quick comeback until Misery got the pin. Not bad, but just kind of there.

Post match Young talks trash about TV Champion Jeff Cobb, including insulting his family. This brings out Cobb but Shane Taylor runs in as well, putting Cobb in the middle of the villains. The fight is on with Cobb getting the better of it until a low blow cuts him down. Young and Taylor stand tall to end the show.

ROH is still beginning anew.

Overall Rating: B. That’s one of the better episodes they’ve done in a long time and if the main event had been better, it would have been an all timer. The main thing that Ring of Honor needs to do at the moment is build up new stars and they pulled that off very well here. With all the big names leaving, there’s all kind of space at the top of the card to make new names and if they’re built right, the transition could be rather smooth. Very fun show here and a breeze of an hour.

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:

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

Ring of Honor TV – January 30, 2019: A Glass Of Juice In The Villainous Shadows

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: January 30, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

As long as this show doesn’t include sixteen minutes of Beer City Bruiser vs. Silas Young, I think we’ll be fine. The major story at the moment is a tournament to crown a new #1 contender to the TV Title, which could allow for some fresh stars to get a chance to shine. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

PJ Black vs. Juice Robinson

NWA World Champion Nick Aldis (flanked by Kamilla Kaine) is on commentary in preparation for his future title match with Black. They slap away to start with Black sweeping the leg to take over. Juice’s snap jabs have Black in trouble and there’s a slingshot dive to the floor to take him down again. Black gets in a kick to the ribs back inside and we take a break.

Back with Robinson still in trouble and Black putting on a reverse Boston crab before rocking Robinson head first into the bottom buckle a few times (I believe Konnan used to call that the Rocking Horse). Black suplexes him down and bends the arm back, followed by a clothesline and some posing. A top rope right hand gives Black two more but Robinson grabs a suplex.

Black walks into a spinebuster and a fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two more. Pulp Friction is broken up and Black connects with a moonsault press for two more. Some left hands have Black in more trouble and there’s a Cannonball in the corner. Robinson goes up so Black throws the referee into the corner for the DQ at 12:31.

Rating: C+. You knew they weren’t going to job Black before a title match and Robinson is WAY too hot to take a loss so the DQ was pretty obvious. It took some time to get going but everything after the break picked up in a hurry. Robinson does have the charisma that so many wrestlers miss, so it was cool to see someone giving us a nice performance instead of just going from move to move.

Post match Black knocks Robinson down again and goes to glare at Aldis.

During the break, Robinson says he didn’t come here to lose via DQ. You’re going to see him around here a lot more in 2019 and there will be new life breathed into this place.

The Kingdom yells about beating Villain Enterprises later tonight.

Shane Taylor vs. Mike Law

Right hand, Greetings From 216 in 30 seconds.

Post match Shane says everyone has been asking who paid him to take out Christopher Daniels. That would be no one, because he wanted to beat Daniels up himself.

Colt Cabana brings out Flip Gordon for a chat. Cabana praises him for everything he did back at Final Battle, meaning he defeated Bully Ray once and for all. Gordon says he spent eight months fighting a bully and it’s mission accomplished. Now he wants the World Title, but here’s Kenny King to interrupt. Ian: “I’m just glad it’s not Matt Taven.” Amen brother.

King is tired of mediocre guys coming out here and demanding title shots. King was the last man to pin Jay Lethal and we see some rather doctored clips that ignore King putting his feet on the ropes. Gordon doesn’t have him fooled because King knows he’s the better man. If Gordon was a real warrior, he would have done more than join the reserves. Good promo, but Gordon vs. King doesn’t scream big match on any level.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Villain Enterprises vs. The Kingdom

Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll/Brody King/PCO) is challenging. Before the match, Taven says they’re not just handing out a title shot to three guys who haven’t proven themselves. Therefore, we’ve got some replacements.

Villain Enterprises vs. Shinobi Shadow Squad

That would be Cheeseburger/Eli Isom/Ryan Nova, because we’re just lucky enough to get a “fun” main event. They’re undefeated on Future of Honor events so Enterprises jump them in the corner to take over. We take an early break and come back with Isom in trouble as PCO chops the heck out of him. Brody drops a backsplash for two as the slow beating continues.

A running cannonball against the ropes crushes Isom again but he gets in a quick suplex for a breather. Cheeseburger comes in and gets to forearm Scurll a few times, followed by a springboard Swanton. It’s off to PCO though and we hit a nerve hold slam to drop Cheeseburger. Somehow PCO gets sent into the corner and it’s Nova coming in to forearm PCO over and over. That goes completely nowhere as PCO takes his head off with a clothesline.

Double teaming doesn’t do much better to PCO and we take another break. Back again with King cleaning house, including the Villains catching triple dives. That means a Tombstone on the floor to Cheeseburger while the other two get chokeslammed onto the apron. PCO powerbombs Nova twice in a row and King hits a Gonzo Bomb (Dominator into a piledriver). PCO’s moonsault finally finishes Nova at 9:37.

Rating: C. It wasn’t much of a squash as it went on far too long, but at least Cheeseburger didn’t get to show all of the heart that he has and waste a bunch of time. At least Enterprises got to show off some offense and prove themselves as actual threats, but there’s only so much you can do against such nothing competition. At least Isom didn’t take the fall though, which is a nice positive.

Bully Ray pours lighter fluid on a fire as we see clips of him losing the I Quit match at Final Battle. Ray says he never said I Quit. Oh good grief is this STILL GOING? If there’s one thing ROH doesn’t know how to do, it’s wrap up a story.

We see the heart rate monitor again and this time it says “A New Beginning From An Old Foundation. Ring of Honor Begins Anew.”

Overall Rating: C. Better show this week as they kept things moving and advanced a few stories. Villain Enterprises got off to a good (albeit long) start and the Robinson vs. Black match was entertaining. This was a show that looked at stuff other than the main event scene and those shows are very important in their own right. If you only have a good main event, the promotion itself isn’t strong and by having everything else work well, you can make it week to week at a far easier pace. Nice show here, which is perfectly fine.

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:

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

Ring of Honor TV – January 23, 2019: I Hope It’s Worth The Wait

IMG Credit: WWE

Ring of Honor
Date: January 23, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

Things got interesting to end last week’s show as Brody King and PCO debuted as Marty Scurll’s new enforcers in Villain Enterprises. That could make things interesting going forward as Scurll, and several others, chase Jay Lethal’s World Title. I’m not sure where things are going but they could be interesting if done right. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TV Title #1 Contender Tournament First Round: Facade vs. Eli Isom

Feeling out process to start with the yellow haired Facade taking him down. Isom leapfrogs over him twice in a row and hits Facade in the face but Facade stats nipping up. A kick to the face drops Isom again and we hit the double arm crank. Isom fights up but gets sent outside for a suicide dive, only to get caught and driven into the barricade for a big crash. We come back from a break with Isom getting two off a bridging belly to back suplex.

Facade scores with a Disaster kick to send Isom outside, setting up a double springboard flip dive, because of course he can do that. Back in and Isom nails a discus elbow but walks into the Neon (Burning) Hammer. A rope walk kick to the face (Neon Terminator) gets two on Isom as the announcers are losing it on these near falls. Caprice says Facade would blame that on his mother. As I try to figure that one out, Isom shrugs everything off and finishes with a brainbuster at 8:59.

Rating: C. I’ve seen Facade before and wasn’t that impressed, though his high flying looked good here. The important part here was pushing someone new in Isom, who actually feels like he’s getting somewhere. I don’t know if he wins the tournament, but it’s nice to see someone being given a chance.

Kelly Klein says any singles match she’s in will now be a title match.

We recap the debut of Villain Enterprises.

Jay Lethal knows everyone wants a shot at this title, but his eyes are on Matt Taven for everything he’s done.

To mix things up a bit, we recap the debut of Villain Enterprises.

Next week: the Kingdom defends the Six Man Tag Team Titles against Villain Enterprises.

TK O’Ryan vs. Rush

I’ve seen Rush (pronounced Roosh) in MLW and he certainly has some star power. He’s the leader of Los Ingobernables so there’s definitely something to him. Ian recaps some history between these two in Mexico, which is far more background than we get for most of the lucha guest stars. Feeling out process to start and the fans are split here.

A slap to the face annoys Rush so it’s an exchange of German suplexes to give us a staredown. They talk trash (with censored swearing) until O’Ryan takes over with the chops in the corner. A superkick rocks O’Ryan and it’s a running forearm to send us to a break. Back with a chop off going to Rush, meaning we get a tranquilo pose.

They head outside with Rush being sent into the barricade, setting up a belly to back for two inside. Rush suplexes him into the corner but charges into a spinning spinebuster for another two. Something off the top is countered into a top rope superplex from Rush and it’s a hard running basement dropkick in the corner for the pin on O’Ryan at 11:05.

Rating: B-. This was a back and forth I hit you and you hit me match but it was very entertaining stuff. Rush definitely has a presence and that makes you want to see him do his thing. Even O’Ryan looked good here, and it’s nice to see some of the stuff done down in Mexico tie into things up here. You can only get so far with “this is a huge star from Mexico” over and over so this was a good idea.

Post match the rest of the Kingdom comes in and lays Rush out with a triple Conchairto.

Rhett Titus, with a trophy, replaces Coleman on commentary.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Silas Young vs. Beer City Bruiser

Before the match, Bruiser says he’s finally learned that Silas sucks. Bruiser wants a fight so we’ll make this No DQ. An early Cactus Clothesline puts Silas on the floor and Bruiser sets up a chair. Young jumps over a shot from the apron and hits a springboard clothesline to knock Bruiser down. Some elbows to the head knock Silas into the chair though and Bruiser nails a flip dive off the apron as we take a break.

Back with more chairs in the ring and a table having been set up on the floor. Silas hits a slingshot stomp to the ribs and the hanging swinging suplex gets one. Another table is set up in the corner but Bruiser spears him through it instead. Bruiser misses a charge and goes through a chair in the corner though, allowing Silas to pound away with a chair. A suplex off the barricade has Young in trouble again as this is going way longer than it needs to. Young is laid over two chairs on the floor as Bruiser goes up.

That’s broken up so Bruiser hits a super hiptoss of all things, followed by the Beer City Slam onto a chair for two more. Back from another break with Silas slamming him through two chairs for another near fall, meaning frustration sets in. Silas pulls out some zip ties and attaches Bruiser to the top rope. Cue Brian Milonas to beat Young down and cut the zip tie because Heaven forbid this match just end.

Milonas takes too long setting up something from the middle rope and gets chaired through the table at ringside. Bruiser clotheslines him down and a Vader Bomb elbow onto the chair onto Young gets two. A keg to the head doesn’t even warrant a cover as Bruiser puts him on another table instead. The frog splash misses though and Silas hits Misery for the pin at 16:00.

Rating: D. WAY too long here with whatever value the match had being thrown out the window more than halfway through. The Bruiser isn’t someone I’m going to care about because his entire character is that he’s fat and likes beer. I need a lot more than that to care and I’m completely with Silas: Bruiser held him back for a long time and Young is lucky to be rid of him. Yeah he was a little rude when they split, but I’m not going to cheer for Bruiser because of that. Cut this in half (or more) and it could be entertaining, but this was pay per view length when it needed to be average TV length.

Overall Rating: C-. That main event hurt things a lot and that’s not a good sign when it can bring down the rest of the show. I’m curious to see where some of the stories around here go but this show wasn’t exactly a good showcase for the company. The first two matches were entertaining but they’re not exactly high stakes, which keeps things a bit lower on the pole. Not a bad show, but not exactly interesting.

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:

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