Ring of Honor TV – May 17, 2017: Back in Five Minutes
Ring of Honor Date: May 17, 2017
Location: William J. Myers Pavilion, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni
And now for something completely different because we have a post-pay per view show. We’ll likely get to the next batch of TV tapings in three more weeks but for now we have a one off show with the Six Man Tag Team Titles on the line in the main event. While that might sound entertaining, the Rebellion is getting the shot. Now that your interest has been crushed, let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Will Ferrara/Cheeseburger vs. Chris Sabin/Jonathan Gresham
Didn’t Ferrara and Cheeseburger split like three times now? Before the match, Alex Shelley tells us that he’s injured thanks to the Rebellion so Gresham is his replacement at the moment. Shelley puts Gresham over as a great talent who deserves a chance to get over. Gresham and Ferrara go to the mat to start with an early standoff so it’s off to Sabin vs. Cheeseburger, the latter of whom has to tag himself in.
The threat of the palm strike scares Sabin a bit so Cheeseburger hits him in the face a few more times. Sabin and Gresham both get kicked out to the floor but Cheeseburger’s dive is pulled out of the air. Gresham dives onto all three though and we take a break. Back with Sabin cranking on an abdominal stretch/Octopus Hold hybrid to make Ferrara scream.
Everything breaks down with Sabin giving Ferrara a hanging neckbreaker off the apron to the floor. Back inside, Sabin enziguris Cheeseburger into a German suplex from Gresham, only to have Cheeseburger come back with the palm strikes. Not that it matters as Gresham grabs an Octopus Hold to make Cheeseburger tap at 9:38 with Ferrara watching from the floor.
Rating: C-. Just a match to further the split between Cheeseburger and Ferrara, though as usual most of these characters seem to be there for the sake of filling in both time and roster spots instead of being interesting. The matches are fine enough but they’re nothing I ever look forward to seeing and I rarely get excited over them.
Ferrara walks out on Cheeseburger.
Jay Lethal was getting ready for a commercial but Silas Young came in and beat him down, especially focusing on his leg. I’m not sure if this is a major downgrade for Lethal or a major upgrade for Young.
Silas Young vs. Bobby Fish
Speaking of downgrades, what the heck has happened to Fish? He looked like a World Title contender and now I barely remember his last important match. Young says he won’t make any excuses for his failures, unlike Fish, who will be a huge failure in this match. Feeling out process to start with Fish’s headlock not working as Young hits a good looking dropkick. A very quick kneebar sends Silas outside and we take a break.
Back with Young hitting a slingshot double stomp and laying in the trash talking. A springboard clothesline drops Fish again as this has been almost one sided. Back in and they trade some running shots with Fish getting the better of it, only to have a double clothesline drop them both.
Silas grabs a cutter for two as Colt talks about Fish going after the knee but not sticking with it like the old Bobby would do. Hokey smoke: an actual analysis. Silas shrugs off some more shots to the head and grabs a hanging neckbreaker for two. More kicks to the knee give Fish a breather but the Beer City Bruiser offers a distraction. Silas takes off his knee brace and knocks Fish cold for the pin at 13:39.
Rating: C+. Not bad here as Young continues to get better and better every single week. I can’t believe it but I’m starting to get into the Young/Bruiser team as they actually work well together. Fish continues to fall through the floor though, which really does seem to be setting up something (possibly a heel turn, as almost always seems to be the answer). Nice match here.
Dalton Castle lost once but he’s ready to become World Champion.
Six Man Tag Team Titles: Rebellion vs. Briscoe Brothers/Bully Ray
The Briscoes and Ray are defending and Alex Shelley is on commentary. It’s Rhett Titus/Caprice Coleman/Shane Taylor for the Rebellion here with King nowhere in sight. Mark headlocks Titus to start but one heck of a left hand puts Briscoe down. A brawl breaks out in a hurry though and we take a break with the champs in control.
Back with Titus still in trouble but he’s still able to save Coleman from What’s Up. Taylor and those terrifying thighs come in to take over for all of two seconds and it’s Jay getting beaten down in the heel corner. Taylor’s hard clothesline gets two as Coleman dances on the apron.
We hit the big man standard in the form of a bearhug and take a break. Back with Shane missing a charge in the corner and getting hit in the face, allowing the hot tag to Bully. That means a string of clotheslines before it’s back to Mark to really clean house. Jay adds the big suicide dive but the Froggy Bow hits knees. Not that it matters as 3D ends Titus at 17:01.
Rating: D+. Hey, did you know the Rebellion sucks? I didn’t know if we had made that clear enough yet but they certainly do. There’s no reason to believe that they’re going to win anything and it doesn’t help that they’re just another team now. It completely defeats the point of the characters but that’s never stopped ROH before.
Coleman gets powerbombed through a table to end the show.
Overall Rating: C-. Just a run of the mill post-pay per view show here which is all that you can expect. They put in whatever they can find to fill in the time here, which makes for some rather skippable shows. I’m sure we’ll have a few more of these and then we’ll get to the important stuff, which means the next few weeks really don’t mean too much. I’m really not a fan of these shows but at least they’re quick.
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Ring of Honor TV – May 10, 2017: This Is Getting Really Old
Ring of Honor Date: May 10, 2017 Location: William J. Myers Pavilion, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni
It’s the go home show for War of the Worlds but I have no idea what that means in Ring of Honor terms. Odds are we’ll hear about the show here (maybe even more than the handful of matches we already know) and then move on to some one off shows for the next few weeks. Let’s get to it.
Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. The Squad
The Bucks are defending and that would be Mike Mondo and Ken Doane. The Squad runs in and attacks from behind before stopping for a cheer. Colt isn’t sure if they have spirit but they eat stereo superkicks for their efforts. A top rope double stomp/reverse DDT have Mikey in big trouble and we hit that TOO SWEET.
Stereo dives make things even worse but Ken actually takes over on Matt. Back from a break with Mikey dancing and grabbing a chinlock as this isn’t the most serious match in the world. Matt finally rolls out of a piledriver for a dropkick on Ken, only to have Matt get cut off again. We hit the awkward dancing from both former (Current?) cheerleaders but a toss into a gutbuster is broken up.
The hot tag brings in Nick a few seconds later as things speed way up. The slingshot X Factor into the moonsault from the apron has the Squad reeling. Mikey comes back with a snapmare driver (basically a falling Diamond Cutter) and it’s back to Doane….who eats a superkick. A Boss Man Slam cuts Nick off but quadruple superkicks and a flip dive set up the Meltzer Driver for the pin on Mikey at 9:14.
Rating: B-. Far better match than I was expecting here with the Squad more than looking like legit challengers. The Bucks were full on faces here despite being heels (I know, I know, something about Japan) and I kind of like the idea of them finally picking something. You knew the titles weren’t changing hands here but at least it was fun.
Matt Taven is ready to win the World Title because unlike Christopher Daniels being in the twilight of his career, he’s in his prime. This is for a house show defense.
The Briscoe Brothers are ready for the Rebellion. Jay wants a piece of Shane Taylor and I want a piece of whoever designed the Six Man Tag Team Titles because they look like they’re upside down.
Punishment Martinez vs. Beer City Bruiser
This could be ugly and Silas Young joins commentary to make things even worse. Bruiser knocks Martinez into the corner to start and gets two off a crossbody of all things. Martinez actually heads outside, leaving Bruiser to hit a running cannonball off the apron. Back from a break with Bruiser getting kicked off the top, only to have Martinez COMPLETELY miss the running dive over the corner. Even the announcers rip on him for missing that badly.
Bruiser belly to back suplexes him onto the apron as Colt wants to know how much Bruiser weighs in chili dogs. Martinez shrugs it off and hits a springboard spinning flip dive for two. Back to back cannonballs crush Martinez but he pops up for the slow motion slugout. A sitout Boss Man Slam gives Bruiser two more but he misses yet another cannonball. Martinez’s sitout chokeslam is good for the pin at 6:45.
Rating: D+. I’m really not a fan of Bruiser but he was doing way more than usual here. Martinez should be squashing people though and getting beaten up for a long stretch of this match by someone like Bruiser isn’t the right way to get him moving up the card. Not terrible here but a badly laid out match.
Marty Scurll says Matt Sydal won’t win the TV Title.
Adam Cole says the Bullet Club is united and they’ll prove it tonight in the main event.
Adam Cole/Cody vs. Christopher Daniels/Dalton Castle
Jay Lethal is on commentary and thankfully Colt keeps ripping on Castle and the Boys due to past issues. As another nice point, they go to a break and come back with the opening bell. That’s always nice to see. Cody and Castle get things going and let’s look at the commentary team.
Feeling out process to start until Cody gets clotheslined to the floor. Dalton does his slow walk across the ring and Daniels throws in some fanning. The champ comes in to face Cody with Daniels getting in the springboard moonsault for two. It’s off to Cole, who is wrestling in a shirt for some reason. Daniels gets away for the hot tag to Castle who gets in a double clothesline before being dropped with a low blow. Cole throws Dalton’s face into a boot (clearly didn’t make contact thanks to a bad angle) and it’s off to a double underhook hold.
The Beautiful Disaster hits Cole by mistake and Adam walks off instead of tagging. We take a break and come back with Castle grabbing a belly to back, allowing the hot tag to Daniels. An Iconoclasm gets two on Cody but Daniels has to bail out of the BME. Angel’s Wings is loaded up but here’s Cole with a superkick and the Last Shot. Cross Rhodes gives Cody the pin on Daniels at 10:34. Jay: “I don’t get what’s going on.”
Rating: C-. Not bad here with the match mainly serving as a way to help build up for the triple threat match. The tease of the Club breaking up was fine but it doesn’t work that well when it’s all fixed in five minutes. I don’t think there’s any secret about the fact that Cole is leaving the company soon enough so the split is likely going down soon enough. Watchable match but pretty much paint by numbers.
The Bucks come out to celebrate but the Club actually leaves instead of destroying Daniels. Lethal comes to the ring to yell at Daniels about adding Cody to make the match a triple threat. Cody comes back in and sends Lethal into Daniels, only to have Jay hit a double Lethal Injection.
We get a quick pay per view rundown to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. Here’s the problem and it’s the same thing that always happens for ROH: they’re coming up on a pay per view that had nine matches on the card. TWO of them were mentioned here, one of which was in a thirty second promo. I didn’t even know most of the card until the quick package running it down at the end of the show. As usual, the solution is to just bring in all the New Japan guys, push one match, and be done with it. We’ll likely get to the fallout by June when it’s time to set up the next pay per view. Such is life around here, which gets really tiring.
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Ring of Honor TV – May 3, 2017: Lethal Japanese Kingdoms Are Going To War
Ring of Honor Date: May 3, 2017
Location: William J. Myers Pavilion, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni
It’s World Title time again as we need to find out who will be joining Champion Christopher Daniels and Cody in the triple threat match (because of course it’s a triple threat match) at War of the Worlds. Other than that it’s time to build up some Ring of Honor guys to be fed to the New Japan crew so let’s get to it.
We recap the eight man tag that set up tonight’s #1 contenders four way. I’ve still heard worse ideas.
Opening sequence.
Coast to Coast vs. The Kingdom
The Kingdom jumps Ali and St. Giovanni to start but a double belly to back slam sets up a pair of flip dives to the floor. Back from a very early break with St. Giovanni getting a hot tag to clean house. Vinny is put in the Tree of Woe for the double missile dropkicks but Taven makes the save. Marseglia’s Swanton gets two but he pulls Ali up, allowing Taven to hit Angel’s Wings for the pin on St. Giovanni for the pin at 6:29. Too much in the break to rate but it was fun while it lasted.
Package on the Hardys vs. the Young Bucks.
Here are the Young Bucks with something to say. Matt is very happy about getting their belts back but Nick wants to talk about Adam Cole. Everything is cool with the Bullet Club so let’s have an open challenge for next week. Matt is ready to face Demolition, the Rock N Roll Express or Billy and Chuck but certainly not the Revival. Instead here’s the Spirit Squad of all people….to take stereo superkicks. Eh good for a chuckle.
Matt Sydal vs. Flip Gordon
I saw Gordon down in Orlando and thought something of him so hopefully he does well here. They trade flips (you would think Gordon would have the advantage there) to start with Gordon nipping up about ten times in a row for a standoff. Sydal grabs a rollup for two and there’s a spinwheel kick to put Gordon down. Back up and Gordon gets in a kick of his own and a standing moonsault gets two. Another kick to the head doesn’t do much good as Sydal scores with his own kick, followed by the Shooting Star for the pin at 5:34.
Rating: C. I haven’t liked Sydal this much since his Evan Bourne singles run, which is quite the surprise after all the time I spent being bored with his ROH stuff. Gordon looked good here and I’d have much rather seen him in the Top Prospect Tournament instead of half the schmucks they had in there.
Post match Marty Scurll comes in but can’t get the chickenwing.
Here’s Adam Cole for a chat. The Bullet Club is the greatest faction of all time and they’ll prove it again next week when Cole teams with Hangman Page to face Dalton Castle and Christopher Daniels.
We look back at Daniels vs. Cody.
Silas Young vs. Hangman Page vs. Jay White vs. Jay Lethal
Daniels is on commentary. No tags and one fall to a finish with the winner being added to the World Title match at War of the Worlds. It’s a big brawl to start with everyone going after some rollups as Daniels talks about wanting to face any of them. White takes over early on and throws everyone into a pile in the corner.
Lethal comes back but it’s WAY too early for the Injection, allowing Young to make a save. One heck of a clothesline drops White with Page taking over. Everyone goes to the corner for a Tower of Doom with Lethal getting the worst of it as we take a break. Back with White in control but making the rookie mistake of smacking Lethal in the back of the head. Lethal can’t do anything though and we’re down to White vs. Young.
Page takes White’s place though and Cabana is STUNNED for some reason. A superplex drops White again and it’s Young slugging it out with Lethal on the apron. That means it’s time for everyone to head outside, leaving White to flip dive onto everyone. We take another break and come back with the Lethal Combination getting two on White. Young makes another save though, only to have Lethal hit the Lethal Injection for the pin and the title shot at 15:41.
Rating: C+. This was a lot of quick one on one matches and the ending really felt like it came out of nowhere. Lethal adds some star power to the main event though and that’s the best thing they could have done. Daniels vs. Cody isn’t exactly thrilling so Lethal adds some much needed help and interest to the title match.
Cody comes out for the three way staredown to end the show.
Overall Rating: C. Given that we’re less than two weeks away from the pay per view, there’s only so much you can do to set up a pay per view. The New Japan guys sound interesting now as they’ve been away long enough to be an attraction again. Why that’s so complicated isn’t clear but at least we should have a fun pay per view. Good enough show here but it was a one match episode. At least the one match meant something though. And we’ve got the Spirit Squad so you know things are picking up.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
Ring of Honor TV – April 26, 2017: Taste the Freshness
Ring of Honor Date: April 26, 2017
Location: William J. Myers Pavilion, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni
We’re FINALLY on a new taping cycle and that means we’re finishing off the Top Prospect Tournament once and for all. This taping mess continues to be annoying and I’m not sure what we have to expect here as it could be anything from World Title developments to a midcard feud getting TV time. Let’s get to it.
We see stills from Supercard of Honor XI, now only three weeks old.
Opening sequence.
Christopher Daniels is in the ring to get things going. He defeated Dalton Castle at Supercard of Honor and now it’s Matt Taven getting his chance. After that he’ll face the winner of a four way next week at War of the Worlds, but first up it’s the American Nightmare Cody. Daniels would love to face Cody anytime so let’s make that match as soon as possible.
Here’s Cody right now but the match isn’t happening tonight. It’s not worth it for Cody to compete for the match in Baltimore but New York City doesn’t sound too bad. That sounds great to Daniels so let’s add Cody to the War of the Worlds match and make it a three way. Cody thinks Daniels brings integrity to the title but imagine if a part timer like him took the title away.
Video on Marty Scurll retaining the TV Title at Supercard of Honor.
Kazarian is ready to replace the chip on his shoulder with the TV Title.
Lio Rush vs. Shane Taylor
Speed vs. power and Rush is basically the hometown boy. Taylor recently joined the Rebellion, who Rush has been dealing with for months now. Before the match, Caprice Coleman says this is Rush’s punishment for defying the Rebellion. Lio slaps Shane in the face to start but his strikes have as much effect as you would expect on someone twice his size. A low bridge sends Shane outside but he easily blocks a hurricanrana. Instead Rush tries some kicks to the head, only to be slammed back first into the post.
Back from a break with Rush hammering away and getting swatted away again. Yet another strike sequence works a bit better and he kicks Taylor in the head a few times. The tornado DDT gets two but Coleman offers a distraction, meaning Rush has to dive out onto him. Rush misses the Dragon’s Call though and a sitout spinebuster gives Shane the pin at 7:25.
Rating: C+. Taylor is just huge (especially in the thigh region) and there’s only so much that someone Rush’s size is going to be able to do against him. It’s also pretty clear that Rush is heading to WWE or at least out of ROH in the near future so this isn’t the most surprising result in the world.
Post match the Motor City Machine Guns come out to prevent a post match beatdown, which takes place anyway as the Rebellion destroys the Guns.
We look at Josh Woods and John Skyler before the tournament finals. I believe this is the same video as last week.
Top Prospect Tournament Final: John Skyler vs. Josh Woods
Bob Evans is on commentary and Woods gets some rare pyro. Woods takes it to the mat to start and it’s already off to the arm work. A running knee stuns Skyler but he grabs a quick hot shot anyway. John shouts a lot and we take a break with the fans not all that interested so far. Back with Skyler working over the ribs with some stomping and a backsplash for two.
A second backsplash is countered into a quickly broken triangle choke, followed by a series of strikes. Some suplexes give Woods two and he slips out of Southern Salvation (super Regal Roll). Skyler comes right back with a spear on the apron, followed but a slingshot spear for two more. For some reason Skyler tries another spear, only to dive into something like a GTS of all things. John tries a charge in the corner but gets caught in a Rolling Chaos Theory. Woods floats over into a kneebar for the tap and the tournament at 9:28.
Rating: C+. This was just a few steps above a squash as Woods was obviously the best option in the whole tournament from the start of his first match so there was no reason to believe he wasn’t winning here. Skyler was fine but no one I’m going to remember after this. Woods might not be great but he’s someone who should fit in well on the roster, which is more than I was expecting coming into this tournament.
Post match David Starr (Who is David Starr? Someone you’re supposed to know in advance because ROH doesn’t feel the need to explain.) runs in and lays him out before listing off his fifteen or so nicknames. Starr: “I am really good at professional wrestling.”
Adam Cole wants to make up with the Young Bucks and get back to being the Bullet Club again.
TV Title: Marty Scurll vs. Kazarian
Scurll is defending. They trade wristlocks to start and it’s a very early standoff, as is often the case. Kazarian switches things up a bit and blasts Marty with a right hand to the face before hitting a slingshot DDT onto the apron (read as it missed the apron by a good foot, though to be fair it was basically the same as being thrown over the top so there would still be impact) as we take a break.
Back with Scurll working on the arm until Kazarian hits a cool hiptoss into a brainbuster/neckbreaker (could have been either really). An inverted exploder gets two on the champ but he kicks Kazarian’s knee out to take over again. It’s too early for the chickenwing (Kazarian: “NO CHICKENWINGS ON THE MENU!”) so Scurll settles for two off a brainbuster instead.
Scurll goes outside for his umbrella but stops to snap Kazarian’s finger instead. The fingers are fine enough that Kazarian can grab the umbrella, but the distraction lets Scurll grab some powder. That goes into the referee’s face though, meaning the Ace of Spades gets no count. Cue Hangman Page to hit Kazarian with a chair, giving Marty a rollup to retain at 8:12.
Rating: C-. It’s never a good sign when you can take out a major plot point and have the same match. This is identical with or without the powder spot and that’s not good. They could have done the exact same story with Page chairing Kazarian into the chickenwing for the submission, which makes Scurll look strong but keeps the Kazarian vs. Bullet Club going. Instead though, just throw powder as an unnecessary bonus.
Post match, Scurll makes the eternal mistake of saying he’s out of competition. Cue the returning Matt Sydal to say he wants a shot to end the show.
Overall Rating: B-. It’s amazing how much better a show can be when the stories are from the same month instead of several weeks beforehand. The wrestling being good was a major plus as well and now they have a few weeks before the War of the Worlds show, which already sounds like it could be a fun show. Granted it’s not going to matter if they just throw the New Japan guys onto the card in a bunch of random matches and expect everything to work without putting in the effort.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
Ring of Honor TV – April 19, 2017: Are We Ready Yet?
Ring of Honor Date: April 19, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Kevin Kelly
We finally wrap up the Las Vegas tapings here as we get closer to only being a month behind. This time it’s about the World Title again as we have a randomly drawn eight man tag. The winning team will face off next week in a four way with the winner getting a World Title shot at some point in the future. Let’s get to it.
The opening video explains what I just told you. I doubt people read those things but come on now.
Opening sequence.
Chris Sabin vs. Caprice Coleman
Feeling out process to start with Sabin doing the nip up out of the wristlock, only to have Coleman drop him because he’s smart enough to not stand there while Sabin does his movements. And never mind as Sabin does it again while Coleman just stands there. It was nice while it lasted.
Sabin gets in an enziguri and something like a spinning Big Ending for two. The running kick from the apron (that almost everyone seems to do anymore) drops Coleman, only to have Kenny King offer a distraction. Cue Lio Rush as Coleman gets two off a springboard dropkick.
Back from a break with Coleman rolling northern lights suplexes for two, only to eat a running boot in the corner. A Falcon’s Arrow gets two but Coleman grabs something like a running Diamond Cutter for the same. Sabin ducks the Sky Splitter and goes outside to take out King because he’s the kind of face who feels overly aggressive. A sunset flip (with Rush breaking up King’s cheating) gives Sabin the pin at 9:19.
Rating: C-. I really can’t stand Chris Sabin. He’s not interesting and so many of his matches feel incredibly choreographed. The match was fine enough and helped advance the feud between the two groups but it’s still not something that I really care about watching. The name Search and Destroy doesn’t help Sabin’s stable either. Watchable match with no interest.
We look back at the Briscoes and Bully Ray winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles last week.
Silas Young plugs Unauthorized in Milwaukee with the same promo from last week.
Cheeseburger/Will Ferrara vs. Roppongi Vice
Vice throws their gear to the announcers, who put them on for reasons of unfunny comedy. Trent and Ferrara start things off but the fans want a double tag. They immediately do the forearms with Cheeseburger telling him to bring it before dropping Romero with a shoulder. Everything breaks down for a bit with Trent picking Romero up and ramming him into both guys.
We take a break and come back with Romero doing his forever clotheslines (exactly what it sounds like) until Cheeseburger gets in one of his own. Everything breaks down again with Ferrara hitting his suicide dive but getting dropped by Romero’s running knee. Strong Zero is broken up and Cheeseburger does his running palm strike into a crucifix for two on Trent. Cheeseburger dives onto Romero and Ferrara hits a German suplex on Trent. Not that it matters though as a tornado DDT is countered into Strong Zero for the pin at 9:14.
Rating: C+. Better match than I was expecting but I’m still really tired of hearing about how great a team is in Japan. Yeah Vice has won a bunch of stuff in Japan but they haven’t done much in ROH, making it seem like I’m missing something. That gets old in a hurry and it happens far too often around here.
Ferrara shoves Cheeseburger away and walks off on his own.
Quick preview of next week’s Top Prospect Tournament final. Thank goodness we can be done with that thing.
Silas Young/Hangman Page/Jay White/Jay Lethal vs. Colt Cabana/Lio Rush/Hanson/Bobby Fish
The winning team advances to a four way for a World Title shot. White and Rush start things off with more spinning out of a wristlock, as in what we saw in the first match. Rush flips away a lot more, misses a few legsweeps, and grabs a rollup for two. Young is really not impressed and tells White to do better. Lethal’s team gets in a brawl and we take a break.
Back with Lethal vs. Cabana with Colt telling the other team to start fighting again. Hanson comes in and rubs his beard over Lethal’s face before it’s off to Page to work over Fish in the corner. Lethal’s team gets in another fight over who gets to stay on Fish with Silas eventually getting the call.
Back from another break with Fish being sent outside so Page can hit a good looking shooting star off the apron. Young and Page keep refusing to tag in either Jay so Fish suplexes Silas into Adam, allowing the tag to Hanson. That means it’s time for a bunch of clotheslines with two opponents in each corner. Hanson probably runs across the ring ten times before handing it back to Rush for a slam onto Page.
Rush manages to slam the 200lbs heavier Hanson onto Page as well but a tornado DDT only gets two on Lethal. Everyone keeps brawling on the floor until Rush dives onto the pile. Lethal gets the Lethal Combination on Cabana but Page refuses to take the tag. He goes to leave but gets caught by Kazarian, who throws Page to the back. Rush gets one heck of a powerbomb on Lethal but his frog splash hits knees. The Lethal Injection puts Lio away at 17:45.
Rating: B-. The psychology here made a lot of sense as you had so many people wanting to be the one to win that they didn’t see the bigger prize. I’m assuming Page didn’t want Lethal to win as the Bullet Club is scared of having to deal with him again. Other than that almost everyone was just there and that’s fine for a match like this. It’s a strong match and a good way to make things feel a bit more important.
Overall Rating: C. This show illustrated a problem that a lot of Ring of Honor shows have: a good chunk of it feels like it doesn’t matter and then there’s one major match that feels important. Look at the first two matches here. We had a match involving the Rebellion (the poster child for useless stables) and then a match that felt like it was designed to set up a team for a run in Japan/to break up a lower card team. Neither of those things really need to be taking up TV time, especially when it feels like so much time passes between some major stories.
It feels like ROH has so much going on but they take so long to get to a lot of those things. When you have an hour a week, you really shouldn’t be putting in filler. The second match certainly felt like filler while the first match just wasn’t all that interesting. They need to tighten this stuff up but I’ve been making those complaints for years now and it’s pretty clear that they’re not going to be changed anytime soon.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
Ring of Honor TV – April 12, 2017: Now Just A Month Behind
Ring of Honor Date: April 12, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Kevin Kelly
I’m not even going to pretend that I know what’s going on at the moment. I know we’re past the Anniversary Show but I’d assume we’re not up to Supercard of Honor yet, despite it taking place nearly two weeks ago. All I know is we’ll still be seeing Top Prospect Tournament stuff because that thing just won’t end. Let’s get to it.
The Briscoe Brothers take us back to Manhattan Mayhem where Bully Ray saved them from a Bullet Club beatdown. Tonight they’re going after the Six Man Tag Team Titles.
Opening sequence.
Punishment Martinez vs. Hanson
Martinez is now completely on his own, which should be a better fit for him. Hanson blocks a spinning kick to the face to start and sends Marintez to the floor for a suicide dive. A ram into the post sets up a Whoopee Cushion from the ramp to really have Martinez reeling. Back inside and Martinez runs him over in the corner before hitting a spring Swanton of all things.
We take a break and come back with Hanson winning a fight over a suplex. Martinez is laid on the top rope for some forearms (think Sheamus’ ten forearms) but one heck of a right hand puts Hanson outside. Since Martinez is an athletic freak, we hit the Taker Dive over the corner, followed by a top rope spinwheel kick for two (should have been the finish).
A chokeslam doesn’t work though and Hanson gets two off a powerslam. Hanson’s own spinning kick gets two and as you might expect, it doesn’t mean as much after Martinez’s huge one earlier. Cue Davey Boy Smith Jr. for a distraction though, allowing Martinez to avoid a moonsault. The sitout chokeslam ends Hanson at 8:45.
Rating: B-. Martinez is the kind of guy that ROH needs to push as he’s a bit different than the run of the mill guys you see around here so often. Hanson wasn’t bad and I’m glad they’re letting War Machine do their own things as there’s only so much they can do in the tag division. Hopefully Smith sticks around too as he’s an entertaining guy. Good opener here and the right guy won.
We look back at TK O’Ryan breaking his leg at the 15th Anniversary Show.
Hangman Page attacked Kazarian in the parking lot earlier this week.
Top Prospect Tournament Semifinals: Curt Stallion vs. John Skyler
From Manhattan Mayhem as we flash back to March 4. A lockup goes nowhere to start as I’m going to have a hard time telling these guys apart. Stallion rolls through a sunset flip and hits a jumping double stomp while shouting YOU’RE STUPID. So he’s the heel here. Fine enough and at least there’s something to set them apart. They head outside with one heck of a dive sending Skyler into the barricade and us to a break.
Back with Skyler getting two off a backsplash and grabbing a chinlock. Skyler gets two off a tiger bomb but stops to spit at him. Stallion is all fired up and no sells a German suplex before grabbing one of his own for two. Some running knees in the corner get two and Stallion no sells a superkick. Skyler gets two off a slingshot spear through the ropes, only to get caught in White Noise onto the knee for the good near fall. Stallion loads up something on the top, only to get caught in Southern Salvation (the middle rope Regal Roll) for the pin at 10:14.
Rating: B. I liked the match more than I was expecting to but I’m REALLY sick of this tournament. For some reason we’ve been stuck watching a match a week so the tournament has to drag on for nearly two months. It’s been getting better but I’m WAY past the point of being interested in anyone involved with the whole thing.
Adam Cole has recorded a video for the Young Bucks, asking for things to go back to the way they were.
Six Man Tag Team Titles: Bully Ray/Briscoe Brothers vs. Kingdom
Kingdom is defending and have Silas Young replacing the injured O’Ryan. The champs bicker before the match so Bully asks if they know who the three of them are. The fight is on in a hurry with Taven taking the worst of it in the for of a hard clothesline to the floor. Back from a break with Bully hitting those loud chops to Marseglia’s chest. Mark comes in to keep up the beating, followed by a facewash from Jay. The other champs finally get it together and crotch Jay against the post to take over for the first time.
Marseglia and Taven choke in the corner, followed by Young dropping a knee for two. Taven gets the same off a top rope elbow with Mark making the save. We take a second break and come back with Mark cleaning house. A cheap shot from the apron slows him down though and it’s time for the champs to argue again. The distraction allows the hot tag to Bully, who hits a quick triple 3D on Vinny for the pin at 10:41.
Rating: C+. That’s the right call as the Kingdom wasn’t doing anything at full strength so getting the titles off a weakened version was almost a requirement. Bully and the Briscoes are a more entertaining option but they still don’t solve the issue of there not being enough teams to warrant the titles in the first place. At least they got the booking right here.
Overall Rating: C+. That’s one of the better shows they’ve done in a good while, assuming you can ignore the ridiculous scheduling issues. We’re just now setting up the finals of an eight man tournament that started two months ago. I have no idea when the finals are going to air but I’m not sure why I’m supposed to care at this point. ROH tries to do WAY too much with one hour a week, especially when they have so many throwaway episodes. At least something happened this week, which makes things a bit better.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
Ring of Honor 15th Anniversary Show: You Can’t Rely on This Forever
15th Anniversary Show Date: March 10, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live Casino, Sunrise Manor, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Kevin Kelly, Colt Cabana
This was a recent request and for once I’m actually trying to get some of those knocked off. Ring of Honor has been around for a long time and the fact that they’ve made it this far is really quite impressive. Since it’s a major milestone show, the main event is an ROH legend in Christopher Daniels trying to win the ROH World Title for the first time. Let’s get to it.
The opening video looks at some of the bigger names in the company’s history (the only logical way to go) before switching up to Daniels talking about starting wrestling in 1993 and getting here. Champion Adam Cole says 1993 was important for him too as he learned to color. This is your classic young punk vs. veteran and there’s nothing wrong with that. It worked for Raven vs. Terry Funk and it can work well here. As a final note, Daniels’ best friend Kazarian joined the Bullet Club, which sounds rather swervish.
Jay White vs. Caprice Coleman
Great. We’re starting with a bonus match and a bonus REBELLION match on top of that. This show isn’t looking very promising. Ian: “Collar and elbow tieup to start here.” Colt: “Great call Ian!” They fight over wristlocks and armdrags to start with King getting the better of it and driving some knees into the back.
White gets in a few Tomoaki Honma spots to pop the crowd (Honma was badly injured and out of action at this point). Since it’s just a headbutt, King knocks him to the floor for a flip dive. A chinlock goes nowhere so White gets up and dives on fellow Rebellion member Caprice Coleman.
This proves to be a bad idea (as is almost always the case) as King hits a running dropkick, followed by a bridging capture suplex for two. White comes back with a Downward Spiral but charges into a spinebuster for no cover. Jay gets dropkicked on the top but shoves King away for a high crossbody. That’s rolled through as well with King trying the Royal Flush, only to have White small package him for the pin at 9:52.
Rating: C+. Nice match here with both guys looking good, or at least as the Rebellion is capable of looking. White is one of the many talented people in ROH who can wrestle a solid match but doesn’t really have a character, meaning he has a bit of a firm ceiling to how far he can go. The match was a good opener and the ending was exactly what it should have been.
We recap the dissolution of the Addiction with Kazarian joining the Bullet Club.
The Club welcomes their newest member.
Kazarian vs. Hangman Paige vs. Chris Sabin vs. Punisher Martinez vs. Cheeseburger vs. Silas Young
One fall to a finish, tags required, lucha rules and the winner gets a future TV Title shot. We start with Kazarian and Sabin trading probably a dozen one counts off a rollup. They’re on the floor in a hurry and that means we hit the parade of dives with the 6’7 Martinez hitting a step up dive of his own to really freak the crowd out (I’m not sure if that’s really easy or really hard to do around here).
Kazarian and Page take Martinez down, leaving us with a short lived Bullet Club showdown. Cheeseburger comes in to break it up but gets beaten up by Young, leaving the announcers to make food jokes. Martinez chokes Cheeseburger (Colt: “What a pickle!”) but everyone comes back in, allowing Sabin to hit a springboard tornado DDT on Young. Page loads Cheeseburger up for the Rite of Passage on the apron but Martinez breaks it up for no apparent reasons.
Adam spits at him for reasons of general stupidity, earning himself a chokeslam onto the apron. Back inside, Sabin German superplexes Kazarian but gets caught in Young’s Misery for two. Cheeseburger escapes the same thing and kicks Silas from the apron. The palm strike drops Young but Kazarian grabs the Ace of Spades (twisting Stunner) for the pin on Cheeseburger at 10:19.
Rating: B-. It was fun but this is one of Ring of Honor’s major problem areas: throwing a bunch of people into a match and thinking that’s good enough for a story. Kazarian was the only one in the match that had a real chance of winning (based on the story) so why did four others need to be there? Let Kazarian fight any of them (build someone up so they seem like a real threat to beat him) and tell a better story. Just throwing a bunch of people together feels like the easy way out and while the match was fun, it could have been better.
Jay Lethal and Bobby Fish both say they need to win the match so they can go after the World Title.
Bobby Fish vs. Jay Lethal
The match is billed as a top contenders match which may or may not mean a #1 contenders match. It’s pretty early in the show for something that big so I’ll assume it’s just another one of ROH’s ideas that might mean someone gets a title shot on some house show. They hit the mat to start before Fish starts in with the kicks. One big kick puts Lethal on the floor for a second thought on his strategy.
Back in and Lethal scores with a dropkick to send Fish outside. Another dropkick sends him into the barricade but Jay misses the suicide dive and hits the barricade as well. That means a bad arm but Jay gets in a third dropkick to keep control. Fish kicks him hard in the chest a few times though, shrugs off a European uppercut (why yes, we are watching an indy wrestling match) and hits another kick to the chest to drop Lethal.
Jay comes right back with a superkick (make your own jokes) and this time the suicide dive works. They get back inside for the big serious exchange of forearms with Fish driving him into the corner for an ankle lock. That’s not the brightest idea so Lethal grabs a cutter but Hail to the King is countered into the heel hook. A quick Lethal Combination sets up Hail to the King, only to have Fish grab another heel hook. Jay reverses into a rollup for the break, followed by the Lethal Injection for the pin at 15:12.
Rating: B. The matches are getting better and this one told a good story with the submission grappler against the natural all around performer who comes up biggest on the grand stages. I had a good time with this match, which isn’t the most surprising thing in the world given that I like both guys. Fish is a very solid hand but I think he’s pretty much resigned to the position of making the stars look good. Not the most horrible thing in the world to be sure.
We recap the Six Man Tag Team Title match. The Kingdom have the titles and since Dalton Castle and the Boys are a three man combination, they get a title shot. These belts continue to be one of the worst ideas possible for a company like this but hey, New Japan has them right? Both teams have a quick promo, saying they’ll win for the obvious reasons.
Six Man Tag Team Titles: The Kingdom vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys
The Kingdom is defending and Castle is just crazy over, being accompanied to the ring by an army of Boys. Thankfully Cabana is there to insult Castle and the Boys after their long feud. It’s a brawl to start and I don’t remember hearing a bell. The Boys start fast with double suplexes and the Kingdom bails to the floor for a meeting.
Castle and Marseglia start things off with Dalton wrestling him down and slamming the Boys onto him. Cabana actually knows how to tell the Boys apart and it’s #1 being taken to the floor for a beating. Colt: “THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN!” #1 gets slammed back first onto the apron and Marseglia follows up with some running forearms to the head. Since he’s a good boss, Castle offers a distraction so the Boys can switch.
Colt is losing his mind as he tries to get the referee’s attention but the hot tag brings in Castle anyway. The Bang-a-Rang plants O’Ryan for two so the Boys come in for a double dropkick on Vinny. O’Ryan sends the Boys outside and tries an Asai moonsault…..which hits the barricade, giving him a legitimate broken leg. Taven and Marseglia throw #1 back inside for a double powerbomb (Rockstar Supernova, an awesome name) to retain at 7:54. You can tell they were home REALLY fast and that’s completely understandable.
Rating: D+. This wasn’t any good and would have been boring on a regular TV show, let alone a major pay per view. I can’t imagine it would have been much to see even with the regular ending but you can’t fault them for ending the match soon because of a broken leg. The titles need to go away in a hurry though because they’re just not working.
We recap Marty Scurll vs. Lio Rush for the TV Title. Scurll has been a dominant champion and Rush is his latest challenger, having beaten him in a non-title 2/3 falls match. Assuming Scurll was champion then, why in the world was a 2/3 falls match non-title?
TV Title: Lio Rush vs. Marty Scurll
Rush is challenging and they’re quickly on the mat with a series of headlocks into headscssiors. Things speed up a bit with Rush tripping him to the floor for a hurricanrana off the apron. That’s fine with the arm flapping Scurll who superkicks him from the apron. Back in and Scurll start sin on the arm, including a stomp to the hand. Rush blocks the finger break though and hits a Tajiri handspring into a body block to take over.
Something like Sister Abigail into a DDT instead of a Downward Spiral gets two on the champ but he sends Rush shoulder first into the post. Rush speeds things up again and sends him outside for a double stomp to the back. Back in and Marty kicks at the legs for a change of pace (with the announcers explaining that he’s trying to break Rush down piece by piece and that he can always go back to the arm later).
One heck of a forearm puts Rush outside but he storms back in for a rapid fire exchange of forearms. Rush’s Tajiri handspring is pulled into the chickenwing but Rush makes the ropes. Scurll gets two off a piledriver but Rush comes right back with a running C4 (Rush Hour) for the same. With nothing else working, Rush heads outside and grabs the belt (Colt: “You have to win that first.”).
Not that it matters as he throws it right back outside and kicks Marty in the head for two. With nothing else working, Rush loads up a chair on the floor. A super Rush Hour is broken up though and Scurll takes him down with a Tower of London (hanging cutter out of the corner). The finger is snapped and Marty chickenwings him to retain at 18:38.
Rating: B. Really solid stuff here as Rush continues to grow on me in ways I never would have expected. Scurll is so much fun to watch though I could go for him doing more villainous things than just saying he’s a villain. To be fair though, when the setup for your finisher is breaking a finger, you’re quite evil in the first place. Good match here and probably the best thing all night so far.
We look at Bully Ray helping the Briscoes in Manhattan, which is all you’re getting for a recap.
Briscoe Brothers/Bully Ray vs. War Machine/Davey Boy Smith Jr.
This was supposed to be Smith/Lance Archer vs. the Briscoes but Archer is injured so this is a replacement match. War Machine and Smith don’t get along though so this might not be the most competitive match. It’s a brawl to start (of course) with Bully sending Davey into the corner a few times. The Briscoes come in and get suplexed at the same time in quite the power display.
Smith gets slammed down for What’s Up with Mark hitting an elbow instead of the headbutt. That means it’s time for some tables but War Machine makes a save and takes over on Mark. Kelly tries to explain the backstory with all the New Japan stables and as usual, I need a good sized chart to make sense of all this (please don’t explain it to me). A series of stomping sets up Smith’s camel clutch and a delayed vertical suplex.
Hansen tries one too many right hands and gets caught in a suplex, allowing the hot tag off to Jay. House is cleaned for a few moments until a pop up powerslam plants Jay for two but a clothesline allows the real hot tag to Bully as everything breaks down. Bully actually goes up top for a high crossbody (!) to take out everyone at once. The Jay Driller into the Froggy Bow sets up a three man 3D to finish Rowe at 11:45.
Rating: C+. This was the kind of fun match that you would expect. They beat each other up for a bit and didn’t bother wasting time on anything more than they needed to. Bully is best used as a featured attraction like this as he’s a legend who can just come in, do his signature stuff, and go to the finish. The match was fine and entertaining, which is all it needed to be.
Smith and War Machine fight on the floor which I’d assume will be resolved in another promotion in Japan.
We recap the Tag Team Title match. The Young Bucks were the champions and successfully defended at Manhattan Mayhem. Post match the Broken Hardys appeared and won the titles in an impromptu match. Roppongi Vice was already scheduled to challenge in a street fight so we’ll just make it a three way.
Tag Team Titles: Roppongi Vice vs. Young Bucks vs. Broken Hardys
Matt and Jeff are defending in a street fight. This is just after the TNA lawsuit, meaning the Hardys can only be kind of Broken because TNA is annoying and petty because they seem to think they can just throw the Broken gimmick on anyone and it’ll work (it won’t work because no one else can play the characters like Matt and Jeff). But hey, TNA gets to stand by its principles and if they just happen to look like penny pinching imbeciles, so be it.
Vice is knocked to the floor to start so they bring in some weapons to put the bigger teams down. A springboard dropkick drives a trashcan lid into Jeff’s back. The Bucks can’t hit a Meltzer Driver but the Hardys come back in to beat up Vice instead. Vice breaks up another Bucks vs. Hardys showdown so Nick powerbombs Romero off the apron and onto the ramp. The Bucks and the Hardys start brawling….and let’s hit the replay!
The champs get dropped with superkicks but the Bucks miss the stolen Hardys’ top rope shots. It’s time for the first ladder because I’m not sure the Hardys know how to work a long match without one. Jeff brings in a trashcan but gets superkicked with Matt taking one as well. A third superkick knocks Jeff off the ropes and into a big pile, only to have Nick get shoved off the ladder into a springboard flip dive onto the same pile.
Nick is right back in with a springboard 450 onto a trashcan onto Trent for two. More Bang for Your Buck is broken up and Jeff’s Swanton hits raised knees. With everyone down, Romero grabs a sleeve (as in from a shirt) covered in thumbtacks for a string of clotheslines in the corner. Strong Zero gets two on Nick with Matt making the save. Beretta pours out another bag of tacks but due to wrestling law #1, that means he’s sent face first into them, this time via something like a Steiner Bulldog.
The Five Star Driver (or maybe it’s the Meltzer Driver or whatever their insider name is for it that the fans cheer for because it makes them feel smart) sends Trent into the tacks, setting up another slugout with the Hardys. The champs get the better of it and bring out a table and a second ladder for various hardcore reasons. Matt and Jeff send the Bucks to the floor and a flip dive (not exactly a Swanton through Trent through the table is enough for the pin to retain at 17:14.
Rating: B+. These matches, along with most Bucks matches, are like junk food: there’s no quality to them but they’re a lot of fun to watch. I’d rather watch them just do their stuff with the superkicks and flips than try to have people tell me how great a match it is because they know how to put together better matches than any other team. The match was a fun, violent brawl and that’s all it needed to be. It was designed to pop the crowd and I got into a lot of those big spots, though the ending felt a bit flat. Also, well done on putting this together so quickly with the surprise addition of the Hardys.
The Hardys take the Young Bucks’ Superkick Titles too.
We recap the World Title match. Christopher Daniels won a tournament designed for older competitors to earn his shot. The idea is Daniels has given his all to the business but has never actually won the World Title. He’s put in everything he’s had for twenty four years and absolutely cannot lose.
This includes another outstanding promo from Daniels where he breaks into tears, talking about how he just has to win. Daniels has been on fire with the promos lately and I actually want to see him win after really not being a fan for years on end. The other detail is Daniels’ best friend Kazarian turning on him to join the Bullet Club to side with champion Adam Cole.
ROH World Title: Adam Cole vs. Christopher Daniels
There are no seconds here. Daniels is challenging and we’re ready to go after some Big Match Intros. We actually get a Code of Honor as the announcers talk about Daniels being 0-8-1 in World Title matches. Cole takes him down and makes a face before doing it again and slapping Daniels in the back of the head. The feeling out process/mind games continue as Cole sends him into the ropes for an ADAM COLE BAY BAY!
That earns him a right hand to the jaw so Adam stomps away in the corner. A backdrop sends Cole outside to give Daniels his first major offense nearly five minutes in. That’s quickly wrapped up though as a superkick knocks Daniels’ head into the post to draw some blood. Thankfully Adam is smart enough to stay on the cut and we hit a chinlock, which should squeeze more blood out of his head.
More kicks to the head have Daniels reeling but one too many poses allows Daniels to get in a Koji Clutch for a big hope spot. Daniels can’t follow up though so Cole talks trash about Daniels’ wife, which gives us the expected result. We hit the slugout with Daniels getting in an STO and a Blue Thunder Bomb for two.
The BME misses though and Adam scores with a superkick for two more. A Shining Wizard sets up the Last Shot for a near fall but Daniels hits him in the face again. Angel’s Wings is countered and it’s a double clothesline to put both guys down. Cole’s Canadian Destroyer is countered but he grabs Angel’s Wings on Daniels for two.
As you might expect, Daniels hits a Last Shot of his own for the same, followed by a Styles Clash of all things for a very near fall. Back up and the referee gets superkicked so heeeere’s Kazarian. We nearly get some heel miscommunication but instead Kazarian rips off the Bullet Club shirt to reveal a Daniels shirt. A Rock Bottom into three straight BME’s give us a new champion at 21:47.
Rating: B. I liked this more than I was expecting to with a great story as Daniels survived until he got one shot, just like he had done for his entire career. The Kazarian stuff was really well done (a bit predictable but still good) and Daniels did everything himself (Kazarian never touched Cole). They nailed the big moment and that’s all that mattered here with a good match to make it work even better.
The long celebration with a lot of the locker room coming out ends the show.
Overall Rating: A-. This really was a great show with the worst thing being the Six Man Tag Team Titles and even that was far from bad. They nailed the big ending which is all almost anyone is going to remember from this show and that’s the most important thing. However, it also brings up one of ROH’s major problems.
Aside from the main event and the Tag Team Titles to a lesser degree, almost nothing on here feels like it has a story that has either been thoroughly explained or even exists at all. I watch every episode of ROH TV and I couldn’t begin to tell you where a lot of these matches came from. Yeah Rush beat Scurll in a 2/3 falls match. Not only do I have no idea when/where he did that but I don’t remember it being mentioned on TV unless it was in passing.
This comes back to ROH’s TV being all screwed up. The go-home show for this (dated March 8) featured Kazarian turning, the Kingdom defending against the Rebellion with Dalton Castle on commentary and a Top Prospect Tournament match. Before that it was Addiction having issues, another Top Prospect Tournament match and the setup for Rush vs. Scurll, which involved about six more people. Finally, the last show of February featured Colt Cabana (on commentary here) squashing the Boys (title contenders here), an unrelated match and Daniels becoming #1 contender.
In the three weeks of build to this show, three out of the eight matches (World Title, TV Title, Six Man Tag Team Titles) got any kind of significant mention on TV. Maybe the other five matches were mentioned on the ROH website or something but I really should have a better idea of a pay per view by watching the last three weeks of TV. Run down the card or give us some promos (maybe you could get rid of the horrible Top Prospect Tournament matches or move them to a later date or something) or do SOMETHING to help build these matches up.
The formula worked here but you’re not going to be able to rely on the wrestlers knocking it out of the park every time. So much of this show worked because the main event (which was well built and told a great story) rocked and the ladder match had people who know how to work that match to near perfection. You can’t rely on that every single time and a big solution to that problem is to fix their freaking TV. I mean, they haven’t in years and it’s not going to get better anytime soon but it need to get better. Anyway, really strong show here and one of ROH’s best in a long time.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
Ring of Honor TV – April 5, 2017: Lost in Space and Time
Ring of Honor Date: April 5, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Kevin Kelly
We’re past Supercard of Honor and if we’re lucky we’ll hear about it in a few weeks. The big story at the moment seems to be Adam Cole having issues with the Bullet Club as he’s been on a losing streak as of late. That sounds like fuel for a face turn or a way to get to NXT. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
We open with bonus footage from after last week’s show. Adam Cole asked the Young Bucks to get in the ring because he’s disappointed in them. They left him alone at the Fifteenth Anniversary Show and he lost the title as a result. Then they superkicked him in the face and cost him a match tonight. Cole fires both of them from the Bullet Club but the Bucks say they brought him in. They remind Cole that Kenny Omega leave the Bullet Club and walk out.
Cole is furious about losing the title. He can live with losing the belt in a fair contest but he lost in a 2-1 situation. Not that it matters as he’s won the title three times and he’ll do it again.
Ray Rowe vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Davey hits him in the knee to start and we get a bell while the beating is going on. Ray is in early trouble as Davey wraps the knee around the post, only to get punched in the face for his efforts. The knee is dropped onto a table though and you get a rare shot of hardwood floors in the arena. I don’t remember seeing that very often but it’s a unique look.
A Hartbreaker around the post has Ray screaming as we go to a break. Back with Rowe punching him in the face again but the knee gives out on a suplex attempt. An STF makes the knee even worse until Rowe makes the ropes. Davey switches to a reverse Muta Lock before missing a charge in the corner.
Rowe uses the shotgun knees in the corner despite the injury but he didn’t get a running start and stays down after hitting them. A German suplex drops Davey again but Rowe wrenches his knee again. Davey’s Batista Bomb gets two more, only to have Rowe knee him in the face. A full nelson slam into a knee to the back (Death Rowe) is good for the pin on Davey at 11:04.
Rating: B-. I liked this way more than I was expecting to and I’m really surprised at how much better Davey really was since the last time I saw him. I’m not sure I get having him lose here (assuming this wasn’t a one off appearance) as he dominated the match until losing to a few knee strikes at the end. Good match though.
Marty Scurll says he’ll beat Kenny King.
Kenny says he’ll win.
Top Prospect Tournament Semifinals: Brian Milonas vs. Josh Woods
Sweet goodness END THIS TOURNAMENT ALREADY. This is from Manhattan Mayhem. Milonas is the huge guy and Woods is the submission specialist. Woods goes for the leg but can only drive Milonas into the corner for almost no avail. With that not working, Josh grabs an arm hold around the ropes but of course it has to be broken in a hurry. Milonas gets in a major side slam and we take a break.
Back with Milonas using standard huge man offense, including the fat man elbow. A knee to the head finally staggers the big man and an armbar has Milonas in trouble. That goes nowhere so Milonas sits on him in the corner. Since that’s not the best offense in the world, Woods knees and kicks him down again for two with Brian grabbing the ropes. That weird falling splash gets two on Woods but he comes back with a German suplex for the same. A kneebar finally makes Milonas tap at 9:28.
Rating: D. This just kept going with the same story throughout: Milonas is huge but Woods is a good striker and kept cutting him down. It’s not the worst match I’ve ever seen but sweet goodness it took forever to get to the end. Woods is definitely the right call and while Milonas isn’t horrible, he ran out of things to do in a hurry.
We see stills of Bully Ray debuting to join forces with the Briscoes.
The Briscoes talk about teaming up with their childhood hero to challenge for the Six Man Tag Team Titles.
Kazarian won a #1 contenders match for a shot at the TV Title. Later that night, he helped Christopher Daniels win the World Title for the first time ever.
TV Title: Marty Scurll vs. Kenny King
Scurll is defending and Kazarian is on commentary. After some big match intros, it’s time to hit the mat with no one getting anywhere. They fight over wristlocks instead with Scurll spinning out and posing to take us to a break. Back with King grabbing a headlock on the mat, which goes as far as anything else has so far.
King snaps him throat first across the top but Marty pops back up for a superkick from the apron. Back in and Scurll starts going after the arm with a few twists. A kneedrop onto the arm gets two and it’s off to a double arm choke. King reverses into one of his own before getting in one heck of a near fall for two. We take another break and come back with Scurll getting two off a brainbuster.
A piledriver gets the same as Marty is now working on the neck. That’s very smart to set up the chickenwing. Scurll heads up top but gets stunned by a dropkick. They head outside with King hitting a charge up against the barricade, followed by a Blockbuster for a close two back inside. Not that it matters as Scurll pops the finger and gets the chickenwing to retain at 13:17.
Rating: B-. This should have been better but it felt like we were waiting around for the chickenwing. That’s perfectly fine as Scurll is a really solid choice for the championship right now, though I could go for more character stuff from him. Other than breaking the fingers and his entrance, there isn’t a lot of villany in him. Good match though, with King wrestling a bit better than usual.
Overall Rating: B-. If you can get around the fact that this has NOTHING to do with the pay per view storylines and accept that we won’t pick them up again for a good two or three weeks, you can really enjoy this episode. I really don’t get why Ring of Honor can’t get this right somehow. They tape enough TV to make it work but the scheduling is ridiculous. Does it really take that long to turn around an hour of TV? Just figure out something other than this as I have no idea when this is supposed to take place as we’re a few days past a show where a team is defending titles they haven’t even won yet on TV. Fix this stuff already!
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
Ring of Honor TV – March 29, 2017: We’re Almost There
Ring of Honor Date: March 29, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Kevin Kelly
I think we’re up to the pay per view now, only a mere three weeks after it took place. The big story is Christopher Daniels FINALLY winning that elusive World Title, which was the best possible option since Adam Cole is reportedly on his way out. That’s the case with far too many people and it’s a bad sign for the company. Let’s get to it.
Christopher Daniels talks about how he couldn’t lose on this one night and then he wouldn’t let it happen. So we’re FINALLY to the Anniversary Show, just as it’s the go home show for the next pay per view. Got it.
Opening sequence.
Here’s the Addiction to open things up with Daniels looking very happy holding that title. We even have APPLETINIS! Daniels immediately hits the bragging by talking about the brilliant plan, which can overcome a younger, faster and arguably more talented opponent. Kazarian couldn’t be happier for his buddy and just happens to be the new #1 contender to the TV Title. Cue Dalton Castle as we take a break.
Back with Daniels introducing Castle to the appletini, which seems to blow his mind. Dalton would love one of his own but there’s only one glass. No worries of course though as a single snap of the fingers brings out the Boys with a large glass for Castle. A toast allows Dalton to congratulate the new champion, but that brings some changes. This includes a title defense against Castle at Supercard of Honor and Castle wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
Cue the Bullet Club with Adam Cole not wanting to hear about the fairytale ending because he remembers it as the title being stolen. As for Castle, who in the world thinks he’s the best option for the title? Kazarian throws out a challenge for a six man later tonight and the match is made.
Marty Scurll cuts a promo about facing anyone when Kenny King comes up to challenge him for a title match. It seems to be all set.
Tag Team Titles: Briscoe Brothers vs. Hardys
Matt and Jeff are defending in a match with fifteen minutes’ build. Sweet goodness I can’t stand this show’s taping schedule. The champs have a very Broken style entrance without actually doing any of the Broken trademarks. Mark busts out some Redneck Kung Fu to confuse Jeff early on (you don’t hear that too often) but everything breaks down as the Hardys take over.
Chops in the corner give us some OBSOLETE/DELETE chants but Poetry in Motion is easily countered. Jay nails a suicide dive to set up the Cactus Elbow from the apron and it’s off to a break. Back with Jeff getting stomped down and then rear chinlocked for good measure. Jeff fights up and scores with a double Whisper in the Wind though, setting up the hot tag for the loud DELETE chants.
Matt’s bulldog is good for two on Mark and it’s back to Jeff for a chinlock. Back from another break with Mark and Jeff hitting a double clothesline to set up the double tag. Matt bites Jay in the corner to bust him open a bit. The neckbreaker gets two on Matt and the champs take back to back superplexes.
The Froggy Bow is only good for two on Matt though as the fans don’t seem sure who to cheer for. Mark comes in to slug away at Matt and the Doomsday Device gets yet another near fall. Back up and Jay is sent outside for a big crash, leaving Mark to take the Twist of Fate and Swanton…..for two? Dang I bought that as the finish, along with Mark rolling Matt up for two. Jeff makes a blind tag though and Matt backslides Mark down so Jeff can cradle him to retain at 17:44.
Rating: B+. That’s the best ROH match I’ve seen in a very long time and, while I’d love to see it actually get a proper build, there’s only so much you can do with the Hardys’ limited schedule. As a bonus, it’s pretty amazing to see Matt come back to ROH just a few years after he was Big Money Matt as this completely different character. He really is someone capable of re-inventing himself like this and it’s great stuff a lot of the time.
Post match the Young Bucks come out to challenge the Hardys to a ladder match at Supercard of Honor XI. The champs quickly agree.
Adam Page/Young Bucks vs. Addiction/Dalton Castle
This is joined in progress in a huge brawl and Daniels taking a double superkick. Nick adds a huge springboard flip dive to put everyone down, followed by another superkick. Of course that means the heels get to pose but the Boys break up the Rise of the Terminator dive. For your comedy, they even take the Bucks’ place next to Cole, who somehow doesn’t notice. The Bucks save another dive though and beat up the Boys (it’s not that hard) as Cole is STILL kneeling in the ring.
What does that say about the good guys on the floor Somehow they’re unable to be ready for the dives, which were loaded up about a minute before they even launched and Addiction had no chance of avoiding them. That’s a stretch even for wrestling. Back in with Kazarian getting beaten down in the corner before his partners come in, only to be triple suplexed. We take a break and come back with Kazarian blocking a double superkick but taking the slingshot X Factor.
Kazarian grabs a cutter though and it’s off to Daniels so house can be cleaned. Cole sneaks in with a superkick to drop Daniels but since he’s not a Buck, the champ can actually get the better of him. Castle (I forgot he was in this match) comes in for some suplexes but can’t hit the Bang-a-Rang. He can however catch Matt’s springboard in a German suplex. Nick comes back in with a Swanton on Castle but Daniels gets in Angel’s Wings on Matt.
Cole superkick him down though and everyone is out. The Canadian Destroyer nails Kazarian but it’s time for a Superkick Party. The Bucks kick Cole by mistake and Castle no sells a double superkick (that’s a new one and while I can’t stand the Bucks, that’s a bit of a stretch), setting up the Bang a Rang to put Cole away at 13:48.
Rating: B-. This was fun, though also served as the weekly Young Bucks party. At least the new champ was on the winning team, but he could have gotten the pin over Cole. You can see the problems with the Bullet Club coming through which is likely the way to set Cole’s exit from the company.
Castle and Daniels grab the title to end the show.
Overall Rating: A-. I know this isn’t going to last long term but at least we had a great show here. This was ALL about the wrestling with the Daniels promo as a bonus. This also helped set up the two Supercard of Honor main events, which certainly need the help with the show so close. Really good and entertaining show, mainly because they got back to the regular stuff instead of all the filler episodes.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:
Ring of Honor TV – March 22, 2017: The Benefits of Good Wrestling
Ring of Honor Date: March 22, 2017 Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentator: Ian Riccaboni
We’re at….I have no idea where we are on the calendar at this point as we’re done with the 15th Anniversary Show but we’re also coming up on Supercard of Honor XI, meaning it’s almost impossible to tell where this show fits in. It’s the nature of the ROH beast though and it’s really never going to get better. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
We see a graphic for the Young Bucks defending the Tag Team Titles against the Hardys at Supercard of Honor. WE’RE NOT EVEN TO MANHATTAN MAYHEM YET??? Good grief GET THIS STUFF RIGHT ALREADY!
Beer City Bruiser/Silas Young vs. Cheeseburger/Will Ferrara
Before the match, Young and Bruiser confirm that they have a partner for the April 1 shot at the Six Man Tag Team Titles. Cheeseburger gets flattened with a powerbomb to start before a suplex and low clothesline drop Ferrara. The wrestling sandwich dives back in though and sends his partner into Silas to get a breather. The villains tease sending Cheeseburger over for a tag before grabbing him in a swinging Boss Man Slam backbreaker. Not bad.
Bruiser misses his Cannonball and the hot tag brings in Will for the real house cleaning. That means heel miscommunication (of course it does) and a jumping Downward Spiral gives Ferrara two on Young. For some reason Will tries to slam the huge Bruiser, allowing Silas to get in a clothesline. Bruiser misses a Cannonball off the apron though, allowing Silas to take the palm strike for two with Bruiser making a diving save. Ferrara’s luck runs out though as Young grabs a cutter, followed by Bruiser’s frog splash for the pin at 5:40.
Rating: C. That’s Bruiser’s best match ever which isn’t that much of a surprise given how worthless he is most of the time. Young continues to look good but I’m really not interested in seeing him wasting time with the Bruiser. Ferrara and Cheeseburger were your normal small team and that’s always going to work if they can get the fans behind them. Nice little match.
Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Josh Woods vs. Chris Lerusso
Brutal Bob Evans and Silas Young join commentary. Woods is an amateur wrestler who takes Chris to the mat to start but can’t get a cross armbreaker. A kneebar doesn’t work as well as Chris gets in a dropkick to take over. Some right hands have Woods in trouble and it’s off to a bodyscissors as the mat/submission work continues. Back up and they slug it out until something like a t-bone suplex gets two on Lerusso. Woods tells him to bring it and gets a low superkick for his efforts. That’s enough for Josh as he kicks Lerusso down and hammers away until the referee stops it at 5:31.
Rating: C+. Match of the tournament here by about 843 miles with Woods looking great and Lerusso being more than acceptable. Woods wrestles an MMA style and it sets him apart from the rest of this mostly horrible tournament. Just let us have something unique instead of the same stuff over and over again. I really don’t know why that’s so much to ask for in this tournament.
Jay Briscoe isn’t worried about Jay White because he’ll finish him quick. This is the same promo from last week.
Quick look at Lio Rush’s issues with the Rebellion.
Lio Rush vs. Kenny King
Chris Sabin and is the new commentary partner. They hit the mat to start with neither being able to hold a headscissors. King misses a bunch of strikes which Rush hits with ease, followed by a jumping enziguri for two. Rush sends him outside for a dive but Kenny breaks up a dive with a kick as we take a break.
Back with Lio slugging away and hitting a Tajiri handspring elbow. Two straight suicide dives keep King in trouble but he rolls through a high crossbody, only to get taken down by a reverse hurricanrana. The frog splash is only good for two (thankfully, as that would have been two of them in three matches). King misses running knees in the corner though and a second frog splash misses. Kenny grabs the Royal Flush for the pin at 8:17.
Rating: C. It’s amazing how much better Rush is now that ACH is gone. They were way too similar to really need both of them around but word on the street is that Rush is gone too. There are always going to be high fliers around though and as much potential as people saw in Rush, I don’t exactly see him as irreplaceable.
Post match Caprice Coleman stares Rush down but Shane Taylor comes out for the save. As you might expect, that lasts all of thirty seconds before Taylor lays him out to join the Rebellion. This stable DOES NOT NEED new members!
Jay White vs. Jay Briscoe
Mark Briscoe is on commentary and this is a rematch from their great time limit draw a few months back. White dropkicks him into the corner to start and then sends Briscoe outside for some elbows up against the barricade. Briscoe is done with this defense thing and grabs a hurricanrana, followed by a suicide dive into the barricade for a big crash.
Back from a break with Briscoe grabbing a snap suplex as we talk about Jay Lethal. Even Mark seems to getting lost with all the Jay’s. Headbutts and forearms have White reeling and his comeback is cut off by a hard DDT. We come back from a second break with White nailing a running forearm. A missile dropkick and spinning Rock Bottom have Briscoe reeling into a Crossface.
White makes it even worse with something like Rings of Saturn, sending Briscoe’s boot over to the ropes for the save. Briscoe comes right back with a neckbreaker for two but the Jay Driller is countered into a suplex to the corner. Mark is doing a good job on commentary here as he started off very confident and is getting nervous on the kickouts. That’s a nice touch. White goes up but gets crotched down and sent through a table.
Back in and Briscoe no sells a half nelson suplex, only to have White no sell back to back big boots. That’s too far for Briscoe who plants him with a Death Valley Driver for a rare one count. They slug it out from their knees (how the first match ended) with Briscoe getting the better of it. Briscoe finally has enough though and BLASTS him with a discus lariat for the pin at 16:48.
Rating: B. White is good and these two matches have done a great job of making you believe that he can hang with someone much higher up the ladder like Briscoe. ROH takes way too long to build up new stars sometimes so this was quite the change of pace, which is certainly a good thing. Awesome match here as these two have some wicked chemistry.
Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t looking like the best show on paper but the main event really pulled it out. Ring of Honor shows tend to take its time to really get the juices flowing at times, which is exactly what happened on this show. It’s an entertaining one though and the main event really helped bring it up. Sometimes that’s what one match can do and the company needed it after some of the boring stuff they’ve been doing.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here: