Wrestle Kingdom XX
Date: January 4, 2026
Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
Attendance: 46,913
Commentators: Walker Stewart, Chris Charlton

It’s that time of year again as we have the biggest non-American event of the year. This show has quite the draw, as it features Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final match, as he is facing longtime rival Kazuchika Okada one last time in the show’s main event. If that isn’t enough, Yota Tsuji is challenging Konosuke Takeshita for the IWGP World Title. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow New Japan very closely. While I do know most of the bigger names, I apologize in advance for any character or storyline points that I miss.

Kickoff Show: Katsuya Murashima/Masatora Yasuda vs. Shoma Kato/Tatsuya Matsumoto

Young Lions match. Murashima and Matsumoto go to the mat to start and neither can get very far. It’s off to Yasuda, who backs Kato into the ropes for a rather hard chop. They strike it out and go to the mat for another standoff as this is rather basic so far (in traditional Young Lion style). Yasuda grabs some suplexes to take over and it’s off to Murashima to take over. That doesn’t last long as it’s off to Kato to clean house before Matsumoto (the strong one) snaps off some slams. Murishima powerslams Matsumoto into a Boston crab and when a save fails, Matsumoto taps at 6:20.

Rating: C. It was a very basic match but that’s the point. This is the kind of match you put out there for the sake of having some action while the fans are coming in and it isn’t supposed to be anything more than a chance for the young stars to get their feet wet. No one really stood out but it didn’t last long and the action was fine.

Kickoff Show: TV Title: Chris Brookes vs. El Phantasmo

Phantasmo, with Jado and company, is defending. Brookes takes him to the mat rather quickly to start and trade some clotheslines. A running hurricanrana sends Brookes outside, where he decks Jado. One of Brookes’ lackeys ties a ribbon to Phantasmo’s neck for a rather long (as in about thirty feet) crank. With that out of the way, Phantasmo escapes a chinlock but gets backsplashed for two. Phantasmo knocks him back down and hits a middle rope elbow, setting up the air guitar.

The lackeys offer a distraction on the floor, allowing Phantasmo to hit a torture rack neckbreaker for two. Brookes superplexes him down though and a running dropkick in the corner gets two more. Phantasmo is up with a super hurricanrana but Phantasmo’s top rope splash hits knees. They trade kicks to the face to no avail so Brookes grabs a Jay Driller for two. Phantasmo is back with something like a Neutralizer for two of his own, followed by the Thunder Kiss 86 splash for the pin to retain at 11:50.

Rating: B-. This got a bit better and I was digging it by the end. I’ve seen both of these two before and they’re rather good so I’m not surprised they had a fine match here. It improved once they got away from the people at ringside too, as they were little more than pests who weren’t helping anything.

As usual, the opening video looks at the matches in order, which does give you a nice idea of where everyone stands.

Never Openweight Six Man Tag Team Titles: New Japan Ranbo

So this is kind of a weird one, as the titles are being defended in basically a team Royal Rumble. Each team (eight, for twenty four total entrants) sends in all three members at a time in one minute intervals. When one entrant is eliminated (pinfall, submission, over the top), the team is eliminated, last team standing wins the belts.

RoughStorm (Shota Umino/Yuya Uemura)/Kaisei Takechi are in at #1 and the House Of Torture (Ren Narita/Sanada/Yoshinobu Kanemaru) are in at #2, with the former being played to the ring by a pop band. The House jumps them to start and send RoughStorm outside but the two of them are back inside for some dropkicks. Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors/Oskar/Yuto-Ice) are in at #3 and start cleaning house with Connors grabbing a big wheel for some destruction.

TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr./Ryohei Oiwa/Hartley Jackson) are in at #4 and the War Dogs are waiting on them, with the other six on the floor but not out. Connors hits a spear and it’s Tiger Mask/Togi Makabe/Ryusuke Taguchi in at #5. They take their sweet time getting to the ring, allowing Ice to almost be eliminated. Oskar is tossed though, meaning the War Dogs are gone.

Bishamon (Hirooki Goto/Yoshi-Hashi)/Boltin Oleg are in at #6 and get inside for some brawling as Taguchi uses the jumping hip attacks. Most of the people are on the floor as Team 150 (Tomohiro Ishii/Taichi/Satoshi Kojima) are in at #7. During their entrances, Mask is pinned by Oleg to clear the ring out a bit. Ishii slugs it out with Oleg and plants him with a suplex as we somehow only have two people standing in the ring out of fifteen in the match.

Toru Yano and SpiritTech (Master Wato/Yoh), the defending champions, complete the field at #8 with Yoh dressed as Yano. Taichi and Takechi get into something of a sumo match and a hurricanrana sends both of them out for the double elimination. The House cheat (their thing) to send Yoh over the top but his partners make the catch and throw him back inside.

Yoh hits Sanada low to even the score but Yoh is low bridged and pulled to the floor for the elimination. Sanada falls out as well though and we’re down to TMDK vs. Bishamon/Oleg. Sabre gets caught in the wrong corner for some running splashes and Oleg is choked. That’s broken up and Oleg throws Oiwa, only for Sabre to get the European clutch for the pin and the titles at 20:46.

Rating: C-. This didn’t work, as it was WAY too chaotic with far too much going on and almost no way to keep track of who was doing what. It featured one of the biggest annoyances in wrestling, with a battle royal style match with people on the floor for a long stretch, making it hard to keep track of who was involved. Just do a gauntlet match or something like that, as it makes it so much easier to understand.

IWGP Women’s Title/Strong Women’s Title: Syuri vs. Saya Kamitani

Winner take all. They go with the grappling to start and Syuri works on the arm before they both miss kicks. Saya takes her down for two and cranks on the arm, followed by some kicks to the back for two more. The referee gets in the way though, allowing Saya to hit a dropkick. Syuri is sent outside for a big springboard dive and they come back in to trade forearms.

Syuri’s jumping knee drops Saya but she’s able to catch Syuri on top. Saya goes up but gets pulled down by the arm, setting up a double armbar. The ropes get Saya out of trouble so Syuri drops her on her head for two more. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Saya two of her own, followed by the Star Crusher for another near fall. Back up and Syuri’s running knee gets two and something like a powerslam gets the same. A poisonrana gives Saya two and a running hurricanrana gets the same. Syuri’s Buzzsaw kick gets two and something like an AA gives her the pin and both titles at 12:06.

Rating: B. This is a good example of what happens when you tell a good story with the action to back it up. They were playing up the good vs. evil story here (including the white vs. black attire) and I got it despite knowing almost nothing about either of these two. The action made it even better as they were both working hard. Good stuff here, as they told a story.

Unaffiliated/Bullet Club War Dogs vs. United Empire

Unaffiliated: Shingo Takagai/Hiromu Takahashi, Bullet Club War Dogs: David Finlay/Gabe Kidd/Drilla Maloney
United Empire: Andrade El Idolo, Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, Henare, Jake Lee

Lee appears to be a surprise partner and has seemingly betrayed the War Dogs to join the Empire. It’s a brawl to start (of course) with Idolo doing his tranquilo pose in the ropes to sucker Kidd in. Idolo’s high crossbody gets two on Kidd, who clotheslines him out to the floor. Back in and Idolo drops Kidd with the spinning back elbow and it’s off to Henare vs. Takagi.

A strike off goes to Takagi and he grabs a neckbreaker for two. Khan comes in to toss Takagi into a sitout powerbomb but Takagi is back with a slam to Henare. A top rope back elbow gets two and Maloney’s spear drops Henare for the same. Henare headbutts his way out of trouble and it’s off to Newman vs. Finlay. A big running boot drops Finlay, who is right back with a backbreaker to cut Newman off.

Newman gives him a running dropkick and it’s off to Lee to slam Finlay for one. Finlay stuns his way out of a chokeslam and it’s off to Tanahashi to make the comeback. Kidd is back in and gets kicked in the face before Maloney gives Newman a spinning piledriver. Takagi Cactus Clotheslines Henare out to the floor and Finlay powerbombs Takahashi over the top and onto the ringside pile. A superplex hits the pile as well, leaving Lee to Helluva Kick Takahashi for the pin at 14:26.

Rating: B-. It was another match with too much going on and that hurt things a lot, but what matters the most is that they were able to explain the bigger stories. The main idea here was Lee returning to screw over the War Dogs, which worked fine. It was another match with a lot going on, but they did a nice enough job of letting you know what was going on, which helps so much.

Post match Francesco Akira returns and joins the Empire, even getting in on a beatdown.

El Desperado vs. Kosei Fujita vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. Sho

For a future shot at IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Douki, who is at ringside. Fujita dives onto the floor to start fast and it’s Sho getting caught by the other three. The ring is cleared until Sho is back in to strike it out with Fujita. A triple submission has Sho in more trouble and it’s down to a three way for the time being. Ishimori and Desperado strike it out with Ishimori hitting a quick faceplant.

Sho slams Fujita onto the referee for the save and Douki is in with a pipe for the beatdown. Robbie Eagles and Robbie X run in for the save, because this show needed another match with a bunch of people flying around. Sho drops Fujita with a shot to the head and a package piledriver gives Sho two on Fujita, with Desperado making the save. Desperado gives Sho a quick Angel’s Wings for the pin at 7:38.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted and they told the story of Sho being a pest that everyone wanted to stop, but there is only so much you can do with four people (plus interference) in less than eight minutes. That’s been a theme of this show, as there have been too many people involved in almost every match. If this has to be a four way, just let it be a four way without all of the other people getting involved.

We hear about various upcoming shows.

We recap Aaron Wolf challenging Evil for the Never Openweight Title. Wolf is a former Olympic gold medalist in judo and making his professional debut.

Never Openweight Title: Aaron Wolf vs. Evil

Evil, with the House Of Torture, is defending and jumps him to start fast. They slug it out with Wolf hitting a running shoulder. A suplex and running elbow give Wolf two and Evil is already getting a breather on the floor. Back in and Wolf is knocked outside so the House can jump him to little avail. A chair is wrapped around Wolf neck for another chair shot and they head back inside. Wolf gets sent hard into the corner for two but he fights back, only for the House to get involved.

Some powder to the face cuts Wolf off and Evil grabs a Sharpshooter. Wolf makes the rope for the save and grabs a powerslam for two. An Angle Slam gives Wolf two and a top rope splash gets the same with the House pulling the referee. The House comes in for the beatdown, with some other wrestlers, including Toru Yano, not being able to make a save. A table is set up and Bad Luck Fale splashes Wolfe through for the big crash. Evil’s big clothesline gets two but Everything Is Evil is countered into a triangle choke to give Wolf the title at 12:54.

Rating: B. This is a case where “all things considered” needs to be brought up. For Wolf’s debut, he did remarkably well, as he was keeping things basic, but those basics looked polished. I’ll absolutely take someone doing simple things well over trying to do too much and looking sloppy. At the same time, JUST LET US HAVE A ONE ON ONE MATCH ALREADY! My goodness this was the seventh match of the night and ONE has gone without some kind of interference. It really shouldn’t be asking that much to avoid it a bit more often.

We recap Yota Tsuji challenging Konosuke Takeshita for the IWGP World Title (while also defending his own Global Title). The idea seems to be that Takeshita is all about wrestling everywhere and Tsuji is fighting for the company’s honor.

IWGP World Title/Global Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yota Tsuji

Winner take all and commentary explains the idea of their issues: Takeshita wrestles the big matches but not the smaller ones and Tsuji wants him to do more. When they throw in that Takeshita has wrestled the second most time in singles matches all year, it kind of makes Tsuji sound whiny. Tsuji takes him down by the arm and then gets in a slap against the ropes. A running hurricanrana sends Takeshita outside but he comes back in to win a battle of shoulders.

The chinlock holds Tsuji down and he actually has to use a foot on the ropes for the escape (that’s quite a chinlock). Tsuji knocks him down for two but Takeshita gives him a suplex to cut off the comeback attempt. We pause for Tsuji to have a neck issue so Takeshita kicks him out to the floor. A running boot to the face sends Tsuji over the barricade but Takeshita sends him back inside for a middle rope backsplash.

The chinlock goes on again but the referee breaks it up, only for Takeshita’s running knee in the corner to miss. Takeshita is right back in with a running hurricanrana to send Tsuji outside for the big dive. Back in and Tsuji hits a kind of faceplant before armdragging him out to the floor. The big Fosbury Flop takes Takeshita down again, followed by a top rope double stomp to give Tsuji two.

They trade hard knees to the face with Tsuji getting two and a kneeling Tombstone connects. Takeshita shrugs it off and hits a spear to leave both of them down. Back up and they trade the big forearms with Tsuji winning the slugout but his neck gives out. Tsuji is able to hit a Canadian Destroyer and a spear sends Takeshita into the corner to leave both of them down.

The spear is countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb though and Raging Fire gives Takeshita two. Takeshita drops him with another forearm but the big knee is blocked. An Alley Oop drops Takeshita and they go up top, where Tsuji hits a reverse superplex for two. The spear misses for Tsuji though and Takeshita grabs a poisonrana. A super Blue Thunder Bomb (that was awesome) gets two more, as does the running knee. Another running knee is cut off with the spear though and a Boston crab makes Takeshita tap at 29:20.

Rating: B+. This was rather good and it felt like a big time title match. Takeshita can do just about anything in the ring and it’s awesome to see him getting his chance on the big stage. At the same time, I haven’t gotten much out of Tsuji in the few times I’ve seen him and that was the case again here. He’s fine in the ring, but I don’t get the appeal and while this felt like a big deal, it didn’t feel special, which isn’t a great sign.

Post match Tsuji talks about meeting a rival that he knew he couldn’t lose to and he thanks the fans for believing in him. Jake Lee runs in from behind and beats him down as Tsuji seems to have his first challenger.

We recap Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada, which is Tanahashi’s retirement match. Tanahashi has been the ace, and face, of the company for a LONG time now but it’s time for him to step away. It’s treated as a huge and important moment, which it certainly is, as the fans and company have to say goodbye. Okada, one of Tanahashi’s greatest rivals, is back to face him one more time.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

We get the Big Match Intros and Tanahashi’s does indeed feel special. Tanahashi takes him to the mat by the arm to start and you can see a thank you message (in English) on Tanahashi’s knee pad. Back up and Okada takes him into the rope for a kick to the ribs but Tanahashi gets in a middle rope spinning crossbody. Tanahashi takes too long going up top though and a dropkick knocks him back down.

A running boot knocks him over the barricade and they get back inside, with Okada grabbing a neckbreaker for two. The chinlock has Tanahashi in more trouble but he fights up to drop Okada for a change. A middle rope flipping splash gives Tanahashi two and there’s the dragon screw legwhip. Tanahashi dropkicks the knee out and there’s the high crossbody to the floor. Back in and the Sling Blade is cut off with a flapjack from Okada, followed by the Air Raid Crash on the knee.

The top rope elbow lets Okada flip off the crowd but Tanahashi is back with the Twist And Shout. Okada Tombstones him down and they head outside, with Okada hitting another Tombstone on the ramp. Tanahashi barely beats the count so Okada Tombstones him again, only to pull it up at two. The Rainmaker connects and Okada pulls him up again, which is quite the evil move. Another Rainmaker connects but Tanahashi reverses a third into one of his own for a needed breather.

Okada hits another Rainmaker for another two and it’s off to a Boston crab. Tanahashi makes the ropes so Okada hits the great dropkick but Tanahashi is back with a Sling Bade. The sleeper sets up a PK (ala Katsuyori Shibata), followed by the running knee (ala Shinsuke Nakamura) into the High Fly Flow (ala Hiroshi Tanahashi). Okada fights out of a full nelson but gets Sling Bladed back down.

A High Fly Flow hits Okada’s back but another hits his raised knees, leaving them both down for a breather. They forearm it out from their knees and pull each other up until Okada hits the great dropkick. A fight over a Tombstone results in Okada hitting something like a Destino, followed by a Rainmaker for two. Okada drops the top rope elbow, does the full Rainmaker pose, and finishes Tanahashi’s career with the Rainmaker at 33:05.

Rating: A-. This was old school Tanahashi vs. Okada, as Tanahashi had one more great one in him. There were some outstanding moments in there with Tanahashi surviving and trying to turn the clock all the way back but just not being able to get there in the end. It’s certainly a fitting final match for an all time legend and I was getting emotional watching a legend go away. Great stuff here and worthy of the spot.

Post match Tanahashi is still down but Okada thanks him and leaves. Tanahashi gets up and is presented with some flowers and poses with (I’m assuming) some executives for photos. Cue Jay White (he’s been gone for a bit and does not have the best history with Tanahashi) to present Tanahashi with flowers and bow to him in a show of respect.

Then Will Ospreay joins us (he looks weird in a suit) for the same, followed by Kenny Omega and (a limping) Kota Ibushi. Katsuyori Shibata comes out too (this is too much for Tanahashi, who seems to need a minute to compose himself) and they even lock up and trade some chops. After a big hug, Keiji Mutoh gets in, followed by Tatsumi Fujinami (Tanahashi is just DONE).

Everyone gets together for a big group photo….and Tetsuya Naito is here too. Well in theory at least, as he takes his sweet time coming out, with Tanahashi pointing at his watch and motioning to get on with it already for a funny bit. Naito talks about what Tanahashi means to his career and even though he has left New Japan, Tanahashi is the reason he came back one more time.

They pose together and Naito leaves, finally allowing Tanahashi the chance to talk. He thanks the fans for coming out and he thanks the wrestlers for fighting so hard. Tanahashi goes to leave but is told to go back inside….for one last air guitar. Ok a few last air guitars. He asks the fans to do the Wave around the arena because it’s bad for the circulation to stay seated so long. Of course the fans are right there with him and we get a ten bell salute. Tanahashi waves to the fans and then goes out to high five a bunch of them.

He goes to leave…but walks (ok limps) over to the other side of the stage and gets in a cart used for video shots for a ride around the arena. This goes on for well over ten minutes, with commentary signing off as he’s still going around. Tanahashi finally gets back on the stage and he says he is so happy he fell in love with wrestling. He thanks the fans and pyro goes off, leaving him to walk into the smoke to end the show. The post match stuff goes around an hour and while it’s long, you can’t argue about it being deserved.

A Tanahashi highlight reel plays n the big screen to wrap us up, though even that goes on for a long time as well. Eh it’s a one time thing.

Overall Rating: B. The last two matches more than carried the show but there were some weak parts before then. There were so many matches that were either multi-person matches or had interference and they both made things feel too messy. That being said, this was ALL about Tanahashi and that stuff was a mixture of great wrestling and some pulling of the heartstrings. It was one of the best goodbyes you’ll ever seen and it felt like he deserved every second of the time.

The World Title match was great and Wolf’s debut was rather good to make the show much more good than bad, but dang it could have used some adjustments on the undercard. I would normally say one match can’t carry everything, but when you have that match and the post match stuff taking up about an hour and a half, yeah it kind of can. Rather good show, but an all time farewell.

Results
Katsuya Murashima/Masatora Yasuda b. Shoma Kato/Tatsuya Matsumoto – Boston crab to Matsumoto
El Phantasmo b. Chris Brookes – Thunder Kiss 86
TMDK won the New Japan Ranbo last eliminating Bishamon/Boltin Oleg
Syuri b. Saya Kamitani – Spinning fireman’s carry slam
United Empire b. Unaffiliated/Bullet Club War Dogs – Running boot in the corner to Takahashi
El Desperado b. Kosei Fujita, Taiji Ishimori and Sho – Double underhook lifting faceplant to Sho
Aaron Wolf b. Evil – Triangle choke
Yota Tsuji b. Konosuke Takeshita – Boston crab
Konosuke Takeshita b. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Rainmaker

 

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Collision
Date: January 3, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the start of another residency as Collision will be here for a few weeks at least. That can make for some interesting crowd reactions but at least this seemed to be a pretty nice venue the first time around. Hopefully that is the case here again as we’re starting with Darby Allin vs. Wheeler Yuta. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The Timeless Love Bombs, Dante Martin, Shelton Benjamin and Darby Allin are ready to fight.

Clon vs. Angelico

Angelico works on the arm to start and they trade legsweeps, allowing Clon to pose. A running clothesline drops Angelico and a step up moonsault gives Clon two. They trade chops until Clon hits a Pele kick, followed by a torture rack bomb (ala Hologram) for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have time to do much here, but Clon did look good. I’m not sure how long it’s going to be before Hologram gets back, but it should make for a pretty awesome showdown if they do it right. For now though, they did a nice job to start the anticipation, with Clon having a dominant debut.

Post match Clon stomps on Angelico’s partner Serpentico but Komander runs in for the save.

Jon Moxley talks about how you get something special out of the Continental Classic and the title has a very high price tag. He’s getting ready to face Shelton Benjamin on Dynamite and while there is pretty much nothing he does better than Benjamin, it’s going to take a lot more than hurting him.

Timeless Love Bombs vs. Hyan/Maya World

Shirakawa and World start things off with Shirakawa getting in a bit of dancing. World gets taken down and it’s quickly off to Storm vs. Hyan. The Bombs start taking turns beating on Hyan, with Storm dropping Shirakawa onto her for two. A running hip attack sends Hyan outside and Shirakawa hits a big dive to take them both out on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Shirakawa being dropped onto World’s knees for two. That doesn’t seem to do much though as Shirakawa gets over to Storm for the house cleaning. A bulldog into a basement dropkick cuts Storm off though and a Blockbuster/Russian legsweep combination gets two. Shirakawa comes back in with a double missile dropkick and Storm hits the running hip attack. Storm Zero finishes World at 9:07.

Rating: B-. World and Hyan are starting to get a bit more comfortable around here and that’s nice to see. They’re a fine team to add to the division and while they have a long way to go, it’s better than nothing. At the very least, the keep the bigger teams from losing important matches so nice job on bringing in some extra names.

Post match respect is shown but the entrances for the next match cut off the Bombs’ celebration.

Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne vs. Rache Chanel/Londyn Dior

Points for the themed jobber names. Shafir strikes Dior down to start and it’s quickly off to Bayne for the shoulders in the corner. Everything breaks down and Chanel is Fate’s Descented into Mother’s Milk (Shafir: “Give it to me baby.”) for the tap at 1:27.

The Don Callis Family beat up some jobbers in the back and Josh Alexander gives Hechicero a pep talk.

Komander vs. Hechicero

For a TNT Title shot. Hechicero wastes no time in pulling him down into la majistral for two, with Komander getting his own rollup for the same. They trade cradles into a near fall into a standoff but Komander sends him outside. Back in and Hechicero takes him into the corner, where Komander comes out with a rather springboardy hurricanrana. Komander sends him outside again and tries a slingshot hurricanrana, which is countered into a toss powerbomb into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Komander kicking away but getting rolled into a bow and arrow. That’s switched into an armbar to keep Komander in trouble but he gets to the rope. Hechicero hits the arm and he falls outside, with Komander hitting the big rope walk dive. Back in and a sunset bomb gives Komander two but Hechicero is back with the swinging hammerlock backbreaker. Komander gets in a knockdown of his own and goes up, only for Clon to run in and shove him off the top. Hechicero hits a running knee, followed by a spinning arm trap rollup for the win at 13:36.

Rating: B. Much like the opener (albeit a good bit longer), this was an entertaining match between two people who know how to do this style. Hechicero winning makes for a better match for Mark Briscoe anyway, as he already has the whole ordeal with the Don Callis Family. As usual Komander is good for a solid match even in defeat and this was fun stuff.

Max Caster and Anthony Bowens are on assignments to build them up as a team, including saying nice things about each other and going on a scavenger hunt. It doesn’t work well as they keep getting in arguments, with Caster using a bunch of hand sanitizer.

Here are Eddie Kingston and Ortiz for a chat. After Kingston acknowledges two birthday fans in the crowd (that’s a nice touch), Kingston thanks Ortiz for keeping him from quitting this company over and over. They’re coming for the Grizzled Young Veterans, but Kingston keeps getting mad at Tony Schiavone for not holding the mic up (Kingston: “Flair must have hated you.”).

Big Bill and Bryan Keith laugh off the idea of Kingston having someone to watch his back. For now though, they want to take out JetSpeed, as someone has put a bounty on JetSpeed. Commentary thinks it’s Don Callis.

JetSpeed vs. Big Bill/Bryan Keith

Bailey and Keith start things off with Bailey elbowing him down. Keith cuts off a tag attempt though and everything breaks down, with Keith being sent outside. Some kicks put Bill on the floor but he’s back in with a swinging Boss Man Slam to Bailey. Eye gouging on the floor has Bailey in more trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Bill missing some charges in the corner, allowing the tag off to Bailey. The comeback doesn’t last long though as Bill kicks him in the face, with Knight having to make the save. Stereo dives take the villains down again but Keith strikes away at Bailey for two. Bailey kicks Keith down though and the UFO Splash finishes for Knight at 12:04.

Rating: C+. Nice tag match here, though it’s frustrating to see Knight and Bill brought back just to take another loss. At the same time, at least it was to a team like JetSpeed, who already have some success together. It’s a fine enough match and JetSpeed can do the high flying thing rather well, with Knight being a treat to watch.

The Grizzled Young Veterans are ready to fight Eddie Kingston and Ortiz, including threats to Kingston’s knee.

Video on the Hangman Page/Swerve Strickland vs. the Opps, setting up Wednesday’s lights out match.

Dante Martin vs. Shelton Benjamin

Christopher Daniels and MVP are here too. Benjamin shrugs off a lariat to start so Martin goes with a takedown instead. That’s enough to send Benjamin outside, only to have Benjamin come back in with a hard shoulder. Martin tries to go up top but gets knocked off to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Martin diving into a backbreaker and we see that Martin ignored a chance to walk out during the break, even asking if Benjamin’s mother raised a b****. A suplex sends Martin flying and the superkick finishes him off at 10:44.

Rating: C. This was pretty much an extended squash and that’s what it should have been with Benjamin set for his big match with Moxley next week. Benjamin is someone who has quite the reputation and has been treated seriously in AEW, so it wasn’t much of a step up to the next level. I’m rather pleased that he smashed through Martin like this, as that’s what makes perfect sense in this case.

Post match MVP asks for some applause for Martin and Benjamin shakes his hand, allowing Martin to leave in peace. With Martin gone, MVP talks about how Jon Moxley is a tough man, but Benjamin is different. Benjamin is going to hurt Moxley. This match has me intrigued.

Sammy Guevara is tired of the wrong people getting chances and wants to be World Champion. Bandido comes up and says he can have a shot.

Tony Schiavone reads a statement from Stokley Hathaway, who was injured at Worlds End and is at the Vivian Banks Medical Center, where he has over $400,000 worth of bills. See Tony Schiavone, who has nothing to do after the show but drink, to help pay them off.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Darby Allin vs. Wheeler Yuta

Jon Moxley is on commentary. Allin knocks Yuta to the floor to start, where a Marina Shafir distraction lets Yuta get in a cheap shot. Back in and Allin dropkicks him into the corner but Yuta gets in a backdrop to send Allin face first down. We take a break and come back with Allin hitting a springboard elbow but Shafir interferes again.

This time it’s enough to get an ejection but here is Toni Storm (Moxley: “SHE’S NUTS!”) to cut her off. Daniel Garcia joins us at ringside as Yuta gets a Scorpion Deathlock. That’s escaped so Yuta catapults him into the corner, with Allin coming back with a double stomp. The Coffin Drop connects for two, as Allin pulls him up and grabs the Scorpion for the tap at 11:40.

Rating: B-. The match didn’t feel overly important, though I did get a solid laugh out of Moxley’s reaction to Storm. Allin making relatively quick work of Yuta is fine, as he gets to move on to his requested match with Pac. It works well enough for a Collision main event, which is often the case for Allin.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show where it was more about setting things up for later rather than what happened here. That’s a fine way to go, as the upcoming Dynamite is feeling like a major show. Sometimes you need a show like this to get things ready and it worked well enough. It’s not a show that you should go out of your way to watch, but there is far worse wrestling to spend two hours watching.

Results
Clon b. Angelico – Torture rack bomb
Timeless Love Bombs b. Hyan/Maya World – Storm Zero to World
Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne b. Rache Chanel/Londyn Dior – Mother’s Milk to Chanel
Hechicero b. Komander – Arm trap rollup
Shelton Benjamin b. Dante Martin – Superkick
Darby Allin b. Wheeler Yuta – Scorpion Deathlock

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: January 2, 2026
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the new year and we are getting ready for some big stuff around here. The biggest change came last week, when Drew McIntyre announced that he and Cody Rhodes would be facing off in a Three Stages Of Hell match for the World Title. That alone should be enough to carry things for a bit, but we’re back to three hours a week and the Royal Rumble is in less than a month. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Drew McIntyre challenging Cody Rhodes to the Three Stages match last week before leaving Rhodes laying with a Claymore.

Here is a ticked off Miz, who wants to air his grievances of 2025. He was left out of John Cena’s retirement tour because he should have been the one to make Cena tap. Instead, he’s stuck here in BUFFALO. Then he offered people help but got mocked by the people backstage and every ones of the fans. Third, he was passed over for Marty Supreme so he’s coming for Timothee Chalamet.

Fourth, Joe Hen…he who shall not be named brought back a FAKE TRUTH about Miz’s anatomy. Miz lists off everything he has done and says he is the locker room leader, but Randy Orton is back. After quite a bit of posing, Miz asks the fans to give it up for Orton and then puts himself on Orton’s level. They could be Miz-KO! And that’s an RKO to leave Miz laying, followed by a HAPPY NEW YEAR and another RKO.

Nia Jax and Lash Legend interrupt the Kabuki Warriors and are ready to help them win tonight in exchange for a future title shot. The Warriors don’t seem impressed, though Sane seems scared of Asuka.

Post break, Randy Orton runs into Cody Rhodes and says after Rhodes is done with Drew McIntyre, he’s coming for the title. Rhodes seems to understand and Orton leaves, with Nick Aldis coming up to remind him that he can’t touch McIntyre, which Rhodes seems to understand as well.

Nia Jax/Lash Legend/Kabuki Warriors vs. Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky/Charlotte/Alexa Bliss

The villains jump them from behind to start and the brawl is on fast. Asuka kicks Ripley in the face and then the ribs but the sliding knee is cut off. The Warriors are sent outside for a flip dive from the legal Bliss and we take a break. We come back with Bliss diving over for the tag to Charlotte to pick up the pace.

A flipping clothesline drops Legend and a moonsault gets two on Jax. Back up and Jax runs Charlotte over, setting up the legdrop for two more. Charlotte shrugs that off and puts Asuka in the Figure Eight, which is broken up by the Insane Elbow. Sky gets the tag and missile dropkicks the Warriors but Legend tags herself in. A pump kick knocks Sky out of the air and we take a break.

We come back again with Asuka forearming away on Sky, who manages to avoid a forearm. Sky flapjacks her way to freedom and it’s back to Ripley to clean house. Everything breaks down with the parade of knockdowns until Ripley pulls Sane out of the air. Riptide into Over The Moonsault finishes Sane at 14:33.

Rating: B-. Pretty standard match here but the extra time let them showcase themselves a bit more. It helped avoid everyone feeling like they had to rush through things, even with the two breaks. Ripley and Sky get some momentum before their title shot on Monday, which could even see a title change.

Nick Aldis talks to NXT’s Jordynne Grace, who he wants on the roster. Chelsea Green comes in with Alba Fyre and doesn’t seem interested in Grace, who says some people make her decision easier. Green has issues with people coming after her but Aldis threatens to strip of her of her title.

Here is Kit Wilson to complain about the toxic fans but he has an opponent.

Kit Wilson vs. Matt Cardona

Apparently Cardona is officially back on Smackdown and shrugs off a dropkick to start fast. Some forearms and a clothesline put Wilson on the floor for a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and Wilson gets in some right hands in the corner but stops to call Cardona toxic, earning himself a middle rope dropkick. The Reboot connects and a tiger driver gives Cardona two but Wilson hits a Tourniquet (Twist Of Fate) for two of his own. That doesn’t get him very far though as Cardona is back with the Rough Ryder for the pin at 4:17.

Rating: C. Good for Cardona. He’s a prime example of someone who was told he had a ceiling in WWE, went out and recreated himself, and apparently got another chance. I have no idea how well it’s going to go, but it’s proof that you can change the company’s mind if you’re willing to put in the work. Nice job, and I’m curious to see what he does around here this time.

Damian Priest has spent six months fighting Aleister Black and everything is done tonight in an ambulance match. Tonight, it’s Black’s turn to fade to black.

The Wyatt Sicks ask Solo Sikoa what it means to be part of a family. Sikoa was kicked out of the Bloodline, but the Wyatts’ family have millions of Fireflies. It’s time to chop down Sikoa’s family tree at the root.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. Zayn talks about how he was in the crowd for John Cena’s last match and his son asked why Cena was the “Never Seen 17.” He explained that it was due to Cena being the first ever 17 time World Champion, but Zayn’s son asked how many times Zayn had won that title.

Zayn had to explain that it hadn’t happened….but that is changing this year. It is his time, but here is Trick Williams to interrupt. Yes he is indeed here and he is this tall, dark and handsome. He is 6’5, 250lbs and he looks like he could be a champion, but it won’t take him 20 years like Zayn has. Zayn is impressed, but is looking forward to humbling Williams. Violence does not ensue.

We look back at Carmelo Hayes winning the US Title last week.

Ilja Dragunov praises Hayes for his win last week and confirms that the US Open Challenge is staying open. They’re both interested in running it back. Hayes moves on to see Miz, who is responsible for Hayes winning the title. Without Miz leaving him alone, it would never happen so thank you very much.

Trick Williams comes up to Nick Aldis and Rey Fenix to rant about Sami Zayn. Aldis doesn’t like it and makes Williams vs. Fenix for next week.

US Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Carmelo Hayes

Gargano is challenging and has Candice LeRae with him. Hayes dropkicks him down to start fast but Gargano is back with the rolling kick to the head. A knee sends Gargano to the floor but he’s out of the way before the dive. The slingshot spear drops Hayes again and we take a break.

We come back with Hayes in trouble until a headscissors drops Gargano for a change. That’s enough to send Gargano outside and the big running flip puts him down again. The Fadeaway gives Hayes two back inside and he goes up top, where Gargano gives him a Kevin Owens swinging superplex for two as we take another break.

We come back with Hayes striking away but getting superkicked out of the air. Gargano gets out to the apron, where his slingshot cutter is kicked down. The Fadeaway misses and Gargano is back with a tornado DDT. A super Air Raid Crash gives Gargano two but he walks into the First 48. Hayes gets up top so the Fadeaway can retain at 16:46.

Rating: B+. This was two talented wrestlers getting the chance to showcase each their talents for a good while and it made for a solid match. What matters the most here is making Hayes feel like he belongs on this level, as he could still use some more success to really move up the ladder. This was a good start, as Gargano knows how to wrestle this style so well.

Shinsuke Nakamura has some tense words with Tama Tonga before leaving. Tonga turns to see Solo Sikoa, who announces an eight man tag, family vs. family match next week against the Wyatt Sicks.

Aleister Black, with Zelina, says Damian Priest can do whatever he wants but Priest has changed.

Jade Cargill says she didn’t intentionally hurt Michin at a recent live event. Jordynne Grace comes in and says she wants to see the competition. Cargill introduces herself as “that b****”, which Grace seems to confirm.

Cody Rhodes runs into Sami Zayn and heard what Zayn said about the title. Zayn seems to still respect Rhodes but wants the title….and here is Nick Aldis. He hasn’t seen Drew McIntyre, but Rhodes is heading to the ring.

Video on Oba Femi.

Here is Cody Rhodes, rocking some suspenders, for a chat. He isn’t the biggest, strongest, fastest or youngest, but he’s still the champion. Every week, he gets here at 2pm and makes sure the younger wrestlers see him so they think of the title. Then comes the envy in the form of Drew McIntyre. Rhodes’ secret is that he plays dumb backstage but when he looks at McIntyre, he sees lunch.

McIntyre pops up on screen to call Rhodes predictable. They’re going to have a Three Stages Of Hell match so let’s get to the stages: regular match, falls count anywhere and steel cage. That’s assuming Rhodes is still champion next week because if he touches McIntyre, he’s no longer champion. McIntyre is in front of Rhodes’ bus, where he has been, and found a photo of Cody and Dusty himself. The photo is smashed and Cody gives chase, but McIntyre is in the ring, where he lights the photo on fire and throws it in a trashcan as Cody is held back.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Women’s US Title: Chelsea Green vs. Giulia

Green, with Alba Fyre, is defending and Kiana James is here with Giulia. They start fast with Green getting sent into the corner for the early stomping. A kick to the face sends Green outside but a Fyre distraction lets Green get in a suicide dive. We take a break and come back with Green slugging away, which just seems to annoy Giulia. The Un-Pretty-Her is blocked so Green settles for a Rough Ryder instead. Green goes up but gets butterfly superplexed back down. The northern lights bomb gives Giulia the title back at 7:35.

Rating: C+. That’s what it should have been, as the point of Giulia is that she’s a better and more physical star in the ring than Green. While Green is able to hang in there through cheating and her own skill, Giulia is on a different level and gets the title back. Now do something with Giulia already, as otherwise it’s just a waste of time.

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky are ready to get the Women’s Tag Team Titles back. Charlotte and Alexa Bliss come up to say good luck, though Ripley isn’t sure if they are to be believed. Oh and Charlotte wants the first shot. That’s more like it for Ripley.

Video on Aleister Black vs. Damian Priest.

Fraxiom mocks Johnny Gargano on his loss and recommend that he grows up. They also want Axiom’s mask back but Gargano says no. Axiom says he’s going to get a match with Gargano to get the mask back. Rather than, I don’t know, punching Gargano and taking it.

Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black

Ambulance Match and Zelina is here with Black, who jumps Priest at the bell to start fast. Black kicks him in the face and the fight heads out to the floor to open both ambulance doors. Priest fights back and whips out a stretcher, which he drops Black onto face first as we take a break.

We take a break and come back with Priest hitting a clothesline and a running elbow in the corner. A Pounce sends Black over the announcers’ table but Black manages to kick a chair into Priest’s face for a breather. Back in and Priest snaps off a super hurricanrana, earning himself a kick back to the head for the double down.

We take another break and come back with the fight up by the ambulance again, where Black sends him into the set. Zelina opens up the doors but finds Rhea Ripley, who takes her into the ring for the Riptide. Black knocks Priest into the ambulance but only closes one door, allowing Priest to kick him back out.

Priest is back out with a crutch but Black knees him in the face. A fire extinguisher blast and fireball knock Black down, allowing Priest to pull out a table tech equipment. The Razor’s Edge is blocked and they sent each other into the side of the ambulance. Black wheels out an ambulance case but Priest gives him a Razor’s Edge into the windshield. That sends Black climbing onto the ambulance, and Priest chokeslams him through the tables. Priest throws him inside and wins at 24:00.

Rating: B. This was a rather long match and that made it feel like a match worthy of being on a pay per view. Priest winning isn’t a huge surprise, as the idea seemed to be more about Black getting inside his head than winning. At the same time, Priest absolutely needed a big win, as he has fallen way off the map since losing the World Title. They had a big time main event here though and that helps both of them quite a bit.

Overall Rating: B. This was a good start to the three hour era of Smackdown, but I have a feeling that this isn’t going to be the way the show goes most of the time (shocking there I know). They packed in a bunch of stuff into one night and the same will be true next week. What matters the most here is the fact that the show didn’t feel long, which is one of the biggest issues that a three hour show can face. Next week should be huge as well, but for now the new Smackdown is off to a good start.

Results
Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky/Alexa Bliss/Charlotte b. Kabuki Warriors/Nia Jax/Lash Legend – Over The Moonsault to Sane
Matt Cardona b. Kit Wilson – Rough Ryder
Carmelo Hayes b. Johnny Gargano – Fadeaway
Giulia b. Chelsea Green – Northern lights bomb
Damian Priest b. Aleister Black – Priest put Black in the ambulance

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 1, 2026
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re back to our regular show here with the first show of the year. With only two weeks before the big debut on AMC, there are a few things that still need to be set up, which isn’t even factoring in the Genesis pay per view in a few weeks. That means there is a lot to cover in the next few weeks so let’s get to it.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Angel Warriors vs. Elegance Brand

Li starts with Heather, who quickly hands it off to M before anything can get physical. M teases some martial arts and gets pulled down into a leglock, meaning Brookside can come in to kick her down. A knockdown gets M out of trouble though and it’s Heather coming back in to stomp away. M’s boot from the floor gives Heather two but a double faceplant leaves them both down. That’s enough for the tag off to Li to clean house, only for Brookside to come right back in. Another kick takes her down as Dani Luna runs in to post Li. M holds up Brookside for a missile dropkick from Heather for the pin at 6:21.

Rating: C+. The Brand continue to hang around the title picture and are likely to get a shot at the titles in the near future. At the same time you have Luna, who has done better in recent weeks and deserves a shot against Li for the title on the big stage. That’s likely either the AMC debut or Genesis, either of which would work fine.

Santino Marella is crushed after Arianna Grace and gives a note to be read by “Tom and Jerry”.

Post break, Stacks vs. Steve Maclin is set for the AMC debut.

Mustafa Ali vs. Home Town Man

Order 4 is here with Ali, who knocks Man down to start fast. That’s shrugged off and Man knocks him into the corner for some stomping. A neckbreaker puts Man right back down but the rolling X Factor is countered into a rather spinning TKO. Order 4 offers a distraction though and it’s the 450 to pin Man at 2:59.

Post match the beatdown is on but someone walks by the entrance with a guitar covering their face. Ali thinks it’s Elijah and sends Order 4 after him, only for the real Elijah to show up and chase him off. Elijah even plays a bit of Man’s theme.

The Rascalz go talk to Santino Marella about getting an X-Division Title shot. Marella says the team can fight each other for a title shot on the AMC premiere, with the winner of that being added to the Genesis title match.

We look at Ethan Page beating Moose on NXT to retain the North American Title.

Here are Arianna Grace and the NXT stars for a chat. Grace talks about being tired of living in Santino Marella’s shadow. She knew she had to change things when her dad didn’t get her booked around here so now Stacks is the only person who matters. Stacks says Grace is his girl now and sometimes she even calls him daddy. Well that’s an image.

Indi Hartwell/Jody Threat/Jada Stone vs. Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford/Mila Moore

Blanchard and company are rapped to the ring live by a singer from El Paso. Threat and Crawford start things off with Threat driving both Crawford and Moore into the corner. The villains are sent outside and Stone takes them out with a dive as we take a break. We come back with Stone still in trouble in the corner and Moore coming in to grab a chinlock. Stone fights up and ducks a boot, allowing the tag off to Hartwell to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Magnum finishes Stone at 9:02.

Rating: C+. I can always go for a good six person tag as it gives you such a nice variety of options. That was the case here, with newcomers Stone and Moore getting their chances to show off a bit. It wasn’t a great match or anything close, but I’ll take this over having the same singles matches over and over again.

We recap the Righteous’ time in TNA, including kind of kidnapping Matt Hardy.

Here are the Righteous for a chat. The fans would rather have Matt, with Vincent talking about how they are many voices. “Last week”, Matt Hardy fell but the Righteous were there to pick him up. Then you have Jeff Hardy, with Vincent being just a reflection of him. Cue the Hardys, with Matt saying this sounds a bit cultish. They’re willing to defend the titles against the Righteous but that’s not what the Righteous want. They want the brotherhood, but the Hardys already have that covered. Threats are made, but the Hardys are more concerned about the AMC Era. And that’s that.

Trey Miguel vs. Myron Reed vs. Zachary Wentz

For an X-Division Title shot against Leon Slater (on commentary) on the AMC premiere. Respect is shown to start and they trade some early rollups for a standoff. A series of armdrags sends Wentz outside but he’s back inside for a kick to Reed’s face. The spinning middle rope crossbody gives Reed two but tempers start to flare between Reed and Miguel.

Wentz joins in to kick Reed down and a neckbreaker drops him for two. The cover doesn’t sit well with Wentz and it’s a DDT/Blockbuster combination to Miguel to leave everyone down. Back up and Miguel hits a bit flipping dive but Wentz is back in with a UFO Cutter. Reed hits the springboard 450 to grab the fast pin on Wentz at 6:15.

Rating: B-. This was another match which fit the total nonstop action moniker as they got out there and went nuts for a little while. It was nice to see Reed get the win, as he’s the least established of the team. I could go for seeing Reed get back into the title picture and he got there in an entertaining match.

Post match everything is cool.

Here is the System for a chat. Eddie Edwards knows they are getting close to Genesis and the Last Dance, but JDC has one more idea. Next week, it’s the System against Leon Slater/Cedric Alexander and the Hardys. Works for the team, though I’m not sure why they needed to come to the ring to announce the match.

The Hardys are happy with the match…and then find a shrine to them.

TNA World Title: Frankie Kazarian vs. Bear Bronson

Kazarian is defending and runs his mouth to start, earning a hard shot from Bronson. Chops in the corner and a big backdrop have Kazarian in trouble and he tries to walk out, only to get thrown back into the ring as we take a break. We come back with Bronson fighting up but getting struck back down. Kazarian tries a sunset flip, only for Bronson to sit down on his chest.

The clothesline comeback is on and a running powerslam gives Bronson two. A chokebomb is countered into a DDT to give Kazarian two so the chickenwing goes on. That’s broken up with a bite to the hand and Bronson sends him outside for a dive. Kazarian slams him onto the steps for a near countout and Bronson gets a quick rollup for two. His back gives out on a powerbomb attempt though and Fade To Black retains the title at 13:06.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of how to get the most out of someone new. Bronson isn’t an established name around here and this match did a good job of making sure the fans got to know him. I’m not sure how much of a future he has, but it’s interesting to see someone start on top rather than having to work there way up over a long time. He did well with his chance too, as this was an effective debut.

Post match Mike Santana comes out to congratulate Kazarian. It’s not on the win though, but rather that their title match is at the AMC debut rather than Genesis.

Overall Rating: B. For a show that was almost just a placeholder before the big stuff in a few weeks, this did rather well. They had some solid action throughout and a logical change of the big title match to the AMC debut, which is a far bigger show than Genesis. Throw in Santino Marella being toned way down for a bit and it was a nice way to start the year.

Results
Elegance Brand b. Angel Warriors – Missile dropkick to Brookside
Mustafa Ali b. Home Town Man – 450
Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford/Mila Moore b. Indi Hartwell/Jody Threat/Jada Stone – Magnum to Stone
Myron Reed b. Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel – Springboard 450 to Wentz
Frankie Kazarian b. Bear Bronson – Fade To Black

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 1, 2026
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Hey I actually got the year right this time. Anyway, it’s the first show of the year and the third Ring Of Honor show in the last seven days. There is actually a feature match this week, as the Swirl is facing Bandido and Jay Lethal. If you ignore Lee Johnson getting squashed like a bug this week on Dynamite, it’s a bit more interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here are Tuesday’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Swirl vs. Bandido/Jay Lethal

Lethal starts with Christian, who wants Bandido, but tags out to Johnson when he gets his wish. Neither of them can get a suplex so they clothesline each other down (with Coleman getting in an interesting point of saying that if Johnson tried the same move as the champion, he was thinking like a champion). Johnson takes him down and it’s off to Christian, who works on Bandido’s bad arm. Bandido gets over for the tag…and Lethal walks away. Christian’s 450 gets two on Bandido and Lethal adds a Lethal Injection. The top rope stomp/Death Valley Driver combination hits Bandido and the triple team draws the DQ at 5:13.

Rating: C+. This was an angle rather than a match and that’s a VERY good thing to see. While this would have been better to set up Final Battle, I definitely like that we’re getting something involving the title and a story being told. That’s been lacking for such a long time and they did a good job with executing this one. Well done.

Post match Lethal takes off Bandido’s mask as Tom Billington and Adam Priest run in for the save.

Bryan Keith vs. Serpentico

We get some BOO/YAY chants to start before Serpentico tries to pick up the pace. That earns him a toss to the floor and they chop it out a bit on the floor. Back in and they fight over a suplex with Serpentico getting the better of things. A running Downward Spiral gives Serpentico two and Keith’s hard clothesline gets the same. Serpentico is right back with a superkick to the floor, followed by a suicide dive. Back in and Keith knees him in the face though and the tiger driver is enough for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C+. Well the result was far from shocking, but it was nice to see Keith getting to do something for a change. He’s been stuck doing absolutely nothing for so long now that even toiling in Ring Of Honor is an improvement. At least the match wound up being decent, which is usually the case with Serpentico.

Billie Starkz/Diamante vs. Deonna Purrazzo/Madison Rayne

It’s a brawl to start and a double suplex puts Diamante down. Rayne works on Diamante’s wrist but Starkz breaks up Purrazzo’s Fujiwara armbar. Diamante can’t fight out of the corner though, instead being taken down by the leg. It’s back to Rayne, who gets taken into the wrong corner, with a pair of double backbreakers putting her down. Starkz grabs a chinlock, followed by a double wishbone. The villains get to stomp Rayne down in the corner even more but she kicks Starkz away.

Cue Diamante to sneak around the ring to pull Purrazzo off the apron and the beating continues. Rayne manages to send Starkz face first into the buckle a few times though and that’s enough for the needed tag off to Purrazzo. Everything breaks down and Rayne gives Starkz a Canadian Destroyer. A kick to the head drops Rayne though and a double kick leaves Purrazzo and Diamante down as well. Rayne and Starkz come back in, with an assisted Sliced Bread taking Rayne down. Starkz adds the Swanton for the pin at 10:33.

Rating: B-. They were working hard here and it made for a good match, as Rayne was putting in more effort than usual. She still has something to offer out there, which is something that the division could use. Diamante is useful as a tag partner as well and that was her main focus here. Then you have Starkz, who might be coming after Athena, and Purrazzo, who is closing in on a month as champion with nothing involving her new title. Sounds like a textbook Pure Champion already.

Lance Archer vs. Steve Gibki

Gibki is in good shape. Archer starts fast with a big boot and chokeslam but Gibki gets in a dropkick. That’s enough to send Archer outside, where he cuts off a dive and chokeslams him onto the apron. The Blackout finishes for Archer at 2:30.

We look at Lee Moriarty retaining the Pure Rules Title last week.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Top Flight/Komander

Non-title as it’s not the champion combination of the Promotions. Moriarty kicks Dean down to start and it’s off to Komander to work on the arm. Dean gets smart by going after the mask, with Bravo coming in to hammer away in the corner. The chinlock goes on for a bit, with the Infantry getting to stomp away. Komander fights up and manages a rather spinning crucifix for two on Moriarty, allowing the tag to Dante. The pace picks up but a hard clothesline takes Dante down, only for him to come back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Everything breaks down and the double DDT pins Bravo at 6:23.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here, with Top Flight getting a win after not having the best run recently. If nothing else there is a chance that they can team with Komander for a future title match, even though they didn’t beat the champions. Either way, nice match here, with talented wrestlers getting to showcase themselves, albeit in a short match.

Deonna Purrazzo and Madison Rayne are in the back, with Rayne saying she’s retiring from the ring. She lost her father earlier this year and it lost a piece of her. This was a perfect way to end it and she thanks Purrazzo for being her partner. Tears ensue.

Hechicero vs. Aaron Solo

Hechicero dances a bit to start before they go to the mat, with Hechicero snapping the arm. Some rather spinny rollups give Hechicero two but Solo sends him outside. The big flip dive hits Hechicero outside, followed by a top rope double stomp for two back inside. Hechicero is back with a spinning faceplant for two and he catapults Solo into the corner, only for Solo to come back with a double stomp. Solo’s kicks to the chest just wake Hechicero up so he hammers away in the corner. A flapjack sets up a spinning arm trap rollup to pin Solo at 6:45.

Rating: B-. Solo got a chance to do something different here and it made for a fun match. You don’t see him get to hang in there with someone like Hechicero very often and it worked out well, with Hechicero being crafty enough to twist Solo around in the end. That’s always fun to see, as there is pretty much no one as smooth out there as Hechicero.

Outrunners/Dalton Castle vs. MxM TV

Fight Without Honor, meaning anything goes. TV comes out second and stomp on a Christmas tree on their way to the ring. The good guys charge the stage and the brawl is on, with the tree being repaired for all of three seconds. That’s enough for TV to beat them down to the steps and pull out some wrapping paper kendo sticks. Naturally Castle makes the save with a huge Christmas ornament before Mansoor tries punching a present.

Floyd finds a brick inside, leaving Mansoor’s hand in quite a bit of pain. Madden throws the tree inside and yes Floyd uses it for the Terry Funk ladder spin. Castle gets knocked down but Madden and Mansoor miss a double Grinch elbow. TV gets up and grabs a pie which hits Taya Valkyrie (in full Grinch attire) in the face, which he knows is a very bad result. That means a German suplex from Castle, who walks into a spinebuster.

It’s time for a stocking full of Legos, with Madden and the Outrunners fighting over suplex onto them. Instead Madden is sent (bare) feet first into them and then gets a present over his head. Some tables are brought in, with another being set up on the floor. The Outrunners are laid on the tables with Mansoor and TV going up, only for Castle to throw the ornament at them for a double crotching. TV is sent through a table at ringside and a double superplex sends Mansoor onto a table (and Legos) for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. This was a fun, weapons based match with the Christmas theme working well. It’s something that a lot of promotions do but they still make it work every time. I had a good time here and that’s the point of this kind of a match. Now get Castle and the Outrunners into the Six Man Tag Team Titles picture already.

Overall Rating: B. Maybe it’s the low standard this show has given me over the years, but this felt like the best weekly show Ring Of Honor has done in the better part of ever. There was the big angle at the beginning, some good action throughout, the surprise of Madison Rayne’s retirement and the fun main event. I had a good time with this show and hopefully they do this more often going forward.

Results
Bandido/Jay Lethal b. The Swirl via DQ when Bandido was triple teamed
Bryan Keith b. Serpentico – Tiger driver
Billie Starkz/Diamante b. Deonna Purrazzo/Madison Rayne – Swanton to Rayne
Lance Archer b. Steve Gibki – Blackout
Top Flight/Komander b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Double DDT to Bravo
Hechicero b. Aaron Solo – Spinning arm trap rollup
Outrunners/Dalton Castle b. MxM TV – Superplex through a table to Mansoor

 

 

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