Ring Of Honor
Date: October 5, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back with another special edition of this show, which usually means “stuff that wasn’t important enough to be on the regular show (how that’s possible is beyond me) and one big match”, which could be just about anything. Ring Of Honor desperately needs something to build towards to give these shows some purpose, just to break up the monotony. Let’s get to it.

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

AR Fox says that Kofi needs to back down with this World Title challenge to Bandido, because Fox has already challenged Bandido. Fox wants his title match tonight and then Kofi can come see him in Paris.

Opening sequence.

Janai Kai vs. Queen Aminata

They take turns chopping each other in the corner until Aminata pulls her into Chocolate Kisses. Kai switches places with her and hits a kick to Aminata’s back, which naturally sets off an exchange of the two of them letting each other grab snapmares and kicks to the back. Instead Kai fires off a string of kicks to the back, plus a running kick to the chest for two.

A snap suplex and clothesline get Aminata out of trouble and a middle rope double stomp gives her two. The fisherman’s neckbreaker gets the same but Kai hits a spinning kick to the head for two of her own. Back up and Aminata hits a headbutt into Off With Her Head for the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C. Kai doing nothing but kicks makes sense, as that’s her entire thing. At the same time, the segment of them letting the other kick them in the back made my head hurt. I’m not sure how that’s making it seem like they’re trying to win a match, which seems to be the point here. Aminata winning again is hardly a surprise, as she does at least have something coming up.

Dalton Castle/Outrunners vs. Jimmy Wild/Nikki Eight/Tommy Mars

Magnum and Mars start things off with Magnum hitting a shoulder and striking a pose. Mars actually takes him into the wrong corner though and Eight comes in for a chop before bringing Mars right back in. Magnum gets rather annoyed at Mars touching his chest though and gets chopped, allowing Floyd to come in with an ax handle to the arm.

Some double teaming puts Magnum in the wrong corner, with Mars starting in on the arm as well. A hanging DDT/Swanton to the back combination drops Magnum but he’s right back with a backdrop. It’s back to Floyd but the Mega Powers Elbow is broken up with a double back rake. Magnum avoids a triple middle rope headbutt and it’s off to Castle to fire off the suplexes. The Mega Powers Elbow/ax handle drop combination finishes Mars at 8:26.

Rating: C+. So the Outrunners are useless in the ring right? Basically this match was these three guys going even with the Outrunners and then Castle came in and beat all of them on his own. Now of course that’s not how it goes most of the time but it’s pretty much what happened here. That being said, Castle and the Outrunners are just so much fun to watch and they’re a bright spot in Ring Of Honor and that’s always good to see.

Alan Angels vs. Bishop Kaun

Angels charges at him and gets thrown outside. Back in and Angels slips out of a double underhook and powerbomb attempt, earning a running elbow to the face. A running backsplash gives Kaun two but Angels goes after the leg to take him down. Angels goes after the leg, including ramming it into his own knee for what might not be the smartest move.

The leg gets twisted around and crushed a few times but Angels stops to pose and gets chopped down. Back up and some running clotheslines have Kaun staggered so he drops Angels with a clothesline of his own. They head outside with Angels being whipped into the barricade and steps but Kaun’s bad knee gives out back inside. That means Angels can hit a rebound clothesline and a twisting faceplant for two. Something like a half crab is broken up and Kaun knees him in the face. A Pedigree finishes for Kaun at 6:14.

Rating: B. And that’s what happens when you put together a simple story but do it well. Angels tries to take out the leg and slow down the powerhouse but it wasn’t enough in the end and he got beat. That’s a good way to go and Angels continues to be something of a hidden gem around here. Rather good stuff here.

Trish Adora vs. B3cca

As usual, B3cca sings her own entrance about what she describes as her impressive physique. B3cca actually gets in a knockdown for an early two but is knocked off the top for a crash. Back in and Adora fires off hip shots in the corner, allowing Christyan XO to choke from the floor. The double arm crank doesn’t last very long and B3cca gets up top for a high crossbody. A middle rope dropkick gives B3cca two but she gets backbreakered and suplexed for two. The Lariat Tubman finishes B3cca at 5:00.

Rating: C. Adora continues to basically be the Lariat Tubman and that’s about it. There’s nothing about her that has really stood out for months and this didn’t do much to change that. At the same time, B3cca stands out a bit with the singing but there wasn’t anything of note there once the bell rang. Both of them are perfectly acceptable but that’s about it, which isn’t enough to really stand out from the pack.

We look at Kofi beating Lee Moriarty and then challenging Bandido for Grand Slam. One might wonder why he didn’t challenge Moriarty for the Pure Title (ok stop laughing, that was a dumb one) or say, come to ROH for the mat….ok fair.

Satnam Singh vs. Jakked Jameson

Jameson slugs away to start and gets splashed in the corner just as fast. Singh misses a charge and Jameson knocks him outside, where Singh is sent into the steps. Back in and Jameson escapes a chokeslam attempt and tries something like a Samoan drop. Jameson goes up and actually dives into a cutter for the pin at 2:38. Not the cleanest finish but I do appreciate Singh trying to do something other than the standard giant stuff. At the same time, maybe sticking with the same stuff is a better idea as it looks more smooth.

We look at Queen Aminata challenging Mercedes Mone. This might have been better as an announcement before the graphic was shown for the title match at Grand Slam.

Ring Of Honor World Title: AR Fox vs. Bandido

Bandido is defending and they shake hands to start. Fox is backed up against the ropes for a clean break to start as the fans like both of them. Neither of them can grab a cutter and they trade flips over each other. Bandido flips him out to the floor but the dive is cut off with a kick to the head.

That lets Fox sit in the chair and run around the ring, but Bandido pops up to cut off the charge. Somehow Fox gets back inside to cut Bandido off with another dive and he rains down some right hands inside. Bandido is able to get up top for a corkscrew high crossbody and a one armed snake eyes drops Fox again.

A Stunner out of the corner gives Fox two and the anarchist suplex gets the same. They trade running shots to the face until the X Knee connects. Bandido tries the 21 Plex but gets sent over the top and there’s the big running flip dive. Back in and a 450 gives Fox one and a pop up cutter gives Bandido two. Now the 21 Plex can retain the title at 11:09.

Rating: B. Well yeah of course this was good. Bandido and Fox have both shown they are more than capable of having high energy matches and that was the case again here. The problem here though was there was no reason to believe that Fox was going to win the title. Not only was Fox not likely to win, you already had the Kofi match set for tomorrow. It does help that they didn’t really try to make this into a big, dramatic title match as there wasn’t much of a reason. It’s still a more than good enough main event for a show like this and I’ll take that.

Post match Bandido puts his Pac armband on the title to end the show with a nice moment.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, the length of a Ring Of Honor show makes a big difference as they didn’t have the time to have the show full of filler. This show kept mostly to the point, though I’m still kind of scratching my head on Kaun getting a singles match. I can’t imagine this got many more people to pay for Ring Of Honor but I guess it was designed to get us to care about the ROH wrestlers on Grand Slam. Either way, good action here for the most part and the right runtime for a change.

Results
Queen Aminata b. Janai Kai – Off With Her Head
Outrunners/Dalton Castle b. Tommy Mars/Nikki Eight/Jimmy Wild – Mega Powers Elbow/Ax handle drop combination to Mars
Bishop Kaun b. Alan Angels – Pedigree
Trish Adora b. B3cca – Lariat Tubman
Satnam Singh b. Jakked Jameson – Cutter
Bandido b. AR Fox – 21 Plex

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 5, 2026
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

Somehow it’s the last Raw before Money In The Bank and that means we’re finalizing plans for the show. It doesn’t feel like we should be coming up on that big of an event yet here we are, with no more qualifying matches (thank goodness) and a World Title match between LA Knight and Roman Reigns which feels pretty cold. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of 946 being all violent last week and adding a new member in Jaida Parker, who ran Jacob Fatu over.

Roman Reigns arrives and the Usos want to talk to him about 946 but LA Knight is in the arena and he has something to do.

Here is Knight in the ring to talk about how there are all kinds of things going on but the only thing that matters is his title shot against Reigns. On Saturday, Reigns is going to walk down that aisle and at his pace, he might want to start now. Sure Reigns might be worried about the 946, but Knight always lives in the chaos. It’s down with the establishment, including Reigns, who comes out to interrupt.

Reigns says he was born in the chaos and thrives in it but he sees some doubt in Knight’s eyes. Knight has been running his mouth and then he jumped Reigns after the title match against Penta. The reality is that Knight is just another egg in the omelet and he’s getting broken on Saturday. Reigns is eating at the head of the table so St. Louis can acknowledge him.

They bump shoulders on the way out and Knight says Reigns is the most manufactured industry puppet he’s ever seen. Knight mocks Reigns’ teeth and then promises to win the title. There wasn’t much here but these two needed to be face to face before the title match. It doesn’t feel overly important, which might be due to the match being set up off air.

Je’Von Evans/Penta vs. The Vision

Non-title. The brawl starts on the floor and all four of them stay outside as we’re waiting for them to get inside. Penta kicks away at Breakker’s leg but his enziguri only hits the post. Breakker gets in a clothesline so Evans makes a save, only to be sent inside by Theory for the opening bell. Evans flips away from Theory but gets powerbombed by Breakker.

Another throw sends Evans flying and Breakker stops to yell at Penta, saying he’s already beaten him. Theory breaks up a tag attempt by pulling Penta to the floor, earning Evans a belly to belly over the top. The lights seem to unintentionally flicker and we take a break. We come back with a Steiner Bulldog taking Evans down but he avoids the Super Spear. That’s enough for the tag off to Penta, who gets to come in and clean house.

A slingshot dropkick hits Theory in the corner but he escapes the Penta Driver. The running flip dive hits Breakker on the floor but Theory breaks up Evans’ springboard cutter. Maxxine Dupri’s distraction looks to let Logan Paul send in the knuckles, with the throw going too far and Evans picks them up. A right hand knocks Theory cold for the pin at 8:22.

Rating: B-. The ending was a bit of a stretch as Theory watched Evans get the knuckles and put them on and then just stayed there with him. Theory isn’t quite that dumb but at least Evans didn’t take another fall. It wouldn’t surprise me to see another match for the title next week, as they haven’t actually defended the titles on TV since winning them in July.

Post match Bronson Reed runs in to beat Penta and Evans down but here is Oba Femi to clean house. The numbers get the better of Femi for a bit but he fights back and knocks Breakker outside. Reed knocks Femi down though and goes up, with Femi uppercutting him down to the floor. Breakker holds Reed back from getting in the ring again, leaving Femi to say that Reed has to climb a mountain on Saturday instead of a ladder. Femi promises destruction and teases drowning Reed. As usual, Femi feels like a monster here and he’ll probably smash Reed on Saturday.

Liv Morgan brags about being so amazing but Becky Lynch is keeping her from getting the rematch she deserves. She’ll beat Lynch tonight and then move on to Stephanie Vaquer.

We look at El Grande Americano/CM Punk/Rey Mysterio winning the main event of Worlds Collide.

Dragon Lee praises Mysterio’s abilities but Judgment Day interrupts. Lee tells Dominik to show some respect and the tag match is set up.

Video on 946, who want to take out the Usos and then come after Roman Reigns. No one is safe.

The Usos aren’t worried about Reigns comes in to ask what’s going on with 946. Reigns asks if Jacob Fatu is ok (which he apparently hasn’t bothered to ask in the last week) and says he’ll handle this.

Sol Ruca/Lola Vice vs. Judgment Day

Perez grabs a choke to start but can’t hit her spinning Russian legsweep. Ruca ties her up instead and does the surfing on her back, followed by a basement superkick. Vice comes in for a double hip shot to the head so it’s off to Rodriguez, who is pulled into a triangle choke. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside, with Ruca hitting a springboard corkscrew dive to take them out.

We take a break and come back with Vice getting the tag to clean house. Stereo running hip attacks hit the Judgment Day in the corners but Perez escapes a double suplex. Ruca dropkicks Rodriguez into the ropes but gets taken down by Perez. Another distraction looks to let Rodriguez Tejana Bomb Ruca, who reverses with a hurricanrana. Vice’s spinning kick tot he head drops Perez so Rodriguez makes the save. Back up and Vice accidentally spinning backfists Ruca, allowing Perez to get a rollup for the pin on Vice at 10:23.

Rating: C+. This was a weird one as it felt like four people wrestling on their own rather than having a tag match. Granted Ruca and Vice aren’t an actual team so it’s not like they should have any chemistry. The ending gives Perez another boost as she feels like a favorite to win the briefcase, which should make for an interesting situation. Ruca losing is a bit of a surprise, but it was off a fluke in a tag match so she’ll be fine.

Roman Reigns brings Adam Pearce into the locker room and Pearce makes 946 vs. the Bloodline for next week. It won’t be Reigns though, but rather Solo Sikoa, who doesn’t look thrilled.

Ethan Page vs. Rey Fenix

Non-title. Page shoves him down and brags about his size advantage and grabs a headlock. Back up and Fenix makes him run the ropes over and over, leaving Page looking panicked and winded. The rope walk kick knocks Page out to the floor and there’s the big corkscrew dive to the floor. Another dive connects inside, only for Page to send him into the corner and we take a break.

We come back with Page getting two off a release reverse fisherman’s suplex. Fenix pops up for a handspring cutter and a spinning kick to the head knocks Page silly again. An Angel’s Wings gives Fenix two more so he Tuns Up The Band and hits a superkick for the same. Page gets back up for a powerslam and another near fall but he gets superkicked on top. With that broken up, Page tries the EgoPlex but gets reversed into a small package for the pin at 11:13.

Rating: B-. I appreciate having Page back in the ring as he’s still one of the more consistent hands around. Having him getting frustrated by losing over and over should be interesting, as he could turn it into something good. For now though, it’s another case of getting Fenix over, which is fine after not having him do much of note.

Video on Money In The Bank and an explanation of its rules, along with the concept of cashing in a briefcase.

Judgment Day is ready to win even more titles but Liv Morgan makes the mistake of mentioning JD McDonagh having a large head. McDonagh doesn’t mind but he gets a present delivered. It’s a letter from Joe Hendry and a custom McDonagh Funko Pop.

Rey Mysterio/Dragon Lee vs. Judgment Day

Fenix takes over on McDonagh to start and sends him into the corner for the running dropkick. McDonagh is already rocked and gets clotheslined out to the floor, with Rey tagging himself in as Lee loads up a flip dive to the floor. Rey adds a running seated senton off the apron to drop Dominik and we take a break.

We come back with Rey in trouble and Dominik cutting him off with an elbow drop. McDonagh sends Rey into the corner and puts him down with a clothesline. Rey is tied up in the Tree Of Woe, where he does a situp to avoid McDonagh’s charge into the post. That and a tornado DDT to Dominik should be enough for the tag to Lee, but here is Big Cass to pull him off the apron. Rey takes Cass down and loads up a 619, only to get headbutted by McDonagh for the pin at 10:36.

Rating: B-. Ok the Funko Pop stuff is one of the dumbest angles they’ve had in a long time, but McDonagh using a headbutt as a huge finisher is rather awesome. Other than that, Judgment Day needed the win after some not so successful efforts. As for Cass…yeah I’m not seeing it happening, as he looks like a monster but that’s about it.

Post match Cass beats up Rey and Fenix without much trouble.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Becky Lynch talks about how many times Liv Morgan has cheated to retain the Women’s Title and then plays the victim. Lynch is the one who has to do all of the work and she’ll do it again here.

In case you were wondering, here’ show the Japanese commentary sounded for Oba Femi’s brawl earlier tonight.

Lyra Valkyria doesn’t know what it takes to get away from Bayley. Cue Bayley, who says this isn’t over until she says it’s over.

946 makes it clear that no one is safe.

Bronson Reed comes up to tell Paul Heyman that he’s planning to smash Oba Femi. Heyman hopes so and recommends a bunch of Tsunamis to make kids beg for mercy. Make it so bad that a priest and a rabbi deliver last rites. Then do about 25 more Tsunamis. Then one more. Heyman has seen this stuff taking place in person and while he’s been ticking people off for 40 years, this is different.

Even Brock Lesnar was just another opponent for Femi and that humbled Heyman. If Reed doesn’t hit Tsunami after Tsunami after Tsunami, he’ll be humbled too. Heyman leaves and Reed sees that he was watching a loop of Femi beating Lesnar in the Cell. As usual, Heyman can tell a story like no other, as it felt like he was going through PTSD here.

Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch

For the Women’s Title match on Saturday. Morgan gets knocked outside to start but sends Lynch into the barricade to take over. Back in and some running knees have Lynch in more trouble and we’re off to the chinlock. Lynch fights up without much trouble and gets in the running forearm in the corner, setting up the Bexploder. Some kicks to the chest have Morgan in trouble but she’s back with a Codebreaker. That’s shrugged off and Lynch hits a running clothesline as we take a break.

We come back with Lynch grabbing a DDT into a cross armbreaker, with Morgan quickly reversing. That means Lynch switches to the Disarm-Her so Morgan BITES THE LEG and reverses into a half crab. That’s broken up as well so Morgan knocks her down for two more. Back up and the Manhandle Slam is loaded up so here is Raquel Rodriguez for a distraction. Roxanne Perez comes in to snap Lynch’s arm over the rope, with Morgan adding a sunset bomb for two.

Oblivion is countered into a Manhandle Slam so Rodriguez puts the foot on the rope. Tessitore: “SHAME ON YOU!” Lynch takes out Rodriguez so Perez gets up on the apron, with Rodriguez knocking Lynch off the top. Stephanie Vaquer comes in to take Perez so Rodriguez hands Morgan the title. That’s caught as well and it’s a double ejection so Morgan tries Oblivion. Vaquer gets taken out by mistake, which draws her into hit both of them for the double DQ at 16:00.

Rating: B-. Well of course they did. You know where the ending is going and it’s one of the most annoying tendencies in all of wrestling. They were building up either Lynch making some big comeback against the odds or Morgan stealing the win (either would have been fine) but HA! Never mind, triple threat! It’s been done for years and my goodness I’m sick of it.

Post match Vaquer requests and receives a triple threat title match on Saturday. A corkscrew moonsault crushes both challengers to end the show. After a month of triple threat qualifying matches, we get a triple threat title match. Oh joy.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was the last push to Money In The Bank for the Raw side and….yeah it’s not exactly feeling great. It felt like they were trying everything they could but the stuff on here was a mix of filler and Knight vs. Reigns. That’s a problem when 946 has been the main story for weeks and Reigns only showed up at the last minute. They tried here, but it was pushing a big boulder uphill.

Results
Penta/Je’Von Evans b. The Vision – Right hand with brass knuckles to Theory
Judgment Day b. Sol Ruca/Lola Vice – Rollup to Perez
Rey Fenix b. Ethan Page – Small package
Judgment Day b. Rey Mysterio/Dragon Lee – Headbutt to Rey
Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch went to a double DQ when Stephanie Vaquer interfered

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

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

The first of not too many.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-wwe-smackdown-review-6-14-13/

AAA On FOX
Date: October 3, 2026
Location: Domo de la Feria Leon, Leon, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re closing in on Heroes Inmoretales and the card hasn’t even started to come together. That’s going to need some work and there is a good chance we could see it start here. If nothing else, it would be nice to get back to a regular show now that we’re well clear of TripleMania. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is El Grande Americano for the first time as Mega Champion. Americano talks about making history together and he has a big announcement but here is El Ojo to interrupt. Dorian Roldan is here on behalf of his family and wants to talk to Rey Mysterio right now. Cue Rey, who says we can finally have a Mega Champion to be proud of around here. Roldan brings up Rey making a fast count at TripleMania and not being the assigned referee.

Rey says he is the General Manager but Roldan wants the decision reversed and the title returned to Dominik. Americano interrupts and wants a tag match against El Ojo tonight. He’ll sweeten the pot too: if El Ojo wins, Dominik gets a title shot at Heroes Inmoretales, but if they lose, Dominik never gets another shot at Americano. Game on.

Last week, Mr. Iguana challenge La Parka for the Latin American Title.

Latin American Title: Mr. Iguana vs. La Parka

Parka is defending. They shake hands to start and feel each other out to start, with Parka pulling him into a quickly broken surfboard. More grappling lets Iguana get two off a rollup so Parka flips away from him. Back up and Iguana gets in a running dropkick so Parka kicks him to the floor. Naturally that means a suicide dive but Iguana is right back with a running hurricanrana off of the steps.

Iguana grabs a cross armbreaker back inside, which doesn’t last long either. They head outside again where Iguana goes for the title but Parka one ups him by going for Yesca. That means a big exchange of chops on the floor, followed by the exchange of forearms back inside. A crucifix driver gets two on Parka but he catches Iguana on top with a super Spanish Fly. They clothesline each other down…and Los Perros del Mal run in to jump both of them for the double DQ at 9:24.

Rating: B-. As usual there were some good spots in here with Iguana showing that he is more than just a guy who does weird things. At the same time, it’s WAY too early for Parka to lose the title, even to someone like Iguana. I’m assuming the two of them will get together to fight Los Perros and that could be interesting.

Post match the beatdown is on Nino Hamburguesa runs in for the save.

El Grande Americano/Rey Mysterio vs. El Ojo

Rey and Dominik start things off and take their sweet time before locking up. An early sunset flip gives Rey two and he faceplants Dominik. Americano comes in for a PK and then the ten punches in the corner. A running kick to the face staggers Dominik and unfortunately it’s off to Omos to elbow Americano into the corner. Somehow Americano manages a triangle choke over the ropes, with Dominik quickly breaking it up.

Back in and Americano gets beaten down by the villains, including Omos cranking on the arms (JBL: “What’s he going to do? Tap out with his eyebrows?”). That’s broken up so Dominik gets in a cheap shot from the apron, only for Omos to miss an elbow. Rey comes back in and JBL knows what it means when Rey gets momentum going. The double 619 is loaded up but Americano has to save Rey from a chokeslam.

That means Omos’ arms are tied in the ropes but Dominik is back in. Americano gives him a rope walk Blockbuster so Omos splashes Americano against the post. Some 619s stagger Omos though and Rey springboard seated sentons him through the announcers’ table (with JBL talking about how glad he is that it’s the Spanish announce table, even in Mexico). Back up and Dominik pulls Rey’s mask off, followed by a belt shot to Americano for the pin at 12:20.

Rating: B. This was exactly what it needed to be, with the result setting up pretty much the only viable option for the title shot. Dominik getting one more crack at Americano makes sense, and having Dominik take out both heroes pretty much on his own in the end helped. Omos was his usual impressive monster self here and it went about as well as could be expected.

Post match Dominik poses with the mask and the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This is just kind of how AAA TV works, with only one or two stories throughout the show and they take their time getting to them. The good thing is that we have a Heroes Inmortales main event, plus some other things being set up. As usual, it really helps that the show is only about an hour long so they don’t overstay their welcome. Couple that with getting things done and this is still one of the easiest shows to watch every week.

Results
Mr. Iguana vs. La Parka went to a double DQ when Los Perros del Mal interfered
El Ojo b. Rey Mysterio/El Grande Americano – Belt shot to Americano

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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Collision
Date: October 3, 2026
Location: Truist Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Paul Wight

We’re done with All Out and rapidly closing in on Wrestledream, with the schedule being a bit crunched because of the Pac tribute show from earlier this week. That should make for a bigger Collision here, as they don’t have a lot of time to waste with just two weeks before the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

Kofi is excited to be here and can’t wait to get going. Lee Moriarty says he’s been Pure Champion for 799 days and wants more respect. Kofi doesn’t get what’s wrong with him.

Kofi vs. Lee Moriarty

Non-title and Austin Creed is on commentary. Moriarty spins out of a hammerlock to start and we’re at a standoff. They trade a crossarm choke and Moriarty takes him over to the ropes for the break. Kofi sends him to the floor and teases a dive but bounces off of the ropes instead.

Back in and a leg lariat gives Kofi two but Moriarty plants him with a running DDT and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Moriarty bridges back on his neck and mocks Kofi as we take a break. We come back with Moriarty hitting a backdrop but getting knocked off the top. A tornado DDT and dropkick have Moriarty in trouble until he pulls Kofi into a triangle choke. That’s broken up and Kofi tries a springboard….I think crucifix driver but completely misses.

Instead Moriarty gets in a suplex so Kofi kicks him down and drops the double leg. Trouble In Paradise misses and Moriarty pulls him into a Border City Stretch. Kofi makes it over to the rope so Moriarty punches him in the head. Kofi’s choke has Moriarty in the rope, only for Moriarty to send Kofi head first into the buckle. A European clutch gives Moriarty two but Kofi is back up with Trouble In Paradise for the pin at 13:17.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was exactly what you would have expected, with two established talented guys getting to show what they could do. Moriarty can wrestle a technical match as well as anyone and Kofi is one of the most consistently successful stars of his generation. This was quite the opener and Kofi is quite a good addition to the roster.

We take a look at the Pac tribute show, which is still hard to see.

Commentary gives some thoughts on Pac, with McGuinness sounding close to breaking.

The Young Bucks talk about Pac and how helpful he was to them in Japan when they were starting out. You can hear the emotions here and Nick breaks down in tears.

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada at Grand Slam Paris, which was announced after All Out.

Commentary announces Clockwork Carnage, which is a rather complicated match involving eight wrestlers entering but possibly being eliminated until they’re all in. Once that is up, the remaining wrestlers have what is basically a fifteen minute Iron Man match and the most points win. So a Royal Rumble/Iron Man hybrid?

Conglomeration vs. Solorato/Griff Garrison

Garrison gets taken into the corner for some double chops as Wight pops back onto audio to yell at McGuinness for muting him. Cassidy gets more fired up than usual and hammers away with about twenty five right hands in the corner. Comorato crotches Cassidy on top but Solo stops to do the Macarena. A tornado DDT gets Cassidy out of trouble and Garrison gets high/lowed on the floor. Back up and Solo tries a 21 Plex of all things, which is easily broken up. The Orange Punch finishes Comorato at 3:09.

Rating: C. This was a more serious Conglomeration than usual and that’s certainly a way to go, as Cassidy being serious might not be the best idea. I’m assuming this is in response to Strong being annoyed at the team’s recent loss so maybe they’re going in something of a different direction. Then again it’s just Solorato/Garrison so it only means so much.

Post match here are the Death Riders for their scheduled match and a staredown.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Death Riders

The Gang starts in on Yuta’s arm with some alternating shots before Austin gets pulled into the wrong corner. Austin fights back against Garcia and Yuta, meaning it’s time for the double fireman’s carry with the squats. Castagnoli breaks it up with a big boot though and we take a break. We come back with Austin hitting a brainbuster, allowing the tag off to Colten. That means right hands and a dropkick to take over, with Austin coming in for the still cool Quick Draw.

Everything breaks down and a step up clothesline to the back gets two on Garcia. Castagnoli’s powerbomb out of the corner gets two on Colten and it’s off to the six way slugout/knockdown. Marina Shafir and Juice Robinson tease a fight but Gabe Kidd breaks it up. The Gunns chase Kidd off but Yuta dives onto both of them. That leaves Austin to get crushed with running elbows in the corner, with Shafir getting in a shot of her own. The running knee and Dragontamer finish Austin at 12:20.

Rating: B-. Hey look: Austin takes the fall in a match with the Gunn Club there to do it instead. For the life of me I do not get why Austin has to take so many losses but here we are again. Other than that, it was a good enough tag match and a way for the Riders to get a regular win after their big showcase on Wednesday.

Darby Allin talks about how things have been put into perspective and he thought Steven Borden’s career was over at All Out. The Tag Team Titles will still be waiting for them though and it’s time to focus on the TNT Title. Kyle Fletcher never lost it so Allin wants to give him a title shot at Grand Slam so Allin can feel alive.

Myron Reed vs. Dante Martin

They trade rollups to start as McGuinness and Wight have what sounds like a less than playful exchange on commentary. Martin knocks him outside and rolls through a slingshot sunset flip attempt. Reed is right back up with a dropkick and we take a break. We come back with Reed hitting the hanging Downward Spiral from the apron to the floor. Marin is back up for the suicide shove but Reed tries the running diving cutter. The term is try as Martin blocks it and reverses into a poisonrana on the floor. Back in and Martin goes up for…something that takes so long that he dives into a cutter. Reed’s 450 finishes at 9:49.

Rating: B. It was a nice collection of flips and dives with the 450 being a cool looking finish but this felt like it would have been better suited for a middle of the show match on Ring Of Honor. Martin feels like he has been ready to move up to the next level for years now and there is no reason to suggest that is the case. Reed is talented but I have no reason to believe he’s going anywhere either.

Thekla tries to go see Mercedes Mone but can’t get an answer to a knock. Then Mone sneaks up from behind and knocks Thekla down. This has been “Mone is smart and her challenger is dumb”.

Megan Bayne/Lena Kross vs. Emily Rose/Joiya Blake

Divine Intervention finishes Rose at 46 seconds.

Post match Julia Hart comes out for her match and a staredown with Bayne/Kross. Yeah I saw them do that about thirty minutes ago.

Julia Hart vs. Queen Aminata

Hart gets headbutted out to the floor to start, followed by the Chocolate Kisses back inside. Hart knocks her down out of the corner though and Aminata is in trouble as we take a break. We come back with Aminata getting two off a stomp and putting her in a chair on the floor. That means a running double stomp to drive Hart through chair for a nasty crash and they go back inside. Back in and Hart gets in an Octopus, which is reversed into an Air Raid Crash for two. A Backstabber with the feet has Aminata in trouble again but she knocks Hart into the ropes. Off With Her Head finishes Hart at 9:13.

Rating: C+. They were hitting each other hard but this show has been on a streak of matches that do not feel even remotely important. You know where Hart and Aminata are at the moment and it would be ridiculous to think that either of them is going anywhere off of this win. Maybe Aminata can get a shot in Ring Of Honor or something but it’s not happening here, at least not in anything serious.

New Level are glad about what they’re doing so far and Kofi wants to be a singles champion. That means an official challenge to Bandido for Grand Slam, which is certainly a switch.

Jack Perry says he beat Katsuyori Shibata and wants Samoa Joe, who returned at All Out.

Samoa Joe is back and hopes that Perry can be man enough after the beating he’s going to get.

Adam Priest vs. Mark Davis

Davis chops him down to start but Priest is able to get in a knockdown to the floor. A dragon screw legwhip over the rope has Davis in trouble but he’s able to run Priest over as we take a break. We come back with Priest taking out the leg and hitting a top rope DDT. Another twist of the knee has Davis in trouble but it’s too early for the half crab. And then the half crab goes on to have Davis screaming quite a bit. That’s broken up and Priest goes after the leg again but gets pulled into the piledriver to give Davis the pin at 8:39.

Rating: C+. This show has turned into ROH Collision as you’re getting longer matches with zero doubt about who wins. At the same time, and really far worse, is that neither of these two are going to have anything changed with the result. Davis beat someone he should beat and Priest lost to someone he should lose to. That’s been the case with most of the matches this week and it’s making for a very dull watch.

Queen Aminata is told she might get a title shot and says she’ll face Mercedes Mone at Grand Slam. Then she can go on to WrestleDream to beat Thekla up.

Grand Slam rundown.

Jon Moxley vs. Jake Doyle

Non-title Eliminator Match. They start slowly and Moxley can’t get very far by running into Doyle. A running shoulder doesn’t work but the second is more successful for Moxley. Back up and Doyle powers him into the corner but Moxley reverses and hammers away. A running shoulder sends Moxley off the apron and into the barricade and we take a break.

We come back with Moxley in trouble on the floor and a ridiculously slow count, which allows Moxley to sit down next to the post for a few moments. Back in and Moxley wins a slugout, even throwing in some kicks to the leg. The rebound lariat hits Doyle and a cutter sends him outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Doyle tries a powerbomb but gets his face bitten instead. A piledriver just wakes Doyle up and he powerbombs Moxley for two. Back up and Doyle tries Into The Void but gets pulled into the rear naked choke to give Moxley the win at 13:19.

Rating: B. That was exactly what I was expecting, with Moxley selling a bunch and then winning in the end. The match was good and all, but the result was exactly the same as it so often is with Moxley and that makes for a tedious watch. Moxley being there made it feel more important than the rest of the show but dang this did not come off like a main event.

Overall Rating: C+. This really did feel like a Ring Of Honor show, with a bunch of people having matches to fill in the time. A few of them might be building to something, but so many of the matches felt like background noise while commentary announced matches for the two upcoming shows. You have a live television show with the wrestlers there so make this more like this week’s Dynamite. The wrestling was good but the presentation didn’t work, which made this feel very, very long.

Results
Kofi b. Lee Moriarty – Trouble In Paradise
Death Riders b. Bang Bang Gang – Dragontamer to Austin
Myron Reed b. Dante Martin – 450
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Emily Rose/Joiya Blake – Divine Intervention to Rose
Queen Aminata b. Julia Hart – Off With Her Head
Mark Davis b. Adam Priest – Piledriver
Jon Moxley b. Jake Doyle – Rear naked choke

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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Universal Wrestling Federation
Date: June 7, 1986
Location: Tulsa Convention Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Jim Ross, Michael Hayes

So last week was a white hot angle with Eddie Gilbert and the Russians humiliating Cowboy Bill Watts by covering him with the Soviet flag. That’s not going to sit well with Watts, who has already come chasing after them with a baseball bat. The house show matches are coming soon enough, but we’ve got some work to do on the way there. Let’s get to it.

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

The WWE Vault version of this show is missing almost 20 minutes so a match almost has to be missing. Or at least a music video. At least a lot of it will be entrances and bumpers due to music rights, because those things have to ruin a lot of classic footage.

We open with a recap of Dark Journey turning down Michael Hayes.

Commentary welcomes us to the show and Hayes claims last week was a misunderstanding.

Kamala vs. Mike Reed

One Man Gang and Skandor Akbar are here with Kamala. Before the match, Akbar says no team in the world can stand up to these two. I’m sure they could stand up to the monsters. Maybe not beat them but standing up can’t be that hard. Kamala jumps him before the bell and kicks him down, setting up a pair of splashes for the win. I didn’t hear an opening bell but we’ll say about 28 seconds.

We recap Bill Watts getting into it with Eddie Gilbert and the Russians, resulting in Watts being covered with the Soviet flag last week. JR is in his glory as he screams about what he is seeing.

Watts is at his house and talks about World War II and the Korean War and how everyone is sure that America is going under because we play by the rules. He’s not playing by the rules and is calling his friends to come help him. This was so AMERICA IS GREAT that it made my teeth sweat.

Here is Eddie Gilbert to introduce the Russians and mock Bill Watts.

Russians vs. Jeff Gaylord/Ken Massey/Perry Jackson

Ivan wrestles Jackson down to start and drops a leg before it’s off to Nikita. The quick tags continue as Massey comes in, with Nikita dropping him with the Sickle for the pin at 1:19.

Post match, Gilbert does the flag thing again.

Bill Watts talks to Dusty Rhodes and wants him to fight for America. Rhodes is ready to come to Houston and help fight, with Watts telling us not to come to the show if you don’t want to see mud, blood and beer. Watts: “WE HATE RUSSIA!” I’m not sure why Dusty was wearing a top hat but maybe it’s subtext.

Michael Hayes introduces a video on the Freebirds. Said video is set to Can’t Stop Rockin by ZZ Top so of course it’s missing from the Vault version. Oddly enough this seemed to be mostly if not all WCCW footage.

Eddie Gilbert and the Russians are ready for Houston.

Brett Wayne Sawyer vs. Jack Victory

Victory has the giant Lady Maxine with him. Sawyer takes him down to start and cuts off a boot to the ribs. Back up and Victory takes over by choking in the rope, with Maxine getting in a choke. Sawyer gets some boots up in the corner and walks into some dropkicks but avoids a third.

Maxine low bridges Sawyer to the floor and here is Dark Journey to glare at Maxine, which has the fans interested. Sawyer throws Victory over the top and tells the women to go at it, with the brawl kicking off. Victory pulls Maxine outside and we’ll call it a no contest (unless Sawyer was DQ’d for the toss over the top, but I can’t imagine it matters) at 5:00.

Rating: C. Obviously the match wasn’t the point here, as this was ALL about the women going nuts out there. That made for a good segment, and you could tell the fans were very interested. That’s not something you want to do very often, but dang it works when you have an angle the fans are into and you can feel the energy.

We look at the UWF Championship tournament, with Jim Duggan vacating the North American Title to retire it and then entering the tournament. This includes highlights of the entire tournament, with Terry Gordy beating Duggan in the finals, partially thanks to a pre-match brawl between Duggan and One Man Gang. Seeing the bloody Duggan fight for everything he had was great stuff as he knew how to make a comeback like few others. The recap eats up about ten minutes, none of which is shown on the Vault version.

TV Title: Buzz Sawyer vs. Terry Taylor

Sawyer, with Rick Steiner, is defending and Chavo Guerrero is here with Taylor. Hayes makes jokes about Mexican food as Taylor grabs a headlock and hits a crossbody for two. Another headlock doesn’t work so well as Sawyer is up with the forearms in the corner. Taylor is right back with another dropkick out to the floor but misses another crossbody, sending him outside as well.

Back in and a suplex drops Taylor but Sawyer misses a top rope splash. Steiner trips Taylor so Guerrero puts the foot on the rope and jumps Steiner as we’re rapidly running out of time. The credits start to roll and Taylor gets a small package for the pin and the title at 4:28.

Rating: B-. The pin taking place during the credits was quite the surprise as you wouldn’t expect to see a title change that late in the show. Taylor continues to feel like one of the bigger prospects around here, but the more I see of Sawyer, the more impressed I am. At the same time, it’s a shame that he was such a horrible person outside of the ring because it really brings the opinion of him down.

Overall Rating: C+. Here you have a show that is good enough on its own but brought WAY up due to the crowd. The fans were molten for everything going on and it made things that much better. It really is easy to see why this place was seen as a big deal and if not for the upcoming economic crash, the question of “what if” is so strong. Anyway, while not as big as last week’s show, this is still a breeze to watch and hopefully we get the Superdome or Astrodome show to wrap up the month in a few weeks.

Results
Kamala b. Mike Reed – Splash
Russians b. Jeff Gaylord/Ken Massey/Perry Jackson – Russian Sickle to Massey
Brett Wayne Sawyer vs. Jack Victory went to a no contest when Lady Maxine and Dark Journey brawled
Terry Taylor b. Buzz Sawyer – Small package

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

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

Universal Wrestling Federation
Date: May 31, 1986
Location: Tulsa Convention Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Jim Ross, Michael Hayes

So this was randomly posted to the WWE Vault and might be the next of their month long Throwback Thursday series. Either way, this is the renamed Mid-South Wrestling promotion and the promotion is still rather hot, with Bill Watts at the helm. That should be enough to carry things so let’s get to it.

Note that the WWE Vault version is about 32 minutes long and from what I can find, about ten minutes is edited out. A good chunk of this seems to be the bumpers saying “this wrestler is coming up next”, which are likely missing due to the music. Thankfully, a full version can be found online.

We open with a clip from last week, with Michaels Hayes calling out Ted DiBiase for a fight, with DiBiase heading to the ring.

Opening sequence.

Jim Ross and Michael Hayes welcome us to the show with Hayes talking about being attacked last week. They’re gearing up for shows at the Superdome and the Astrodome and Ross runs down the card. Hayes is ready for a big match at Reunion Arena in Dallas.

Rick Steiner vs. Perry Jackson

Buzz Sawyer is here with Steiner and hang on as Eddie Gilbert is here with a red flag. He talks about something that happened two weeks ago with Bill Watts, who woke Gilbert up with his fist and for being against America. Gilbert insists that he is NOT a Communist and wants to tell Watts face to face. Referee Tommy Gilbert (Eddie’s father) comes out to ask what Eddie is doing and Eddie walks out.

So we get the bell and Steiner gets slammed early on. That earns Jackson a shot from behind and Steiner rubs his face in the mat for a bonus. A suplex drops Jackson again but he gets in a crossbody. Jackson backdrops and slams him for two but Steiner is back with a shot to the ribs. Steiner’s belly to belly out of the air finishes Jackson at 2:22.

One Man Gang vs. Ken Massey

Before the match, the Gang reveals that he is the latest member of Devastation Inc. and is ready to slap and splash some punk. Gang, with Skandor Akbar, pounds Massey in the back and they’re quickly on the floor. Back in and the yet to be named 747 finishes Massey at 59 seconds.

Here is Dark Journey, who has been dealing with Lady Maxine and promises to take care of her no matter where. Michael Hayes says Journey doesn’t need to worry about “this Amazon” (Maxine) or Jack Victory. She just needs a journey down Badstreet with her, earning himself a slap in the process. Hayes: “SHE’S PLAYING HARD TO GET!”

Here is Eddie Gilbert once again to ask Bill Watts to come talk to him so Gilbert can show that he’s not associated with the Russians. Watts finally comes out, with Gilbert thanking him for the wake up call to show that he doesn’t need the Russians or their money. Gilbert wants to burn the Soviet flag and while he’ll still be with his wrestlers, he’s done with the Russians.

Cue said Russians (Ivan Koloff/Nikita Koloff/Korstia Kornchenko) to jump Watts and beat him with a chain, with Gilbert taking out a referee with a shovel. The Soviet flag is draped over the unconscious Watts as Gilbert’s Blade Runners hold off Jim Duggan, Steve Williams and Ted DiBiase. The three of them get through and clear the ring for the save. Bill’s sons Joel and Eric come in to check on him.

Now, that’s a hot angle in its own right as the most American star in the world, the Cowboy, was beaten down and humiliated in a way that would have him absolutely livid. That’s more than just about anything you could ask for, but what put this over the top was Ross’ commentary. Ross made it sound like he was seeing the most heinous, despicable thing that he could possibly imagine. He sold it like nothing else you could imagine and my goodness it made the whole thing that much better. Ross was the star here, with the fans going insane as they should have.

Steve Williams vs. Gustavo Mendoza

Williams’ entrance is missing, which I’m sure has nothing to do with his entrance music being Born In The USA. Williams is ticked off about Watts and hits some running shoulders to send him outside. Back in and a running clothesline takes Mendoza down again, followed by another shoulder. The Oklahoma Stampede finishes Mendoza at 1:17.

Jim Ross introduces us to Frank Dusek, who will be working with various charity shows. Ok then.

Here’s how to get a fundraising show! Yes this is edited out too.

Fabulous Freebirds vs. Terry Taylor/Ted DiBiase

Music gets rid of the entrances here too. Roberts backs DiBiase into the corner to start so DiBiase cranks on the arm. Hayes (now off commentary obviously) comes in and gets punched down to the floor by a fired up DiBiase. Taylor comes in for a headscissors as Ross runs down a bunch of upcoming shows.

It’s back to Hayes, who gets slammed a few times and then backs away from DiBiase, who runs into a raised boot in the corner. Roberts gets to drop a middle rope stomp to the head but some right hands knock Hayes into the wrong corner. Hayes breaks up a sunset flip though and it’s back to Roberts to take over on Taylor. That doesn’t last long either as DiBiase comes back in for a double atomic drop but a Hayes distraction lets Roberts get in a cheap shot, with DiBiase going head first into the post.

The piledriver on the floor is broken up but Hayes stays on DiBiase, who is bleeding from the forehead. The chinlock doesn’t last long as DiBiase is up with a suplex and it’s back to Taylor to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Birds are sent into each other but DiBiase is sent outside. That means Hayes can cheap shot Taylor and suplex Roberts onto him for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: B-. This was the only match on the show that got any kind of time and it shouldn’t be a surprise that the talented wrestlers had a good performance. DiBiase was so much different than he would become in the WWF and it’s rather impressive to see such a change of pace. As always, the Freebirds can work a crowd like no other and the whole thing worked.

And never mind as another referee comes out to say what Hayes did with his cheap shot and the decision is reversed.

Here are Eddie Gilbert and the Russians to brag about taking out Bill Watts. The Fantastics come out for a brawl (the Fantastics got an entrance (also edited out) but the match never started) but Watts runs in with a baseball bat to clear the ring as Ross ERUPTS to end the show. This might have had a better impact without the credits rolling over the whole scene.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling was mostly short, but that’s just what you had to be expecting on a show from this era. At the same time though, MY GOODNESS what an angle that was with Watts and the Russians. It’s something that worked well back in the day and it completely holds up, even if the houses weren’t great as a result. Pretty solid show here and I could go for more of it.

Results
Rick Steiner b. Perry Jackson – Belly to belly suplex
One Man Gang b. Ken Massey – Splash
Steve Williams b. Gustavo Mendoza – Oklahoma Stampede
Terry Taylor/Ted DiBiase b. Fabulous Freebirds via reverse decision

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

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

Smackdown
Date: October 2, 2026
Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re in the fourth quarter of the year and just over a week away from Money In The Bank. The big story this week is another qualifying match, but we also have the issue of basically everyone being mad at World Champion Sami Zayn, which will have to be solved. That should be enough to carry things here so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of CM Punk beating Gunther and Finn Balor last week to qualify for Money In The Bank.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Candice LeRae vs. Tatum Paxley

LeRae gets smart early on by throwing Paxley at Stratton. That sends Paxley outside, leaving Stratton to get back up with a running hip attack in the ropes. Paxley is back in and they trade rollups for two each until LeRae and Stratton are knocked out to the floor. A moonsault takes the two of them out and Paxley is rather giggly as we take a break.

We come back with everyone down so Paxley gets up to clean house. Cole thinks it will change Paxley’s career trajectory if she wins here. No Cole, it won’t. Stratton gives LeRae an Alabama Slam into a Swanton but walks into a spinwheel kick from Paxley. LeRae’s Lionsault is broken up and the Cemetery Drive hits Stratton, with LeRae making the save this time. Paxley hits LeRae with her 450 but the Prettiest Moonsault Ever breaks it up, allowing Stratton to pin LeRae at 9:36.

Rating: B-. This was more of a showcase for Paxley than anything else but, you know, triple threat and stealing the pin and all that. I will be so glad when we get to the pay per view next week and can stop with these qualifying matches. They’ve been good for the most part, but my goodness mix it up a bit already.

Chelsea Green isn’t sure who is winning the briefcase. Nikki Bella comes in to say she’s taking the title anyway but Paige comes in with a challenge for Bella. They can fight in two weeks, but for now Paige will just slap her.

Rey Fenix/Fraxiom vs. War Raiders/Ricky Saints

Ivar and Frazer start things off with Ivar knocking him down without much effort. Erik comes in and gets enziguried, allowing the tag off to Axiom. Fraxiom fire off the dives and Fenix tries one of his own but messes it up pretty badly and doesn’t make a ton of contact. Everyone is down on the floor and we take a pretty quick break.

We come back with Saints hammering on Axiom and going after the mask as any villain should do to a masked wrestler. Erik grabs a front facelock but Axiom fights his way out, allowing Fenix to come in for the handspring cutter. The rope walk kick sends Erik outside and a superkick puts Ivar down. The frog splash connects with Erik making the save as everything breaks down. Axiom has to moonsault onto the floor to save Frazer and Fenix goes up top, only to get Roshamboed down to give Saints the pin at 10:33.

Rating: B-. It’s another good enough match, though seeing Saints challenge Fenix for the Cruiserweight Title isn’t the most interesting idea. If nothing else, it’s nice to see some people getting some TV time, even if neither of the teams has much going on right now. Perfectly fine match here, though I’m a sucker for this kind of six man tags.

Cody Rhodes knows that he and Kevin Owens have history but he’ll deal with Owens and Johnny Gargano. Trick Williams comes in to say he hopes Rhodes wins but Rhodes is losing at Money In The Bank. Williams: “Let’s talk about it.” Rhodes: “Sounds like we just did.”

Damian Priest is in New York City and says he’s getting back to what he was before. Yes it was personal when he attacked R-Truth and he’ll do it again.

Charlotte has gotten herself and Tatum Paxley a Women’s Tag Team Title shot. Paxley is thrilled but wants Paxley to be serious.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. Zayn says he hears the noise here and asks how many people are here to ride or die with him. The reaction is a bit disappointing to them but he’s still playing with injustice in the form of inequality. WWE Champions are supposed to get respect but there are a lot of people saying they are going to beat him. He knows he can overcome any of them and if you don’t believe him, ask Cody Rhodes or CM Punk.

Cue Raw’s Je’Von Evans of all people to say Zayn is sounding worried before moving on to Money In The Bank. Zayn cuts him off, saying he’s been where Evans is before. Evans suggests he might cash in on Zayn if he wins the briefcase, which brings out Penta. Zayn doesn’t seem happy as Penta promises to cash in on someone and win a World Title.

Trick Williams, Gingerbread Man jokes, respect, same thing Penta said. Zayn says he’s look at at least two losers, if not three, and gets in Williams’ face to say no one can do what Zayn can do. As Zayn goes to leave, Finn Balor comes out to say that he’s coming for the title. Cue Gunther to choke Balor out and send Zayn into the ladders.

Tiffany Stratton are very happy over Stratton’s win.

Gunther is asked why he did that and is interrupted by Danhausen (who appears to have a Ghostbusters PKE meter). This doesn’t work for Gunther, who is sick of this and leaves Danhausen laying.

Blake Monroe vs. Giulia

Giulia goes right after her to start but gets stomped down in the corner. A running hurricanrana out of the corner gives Monroe two so Giulia kicks her in the face. They go to the floor and Monroe knees her in the face as we take a break. We come back with Giulia shouldering her down a few times and getting two off a missile dropkick. Monroe’s Neutralizer is broken up so Giulia hits the running knee. A curb stomp gives Giulia two so she goes up top, with Monroe knocking her face first into the post. That’s enough to knock Giulia cold for the pin at 8:22.

Rating: C+. That’s certainly an interesting way to go as Giulia was dominating and then got knocked silly with one single shot. You don’t see it happen very often and it lets Monroe brag about her win without really beating Giulia. Odds are they’ll do a rematch where Giulia can lose again because that’s pretty much all she does these days.

We look at Jaida Parker taking out Jacob Fatu and joining 946 on Raw.

Johnny Gargano tells Candice LeRae that the night can still be salvaged but Sami Zayn comes in to give Gargano a big pep talk.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens vs. Johnny Gargano

Rhodes hammers away at Owens to start before rolling Gargano up for two. Gargano is back up and Rhodes is knocked down, with Gargano knocking Owens out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Owens setting up a table but Candice LeRae saves Gargano. Rhodes is back up with a snap powerslam but gets caught in the Gargano Escape. Owens breaks that up and tries a Stunner, only to be pulled into the Gargano Escape as well.

That’s broken up as well and Rhodes drops Gargano onto Owens. LeRae tries another distraction so Rhodes knocks Gargano into her and…well not really through the table, which just cracks. Gargano is knocked through the rest of the table, leaving Owens to knock Rhodes down as we take another break. We come back again with Owens hitting Gargano with his swinging superplex and going up again. This time Rhodes cuts Owens off but gets shoved down, allowing Owens to hit a Swanton.

Gargano superkicks Owens to steal a near fall, earning himself a Stunner. Rhodes breaks up the cover by diving in front of the referee, which leaves Owens rather unpleased. Owens and Rhodes slug it out until Rhodes counters the Stunner into Cross Rhodes. This time it’s Randy Orton making the save so Rhodes goes after him with some rams into various hard items. Gargano jumps Rhodes though and grabs One Final Beat for two on Owens. Back up and Owens powerbombs Gargano, with Orton cutting Rhodes off to give Owens the pin at 17:03.

Rating: B. This was pretty much all you would have expected, with Orton’s interference being a nice bonus. If nothing else, it was cool to have the finish be anything other than a version of someone stealing the pin. If nothing else, Gargano can continue to pester Sami Zayn while Rhodes goes after Orton, likely in a big grudge match at Money In The Bank.

Post match Orton runs away from Rhodes to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a perfectly fine show, with the two qualifying matches being the focal points and people now talking about what happens when the briefcases actually get into play. That’s going to be one of the bigger stories for the next few months, though Zayn needs a challenger at the moment. Good enough show here, though it should be interesting to see what happens next week when they don’t have the qualifying matches to eat up so much of the show.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Candice LeRae and Tatum Paxley – Prettiest Moonsault Ever to LeRae
Ricky Saints/War Raiders b. Fraxiom/Rey Fenix – Roshambo to Fenix
Blake Monroe b. Giulia – Ram into the post
Kevin Owens b. Cody Rhodes and Johnny Gargano – Stunner to Gargano

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 1, 2026
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Port, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re only a few weeks away from Bound For Glory and last week saw the reveal of the Syk as the recent mystery attackers. That should open up a big showdown with the Hardys at Bound For Glory, but we have some other things to cover. That includes more on Nic Nemeth vs. Leon Slater so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Pac.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: BDE vs. Mr. Elegance

BDE starts fast with a springboard crossbody and an armdrag sends Elegance outside. Back in and BDE misses a springboard to let Elegance take over, including a cravate. Some rolling suplexes give Elegance two but the wind up DDT is blocked. BDE can’t get his Kliq Cutter but he can get a sunset flip to pin Elegance at 4:30.

Rating: C. The match was what you would expect but BDE getting a win does actually feel like a nice moment. He’s never going to be a big star but they’ve put something into the idea that he’s worked so hard to get here and he finally beat someone. It’s not like Elegance is going to lose anything by being beaten here anyway as he’s just a goofy villain so nice job here.

John Skyler and Jason Hotch have to team together tonight and Hotch is a bit condescending about Mila Moore. Skyler talks about how he had nothing and finally found someone but Hotch can’t be happy for him. Tonight, he hopes Skyler will be in his corner.

The Hometown Man meets the Dude Wipes mascot but AJ Francis comes in to steal the wipes that the mascot gave to the Man.

Zoey Serrano vs. Indi Hartwell

Xia Brookside is on commentary. The brawl starts on the floor with both of them being rammed into the apron. They get inside with Hartwell in control and the bell rings. Serrano is up with a superkick and half nelson suplex to put Hartwell down. Some big crossface shots have Hartwell in more trouble but she spinebusters Serrano out of the air. They head outside again, with Hartwell being sent into the steps. That’s not enough for Serrano, who kicks a security guard in the face and then hits Hartwell with a chair for the DQ at 3:04.

Rating: C. This was more of an angle than a match but I do like the ending, as you don’t want either of them taking a pin right now. Serrano is doing something different by being the unhinged woman who attacks random people while Hartwell is on her way to the title match at Bound For Glory. It was kept rather short, which granted might not be a bad idea.

Post match Serrano unloads on Hartwell with the chair and Brookside belts Hartwell in the head to stand as tall as she can.

Order 4 vs. Great Hands

Tasha Steelz and Mila Moore are here too. Ali dropkicks Skyler off the apron to start and flips over Hotch in the corner. A missed charge puts Ali on the floor though and Hotch takes him out with a moonsault. That just earns him a gorilla press drop onto the apron from Zero though and Ali DDTs him onto the floor.

Skyler is up with a pair of spears to Ali and the Hands are back up, only to get clotheslined outside by Zero. The big no hands dive takes them out again and a spinebuster gets two on Hotch back inside. The swinging Downward Spiral plants Hotch for two more and Zero knocks Skyler off the apron.

Ali’s chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s a sitout powerbomb to put him down. That’s enough for the tag back to Skyler and the Hands get together to take Zero down. The double superplex is broken up though and it’s a double powerbomb to drop the Hands again. Back up and Hotch knocks Zero to the floor, leaving Ali to miss a 450. The slingshot spear gives Skyler two but Ali is right back with a Sharpshooter for the tap at 11:41.

Rating: B. It’s nice to see the Great Hands back together, as they’re rather talented when they get to work together. At the same time, it should be interesting to see where this goes. I was surprised to see the Hands lose here, though it wouldn’t make the most sense to have Ali lose in a tag match and Zero losing getting pinned again wouldn’t be a great idea either.

Post match Ali won’t let go so Skyler makes the save. Ali makes Zero take Hotch out again and then yells at Zero….so Steelz tells Zero to take Ali out. That’s exactly what Zero does, followed by a chokebomb to Moore.

Post break the four of them get in a big brawl but Santino Marella comes in to make a four way International Title match for Bound For Glory.

AJ Francis vs. Moose

Francis, with Expressions, splashes him to start fast and avoids a charge in the corner to put Moose down. They’re quickly on the floor with Francis sending him into the steps but it’s too early for the Down Payment back inside. Moose kicks him in the face but Francis is right back with a suplex into the chinlock. That’s broken up as well so Moose goes up, where he is quickly crotched.

Moose manages to shove him off the top and hit a high crossbody, setting up a top rope superplex to send Francis crashing back down for two. The spear is broken up by an Expressions distraction and Francis’ spear gets two. The villains load up the table, which is then covered with Dude Wipes, so the Dude Wipes mascot gets inside (oh boy). Expressions gets kicked through the table so Moose goes after the mascot, meaning Moose can get in the spear for the pin at 7:50.

Rating: C. The focus of this match was an inflated box of wipes in underwear. I’m well aware that the company got a nice check for this but that doesn’t make for good television. As for the match itself, it was a fine power fight between two big guys, but it was kind of hard to get the focus on that with everything else going on.

Rosemary and Kiera Hogan go to meet Rosemary, who isn’t sure if this is real and says she can’t go back. Rosemary rams herself into a chain link fence and warns them of SNAKES IN THE GRASS before wandering off.

Joe Alonzo vs. Leon Slater

Before the match, Alonzo says his own name a lot and says Slater isn’t going to win the title. He references Nic Nemeth (on commentary) from 2006 and says that Slater isn’t going to take away his spot while promising to take away Slater’s Bound For Glory spot. The bell rings and Slater better beat him in about 30 seconds. A leg lariat and the Swanton 450 finish Alonzo at 21 seconds. There we go!

Post match Nemeth steals Slater’s jacket…so Slater steals Nemeth’s titles. Keeping Slater looking smart is an important idea and they’re doing well.

We look at Frankie Kazarian training Avery Styles.

Elayna Black comes in to see the Elegance Brand and promises to take the Knockouts TV Title. Black mocks the Elegance Brand, with M saying she doesn’t need them. That’s enough for Black to get her to agree to not have the Brand next week. The Personal Concierge points out that might be a bad idea.

Ricky Sosa vs. Cedric Alexander

Sosa backs him up against the ropes for a clean break to start and then grabs a quick northern lights suplex. Alexander is knocked to the floor for a big no hands dive as we take a break. We come back with Alexander hitting a basement dropkick and sending Sosa outside. The chinlock goes on back inside, which is broken up just as fast.

Sosa flips over him out of the corner and…I think DDTs him out of the air for two. Alexander is right back with a suplex but springboards into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Cue the System for a distraction, which is cut off just as fast. Alisha Edwards offers a distraction though and here is Eddie Edwards to kick Sosa low. The Lumbar Check finishes Sosa at 9:57.

Rating: B-. They’re doing a nice job of setting Sosa up for his big win over Eddie at Bound For Glory and that should make for a good moment. Sosa hasn’t quite broken through as a star around here yet but the fans like him. Let him have the moment on the big stage and see where he can go. Eddie is as smart of a choice to make him look good in the ring so the pieces are in the right place from here.

Here is the Syx for their first big speech. Shaw says “we’re here” and says now you know who the attackers have been, but why? This is a rotten place and sometimes a place is so rotten that it has to be cut apart. Sawyer says it doesn’t matter who you are around here because you’re on the chopping block. The Hardys have survived everything over the years and that just means the Syx get to try it again. Now we get to see how hard it is to kill them.

Cue the Hardys, who say they’re still standing because they’re unkillable and will not die. If the Syx want to find out how hard they are to kill, let’s do it at Bound For Glory, anything goes and falls count anywhere. The Hardys are ready to go right now but Syx bail to end the show. You knew the match was coming so just announcing it quickly is the way to go. At the same time, are we really having the former Wyatts pick up the Eric Young sickness deal?

Overall Rating: B-. This was the kind of show that the company needed for Bound For Glory, as we’re getting closer to the show and they were running out of time to build everything up. That’s what they did here, with most of the matches getting at least some time. They still have one more week to finalize everything and it should be interesting to see how they put everything together. This is the most important time of the year and I’m curious to see how they make it work. This week’s show did some good stuff and that’s a positive step forward.

Results
BDE b. Mr. Elegance – Sunset flip
Indi Hartwell b. Zoey Serrano when Serrano used a chair
Order 4 b. Great Hands – Sharpshooter to Skyler
Moose b. AJ Francis – Spear
Leon Slater b. Joe Alonzo – Swanton 450
Cedric Alexander b. Ricky Sosa – Lumbar Check

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: October 1, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re closing in on the end of the year and that means we have a few more months to start getting ready to get ready for Final Battle’s build…eventually. That’s more than enough time so this week is likely going to be more of the usual, even as we are only a few months away from Bandido breaking the record for the longest World Title reign in company history. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Pac tribute video from the end of Dynamite, which is still hard to take.

Soloroto/Griff Garrison vs. Dalton Castle/Outrunners

Garrison and Magnum start things off with the latter grabbing an armdrag and headscissors. Solo comes in and can’t get a fireman’s carry so it’s off to Comoroto, who skins the cat. That earns him a knock out to the floor and Garrison is pulled right back in. The Outrunners hit ax handles off the apron but Magnum is caught in a suplex/dropkick combination back inside. A running big boot gives Garrison two but Magnum flips over him and falls into the tag to Floyd. House is quickly cleaned and it’s off to Castle for the suplexes. The Mega Powers Elbow/ax handle finishes Solo at 6:43.

Rating: C. This was little more than a squash for Castle and the Outrunners and they continue to look good together. I’m not sure I can imagine them getting back to the titles, but it’s not like they need to do anything with them anyway. Soloroto and Garrison are the latest incarnation of the usual suspects in the jobber league and that’s about all they can be expected to do at the moment.

AR Fox vs. LJ Cleary

Feeling out process to start and Fox flips over him to start, followed by the running clothesline in the corner. Cleary slides between Fox’s legs to escape and…I guess we’ll call it dances a bit before hitting a dropkick. A neck twist gives Cleary two but Fox is back up with a DDT out of the corner, followed by a spinning suplex for two. Cleary is back up with a double stomp to the back but Fox superkicks him out of the air. They trade rollups for two each until Fox catches him with Lo Mein Pain. The 450 finishes Cleary at 7:20.

Rating: B-. Yeah believe it or not, Fox has an entertaining, fast paced match that looks different than most of the others on the show. That’s what turned him into a star around here and it’s nice to see him getting to do more of the it so regularly. Now just let him do something serious again for a change.

Post match Fox goes outside to acknowledge a TONIGHT IS FOR PAC sign in a nice moment.

Cassie Lee vs. Lady Leigh

Jesse McKay is here with Lee but since she’s pregnant and can’t get physical, she brings out Steph de Lander with her. They tease a pushup exchange to start but Lee grabs a headlock instead. An exchange of failed toss attempts gets them nowhere so Lee slides between her legs for a takedown into the pose. Back up and a spinning kick takes Leigh down again, with Lee stopping to yell at the referee. Lee chokes in the ropes and poses with her cohorts before asking what the fans want to see. Announcing a fisherman’s suplex allows Leigh to get a small package for two so Lee knees her in the face. A Pedigree finishes Leigh at 4:48.

Rating: C. This was at least fun and a bit of a different kind of squash. Lee needs something to do with McKay out of action for the foreseeable future and this is as good as anything else. The Pedigree is a good finisher for her if nothing else so maybe she’s got something of a direction for the time being.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz are mad about RPG Vice cheating and Kingston calls out Trent Beretta for a fight right now.

Il Cartello Grillo vs. MxM Collection

Mansoor and Seal start things off with Mansoor walking over him and striking the pose. A takedown lets Mansoor grab a rollup for two and it’s off to Impala vs. Madden. That means Madden gets to clean house with a hip attack to Impala, followed by a side slam/legdrop combination to Seal.

Some double teaming takes over on Mansoor, with Rosario Grillo getting in a choke from the floor. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Mansoor rolls between the two of them allowing the tag back to Madden. House is quickly cleaned and the Collection goes outside to beat on Grillo with…breadsticks. Back in and a running knee/German suplex combination finishes Impala at 5:41.

Rating: C. This was a good example of what makes ROH such an uninteresting show to watch. The wrestling was, as always, completely competent at worst and the match was hardly bad. Instead, the problem comes from these teams having absolutely nothing going on. They’re not feuding with anyone, they don’t have an angle going on and they’re just there, taking up space on a show. It’s one thing when you have an act or so doing that, but that feels like the vast majority of what you see around here week to week. That makes for a very dull show, because there’s nothing to care about from these people.

Trish Adora vs. Rachael Ellering

They fight over a lockup to start and trade shoulders until Adora takes her down by the arm. Back up and Ellering connects with a running shoulder and a gutwrench suplex. Christyan XO grabs Ellering’s leg though and Adora stomps away, followed by a running shoulder. Ellering grabs a release fisherman’s suplex and a running elbow to the face gives her two. Some big forearms have Adora in more trouble but she snaps off a German suplex. The Lariat Tubman finishes Ellering at 8:18.

Rating: C. Remember what I said about the previous match? This was the women’s singles edition, as neither of these two have anything going on whatsoever. There’s no reason to believe that is going to change, especially with Final Battle coming up where someone either from ROH or Japan will get a random title shot. The Lariat Tubman is good and that’s about the only highlight here.

Premiere Athletes/Beef vs. Troy Hollywood/Saieve Al Sabah/Darian Bengston

The Athletes and Beef jump them from behind to start and Beef headbutts Bengston a lot. Hollywood tries to make the save and gets pulled outside by the Athletes. Beef looks for a top rope splash but Daivari tags himself in for an elevated DDT to pin Bengston at 2:43.

AR Fox wants the World Title and challenges Bandido.

B3cca vs. Red Velvet

Non-title Proving Ground match. Velvet grabs a wristlock to start and takes her down for a short armscissors. They go into a double splits and forearm it out until B3cca is up with a snap suplex. An arm/leg crank lets B3cca pose a bit but Velvet is back up with a crossbody. That just earns her a crossarm choke but Velvet is up with a superkick.

They’re both down as we have 5:00 to go, which seems to trigger Velvet’s comeback. A bridging German suplex cuts Velvet off for two, though she’s fine enough to grab an Iconoclasm for two of her own. B3cca’s springboard Codebreaker gets two but she misses a 450, allowing Velvet to hit the spinning kick to the head for the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C+. They threw a challenger out there, had her give Velvet some trouble for a few minutes, and then Velvet won in the end. That’s the whole thing and it leaves Velvet right where she was before the match. Find something better for her already, because she’s been champion forever and has nothing to do.

We look back at the Dark Order’s issues involving Preston Vance.

Bustah And The Brain vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Oliver ax handles Drake down to start and it’s off to Price for a rolling elbow. Gibson saves Drake from a suplex though and Price is run over with a shot to the face. Oliver gets a quick tag and comes in with a flipping neckbreaker off a rather smooth sequence. That’s fine with Gibson, who sends him shoulder first into the post and suplexes him down by the arm.

Oliver is sent outside, where he cuts off Gibson’s dive and ties him in the ring skirt. That’s enough for the tag off to Price, who comes in with a top rope Blockbuster. Gibson is finally pulled out of the apron (Gibson: “You think it’s funny???”) and everything breaks down, with Price hitting the big dive to the floor.

Back up and Gibson uses his scarf to choke Oliver, allowing a Doomsday Device to connect for two. Everything breaks down again and Oliver AA’s Drake onto the top rope for a double stomp from Price. Gibson makes the save so Drake tries a low blow, which is reversed into la majistal for the pin at 10:20.

Rating: B-. As usual, Bustah And The Brain are a very fun team to watch but the two of them have been stuck in the same place forever. There is no reason to think that’s going to change, which is as frustrating as you can get with them. At the same time, the Veterans are still in the same place they’ve been in for months that shouldn’t be a surprise.

Il Cartello Grillo thinks there is a bias against Italians around here.

Trent Beretta vs. Eddie Kingston

Kingston headbutts him to start and unloads in the corner, with Beretta bailing out to the floor. That’s fine with Kingston, who rips at his face and sends him into the barricade a few times. Coleman quotes Hakuna Matata (ok then) as Beretta knees Kingston down back inside and actually decides to slap him for whatever reason.

A DDT onto the apron drops Kingston onto the apron and he seems to have banged up his shoulder. The tornado DDT is broken up back inside and Kingston hits a clothesline but the arm is banged up. The good arm fires off the Kobashi chops in the corner but Beretta is back with a tornado DDT. They go up top and Kingston hits a superplex for two so Beretta gives him a running knee for the same.

Kingston snaps back up with some suplexes and a spinning backfist for two, meaning it’s already time for the frustration. Beretta kicks him down and gets in a piledriver for two more so here is Rocky Romero for a distraction. Cue Ortiz to cut him off so the spinning backfist can finish Beretta at 12:43.

Rating: B-. Kingston is always going to get a reaction from the crowd but dang does he feel like he’s slumming it with RPG Vice. They’re a comedy duo in the massive heel stable and that’s the best they have for a former World Champion? Ortiz isn’t much better than they are either, as he feels like someone who is just there. Kingston being there gave this some name value but this wasn’t much of a main event.

Overall Rating: C. There are some good enough matches on here but this was back to the old ROH standard, with a bunch of wrestling that feels like it’s there for the sake of filling up a show. There are names you recognize, but it felt like almost nothing on this show mattered. That’s the case around here most of the time and it makes for a show that feels like it’s never going to end with one more match after another. Use the good talent they have around here and stop trying to make everyone a thing without actually doing much of anything with them.

Results
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. Soloroto/Griff Garrison – Mega Powers Elbow/ax handle combination to Solo
AR Fox b. LJ Cleary – 450
Cassie Lee b. Lady Leigh – Pedigree
MxM Collection b. Il Cartello Grillo – Running knee/German suplex combination to Impala
Trish Adora b. Rachael Ellering – Lariat Tubman
Premiere Athletes/Beef b. Troy Hollywood/Saieve Al Sabah/Darian Bengston – Elevated DDT to Bengston
Red Velvet b. B3cca – Spinning kick to the head
Bustah And The Brain b. Grizzled Young Veterans – La Majistral to Drake
Eddie Kingston b. Trent Beretta – Spinning backfist

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

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