Ring Of Honor
Date: June 27, 2024
Location: Covelli Center, Youngstown, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are less than a month away from Death Before Dishonor and, as usual, there is nothing announced for the card. In theory we should be getting something set up for it rather soon, but in this case we have the World Title on the line in a match that seemed like it was destined for the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Athena holds a Minions In Training meeting and announces that she will be out 8-12 months. Therefore, she has some extra security around here, with even Lexi Nair fired up to deal with Queen Aminata and Red Velvet.

Alex Reynolds vs. Lee Johnson

Evil Uno is here with Reynolds. Johnson takes him down by the arm to start and the clean break gets some polite applause. Back up and Johnson takes him down again, only to miss a kick to the head and get rolled up for two. They fight over a standing switch until Johnson clotheslines him out to the floor, setting up the quick dive. Uno offers a distraction though and Reynolds gets in a cheap shot to take over.

Johnson is sent hard into the steps for two but he fights up and makes the clothesline comeback. A standing moonsault gets two on Reynolds but the Big Shot Drop is countered with a knee to the face. Some hard forearms to the face give Reynolds two and a tiger driver gets the same. Reynolds rolls out of the Big Shot Drop but gets sent face first into the buckle instead. Uno gets superkicked off the apron and the Big Shot Drop finishes Alexander at 8:49.

Rating: B-. This was Johnson’s rebound win after losing the TV Title match last week. That’s a good way to go, though taking this long to beat someone as low level as Alexander didn’t exactly make him look strong. It also doesn’t help that it’s Johnson having to build himself up again, which has happened multiple times now.

Marina Shafir vs. Erica Leigh

Shafir takes her down with ease and forces a handshake on her on the mat. Some hard forearms have Leigh in trouble but she fights up with some shots of her own. Something like a 619 in the corner sets up Mother’s Milk to finish Leigh at 2:34.

The Kingdom is tired of everyone wasting their time and need more competition. Mike Bennett drops to his knees to pray to Tony Khan to find some good challengers.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. Duke Davis/Victor Benjamin/Ganon Jones Jr.

Archer pounds the rather large Davis into the corner but actually gets shouldered into another corner. Vincent comes in to hammer on Benjamin, who strikes his way out of trouble. Vincent’s running basement Downward Spiral gets two and they head outside. A ramp into the steps keeps Benjamin down, followed by Dutch’s swinging Boss Man Slam for two back inside. Benjamin stumbles into the corner though and it’s the also big Jones coming in to fight back. Another Boss Man Slam hits Davis and Orange Sunshine finishes Jones at 5:44.

Rating: C. Hey you know how Archer and the Righteous do this seemingly every other week or so and it leads nowhere but the matches are almost always the same? Well this is the most recent edition, as the Righteous and Archer got to beat some people up and odds are it won’t be leading anywhere. I would say maybe that can let them go somewhere, but it doesn’t seem likely.

Post match the beatdown continues.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Trish Adora

Valkyrie chops away to start but Adora gets in her own chops and snapmares her down. The threat of the Lariat Tubman sends Valkyrie bailing to the floor, where she reminds us of how smart she is. Valkyrie gets in a few shots of her own, including a few kicks in the corner. The double arm crank goes on, followed by a quick clothesline to give Valkyrie two. Adora fights back with a snap suplex for two but Valkyrie slips out of an airplane spin. Back to back Shania Pains finish Adora at 6:31.

Rating: C+. This one gives me a bit more hope, as there is the chance that we could actually see Valkyrie getting a title shot somewhere down the line. I won’t quite believe it until I see it, but at least it seems like something that could happen. On the other hand, Adora seems to be locked into jobber to the stars territory, which doesn’t give me much hope for her future.

Leyla Hirsch has beaten Diamante four times, but Diamante comes in and wants one more. They’ll make it a street fight.

Billie Starkz vs. Angelica Risk

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Risk survives the ten minute time limit or wins, she gets a future title shot. Starks grabs a choke to start and then kicks Risk in the face to take over. The running boot in the corner hits Risk again and Starkz stomps away. They head outside with Starkz sending her into the corner, setting up a running knee. Back in and Risk rolls away before the Swanton can launch, leaving Starkz to mock Red Velvet. Risk fights back but Starkz pulls her into the fish hook choke for the win at 4:18.

Rating: C. There is only so much you can get out of Athena, and now Starkz, having this kind of a match over and over. In short, it has been done and there was little reason to believe that Risk was going to get a win, or even put up a fight here. Red Velvet seems to be the next challenger but it’s been set up for such a long time now that it’s kind of hard to care in the slightest.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher

Only Briscoe is defending and yes we are doing this here rather than on the pay per view. Briscoe sends him into the corner to start and the fans approve, just like they do as we hit the headlock. Back up and Fletcher knocks him hard into the corner for a change, only to get knocked off the top. There’s the dive to the floor to take Fletcher but he’s right back with some shots of his own.

Briscoe’s chops are shrugged off and Fletcher gets to lay out on the steps for a breather. Back in and Briscoe wins a slugout, setting up a fisherman’s buster for two of his own. A Pele kick into a discus forearm connects but Fletcher catches Briscoe on top. Briscoe catches him on top as well though, meaning it’s a fisherman’s superplex (that’s a new one) to bring Fletcher back down.

They head to the apron with Briscoe hitting a few shots, setting up the Bang Bang Elbow. The Froggy Bow hits raised knees back inside though and the piledriver gives Fletcher two. Briscoe Death Valley Drivers him down and now the Froggy Bow connects for two more. Fletcher kicks away but walks into one heck of a clothesline, setting up the Jay Driller to retain the title at 13:11.

Rating: B-. Well, it was the best match of the show, but thank goodness they got rid of what could have headlined Death Before Dishonor this early. Why go with a story that is ready made when you can make something from scratch on short notice? The match itself was what you would expect, but I could go without seeing Fletcher for a rather long time.

Overall Rating: C+. And that was Ring Of Honor, as it had some good to ok matches, little in the way of setting anything up, and a grand total of absolutely nothing set for Death Before Dishonor with four shows left before the pay per view. I’m sure something will happen on AEW TV or elsewhere to set up the top of the card in a hurry but the pay per view builds really do show you how slowly things move around here. Not a bad show, but they need to actually get the pay per view ready.

Results
Lee Johnson b. Alex Reynolds – Big Shot Drop
Marina Shafir b. Erica Leigh – Mother’s Milk
Lance Archer/Righteous b. Duke Davis/Victor Benjamin/Ganon Jones Jr. – Orange Sunshine to Jones
Taya Valkyrie b. Trish Adora – Shania Pain
Billie Starkz b. Angelica Risk – Fish hook choke
Mark Briscoe b. Kyle Fletcher – Jay Driller

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Rampage
Date: April 12, 2024
Location: Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Chris Jericho

It’s another week around here and hopefully there will be less eight month old footage included. With a little over a week to go before Dynasty, there is only so much time left to build up the card, though thankfully most of the matches are made. Maybe we get something new this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy vs. Alex Reynolds

John Silver is here with Reynolds. Silver and Reynolds hug at the start to mess with Cassidy, who is going through a best friend breakup. Cassidy knocks him outside and sends him into the steps, with Silver getting taken out as well. Reynolds heads back inside for a distraction, allowing Silver to grab a brainbuster onto the floor. Cassidy goes back in but gets sent outside again, only to come back in with a sunset flip for two.

Reynolds knocks him down again though and we take a break. Back with Cassidy Hulking Up and dropkicking him into the corner for the stomping. There’s a dive onto Silver but the distraction lets Reynolds grab a Cactus piledriver for two. A super Stunner (Whippersnapper for you old fans) connects for Reynolds but he dives onto Silver by mistake. Back in and Cassidy decks him with the Orange Punch for the pin at 10:35.

Rating: C+. This was built around the idea of Cassidy coming back to the ring after the big betrayal and it was pretty much a run of the mill match. Cassidy basically being up against two people makes sense as he’s on his own without his friend so the match made sense. Reynolds doesn’t get much time on his own in the ring so it was nice to see for a change, especially that Stunner.

Post match Cassidy is asked about Trent Beretta turning on him but here is Beretta to interrupt. Chuck Taylor pops up to scare Beretta off but leaves instead of siding with Cassidy either.

Anna Jay wants this place to be more serious. Stardom’s AZM comes in to say she doesn’t think much of Toni Storm.

TBS Title: Julia Hart vs. Leyla Hirsch

Hart is defending and Brody King is banned from ringside. Hirsch stats fast by sending her to the floor but Hart is right there with a forearm to the face from the outside. Back in and Hart chokes on the ropes before sending her into the buckle. Hirsch pulls her out of the air and then sends her outside, with Hart coming up holding her arm. Back in and Hart hits a quick kick into a small package to retain at 3:14.

Rating: C. That definitely felt like an injury at the end and that’s not a good thing. Hart was sent outside and they went home almost immediately. I’m not sure what’s going to happen if she’s hurt long term, but that was a nasty way to wrap up the show. Hirsch didn’t get a chance to showcase herself, though it is hard to fathom the match was supposed to go that fast and end that way.

Don Callis doesn’t care if his Family beats Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli tomorrow. Instead, he just wants Danielson hurt before he faces Will Ospreay at Dynasty.

Angelo Parker vs. Zak Knight

Saraya and Harley Cameron are here with Knight and Parker jumps him in the aisle before the bell. Knight slugs away on the floor and Parker is busted open. They get inside anyway and the bell rings but Parker is quickly knocked into the corner. We take an early break and come back with Parker hitting a running Blockbuster, setting up an implant DDT.

The women offer a distraction and are quickly ejected, allowing Knight to hit a quick powerbomb for two. Knight shouts that he’ll take good care of Ruby and that’s enough to fire Parker up for the comeback. Not that it matters as a running forearm finishes for Knight at 7:44.

Rating: C. I was wondering how they would give Parker the win over a beast like Knight and that was the answer: they didn’t do it. One of the next steps is a Ruby Soho getting back together with Parker to focus him for a rematch but that doesn’t feel likely fro here. Or they all just move on and pretend this never happened.

Kyle O’Reilly wants to face Rocky Romero, who says they can do it after he wins the International Title. Romero leaves and Roderick Strong comes in to seem unhappy with O’Reilly wanting the title. O’Reilly says it would be cool to be champ, but Strong says he can’t be International Champ.

Video on the Blackpool Combat Club vs. the Don Callis Family.

Jay White vs. Matt Sydal

The Gunns are here with White and yes this is the main event. They fight over control in the corner until Sydal kicks away at the leg. A kick to the leg and a spinning kick to the face have White down again, followed by a headscissors to send him outside. The Meteora off the apron drops White but he’s back up to drop Sydal face first onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with White holding him in a chinlock. Sydal fights up and hits a jumping knee to the face, followed by a question mark kick for two. A rollup gets two more but White is back with the swinging Rock Bottom. The Bladerunner is countered into a poisonrana but White is right back with the Bladerunner for the pin at 11:25.

Rating: C+. Unlike the previous match, this was a good enough match but it feels so meaningless. White is in a six man team while Sydal is a jobber to the stars. That doesn’t make for much of a main event but at least they had a nice match. Just find a way to make it feel more important next time.

Overall Rating: C. While the wrestling itself is fine, Rampage has turned into a chore to watch. The wrestling is fine but here you had Orange Cassidy beating a member of a comedy stable, a TBS Title match that wouldn’t have felt important even if Hart’s shoulder had been ok, the first match in a long running story and an ok main event. Nothing on here felt overly important and that makes for a pretty long hour of wrestling. If you really like AEW and anything it does you’ll have a good time, but otherwise it’s the most skippable show going today (yes, even more than Ring Of Honor).

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Alex Reynolds – Orange Punch
Julia Hart b. Leyla Hirsch – Small package
Zak Knight b. Angelo Parker – Running forearm
Jay White b. Matt Sydal – Bladerunner

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Battle Of The Belts VIII
Date: October 21, 2023
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly

We’re back with another one of these and this show is extra packed with four title matches in one hour. Granted I’m not sure how much of a difference that is going to make when there has not been a title change at a Battle Of The Belts in over a year and a half. Maybe that changes tonight though so let’s get to it.

We open with Jon Moxley leaving the ring and going to the back, where he runs into International Champion Orange Cassidy. They bump shoulders (Cassidy seemed to be the instigator) and the fight is…not on as the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club and a referee breaks it up.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. John Silver

Cassidy is defending and Silver has Alex Reynolds with him. Silver puts his hands in….Cassidy’s pockets so Cassidy puts his own hands on Silver’s head for a headbutt. Cassidy dives onto Reynolds, who had taken the sunglasses before the match. Back in and Silver misses a kick to the head but manages a heck of a toss into the corner. Cassidy manages to ram him into the buckle a few times but Silver is right back with a delayed superplex for two. They head to the apron where Silver hits a one armed gorilla press (that’s not bad) to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy hitting a Michinoku Driver for two, followed by some harder than usual lazy kicks. The spinning DDT is countered into a small package to give Silver two but Stundog Millionaire gets Cassidy out of trouble. Beach Break gets two but Reynolds offers a distraction and gets in a belt shot for two of his own. The Spin Doctor gets another near fall on Cassidy, who is right back with the Orange Punch to retain at 9:30.

Rating: C+. I know it’s a minor show and not exactly worthy of a big name challenger, but it was really hard to get into Silver coming for the title. He felt like someone thrown out there for the sake of having a title shot and that doesn’t make for the most interesting match. Cassidy vs. Moxley seems destined to take place again sooner rather than later so Cassidy losing was a very long shot at best against almost anyone, but there wasn’t a more serious challenger available?

Andrade El Idolo is banged up after his loss to Bryan Danielson but CJ Perry comes in to offer her guidance. Andrade seems intrigued, apparently not knowing what this means for his future health.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Tony Nese

Nese, with Mark Sterling, is challenging and we get their traditional “you’re all fat and need to exercise” bit before the match. Joe hammers away in the corner, avoids a moonsault (as only he can) and finishes with the MuscleBuster to retain at 1:17. Total squash.

Post match Joe says MJF can give him what he wants or he can take it, but he’ll be the next AEW World Champion.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale is challenging. They trade shoulders to start and neither can get very far. Statlander sends her to the floor and hits a moonsault off the apron for a crash. A posting cuts Statlander off (despite a visible gap between her head and the steel) and Nightingale Cannonballs her against the steps.

We take a break and come back with Nightingale launching her into the corner but Statlander hits a running knee. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two but Nightingale is right back with a Pounce. A quick DDT gives Statlander two and she goes up top, only to get super Death Valley Drivered back down. The Cannonball crushes Statlander but she’s fine enough to powerbomb Nightingale out of the corner. The 450 retains the title at 10:23.

Rating: B-. They went with the hoss fight here and the two of them beat the fire out of each other for about ten minutes. It was an exchange of one big shot after another and it made for a good match. Statlander is still clearing out the division and is going to need a new challenger. Right now though, I’m not sure who that is, though she almost needs to move up to the Women’s Title sooner or later. At the same time, Nightingale continues to lose in big matches, which is quite the sad thing to see for her.

Post match respect is teased but Skye Blue runs in to break it up. Nightingale does shake Statlander’s hand as Blue isn’t pleased.

Orange Cassidy doesn’t like the Blackpool Combat Club (Cassidy: “I don’t care about Yuta.”) but if they want to fight, Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson can fight him and…..Kazuchika Okada on Dynamite. Well that elevated quickly.

Trios Titles: Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Daniel Garcia

Menard and company, with Anna Jay, are challenging. Hold on though as the Memphis Grizzlies’ mascot is here for a pre-match scissoring. Caster grabs a hammerlock on Garcia to start before pulling him down into a headscissors. Garcia gets up and teases the dance but Menard breaks that up again. More dancing is teases but this time Anna breaks it up and gets ejected for her efforts.

Bowens slugs away at Menard and kicks Parker out to the floor. Gunn comes in (the fans approve) and we get the scissoring double elbow. It’s already back to Caster, who gets stomped down in the corner as we take a break. Back with Bowens getting punched down, allowing Garcia to step over him a few times. Bowens manages to kick the villains away but Garcia decks Caster before the tag.

A rolling tag brings Gunn in though and house is quickly cleaned. Scissor Me Timbers hits Menard and we get the three way scissoring. Garcia is back in and tries the dancing but has to beat up Caster instead. Now the dancing can ensue, but it takes too long and Gunn is back in with the Fameasser. The assisted Iconoclasm retains the titles at 10:48.

Rating: C+. This was more of a fun match than anything else and there is nothing wrong with wrapping up with that sort of thing. The fans are going to cheer for the Acclaimed and Gunn pretty much no matter what and Garcia’s dancing is crazy popular right now. There was even a hint of some drama over a title change here so this was a nice way to go to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: B-. As can be the case around here, the wrestling was fine but there is a grand total of no need to watch this show. There hasn’t been a title change on one of these shows since last April and it’s not like there was anything great on this one either. It’s worth a look if you are completely out of anything to see, but don’t expect much of anything that matters in the grand scheme of things.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. John Silver – Orange Punch
Samoa Joe b. Tony Nese – MuscleBuster
Kris Statlander b. Willow Nightingale – 450
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Daniel Garcia – Assisted Iconoclasm to Parker

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

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Dynamite
Date: July 20, 2022
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s time for the Shark Week show, because corporate synergy is a thing. That means a barbed wire match between Eddie Kingston and Chris Jericho, with the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society in shark cages. That’s quite the way to go but I’m sure we’ll get something else big tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Brodie King vs. Darby Allin

Sting is here with Allin. They start fast with Allin knocking him to the floor for a suicide dive. Back in and King gets staggered again but is fine enough to shrug off a high crossbody attempt. King swings him around by the pants and Allin is sent outside, followed by some stomping back inside.

We take a break and come back with Allin hitting a suicide flip dive but a charge in the corner is countered into a sleeper. Allin tries to climb the rope but gets caught in the Tree of Woe for his efforts. The Cannonball only hits corner though and it’s a Code Red to give Allin two. Allin spins King over into a weird double arm crank, which thankfully is switched into a choke before I have to try and describe it. With that broken up, King is sent to the apron where he grabs the hanging sleeper. Allin is mostly out but beats the count back in, setting up the Ganso Bomb to give King the pin at 12:29.

Rating: B-. This was a well put together story, as Allin can only go with the fast paced hit and run stuff while King is the monster who can crush Allin with his bare hands. That’s what happened at the end as Allin was overwhelmed, which is the best way to go with these two. Nice stuff here, with King getting a win to boost himself up a bit.

Post match King goes after Allin again but Sting comes in for the save. The Death Drop is loaded up but the lights go out, with Malakai Black popping up. King chokes Sting and it’s the black mist from Black as King chokes him out. Cue Miro to stare down the House Of Black but he doesn’t get in the ring.

Cole Karter is ready for Ricky Stars tonight when Team Taz interrupts. Trash talk is exchanged before tonight’s title match.

Best Friends vs. Jon Moxley/Wheeler Yuta

Orange Cassidy and William Regal are on commentary. Moxley and Beretta start things off with some grappling until Moxley goes for the leg. Yuta comes in to face Chuck and gets shouldered down for an early two as Excalibur goes into a discussion about a trainer from Mexico. Cassidy: “Uh…..sure.” It’s quickly back to Trent to suplex Yuta and forearm him against the ropes. They head outside with Yuta being sent into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Moxley getting the tag to take Trent’s head off, setting up the hammer and anvil elbows. Some stomps to the head rock Trent but Taylor makes the save. Yuta gets crotched on top and the Awful Waffle hits Moxley. Back to back piledrivers get two on Yuta and the Crunchie is good for the same, with Moxley making a save. Everything breaks down and Moxley Figure Fours Trent on the floor. That leaves Yuta to roll Chuck up (with a rather nifty arm trap) for the pin at 11:50.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure if they’re teasing Cassidy vs. Moxley or Yuta but neither is the most interesting. What matters here is that Yuta got to shine a bit, as he already has a major title defense coming up this weekend. Moxley is a star no matter what he does so letting Yuta get the attention here is a good thing. It isn’t like it happens every often.

Video on Jonathan Gresham vs. Claudio Castagnoli at Death Before Dishonor.

Chompy, the Shark Week mascot, is at commentary for some fin pumping.

Here are Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland for a championship celebration, complete with champagne and cake. The fans sing BASK IN HIS GLORY so Swerve throws in a WHO’S HOUSE. After a YOU DESERVE IT and a plug for a rapper in the front row, Lee thanks Swerve to getting them here. Lee says they don’t look down on anyone so if you want a shot, come get one.

It’s time for a toast, but here are Mark Sterling and Tony Nese with A PETITION. The petition is almost complete but Sterling wants the rapper (Kevin Gates) to sign as well. Gates won’t sign, so Sterling says Gates’ music is terrible. That’s good for a shot to the face, plus a cake to the face from Strickland.

The Dark Order tries to be nice to Butcher and the Blade, even giving them matching BUTCH shirts. That earns them a beatdown, with Hangman Page making the save. Page: “You guys all right???” Silver: “No. We’re pretty bad.”

Luchasaurus/Christian Cage vs. Varsity Blonds

Christian starts with Pillman but hands it off to Luchasaurus before doing anything. House is cleaned so Garrison comes in, only to get beaten up as well. The double chokeslam plants the Blonds and Christian comes in to get the pin at 2:00.

Post match Christian gets on Luchasaurus’ shoulders to celebrate but Jungle Boy is back. Luchasaurus looks at Jungle Boy….and then stands beside him. Christian bails through the crowd with Jungle Boy giving chase.

The Gunn Club doesn’t want a match with the Acclaimed, but Austin Gunn will have a rap battle with Max Caster this week on Rampage. The winner gets to set up the match between the teams.

JR comes out.

FTW Title: Cole Karter vs. Ricky Starks

Starks is defending and sends Karter into the corner for some shots to the face. Karter gets a boot up in the corner and hits a high crossbody before knocking Starks outside. We take a break and come back with Karter missing a 450, allowing Starks to hit the spear to retain at 6:11. Not enough shown to rate, but Karter looked fine, for a wrestler with nothing that makes him stand out in any way.

Post match Starks says he’s got something left so let’s have another open challenge.

FTW Title: Danhausen vs. Ricky Starks

Starks is defending….or at least he was going to as he backs off and says we can do this next week. No match.

Athena and Kris Statlander want titles, with Willow Nightingale approving.

Here is FTR for a chat. They aren’t used to this kind of a reaction, but now it’s time to talk about their upcoming match with the Briscoes. On Saturday, it’s 2/3 falls for the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles. FTR respects the Briscoes and what they have done for wrestling, but no one is taking these titles from them.

Harwood talks about a girl with a hole in her heart which could have healed on its own but she might need open heart surgery. Three years went by, and the hole was completely closed. She fought to get better and did it, because that little girl is his daughter. If she can fight that hard, then her daddy has to do the same thing, which is what he’ll do on Saturday. Harwood is going to fight like a girl on Saturday so Top Guys out. To the point with a good story here. That’s all you needed.

Jay Lethal is ready to win the Ring Of Honor TV Title but here is Christopher Daniels to say he’ll fight Lethal on Rampage.

Jade Cargill/Kiera Hogan vs. Athena/Willow Nightingale

Before the match, Stokely Hathaway says Leila Grey can’t compete but Kris Statlander is barred from the ring too. Cargill sidesteps Athena to start and hands it off to Hogan. That’s fine with Nightingale, who runs her over and hits a basement crossbody. Nightingale sends both of them to the floor and hits a running Blockbuster off the apron. Athena dives onto everyone and we take a break.

Back with Nightingale coming in to chop away at Hogan before we get the Cargill vs. Athena showdown. Cargill avoids a dropkick and hits a fall away slam but they both nip up. Some knees to the chest drop Cargill and Athena apron bombs Hogan. A Hathaway distraction lets Cargill send Athena into the steps and it’s Jaded to finish Nightingale at 8:26.

Rating: C. Again, at some point, you might want to make SOMEONE feel like a threat to Cargill because what they’re doing with Athena isn’t working. Cargill has shrugged off almost everything Athena has done and left her laying time after time. Why would I want to see a title match between them?

Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm are ready for Rosa’s title defense next week. Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter come in to laugh at them like the villains that they are.

Here is what is coming on future shows.

Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Jericho

There is barbed wire everywhere, including around the microphone. The Jericho Appreciation Society is in a shark cage and Ruby Soho is in charge of the key and the cage’s lift. Jericho is the Painmaker, complete with spike jacket and barbed wire bat. Kingston grabs the mic and spikes Jericho in the head with it, allowing Jericho to blade on camera.

They fight to the floor with Jericho going into various things, followed by a drop onto the barbed wire ropes back inside. A barbed wire chair to the back has Jericho in trouble but he backdrops Kingston onto a barbed wire board as we take a break. Back with Jericho getting crotched on the barbed wire but Jericho knocks him onto a barbed wire table. Cue Tay Conti to go after Soho but Anna Jay makes the save. Then Jay sends Soho into the post and the shark cage is lowered. Conti opens the cage and the Society gets out to beat on Kingston.

Cue Ortiz and company for the save, allowing Kingston to suplex Jericho through a barbed wire board in the corner for two. The Codebreaker cuts Kingston down for two more and some very weak barbed wire chair shots to the knee keep him in trouble. The Lionsault is cut off by Kingston tossing the barbed wire chair into the….well something on a flying Jericho. The spinning backfist gets two so the Stretch Plum, with barbed wire, goes on. Cue Sammy Guevara to break it up and the barbed wire Judas Effect gives Jericho the pin at 13:10.

Rating: C-. I’m sure there will be quite a bit of variance in the takes on this match but how the heck do you rate something like this? It’s one violent stunt after another and doing one barbed wire deal after another stops having any impact after about the fifth one. If this is your thing I completely get it, but I lost interest a few minutes in and never got it back.

Post match Kingston fights back and tries a spinning backfist to Guevara (which misses completely but Guevara falls outside anyway). That leaves Jericho to be thrown onto a barbed wire board to end the show, with Kingston looking mildly annoyed at the loss.

Overall Rating: C. This show was all over the place with a bunch of different things going on and it is a great example of “your mileage may vary”. They were focusing on some AEW feuds, plus a bunch of Ring Of Honor stuff. The show certainly wasn’t bad, but AEW continues to feel like it doesn’t have anything resembling a top story. There are things they’ll focus on, but nothing feels head and shoulders above the rest. That can work for a bit, but it’s getting a little tiresome in recent weeks. Not their best show, but it felt like more about trying to do too much than a drop in quality.

Results
Brodie King b. Darby Allin – Ganso Bomb
Jon Moxley/Wheeler Yuta b. Best Friends – Rollup to Taylor
Christian Cage/Luchasaurus b. Varsity Blonds – Double chokeslam
Ricky Starks b. Cole Karter – Spear
Jade Cargill/Kiera Hogan b. Willow Nightingale/Athena – Jaded to Nightingale
Chris Jericho b. Eddie Kingston – Judas Effect with barbed wire

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Dynamite
Date: December 30, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Chris Jericho

This is going to be a complete detour as the show is going to be all about Brodie Lee, who shockingly passed away on Saturday due to some kind of lung issue. The show is going to be a complete tribute to him with all stories postponed until next week. That’s the only way this could have gone and there is nothing wrong with that. Let’s get to it.

We open with a ten bell salute to Brodie Lee, with his family on the stage, including his son in a Dark Order mask.

Jon Moxley talks about Lee being a good person who he knew for years. This has been a soccer kick to the face but it has shown him that wrestling is a community. He is going to appreciate every day and he’ll never forget Brodie.

Matt Hardy/Private Party vs. Young Bucks/Colt Cabana

For the sake of sanity, I’ll only refer to Matt Jackson as Matt. Colt and the Bucks clean house one at a time to start, including a triple dropkick to put Hardy on the floor. Nick adds the running flip dive to take them all down again. Colt hits an Asai moonsault to do the same. We settle down to Hardy hammering on Matt but everything breaks down all over again with Marq Quen hitting a dive to Hardy on the floor.

Back in and Matt is taken down again, including being sent face first into Isaiah Kassidy’s boot in the corner. the triple teaming continues until Hardy makes the mistake of going after Cabana, allowing Matt to get over for the hot tag. Cabana comes in to clean house with the Flip Flop and Fly, followed by the Flying Apple to Kassidy. Hardy breaks up the tag to Nick and the discus lariat is countered into a crucifix for two on Cabana. A crossbody gets the same but Nick comes in sans tag with a hurricanrana.

Nick gets the actual tag a few seconds later and starts taking over, only to be tripped down by Hardy. Back in and Gin and Juice hits Matt, setting up Kassidy’s Swanton and Quen’s shooting star for two with Cabana and Nick making the save (JR: “Let’s hear it for Boom Boom!”). Hardy grabs a chair but gets taken down, leaving Cabana to have to fight out of Gin and Juice. The Chicago Skyline hits Kassidy and the Indytaker into the Superman pin finishes Quen at 13:29.

Rating: B-. The wrestling is going to be quite the minor point here and that’s how a show like this should be. This was a bunch of high flying and diving, with the Bucks doing everything they should be doing. Cabana can do any style and Hardy looked good enough. Private Party didn’t go too insane either, leaving this to be a rather nice and energetic opener.

Post match it’s the Acclaimed coming in to rap about this show but SCU jumps them from behind and Cabana hits the double Bionic Elbow. Cabana throws up the Dark Order sign for perhaps the first time.

Darby Allin, sans face paint, talks about how Lee was the #1 guy he wanted to wrestle because of everything he did behind the scenes. Lee was a great person to talk to and Allin is sad he never got in the ring with him.

Lance Archer/Stu Grayson/Evil Uno vs. Eddie Kingston/Butcher and the Blade

Archer is in Luke Harper gear for a nice touch. Jake Roberts and the Bunny are here as well. Before the match, Kingston says he’s going to show that the Dark Order is nothing without Lee and the brawl is on in a hurry. Archer gets suplexed onto Kingston, who is taken into the corner for some wild eyed shots from Grayson. Bunny grabs Grayson’s leg though, allowing Butcher to clothesline him down.

Blade powerslams Grayson down but Jake grabs his leg to even things up. Grayson is back with a Boss Man Slam (Jericho: “It’s a Brody Slam!”) as we take a break. Back with Kingston and Uno slapping it out until Kingston misses some spinning backfists. A half and half (Brody move) hits Kingston and the hot tag brings in Archer to take over.

Archer starts wrecking people and it’s a rope walk moonsault (cool) to drop Blade. Grayson and Uno come in for an assisted Downward Spiral but Kingston makes the save and hits a DDT (with a glare at Roberts) for two. Kingston saves Blade from the Blackout and Grayson hits a running DDT to the apron to plant Butcher. The Fatality finishes Blade at 10:00.

Rating: B-. Another match where they did what they needed to do and showed off at the same time. I’m still not sure where this version of the Dark Order came from as they were one of the lamest teams around to start and then have a rather nice match like this for a change. Archer’s special gear was perfect too.

Post match Kingston gets beaten down, including a short arm clothesline from Jake.

Dax Harwood, Arn Anderson, Colt Cabana and Bryce Remsburg talk about what a great father and family man Lee was.

Hangman Page/John Silver/Alex Reynolds vs. Santana/Ortiz/Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is in Puerto Rico themed gear and Silver/Reynolds throw papers at Santana/Ortiz (apparently a Brodie thing from Being The Elite). MJF gets sent outside to yell at Brodie’s son, with Jericho saying the kid has been bothering him all day. We settle back down to Santana hitting a neckbreaker on Reynolds, followed by Two Amigos. Ortiz comes in for a double Third Amigo but Reynolds gets over for the tag to Page.

The pace picks way up, including a fall away slam to MJF into a nip up into a dive onto Santana on the floor. Back in and Page gets taken down for two as we go to a break. Back with Silver coming in to clean house and kicking Ortiz off the top. Silver hits a flip dive off the apron onto Santana (JR: “What a white meat babyface this kid is!”). A sitout powerbomb gets two on Ortiz back inside but MJF makes the save.

Silver is sent into the corner but MJF comes back with something like a Code Red, with only his ankles wrapping around MJF’s head to drive it into the mat. The Heat Seeker plants Silver and Ortiz grabs a powerbomb for two with Reynolds making a save of his own. Everything breaks down and Wardlow comes in but ERICK REDBEARD (Rowan) runs in to take him out. MJF goes outside and takes the mask off of Lee’s son, earning himself a kendo stick shot to the head. The fans go nuts and it’s a discus lariat to pin Ortiz 12:38.

Rating: C+. This was the emotional match on the card and you could see everyone being very invested in what they were doing (as everyone has been tonight of course). Silver got so much out of the Dark Order so this is the kind of match that he needs to have on the show. Throw in the incredible Redbeard cameo and the whole thing was near perfect.

Redbeard comes back in to hold up a sign saying “goodbye for now my brother, see you down the road.” Jericho sounds near tears over this one. Well that was about the most emotional thing I’ve seen in years.

Eddie Kingston talks about how much he is going to miss Lee. He talks about Lee’s kids missing their dad, who was a warrior outside of the ring. Lee took care of the two of them and he loved them so much.

Tay Conti/Anna Jay vs. Britt Baker/Penelope Ford

Rebel, Kip Sabian and Miro are all here too. Jay and Baker trade arm cranks to start before it’s off to Conti to kick Penelope down. We hear about Conti’s amateur experience as Sabian offers a distraction, allowing Baker to get in a jumping knee. Conti gets sent to the floor with Baker getting in a stomp and Rebel not quite being able to get in a cheap shot.

We take a break and come back with Conti and Ford kicking each other in the face, allowing the double tag to Baker and Jay. Everything breaks down and Jay stops to point at the 99 on her cheek, allowing Baker to hit a fisherman’s neckbreaker. A Downward Spiral sends Jay into the middle buckle and Ford comes in with a Blockbuster for two. Jay is right back with the Queen Slayer as for the tap from Ford at 9:49 with Conti taking out Baker.

Rating: C. Conti and Jay have come a long way in recent months and it was nice to see them getting a win like this. They didn’t need to do anything fancy here and it’s a good example of doing something more basic at a higher level. Ford taking the fall isn’t going to hurt her as she has the big wedding deal coming up in a few weeks anyway.

Post match Baker says everything was rigged. Conti was rigged, Jay was rigged, the match was rigged. In fact everything was…..a big rig. She winks at the camera but here’s Thunder Rosa to jump her from behind, with referees having to break it up.

Here’s what’s coming over the next two weeks.

Chris Jericho talks about working with Lee 27 times, including in Saudi Arabia. When he was in the hotel room in Saudi Arabia, Jericho saw what he thought was a sticker on the ceiling. Lee came in and said it was the arrow pointing to Mecca, which blew Jericho’s mind because he shouldn’t know that kind of thing.

Jericho helped bring Lee into AEW and it meant a lot that he was able to see Lee be the kind of star that he knew he could be. All the proof you need of how good a person Lee was is the time he came to Jericho’s house and Jericho’s mean dog licked his hand. Jericho promises to take care of Lee’s family. This was great.

Cody Rhodes/Orange Cassidy/10 vs. Team Taz

This was hand picked by Lee’s son and it is billed as his dream match. Cody bounces off of Powerhouse Hobbs to start. With that not working, Cody (reluctantly) brings in 10 to suplex Starks. That’s enough for Starks to head to the floor so it’s back to Hobbs, who wants Cassidy. The hands go into the pockets and a slow motion shoulder doesn’t go well as we take a break.

Back with Cage hitting a rather delayed vertical suplex on Cassidy. It’s off to Starks, who gets caught in a suplex from Cassidy for a change. Cody comes in to pick up the pace and throw his weight belt into the crowd. Starks and Cody hit stereo discus lariats, meaning it’s back to 10 for a Brodie Bomb. A spear cuts 10 down and it’s Cassidy coming back in as everything breaks down.

Hobbs hits a spinebuster on Cassidy but walks into a superkick from Cody. There’s a Downward Spiral from Cage but 10 hits a clothesline to the back of Cage’s head. With everyone down, Arn Anderson and Taz grab chairs, leaving Cassidy to hit the Orange Punch on Starks. Cody adds Cross Rhodes and 10 hits the spinebuster to finish Starks at 11:31.

Rating: C+. This was about elevating 10 and that’s what they did here. He isn’t exactly someone who gets a lot of attention around here and odds are he isn’t going to again, but at least he got a chance here. If nothing else, it was nice to see the Dark Order complete the sweep and it’s not like the results mean much on this show in the first place.

Post match the celebration is on but Team Taz breaks it up in a hurry. Even Hook gets in a suplex on Cassidy (Jericho: “Hook just wants to get his picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone.”). The lights go out and here’s Darby Allin for the save….with Sting following. JR: “I’ve known him since the days of the Blade Runners. Google it kids.”

Post break Cody is in the ring for the final tribute. Cody gives a quote about how you can tell the value of a man based on how he treats someone who has nothing to give him. Over the last few days, we have heard one tribute after another to Lee and it is because he was a beautiful man who left a legacy. That legacy is here tonight, so here is Lee’s family, including his son, Negative One, Brodie Lee Jr.

This brings out Lee’s wife and son, with the son leaving Lee’s boots in the ring. Tony Khan hands Lee Jr. the TNT Title, declaring him the champion for life. Khan thanks the fans and gives us a tribute video to Lee set to the Eagles’ Ol’ 55, complete with quite a bit of old school footage, including some home movies and shots of him with his family. There are even some WWE photos included, with some shots of Big E., John Morrison, Bray Wyatt and more. Find this as it’s one of the best things I’ve seen in a long time.

Overall Rating: A+. The wrestling wasn’t the point of the show and there is nothing wrong with that. Tonight was all about Brodie Lee and that’s all it should have been about, as he was taken away at a ridiculously too young 41 due to something he didn’t cause. The matches were good to rather good, but this was all about saying thank you and goodbye, with the stuff with his family being outstanding. Go find that tribute though as it’s the best thing on the show. This was excellent and they nailed everything about the whole night.

Results

Young Bucks/Colt Cabana b. Matt Hardy/Private Party – Superman pin to Quen

Lance Archer/Stu Grayson/Evil Uno b. Eddie Kingston/Butcher and the Blade – Fatality to Blade

John Silver/Alex Reynolds/Hangman Page b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Santana/Ortiz – Discus lariat to Ortiz

Tay Conti/Anna Jay b. Penelope Ford/Britt Baker – Queen Slayer to Ford

10/Cody Rhodes/Orange Cassidy b. Team Taz – Brodie Bomb to Starks

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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