Ring Of Honor
Date: April 25, 2024
Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things have been getting longer around here again and that has not often been the best thing for Ring Of Honor. It often results in matches that are just there to make the show longer and I’m still not sure how that makes for better weekly events. Odds are we’ll get more on Queen Aminata coming after the Women’s Title this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Isiah Kassidy vs. Komander

Kassidy takes him down to start and fires off some dancing as commentary talks about Shaquille O’Neal. Komander grabs an armbar into a rollup but gets dropped throat first onto the top. Stomping in the corner keeps Komander in trouble until he comes out with a kick to the face. Kassidy cutters him across the top to send Komander outside but he comes back in with a running hurricanrana.

An Asai moonsault takes out Kassidy on the floor and a springboard Swanton connects for two. A poisonrana plants Kassidy again but he’s right back with a Spanish Fly for two of his own. Back up and Komander grabs a waistlock, only to have Kassidy kick him low. A reverse Twist of Fate finishes for Kassidy at 7:42.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a high flying match between a perennial jobber and one half of a tag team. They both have athletic abilities and I certainly wasn’t bored with what I was seeing. At the same time though, it’s a little hard to get invested in seeing something between people that AEW has made feel so unimportant. That’s a big problem with ROH and I don’t see it being cured anytime soon.

We look at Bullet Club Gold unifying the two sets of Six Man Tag Team titles.

The Club brags about their win but they don’t have room for all of the gold.

Dark Order vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

Silver and Darius start things off with Darius slipping out of a wristlock and grabbing a cravate. Andretti comes in to work on the arm before everything breaks down, meaning a triple superkick to send the Order outside. Back in and the Order takes over on Dante, who flips over to hand it right back to Andretti.

Everything breaks down again and an assisted tornado DDT puts Reynolds down. Andretti’s running shooting star gets two with the Order having to make the save. The Order isolates Darius and strike away at him until Dante makes a save of his own. Darius and Andretti grab a double spinebuster to finish Reynolds at 6:58.

Rating: C+. This was the match designed to warm up Andretti and Top Flight before their shot at Bullet Club Gold this weekend. Andretti and Top Flight work well enough together but it feels like they are up and down all the time around here. Giving them a win is nice, but it doesn’t feel like anything more than getting them ready for their latest loss against better competition. It makes sense, but it’s not the most engaging stuff.

Anna Jay vs. Allysin Kay

Kay powers her into the corner to start but Jay knocks her into the corner to cut that off. A spinning kick is countered into a suplex, only to have Jay stomp her down in the corner without much trouble. Kay grabs a hotshot into a chokebomb for two but Jay is right back with a middle rope Blockbuster for the same. The Queenslayer finishes for Jay at 3:44.

Rating: C. Believe it or not, Jay goes from losing on Dynamite to winning on Ring Of Honor. That’s the story of her career, as she is so all over the place with her wins and losses that it is not wonder she can never get any kind of traction. Yes she’s on a winning streak around here, but it only means so much when she loses any big match she has.

We recap Queen Aminata seemingly coming after Athena for the Women’s Title.

Athena has an emergency Minions meeting and offers a beating to Aminata and Red Velvet.

Johnny TV vs. Will Austin

Taya Valkyrie is here with Johnny, who takes Austin down without much effort. A springboard hurricanrana into a dropkick works well for Austin, with Ian saying “Make your name Austin!” I’m thinking that might not be the best idea as it’s already taken. Taya offers a distraction so Johnny can get in a shot from behind and work on the arm. A spinning knee to the face sets up the Flying Chuck into Starship Pain for the pin at 3:16 (….hey).

Rating: C. As usual, there’s only so much you can get out of what was just a step ahead of a squash. TV is back after his loss at Supercard Of Honor and now he can find something else to do. I’m not sure what that is, but it’s better than having him sitting around waiting for something to happen.

Mogul Embassy vs. 1 Called Manders/Beef/Calvin Tankman

No Prince Nana with the Embassy as they’re getting it right. Beef gets taken into the corner to start the beating in a hurry, with Toa hammering away. Kaun backbreakers him onto the turnbuckle and Cage hits the apron superplex for two. Beef finally gets in a shot of his own and hands it off to Tankman, who gets to clean some house. The numbers catch up with him though and it’s a triplebomb to give Cage the pin at 4:06.

Rating: C+. This was more than I was expecting with Tankman getting to show what he could do if given the chance. The guy can be a wrecking ball when he is in there and that worked for a little while. At the same time, not having Nana out there with the Embassy is a good sign, as the face turn continues.

Video on the Premiere Athletes, focusing on Ariya Daivari.

Mark Sterling is impressed with how many people it took to stand up to the Premiere Athletes.

Leila Grey vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Sakazaki takes her over with a headlock to start before hitting a spinning kick to the chest. A running dropkick misses though and Grey drops a backsplash for two. Grey gets two off a bulldog and there’s a Hennig necksnap to drop Sakazaki again. They go up top, where Grey grabs a sunset bomb for two more before it’s time to trade forearms. We go to a random replay of the sunset bomb, which has me wondering if they needed to edit something out. Sakazaki grabs a spinning hammerlock slam and hits the Magical Girl Splash for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C-. This was a weird one with that replay/seemingly an edit feeling really out of nowhere. I’m not sure what was going on here but the ending felt like they were told to go home in a hurry. Grey has done well enough in some limited roles and was working here, but the chemistry was pretty far off with this one.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter are upset at their recent losses. Maria Kanellis comes in to say she is disappointed too but says it’ll work in the end. This team’s existence continues to confuse me.

Kingdom vs. Outrunners

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if the Outrunners win or last the ten minute time limit, they get a future title shot. Floyd works on Bennett’s arm to start but it’s quickly off to Taven for a cheap shot to take over. Back up and Magnum fights back and manages to clear the ring but Bennett drops him again. Taven chokes away and Bennett gets two off a suplex.

The chinlock keeps Magnum down but he atomic drops his way to freedom and hands it back to Floyd to pick up the pace. A spinning suplex drops Taven and Magnum hits a top rope forearm. Boot Camp is loaded up but Bennett reverses into a rollup with tights for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C+. The extra time helped this one, along with the fact that we saw the champs go to a time limit in a Proving Ground match a few weeks back. It adds just enough drama to make this work better than that is great to see. It wasn’t a great match, but the Outrunners are always fun and the champs get a win, meaning they are at least here for a change.

Queen Aminata and Red Velvet are ready for Billie Starkz and Athena.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Laynie Luck

Taya goes with the power to start and chokes away on the ropes but Luck strikes away. That earns her the running knees in the corner, followed a double underhook drop for two. The STF makes Luck tap at 3:26.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash for Taya, though Luck got in a few shots of her own. That isn’t the biggest surprise as Luck is something of an indy mainstay around this area and is a step above some of the jobbers you’ll see. Taya is still someone who could be used in a bigger spot but she seems pretty stuck in the midcard gatekeeper heel spot at the moment.

The Infantry wants more but the Outrunners interrupt and brag about their own success. The challenge is on for next week, with the Outrunners repeating what the Infantry says.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. GPA/Ren Jones/Jon Cruz

Vincent punches GPA down to start as Ian talks to students. Dutch comes in for some clotheslines before running Jones over for a bonus. It’s off to Archer, who gets annoyed at Jones’ dropkick. A full nelson slam plants Jones, who kicks Vincent away and hands it off to Cruz. It’s back to Jones all of ten seconds later but the villains are tired of this and wreck everyone. The Blackout sends GPA onto Jones to give Dutch the double pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. Archer and the Righteous are doing well with these squashes but it’s hard to believe that they’re going to get a title shot. I base this on the idea that we have seen them do something similar to this for a good while now and they have never been near the titles. That’s how Ring Of Honor works with a lot of this stuff and it can be rather frustrating.

Abadon vs. Nova

Nova takes things into the corner to start for a running shoulder to the ribs but Abadon is right back with some clotheslines. The Meteora in the corner sets up a running knee and Black Dahlia finishes Nova at 1:35.

Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie (the latter of whom got a shower and changed in record time) are happy about their reality series when Aaron Solo interrupts. Taya isn’t impressed and Johnny mocks his win/loss record so Solo promises to win next week. Now we’re getting an Aaron Solo story?

Blake Christian vs. AR Fox vs. Beast Mortos

Mortos runs them both over to start but gets sent to the corner as commentary talks about the things Christian has been doing with Missy Hyatt in GCW. Mortos is back inside and takes out Christian before powerslamming Fox for two. A shinbreaker puts Fox down again and we hit a leglock. Christian comes in off the top for the save and Sling Blades Mortos, who is back with a Samoan drop for two.

The pace picks up and Christian takes Mortos down for a quick splash. Fox is back in to double team Mortos to limited avail but they manage to knock Mortos down into the corner. With the other two up top, Mortos pulls them back down for a big crash but Fox kicks him out to the apron. Christian’s spear puts Mortos on the floor and a springboard 450 into a Swanton connects back inside. Christian goes after Fox but Mortos is back up with a spinning piledriver to finish Fox at 6:52.

Rating: B-. Best match of the show as it was more competitive but it’s not like this was anything great. There were no stakes to this and Mortos already beat Christian at Supercard Of Honor. That didn’t leave much in the way of drama here, though it was nice to see a match that had a bit more time and all three were putting in some energy.

Overall Rating: C. That was Ring Of Honor all right, with a bunch of people doing a bunch of stuff and very little of it standing out. The last few weeks have gotten away from the focused version and have been back to being little more than getting as much content out there as possible. As usual, that’s great for the wrestlers who get more work, but it doesn’t make for an entertaining show. It’s almost impossible to have this much content while also having the wins and losses matter for the sake of title shots, especially when those shots are few and far between. Ring Of Honor is proving that and it’s not working well.

Results
Isiah Kassidy b. Komander – Reverse Twist of Fate
Top Flight/Action Andretti b. Dark Order – Double spinebuster to Reynolds
Anna Jay b. Allysin Kay – Queenslayer
Johnny TV b. Will Austin – Starship Pain
Mogul Embassy b. 1 Called Manders/Beef/Calvin Tankman – Triplebomb to Tankman
Yuka Sakazaki b. Leila Grey – Magical Girl Splash
Kingdom b. Outrunners – Rollup with tights to Floyd
Taya Valkyrie b. Laynie Luck – STF
Lance Archer/Righteous b. GPA/Ren Jones/Jon Cruz – Double pin
Abadon b. Nova – Black Dahlia
Beast Mortos b. Blake Christian and AR Fox – Spinning piledriver to Fox

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 18, 2024
Location: Truist Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The show has been doing well enough in recent weeks and I could go for seeing more of what they have going on. What matters here is keeping things moving as the shows with all of the filler are by far the weakest. It also helps to have some star power around here and there is no way of knowing what you are going to be seeing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Briscoe isn’t scared of the House Of Black because he fears no man. Bring the violence.

Aaron Solo vs. Bryan Keith

Solo slaps him in the face to start so Keith sweeps the legs and pulls him down to hammer away. A rather delayed suplex puts Solo down so he rolls to the floor for a breather. Keith follows and gets sent into the steps as things slow down a bit. Some knees to the back keep Keith in trouble and Solo chokes away in the corner for a bit.

Keith shrugs it off and hits a running boot in the corner, setting up a t-bone suplex for two. A fireman’s carry backbreaker onto the knee gives Keith two but Solo is back with a t-bone of his own for two of his own. Back up and an enziguri staggers Keith, who knocks Solo out of the corner. Diamond Dust finishes for Keith at 7:14

Rating: C. Keith is someone who has been around AEW and ROH so much lately and a good chunk of his appearances have resulted in losses. Giving him a win here and there keeps him looking a bit stronger, even if it is over someone like Solo. I’m a sucker for Diamond Dust too so having Keith bust it out makes things that much better.

Lance Archer/Righteous vs. Jon Cruz/Savion Truitt/Damian Chambers

Vincent powers Chambers into the corner to start and drops him with a running forearm for two. Truitt comes in and gets to face Archer, who looks rather enthusiastic to wreck a human. Archer easily takes him into the corner for a hard chop and Dutch adds a t-bone suplex. A Side Effect from Vincent sets up a legdrop from Dutch but Truitt crawls over to bring in Cruz. Autumn Sunshine plants Cruz in a hurry and Truitt it Blackouted onto Cruz to give Archer the pin at 4:15.

Rating: C. Total and complete destruction and that’s all it needed to be. Archer and the Righteous wrecking people can be fun and that was the case again here, with the villains being little more than cannon fodder. They kept it fast too and that is what it needed to be given what was going on here.

Mark Sterling hypes up Tony Nese.

Sterling, with the Premiere Athletes, brags about how awesome his team really can be. They won at Supercard Of Honor and Sterling promises gold by the end of the year.

JD Drake vs. Lee Johnson

Drake powers him away to start and Johnson slows things down a bit. A slam puts Johnson down again so he takes Johnson down to slow him up a bit. Drake isn’t having that and comes back with Snake Eyes, only to miss a sitdown splash. Back up and Johnson sends him to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive. A high crossbody gives Johnson two and he avoids a Cannonball back inside. Johnson knocks him off the top and hits a frog splash for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C+. Drake is a good example of a person who is talented and good at what he does but he’s been around so long around here that it’s hard to get interested in what he’s doing. You know what you’re going to get with him and watching Johnson take ten minutes to get there isn’t going to make for the most thrilling match. Technically fine, but not that thrilling.

Abadon vs. Allysin Kay

Abadon bites the arm to start but gets taken own with a clothesline. Kay hits a running splash in the corner but Abadon is back with a running faceplant. A high crossbody into the Black Dahlia finishes for Abadon at 2:17.

Taya Valkyrie says Johnny TV is off rehabbing his abs so stop asking her questions.

Iron Savages vs. Infantry

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages. Boulder knocks Bravo into the corner to start but Bravo is back up with a dropkick. A double dropkick sends Boulder into the corner for the tag to Bronson, who is quickly knocked out to the floor. Jameson offers a distraction though and it’s Bronson taking over back inside. Boulder is sent into Bronson’s chest though and the hot tag brings Bravo back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Jameson’s Savage Sauce is sent flying. Boot Camp finishes 4:55.

Rating: C+. Nice match and nothing that we haven’t seen from these teams over and over. It might be against different opponents, but the Infantry getting a win and going nowhere as a results isn’t a surprise. They got their one title shot and now they’re back to where they were before. Nothing to see here, as the Savages still aren’t that interesting.

Post match the Premiere Athletes come in for the beatdown but Mark Briscoe, Bryan Keith, Lee Johnson and Dalton Castle of all people make the save.

Taya Valkyrie/Leila Grey/Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch/Kiera Hogan/Trish Adora

Taya powers Hogan into the corner to start but gets sent throat first into the middle rope. The running hip attack to the back gives Hogan two but Diamante comes in for a running dropkick in the corner. It’s off to Adora, who gets Russian legsweeped for two, allowing Taya to hit the running knees.

Adora’s kneeling German suplex allows the tag back to Hogan, who dropkicks Diamante. Grey gets dropkicked as well but Taya hits something like a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Everything breaks down and Grey’s running Sling Blade gets two on Adora. Lariat Tubman hits Diamante and Hogan grabs Face The Music to pin Grey at 7:53.

Rating: C+. They went with the regular wrestling for a bit until it was all chaos with Hogan getting the win. In theory this would set things up for a future title shot or something close to it, but odds are it’s just a match that comes and goes. The action was nice enough though and a parade of finishers is always worth at least a look.

Griff Garrison and Cole Karter, with Maria Kanellis, have no interest in giving Serpentico’s mask back. This feud feels like it has been going on for months now, which is months too long.

Nick Comoroto vs. Beast Mortos

Mortos can’t shoulder him down to start so he goes after Comoroto’s arm to take over. Comoroto hits a hard clothesline and hammers away, setting up a splash for two. Mortos fights up and runs him over, setting up a corkscrew moonsault for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. Quick and to the point here as Mortos might be the next monster around Ring Of Honor. I’ve heard worse ideas, as getting some fresh blood is nice to see. That being said, this was just one match and he’s going to need something that makes him stand out or he’ll just be another name on a long list.

We look at Queen Aminata seemingly setting herself up as the next challenger to Athena.

Lady Frost vs. Marti Belle

Belle runs her over to start but Frost is back up with the rapid fire chops in the corner as commentary makes fire vs. ice comparisons. Belle gets in some boot choking but Frost elbows back up. A Cannonball in the corner hits Belle, who is back up with a hard forearm for two. Frost isn’t having that and kicks her in the head, setting up Frost Bite for the pin at 5:35.

Rating: C. I still think there is something to be done with Frost if she is given the chance and while this might not have been a big deal, it was better than a loss. If nothing else, Frost could be a nice first challenger for the Women’s TV Title, as Billie Starkz could use some fresh opponents. Belle is someone who has been around for a bit but this might be her high point around here.

Nick Comoroto is interrupted by Jacoby Watts, who offers to turn Comoroto’s career around.

Dark Order vs. Zak Patterson/Frank Milano

Milano headlocks Uno to start but is quickly pulled into an atomic drop. Silver comes in and poses before elbowing Patterson in the face. A charging Milano gets sent outside, allowing Patterson to come back with a dropkick. Patterson gutwrench suplexes Silver but charges into a boot in the corner. Silver’s suplex allows the tag back to Uno to clean house. The Stunner into the German suplex into Something Evil finishes Milano at 5:07.

Rating: C. Well at least it was short. Having Silver out there does take away a lot of the dullness that comes with Uno, as Silver is such a ball of energy. While I don’t think there is much of a use for the Dark Order in AEW, there are worse ways to go than having them pop the crowd in a match like this. Not much to see here, but Patterson and Milano weren’t completely destroyed.

Dynasty rundown.

Mark Briscoe vs. Griff Garrison

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Garrison (with Cole Karter and Maria Kanellis) wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Garrison tries a sunset flip but gets headlocked on the mat for his effort. The threat of Redneck Kung Fu has Garrison in the corner but he comes out with some uppercuts.

Briscoe isn’t having that and knocks him to the floor for a flip dive. The Bang Bang Elbow connects but Karter offers a distraction, allowing Garrison to get in a cheap shot. A big boot give Garrison two and a torture rack powerbomb is good for the same. Briscoe is back up and sends him outside for the slingshot dive, followed by a hard clothesline. The Jay Driller finishes Garrison at 5:41.

Rating: C+. It was nice to have the World Champion around here as the star power alone helped a bit. That being said, Briscoe started the show talking about his match at Dynasty rather than anything he was doing here. When he’s already fighting half of a low level tag team who is in a story that should have ended forever ago, it didn’t make for the most thrilling match.

Overall Rating: D+. Oh just no. This was every lame thing about Ring Of Honor rolled into one. It was about an hour and a half of matches that didn’t feel like they were going anywhere and had no stakes while not being anything special. It makes for one heck of a dull show and I can’t imagine sitting through this, Collision and Battle Of The Belts in the same night. Ring Of Honor can be a fun show but this was a nightmare to get through as there was just nothing worth seeing. They were on a nice little roll for a few weeks and then hit the way hard here in a huge disappointment.

Results
Bryan Keith b. Aaron Solo – Diamond Dust
Righteous/Lee Johnson b. Jon Cruz/Damian Chambers/Savion Truitt
Lee Johnson b. JD Drake – Frog splash
Abadon b. Allysin Kay – Black Dahlia
Infantry b. Iron Savages – Boot Camp to Bronson
Trish Adora/Leyla Hirsch/Kiera Hogan b. Leila Grey/Taya Valkyrie/Diamante – Face The Music to Grey
Beast Mortos b. Nick Comoroto – Corkscrew moonsault
Lady Frost b. Marti Belle – Frost Bite
Dark Order b. Zak Patterson/Frank Milano – Something Evil to Milano
Mark Briscoe b. Griff Garrison – Jay Driller

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: October 19, 2023
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things changed the slightest bit last week as the World Champion actually showed up. Eddie Kingston defeated Serpentico and then gave Angelico a title shot for the sake of he felt like it. Other than that, it’s likely going to be the usual free for all around here, which is up and down at best most of the time. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Gravity vs. Angelico

Gravity’s headlock doesn’t get him very far to start so they go to the mat with Angelico working on the arm. With that broken up, Angelico switches to the leg but Gravity sends him outside. The big flip dive drops Angelico again but he’s fine enough to tie Gravity’s legs up back inside. Gravity gets some boots up in the corner though and plants Angelico again for a double knockdown. Some rollups give Gravity two and a powerbomb gets the same. Angelico is right back with a spinning faceplant before something like Konnan’s Tequila Sunrise makes Gravity tap at 8:19.

Rating: B-. This was the opening high lying match that has worked in wrestling forever. Gravity is one of those stars who still has enough status that a win gives Angelico some momentum towards his title shot. The match was entertaining as well and will probably get more time than most tonight, which is a good thing as it served a purpose.

The Righteous talk about how they tore about Adam Cole and MJF and now are coming for something else.

Shawn Dean vs. Peter Avalon

Trish Adora and Ryan Nemeth are here too. Dean grabs a headlock takeover to start and then snaps off some armdrags. Back up and Dean sends him into the buckle a few times but Nemeth grabs the ankle. Adora chases him off but Dean fights Avalon off and grabs a DDT for two. Avalon’s superkick into a Death Valley Driver gets two more but Dean knocks him off the top. A top rope splash finishes for Dean at 5:05.

Rating: C. It wasn’t a bad match but there is only so much you can get out of two people who are so low down on the totem pole around here. The action itself was fine but at the end of the day it’s two low level stars having a five minute match on the secondary show. At least Dean won, as he’s certainly a bigger star than Avalon.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Marti Belle

Martinez headlocks her over to start and bounces out of a headscissors to slap Belle in the face. Some stomping in the corner sets up a ripcord lariat for two on Belle and Martinez knees her in the face. An anarchist suplex gets two and Martinez rains down some right hands. Martinez kicks and stomps away but Belle grabs a jawbreaker. A running kick to the chest gives Belle two but Martinez gives her a chokebomb. The OG Lock makes Belle tap at 6:44.

Rating: C. This was an extended squash as Martinez mostly wrecked Belle and shrugged off her limited offense. As usual, Martinez seems to be built up towards a title shot but at some point it has to actually happen. On the other hand, Belle was treated as something of a special return, only to have her get destroyed in a slightly extended squash.

Athena yells at the Minions In Training and wants Billie Starkz to be more violent tonight. Lexi Nair still isn’t impressed.

Tony Nese vs. Ethan Page

Nese, with Mark Sterling, says he has to beat up Page and can’t do his group training. We pause for Nese to pose, allowing Page to lounge on the top. A chase lets Nese slide back inside and do some jumping jacks, followed by a headlock. Nese gets scared out to the floor and Page knocks him into the barricade, where he grabs a fan’s “TONY NESE SUCKS” sign.

Back in and a shoulder puts Nese down but Sterling’s distraction breaks up the slingshot cutter. Nese ties him in the Tree of Woe and stomps away, setting up the chinlock. Page fights up and hammers away, setting up a powerslam for two. The cradle belly to back suplex sets up the slingshot cutter for two, leaving Page surprised. The Ego’s Edge is loaded up but Sterling offers a distraction, allowing Nese to grab a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C+. Sure. Page has been built up for the last month or so as he seemed ready to get a title shot and then he loses to TONY NESE, who has been doing the exact same stuff for so long that I don’t even hear him talking most of the time. I’m sure Page will come back and win later, but egads man. It’s TONY NESE.

Post match Nese wants the Code of Honor but Mocks Page instead. Page goes after both of them but the villains escape.

Billie Starkz vs. Diamante

Athena and Mercedes Martinez are here too. Starkz sends her outside and hits a dive but Martinez offers a distraction. Back in and Diamante hammers away before sending Starkz into the corner. A neckbreaker gives Diamante two and a running dropkick to the back gets the same. Starkz manages a kick to the face out of the corner and a rollup gets the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. Starkz gets another win as what feels like the eternal build towards what is likely Athena vs. Starkz for the title continues. We’re probably going to get a tag match between these four as the big match on next week’s show and it should be good enough, but this was just two people having a match. At least it likely sets up the next step, but it would be nice to get to something that feels important.

Post match Martinez and Diamante jump Starkz and Athena until the latter clears the ring with a chair.

Cole Karter gives Maria Kanellis-Bennett a shirt, which she’ll wear during Karter and Griff Garrison’s tag match.

Josh Woods vs. Pat Buck

Pure Rules. Woods grabs a wristlock to start but Buck slips out. The threat of the Gorilla Lock sends Buck over to the ropes and Buck’s attempt at a leglock makes Woods do the same. A rollup is broken up with Woods’ second rope break so he punches Buck in the face for his official warning. Woods has had it and gutwrench powerbombs Buck, setting up the Gorilla Lock for the tap at 3:58.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but Buck was brought into Woods’ world last week and then taps out in less than four minutes. This was the latest part of Woods’ incredible slow climb back to a Pure Title shot. Odds are that’s at Final Battle, so we only have to wait about two more months to actually get to the point.

Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. Myron Reed/Ren Jones

Karter knocks Jones down to start but he elbows Karter in the jaw. A brainbuster gives Jones a fast two but Garrison comes in with a discus forearm. Garrison decks Reed on the apron as Karter hits a spinning DDT so Garrison can get the pin at 2:07. Total squash.

Dalton Castle’s slow descent into madness continues as he wants to give the fans what he deserves.

Allysin Kay vs. Kiera Hogan

Hogan starts fast by sending her throat first into the ropes for a running hip attack. A kick to the head misses for Hogan so Kay takes her down and hammers away. Kay misses a charge though and Hogan kicks her into the corner for another hip attack. Now the kick connects for two but Kay is back with the AK47 for two. Not that it mattes as Hogan hits a shotgun dropkick into Face The Music for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C. Here’s the latest match on the show that came and went rather quickly without much of note. Commentary was hyping up Hogan as a potential title challenger, even though we’ve done that multiple times and it was only ok. Kay is someone who could add a lot to the division if she was around full time, but maybe she is too busy elsewhere to do anything. Granted it won’t matter if she is added into the endless loop of people fighting for a title shot that they never get.

Righteous vs. Kevin Matthews/Rod Lee

Autumn Sunshine finishes Lee in 48 seconds.

Lady Frost vs. Zoey Lynn

Lynn rolls her up for two and is kneed in the ribs as a result. Frost unloads with stomps in the corner and a spinning kick to the face makes it worse. Frost Bite finishes at 1:37.

Komander vs. Metalik

Metalik starts fast with a boot to the mask in the corner and the reverse Sling Blade. The rope walk dropkick puts Komander down again and Metalik strikes away in the corner. Komander is back up with a rope walk anklescissors and Metalik is knocked to the floor. Back in and a Code Red gives Komander two, followed by a top rope hurricanrana for the same. Metalik snaps off a springboard hurricanrana into the Metalik Driver for two. Komander is right back with a fireman’s carry gutbuster, followed by the rope walk shooting star press for the pin at 4:50.

Rating: B. Yeah it was short but man alive did they pack a lot of stuff in there. This was the kind of match where they were told “you’ve got five minutes, go totally nuts”. It was entertaining, action packed and the kind of fun high flying stuff that is what you would want to see here. Awesome stuff.

Darius Martin/Action Andretti vs. Gates of Agony vs. Workhorsemen

Drake chops Martin to start but a dropkick gets Martin out of trouble. It’s off to Andretti for a high crossbody but some shots to the arm don’t work very well. Henry comes in but Toa runs Henry and Andretti over at the same time. Martin comes back in and hits a double DDT on the Gates. Andretti gets to forearm away at Henry, followed by a springboard Downward Spiral to give Martin two on Drake. Everything breaks down and the double standing clothesline gives Kaun the pin on Henry at 4:16.

Rating: C+. There’s only so much you can get out of a match with six people getting just over four minutes. What they did was fun and fast paced, but it was a three way match for the sake of having a three way match. There’s no feud here and nothing on the line, which doesn’t make for the most interesting match.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where two or three matches bailed out an otherwise uninteresting show. Final Battle has been officially set for December and all that means is we have two more months of this meandering show with one or two stories. The other problem is how many matches will be put on the Final Battle card with no major story from this show, making it feel all the more like a waste of time. Some of the matches were worth seeing here, but even cutting off about half an hour from the previous few weeks’ runtimes, the show had too many points where I was wondering why a match was taking place.

Results
Angelico b. Gravity – Arm trap half crab
Shawn Dean b. Peter Avalon – Top rope splash
Mercedes Martinez b. Marti Belle – OG Lock
Tony Nese b. Ethan Page – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Billie Starkz b. Diamante – Rollup
Josh Woods b. Pat Buck – Gorilla Lock
Griff Garrison/Cole Karter b. Myron Reed/Ren Jones – Spinning DDT to Jones
Kiera Hogan b. Allysin Kay – Face The Music
Righteous b. Kevin Matthews/Rod Lee – Autumn Sunshine to Lee
Lady Frost b. Zoey Lynn – Frost Bite
Komander b. Metalik – Rope walk shooting star press
Gates Of Agony b. Workhorsemen and Action Andretti/Darius Martin – Double standing clothesline to Henry

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 28, 2023
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back to the weekly show and there have been a lot of changes around here. In addition to Eddie Kingston winning the World Title last week, there are also new Six Man Tag Team Champions to go with the new Tag Team Champions, who won the belts a month ago and haven’t been on the show yet. Maybe that will change with the other new champions. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Josh Woods vs. Brayden Erving

Mark Sterling is here with Woods, who drives Erving into the corner to start and hammers away. Erving misses an enziguri and gets German suplexed. The Tilt-A-Woods (Anarchist suplex) finishes Erving at 1:15.

Prince Nana is excited about the Gates of Agony and Brian Cage in separate matches tonight because they’re ready to be awesome again.

Scorpio Sky vs. Tony Nese

Mark Sterling is here with Tony Nese, because we need him in the first two matches of the show. Nese does his usual group training deal before we’re ready to go. Sky cuts him off so Nese is right there to jump start the beating, only to get knocked to the floor. Back in and Nese bails to the floor again but gets tossed back inside this time. Sterling offers a distraction though and Nese manages a whip into the steps.

Nese ties him in the Tree of Woe for some crunches kicks to the ribs. The neck snap over the top rope and we’re off to a bodyscissors. A belly to back suplex gets Sky out of trouble and a clothesline drops Nese as well. Sky hits Sky High for two but Nese kicks him in the head for two more. Back up and Nese grabs a suplex, followed by the TKO for the pin at 9:08.

Rating: B-. I’m still not sure why Sky keeps falling lower and lower. While the injuries are a problem, seeing him facing Nese on Ring Of Honor isn’t the best sign for his career. There almost has to be a better use for him somewhere across AEW or ROH. He can clearly still go in the ring, but it needs to be in another ring.

Gravity vs. Lee Johnson

The wrestling doesn’t go to either of them so we have an early standoff. Johnson has to flip out of a wristlock before Gravity runs him over with a shoulder. A flipping armdrag pulls Lee out of the corner but he drops Gravity without much effort. Johnson whips him into the corner, gets in some pushups, and grabs the chinlock.

Gravity fights up and sends him to the floor for a springboard dive, followed by a top rope armdrag for two back inside. A standing moonsault gets two more but Johnson is back with some superkicks. Gravity hits his own superkick though and the top rope splash finishes Johnson at 9:21.

Rating: C+. Gravity is another guy who seems like he could be something if given a chance and he’s getting some pretty significant TV time. I’m not sure if he’s ever going to move up to the next level, but he’s doing well with getting out of Bandido’s shadow. Granted it helps when Bandido isn’t here, but Gravity is doing well either way.

The Outrunners aren’t impressed with Action Andretti and Darius Martin.

Billie Starkz vs. Lady Frost

Athena is here with Starkz. Frost is sent to the floor to start where Athena offers a fast distraction, allowing Starkz to nail a dive. Athena yells at Starkz for a bit, allowing Frost to hit a cartwheel kick of the apron to put Starkz down. Back in and Frost stomps away in the corner before flipping over her back for a dropkick. Starkz is back up with a Death Valley Driver for two but Frost throws in another cartwheel into an Air Raid Crash. The moonsault connects for Frost but Athena offers a distraction to break it up. Said distraction lets Starks hit something like a Neutralizer for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C+. The more I see of Frost, the more impressive she becomes. She has a unique look and the athleticism to back it up. In short, she feels different and that helps her stand out a lot. If she was able to string some wins together, I could see her having a nice run somewhere. This was still all about Athena and Starkz though, as their big match is coming one day.

Post match Athena takes Frost outside for a ram into the barricade as Starkz begs Athena to stop. Starkz takes the title away before Athena can slam Frost into it, which doesn’t sit well with Athena.

Allysin Kay is ready to face Mercedes Martinez because she wants to end her losing streak.

Outrunners vs. Darius Martin/Action Andretti

Andretti works on Magnum’s arm to start before Martin comes in to do the same. It’s off to Floyd, who gets headlocked rather quickly. Andretti takes both of them down at once and stereo dropkicks send the Outrunners outside. The stereo dives are broken up though and it’s Floyd hammering away on Andretti back inside. Magnum drops a knee on Andretti but he breaks up Total Recall. The tag brings Martin back in to clean house as everything breaks down. Floyd is sent outside and a double swinging slam finishes Magnum at 6:49.

Rating: C+. The Outrunners are the definition of goofy, harmless fun and I can always go for more of that. They aren’t out here getting wins over big teams but rather losing every time and giving the fans a bit of a laugh. Martin and Andretti aren’t going anywhere, but at least they’re filling in a nice spot around here while they aren’t.

Griff Garrison is interrupted by Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Cole Karter but says he believes the team can work. They agree to do it the right way.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Laynie Luck

Maria Kanellis-Bennett comes out to watch as Luck scores with some kicks to start. Hirsch shrugs those off though and snaps off a German suplex into the Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 1:12.

Post match Maria leaves and Hirsch says she wants Athena.

Mercedes Martinez, with Diamante, thinks Allysin Kay must be sick of losing.

Shane Taylor vs. Jimmy Jacobs

Lee Moriarty is here with Taylor and Jacobs is the hometown boy. Jacobs slugs away to start and it goes as well as you would expect. Taylor misses a charge and gets sent outside though, where Jacobs grabs a front facelock. That’s broken up as well and Taylor crushes him in the corner.

The splash gives Taylor two and he slowly forearms Jacobs down over and over. Jacobs actually scores with a clothesline but Taylor’s clothesline is a little bit better. Back up and Jacobs tries Sliced Bread but is easily reversed into Welcome To The Land to give Taylor the pin at 5:31.

Rating: C+. Jacobs is a name and Taylor beating him is better than a win over some nobody. It also helps when Jacobs was able to get in some offense of his own and turned it into a decent match. Taylor is still a monster though and ROH seems interested in turning him into a big deal, meaning a Jacobs win wasn’t exactly in the cards.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is interrupted by Leyla Hirsch, who wants more competitive matches. That hasn’t happened, so Hirsch has gotten her Women’s Title shot against Athena next week.

Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. Ren Jones/Trenton Tormenta/Xavier Walker

Castle takes Jones down without much effort to start before the Boys come in for a dropkick. Jones drives Brent into the corner though and it’s Walker coming in to knock Brandon and Castle outside. Brent rolls over without much effort and Castle gets the tag to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Bang A Rang into a knee to the back (that’s a weird bonus) finishes Tormenta at 3:38.

Rating: C. Nothing much to see here, save for Castle adding a mostly unnecessary move after his big finisher. Castle and the Boys have absolutely nothing to do at the moment as the Six Man Tag Team Titles don’t mean much and for some reason Castle can’t get a singles run. Not quite a squash here, but the Boys squashing someone wouldn’t make sense anyway.

Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. The Infantry

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is here with Garrison and Karter. Garrison hiptosses Bravo to start and adds a boot to the face. Karter comes in and gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Dean to come in for an elbow. The Infantry alternates on the beating until Karter hits a dropkick to take over on Bravo.

Garrison won’t listen to Maria’s orders to choke from the floor, leaving Bravo to roll over for the tag to Dean. A high crossbody gets two on Karter with Garrison having to make the save. Boot Camp hits Karter but Maria distracts the referee. Trish Adora chases Maria off, leaving Karter to roll Dean up (with feet on the ropes) for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure why this Maria/Carter/Garrison story is supposed to be interesting but it’s falling pretty short. It feels like they have taken months to get very little accomplished and Karter/Garrison still aren’t exactly gelling. Maria is capable of so much more but here she is because….I have no idea really.

Ethan Page says if he wins tonight, he’s on a roll. Rohit Raju (Page’s opponent tonight) comes in to say you can’t spell Rohit without ROH, but Page promises a beating.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Allysin Kay

Diamante is here with Martinez. They fight to the floor rather quickly before Kay grabs a belly to back inside. Diamante breaks up a charge in the corner and Martinez gets in a cheap shot. After some posing inside, Martinez heads outside to beat Kay up on the floor. Kay manages a quick German suplex for a breather and a swinging neckbreaker takes Martinez down again. A missed charge sets up a Cheeky Nandos kick though and Diamante blasts Kay again. The fisherman’s buster finishes for Martinez at 5:38.

Rating: C. I’m not sure why they needed to go outside the ring that many times in a five minute match but it happened over and over. Other than that, Martinez is someone who can look good against anyone and she did it again here against a talented Kay. Again though, if you just keep winning matches and don’t move up the ladder into something more important, it doesn’t matter that much.

Lexi Nair and Billie Starkz aren’t happy with Athena’s interference early, but Athena pops up to say it’s time for some more minion training. Starkz can watch her beat up Leyla Hirsch next week.

Iron Savages vs. Gates Of Agony

Jacked Jameson and Prince Nana are here too. Kaun dropkicks Bronson to start before it’s off to Toa and Boulder for an exchange of clotheslines. Everything breaks down and Bronson’s dive is blocked, setting up a drop onto the apron. Back in and Bronson gets caught in the wrong corner, with the Gates getting to take turns. An elbow drop misses though and it’s Boulder coming in to clean house. Bronson hits a top rope elbow for two on Toa but Kaun shoves Boulder off the top. Nana steals Jameson’s Jacked Juice, leaving Bronson to take Open The Gates for the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C+. Nothing but a hoss fight here and that is something that will work most of the time. The Gates dominated the Six Man Tag Team Title scene for so long that it makes sense for them to be a successful two man team in their own right. Then you have the Savages, who are as over the top as you can get and it’s still entertaining, they aren’t likely to be getting a big win in the near future. Still though, pretty fun fight here.

Rohit Raju vs. Ethan Page

Raju jumps him to start but Page gets in a running shoulder. A delayed running suplex plants Raju and the capture belly to back suplex puts him down again. The Ego’s Edge is broken up though and Raju hits some running shots in the corner. A big boot cuts Raju right back off and it’s the slingshot cutter to give Page the pin at 2:37.

Brian Cage vs. Metalik

Prince Nana is here with Cage. Metalik starts fast and sends him outside but a dive is pulled out of the air. Back in and Cage snaps off a kick to the head in the corner, followed by a German suplex. There’s a 619 to drop Metalik again but a missed charge sends Cage into the corner.

Metalik snaps off a springboard hurricanrana, followed by the reverse Sling Blade. A big rope walk dive to the floor hits Cage again and a Code Red gives Metalik two. The rope walk Swanton misses though and Cage grabs a sitout powerbomb for two. Cage Drill Claws him for the pin at 8:01.

Rating: B-. Pretty nice power vs. speed match here and as usual, the formula worked well. What matters is getting Cage back on track after the surprising title loss and it isn’t like Metalik is going to be hurt by the loss. Cage has long since needed to get away from the Gates and if this is the start of that change, it is a good move for everyone involved.

Overall Rating: C. Within the last five weeks, Ring of Honor has crowned a new World Champion, Tag Team Champions and Six Man Tag Team Champions. None of them (or the TV/Pure Champions) were on this show, but I’m sure they’ll be on the upcoming AEW shows. In other words, ROH continues to be nothing more than a plot device for AEW and that is not making this show (the longest episode they’ve had in over a month) any easier to watch.

As for this show, it was exactly what you should expect from ROH: a bunch of mediocre to ok matches with so much stuff taking place that very little gets to stand out because it’s so bogged down by everything else. There was some minor storyline advancement, but as usual it takes either no time or the better part of forever to get anywhere. I’m running out of ways to make the same complaints every week but ROH keeps doing the same annoying things, making this show less and less interesting every single week.

Results
Josh Woods b. Brayden Erving – Tilt-A-Woods
Scorpio Sky b. Tony Nese – TKO
Gravity b. Lee Johnson – Top rope splash
Billie Starkz b. Lady Frost – Faceplant
Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Outrunners – Double swinging slam to Magnum
Leyla Hirsch b. Laynie Luck – Fujiwara armbar
Shane Taylor b. Jimmy Jacobs – Welcome To The Land
Dalton Castle/The Boys b. Ren Jones/Trenton Tormenta/Xavier Walker – Knee to Tormenta’s back
Griff Garrison/Cole Karter b. The Infantry – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Dean
Mercedes Martinez b. Allysin Kay – Fisherman’s buster
Gates Of Agony b. Iron Savages – Open The Gates to Bronson
Ethan Page b. Rohit Raju – Slingshot cutter
Brian Cage b. Metalik – Drill Claw

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 7, 2023
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back to the usual schedule and as expected, the show is the longest it has been in a few weeks. That’s how Ring Of Honor works when things are set up as Tony Khan wants them to be and I’m still not sure why. The big stories continue to be Athena and Maria Kanellis-Bennett’s glacially paced building up of her new army to protect the Kingdom. Let’s get to it.

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

Athena and Billie Starkz aren’t on the same page about Athena losing on the All Out Zero Hour. Allysin Kay comes in and challenges Athena for tonight. Athena yells a lot and a title match is set.

Opening sequence.

Women’s Title: Allysin Kay vs. Athena

Athena, with Billie Starkz is defending and poses/waves to the crowd a lot to start. Kay armdrags her down for one and Athena needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Starkz seems conflicted about whether to cheat, only to have Athena take over in the corner instead. The forearms in the rope and a running knee rock Kay again, followed by a spinebuster for two.

Athena grabs the chinlock but mocks Kay’s pinkies up thing and gets forearmed in the face. The AK-47 into the ankle lock has Athena in trouble but she kicks her way to freedom. One heck of a forearm drops Kay, who is fine enough to break up the O Face. Not that it matters as the O Face finishes Kay at 9:18.

Rating: B-. That’s a Ring Of Honor match and story if I’ve ever seen one. They set this up and paid it off in less than fifteen minutes. For the life of me I do not get why Ring Of Honor insists on going through things this fast but here we are again. Athena gets to vanquish someone else while Starkz isn’t sure what to do and odds are we’ll see it again in the near future.

Post match Athena wants Starkz to take out Kay but Athena has to do it herself.

We look at MJF and Samoa Joe getting in a fight on Dynamite.

Silas Young vs. Tony Nese

Mark Sterling is here with Nese, who does the exact same thing he does before every match he has these days. Nese tries to jump him to start but Young hammers away. Young sends him to the apron for the springboard clothesline and the fight goes out to the floor. A posting cuts Young off and they head back inside so Nese can kick away at the arm. Nese’s middle rope dropkick gets two and we hit the armbar. Nese misses a spinning kick though and gets blasted by a clothesline. Young stomps at the chest but Nese slips out of a fireman’s carry. The running Nese finishes Young at 5:24.

Rating: C. This was a nice way to get Nese a win over someone with some name value and the arm work went well enough. Nese is someone who is going to be around pretty regularly and at some point he needs to have some success. Nice match, though I could go with Young actually doing something other than jobbing for a change.

Post match Nese gives him a sweaty handshake.

Dalton Castle is bamboozled with all of the problems in front of him, including having to take care of his Boys. He needs to eat (yes eat) these problems, and yes he knows his new shirt is awesome.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Adam Priest/Schaff

Luther is here with the Project. Priest and Angelico start things off and the Project seems to have some fans here. They fight over wrist control with Serpentico coming in for some wrist cranking of his own. The much bigger Schaff comes in and stomps Serpentico down in the corner. A toss suplex makes it worse for Serpentico but he avoids a charge in the corner. The tag brings Angelico back in to pick up the pace, including a dancing kick to Schaff. A leglock makes Schaff tap at 3:35.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash for the Project as they are starting to actually do something for a change. I’m not exactly buying them as a serious threat going forward but at least they’re getting a few wins. The tag division can need some fresh blood and the fans like the team so go with it for the time being.

Kiera Hogan is ready for Leila Grey tonight and she’ll fight anyone else too.

Renegades vs. Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue

Blue again has the Chicago flag gear. Charlette’s headlock doesn’t do much to Blue to start as she hits a dropkick for two. A swinging neckbreaker lets Willow come in for a backsplash but Robyn comes in with a kick to Blue’s head. Robyn grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two and stereo kicks to the face put Blue down again. Blue manages to roll away and gets the diving tag to Willow for the house cleaning. The Pounce to Robyn and a spinebuster to Charlette gets two as everything breaks down. A Death Valley Driver into Code Blue finishes Robyn at 5:26.

Rating: C+. Nice fast paced match here, but Blue in the same Chicago style gear winning matches on three shows with the same rollup finisher isn’t having quite the impact. I get the idea but it’s the problem with having AEW run so many shows in a row and presenting the same people so many times. And hey the Renegades lose again because that’s what they do these days.

Mogul Embassy vs. Griff Garrison/Gravity/Metalik

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Garrison and company win or last the ten minute time limit, they get a future title shot. Kaun runs Garrison over to start and it’s already off to Toa, who teams up with Cage for a double faceplant. Garrison slips out of a suplex though and it’s Gravity coming in for a rollup. A superkick staggers Cage and it’s Metalik coming in with a springboard high crossbody. The reverse Sling Blade drops Cage and there’s the rope walk dropkick The rope walk Swanton gets two more and everything breaks down. A powerbomb/middle rope splash combination finishes Metalik at 5:44.

Rating: C. You know, it would be rather interesting if the challengers won, or just survived the time limit, for a Proving Ground match for once. They’ve been doing them for months now and no one has actually survived. The challengers weren’t anything special in this case but the Embassy has been so dominant that someone even making it to ten minutes with them would be a big shakeup. That new finisher was nice too so they are at least doing something new.

Leila Grey vs. Kiera Hogan

It’s the battle of the Baddies. They argue over a pull of the tights to start before missing an elbow each. Hogan knocks her down and hits a springboard legdrop for two. Grey is back up with a knee to the ribs and Baddies themed trash talk. A powerslam gives Grey two more but Hogan is back up with a dropkick into the corner. The running hip attack in the corner gets two but Grey hits a fast spear for the same. Grey loads up her fan, which is quickly taken away. That’s enough for Hogan to hit Face The Music for the pin at 5:35.

Rating: C. I’m not sure how many people were thinking about the Baddies, but other than a few off the cuff mentions, that wasn’t the focus here. Hogan is someone AEW/ROH always seems ready to push but they just won’t go with it. There are worse options though, as Hogan has some tools to become a player in the division. Grey is decent too, but they both need a lot more seasoning.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett thinks Griff Garrison (as brought up by Cole Karter) has potential and tells him to think about it.

Infantry/Willie Mack vs. Davey Bang/August Matthews/Jah-C

Jah and Bravo start things off with the latter taking over on the arm. Dean comes in and stays on said arm before handing it off to Mack to face Matthews. Mack dances a bit and hits a running kick to the chest, meaning Bang gets to come in. The Infantry takes turns beating up Bang and Mack gets two off a Sky High. Everything breaks down and Mack and company hit a triple superkick. Boot Camp finishes Bang at 3:06.

Rating: C. Another squash here but it’s nice to see a team forming in the six man division. That’s more than a lot of teams seem to get and it’s always a good idea to have Mack doing something. The Infantry has gone from nobodies to a team who can do some nice things in the ring, so this is another example of bringing some people up in a good way.

Lee Johnson is ready for Claudio Castagnoli tonight.

Lady Frost vs. Leyla Hirsch

They fight over a lockup to start, even going to the mat a few times. With that not working for either of them, Hirsch kicks Frost’s elbow out during a handspring to take over. Cue Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Cole Karter to watch as Hirsch grabs a Fujiwara armbar. Back up and Frost scores with a kick to the head before a handspring elbow gets two. Hirsch sends her into the corner though and the cross armbreaker makes Frost tap at 4:04.

Rating: C. Hirsch has been the best thing about Maria’s search for an army but even then it’s only so good. Maria has said that these people are there to protect the Kingdom, even though they have yet to actually do anything with the Kingdom. That doesn’t make for the best story, though Hirsch mauling people was fun to see as usual.

Post match Maria comes in for the handshake but Hirsch walks off, saying she’s doing fine on her own.

Eddie Kingston/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Gringo Loco/Blake Christian

Shibata and Christian go with the grappling to start with Shibata getting the better of things (shocking I know). Kingston comes in for the rapid fire chops in the corner and there’s a t-bone suplex for two. It’s off to Loco for the chop off with Kingston before leg lariating Kingston down. Kingston gets taken into the wrong corner but Christian’s frog splash hits raised knees. Shibata comes back in and gets to clean house, including a suplex for two on Christian. There’s the spinning backfist to Loco but Christian sends Kingston outside for a flip dive. Back in and Shibata sleepers Christian into the PK for the pin at 6:12.

Rating: C+. This got a hair more time and it helped a bit, though Shibata still doesn’t exactly feel like the most impressive star at the moment. He had some serious medical issues that slowed him down, but he hasn’t been the most interesting star since his return. I’m sure it was a thrill for Kingston to team with him though and they gave us a good enough match to make it work. Now just get Kingston on to Castagnoli already.

Respect is shown post match.

Mark Sterling and Josh Woods want better competition so the open challenge is on.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Lee Johnson

Non-title Proving Ground match with Wheeler Yuta in Castagnoli’s corner. Castagnoli wastes no time in taking him into the corner (not the one with Yuta) and Johnson is in trouble early. A belly to back suplex gives Castagnoli two but Johnson gets in some kicks to the head. Johnson slips out of a fall away slam and gets two off a DDT. The uppercut gives Castagnoli two and a heck of a lariat gets the same. Castagnoli unloads with the elbows but won’t let the referee stop it. Instead it’s Swiss Death to finish Johnson at 3:35.

Rating: C. Johnson got in some offense here but ultimately there is only so much you can do against a monster like Castagnoli. That being said, Castagnoli could really use some kid of a story. He rarely defends the title and it would be nice to have someone come after it. I’d still assume that’s going to be Eddie Kingston, but there could be something to bridge what has already been a long gap.

Iron Savages vs. Caleb Konley/Ren Jones

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages and handles their introductions. Bronson shoves Konley down to start and grabs a powerslam. Konley has to slip out of Boulder’s slam so Jones comes in and gets slammed. The assisted splash finishes Jones at 1:23. Well that worked.

Athena yells at Billie Starkz for leaving her hanging earlier so Athena says it’s time for minion training.

Best Friends/Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Outrunners/Workhorsemen

The villains jump them from behind to start and it’s a brawl on the floor to get things going. Back in and Henry DDT’s Beretta for two, followed by a powerslam/DDT combination to give Floyd two. A top rope double stomp gets two on Beretta but Floyd steals the tag from Drake. Beretta sends the Outrunners into each other and it’s Martin coming in to pick up the pace. A double DDT drops the Outrunners as everything breaks down. Taylor saves Martin from a double suplex and it’s Soul Food into a half dragon suplex to drop Magnum. Strong Zero finishes Magnum at 4:48.

Rating: C+. At least they finished with a fast paced match that didn’t bother with much in the way of tagging. This was about getting a bunch of people in there for a hot match and that’s what they did well enough. It was all about energy rather than the quality of the match and in some situations, like this one, that is absolutely the best move.

Overall Rating: C. On one hand, I liked that it came off as if some people are getting some new pushes. That has been lacking in ROH for a long time now and it felt a bit different here. At the same time though, my goodness did this show feel long. It was right back to the same problems for ROH, of what felt like a month of shows crammed into one episode. I have no idea why they insist on setting something up and blowing it off literally in the same show, but that has been the case since ROH returned. This show can be good, but the way it is presented gets in its own way far too often, with the problems on full display here.

Results
Athena b. Allysin Kay – O Face
Tony Nese b. Silas Young – Running Nese
Spanish Announce Project b. Adam Priest/Schaff – Leglock to Schaff
Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue b. Renegades – Code Blue to Robyn
Mogul Embassy b. Griff Garrison/Gravity/Metalik – Powerbomb/middle rope splash combination to Metalik
Kiera Hogan b. Leila Grey – Face The Music
The Infantry/Willie Mack b. Jah-C/August Matthews/Davey Bang – Boot Camp to bang
Leyla Hirsch b. Lady Frost – Cross armbreaker
Eddie Kingston/Katsuyori Shibata b. Blake Christian/Gringo Loco – PK to Christian
Claudio Castagnoli b. Lee Johnson – Swiss Death
Iron Savages b. Caleb Konley/Ren Jones – Electric chair splash to Jones
Best Friends/Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Outrunners/Workhorsemen – Strong Zero to Magnum

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: June 22, 2023
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re onto the new reality of this show, as there were three matches taped before Collision and then about ten more after. I’m not sure why there needs to be that much done in one night but we do have a big main event this week. Women’s Champion Athena is defending against Kiera Hogan in a Chicago street fight which could be nice and violent. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tony Khan and the Board present Samoa Joe with a new TV Title belt. Jerry Lynn manages to talk here, saying “Tony it is my pleasure to” before the belt is ripped from his hands.

Serpentico/Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade vs. Lucha Bros/El Hijo del Vikingo/Komander

Bunny and Luther are here with the villains. Serpentico and Vikingo start things off, with Vikingo being monkey flipped into the corner. A powerbomb plants Vikingo but he’s right back with a spinning kick to the face. Butcher comes in to send Komander to the floor and Sabian adds a springboard moonsault. The reverse Cannonball connects back inside and a fisherman’s suplex gives Sabian two.

Komander tornado DDTs his way to freedom and the hot tag brings in Penta to clean house. Fenix’s springboard high crossbody helps clear out some villains and a quadruple superkick puts all of them down. The spike Fear Factor is broken up though and Sabian’s double stomp gets two on Penta. Another quadruple superkick sets up a big row your boat spot. The dives take out Butcher/Blade/Sabian, leaving Penta to Fear Factor Serpentico for the pin at 7:17.

Rating: B-. Komander and Vikingo didn’t get to do much here but it was a fun opener with the lowest level villain taking the pin. This is a good way to get the crowd into a show as they will always react to a match like this one. I’m not sure who is going to come after the Tag Team Titles, as the Bros have held them for almost three months and haven’t defended them on a Ring Of Honor show yet. I’m sure that will change at Death Before Dishonor, but that’s a long reign without many defenses.

Gringo Loco vs. Willie Mack

Loco is the hometown boy and works on the wrist to start. Some flips get Loco out of the corner but Mack snaps off a handspring to block a headscissors. A DDT out of the corner plants Loco and Mack kicks him in the face for a bonus. Mack grabs the chinlock with a knee in the back, followed by the Samoan drop and standing moonsault for two.

Loco knocks him off the ropes though and there’s the springboard moonsault to hit Mack. Another dive to the floor sets up a missed moonsault back inside. Mack’s Sky High gets two and they trade kicks to the head for a double knockdown. They go up top at the same time, allowing Loco to snap off a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 7:45.

Rating: B-. Another back and forth match here with Loco getting the win in a nice moment. Loco is someone who catches your eye no matter what he is doing and that might be worth a closer look in the future. Then you have Mack, who feels like he should already be a star but almost never wins anything. I get having a good hand, but Mack being something higher on the card should have been a given a good while ago.

Respect is shown post match.

Trish Adora vs. Allysin Kay

They fight over a lockup to start and Kay bails into the corner. Adora grabs a headscissors n a standing Kay but can’t stay up, allowing Kay to fire off some right hands. Kay gets two off a swinging neckbreaker and sends her hard into the corner. Back up and Adora suplexes her way to freedom, setting up some hip attacks in the corner. The Lariat Tubman is cut off with a kick to the face but the second attempt finishes Kay at 4:51.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but it’s nice to see Adora getting a win for a change. Adora is unique enough to stand out in the division and Kay has some name recognition to be valuable. I could go for having both of these two around more often, and at least Adora got a bit of a boost.

Silas Young vs. Kyle Fletcher

They fight over wrist control to start until Young cuts off a charge with a kick to the ribs. Fletcher knees him to the floor and hits a suicide dive. Back in and Young takes him into the corner for a running shot and of course that means some trash talking. Fletcher is back with a suplex and a belly to back version gets two. A brainbuster gets two more but Young sends him to the apron and hits a springboard clothesline. Back up and Fletcher hits a superkick, setting up a lifting arm trap reverse DDT to finish Young at 6:24.

Rating: C+. Fletcher has been all over the AEW/ROH shows in recent weeks and it’s almost strange to see him morphing into a fan favorite. That certainly was the situation here, though that might have something to do with Young being a rather unpleasant sort. I’m not sure what Fletcher’s ceiling around here is but he’s certainly off to a nice start.

The Embassy vs. Trenton Storm/AJZ/Luke Kurtis

Non-title and Prince Nana is here with the Embassy. Toa runs Kurtis over and shoulders him in the corner to start. Kurtis sunset flip doesn’t work and a DDT does even less as we’re back in the 80s. Storm comes in to dropkick Cage, who clotheslines him down. Cage hits a release German suplex and it’s AJZ coming in to clean some house. A Stunner over the ropes cuts that off fast though and everything breaks down. Toa plants AJZ with Jimmy Rave’s Greetings From Ghana for the pin at 4:56.

Rating: C. This was mostly a squash as the Embassy continues to dominate the most worthless division in wrestling. I’m sure they’ll defend the titles at Death Before Dishonor and I’m sure it will be a most important match, as the division might be back up to three teams by that point. More of the same here from the Embassy and that’s all it should have been.

Dalton Castle vs. Josh Woods

The Boys and the Varsity Athletes are here too. Castle looks into the camera and says take a look at the greatest thing on your television or mobile device. They go with the grappling to start with Woods grabbing a front facelock. Woods sends him to the apron and pulls him face first into the rope to really take over. Hold on though as Castle and the Boys have a quick run around the ring to wake them up. Back in and Castle grabs a waistlock before a running boot to the face knocks Woods outside.

A Sterling distraction lets Woods grab a backbreaker into a German suplex for two as the villain takes over. Woods grabs his own waistlock but Castle suplexes his way to freedom. The Bang A Rang is blocked and Sterling breaks up another attempt. Woods powerbombs him into a hard knee to the face for two but Castle clotheslines him to the floor. Castle DEMANDS A BOY and a few of them are thrown at the Athletes. Back in and the Bang A Rang finishes Woods at 9:32.

Rating: B. There are certain matches that you know are going to be good based on the talent involved. That was certainly on display here, as both of them are solid amateur wrestlers and know their way around an ROH match as well. Castle still has value despite being years removed from the main event scene so it’s cool to see him pick up a hard fought win like this one.

Last week, the Kingdom buttered Stokely Hathaway up about getting a future Tag Team Title match. Apparently the Infantry has been talking trash about them, which doesn’t sit well with Hathaway.

We cut to the Infantry telling Hathaway the Kingdom are the ones who don’t believe in him. The match is made, but the sunglasses still look ridiculous.

The Infantry vs. The Kingdom

The Infantry are hometown boys also. Dean dropkicks Bennett to start and Bravo comes in for two off a splash. A slingshot cutter drops Taven for two with Maria having to make a save. Taven comes back in and beats on Bravo in the corner, setting up a brainbuster for two. Taven’s DDT gets the same as some early frustration sets in. Bravo manages to send Taven into the corner though and a diving tag brings Dean back in to pick up the pace. Back up and Taven hits a springboard kick to the face and it’s already back to Bravo, with commentary saying he might not be ready.

Bennett gets knocked down for a frog splash from Bravo with Taven having to make a rather last second save. A pump kick/Russian legsweep combination drops Taven but Bennett runs the Infantry over. Maria gets on the apron for a distraction, allowing Bennett to chair Bravo. Cue Trish Adora to take out Maria though, leaving Dean to roll Bennett up for the upset pin at 7:22.

Rating: B-. They kept the action going here and that near fall close to the end was very good. The Infantry winning was a surprise and it’s nice to see a new team getting moved higher up the ladder. I’m a bit surprised by the Kingdom losing, but they only have so much equity loaded up in recent months that the loss isn’t too devastating.

Blake Christian/Matt Sydal vs. Lee Moriarty/Big Bill

Moriarty headlocks Sydal over to start but Sydal is back with a dropkick. The exchange of front facelocks sets up Sydal’s running hurricanrana. A standing corkscrew moonsault gets two on Moriarty and Christian comes in to pick the pace up rather quickly. Sydal hits a running boot in the corner and now it’s Bill coming in to glare at Sydal for a change. A hurricanrana is blocked and Bill even throws in a little dance.

Moriarty comes back in and stomps away in the corner so much that Bill has to break it up. Bill misses a charge in the corner and Sydal dives over for the tag to bring Christian in. The Fosbury Flop hits Moriarty and a 450 gets two, with Bill making a save. Bill’s swinging Boss Man Slam gets two on Christian, with Sydal having to make a save. With Sydal on the floor, Bill chokeslams Christian onto the apron. The East River Crossing finishes Christian at 9:56.

Rating: C+. Another nice tag match here as Bill gets to pin someone for a change. He’s starting to find himself as the big monster and that is something that could serve him well going forward. There is always something to be said about someone who can run people over with straight power and that is what he does rather well. Sydal falls pretty fast after his title shot last week, but he very well could bounce back up.

The Kingdom is livid and promise revenge. They knew Stokely Hathaway and remember going to Cracker Barrel with him, where he would apparently order a kid’s meal. Well now Mike Bennett is going to Jerry Lynn and tell him how much he loved ECW. He didn’t of course, but that’s what he’s going to say!

Dark Order vs. Davey Bang/August Matthews

Silver wrestles Bang down without much trouble and then drops him with a clothesline. Reynolds comes in with a tiger driver for two and it’s Matthews coming in to get forearmed in the face. Everything breaks down and Bang is sent into the barricade, leaving Matthews to get caught with the finishing sequence. The jackknife rollup finishes for Reynolds at 2:27. Rather to the point here, though the Dark Order was doing more violent tendencies for a likely rematch with the Righteous/Stu Grayson.

Post match Grayson and the Righteous pop up on screen and say they want to see more of that Dark Order aggression next week. The Dark Order beats them up some more.

Mark Sterling interrupts Diamante and offers to split the winners purse (51/49 to Sterling of course) rather than have her fight Leila Grey. No.

Diamante vs. Leila Grey

Mark Sterling is here with Grey. Diamante offers to lay down before running Grey over with a clothesline. Grey bails to the floor and there’s a baseball slide to take her down again. Back in and Diamante chops away but gets taken down by a running hair pull. The backsplash misses though and Diamante loads up a reverse DDT. Sterling offers a distraction to break it up though and Grey grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one and it’s quite the choice to have Grey beat Diamante, who was getting a bit of a build up in recent weeks. Then again Sterling isn’t on the show nearly enough and needs another act to feature with more often. The match didn’t have time to go anywhere and featured a lot of forearms in four minutes, so it was only going to be so good.

AR Fox/Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Shane Taylor/Workhorsemen

Fox has to dodge some Taylor swings to start before it’s quickly off to Martin. Drake pulls him to the floor to start the beating though, setting up a Cannonball in the corner. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Andretti gets to clean house, including a springboard spinning kick to Taylor’s head. A handspring elbow/German suplex combination drops Drake but Taylor is back up with the Marcus Garvey Driver for two. With everyone else on the floor, Henry misses a top rope stomp and gets rolled up by Fox for the pin at 4:19.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted, but it didn’t last that long. This is a good example of a match that really didn’t need to be on the show. The Workhorsemen feel like they’re on the show every week and the winners really didn’t need a rehab win the day after their Dynamite loss. It’s ok to leave this until next week and shave some time off the show, especially when we’ve already had multiple six man tags (plus an eight man) this week.

Mark Sterling and Leila Grey declare her as the #1 baddie when Diamante comes in. A rematch seems imminent.

Rocky Romero vs. Daniel Garcia

Pure Rules and Romero takes him to the mat without much trouble to start, leaving Garcia frustrated. A lockup of all things sends Romero to the ropes for his first break, followed by a cross armbreaker to send Garcia to the ropes to even things up. The Forever Lariats are broken up and Garcia grabs a suplex for two. Romero tries a leglock and Garcia has to burn off another rope break.

Garcia is fine enough to come back with an STF, sending Romero straight to the ropes as well. A kick to the face lets Garcia stop to dance a bit (fans: “YOU CAN’T DANCE!”). They go up top, where Romero snaps off a hurricanrana, with Garcia using his third rope break at two. Garcia is right back with a Boston crab but Romero grabs the rope to get rid of all breaks. A penalty kick is blocked and Romero is back with a tornado DDT. Romero gets the cross armbreaker but Garcia kicks off the ropes into the Dragonslayer in the ropes for the tap at 11:15.

Rating: C+. This was “I can use a rope break too!” as a match and that is only going to get you so far. The Pure Rules stuff can work, but this felt like they were only trying to burn off rope breaks instead of going for a win. Other than that, Garcia and Romero are still only so interesting and they didn’t quite hit their best levels here.

Post match Garcia stays on him but Orange Cassidy comes in for the save.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Kiera Hogan

Athena is defending in a street fight and they have well over twenty minutes here. Athena takes her down to start and grabs a ladder, which is dropkicked right back into her. Hogan’s hurricanrana off the apron sends Athena into another ladder, meaning it’s time to send some weapons inside. As usual, that takes too long and Athena gets in a kendo stick shot to take over.

Hogan is sent into a trashcan in the corner but the referee yelling at Athena lets Hogan fight up. A fisherman’s neckbreaker onto the trashcan drops Athena again but Hogan spends WAY too much time setting up a ladder bridge on the floor. That lets Athena avoid a middle rope splash and she stomps on a Chicago street sign.

A bunch of chairs are stacked up but Hogan sends Athena through a table. Hogan’s splash onto Athena onto a table doesn’t break anything, so Hogan goes to the middle rope to drive her through it instead. Another table is set up inside and Athena cuts her off again, only to get caught on top.

Athena superbombs her through another table so let’s bring in the thumbtacks. Hogan grabs a belly to back suplex to send Athena into the tacks for two. With the brawling not working, Hogan uses her braids to choke Athena, who superplexes her onto the pile of chairs on the floor for the retaining pin at 19:23.

Rating: C+. Yeah there was a bunch of violence and ladders and tables. All of that added up to nowhere near enough to make me believe that Kiera Hogan was going to take the title off of Athena, leaving this as nearly twenty minutes of taking too long to set up spots and waiting for Athena to crush her. Athena is outstanding right now and maybe the best thing about Ring Of Honor. She needs a strong challenger though, and Hogan never came close.

We get a quick Forbidden Door rundown.

Athena is livid about not being respected after the win and wants a new challenger. And that’s it.

Overall Rating: B-. This show started of well and then it just kept going. Then after that, it just kept going even longer, because that’s what Ring Of Honor does. I’m not sure why, as a fan in the arena, I would want two hours of Collision plus two and a half hours of Ring Of Honor on the same night, but it’s hard to imagine that the masses stuck around. As for the show itself, it was the usual situation: good action, but it goes on for so long that the positives lose so much impact because there is so much here. As is the case almost every week: cut this WAY down and it’s a much better show, but it’s not likely to happen.

Results
Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo/Lucha Bros b. Serpentico/Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade – Fear Factor to Serpentico
Gringo Loco b. Willie Mack – Super Spanish Fly
Trish Adora b. Allysin Kay – Lariat Tubman
Kyle Fletcher b. Silas Young – Lifting arm trap reverse DDT
The Embassy b. Trenton Storm/AJZ/Luke Kurtis – Greetings From Ghana to AJZ
Dalton Castle b. Josh Woods – Bang A Rang
The Infantry b. The Kingdom – Rollup to Bennett
Big Bill/Lee Moriarty b. Blake Christian/Matt Sydal – East River Crossing to Christian
Dark Order b. August Matthews/Danny Bang – Jackknife rollup to Matthews
Leila Grey b. Diamante – Rollup with feet on the ropes
AR Fox/Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Shane Taylor/Workhorsemen – Rollup to Henry
Daniel Garcia b. Rocky Romero – Dragonslayer
Athena b. Kiera Hogan – Superplex onto a pile of chairs

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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Rampage
Date: May 13, 2023
Location: Little Caesar’s Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

The shuffled up schedule continues as we are on at 10pm Saturday this week, again thanks to various playoffs. That has led to some less than thrilling cards in recent weeks but AEW has the ability to pull off a great one if given the chance. Hopefully they do that here so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian

After a rap about how Butcher has the “worst mustache since Vince McMahon”, we start fast with Blade getting caught in the wrong corner and backdropped out of it for a crash. Scissor Me Timbers makes it even worse as this is one sided so far. Butcher comes in to send Bowens hard into the corner as the fans want Gunn. We take a break and come back with Bowens kicking his way out of trouble and handing it back to Gunn. House is cleaned, including a powerslam on Blade. Everything breaks down and the Arrival into the Mic Drop finishes Blade at 8:13.

Rating: C. The Acclaimed continue to be perfectly fine choices to open the show, as the fans are still going to respond to anything they do. You could easily heat them up for a Trios Title match and that is probably where things are going. Other than that, Butcher and Blade are still a solid midcard team and Sabian continues to be a thing for reasons I don’t quite get.

QTV talks about AEW going to England and we cut to Powerhouse Hobbs, once again with his namesake book. He seems confident that he’ll be back.

Toni Storm vs. Allysin Kay

The rest of the Outcasts are with Storm, who gets kicked down to start. Saraya grabs Kay’s boot for a distraction though and Storm takes over. They head outside with Kay being sent into various things to keep her in trouble. Back in and Kay makes the comeback, including a hard clothesline for two. A sunset driver plants Storm but the Outcasts offer a distraction, allowing Storm to get two off a small package. Kay is sent into the corner for the hip attack, followed by Storm Zero for the pin at 4:58.

Rating: C. It was nice to have Kay around as she is someone who can work with anyone you put her in the ring with at any given time. Other than that, it is nice to see Storm getting a win as she hasn’t had a showcase match in a bit. The Outcasts still aren’t great, but Storm is the most successful member around here so featuring her makes sense.

The Gunns aren’t happy about losing their titles or with shoddy refereeing but Ethan Page comes in. Page wants some help with something and the Gunns are in.

Action Andretti vs. Kyle Fletcher

Feeling out process to start with the bigger Fletcher powering Andretti around. Andretti comes back with a dropkick into a spinning moonsault for two. One heck of a running boot to the face sends Andretti outside though and we take a break. Back with Fletcher kicking him in the face for a rather arrogant two. Andretti grabs a super hurricanrana for two but Fletcher kicks him in the back of the head, setting up a spinning Tombstone for the pin at 9:19.

Rating: C. Well, it was much more impressive than Fletcher’s match on Ring Of Honor two days ago, but it’s still hard to buy into the idea of Fletcher being a serious threat to Orange Cassidy and the International Title. I’m still not sure why half of an outside tag team is getting a singles title shot but at least the match should be good. Andretti is about where I was expecting him to be, though he could use another win to give him another boost.

Here are the Hardys and Brother Zay (Isiah Kassidy) to brag about getting rid of the Firm. Now they want the Tag Team Titles but here are the Gunns to interrupt. They bring up Ethan Page, but Matt wants nothing to do with Page. He does have an idea though: a tag match between the teams, and when the Hardys win, Matt owns Page’s contract. Deal, though I can’t imagine that’s what Page had in mind.

The Mogul Embassy and the Dark Order are ready for the main event.

Mogul Embassy vs. Dark Order

Swerve Strickland/Brian Cage vs. John Silver/Alex Reynolds, with Prince Nana and Evil Uno at ringside. Strickland sends Reynolds into the corner to start and snaps off the anklescissors but it’s way too early for the Swerve Stomp. Silver comes in for a pose off with Cage before actually managing to give Cage a World’s Strongest Slam. Swerve isn’t having that though and low bridges Silver to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Silver reversing Cage’s suplex into one of his own, allowing the double tag to Reynolds and Swerve. Reynolds gets to clean house, including a tiger driver into a piledriver for two on Strickland. The Stomp misses again and the Order hits their sequence into the rollup for two, with Cage making the save.

Cage pulls Silver’s dive out of the air and drives him into various things, allowing Swerve to get in a kick to the back of the head. Back in and Cage powerbombs Reynolds, setting up an F5/cutter combination…..for two. Why? On what planet is it acceptable for Alex Reynolds to kick out of a sequence like that? Silver comes in for an enziguri to Cage and Reynolds is back up to kick Swerve in the face. Cage isn’t having that though and it’s the JML Driver/Drill Claw for the stereo pins at 10:29.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough, but they lost me with Reynolds kicking out of what could be an awesome double team finisher. If they were just going to have the pin take place about a minute later, why even bother doing the big spot? Other than that, it was the Dark Order making a bigger team sweat a bit before falling short, which is more or less their last year plus.

Post match the Gates of Agony come in to beat up Evil Uno. Keith Lee and Dustin Rhodes come out with various metal objects to chase off the villains to end the show. Lee and Strickland starting having issues in November and were officially done in December. Why have they not had a singles match yet?

Overall Rating: C. The spring of punting continues, as AEW somehow manages to make Rampage feel even less important week after week. There were things happening here and the wrestling was completely fine, but there is a grand total of nothing that you need to see on this show, either in the ring or from a storytelling position. It’s ok to have something happen in a big story around here, because all of the lower level stories that get time around here are at a lower level for a reason. These shows get old fast, and that has been the case with Rampage for too long now.

Results
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian – Mic Drop to Blade
Toni Storm b. Allysin Kay – Storm Zero
Kyle Fletcher b. Action Andretti – Spinning Tombstone
Mogul Embassy b. Dark Order – Double pin

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: February 23, 2023
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for No Surrender and the card is set up. There is one thing though that we need to cover, which involves who gets to talk first in a live edition of Busted Open Radio. Therefore, we have a Beat The Clock Challenge between Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Jonathan Gresham/Mike Bailey

Non-title and Gresham takes Shelley down by the leg to start. Bailey comes in and kicks away at said leg, with Gresham and Bailey taking turns on it. Shelley manages to knock Bailey outside though and it’s the Guns taking over for a change. Back in and the limping Shelley strikes away at Bailey, who comes right back with the bouncing kicks to Sabin.

Gresham and Sabin slug it out until Gresham does one of those stupid looking deals where he sends the Guns together and kicks Sabin, making him dragon screw legwhip Shelley. The Guns are back up with a Death Valley Driver/neckbreaker combination, followed by a Magic Killer for two on Gresham. Gresham suplexes Sabin and brings Bailey back in for the kicks, plus an Indian Deathlock to Shelley.

With that broken up, Shelley escapes Skull And Bones, leaving Gresham to Figure Four Shelley. That’s broken up as well and the Guns are sent outside for the double dive. Back in and Gresham gets the Figure Four again, with Bailey hitting the moonsault knees to Sabin. Bailey gets knocked down though and Sabin powerbombs him onto Gresham for the save. Gresham hits Bailey by mistake and the Guns strike away (gee Shelley’s knee healed up fast), setting up the Dirt Bomb for the pin on Gresham at 12:56.

Rating: B. This was the fast paced and all action match, though Bailey’s horrendous selling issues were spreading around here. The Guns did their thing and won as they should have, with Gresham and Bailey continuing to have their issues. It was the kind of fast paced match that you should open a show with, but my goodness sell the leg already.

Video on Rich Swann vs. Josh Alexander, with Swann wanting to get back to the top of the mountain. Alexander isn’t so sure, but does want Swann to get a title shot.

We look at Gisele Shaw and Jai Vidal getting chilied by Deonna Purrazzo on Before The Impact.

Deonna Purrazzo mocks Gisele Shaw for being bad luck and promises to break her arm at No Surrender. B****.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Tommy Dreamer vs. Jason Hotch

John Skyler is here with Hotch and promises that Dreamer is going down to one good hand. Dreamer misses a charge into the corner to start and a neckbreaker gives Hotch two. Hotch goes up top but gets caught in a super Death Valley Driver for the pin at 1:15. Well that was quick.

Joe Hendry had a meet and greet earlier today and the fans are behind him against Moose at No Surrender.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Allysin Kay

Jessika, Rosemary and Marti Belle are here too. They fight into the corner to start with Valkyrie getting the better of things and grabbing something like a reverse Koji Clutch on the mat. With that broken up, Valkyrie hits a spear for two as Kay can’t get much going so far. Kay gets kicked down in the corner to set up the running knees for two.

We take a break and come back with Kay whipping Valkyrie into the corner for a change, only to miss a charge. Valkyrie hits her hip attack, earning herself one heck of a right hand. A not so great blue Thunder Bomb gives Valkyrie two and we hit something like an STF. The rope gets Kay out of trouble and she reverses a sunset flip into a sunset driver for two. Belle offers a distraction so Kay can nail a kick to the head. With Rosemary dealing with Belle, the AK47 finishes Valkyrie at 10:34.

Rating: C. It’s good to give Kay, who is already a former Knockouts Champion, a reheating as she hasn’t been around in a long time. You need to have her built back up to make the Hex a reasonable threat to the Death Dollz and they made that work here. Valkyrie was working here and dominated most of the match too, making Kay look better in the process.

Santino Marella emcees a contract signing between Josh Alexander and Rich Swann. Alexander says Swann doesn’t have it in him, sending Swann into a speech about how he was hurt before but came back through all of his injuries. He’ll win the title tomorrow, but here is Steve Maclin to say he’s getting it anyway. Referees break up the ensuing fight.

Deaner/Callihan vs. Yuya Uemura/Frankie Kazarian

The rest of the Design is here too. Deaner has Callihan start with Kazarian and tells him to do the right thing. Callihan decks Kazarian to start so now Deaner is willing to fight for himself. Kazarian strikes his way out of trouble and brings Uemura in for an armbar. Callihan comes back in and Deaner gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over. With the chinlock broken up, Kon pulls Kazarian off the apron to prevent the tag but Deaner misses a Swan Dive.

That’s enough for the tag to Kazarian as the pace picks way up. The springboard spinning legdrop hits Deaner but Callihan is back in with a suplex. Kazarian rolls between them and brings Uemura back in as everything breaks down. With Deaner down in the corner, Callihan tags himself back in and sends Uemura outside. A spinebuster drops Kazarian but Deaner tells Callihan to stop the Cactus Driver. The distraction lets Kazarian grab the chickenwing for the win at 9:43.

Rating: C+. Fast paced match here but egads the Callihan/Design stuff is falling flat. It feels like something we have seen so many times and there is no reason to care about whatever they do. Callihan still feels like something of a star, but the Design is as much of a dollar store version of the evil cult as you can get. Just get on with Callihan turning on them and move on already.

Video on Mickie James defending against Masha Slamovich at No Surrender, with Jordynne Grace looming over the whole thing.

Callihan wants to know how that was Deaner’s step #5, with Deaner saying it was about loyalty. Callihan is still in this, and tomorrow night, he can prove himself at No Surrender. Just remember: the Design chooses him, not the other way around.

Beat The Clock Challenge: Bully Ray vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

The clock is set at 1:15 and Ray hasn’t even bothered to put his knee pads on properly. The Good Hands immediately come in for a distraction so Ray can hit Gujjar with a chain for the pin at 30 seconds to win the challenge. I’ll take something short from Ray and Dreamer as this sets up the two of them talking at No Surrender.

Post break Tommy Dreamer gives Gujjar a pep talk.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

X-Division Title: Trey Miguel vs. Crazzy Steve

Steve, with Black Taurus, is challenging in Monster’s Ball and they’ve both been held without food, water or light for twenty four hours. There are weapons at ringside because we need to ramp up the violence. Steve chops away to start and takes him to the floor for the hard right hands.

We take a break less than a minute in (as that has now swept through wrestling) and come back with Steve being sent face first into some chairs on the floor. A big chair shot only hits post though and Steve sends him into the chairs instead. Back in and Miguel hits a fast running dropkick to take over again, meaning it’s time for a chain. More weapons are thrown in but Steve staple guns Miguel low for a breather. Steve Cannonballs into Miguel, in a trashcan, in the corner as we take another break.

Back again with Miguel grabbing a swinging neckbreaker for a breather of his own. A fork (yes a fork) to Steve’s face is blocked but Steve is busted open anyway. It’s time for the bag of tacks (of course) but Steve blocks the Lightning Spiral. The Black Hole Slam onto the tacks gets two on Miguel, with Steve pulling him up at two. That takes too long though and Miguel kicks away, setting up a stomp to the back to send Steve into the tacks.

It’s table time (because of course) but instead a double clothesline puts them both into the tacks again. With nothing else working, Miguel pulls out a metal spike, only for Steve to pull out Janice (a 2×4 with nails sticking out). With Miguel terrified, Steve Death Valley Drivers him through the table in the corner for two.

Steve gets caught on top though and a chair to the head puts him in more trouble. A quick Canadian Destroyer onto the tacks rocks Miguel again though and a delayed cover gets two. Janice to the forehead busts Miguel open even more but he gets in a low blow. A Roll of the Dice through a barbed wire table (with Miguel hitting back first) knocks Steve silly and retains the title at 22:31.

Rating: B. Your taste in hardcore/violent wrestling is going to determine everything here. There wasn’t much of anything new here but they did beat each other up and it felt like the big finish to the feud. Miguel gets to prove he can go in a different direction and looks stronger as champion as a result. The ending left a good bit to be desired, but they had a very violent match on the way there.

Overall Rating: B. The middle left a good bit to be desired, but with a pair of solid matches, Dreamer vs. Ray being kept under two minutes combined and a nice push towards No Surrender, this was another very nice use of two hours. I don’t even know why I’m surprised anymore, but Impact is rapidly approaching being the best weekly wrestling show. They have put in the work and made their show that much better, so well done on all sides with another quality show this week.

Results
Motor City Machine Guns b. Jonathan Gresham/Mike Bailey – Dirt Bomb to Gresham
Tommy Dreamer b. Jason Hotch – Super Death Valley Driver
Allysin Kay b. Taya Valkyrie – AK47
Frankie Kazarian/Yuya Uemura b. Callihan/Deaner – Chickenwing to Callihan
Bully Ray b. Bhupinder Gujjar – Right hand with a chain
Trey Miguel b. Crazy Steve – Roll of the Dice through a barbed wire table

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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AND

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Bangerz Only
Date: April 2, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Denise Salcedo, Sam Leterna, Veda Scott

This is from Mission Pro Wrestling, an all women’s promotion owned by AEW Thunder Rosa, from over Wrestlemania weekend. That means we should be in for a fun show which likely includes a fair few guest stars. I have no idea what to expect from this show and that is a nice feeling, as it could be a little bit of anything. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Shazza McKenzie vs. Janai Kai

Kai has been on AEW before. They go with the mat grappling to start as Scott can’t remember if she turned on McKenzie when they were teaming together or not (she did). The grapple off goes to Kai, who takes her to the mat for some kicks to the mat. Back up and McKenzie strikes away as well before kicking her in the face. Kai is right back with some kicks of her own to strike McKenzie down as commentary rapid fires what these two have been doing lately.

Something like a seated dragon sleeper has McKenzie in trouble until she fights up for stereo kicks and a double knockdown. McKenzie hits some running knees to the back and ties her in the ropes for kicks to the chest. Back in and Kai sweeps the leg for two but gets caught in the Shamission (seated crossface chickenwing), only to grab the rope. Kai is right back up with a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced opener and it seems that they are going to be focusing on a lot of striking and submission stuff, making this in fact a modern independent style show. McKenzie has been around for a good while and I’ve seen some of Kai, so this wasn’t exactly a surprise. Good enough here, though I don’t know if it was quite a BANGER(Z).

Allie Katch vs. JP Harlow

So Harlow, with Ayla Fox (evil manager/agent), is a man and therefore a major heel around here. Katch goes after the arm to start and headlock takeovers him down. Ayla grabs a trip from the floor though and it’s enough for Harlow to kick the rope low to takeover. Corner stomping keeps Katch down but Harlow misses a charge, only to backdrop his way out of trouble.

A Death Valley Driver gets two more and it’s time to stand on Katch’s hair. Ayla gets in some choking from the floor but Katch is fine enough to jawbreak her way to freedom. The running hip attack in the corner sets up a Cannonball for two on Harlow but he’s right back with a DDT out of the corner. Back up and Harlow almost runs into an interfering Ayla, allowing Katch to grab a piledriver for the pin at 8:21.

Rating: C. Katch is someone who has been around this circuit for a long time and she does have the abilities to stay interesting in most of the matches I’ve seen from her. Harlow being around was more than a little weird but it does make for a good heel. Giving the fans something to cheer about is a good way to go as they’re continuing with the nice start.

La Rosa Negra vs. Jody Threat

Rosa is rather bubbly and dances to the ring. They go to the mat to start with Rosa rolling her up for two as we hear about Threat eating Big Macs and working out. Rosa’s headscissors keeps Threat in trouble but she reverses into a cross armbreaker, sending Rosa to the ropes. Rosa is right back with her own cross armbreaker, sending Threat to the ropes for her own break.

Threat is sent to the apron and manages to kick Rosa in the face to take over again. Back up and Rosa has to fight out of the corner before elbowing Threat down. An airplane spin and big kick to the head gives Rosa two, followed by a high crossbody for the same. Rosa knocks her to the floor for a suicide dive, then does it again for a bonus.

Threat elbows her way out of a fireman’s carry and hits a running flip attack off the apron. They both beat the count back in and slug it out until Threat’s neckbreaker gets two. Some kicks to Rosa’s face into a German suplex gives Threat two more but Rosa kicks her down. The frog splash connects but Threat rolls her up for the pin at 16:33.

Rating: C. This got a lot more time than the other matches so far and while it turned into a slugfest, a lot of it felt like two people just doing moves to each other until one of them got a pin. There wasn’t anything resembling a story or a flow to it and commentary’s main contribution was to say “that’s why they call Rosa” something in Spanish without actually saying what that means. Good power brawl, but it needed a lot of work.

The ring announcer thanks the fans for helping the show.

Bougie Reality vs. Bionic Kingdom

That would be Madi Wrenkowski/Rache Chanel vs. Jennacide/KiLynn King, some of whom you might know from AEW. Bionic King get guitared to the ring for a nice touch. King and Madi start things off with an exchange of shoulders going nowhere. The bigger King runs Madi over and it’s off to Chanel for a change. Chanel gets taken into the corner so Jennacide can chop away as everything breaks down.

Reality is whipped into each other and stereo facebusters give King an early two. Back up and Reality manages to get them both into the ropes, meaning laughing/choking can ensue. We settle down to Madi working on King’s leg in the corner and we hit the leglock. King fights up and hits some knees but hurts herself in the process, meaning Reality keeps her down in the corner.

A World’s Strongest Slam gets King out of trouble and there’s the much needed tag to Jennacide. Everything breaks down and something like an F5 gets two on Madi. A backbreaker plants Madi but she rakes the eyes to get out of an electric chair. Back up and a Codebreaker into a scissors kick Stomp (the Reality Check) finishes Jennacide at 11:25.

Rating: B-. I liked this one as you could tell a bit more of a story out of the whole thing. Both teams felt like people who had worked together before and they had a nice match at the same time. King and Chanel have both worked on bigger stages and it is easy to see that they are above a lot of the talent on this show. Good match here and the best part of the show so far.

Lindsay Snow vs. Masha Slamovich

Snow is back after a long absence and Slamovich is a monster. They go right to the slugout to start with Snow screaming as she hits a clothesline. Slamovich is sent outside where she kicks Snow in the back a few times before ramming her ribs first into the apron (which may or may not have been due to not being able to pull off an apron bomb). Back in and Snow grabs a kneebar to take over, which is broken up by a rake of the eyes.

Some heavy forearms keep Snow down but she is back up with a DDT for a double knockdown. Snow hits a running knee for two, followed by Slamovich hitting a German suplex for the same. Slamovich kicks her hard in the head for two more and heads up top, where Snow gets in a kick to the head. A MuscleBuster finishes Slamovich at 6:35.

Rating: C+. This was the slugfest match but it just ended all of a sudden. I’m not sure why they went home out of nowhere like that but it did seem like they were wrapping it up. I can go for that with a more physical match like this one but it was still rather quick. Snow is someone I’ve heard of before but never actually seen and she was good enough that I would take another look.

Renegade Twins/Jazmin Allure vs. The Hex/Laynie Luck

The Hex is Allysin Kay/Marti Belle (NWA Women’s Tag Team Champions) while the Renegades (Charlotte/Robyn) are the Mission Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champions. They talk a lot of trash at each other to start until it’s Kay vs. Robyn to get things going. Kay takes her down into an early chinlock, which is turned into a slugout out the mat. That’s broken up so Kay grabs a rollup for two, with Allure making a save.

Everything breaks down and Luck dives onto the Renegades. Allure comes in and gets Three Amigoed by Belle, setting up some running shots in the corner by the Hex. It’s back to Robyn as everything breaks down again, with Belle getting taken down in the corner for a change. The villains (I think?) take turns stomping away, which sets up a Boston crab/camel clutch/running dropkick combination (didn’t quite get the timing right as the two holds weren’t on at once but it was a cool idea).

Belle gets stomped again but manages to counter a double suplex by sending Robyn’s leg into Charlotte. That’s enough to get over for the hot tag off to Kay to clean house with the expected shots to the face. Kay keeps slugging away despite having Allure on her back before handing it off to Luck. Everything breaks down again as Veda thinks this should just be a tornado tag match. Luck full nelson slams Allure for two and everyone is down. We get a crash off the corner, leaving Allure to faceplant Luck and put her feet on the ropes for the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. This was an entertaining match as you can see that the Twins and the Hex both work well together. Allure felt like someone who could be a star down the line so giving her the win was a nice way to go. Throw in some cheating for the finish and I liked what we got here, as everyone was putting in the effort and came off well.

Thunder Rosa vs. Trish Adora

Rosa’s AEW Women’s Title isn’t on the line. They fight over an armbar to start before heading to the mat with neither being able to get anywhere. Adora takes her down with a top wristlock so Rosa bridges off the mat over and over. With that not going anywhere, they’re up for a standoff until Rosa kicks her down for two.

Some elbows to the chest look to set up a Gory Bomb but Adora slips out and chops away. Adora takes her down and cranks on both arms, including some kicks to the back. Rosa is right back up with a Rocking Horse (something like a surfboard but with Rosa standing and swinging Adora back and forth) but since that can’t last long, Adora is back up with a running crossbody.

A Stunner rocks Adora and a sliding dropkick against the ropes gets two. Adora is back with a Samoan drop for two before grabbing Cattle Mutilation of all things. Rosa makes the ropes and grabs a Gory Bomb for two, followed by a DDT for the same. They trade rollups for two each until Rosa grabs….well it looks like the ending of a piledriver with Adora sitting on her head as Rosa cranks on the I think neck to make Adora tap at 16:20.

Rating: B. The ending was weird enough (with commentary saying it was a bit confusing) but they were beating on each other and trading big shots for a long time on the way there. It did feel like a big fight and it was billed as a first time ever showdown so it did live up to the hype, even with the kind of confusing finish.

Mission Pro Wrestling Title: Holidead vs. LuFisto

Holidead is defending and this is No DQ. Holidead starts fast by taking her down and dropping a leg for two. That’s enough for LuFisto to send her to the apron though, setting up a running kick to put the champ on the floor. Some hard kicks drop Holidead and it’s time for the first door to be brought in. Rather than use that though, LuFisto sets up a bunch of chairs on the floor instead.

A suplex onto the chairs doesn’t work as Holidead fights back up and forearms away but misses an apron legdrop. Back in and LuFisto elbows away before loading up the door in the corner. Holidead bites at LuFisto’s head and hits a dive onto…LuFisto and the members of the production crew that had been dragged in.

Back in and a swinging Downward Spiral gives Holidead two, only to be sent into the corner. LuFisto hits a Cannonball into a corner and a suplex through the door for two. Holidead’s Samoan drop onto the chairs for two but she can’t put LuFisto through another door. InHolidead kicks a chair into her head and hits a running spinebuster through the door to retain at 17:36.

Rating: C+. This had me worried about it turning into deathmatch and total garbage stuff but I can live with some chairs and doors. They beat on each other well enough and it turned into a good brawl. I’m not sure if that is enough to warrant it headlining over Rosa vs. Adora, but I get the idea of going with the title match/not the owner. Good enough main event, though I’m not sure why this needed to be No DQ.

Post match Holidead puts over LuFisto and thanks the fans. Mission Pro will continue to put on BANGERS ONLY.

Overall Rating: B. Another good but not blowaway show from the weekend, this time featuring a unique roster. It’s still kind of amazing that women’s wrestling has come far enough to be able to run a full on show like this without having anything that was bad, or really even close to it. There are some solid matches on here and the two hours and twenty plus minutes went by pretty fast. I liked this one and if you’re looking for a women’s promotion, you could certainly find worse.

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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AND

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Death Before Dishonor 2022
Date: July 23, 2022
Location: Tsongas Center, Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Ring Of Honor is back and that should be a good thing. The company certainly has a history and it is nice to see that history continuing, but there has only been a limited build to the show on AEW TV. Then again, Ring Of Honor has always been about the in-ring work more than anything else and maybe that is enough to make the show work. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Colt Cabana vs. Anthony Henry

JD Drake is here with Henry. Cabana takes him down by the arm to start but Henry spins out and strikes away in the corner. A sunset flip is blocked and Henry twists Cabana’s neck around to slow things down. Some more neck cranking sets up some kicks to the chest, which just fire Cabana up. Henry is fine with that and cuts him off with a piledriver for two.

Back up and Cabana grabs a spinning belly to back suplex, setting up the Flip Flop and (slightly delayed) Fly. The Flying Apple sets up a lariat to put Henry on the floor, meaning it’s time for Drake to offer a distraction. Henry sends Cabana into the barricade and drops a frog splash for two back inside. Cabana is fine enough to try the Billy Goat’s Curse, sending Henry over to the ropes. That’s fine with Cabana, who hits a moonsault for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C. It’s a Colt Cabana match and you probably know what you’re getting with one of those. Cabana isn’t going to be there to have some classic at this point, but rather to wake up the crowd and let them have a good time. That is something he can do as well as anyone else, making him a great choice for the first spot on a show like this. Perfectly watchable match, which did its job.

Zero Hour: Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. Trust Busters

That would be Eli Isom/Cheeseburger vs. Ari Daivari/Slim J. Daivari takes Cheeseburger into the corner to start and it’s off to Slim J, who was around way back in the earlier days of Ring Of Honor. A forearm gets Cheeseburger out of trouble and the tag brings in Isom to pick up the pace. An armdrag out of the corner drops Slim J and Cheeseburger comes back in to work on the arm.

That’s too much for Daivari, who offers a distraction from the apron and gets in a cheap shot to put Cheeseburger in trouble. That doesn’t last long either as Cheeseburger gets away again and brings Isom back in so everything can break down. Cheeseburger is sent outside so Slim J can hit a running cutter on Isom. Daivari’s frog splash is good for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C-. The match was ok enough, but is Slim J/Ari Daivari supposed to be interesting enough to do much of anything? They didn’t show anything to make them stand out here and odds are they’ll be used as cannon fodder for the bigger teams. I’m sure they’ll get some time before then, but that is only going to be so interesting at best.

Prince Nana announces that he has purchased Tully Blanchard Enterprises.

Zero Hour: Tony Deppen/Alex Zayne/Blake Christian vs. Tully Blanchard Enterprises

Prince Nana is here with Gates of Agony/Brian Cage. Deppen marches right at Deppen to start and hits him in the face a few times. You don’t do that to Cage, who hits a Bron Breakker gorilla press into a powerslam to shut that down in a hurry. Kaun comes in with a slingshot hilo to the back but misses a charge, allowing the tag to Zayne. A bit of house cleaning ensues, only to have Toa come in off a blind tag and run Zayne down.

Kaun comes back in and hammers away in the corner, setting up a side slam onto the top turnbuckle. Cage’s apron superplex gets two, with Deppen having to make a save. Zayne tries to fight back and gets wheelbarrow suplexed for his efforts. Another suplex is escaped though and the hot tag brings in Christian for a Phenomenal Forearm.

Christian’s big dive is cut off so Deppen adds his own dive to take the Gates of Agony down. Back in and Cage clotheslines Deppen but gets enziguried by Christian and Zayne. Everything breaks down and Deppen gets all fired up, even if he’s all alone. Kaun’s fireman’s carry gutbuster into something like a Dominator/running boot combination finishes Deppen off at 11:26.

Rating: C. Good action here, but do you really want three monsters like this to need the better part of twelve minutes to beat a thrown together team? The match was entertaining enough as Zayne can fly around rather well and Deppen has enough of a reputation with the fans, but I kept waiting on the dominance and it never happened. At least Nana feels like more of a fit here than Blanchard, which does say something.

Zero Hour: Willow Nightingale vs. Allysin Kay

Nightingale takes her down for an early two and hits an enziguri. Kay doesn’t mind and hits a kick of her own for two as the pace slows down. An STF doesn’t do much to Nightingale as she’s back up with a bulldog. The Babe Breaker is countered into a Kimura but Nightingale plants her down for two of her own. Kay’s sunset driver gets two more but Nightingale kicks her in the face and hits a Pounce. Back up and a gutwrench powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin at 7:49.

Rating: C. Another quick match without much impact here, but it is nice to see Nightingale getting a win. She has so much charisma and it is a lot of fun to watch her, but at some point you have to win something. This might not be some big breakthrough win, though it’s better than taking another loss. Now do something with her and see if you have a star on your hands.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jonathan Gresham

Castagnoli is challenging and William Regal is on commentary. Gresham has to avoid the running uppercut in the corner to start but Castagnoli powers him down by the arm. That works for Gresham, who uses his feet to pop the arm and escape. Castagnoli goes with the power again, this time grabbing the legs for the giant swing (complete with an overhead view for a cool change of pace).

Despite the dizziness, Gresham kicks the knee out and ties the legs up for a breather. That’s broken up with straight power and Gresham is kicked outside. Castagnoli’s leg is fine enough for an apron gutwrench superplex. Back up and Gresham kicks him in the leg again, setting up a quickly broken ankle lock.

Castagnoli can’t get the Sharpshooter and it’s another kick to the leg to hobble him again. Gresham gets another ankle lock, sending Castagnoli over to the ropes. A strike off goes to Castagnoli but the knee gives out on the UFO attempt. Gresham’s German suplex gets two but Gresham gets uppercutted out of the air. A heck of a lariat drops Gresham, with Castagnoli getting fired up. Some hammer and anvil elbows set up the Riccola Bomb to give Castagnoli the pin and the title at 11:34.

Rating: B. They didn’t have much of another choice here as Castagnoli has been pushed as a major star since he debuted. You need to give him something solid and the Ring Of Honor World Title would certainly qualify. Gresham was great, but at some point you need to go in a different direction and that is what they did here, albeit in a heck of a match with power vs. technical skills.

Respect is shown post match as Gresham doesn’t seem to be a full on heel any longer. William Regal looks so pleased with Castagnoli’s win.

Daniel Garcia doesn’t like the rules of the Pure Wrestling Title and wants to take it back to AEW and destroy it.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Righteous vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys

The Righteous (Vincent/Bateman/Dutch) are defending and have Vita VonStarr in their corner. Castle wrestles Vincent down to start but gets sent to the floor for some fanning. Back in and Bateman gets suplexed and Castle slams Brent onto him for two. Dutch comes in to run the Boys over and a suplex gets two on Brent. It’s back to Bateman, who misses a clothesline so Brent can roll over for the tag off to Castle.

Everything breaks down and Castle tosses the Boys over the top onto the champs for a cool visual. VonStarr offers a distraction though and it’s Dutch sending Castle outside. There’s the big running flip dive from Dutch, which is quite the crowd popper. Back in and Vincent’s Death From Above gets two, with Castle having to make a save. Castle takes Vincent outside for a hurricanrana, setting up the Bang A Rang to Bateman for the pin and the titles at 9:35.

Rating: C+. This is one of those matches that worked, even if it was something that could have been cut from the card without missing anything. The Six Man Tag Team Titles have always been a bit of a weird addition to Ring Of Honor but at least they gave us a feel good moment with the popular team getting them back. Not a great match or anything, but it was fun enough while it lasted.

Jay Lethal and company are ready to take the TV Title from Samoa Joe.

Pure Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta

Garcia is challenging and William Regal is on commentary. They go technical to start (shocking) with Yuta having to power out of an early arm crank. That means Yuta can put on a cross arm choke but Garcia is up with a headbutt for the break. Yuta gets sent outside for a whip into the barricade, setting up a suplex back inside.

A leg takedown lets Yuta pull him into a bow and arrow as Regal talks about hurting someone’s nose so their eyes water and they can’t see. What a villain he made. Back up and Yuta works on the arm so Garcia bites his ear (Regal: “Good for Daniel.”) for the break. Garcia stays on the ear (there’s something you don’t say often) but Yuta knocks him back, setting up a missile dropkick. A top rope forearm drops Garcia again as we hear about the attendance/pay per view buys, meaning it’s time to praise Tony Khan.

Yuta gets the better of a strike off and a German suplex gives him down. The hammer and anvil elbows rock Garcia but he flips out and hits some of his own. Garcia’s lean back Sharpshooter is reversed into a choke, which is reversed into a Regal Stretch of all things. Coleman: “Did you teach him to get out of your move?” Regal: “What do you think?” After Yuta escapes, a Boston crab sends Garcia over to the ropes for his first break. Garcia loads up some stomps but gets reversed into a quick cradle for the retaining pin at 15:57.

Rating: B. I don’t know if these two are ever going to be breakout stars, but they know how to work this style really well and that is what they did here. Throw in Regal on commentary (that “what do you think” line was great) and this was a heck of a match with both guys working hard and getting in one sweet counter after another. This style can be a lot of fun and they were nailing it here so well done.

Dragon Lee vs. Rush

Brother vs. Brother so they start with a hug instead of a handshake. Rush powers him into the corner to start before they hit the mat, with Rush grabbing an armbar. That’s countered into a rollup for two and they trade shoulders to no avail. Lee kicks him into the corner for a slingshot dropkick but Rush sends him outside for a heck of a running flip dive. The hard whips into the barricade rock Lee again, with Rush insisting that he is TRANQUILO.

Back in and Rush hits some boot scrapes in the corner, setting up a powerslam for two. Lee manages to kick him down though and knocks Rush outside, where he is sat on a table. That means a suicide dive, which drives Rush through the table and thankfully doesn’t end Lee. Back in and they slug it out, with Lee spitting on his hand before a chop. Rush finally takes him down but needs a breather of his own, meaning it’s a double down.

They chop it out on the apron until Lee charges into an overhead belly to belly to the floor (OUCH). Lee is somehow right back up with a hurricanrana and they’re both down again. Back in and Rush counters a charge into an overhead belly to belly suplex into the corner. The Bull’s Horns gets two, as commentary does their best WWE impression by swearing it’s over before the cover.

Lee is placed up top but knocks him into the Tree of Woe, setting up the Alberto double stomp for one. The Incinerator gets two more and Rush is in trouble. He’s in so much trouble that Lee checks on him, allowing Rush to knock him into the corner. The Bull’s Horns gives Rush the pin at 15:36.

Rating: B. This was the kind of hard hitting lucha match where you’re sure that one of them is going to knock themselves silly but it keeps being fun anyway. It’s a different style and the brother vs. brother deal made it even better. Lee is in the same vein as Rey Fenix as he can fly around so fast that it is hard to believe what you’re seeing, meaning it’s quite entertaining as always. That was the case again here, even if Rush’s Ring Of Honor dominance continues to give me some scary flashbacks. Another awesome match here.

We recap Mercedes Martinez defending the Women’s Title against Serena Deeb. They’ll both do anything to win.

Women’s Title: Mercedes Martinez vs. Serena Deeb

Deeb is challenging. They wrestle to the mat to start with neither being able to get the better of things. Back up and Martinez uses the power to run her over but Deeb is right there with an armbar to cut things off. Martinez powers up and hits a spinebuster, meaning Deeb needs to roll outside for a breather. They fight to the apron with Martinez knocking her backwards but getting caught with a hard spear.

Back in and Deeb busts out Diamond Dust of all things for two. Deeb slows things down a bit, which is enough for Martinez to snap off an overhead suplex. That doesn’t go well for Martinez, who gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some choking, followed by something like an abdominal stretch. Deebtox (double arm crank with a bodyscissors) has Martinez in big trouble but she flips her way out with more power.

They fight over a choke on the mat until Martinez is up with a hard shot to the face. Martinez puts her up top for a NASTY German superplex, with Martinez hanging on and not going down as well. Some hard strikes rock Deeb again but the TKO is countered into a rolling neckbreaker. Deeb grabs the Serenity Lock but gets reversed into a cradle for two. Martinez catches her on top with the OG Drop for two, so it’s the Brass City Sleeper to retain the title at 17:19.

Rating: C+. They had a nice story here with the power vs. technical skill, but it never quite hit that next level. The good thing is that they made it work well and the match didn’t feel anywhere near as long as it went. This is the title that needs to stay far away from AEW as it absolutely does not need three Women’s Titles, but it was a lot better than most of the Ring Of Honor women’s division over the years.

We recap Jay Lethal challenging Samoa Joe for the TV Title. Lethal and company took Joe out and kept demanding a title match. At the same time, Lethal is also Joe’s former student and wants to prove that he is the better man. Joe, as you might expect, is mad (in theory, as he hasn’t been on TV in over a month).

TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal, with Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh, is challenging. Joe jumps him on the floor before Lethal can even get in the ring and they start fast on the outside. A few cheap shots cut Joe off and Lethal hits his three suicide dives. Lethal’s charge is cut off with a chop but Singh drops Joe and crushes the arm against the post with a chair. They go inside for the opening bell (after a heck of a pre-match fight) but first, the referee ejects Singh.

Lethal goes after the injured arm but Joe manages to send him into the corner for the enziguri. That takes a bit out of Joe as well though and it’s a missile dropkick to give Lethal two. An enziguri drops Joe this time but he’s able to knock Lethal outside. The big dive drops Lethal and the fans are right back behind Joe. A hard clothesline and the snap powerslam give Joe two but Lethal is back with the Lethal Combination.

For some reason Lethal tries his own MuscleBuster, which is knocked away to set up a middle rope leg lariat to give Joe two. Joe’s MuscleBuster is countered into the Lethal Injection for two more and Lethal can’t believe it. Dutt offers a distraction with the lead pipe so Lethal can get in a belt shot for a VERY near fall. Back up and the Lethal Injection is countered into the Koquina Clutch to retain Joe’s title at 12:27.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what the deal is with Joe at the moment as he has been gone in recent months and then had a shorter than expected match here. It’s nice to have him back, but hopefully he is around a little bit more than he has been recently. Good enough match here, though Lethal losing again isn’t quite a great sign for his future.

We run down the Fight For The Fallen card, including Bryan Danielson’s return to the ring.

We recap the Briscoes vs. FTR. They have a huge rivalry, including their likely Match Of The Year at Supercard of Honor. Now it’s time for a 2/3 falls match to settle the score once and for all.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Briscoes

FTR is defending and this is 2/3 falls. Mark and Harwood take their time locking up until Mark hits a shoulder for a standoff. Harwood takes him down for a change and Mark isn’t sure what to do here. An armbar starts in on Mark’s bad arm and it’s Wheeler coming in to stay on it. Mark armdrags his way to freedom and hits a bit of Redneck Kung Fu to give himself a breather. Jay comes in to stare Harwood down before grabbing a hurricanrana of all things.

Harwood is knocked outside and hang on as he has to be looked at by the doctor. We settle back down to Wheeler chopping and suplexing Jay, setting up a drop toehold. Harwood comes back in to drop an elbow but Jay gets up and brings Mark back in to slug away. That means Wheeler needs a breather of his own but Mark isn’t having that and tosses him right back in. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Wheeler manages to counter a leapfrog into a powerslam.

There’s the tag back to Harwood for the rolling German suplexes but a Jay distraction lets Mark get a rollup for two. The Bang Bang Elbow is blocked by a heck of a clothesline from Wheeler, leaving Harwood to DDT Jay for two of his own. Harwood gets catapulted into the post though and it’s a Doomsday Device to give the Briscoes the first fall at 16:28.

After a quick break between falls, Jay kicks Harwood outside for the hard chops from Mark. Harwood’s chest is busted open (geez) as Jay sends him into the barricade and then takes it back inside for more chops. Mark grabs a headlock of all things until Harwood suplexes his way to freedom. A belly to back superplex still isn’t enough for the tag though as Jay makes a save. Redneck Boogie gets two and we hit the chinlock again.

Harwood fights up and they slug it out until he falls backwards into the tag to Wheeler (nice). House is cleaned with a hard clothesline to Mark, setting up a brainbuster for two. The Gory Bomb gets two more, even as Harwood cuts Jay off. The fight heads outside (Coleman: “Spanish announce table, not us!”) with Mark being sent into various things. A high crossbody gives Wheeler two but Jay gets in a bell shot for a rather near fall (and what feels like a heel turn). The Death Valley Driver into the Froggy Bow gets the same but Harwood flapjacks Mark onto the steps. Back in and the Big Rig to Jay ties us up at 29:35 total.

Wheeler and Mark, both bleeding, trade headbutts with Mark getting the better of things before Rock Bottoming Harwood. Mark and Harwood chop it out on the apron until Redneck Kung Fu drops Harwood to the floor. There’s the apron Blockbuster, setting up a superkick from Jay back inside. The Jay Driller is countered into a hard piledriver for two (and the fans aren’t that interested in the kickout).

Mark is back up so Wheeler has to break up the Doomsday Device. An errant right hand drops the referee by mistake, meaning Jay gets no count after dropping Harwood. Yet another Doomsday Device is broken up so the Briscoes do it again for two on Harwood, leaving everyone down. Back up and Wheeler slugs it out with Mark until they can’t quite suplex each other over the top. That leaves Harwood and Jay to slug it out with Jay getting the better of things.

The Briscoes grab stereo camel clutches but FTR locks hands (ala their match against DIY in NXT) and then grabs the rope for the double break. Mark goes up but Wheeler is right there with a belly to back superplex through a table on the floor, leaving Jay stunned. Harwood and Jay slug it out again until Harwood catches him on top. A middle rope piledriver is enough to finally finish Jay to retain the titles at 43:36.

Rating: A. What else is there to say here? I’d put it just a hair beneath the Supercard of Honor match but it takes something special to go almost 45 minutes and keep it at this kind of a level. This felt like an absolute war, with Harwood hitting the big finisher to finally put Jay down. There was way this couldn’t headline the show and they more than delivered in another Match of the Year candidate.

Post match FTR high fives a bunch of people around the ring and calls in the Briscoes for some respect. Harwood says he f’ing loves this and wrestling saved his life. Call him an f’ing mark if you want but he’ll see you on Dynamite. Top Guys out.

The Blackpool Combat Club comes out to applaud FTR and we might have some new challengers. It isn’t like there is another team worth challenging FTR on the ROH roster so that makes sense.

Overall Rating: A-. As usual, this worked well because they focused on the wrestling rather than the mostly non-existent storytelling. That is where Ring Of Honor tends to shine and it worked very well here. I’m still not sure where Ring Of Honor is going, but they still need their own show instead of just a bunch of one off (and great) events. The main event is more than worth watching, but there is a lot of other good stuff on the show to make it worth seeing. Great show here, and a good next step for Ring Of Honor, assuming they have a path forward anytime soon.

Results
Colt Cabana b. Anthony Henry – Moonsault
Trust Busters b. Shinobi Shadow Squad – Frog splash to Isom
Tully Blanchard Enterprises b. Alex Zayne/Blake Christian/Tony Deppen – Running boot/Dominator combination to Deppen
Willow Nightingale b. Allysin Kay – Gutwrench powerbomb
Claudio Castagnoli b. Jonathan Gresham – Riccola Bomb
Dalton Castle/The Boys b. Righteous – Bang A Rang to Bateman
Wheeler Yuta b. Daniel Garcia – Rollup
Rush b. Dragon Lee – Bull’s Horns
Mercedes Martinez b. Serena Deeb – Brass City Sleeper
Samoa Joe b. Jay Lethal – Koquina Clutch
FTR b. Briscoes 2-1

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