Ring of Honor
Date: November 17, 2021
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Silas Young

The long march to Final Battle continues as we are still in the post-Death Before Dishonor TV tapings. In other words, these are still matches from before all of the company’s future went away, so there might still be a little something here. Then again, I’m not sure how much hope that really is. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and gives us the rundown.

Caprice Coleman vs. Beer City Bruiser

This is Coleman’s first singles match in a long time and Bruiser has Brian Milonas and Ken Dixon with him. Before the match, Bruiser says Coleman wasn’t an official entrant in the Honor Rumble so he was never eliminated and should be #1 contender. Coleman comes to the ring and Bruiser laughs at the idea of Coleman getting back in the ring….so he can face Dixon instead.

Caprice Coleman vs. Ken Dixon

Dixon is in jeans and the Bouncers are at ringside. Feeling out process to start as they go to the mat with Dixon not being able to get very far. We take a break and come back with Coleman hitting a basement shoulder, setting up a legdrop for two. Milonas offers a distraction so Bruiser can add a clothesline to give Dixon control for a change.

A fall away slam gives Dixon two and we hit the chinlock. Backup and the clothesline comeback is on but Father Time (cobra clutch Russian legsweep) is broken up. Dixon sends him outside but Coleman flips backwards into a headscissors to drop Dixon on the floor. Back in and Father Time sets up the cobra clutch but the Bruiser comes in for the DQ at 8:01.

Rating: C. Coleman getting back in the ring is somewhat interesting, but it’s not like he was the biggest star in Ring of Honor history. The good thing is that he can still get in the ring and look just fine, which was the case here. Odds are he can get in a big match with Bruiser down the line, which should work well for a TV main event.

We recap Flip Gordon losing his memory and taking potions to get his memory back. If ANY of this has been mentioned on TV since it happened, I haven’t been paying close enough attention.

PJ Black is taking care of Gordon’s memory troubles.

PJ Black/Flip Gordon vs. OGK

Taven and Gordon start things off as Gordon doesn’t seem impressed. Gordon grabs a headlock but Taven talks his way out of it, allowing the tag to Black. OGK gets together for a double dropkick but Black grabs a wristlock. A tag (with the foot) brings in Gordon, who has to be told to come in off the top to work on the arm. Back from a break with Gordon and Bennett trading chops but Black breaks up a spike piledriver attempt. Black comes back in for a springboard moonsault into a double reverse layout DDT.

Bennett’s spear gives Taven two and a running kick to the face gives Bennett two of his own. A backbreaker/top rope elbow combination gives Taven two more and Bennett’s brainbuster gets the same. Black is fine enough to roll over for the hot tag off to Gordon, who springboards in to take OGK down. House is cleaned but Gordon has to bail out of the 450. Instead, he puts Taven on his shoulders for a Doomsday Canadian Destroyer but Bennett makes the save. Black gets sent outside though and it’s a spike piledriver to finish Gordon at 9:43.

Rating: C+. The match was good, though this Gordon thing is straight out of nowhere, at least on this show. It’s also not exactly like Ring of Honor, which rarely does the wacky stipulations like this one. OGK continues their roll though and it’s great to see a good team like them getting their chance to shine.

Honor For All rundown.

Righteous vs. Foundation

Vincent/Bateman/Dutch vs. Jonathan Gresham/Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus. Vincent and Titus start but Gresham comes in before anything happens. Hold on though as Vincent grabs the mic and tells Jay Lethal, on the floor, to come stand in the right corner. That’s a no, so Vincent shows a clip of Lethal saying he doesn’t even like the Foundation.

Tracy walks Lethal to the back as Lethal protests, allowing the Righteous to jump the other two. The beating takes us to a break and we come back with Gresham being sent into the corner for a stomping, followed by some choking to make it worse. Gresham rolls over and brings in Williams to clean house, including a discus lariat to Vincent, who isn’t legal. Dutch comes in and cleans house, allowing Vincent to hit some running forearms in the corner. Redrum gets two, with Gresham needing a double save.

We take a break and come back with Vincent hitting a basement Downward Spiral for two on Gresham, including another save. The hot tag brings in Titus for a half crab on Bateman but Dutch drives Gresham into them for the save. Dutch Jackhammers Titus and Bateman adds Orange Sunshine. A ripcord Boss Man Slam finishes Titus at 12:25.

Rating: B-. Pretty good stuff here, with the Righteous being the latest group to get a bunch of TV time. That’s not a bad thing either as the team is just off enough that it makes you want to see more of them. I liked the match a good bit, as the Foundation continues to be the kind of team that does not have a bad match no matter what happens.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty nice hour of TV here, but the lack of a future is really dragging it down. It’s hard to get excited about much of this, even if this is still the television taping from before the big news broke. I’m not sure how long the next cycle is going to go on for, but it could make for a pretty lifeless time if everything is just a bunch of cold matches.

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: May 5, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We continue on the road to whatever the next pay per view is down the line because Ring of Honor doesn’t do very many of them. At the same time, the faction wars continue and another battle takes place this week as Tony Deppen of Violence Unlimited gets a TV Title shot against Tracy Williams of the Foundation. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card. Actually she has a personal note though, as she will not be here next week because she will be facing Angelina Love instead. So she’ll be here but not….here. Dang that’s kind of deep.

Bandido vs. Flamita

Yeah this should work, as this is fallout from Flamita walking out on Bandido in a recent tag match. Flamita says it’s time for Bandido to feel his heat while Bandido, rather politely, says things can’t be repaired. They go straight to the forearm off to start but neither can hit a kick to the face. Instead it’s a staredown and some yelling in Spanish. Flamita manages a dropkick to the floor and there’s the big dive to take Bandido out again.

We take a break and come back with Flamita hitting a running kick to the face in the corner for two but Bandido is back with the really spinning headscissors. Flamita falls outside so Bandido hits the big dive, allowing him to wrap Flamita’s leg around the post. There’s a broom (yes a broom) shot to the knee but Flamita’s knee is fine enough to crotch him on the barricade. Just to show off, Bandido stands up on the barricade and snaps off a hurricanrana to Flamita, also standing on said barricade.

They both dive in to beat the count and it’s time to forearm it out. Flamita gets the better of things and knocks him down, setting up a quick 450. A MuscleBuster is countered into a kneebar, which is broken up in a hurry as well. They kick it out until they go down for a double breather. Back up and the referee gets bumped, allowing Flamita to hit a rather hard low blow. Flamita puts a boot on Bandido’s face for the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. The main point here was to make Flamita out to be a full on heel after Bandido suggested that they could be ok. Now the fact that they had a pretty awesome match with all of the flips and dives you would expect just makes it that much better. I’m still not entirely sure that they needed to split up Mexisquad but I can go for these two doing their crazy spots over and over again for a long time to come.

Beer City Bruiser/Ken Dixon vs. OGK

Before the match, Mike Bennett tries to calm Matt Taven down because he can’t get sidetracked from the Tag Team Title shot they are probably going to get. Dixon jumps Taven to start and stomps away in the corner until Taven snaps off a dropkick. A TKO across the top rope rocks Dixon again and something like a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. Bennett comes in for a clothesline but it’s off to Bruiser for a big right hand and an “I’M THE BEER CITY BRUISER!” as we take a break.

Back with Dixon pounding Bennett until a quick Death Valley Driver gets him out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Taven to start cleaning house, including a swinging neckbreaker to Bruiser. Just The Tip gets two on Bruiser and everything breaks down. Taven misses Aurora Borealis on Bruiser and it’s back to Dixon to knock Bennett off the apron. Dixon plants Taven with a powerslam for no cover and OGK is right back up with a backpack Stunner/enziguri combination finishes Dixon at 11:40.

Rating: C. Dixon and Bruiser are fine as midcard villains but I’m not sure how far they are going to go. Granted it doesn’t help to have them in this kind of a spot as they are going to lose to a bigger team like OGK. Taven and Bennett work well together and I could see them getting into the Tag Team Title picture in a hurry.

Post match Taven hits Bruiser in the head with the beer bottle to even the score. Cue Brawler Milonas to glare at OGK and help Bruiser up, telling him that he was right all along. Milonas takes Dixon out and the Bouncers seem to be back, as they probably should be.

TV Title: Tony Deppen vs. Tracy Williams

Deppen is challenging and Williams takes him straight to the mat to start. An armbar goes on but gets broken up in a hurry as Deppen kicks his way off the rope. Back up and the rope break gets Deppen out of trouble but he talks a lot of trash. That earns him a series of strikes into the corner, setting up a Gory Stretch to put Deppen in more trouble.

We take a break and come back with Deppen snapping the neck over the top. They strike it out on the apron until Deppen enziguris him to the floor. The running cannonball staggers Williams and there’s a high crossbody to make it worse. Deppen chops away and puts Williams on top, where he DDTs him onto the buckle for a cool counter.

The Crossface goes on but Deppen crawls over for the rope. They slug it out again until Williams grabs a Death Valley Driver for two. Deppen punches him down and sets up a one armed Cattle Mutilation, with Williams having to slip out. The piledriver connects but Deppen goes to the rope as well. Williams is livid and slugs away but Deppen grabs a cradle for the pin and the title at 14:26.

Rating: C+. Good back and forth match here with the story seeing Deppen wrestling a regular match and Williams being so used to Pure Rules that he was thrown off. You have to give the new stable something and Williams is going to be fine based on his in-ring skills alone. Ring of Honor doesn’t change its titles very often so this felt like the important moment that it should have.

Violence Unlimited comes out to celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Ring of Honor continues to be one of the better shows around, even if it doesn’t exactly feel like a big deal. They use their talent in the right way though and the stories are easy enough to get into while also having some history to them. Good show here and it felt like a lot of things moved forward, which is not what you would expect from a weekly show most of the time.

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: March 31, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with the 19^th Anniversary Show, which I’ll get to at some point in the future. What matters here is that we had some big moments at the pay per view, though those will not be present here. I’m not sure what to expect here, but it is likely to be a stand alone episode anyway. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card, which includes a Pure Rules gauntlet. That could be interesting.

We look at Beer City Bruiser attacking Mike Bennett and Matt Taven.

Beer City Bruiser says he is tired of being the fun loving drunk and not winning.

Mike Bennett talks about how an angel on his shoulder saved his life but sometimes that angel falls asleep. Tonight won’t be a random act of violence because tonight is going to be a calculated assault.

Beer City Bruiser vs. Mike Bennett

Matt Taven is on commentary and Bruiser starts fast by knocking Bennett up against the barricade. They get inside for the first time with Taven hammering away but getting knocked down in a hurry. We take a break and come back with Bennett kicking him in the ribs and hitting a running forearm to the back of the head.

Bruiser is right back with a shot to the leg, which he then wraps around the rope. Bennett hits a few forearms into a Side Effect for a breather. Another running (or hobbling) forearm puts Bruiser down for two but he’s right back with a shot of his own. Bruiser goes to grab the beer bottle and the referee calls the DQ before he can do anything else at 10:38.

Rating: C-. Another match without much to see here but the important part is Bennett looked like a singles star instead of someone there as cannon fodder for a bigger star. He still doesn’t have much to go on here but at least he feels like someone who matters more than he did in WWE. That alone is a big upgrade and means quite the boost for him.

Post match the beatdown seems imminent but Taven makes the save.

Pure Rules Gauntlet Match

There are six entrants and each fall has a fifteen minute time limit. Another important rule is rope breaks carry over to the next fall so you don’t get them reset when someone new comes in. Dante Caballero is in at #1 and Will Ferrara is in at #2. They go to the mat to start with Ferrara getting the better of things off a front facelock. That’s broken up and Ferrara wristlocks him down onto his head for a nasty crash.

Ferrara starts in on the arm before switching into a cobra clutch. Caballero breaks that up with a right hand but the arm is too banged up for a piledriver. Instead Ferrara starts working on the short armscissors, with Caballero not being able to flip out. A crucifix gives Ferrara two so he grabs a jackknife rollup to get rid of Caballero at 5:57.

World Famous CB is in at #3 and we take a break before the fall starts. They shake hands and get things going with an exchange of wrist grabs, which sends both of them to the mat. Ferrara gets the better of a wristlock with CB not being able to roll his way to freedom. CB finally rolls over into a double arm crank to slow things down but Ferrara rolls over into a cobra clutch stretch. That sends CB to the ropes for his first break but he’s right back up with a rollup to pin Ferrara at 4:14.

Eric Martin, one of Ferrara’s students, is in at #4. An early headscissors doesn’t work for CB but neither can hit a shot to the face. Instead Martin takes him down and drops some elbows but CB gets to the ropes to avoid a Boston crab. A belly to back suplex into a knee drop gets two on CB, followed by a hard clothesline for the same.

CB gets smart with a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner. A low superkick gives CB two but Martin pulls him out of the air. That means a northern lights suplex into the Boston crab, meaning CB has to use his third rope break. This time CB pulls him down into a double arm trap (using his legs) and wraps Martin up to crank on the arms for the tap at 6:03 (seemed to be a hold from Mexico and it looked cool/painful enough).

Martin staggers out and it’s Wheeler Yuta in at #5. CB trained Yuta so he starts fast with some rollups for two each. Yuta is ready for an armdrag attempt though and a backsplash gets two on CB. A Gory Stretch has CB in even more trouble for a bit but he escapes into a pinfall reversal sequence for a lot of twos each. Yuta knocks him down though and gets up top for a super DDT and the pin at 3:09.

Fred Yehi is in at #6 to complete the field. Yuta wastes no time in hitting a dropkick so Yehi knocks him down and kicks away. The armbar has Yuta in some trouble and it’s time to crank away. That’s broken up so Yuta can hit an enziguri into an atomic drop into a springboard crossbody for two. Yehi rolls through a high crossbody for two of his own and it’s time to work on the leg. The hold doesn’t last long as Yuta gets out and dropkicks the knee, plus the side of the head.

You don’t do that to Yehi, who rides him on the mat and grabs a Koji Clutch. Yuta escapes by cranking on the leg so Yehi switches into a choke. That’s broken up with a rollup for two and Yuta’s kneebar makes Yehi use a rope break. Yehi grabs a Kofi Clutch so Yuta cranks on the leg, only to have Yehi switch sides to use the good leg and make Yuta tap at 6:24 (25:51 total, not counting time between falls and commercials).

Rating: C+. This was certainly different and it is kind of nice to see Ring of Honor stick with the Pure Rules division. It is perfectly acceptable wrestling, though it might not be a bad idea to start including some people who just want the title and aren’t interested in playing by the rules. I liked seeing Yehi and Yuta getting some time here and it is amazing how much easier it is to take CB now that he is playing it straight rather than doing the “I’m small” stuff.

Overall Rating: C. It was a total throw away show and for a total throw away show, it worked out well enough. They had something different by having so much of the focus being on the Pure Rules match. Above all else, it makes a lot of sense to have something that doesn’t play into storylines when the storylines might not have been known when the show was taped. Perfectly watchable but also perfectly skippable show here.

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: December 30, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for a Christmas special with the annual Christmas Surprise tag team match. In other words, there will be two captains (the Briscoes in this case) and they will draw four names to make a random ten man tag. That’s better than having some random singles matches to fill in time until we get to the Final Battle fallout. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

It’s time to pick some names, so Jay Briscoe picks….well we’ll find out later.

Eric Martin and Ken Dixon are rookies from the ROH Dojo and while they don’t have a ton of experience. Martin likes to take it to people but seems a bit low key. Dixon on the other hand is a bit of a good old boy who likes the idea of getting paid for something that would usually get you arrested.

Dante Caballero and Joe Keys are from the MCW Training Center and they know Dixon from training. They started wrestling together but found out that they were in over their head. Jonathan Gresham helped them take away everything else and get back to basics. Tonight they’re here to prove that they belong.

Dante Caballero/Joe Keys vs. Eric Martin/Ken Dixon

They’re all in the basic black trunks because Ring of Honor REALLY wants to be New Japan. Caballero and Dixon go to the mat to start with Caballero getting two off a hammerlock into a crucifix. Martin comes in and it’s some double teaming to put Caballero in trouble in the corner. A quick escape allows the tag to Keys, who is dropkicked down in a hurry. Dixon shoulders Keys down for two and a hard whip into the corner sends us to a break. Back with Dixon coming in again and letting Keys make the tag.

Keys slams Martin down and dives over for the tag to Caballero to start the comeback. The Crossface is broken up by Dixon, who snaps off a powerslam for two on Caballero. The hot tag brings Keys back in and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker hits Dixon. There’s a Swan Dive to Dixon as well but it bangs Keys up at the same time. He’s fine enough to grab a half crab, which is broken up in a hurry too. Caballero comes back in with a spear though and a half crab makes Dixon tap at 12:14.

Rating: C. The match was your standard run of the mill low level tag match, but can we please drop the “we’ve stripped them of their identities deal?” I know it’s what New Japan does and ROH loves itself some New Japan, but these people have a history and Caballero was already in the Top Prospect Tournament with his full deal. It’s ok to do something of your own instead of copying someone else. Stop overthinking it.

Mark Briscoe doesn’t like that his older brother got first pick of the presents but he seems happy with his choices too.

Brian Johnson joins commentary and has Team Bozo shirts for Ian and Caprice.

Team Mark vs. Team Jay

Team Mark: Mark Briscoe, Beer City Bruiser, Dak Draper, Tracy Williams, Dalton Castle

Team Jay: Jay Briscoe, Flip Gordon, Brawler Milonas, John Walters, PCO

In a nice bonus, each wrestler’s stats are replaced with their Christmas wish list. I can always appreciate little touches like that as they show some thinking and effort. Walters and Williams go technical (stunning indeed) to start with Williams snapping off an armdrag for a standoff. Draper comes in and gets dropkicked by Gordon, who grabs a choke for a bonus. Milonas comes in and gets to face…..the Bruiser, as the Colossal Jostle is on. Bruiser gets knocked down but misses the legdrop, setting up the stereo crossbodies.

Castle, in a turtleneck, comes in to face PCO and I want these two in a buddy cop comedy. PCO doesn’t like being sent into the buckle as commentary brags about Jim Cornette’s endorsement. We take a break and come back with a fired up PCO saying bring it on. Castle thinks about it but hands it off to Mark instead. Jay comes in as well and it’s time to run the ropes. That doesn’t suit them though and the slugout is on, drawing in everyone else for more of the same.

Flip hits a big springboard flip dive onto Bruiser, followed by PCO diving onto just about everyone. Back in and Jay uppercuts Mark, followed by Walters getting two off an elbow to the face. PCO comes in to whip Mark into the corner but Mark elbows Walters down and hands it off to Bruiser as we take another break. Back again with Mark chopping at Walters as commentary wonders about a Briscoe Family Christmas. Ian: “Family matters to the Briscoes.” Johnson: “Family matters? Urkel wouldn’t even hang out with those two!” Ian: “Well Laura would.” And that’s why I smile at Ian Riccaboni’s commentary.

The nerve hold has Walters in trouble and a chokeslam into a cutter (cool) puts Walters down again. That makes everything break down and we hit the parade of secondary finishers. Walters triangle chokes Williams but Bruiser breaks it up with a frog splash. PCO runs Draper over and finishes with the PCOsault at 17:31.

Rating: B-. This was the usual fun, completely irrelevant and entertaining match that we always get out of the Christmas special. You don’t need to do anything more than have a laid back match here but there are enough people to set up some interesting matchups. It’s a fun tradition and they did well with it here so nice job.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s a Christmas special so it isn’t the kind of show you can complain about all that much. The main event was fun and the opener was fine (annoying visuals aside) and….well what else are you wanting on a show like this? They always take a break around Christmas and this was perfectly acceptable all around.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: September 25, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

It’s the go home show for Death Before Dishonor and in this case that means very little. As usual, this company doesn’t tend to adhere to pay per view schedules, other than saying that the show is this weekend. Maybe the new format will help things out a bit. It’s not like they can get much worse. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a clip of Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises in Atlanta with a bloody PCO having his face censored. Not that it mattered as King got the pin with a Gonso Bomb.

Beer City Bruiser vs. Vinny Marseglia

Fallout from Marseglia burning Bruiser with a cigar. Marseglia jumps him at the bell and the fight is on in a hurry, as it should be. Bruiser comes back with a whip into the barricade but misses the Cannonball off the apron for a crash. That’s fine with Bruiser, who comes right back with a dive off the barricade to crush security but not Marseglia.

Back from a break with Bruiser missing a Vader Bomb so Marseglia kicks him in the head to take over. Something close to a Swanton gives Marseglia two and frustration sets in. We get the I CAN’T BITE spot, followed by the Beer City DDT for two. Somehow Marseglia gets the turnbuckle pad off and Bruiser goes face first into the steel, setting up a Dudley Dog for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C-. Bruiser is someone who has no business being good but has enough charisma to make up for all of his limitations. I’m not sure why I’d want to see these two in a singles feud as Marseglia works a good bit better when he’s in a team. This wasn’t too bad, but it shows how fast they are running out of talent around here.

There will be an eight man tournament to name a new #1 contender for the World Title at Final Battle. Here are the brackets:

PCO

Kenny King

Dalton Castle

Mark Haskins

Colt Cabana

Marty Scurll

Bandido

Jay Lethal

The first round will take place over Death Before Dishonor weekend and the finals are at Glory By Honor in October.

TK O’Ryan has attacked Brawler Milonas with the baseball bat.

In Nashville, the Allure bragged about how awesome they are and walked out of a scheduled match. We see some clips of Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose vs. Damaris Dawkins….with Angelina Love joining things and winning. I know she isn’t the most popular star in the division but she has so much more charisma and star power that there is no way to avoid centering the division around her.

Allure doesn’t like the statement that Angelina stole the win and threaten McKay. Has Velvet Sky just disappeared?

Joe Hendry is selling t-shirts ala the Home Shopping Network and mocks Dalton Castle. Hendry has a ton of charisma but his in-ring work has never sold me.

Next week: Defy Or Deny.

We look at Matt Taven calling out for new challengers in Toronto and being answered by Rush.

PCO is not cleared for the main event so we have a replacement match.

Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises

See, we’re getting Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises instead of Lifeblood vs. Villain Enterprises. Instead of the Six Man Tag Team Title match, this is for the Tag Team Title shot at Death Before Dishonor. Bandido offers Marty the Code of Honor but Marty tags King instead. A single leg takedown attempt doesn’t work at all so they trade some flips, including King flipping out of a hurricanrana attempt.

Now the handshake goes through, allowing Scurll to get in a cheap shot from behind. Everything breaks down and Lifeblood takes over with a superkick, but walk into a double suplex from King. A double superkick puts him down though, only to have Scurll get in a cheap shot from the apron. One heck of a right hand drops Haskins to the floor and it’s the bird pose to take us to a break.

Back with Haskins still in trouble as Marty starts in on the hand. The overly elaborate chickenwing announcement lets Haskins get in a kick to the face and the hot tag brings in Bandido. House is cleaned, though Bandido can’t do his catch the diving giant as he dives from the middle rope. Haskins’ running Falcon Arrow sets up a frog splash for two on Scurll, but he’s right back up with a sunset flip into a slingshot German suplex on Bandido. Everyone gets knocked down and we take another break.

Back again with King getting low bridged to the floor and kicked in the face, setting up a top rope double stomp for two more on Scurll. Haskins’ Samoan driver gets another two but King has to be knocked outside again. The 21 Plex into the Sharpshooter makes Scurll tap at 14:41 as Bandido dives onto King.

Rating: B-. These guys mesh together so well and their matches are always worth seeing, even in the smaller form like this one. That being said, they are running out of ways to keep it fresh as it seems that we have seen this match half a dozen times in some form or another. It’s still good, but they need to find something new sooner or later.

We get the graphics for the pay per view matches, many of which were not mentioned during the show.

Rush promises to win the title to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling carried this one but this show made it very clear how barren the cupboard is in Ring of Honor. There’s a tournament thrown together with a lot of the same names that we have seen around here for a very long time and the idea of any of them against Rush or Taven does very little for me. This company has been ravaged by so much of the talent leaving and they are in need of a major upgrade before it’s too late. It’s something they can survive for the time being but that isn’t going to last forever.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Ring of Honor
Date: January 23, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

Things got interesting to end last week’s show as Brody King and PCO debuted as Marty Scurll’s new enforcers in Villain Enterprises. That could make things interesting going forward as Scurll, and several others, chase Jay Lethal’s World Title. I’m not sure where things are going but they could be interesting if done right. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TV Title #1 Contender Tournament First Round: Facade vs. Eli Isom

Feeling out process to start with the yellow haired Facade taking him down. Isom leapfrogs over him twice in a row and hits Facade in the face but Facade stats nipping up. A kick to the face drops Isom again and we hit the double arm crank. Isom fights up but gets sent outside for a suicide dive, only to get caught and driven into the barricade for a big crash. We come back from a break with Isom getting two off a bridging belly to back suplex.

Facade scores with a Disaster kick to send Isom outside, setting up a double springboard flip dive, because of course he can do that. Back in and Isom nails a discus elbow but walks into the Neon (Burning) Hammer. A rope walk kick to the face (Neon Terminator) gets two on Isom as the announcers are losing it on these near falls. Caprice says Facade would blame that on his mother. As I try to figure that one out, Isom shrugs everything off and finishes with a brainbuster at 8:59.

Rating: C. I’ve seen Facade before and wasn’t that impressed, though his high flying looked good here. The important part here was pushing someone new in Isom, who actually feels like he’s getting somewhere. I don’t know if he wins the tournament, but it’s nice to see someone being given a chance.

Kelly Klein says any singles match she’s in will now be a title match.

We recap the debut of Villain Enterprises.

Jay Lethal knows everyone wants a shot at this title, but his eyes are on Matt Taven for everything he’s done.

To mix things up a bit, we recap the debut of Villain Enterprises.

Next week: the Kingdom defends the Six Man Tag Team Titles against Villain Enterprises.

TK O’Ryan vs. Rush

I’ve seen Rush (pronounced Roosh) in MLW and he certainly has some star power. He’s the leader of Los Ingobernables so there’s definitely something to him. Ian recaps some history between these two in Mexico, which is far more background than we get for most of the lucha guest stars. Feeling out process to start and the fans are split here.

A slap to the face annoys Rush so it’s an exchange of German suplexes to give us a staredown. They talk trash (with censored swearing) until O’Ryan takes over with the chops in the corner. A superkick rocks O’Ryan and it’s a running forearm to send us to a break. Back with a chop off going to Rush, meaning we get a tranquilo pose.

They head outside with Rush being sent into the barricade, setting up a belly to back for two inside. Rush suplexes him into the corner but charges into a spinning spinebuster for another two. Something off the top is countered into a top rope superplex from Rush and it’s a hard running basement dropkick in the corner for the pin on O’Ryan at 11:05.

Rating: B-. This was a back and forth I hit you and you hit me match but it was very entertaining stuff. Rush definitely has a presence and that makes you want to see him do his thing. Even O’Ryan looked good here, and it’s nice to see some of the stuff done down in Mexico tie into things up here. You can only get so far with “this is a huge star from Mexico” over and over so this was a good idea.

Post match the rest of the Kingdom comes in and lays Rush out with a triple Conchairto.

Rhett Titus, with a trophy, replaces Coleman on commentary.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Silas Young vs. Beer City Bruiser

Before the match, Bruiser says he’s finally learned that Silas sucks. Bruiser wants a fight so we’ll make this No DQ. An early Cactus Clothesline puts Silas on the floor and Bruiser sets up a chair. Young jumps over a shot from the apron and hits a springboard clothesline to knock Bruiser down. Some elbows to the head knock Silas into the chair though and Bruiser nails a flip dive off the apron as we take a break.

Back with more chairs in the ring and a table having been set up on the floor. Silas hits a slingshot stomp to the ribs and the hanging swinging suplex gets one. Another table is set up in the corner but Bruiser spears him through it instead. Bruiser misses a charge and goes through a chair in the corner though, allowing Silas to pound away with a chair. A suplex off the barricade has Young in trouble again as this is going way longer than it needs to. Young is laid over two chairs on the floor as Bruiser goes up.

That’s broken up so Bruiser hits a super hiptoss of all things, followed by the Beer City Slam onto a chair for two more. Back from another break with Silas slamming him through two chairs for another near fall, meaning frustration sets in. Silas pulls out some zip ties and attaches Bruiser to the top rope. Cue Brian Milonas to beat Young down and cut the zip tie because Heaven forbid this match just end.

Milonas takes too long setting up something from the middle rope and gets chaired through the table at ringside. Bruiser clotheslines him down and a Vader Bomb elbow onto the chair onto Young gets two. A keg to the head doesn’t even warrant a cover as Bruiser puts him on another table instead. The frog splash misses though and Silas hits Misery for the pin at 16:00.

Rating: D. WAY too long here with whatever value the match had being thrown out the window more than halfway through. The Bruiser isn’t someone I’m going to care about because his entire character is that he’s fat and likes beer. I need a lot more than that to care and I’m completely with Silas: Bruiser held him back for a long time and Young is lucky to be rid of him. Yeah he was a little rude when they split, but I’m not going to cheer for Bruiser because of that. Cut this in half (or more) and it could be entertaining, but this was pay per view length when it needed to be average TV length.

Overall Rating: C-. That main event hurt things a lot and that’s not a good sign when it can bring down the rest of the show. I’m curious to see where some of the stories around here go but this show wasn’t exactly a good showcase for the company. The first two matches were entertaining but they’re not exactly high stakes, which keeps things a bit lower on the pole. Not a bad show, but not exactly interesting.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: December 19, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

So Final Battle has come and gone but around here….actually you know what I’m going to say here so I’m not even going to bother. It’s going to be a stand alone match tonight, but there’s a chance that we’re going to be seeing something Christmas related. That kind of show has been hit or miss in wrestling history but hopefully it works well here. Let’s get to it.

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

Tonight, Jay Lethal and Matt Taven will be captains in the Christmas Surprise ten man tag. They’ll both be opening presents to find out who their partners will be. Lethal is happy but Taven only wants the rest of the Kingdom on his team because he hates surprises. I think you know where this is going.

Opening sequence.

Twisted Sisterz vs. Britt Baker/Madison Rayne

That would be Thunder Rosa and Holidead, who jumped Baker and Rayne at Survival of the Fittest to set this up. Baker is a hometown girl and rather over as you might have guessed. Some early forearms send Rosa outside and Madison hits a dive off the apron to take them both down. Back in and Madison gets a few rollups on Holidead, who them catches her in a belly to back faceplant to take over.

It’s off to a reverse chinlock to slow Rayne down before Rosa comes in to tie her in the Tree of Woe. That means a running dropkick to send us to a break. Back with Rayne still in trouble as Holidead gets two off a neckbreaker. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Rayne jawbreaks her way to freedom. It’s off to Baker for a running knee in the corner, followed by the Sling Blade.

Back to back basement lariats keep Rosa in trouble but Holidead breaks up what looked to be a double neckbreaker. An Irish Curse into a Backstabber into a Downward Spiral into Rosa slamming Holidead (mostly) onto Baker gets two with Rayne making the save. Holidead hits a sweet spinebuster on Baker, who comes back with a ripcord forearm into a cutter from Rayne. That earns Rayne a shot to the face and White Noise into a top rope double stomp to the back finishes Baker at 9:57.

Rating: C. I was worried that they were going to go with the upset by having the thrown together team win, which would have been a horrible idea as the Sisterz are a nice monster team who could go somewhere if there was somewhere to go in this division. Still though, it’s better than nothing and I’ll take what I can get.

Lethal and Taven open some of their names. Jay is rather pleased but Matt complains about a series of Melvins. No names are given.

We look back at Jeff Cobb winning the TV Title.

Lethal is annoyed that he didn’t get Cheeseburger in the drawing but Caprice Coleman gives him one last present….which is of course Cheeseburger. So who got thrown off Lethal’s team? He didn’t have any names left so why would he be convinced that there was no Cheeseburger?

Taven gets one extra name in the form of a stocking and seems happy for once.

Ian and Colt ask Caprice how he knew what was in the box. Coleman says it was just the Christmas spirit.

Team Lethal vs. Team Taven

Jay Lethal, Cheeseburger, Rhett Titus, Vinny Marseglia, Jeff Cobb

Matt Taven, Brian Milonas, Jonathan Gresham, Beer City Bruiser, Marty Scurll

Milonas and Bruiser come in from the bar, as they should. As you might guess, there’s quite an argument over who is starting here. There’s also an argument over the Christmas attire the wrestlers are wearing, because this isn’t quite as serious as some matches. Lethal even tries to engineer a trade with Gresham for Marseglia but that’s against the rules, which are strictly followed around here. The fans give us a MERRY CHRISTMAS chant as Lethal and Gresham start things off.

The technical sequence goes to Gresham but it’s Bruiser tagging himself in because Gresham isn’t willing to cheat. It’s off to Bruiser for a headlock but Lethal speeds things up and takes the skin off his chest with some chops. The hiptoss into the basement dropkick keeps Bruiser in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Taven wanting and receiving Cheeseburger, who comes in with some pushups. Taven immediately tags out to bring in Milonas, but Cheeseburgers is willing to fight for himself. A headlock doesn’t get Cheeseburger very far so he tries speeding things up and jumping over Milonas in the corner until Milonas needs oxygen. Titus comes in without a tag and tries a suplex until Cheeseburger, Milonas and Bruiser suplex Cheeseburger and Titus at the same time. Marseglia isn’t going to be outdone because he brings in an ax to scare Marty.

Someone throws Marty the umbrella, but he opts to tag out to Taven instead. No one will tag either of them though and it’s time for the fight that everyone else in the match wants to see. They hit the ropes a few times before heading outside for the huge brawl. Bruiser goes up top for the huge dive to take everyone out and it’s off to a break.

Back with Lethal superkicking Marseglia out of instinct, bringing Taven in to deck Lethal. A bunch of splashes in the corner have Lethal in trouble, with Taven having to kick Gresham and whip him in. That goes badly for Taven as Lethal starts whipping people into Taven in the corner. Stereo basement dropkicks to Taven set up a German suplex from Cobb. The dog pile cover gets two with Gresham diving over for the save.

Bruiser comes in and turns Lethal inside out with a clothesline. Milonas starts cleaning house but Cobb picks him up, only to have Scull shove him over before the Tour of the Islands can hit. Taven beats up Cheeseburger (this guy’s all right) but gets caught in the Lethal Injection. Cobb suplexes Milonas to a big pop and hits a good Tour of the Islands on Bruiser for the pin at 15:34.

Rating: C+. Cobb is a beast and something like this is going to be on his highlight reel for a long time. This was the kind of match that is a fun way to fill in a show that doesn’t mean much. Even the announcers were talking about how this wasn’t as serious and the interaction between the guys were fine. It’s a good idea for a match and the people had a fun time, which was the point.

Overall Rating: C. Much like the main event, this whole show was little more than a way to fill in a week as we move from Final Battle to the start of the new year. The next two weeks or so are going to be Best Of shows so they might as well have some fun here. I liked the main event and the opener was fine so it served its purpose well enough.

Results

Twisted Sisterz b. Britt Baker/Madison Rayne – Top rope double stomp to Baker

Team Lethal b. Team Taven – Tour of the Islands to Bruiser

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: April 18, 2018
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

We’re still in the vacuum of the post pay per view stretch and that means it’s time for another stand alone show. This time around though we might get some videos inserted to talk about some stuff from Supercard of Honor. You never know what you might get from these shows match wise though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Hiromu Takahashi

Hang on a second as Takahashi has to bow to Daryl (don’t ask). Feeling out process to start with Kazarian getting two off an early rollup and nipping into a standoff. They head outside with Kazarian sending him hard into the barricade, which may banged up his knee. Back from a break with Kazarian hitting his spinning springboard legdrop to the back of the head. A backbreaker keeps Takahashi in trouble so he superkicks his way to prosperity and a near fall of his own.

Takahashi sends him to the floor for a running knee from the apron with Kazarian sprawling across the floor. Back in and Kazarian slips out of the Time Bomb and hits a sloppy slingshot DDT. Kazarian isn’t happy with the near fall so he yells at the referee, allowing Takahashi to roll him up with trunks for two. Another superkick sets up the Time Bomb to end Kazarian at 11:04.

Rating: C. I was never big on Takahashi when he was Kamaitachi and the Time Bomb persona is only somewhat better. The match wasn’t too bad but nothing more than a stand alone show filler. That being said, I’m MUCH happier with the New Japan guys making less frequent cameos. For a long time there it was almost every week. Now it’s every few weeks and that’s so much better. Don’t take away the special treat feeling they bring with them.

Earlier today, Brian Milonas and Beer City Bruiser attacked LSG before the tag team gauntlet match tonight.

Caprice Coleman is on commentary.

Tag Team Gauntlet

There are six teams involved and the winners get a Tag Team Title shot at some point in the future. Brian Milonas/Beer City Bruiser are in first with Shaheem Ali coming in and saying he’ll fight without LSG because Coast to Coast never gives up. Ali wastes no time in diving over the top to take Bruiser out but Milonas catches a crossbody back inside. Some elbows get the overly large man down and there’s a dropkick to the face. A standing double splash crushes Ali though and the beating begins. Bruiser backdrops him into a sitout powerbomb for two and we take a break.

Back with Ali headbutting them both down, followed by a lifting Downward Spiral on Bruiser. Not that it matters as a superplex into a frog splash gets rid of Ali at 6:28. Next up are the Dawgs because I did something horrible in a previous life. The Dawgs offer beer but get kicked down for their efforts. The beer is spat into the monsters’ faces and a pair of double noggin knockers has some effect. Milonas is low bridged to the floor and a dropkick gets one on Bruiser. The size catches up with the Dawgs again though and Ferrara gets crushed in the corner as Milonas just sits on him.

Back from another break with Milonas missing a sitdown splash, allowing the hot tag to Ferrara. Does it count as a hot tag when I want the ring to collapse and both teams to fall into a hole? Titus manages a monkey flip onto Bruiser with Ferrara adding a tornado DDT on the floor. The announcers make Punch Out references to make this a little easier as Ferrara bicycle kicks Milonas down. Not that it matters as Ferrara gets caught on top with a superplex sending Milonas and Bruiser on at 15:04.

The Motor City Machine Guns are in fourth with Milonas’ falling splash crushing Sabin. Bruiser kicks Shelley into a spinning side slam but misses the Cannonball in the corner. The rapid fire offense has the big guys in trouble and a double superkick rocks Bruiser. Skull and Bones gets rid of Bruiser at 16:52 and it’s the Young Bucks in fifth.

Back from another break with a double slugout, as should be the case with these four. It’s the Bucks taking over (of course) with their dropkicks until they both run into Shelley’s boots in the corner. A missile dropkick puts Matt down and he’s sent head first into Nick’s crotch. Stereo running boots in the corner have the Bucks in more trouble and there’s the Dream Sequence to Matt.

We hit the chinlock (not the move you would expect in a fast paced match like this) as the announcers talk about the Women’s Title tournament without actually saying who won the thing. The first superkick gets Matt out of trouble and a few more are enough for the hot tag to Nick. That means the slingshot X Factor and apron moonsault, followed by a suicide dive as things speed way up.

Double superkicks have Shelley down on the floor but Shelley gets out of the Meltzer driver. A superkick and spear set up a springboard splash/standing moonsault for two on Sabin. Shelley comes back in and tries Sliced Bread #2 but gets taken down instead. More Bang For Your Buck is broken up but Skull and Bones is countered into a backslide to pin Sabin at 26:29.

Back from one more break with the Kingdom beating on Matt as his back has flared up again. Marseglia can’t hit a Russian legsweep so he takes Matt down and puts a knee into his back for a chinlock instead. Matt gets in a shot but O’Ryan pulls Nick off the apron and takes his place. That earns him a superkick and Nick comes in off another hot tag. To be fair he’s pretty good at it so it’s harder to complain. A big flip dive takes both Kingdom guys down but it’s too early for a 450.

Instead he gives O’Ryan a German suplex on the apron and a tornado DDT from the same apron to Marseglia. There’s the Sharpshooter on O’Ryan and Marseglia’s right hands aren’t enough for the break. Instead he grabs the ax but murder is a bit too far. The referee takes it away so Marseglia uses the bat to give O’Ryan two instead. Just a baseball bat shot you see.

Another shot misses and it’s off to Matt to forearm away until O’Ryan gets him in the bad back. Matt gets taken to the floor for a powerbomb on the bare boards but Nick makes the save with a kick to the face. The Meltzer Driver, with Nick helping Matt lift O’Ryan for the Tombstone, is good for the final pin at 37:02.

Rating: B-. See, the Bucks selling and making a comeback instead of beating the heck out of everyone for the whole match makes things that much easier to sit through. The rest of the teams, save for the Guns, were really just there for the sake of filling in time, which is the common trend for a match like this. It didn’t feel long either so it’s not that much to sit through. Good match, but really just there to set up something later on.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event made this a good show with one big thing taking up most of the show instead of trying to build the storylines without actually advancing any of the stories. It was fine for a way to get through an hour and hopefully next week gets us to something fresh. I can live with something like this for awhile but you’re only going to get that far with stand alone episodes. At least this one was good though and that’s all you could hope it would be.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 14, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

This is one of those weird weeks where a pay per view has come and gone but we’re not to the next taping cycle yet. Therefore, tonight is probably going to be a standalone show, which have very mixed results around here. There aren’t likely to be any results from the Anniversary Show, which works well as I haven’t seen it yet. Let’s get to it.

Here’s last week’s show if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Battle Royal

Chuckie T., Barretta, Shane Taylor, Josh Woods, Will Ferrara, Leo St. Giovanni, Flip Gordon, QT Marshall, Caprice Coleman, Shaheem Ali, Kid USA, F.R. Josie

I think I got everyone in there. They waste no time with this as the sequence ends and the bell rings with everyone sliding into the ring. The final two in the ring will face off in a regular match for a shot at the TV Title at a date to be announced. Chuckie and Barretta are thrown out by Shane at the bell, followed by Josie and Ferrara being tossed out soon thereafter.

Kid USA gets knocked off the top and Coast to Coast can’t get rid of Taylor. Coleman shoves St. Giovanni out by breaking up a springboard with Ali and Woods being thrown out a few seconds later. We’re down to Marshall, Taylor, Coleman and Gordon with QT offering to pay the others off.

We take a break less than five minutes into the show and come back with all four still going. Coleman kicks Gordon in the face but gets cut off with a springboard spinning spear. Marshall hits Taylor by mistake and that’s it for QT. Gordon has to springboard back in from the apron and takes Coleman down with a clothesline. Taylor throws Coleman out and it’s Gordon and Taylor moving on at 8:55.

Rating: D. Well, it was certainly short. The problem here was they didn’t have the time or the star power to really make things work. They made it clear that these are people who have never held the title, which doesn’t exactly give you a lot of star power. Taylor and Gordon could make for a good singles match, but the battle royal wasn’t the best way to get there.

The Kingdom is sick of hearing about the Bullet Club when the Kingdom is on fire. So Cal Uncensored comes in to say they’ve been conspired against for years. An alliance is suggested and the Kingdom seems intrigued. Post break, TK O’Ryan doesn’t like the idea but Matt Taven says it’s worth it. Vinny Marseglia just wants violence against the Bullet Club.

Stacy Shadows is a good sized woman who wants to go through everyone to make history.

Tenille Dashwood is tired of being overlooked. She’s beaten Shadows before in a non-televised ROH match so this might not be the biggest surprise. I mean, the winner gets Brandi Rhodes in a match that already aired on the PPV pre-show so it’s kind of spoiled in advance.

Women of Honor Title Tournament First Round: Stacy Shadows vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood is better known as Emma and Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary. The much bigger Shadows blocks an armdrag attempt and drives Dashwood into the corner. Some kicks to Stacy’s legs set up a hurricanrana into a Russian legsweep for one. The running corner crossbody is shrugged off and Shadows scores with a spinebuster as we take a break.

Back with Stacy still in control and the announcers taking about the dangers of Dashwood’s Spotlight kick. A Vader Bomb misses though and Tenille grabs the Tarantula. Dashwood gets two off a high crossbody and the Spotlight Kick (a running kick to the side of the head) is good for the pin on Shadows at 8:41.

Rating: D+. Shadows was every bigger woman you’ll see and there was no reason to believe that Dashwood was losing here. This is a good example of a match that would have been better suited in a shorter form as it came off like they were stretching things out for the sake of stretching things out.

The Bullet Club is in the back and Cody seems worried about the Kingdom and So Cal Uncensored teaming up. Cody is tired of being told that he’s the bad guy and the team isn’t going anywhere. Can we just name this the Bullet Club Hour already?

Beer City Bruiser/Brian Milonas vs. Ryan Nova/Eli Isom

I think you get the idea here. Bruiser forearms Nova down to start and Nova’s kick to the ribs has as much effect as you would expect. A crossbody crushes Nova (Colt: “IS HE STILL ALIVE???”) and Milonas does his reverse splash. Nova gets crushed between the two big guys and it’s actually off to Isom to keep things going. That means a hard right hand to knock him silly, followed by a superplex into a frog splash to give Bruiser the pin at 3:48.

Rating: D. They’re certainly hammering you over the head with the idea behind Milonas and Bruiser, but that makes sense in this case as it’s not like they have anything else to do. Bruiser is at least decent but Milonas….my goodness no. This was a long squash but at least they got the idea down.

Shane Taylor vs. Flip Gordon

Bully Ray is on commentary and the winner gets a future TV Title shot. Gordon strikes away at the monster and the chops actually have an effect. A superkick does a bit more damage but Taylor pulls Gordon HARD out of the air with a spinebuster for two. Taylor goes with the heavy forearms to rock Gordon even more as the pace slows quite a bit. One heck of a legdrop gets two and we take a break.

Back with Taylor blasting him in the face for two more with Bully being stunned on the kickout. He’s so stunned that we cut to the announcers for a chat about Supercard of Honor. Taylor even hits a Bubba Bomb and Bully is now full on behind Flip. An enziguri rocks Taylor and there’s a second to stagger him…..until a hard clothesline takes Flip’s head off for two. The middle rope splash misses though and the Star Spangled Stunner into the 450 gives Flip the pin at 9:31.

Rating: C+. This was another story that didn’t need much laying out, though I’m not sure how smart it is to do very similar matches three times in a row. Gordon has some good charisma and all of the flipping does him some serious favors. If that’s how he keeps going, he’s going to be fine for a long time to come.

Post match Scorpio Sky runs in for the beatdown on Gordon but the Young Bucks make the save. They seem to be interested in Gordon but he doesn’t quite know what to do.

Cody wants to know where the rest of the Club is but he can do this himself because he knows all of their parts. Bullet Club is fine as they head into a ten man tag, presumably next week.

Overall Rating: C-. For a standalone episode, I’m not sure how well this one worked. Setting up a future TV Title shot is a good idea but having a first round match after the winner already had her quarterfinal match? Really? Other than that, having three big vs. little matches in a row felt like a really weak presentation, but maybe it was all they could put together. Not a bad show, but the Bullet Club stuff is getting old.

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Ring of Honor
Date: February 14, 2018
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

What does it say when this is one of the shows I’m looking forward to more than almost any other during the week? Well actually it says that I’m in for an entertaining hour, which is always nice to hear. We’re coming up on the 16^th Anniversary Show and that means we need a pay per view card. Let’s get to it.

Dalton Castle is always ready and never surprised, though he seems a bit surprised that the Boys were standing behind him. Make it not much surprises him, so he knew he’d become the biggest target in Ring of Honor as soon as he became World Champion. Punishment Martinez attacking him wasn’t a surprise either because he’d want any advantage he could get if he was fighting himself. He’s not the same Castle as before because this is a champion. The only plan Castle has is to come out swinging and he’s going to retain this title. Castle is still rather odd, but the fire is there and he’s starting to feel like the top dog.

Opening sequence.

Coast 2 Coast vs. Beer City Bruiser/Brian Milonas

Bruiser is big but Milonas is just ridiculous looking. The big guys jump them at the bell as the announcers even talk about how huge Milonas is. Bruiser crushes LSG with a backsplash for two and Brian stomps him in the corner. LSG dropkicks them into each other though and it’s off to Ali for some headbutts. A Stroke/Downward Spiral gets two on Bruiser but Silas Young pulls Ali to the floor. Kenny King runs in for the save and it’s a no contest at 3:05.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here and that’s the right ending. You had built up Coast 2 Coast with their win a few weeks ago and you have a brand new team so giving one of them a clean (or even a somewhat dirty) loss would have been a bad idea. We might as well ring the bell for the six man though and that’s what makes sense.

Coast 2 Coast/Kenny King vs. Beer City Bruiser/Brian Milonas/Silas Young

It’s already back to King but Bruiser gets in a cheap shot from behind. All three villains surround King with Coast 2 Coast just watching it happen from the apron. They finally come in after King has been crushed between the two big guys but do manage to send them outside. LSG hits a big springboard dive to take out Milonas and Bruiser, leaving Ali and Young to slug it out. King is back up though and it’s a Royal Flush to pin Young at 5:12.

Rating: C. Again, that’s probably the smartest move as it gives King a reason to get another title shot. Teaming Young with Milonas and Bruiser has been one of the best things that Ring of Honor could have done as he’s so far ahead of those two that it’s made him look great on all regards. King vs. Young should be good and hopefully Coast 2 Coast goes over these two lunkheads in their rematch.

The Dawgs want to take out Coast 2 Coast. Take them wherever you want. Just don’t make me watch the Dawgs.

Mandy Leon is a Ring of Honor dojo graduate who wants to bring a great division to Ring of Honor.

Madison Rayne thinks the women’s division is pretty awesome. Rayne was actually here a long time ago and wants to win the first Women’s Title.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Mandy Leon vs. Madison Rayne

Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with an exchange of headlocks. Mandy takes her down and hits a Hennig necksnap, only to get caught with a dropkick as we take an early break with the match still in first gear. Back with Madison getting frustrated and getting caught in a double faceplant for a double knockdown.

Mandy comes back with a Koji Clutch for a few seconds before sending Madison outside. A flip dive from the apron sets up a missile dropkick for two but Madison grabs a cutter (the Rayne Check) for the same. The Rayne Drop gets two more but Mandy is right back up with a pumphandle driver (Astral Projection) for the pin at 8:43.

Rating: C-. It’s pretty clear that Ring of Honor wants Mandy to be their Trish Stratus and it’s easy to see why. She’s not a bad promo, has a good look and is getting better in the ring, but she needs a lot more experience. Mandy is twenty five and hasn’t even been wrestling for four years yet. She doesn’t have the best fire in the ring, but that’s something that can be fixed over time.

The match itself was completely watchable and it’s a very good idea to have some more established names like Rayne and Tenille Dashwood in the tournament. The women’s division isn’t very well known and wins over those names will help the lesser known wrestlers. This was a big win for Mandy and I wouldn’t be shocked to see her in the finals.

Cody wants to know where the Young Bucks were last week when he was getting beaten down. They claim their flight was late, which Cody calls a “Kenny Thing”. Cody storms off when Marty Scurll comes in with a fan made sign. The Bucks don’t want to hear it right now and point out that his name is spelled wrong (Scurl).

The Brisco Brothers don’t care what the fans think of them because it’s all about making statements. One statement is that they’re the baddest team ever and they’re coming to get their property back.

Ring of Honor World Title: Dalton Castle vs. Punishment Martinez

Dalton is defending with Scurll on commentary. Marty rants about why Martinez and Castle got their shots at the title before him as Castle pretends to have something of his hand before slapping Martinez in the face. Punishment blocks a suplex attempt but gets low bridged to the floor for a suicide dive. The chokeslam onto the apron is broken up and Castle sends him into the steps as we take a break.

Back with Martinez hitting a spinning kick to the head to knock Castle off the ropes for a good looking crash. Martinez slows the pace, sending Marty into hysterics over him not taking advantage of his opportunity. The springboard corkscrew splash gives Martinez two and Castle rolls to the floor for a good fanning. Back in and we hit the chinlock and take another break.

We come back again with Castle getting two off a German suplex, followed by some more suplexes to really stagger the monster. A Falcon Arrow gives Martinez two of his own and he hits the big dive over the post onto Castle and the Boys (Marty: “CRIKEY!!!!!”). Back in and Martinez’s top rope spinwheel kick gets two in a kickout that should have gotten a better reaction. Instead of the South of Heaven chokeslam, Martinez loads up the Psycho Driver but gets rolled up to retain Castle’s title at 13:52.

Rating: B. This was VERY similar to Chris Benoit vs. Kane at Bad Blood 2004, even down to the rollup to retain the title. That’s a good thing too as the original was an awesome match with the underdog champion fighting through everything and catching the monster with a quick win. Castle has grown on me like few others and giving him a come from behind win like this is the best thing for him.

Post match, Martinez beats up the Boys.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event is the thing that matters most here and that’s enough to carry the show. The World Title scene has been the show’s strong point for a long time now and there’s nothing wrong with that. I liked the women’s match well enough and it’s nice to FINALLY see that division get some actual air time as the women need to get some attention so people can know anything about them. As has been the case of late, Ring of Honor is an easy watch with at least one good match included, which is more than you get on a lot of shows.

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