Ring of Honor TV – September 5, 2018: Not A Nice Person
IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling
Ring of Honor Date: September 5, 2018 Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana
We’re past All In and that isn’t likely to mean anything around here as we’re still a few weeks away from catching up to that point. Instead we might get some build towards Death Before Dishonor, which is still a few weeks away as well. In other words, Ring of Honor’s schedule strikes again. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of last week’s Six Man Tag Team Title change with the Young Bucks and Cody beating the Kingdom, despite the illegal man being pinned.
Opening sequence.
Women of Honor Title: Madison Rayne vs. Sumie Sakai
Sakai is defending and Mandy Leon is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Madison taking her down into a quick cradle, only to get backslidden for two. A fight over a small package lets them roll all over the ring before Sumie finally gets something, followed by a standoff. Some chops to the neck have almost no effect on Madison, who takes her down with a front face DDT for two more. They seem to botch something up against the ropes before a double clothesline puts them both down as we take a break.
Back with an exchange of forearms going to Sakai and a fisherman’s neckbreaker getting another two. A missile dropkick and tornado DDT give Madison her own near fall. Sakai grabs a fisherman’s buster but Madison rolls into a cutter to drop the champ again. Back up and a quick Smash Mouth retains Sakai’s title at 9:07.
Rating: C-. The same problems as the women’s division always has here, with not much of a story (at least Madison won a match to get the shot), a forgettable match and more of Sakai as champion. There’s no spark or interest here and it’s showing more and more every single week.
They hug post match, because of course they do.
Video on Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods. Taylor knocked him cold with a right hand and Woods thinks it’s loaded.
Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods
Woods goes straight at him to start but the much bigger Shane pushes him away. A single leg is broken up as well so Woods tries to fight from his back, eventually pulling Taylor into a kneebar. That’s broken up as well and Shane takes him outside for a drop onto the barricade. A big apron legdrop crushes Woods again as the announcers recap this longer than you might expect feud.
Back in and a rather large splash gives Taylor two but Woods kicks him in the head for a breather. Woods strikes away even more to send us to a break. We come back with Woods forearming away until a knee to the face cuts him off. A cross armbreaker goes on with Woods getting the glove off. It turns out that it is loaded, which makes Woods let the hold go. Woods knew Taylor couldn’t beat him but he doesn’t want the DQ win. As expected, the distraction lets Taylor hit Greetings From The 216 for the pin at 9:39.
Rating: C+. Better than I was expecting here and they advanced the story with Woods finding the object in the glove. That allows them to have another match and actually that’s not the worst idea in the world. These guys beat each other up and had some chemistry, which is always a nice surprise.
So Cal Uncensored says the war with the Briscoes has just begun. Next week, Kazarian will take care of Mark.
Video on Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham before next week’s Iron Man match.
Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Charles Zanders vs. Marcus Kross
Caprice Coleman is on commentary. Zanders is from Alabama and has the accent to prove it. Kross on the other hand is dressed like Goku. The fans chant about Dragon Ball Z as we wait on the no contest. Feeling out process to start with Zanders hitting a dropkick, only to eat some superkicks. Kross takes him down….and here’s Jeff Cobb to nail Kross for the DQ at 1:25. As it should be.
Cobb wrecks both guys with ease. Eli Isom comes in for some forearms but Cobb gives him a look that says he has to do something about this. A Tour of the Islands (reverse powerslam) plants Isom and Cobb stands tall.
Silas Young/Bully Ray vs. Best Friends
Ray has no music as Cabana calls Ray and Young Get Off My Lawn wrestlers. Before the Friends come out, Ray goes to yell at Cabana, telling him to sit there and do his job. Ray and Trent start things off but Ray tags out without saying anything. Silas throws Trent a shirt, which he smells before tossing it away. An armdrag puts Silas down and now Ray demands that he come back in.
Ray does come in and yells a lot before slamming Trent down. A hurricanrana sends Ray into the corner and Trent hits a running clothesline and it’s off to Chuck for the first time. That doesn’t go well for Chuck, who is taken down for a middle rope splash and it’s already back to Young. Chuck drops him as well and it’s back to Trent for the slingshot boot rake, followed by Chuck’s slow motion hilo to complete Two Dog Night. The big hug is broken up though and Young crotches Trent against the post.
Back from a break with Yong working no Trent’s recently repaired arm. A hair pull from the apron keeps Trent down as the heel beatdown continues. Trent dropkicks Ray in the knee but gets backdropped before anything else can happen. Young hammers away but walks into a tornado DDT, allowing the hot tag to Chuck. Everything breaks down with Soul Food and a Falcon Arrow connecting for two.
Chuck has to bail out of the moonsault but is fine enough to hit a Samoan driver to drop Silas again. Trent tags himself back in and enziguris Silas, setting up the lawn dart cutter. NOW the hug connects and Ray clotheslines them both to upset the fans again. That’s enough for Ray though, who walks away from the tag and leaves. The Dudebuster finishes Young at 11:37.
Rating: C. This was much more storyline and shenanigans than wrestling, but that’s the case with almost every Best Friends match. I’m really not a fan of the team and this didn’t change things that much. I do like the idea of having Ray turn on everyone and be the jerk that only he can be, and the lack of Cheeseburger makes it even better.
Overall Rating: C. Nice show for the most part here with some watchable wrestling and storyline development. The problem though is having the lack of a big show to build towards to pay these stories off. Yeah you have Death Before Dishonor, but that might as well be months away in Ring of Honor time. Pretty nice show, but nothing that you need to see.
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Ring of Honor TV – March 7, 2018: They Got It Done
IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling
Ring of Honor Date: March 7, 2018 Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana
We’re coming up on the 16th Anniversary Show and that means it’s time to really hammer the card home. Or in this case, it’s time to have a bunch of other stuff before we actually get to the pay per view because of the weird schedule. The shows have been mostly solid as of late so hopefully the trend continues. Let’s get to it.
The Briscoes cost them a title shot a few weeks back to set this up. The violence continues here as the Best Friends are knocked off the apron to start with the beating starting fast. Back in and the Friends hit a string of running clotheslines in the corner but stop for a hug. You don’t give the Briscoes that kind of a break so the Friends are knocked outside as we take a break.
Back with Mark driving Barretta into the corner but getting caught in a tornado DDT. It’s off to Chuckie for a sitout powerbomb as everything breaks down. An Eat Defeat into a suplex rocks Mark, setting up the big flip dive from Barretta. Back in and the reverse Razor’s Edge into a cutter gets a close two on Mark. Barretta’s backslide gets two more but it’s a Jay Driller into a Froggy Bow for the pin at 8:45.
Rating: C+. I’m not big on the Best Friends but amazingly enough, they’re this much better without all the hugging nonsense. Instead it was a straightforward match where they came close to beating the Briscoes, only to come up short in the end as they should have. The Briscoes are going to win the titles without much effort and that’s how it needs to go.
Post match the Motor City Machine Guns come in and lay out the Briscoes in an attempt to make you believe this isn’t going to be the biggest layup of a title change in years.
We recap last week’s TV Title change.
Recap of the Women’s Title tournament so far.
Christopher Daniels vs. Adam Page
Hang on a second though as here’s Bully Ray to eject Scorpio Sky and Kazarian under the threat of a suspension. Page, acting on Ray’s orders, wastes no time in taking it to Daniels by knocking him into the corner and out to the floor. Daniels gets hung over the ropes (by the Hangman of course) but comes back with a shot to the face as we take a break.
Back with Page fighting out of a chinlock and winning the big exchange of forearms. Page powerbombs him down and sends Daniels outside for the shooting star shoulder. Daniels is right back with a rollup but neither can hit their finisher. Best Moonsault Ever misses and the Buckshot Lariat is enough to put Daniels away at 9:17.
Rating: C. I remember watching Page and thinking next to nothing of him. He wasn’t interesting, he wasn’t different and he wasn’t very good. Now though, he’s managed to turn himself into someone who not only puts on good matches but has also figured out how to be the aggressive enforcer of Bullet Club. That’s a role he can play and much more than I ever would have expected from him.
Post match Shane Taylor runs in and beats Page down with Daniels saying it was the best money he ever sent. Ray pops up and isn’t pleased with these events.
Punishment Martinez/Marty Scurll vs. Jay Lethal/Dalton Castle
Before the match, Martinez and Scurll say they’ll be the World Champion, Lethal is ready to take the title and Castle is happy with a bowl of delicious soup. Martinez and Castle start but Punishment wants Lethal. Jay, in full on Macho Man style gear, comes in and gets caught in a hard headlock. The early chokeslam doesn’t work and Jay’s chops just seem to annoy Martinez. Dude his name is Punishment. How smart do you think it is to chop him?
Scurll demands to come in and Castle wants a piece of that (his words). Some jockeying leads to an exchange of wristlocks with Marty actually getting the better of it. Jay comes back in for an elbow to the jaw and the good guys exchange Matrix style poses. Marty uses the distraction to kick Jay in the face though and we take a break. Back with Jay slipping out of a Psycho Driver and handing it off to Castle for the suplexes, including a German suplex for two on Scurll.
Lethal kicks Castle by mistake though (You knew that was coming) and Scurll grabs the Ghostbuster on Jay. The full chickenwing dance is broken up by Punishment tagging himself in. Now the Psycho Driver and a curb stomp connect for a near fall on Jay (that’s not a good sign for two big moves from Martinez).
Scurll tags himself back in this time and everything breaks down. Martinez turns Jay inside out with a clothesline but charges into a dead lift German suplex. The fans are way behind Castle but Punishment beats on the Boys. Lethal is back in with some kicks to Martinez, followed by some errant powder from Scurll. Castle takes Martinez to the floor and the Lethal Injection ends Scurll at 13:20.
Rating: C+. The ending being too overbooked didn’t do this any favors but the rest of the match was all it needed to be. They set up both matches on Friday as well as they could have and aside from a DQ or countout ending, Scurll probably has the least to lose here. Lethal continues to be awesome, but I think he comes up short on Friday.
Cody says there is no throne for the Kingdom.
Matt Taven is ready to make Cody kiss the ring.
The Briscoes can’t be held responsible for what they’ll do to the Machine Guns.
The Guns aren’t letting the Briscoes be around one more year.
So Cal Uncensored is ready for a street fight party.
The Bullet Club promises to win.
Scurll says Martinez is in for a spot of bother.
Martinez says Scurll is just his next victim.
Lethal is getting his title back.
Castle’s belly is full of excitement. We saw most of these promos last week but it’s nice to have them on the go home show too.
Overall Rating: C+. The main goal was accomplished: I care more about this Friday’s pay per view than I did coming in. If nothing else, I got a reminder of the matches on that show, which were getting a little hazy. It’s still not a good looking show, but the main event should be awesome and if there’s one more good match included, things should be fine.
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Ring of Honor Date: February 7, 2018 Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana
I’m actually looking forward to this show for once as the company has been more entertaining as of late. The World Title situation has been very fun in recent weeks, which I never would have guessed with Dalton Castle on top. Hopefully the rest of the show can be just as entertaining as we move forward. Let’s get to it.
We look at Matt Taven attacking Cody last week, seemingly turning Cody face in the process.
Opening sequence.
Tag Team Titles: Best Friends vs. Motor City Machine Guns
The Guns are defending. Sabin and Chuckie start things off and it’s an exchange of armdrags into a standoff. Both guys tag so it’s off to Shelley vs. Barretta with Shelley being taken down. The Friends load up the hug but Sabin breaks that up. Friendship hater. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Friends score with running corner clotheslines. That’s enough for the big hug and we take a break.
Back with Chuckie powerbombing Sabin for two but missing a moonsault. Sabin’s tornado DDT/dropkick combination takes the Friends down, followed by the Dream Sequence. Shelley tries a double Sliced Bread #2 on the floor but gets reversed, setting up a toss into a cutter. Barretta is right back up with a big flip dive and we get another hug in the aisle, only to have the Briscoes run in for the DQ at 9:13.
Rating: C-. I’m not wild on either of these teams but it’s not like it matters with the Briscoes being right there waiting to destroy whomever they face at the pay per view. The Best Friends do the hugging spot too often (twice in the match, plus another failed attempt) and it feels more like they’re just having fun than trying to win a title. That’s not a good thing and it happens too often around here.
Post match the Briscoes beat the Friends down before zip tying Shelley to the ropes. Sabin eats a Jay Driller “onto” a chair.
Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas debut next week.
Video on Punishment Martinez, talking about his fighting background and growing on the streets. He has a good, menacing voice here as he talks about torturing Jay White and various other names. After winning the Survival of the Fittest, it’s time to come for Dalton Castle and the World Title. Good promo here as Martinez shows us a bit of a different side.
Shane Taylor vs. Marty Scurll
Taylor throws him around to start so Marty stomps in the fingers to get a breather. A trip to the floor allows Marty to score with some superkicks from the apron, only to get shoved into the barricade. Back from a break with Shane missing a sitdown splash so Marty can score with a missile dropkick.
The suicide dive is broken up and Marty hits a tornado DDT off the apron. For some reason Marty tries the Ghostbuster, meaning he earns the splash for two. A chokebomb gives Taylor the same and amazingly enough, Marty’s finger break is stopped as he takes way too long. Somehow Marty manages a suplex for two, only to have the chickenwing broken up with ease. Shane grabs the umbrella but has it taken away, allowing Marty to throw powder in his face for the pin at 10:57. Ignore the referee not seeing the cloud of powder, the powder on the mat or the powder on Shane of course.
Rating: C. Marty was in full on face mode here and it was really working for him. I’m starting to get my head around the idea that a villain can be a good guy as Marty’s talents are starting to show more and more every time. I could easily go for Marty vs. Castle at Supercard of Honor and it would be a good match, if nothing else because of the promos.
Post match Scurll calls out Martinez, who sneaks in through the crowd. Next week, Punishment gets a World Title shot against Castle and Marty wants the first shot at the new champ. Martinez nods and then chokeslams Marty.
We look back at Bully Ray’s retirement last week.
The Women’s Title tournament starts next week. It’s about time.
Matt Taven vs. Cody
Taven speeds things up to start but neither can hit an early finisher. A standoff takes us to a very early break and we come back with Cody being tossed to the floor. They switch places though and Cody hits a big dive onto all three members of the Kingdom. Taven sends him arm first into the barricade though, followed by a whip into the post. The Kingdom gets in a few cheap shots in a sequence that works so well that they do it again.
Back in and both guys try a springboard kick to the head, meaning it’s another double knockdown as we take a break. We come back again with Cody hitting an Alabama Slam for two of his own. Taven kicks him down but his frog splash hits knees. The Kingdom tries to interfere again and that means a double ejection. The distraction lets Taven grab his walking stick but Cody kicks him low and hooks the small package for a pin at 11:25.
Rating: C-. I’m still not feeling Taven but I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have Cody go over here. Cody is a much bigger star than Taven and doesn’t need the win here. Let Taven get a pin here, especially if it’s by shenanigans, and build him up a bit if that’s where they’re going. The match was fine, albeit with a lot of the usual Kingdom shenanigans.
Post match the Kingdom beats on Cody, including crushing his hand. Taven forces him to kiss the ring to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. The roll takes a bit of a hit here but I still like what’s going on here more than most of the last year. There’s a great top of the roster here and that makes for a good show, especially with the Briscoes being as awesome as they’ve been in years to carry the tag division. Good show here as Ring of Honor has stopped being a chore to watch.
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Ring of Honor TV – January 24, 2018: Get Them Some Butter
Ring of Honor Date: January 24, 2018 Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Cheeseburger
After last week’s fairly strong show, we’re back in Philadelphia for more fallout from Final Battle and the return of the Young Bucks to ROH TV. Other than that, it’s hard to say where we’re going, though some more information on the Women’s Title tournament would be nice. They’ve talked about the division for so long now but we still need some actual development. Let’s get to it.
We open with a look at what happened after last week’s show with Matt Taven and the Kingdom beating World Champion Dalton Castle down. Taven said he did that because he’s Matt Taven…and that’s about it. They’re building Taven well and if he’s more serious in his promos, I think I can live with this.
Opening sequence.
Tag Team Titles: The Dawgs vs. Motor City Machine Guns
The Guns are defending and it’s Shelley vs. Ferrara to start. Alex runs Ferrara over early on as Cabana wants to know where Cheeseburger is keeping his fries. Hopefully away from any actual matches. Sabin gets in a running kick from the apron and it’s Titus getting caught in the middle of some hard strikes to the face. Sabin adds a dive through the ropes and it’s off to an early break.
Back with the Dawgs actually in control until Shelley kicks Ferrara in the face and sends them into each other. A belly to back suplex looks to set up the tag to Sabin but Titus is there to break it up. An STO sets up a frog splash but Rhett only hits mat, allowing Sabin to kick Ferrara in the face. Ferrara can’t get a tornado DDT and the Dawgs are sent into each other again. The Guns hit the Dream Sequence, followed by a bunch of kicks to Ferrara. A Death Valley Driver/Cradleshock combo finishes Ferrara at 7:38.
Rating: C. Nice quick win for the Guns here but you can tell it’s all about setting up the Briscoes as the next champions. I’m not a fan of the Dawgs whatsoever but they put in an acceptable performance here, which is a lot more than I would have expected from them. Giving the Guns a pretty easy win like this makes sense and that’s all it was supposed to be.
Post match the Briscoes come out to say they’re the next champs. They better be.
So Cal Uncensored pays off Shane Taylor to deal with the Bullet Club later tonight.
Kenny King is ready to get his TV Title back. I could go for that.
Josh Woods vs. Jonathan Gresham
Rematch from the Final Battle pre-show where Gresham won. They hit the mat to start with Gresham getting in a slap to the face as the announcers talk about the old Pure Wrestling Title, which Gresham seems to miss. Back up and Woods throws him into the corner, only to get caught with a running dropkick to the knee. Another kick to the face puts Woods down again and it’s off to a neck hold as we take a break.
Back with Woods blocking a monkey flip but getting pulled out to the floor anyway. Gresham tries to dive back in but lands on a shot to the face, followed by Woods kicking him in the jaw to keep Jonathan in trouble. Some rolling gutwrench suplexes into a powerbomb gives Woods two so he knees Gresham in the face. Back up and Gresham grabs a rollup, knees Woods in the back, and rolls him up even more for the same move he used to win the first match at 8:49.
Rating: C. Gresham has certainly set himself apart with the crazy technical stuff and that’s a good thing. There are a lot of technical guys around Ring of Honor and having someone be the best of the group is one of the best things he could do. Being the wrestler is fine for a gimmick, especially if your name and look are both so basic.
It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit, this week with Coast 2 Coast, who are splitting up if they don’t win their next match. They don’t want to split but they’re ready to start from the bottom all over again. Neither wants to hold back people who deserve the spot more than they do but Coleman runs his mouth about Ali (who came up with the idea of splitting) being the weak link. Ali gets fired up and does a nice promo, only to be shut down when he finds out their opponents are War Machine. As usual, Coleman added nothing here and was just a person in the scene.
Here’s Cody for his first comments since losing the title. He stripped everything away from Dalton Castle and left him as just a man. That man happened to be better though and he took the title at Final Battle. Cody will get a rematch and still has the official Ring of Honor but here’s Matt Taven to interrupt. Taven says Cody isn’t fooling anyone and he sees Cody for the little blond b**** that he is.
Matt goes to leave but Cody mocks him for actually dropping the mic. Cody talks about his hair, which got a bigger pop at Final Battle than Taven will ever get in his life. That line alone almost turns Cody face and we get a CODY’S HAIR chant. Taven actually agrees to kiss the ring but kicks Cody low. Again, I can live with this kind of Taven instead of the weird unfunny kind. Cody as a face is fine too, though it’s quite the sudden turn, if that’s what they’re going for.
Punishment Martinez vignette.
Dragon Lee/Titan vs. Best Friends vs. Young Bucks
Two in the ring at a time. Titan and Chuckie chop it out to start with the fans enjoying the volume. Chuckie kicks him down but it turns into a battle of flips and spins, which of course goes to Titan. A springboard crossbody is dropkicked out of the air though and it’s off to Barretta for a big hug. The double elbow makes up for it a bit and we hit the BEST FRIENDS chant.
Lee gets in a kick from the apron and Titan adds a hurricanrana, only to have Nick come in for some springboards of his own on Lee. A rope walk into a twisting armdrag puts Lee down but since it’s only an armdrag, he’s right back up with a slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Bucks both come in for some Sliced Bread and tosses into a dropkick and hurricanrana. The fans love the Bucks of course and don’t mind a bit as they clear the ring for the Rise of the Terminators pose.
There’s a double suicide dive onto the Best Friends, followed by Lee suicide diving onto the Bucks, who just stand there while the luchadors set it up. Titan adds a huge moonsault to the floor but the Friends (after another hug) hit stereo dives onto all four. Barretta takes too long setting up the Two Dog Night though and it’s time for the superkicks. A double Sharpshooter from the Bucks takes us to a break.
Back with Lee blocking a super hurricanrana attempt and catching Nick with the Alberto Del Rio Tree of Woe stomp. It’s off to Barretta so the Best Friends get their own run of double teaming. The Lawn Dirt (reverse Razor’s Edge into a cutter) drops Nick but Titan is in with a springboard missile dropkick. Nick is right back up (shocking) with his suicide dive and moonsault, only to have Lee hurricanrana him off the apron.
A springboard frog splash gives Titan two on Barretta but Matt and Chuckie make a save. That means a rather awkward hug, much to Nick’s shock. Of course Chuckie is so MESMERIZED that he can’t avoid the incoming superkick. Lee tries a running hurricanrana but gets powerbombed onto the apron for his efforts. Nick dives onto Barretta before coming back in for the Meltzer Driver on Titan for the pin at 11:35.
Rating: C+. It helps a lot when they’re not trying to do anything more than do a bunch of crazy spots, which is where the Bucks shine more than anything else. The Best Friends aren’t my favorite act in the world but once they drop some of the cuteness, they’re fun enough. At the same time, the CMLL guys were a lot of fun as your standard high flying lucha team and there’s always a place for that in wrestling.
Post match So Cal Uncensored runs in to go after the Bucks but Hangman Page makes the save with a chair to end the show.
Overall Rating: B-. Ring of Honor is at its best when they’re versatile and that’s what they did here. They had a little bit of everything on this show and it made for a fast moving, entertaining hour. The World Title situation is getting hot in a hurry and Castle could have some very fun matches against the top talent in the promotion. Good show here and Ring of Honor is actually getting on a bit of a roll.
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Ring of Honor TV – December 20, 2017: Now This Could Work
Ring of Honor Date: December 20, 2017 Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni
We’re past Final Battle but we won’t be getting to the fallout from that for at least a few weeks. It’s hard to say what we might be getting tonight but there’s a good chance that we might be having a Best Of show or a bunch of matches taped from other shows. This could range anywhere from a waste of time to something entertaining so let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Addiction vs. Coast to Coast
They start fast with Daniels taking a double flipping faceplant as the announcers discuss Final Battle without actually mentioning any specifics in a nice touch. We settle down to Kazarian chopping Ali in the corner until it’s off to Daniels for some face raking of his own. Back from a break with more of the same, including Kazarian’s slingshot legdrop, followed by Daniels’ springboard moonsault.
Ali fights out of the corner and Angle Slams Daniels, finally allowing the hot tag off to LSG. A double front flip clothesline takes Addiction down and a springboard spinning forearm nails Daniels. Ali’s Downward Spiral plants him again but Kazarian breaks up Coast to Coast’s Coast to Coast. Daniels’ Backstabber into the Unprettier takes Ali down, only to have LSG springboard back in with a clothesline. The Best Meltzer Ever finishes LSG at 9:38.
Rating: C+. I like Coast to Coast but would it kill them to A, limiting the Meltzer stuff to one team and B, having a tag match that doesn’t turn into a wild brawl after a few minutes of actual tagging? That was how this stuff went in ECW and it was annoying there too. This is supposed to be the wrestling company and for some reason they can never go even a good chunk of a tag match without this stuff going haywire. It would be nice for a change.
Post match LSG says he’s tired of losing because they haven’t won a single major match in a year. Ali says they’re done if they lose their next match. LSG agrees.
Shane Taylor vs. Eli Isom
The massive Taylor shoves him around to start and hits one of the loudest chops I’ve heard in years. One heck of a clothesline sets up a right hand to knock Isom cold for the referee stoppage at 2:45. Now that’s how you get Taylor over as a killer. I always love the guy who is knocked out with his eyes open, unable to move but basically in shock from the impact. It’s a great visual.
The Young Bucks have brought their best friend for a six man tag. Marty Scurll comes in but they’re talking about Kenny Omega.
It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit with special guest Brandi Rhodes. She plugs being on the cast of WAGS: Atlanta and Coleman compares her to Sapphire. Brandi is ready for the Women’s Title tournament, even though she hasn’t won any matches yet. She used to be a figure skater so she knows about competition. As usual, nothing worth seeing here. Well save for Brandi, who continues to be stunning.
The Elite vs. Best Friends/Rocky Romero
Now you know Omega is getting a superstar pop here. Matt and Romero get things started with Rocky not being able to hit Sliced Bread. It’s off to Omega vs. Chuckie with Kenny asking for silence during the handshake. Barretta jumps Omega from behind though, thankfully just definitely making the Elite the faces for once. The One Winged Angel is broken up and everything breaks down in a hurry. Elite cleans house (well duh) and it’s a triple dive so we can hit the pose.
Back from a break with the Bucks actually in trouble, including the Two Dog Night into a big hug. Matt gets in a springboard spinning cutter to drop Romero and the hot tag brings in Nick to clean house. A Swanton hits knees though and Barretta gets in a running knee. The Dude Buster is broken up and the hot tag brings in Omega for another big reaction. Back to back Snap Dragons have the bad guys (I think?) in trouble but a tornado DDT cuts Omega off.
The V Trigger is broken up but we hit the Superkick Party. Rocky superplexes Nick though and Barretta German superplexes Matt onto him in a moonsault. Barretta’s snap piledriver gets two on Omega and we take a second break. Back again with Omega hitting the V Trigger but Barretta piledrives him onto the apron. Nick German suplexes Barretta onto the apron, only to get caught with Sliced Bread onto the pile at ringside.
Back in and Romero cleans house with running shots in the corner, followed by a kick to Nick’s face. Omega misses a V Trigger and gets caught with something like a running reverse cutter. The Bucks are back up to clean house and Romero is caught in a Sharpshooter/Crossface combo (The Cease and Desist. It’s funny because it makes fun of WWE you see.).
Nick is thrown into them for a break though and it’s time for a triple slugout. Triple superkicks stagger the Friends but triple jumping knees into triple cradle piledrivers get two on the Elite. A super Dudebuster gets two on Nick but Omega breaks up a double Sliced Bread. Matt and Omega load up Tombstones with Nick dropkicking down onto the two of them. A One Winged Meltzer into the Cease and Desist (with a horrible Crossface) ends Romero at 20:53.
Rating: B+. If you can ignore all the pre-planned stuff, this was a heck of a fight with everyone moving at a very fast pace the whole way. They were beating the heck out of each other, but there’s one much more important thing: the Elite wrestled as faces, which takes away one of their biggest issues. It gets very tiresome watching the group wrestle as faces but being presented as heels, especially when they wrestle a face style. Let them do what feels natural and see how much better it works.
Overall Rating: B. The main event is almost half of the show so there’s only so much you can criticize around here. This is the kind of stand alone episode that is always going to work and there’s nothing wrong with that. We can get to the fresh stuff later on and as long as you have a big attraction like Omega or something big in general, things will be fine.
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Ring of Honor TV – November 15, 2017: Who Needs New Japan?
Ring of Honor Date: November 15, 2017 Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana
We have a pretty rare announced title match as we come into this week with Mark Briscoe getting his TV Title shot against Kenny King. The problem though is Mark’s horribly dislocated elbow, which could very well keep him out of the ring. They’ve announced the match anyway but there’s always the chance that shenanigans may be afoot. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Dalton Castle laying out Cody last week, pretty much officially setting up the main event of Final Battle. Cody offering to get him an NXT deal is still a great heel line.
Opening sequence.
Punishment Martinez vs. Josh Woods
The winner goes on to a four way TV Title match at Final Battle. Woods slugs away at the monster to little avail to start. A suplex takes Martinez down and a clothesline puts him on the floor (on his feet of course). Back in and Josh charges into a boot in the corner, setting up that springboard flip backsplash for two.
We take a break and come back with Josh choking away but having his dragon sleeper reversed into a Falcon Arrow. That’s fine with Josh, who kicks him in the jaw and scores with a top rope forearm. A knee in the corner sets up a Cannonball and Martinez is actually in trouble. That lasts all of a few seconds as Martinez heads up top for a spinwheel kick (more like a spinwheel hip to the face). Woods throws him again, only to get caught in the chokeslam for the pin at 7:43.
Rating: C+. There was an idea here with Woods using all the wrestling and striking abilities but not being able to do much against a monster. Martinez is someone with some serious potential with that look and style but he still needs some experience. Putting him in the TV Title match makes sense, even if he has next to no chance to win.
Mark Briscoe is ready to win the TV Title, injury or no injury. Jay Briscoe comes up and offers to be in Mark’s corner, which is cool with Mark.
Here’s Jay Lethal for a chat. He wants nothing more than to be back on top of this company as ROH World Champion but something or someone keeps getting in his way. Now though, he wants to set his sights on Cody, who he has defeated before. Cue Marty Scurll to one heck of a reception though. Scurll has been hearing Jay talk about goals, which made him come out here.
Marty wants to face the best in the world and Lethal would be on that list. However, it’s not this Lethal that he wants to face. He doesn’t want to face the Lethal who takes his vitamins and kisses the babies. Marty wants to face the Jay who would do whatever it took to win. Maybe a handful of tights or some feet on the ropes. Maybe the Lethal that could be described as…..villainous?
Jay says that’s not him anymore but Marty points out how much more successful that Jay was. If that’s not what Jay wants to do anymore, maybe he should just be Black Machismo again because that would at least be entertaining. You remember all those fans that wore Jay Lethal t-shirts back then? Well now they’re all in VILLAIN CLUB shirts.
Marty has been successful enough this year that he gets to hand pick his opponent and, of course, he picks Lethal. Jay says it’s on but be careful what you wish for. Good stuff here with with Marty sounding like a star and an equal to Lethal, who feels like one of the most important names in the company.
The Bullet Club is ready to take care of Dalton Castle when he faces Adam Page next week. Castle fighting his way through the Club is a good story to get them to Final Battle.
TV Title: Kenny King vs. Mark Briscoe
Mark is challenging with his arm in a big cast and Jay in his corner. And never mind as Jay throws in the towel at 22 seconds for a referee stoppage. That makes as much sense as anything else they could have done given the circumstances.
Post match Martinez runs in through the crowd and kicks Lethal in the head. Shane Taylor comes out for the big brawl with Martinez until Silas Young comes out to join in as well. Cheeseburger comes in as well because where would we be without him. The challengers all brawl to the floor until King hits a big dive.
It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit, which is rapidly becoming the most worthless talk show in years. This week’s guest is Shane Taylor, who has lost a bunch of weight. Coleman asks about him being a hitman as of late, which he’s been doing because he has a family and a daughter to feed. He’s willing to work for anyone for the right price to give his daughter a better life. This was a very different side of Taylor and it worked well.
Best Friends vs. Addiction
The winners get a shot at the Motor City Machine Guns, on commentary here, at Final Battle. Addiction jumps them to start and it’s an early brawl, as is often the case around here. Daniels gets caught in between them though and the beating is on. Kazarian is sent outside so Barretta can hit his slingshot boot to the face.
The big hug is broken up though, which you just don’t do to Barretta. A northern lights fisherman’s suplex gets two on Daniels, followed by a snap powerslam on Kazarian. The Kingdom is watching from the stage as Kazarian hits a dive of his own to take over for the first time. It’s Barretta in trouble this time with Daniels hitting a Lionsault for two as we take a break. Back with Back with Barretta getting whipped hard into the corner but coming back with a clothesline. A double tag brings in Chuckie to clean house with clotheslines and a middle rope dropkick for two.
Daniels comes right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb but Barretta dropkicks him down. Everything breaks down and WE GET THE HUG, which Ian says is just like the Teletubbies. Kazarian is back in with a Backstabber and the slingshot DDT. That’s fine with Barretta who hits his tornado DDT but Daniels grabs a chair. Cue War Machine to deck Daniels though, knocking him into the Awful Waffle for the pin and the title shot at 9:55.
Rating: C. This was a very, very ROH match and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. They were doing all the dives and flips and such, which isn’t always the best formula in the world. I could have gone for more standard tag formula stuff, at least to an extent. Instead they started with a brawl and ended with one though, which happens a bit too often around here. War Machine vs. Addiction sounds good and it’s nice to have the tag division not revolve around the Young Bucks for a change.
The Guns and the Best Friends hug to end the show.
Overall Rating: B-. The talking segments here were quite good and it’s clear that they’ve turned on the jets to get us to Final Battle. It’s also nice to see them doing some of their best stuff without the New Japan crutch. Let us see what Ring of Honor can do and how good things really can be around here when they’re allowed to show what they’re capable of doing. Good show here and I’m looking forward to the pay per view, which really doesn’t happen around here.
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Ring of Honor Date: August 23, 2017 Location: Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, Concord, North Carolina Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer
Tonight is all about the Six Man Tag Team Titles as yet ANOTHER team has been thrown together for the sake of giving the champions some challengers. In this case it’s Dalton Castle and the Boys defending against Colt Cabana and the Tempura Boyz. And yes, it’s all because both bigger names have partners called Boys(z). Let’s get to it.
Dalton Castle says taking the titles from him when he’s flanked by the Boys is like trying to boil a chicken so he’s not worried.
Opening sequence.
Coast to Coast vs. Best Friends
Caprice Coleman jumps in on commentary and for some reason we keep looking at the commentary booth instead of the ring. Chuckie (Chuckie T, of the Best friends with partner Berreta) and LSG start things off with some flips going nowhere. It’s off to Ali vs. Berreta with some chops dropping Ali, who comes right back with chops of his own.
They head to the corner for a tag to LSG, who the announcers don’t realize was in the match already. Chuckie tags himself in before Berreta takes LSG down with a dragon suplex. That’s good for a big hug and we take a break. Back with LSG cleaning house and getting two on Chuckie off a faceplant. Berreta comes in for the save but Ali is right there to block a tornado DDT out of the corner.
Instead it’s a swinging Rock Bottom for two on Berreta, who bails outside for a breather. Back to back dives, including a corkscrew version from LSG, has the Best Friends reeling as Coleman is begging for them to go for a cover. Ali gets two off a frog splash but LSG’s 450 hits knees. Berreta’s running knee knocks LSG silly and it’s the piledriver into a cradle piledriver to put him away at 11:51.
Rating: C+. I liked this one more than I was expecting to, even if it just became a big spot fest near the end. The Best Friends are a popular enough team to eventually become a threat to the Bucks. Coast to Coast is getting better too and looks like they’re one of the better young teams who could mean something down the line. Or get split up for no apparent reason.
Jay Lethal talks about how rough it was to be put in the hospital for the first time in his career when Silas Young comes up. The brawl is on with Jay getting the better of it until the Beer City Bruiser comes up for a distraction, allowing Young to hit him in the back with a chair. Post break, Lethal demands any kind of a match against Young and/or Bruiser.
Matt Taven vs. Jay Briscoe
Jay tries to jump him at the bell but actually loses a slugout. Vinny Marseglia busts out an ax to distract Jay (well that could do it) so Jay grabs a chair to even things out. Since that could cause a bad case of death, they head back inside with Jay splashing Taven in the corner and adding a big boot for good measure.
Taven slips out of….something and knees Jay in the face. That’s enough time to check himself out in the camera though and we take a break. Back with Raven bailing out on a frog splash and getting caught with a Death Valley Driver. Taven’s Disaster Kick sets up a Lionsault which hits raised knees, followed by Briscoe’s hard lariat for two.
Jay slugs him in the jaw but a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Taven two more. The Climax (1%er) is broken up so Jay kicks him outside for a suicide dive. Cue Marseglia to interfere but Briscoe cuts him off with a neckbreaker. Now TK O’Ryan gets pulled in as well but he takes off his cast and knocks Jay cold for the DQ at 11:42.
Rating: C. Oh joy, the Kingdom is back. It helps to shore up the Six Man Tag Team Titles but on the other hand, it helps to shore up the Six Man Tag Team Titles. The team does nothing for me but I’ll take them as a trio over random singles matches. Briscoe is still in a weird place as he seems to be teasing a heel turn a lot of the time and then he does a straight face match like this. I mean, it’s hard to be a heel when you’re down 3-1 and one guy has an ax.
Post match the Kingdom covers Jay with chairs and then crushes him with more chairs. Bully Ray and Mark Briscoe are nowhere to be seen.
Cody is ready to face anyone for the ROH World Title.
Six Man Tag Team Titles: Colt Cabana/Tempura Boyz vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys
Dalton and the Boys are defending. Colt and Dalton start things off and it’s time for some dancing, followed by the champs being sent to the floor for Colt’s own strut. That’s a bit too much comedy for me so we take a break. Back with the Boys bent over backwards to make themselves into a table. Dalton cleans house and then has a seat on them, allowing some much needed fanning up.
Back in and Dalton shakes his knees but Colt tags Sho in instead of having a dance off. It’s off to the Boys…..with one getting on the others shoulders. Sho does it to Yo and we’ve got a game of chicken. Thankfully Colt breaks it up to take over as this match is giving me a headache. Sho grabs a Fujiwara armbar but it’s Twin Magic for the save. Colt tries to make another switch but Sho does the same thing as this is what a championship match has turned into.
We take a second break and come back with the Boyz fanning Colt, allowing more Twin Magic to get one of the Boys out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Castle for some suplexes, including catching a diving Cabana. The Boys dive onto the Boyz and it’s Castle with the peacock strut. A double missile dropkick sets up another German suplex for two but the Boyz come in and take over without too much effort. The Boys pull the Boyz together though and a Bang a Rang ends Colt to retain the titles at 13:44.
Rating: D-. I can’t stand this kind of stuff as they’re just doing lame comedy and it’s for some of the most worthless titles in wrestling. The fact that this whole thing is all about “hey, I’ve got my own boys now” tells you all you need to know about it. Castle is far too talented and far too charismatic to be stuck in something like this. The Six Man Tag Team Titles need to die already, even if it ticks off Papa New Japan.
Post match Castle says Cabana has been an inspiration for a long time. Colt hasn’t made it easy to like him though as Cabana hasn’t accepted that Castle is just better. Now that it’s three straight wins for Castle, can he have Colt’s respect? Cabana shakes his hand to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. That main event killed what was an otherwise solid show. I’m probably not the audience for that kind of match but it just didn’t work for me. What also doesn’t work for me are these stand alone shows with nothing major in the way of storytelling. This is all about filling in time until we can get back to talking about the pay per view that was barely talked about in advance. Such is life in Ring of Honor, though it’s still rather annoying.
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ROH Best in the World 2017: The Same Good and the Same Bad
Best in the World 2017 Date: June 23, 2017 Location: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts Attendance: 2,500 Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer
I do the TV shows so it would make sense for me to do the pay per views too. This isn’t the biggest show the company does but anytime they get on pay per view it feels like a big deal for them. The main event sees Christopher Daniels defending the ROH World Title against Cody, who is about as big of a favorite while still being a challenger that you can be. Let’s get to it.
The opening video is everyone saying they’re the best (the Young Bucks say SUPERKICK of course) until Cody says he’s the worst nightmare. Now he wants to be the best in the world and end a title reign that started fifteen years too late. The idea is that he’s not under contract and therefore an outsider. That being said, he’s still on almost every show and has been given a World Title shot before this so the lack of a contract hasn’t really hurt him that much.
The announcers preview the card that we already paid for.
Kingdom vs. Ultimo Guerrero/El Terrible
Matt Taven is on a throne, Vinny Marseglia is dressed like Jason Vorhees and the injured TK O’Ryan is a viking. Yeah they’re still not interesting. Ultimo Guerrero and Terrible are from CMLL and this is under lucha rules, meaning going to the floor counts as a tag. Terrible and Marseglia start things off with some good old fashioned stalling because that’s how you want to open a pay per view.
Vinny looks insane as usual but can’t get anywhere with a front facelock. A loud shot to the face drops Marseglia and it’s time for the strikes in the corner. Taven comes in and dropkicks Terrible to the floor, meaning it’s off to Guerrero, who apparently has a history with Matt. It’s not important enough to actually explain or anything so we’ll go to Guerrero dropkicking Taven to the floor.
Vinny saves O’Ryan from Guerrero so Ultimo takes Vinny inside for a headstand into a slinghsot Bronco Buster (cool looking crash). A second version is broken up with a superkick (add Taven to the list of people better it at than the Bucks as this one actually puts Guerrero down) but it’s Terrible taking the Kingdom out with a suicide dive.
Guerrero comes off the top with a dive of his own but the Kingdom pops up for two more dives. Ultimo fights them off back inside though and hits his reverse superplex, only to take a Swanton from Marseglia. The Kingdom loads up the Supernova but Guerrero grabs a rollup out of nowhere for the pin at 11:09.
Rating: C. This was a fast paced enough match and I’m sure the live crowd liked the luchadors but that’s not the most thrilling thing for the live crowd. The Kingdom continues to be one of the least interesting groups in a LONG time because they tried to reform the team without Maria, who was what makes the whole thing work in the first place. Couple that with not great matches and it’s no shock that the team is this worthless.
We recap Frankie Kazarian vs. Adam Page. After Kazarian infiltrated Bullet Club to help Daniels in the World Title, Adam beat him at War of the Worlds. Then Page kept things personal by attacking him with a strap as part of the Daniels vs. Cody feud. Therefore, it’s time for a strap match.
Frankie Kazarian vs. Adam Page
This is the pin/submission version as both guys have their own straps but they aren’t connected. Feeling out process to start until Kazarian trips Page up and grabs a rollup for two. A hard shot to the back sends Page to the floor and a hurricanrana makes things worse. Page will have none of that and starts whipping Kazarian into the barricade a few times. He takes too long peeling back the floor mats though and gets suplexed onto the ramp steps (freaking OW MAN) for a very painful crash.
Back up and Page gets tied to the ropes but comes right back with the front flip clothesline. Page is smart enough to take Kazarian’s strap away so they trade hard forearms/clotheslines with Page getting the better of it. With Kazarian down, Paige pulls out a rope and ties him to the ropes to really turn up the violence. Since he’s just that crazy, Page pulls out a belt with nails and tacks in it.
To avoid a bad case of death, Kazarian gets out and catches Page in a cutter, followed by a Backstabber. An Unprettier gives Kazarian two but he walks into the Rite of Passage for two. The nail belt is whipped over Kazarian’s back but Page stops to spit on him, earning himself a nail belt to the back. Kazarian chokes him over the ropes for the tap out at 11:58.
Rating: C+. The violence was nice here and it actually felt like they were wanting to hurt each other instead of just doing a match with weapons in their hands. The nail belt actually being used was a surprise but you knew it wasn’t going to be the big bloodbath. It was entertaining too but Kazarian winning a big match is kind of odd, especially with Page getting treated as a big deal lately.
Quick recap of Rebellion vs. Search and Destroy. They’re both stables and they don’t like each other so the losing team has to disband.
Search and Destroy vs. Rebellion
That would be the Motor City Machine Guns/Jonathan Gresham/Jay White vs. Caprice Coleman/Shane Taylor/Kenny King/Rhett Titus. It’s a big brawl to start (of course) until it’s Coleman in the ring against the entire four man team. His oh so loyal partners just let this happen until Titus FINALLY kicks Gresham into the Rebellion corner to take over. That lasts all of a few seconds before everything breaks down again with Search and Destroy hitting a series of dives.
Back in and the huge Taylor crushes Gresham with a splash and Coleman makes things worse by rolling some northern lights suplexes. Titus hits Coleman by mistake though and a headscissors allows the hot tag to White to pick the pace up again. Jay hits a bunch of running elbows in the corner and everything breaks down. The Guns come in for the fast paced precision offense but White gets tossed into the corner.
Coleman’s Sky Splitter and Titus’ frog splash combine for two with the Guns making the save. Gresham is fine enough for a botched Lionsault press and a suicide dive, followed by a shooting star headbutt (to the thigh) as part of Skull and Bones. Search and Destroy has had it with the match and grab a quadruple submission with Gresham making Titus tap to the Octopus Hold at 12:27.
Rating: C+. Another perfectly acceptable match here with Search and Destroy, who aren’t the most interesting team in the world, winning like they should have. The Rebellion has been stale since the day they debuted and I don’t know of anyone who thought they should stick around. This is ANOTHER hit to the trios division, which hopefully will lead to its demise sooner rather than later as it sets new standards for worthlessness every day.
Post match Punishment Martinez comes in to lay White out.
We recap Silas Young vs. Jay Lethal. Young doesn’t like Jay getting all the attention and media appearances and endorsement deals so he took out Lethal’s knee. I guess that means knee or back pain has Lethal down for the count. Silas beat him in a recent match too and says he has Lethal’s number.
Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young
Young has Beer City Bruiser with him….and Lethal comes through the crowd to knock Bruiser silly with a chair. The slugout is on as the bell rings in a hurry as Bruiser is taken to the back. Good, as I still can’t stand that big tub of goo. Lethal rains down right hands in the corner but it’s back to the floor for another slugout.
A suplex off the barricade drops Young again but Jay misses a slingshot dropkick back inside. That means a slingshot double stomp (I still don’t get how something like that doesn’t break a rib) and we hit an abdominal stretch. That goes nowhere so Lethal chops away and gets two off a basement dropkick.
Silas catches him on top though and clotheslines him out to the floor to take over for all of five seconds before eating a suicide dive. They’re going back and forth with control here and it’s helping a lot. Lethal hits another suicide dive but the third attempt hits a quickly raised chair.
Back in and neither finisher can hit so Lethal settles for a superkick and the top rope elbow. Young gets in a Saito suplex and a knee to the face, followed by his bouncing moonsault out of the corner. With that not working, Silas grabs his keg but, as you might expect, the referee says not so fast. Instead Silas tries Misery but gets rolled up for the pin at 16:23.
Rating: B. The more I see of Lethal, the more I like him. He’s rapidly becoming Ring of Honor’s ace and that’s a position they haven’t had filled in too long. He also comes off as a good talker and someone who knows what he’s doing in every aspect of wrestling. That’s a rare thing and having him in such a featured role is a good idea. Young has been on a roll as of late too and while I’m not big on him losing here, it’s good to have him in this spot in the first place. Then again, they need to do something with him as he’s an older guy and if he’s not pushed hard in the relatively near future, it’s not likely to happen.
Post match Young clotheslines Lethal down. The Bruiser comes back out and sets up the keg so Young can hit Misery, sending Jay’s ribs into the steel. With Lethal’s ribs on the keg, Bruiser adds some splashes. Bruiser still isn’t done and splashes Lethal through a table on the floor. The announcers hype this up as a way to take away Lethal’s chance at the New Japan United States Title.
We recap the Six Man Tag Team Title match. Dalton Castle’s Boys accidentally caused Jay Briscoe to get misted in the face, which cost him a match. Jay wants revenge while Castle and the Boys want the titles.
Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. Bully Ray/Briscoe Brothers
Bully and the Briscoes are defending. Before the bell, Bully and Dalton have the exact staredown you would expect them to have. Dalton and Jay get things going but the latter stops to chase after the Boys. Mark finally calms things down and comes in as Castle takes him down with some nice looking amateur style. Mark gets him into a headlock and it’s Red Neck Kung Fu time.
The Boys protect Dalton in the corner (Give them some extra…..I really don’t want to know how he pays them do I?) and he throws one of them at Mark for a good visual. Castle wants Bully, who rushes him into the corner where Dalton hits the least sold chops I’ve ever seen. Bully does the snap jabs but misses the Bionic Elbow, earning himself a Peacock pose. Ian: “BULLY RAY JUST GOT SERVED!” Bully…..starts dancing for some reason and strikes his own Peacock pose, freaking the fans out as you might expect.
Castle has to be fanned up so Bully chops him down with a single shot. It’s time for Boy #1 and Boy #2 to be dragged in and that means it’s off to Jay for some fun. #2 kicks him low and hammers away to as much avail as you would expect before it’s back to Castle who might be able to survive. Dalton’s running knee in the corner sets up a front facelock to keep Jay in trouble. A top rope superplex is countered into a super gordbuster though and it’s off to Mark for the fast paced strikes in the corner.
The Boys get beaten up as well because they’re just boys and not worth much. Everything breaks down and Boy #1 takes What’s Up. Jay takes out the Boys with a suicide dive and just unloads on #2 as you can tell he’s losing focus. Boy #1 runs away from a thrown chair so Bully goes out to calm Jay down, leaving Mark to get cradled for the pin and the titles at 13:03.
Rating: C-. This was a comedy match and unfortunately, that might be an upgrade for these titles. I haven’t cared for these things since they were introduced back in December and they haven’t been worth anything since. Castle and the Boys have lost over and over but now they win one match and happen to be champions. When your resume is weaker than Jinder Mahal’s, you might not be the best choice to hold a title. There was a story here with Jay losing his cool (not that surprising) but that doesn’t make up for the weak booking with the titles in general.
The former champs are livid as Ian wants to know what the celebration is going to be like in the hotel room.
We recap Marty Scurll vs. Kushida in a rematch for the TV Title that Kushida recently took from Scurll. Marty is even angrier than usual and has promised to break a lot of fingers.
TV Title: Marty Scurll vs. Kushida
Kushida is defending. They trade some snazzy wristlock counters to start until Marty does his wings flapping thing. Scurll gets armdragged down and dropkicked in the face but it’s too early for a cross armbreaker. It’s also too early for the chickenwing so Kushida ties him in the ropes for a rolling kick to the head. A pumphandle neckbreaker gives Marty two and it’s time to hit those wings again.
Marty stays on the arm until Kushida sends him head first into the buckle. They’re playing a nice back and forth style battle here and it’s working so far. Another double heel kick staggers Marty and he gets pulled off the ropes into the Hoverboard Lock. The hold doesn’t last long so Marty knees him in the head and gets two off a piledriver. It’s back to the arm (the other arm this time) before a backslide is good for two on Kushida.
The chickenwing is countered into a rollup which is countered into another chickenwing which is countered into the Hoverboard Lock which is countered AGAIN, only to have Kushida kick him in the head to get a breather. Marty flips him off for reasons of general villainy so Kushida stomps him in the face. Somehow that doesn’t know Marty cold so he puts on a wicked looking arm hold with both of Kushida’s arms being bent behind his back at the same time.
The foot gets to the rope though and Marty looks even more annoyed. It’s time to go after the fingers but Kushida is smart enough to grab Marty’s fingers and snap them instead. A super Back to the Future (small package driver) followed by a regular version retains the title at 15:02.
Rating: B+. I had a good time with this but that tends to be the case with all of Kushida’s matches anymore. The had a perfectly natural heel vs. face story going here and that’s something that is going to work every time because it’s what wrestling is built on. It’s easy to see which of these guys is good and which is evil, which makes it easier to cheer for them. Unless you’re a modern wrestling fan who cheers for the villain by default more often than not of course.
We look back at the Women of Honor dark match, which may not have been much but it’s an excuse for me to look at Mandy Leon. This whole division is such a waste of time/a mess though and there’s not much of a way to fix it at this point.
Tag Team Titles: War Machine vs. Young Bucks
War Machine is challenging. Actually hang on a second here because cue the Best Friends to say they beat the Young Bucks back in Philadelphia so they should be added to this match. Sure why not.
Tag Team Titles: War Machine vs. Young Bucks vs. Best Friends
The Bucks are defending and this is under tornado rules. It’s a brawl to start with the Best Friends cleaning house on the Bucks. Naturally we get a hug but War Machine is right there to crush both Berreta and Taylor. Double shotgun knees and a double bronco buster bring the Bucks back in for some kicks and the Rise of the Terminator pose because the Bucks are very glorified spot monkeys.
The Bucks’ dives are caught but the Best Friends are there to hit their own dives. We get the first superkick to slow Berreta down but it’s War Machine coming back in to take over. Nick hits a moonsault to the floor to take out a bunch of people, only to have Chuck dive from the stage to take out even more of them. Naturally Hanson goes to the top to dive onto all five of them but I think you know what’s coming. If you thought selling or something original, you haven’t been paying enough attention.
Of course it’s a superkick and a bunch of flippy dives until all six are down in the ring. Everyone gets back up, there are eight superkicks, and everyone is down again. War Machine is up first and starts cleaning house with a German suplex/clothesline combination to take Berreta out, followed by a pop up powerslam for two. Fallout gets the same with Chuck making the save.
The Bucks are back in with superkicks and a flip dive but the Meltzer Driver is broken up and Chuck hits the Awful Waffle (spinning piledriver) for two on Matt. Rowe gets kneed in the face and both Friends roll him up at the same time for two. Superkicks continue to abound and a double Indytaker, followed by MORE superkicks retain the titles at 12:27.
Rating: B. You know, I watched the NJPW Dominion show and called the Bucks match their best ever. I also pointed out that they used by far the least amount of superkicks I ever saw from them. Here, I stopped counting at around twenty and I lost a lot of interest about halfway through the match. It really does get tiring, as does adding teams with no build for the sake of adding them in. True there was a story, but did we really need them there when you had a perfectly good title match already?
We recap the World Title match. Cody was supposed to win the title at War of the Worlds but got screwed over when a third man was added and cost him the fall. Now it’s his chance to win the title as a free agent. Daniels says the title means the world to him but for Cody it’s just another thing to add to his suitcase while he’s traveling from company to company. That’s a better version of the story they’ve been telling but it would be nice to have it announced more than five minutes before the opening bell.
ROH World Title: Christopher Daniels vs. Cody
Cody is challenging and of course we get Big Match Intros (as we should). The fans, as in the Ring of Honor fans, chant Too Sweet for Bullet Club’s Cody, because paying attention to the story is so beneath them. He’s supposed to be here to ruin the company that they all love so let’s cheer him. You know, the pure wrestling fans that ROH brags about having. Those guys who boo heels because the idea of heels and faces (you know, the pure wrestling that they all claim to love) is just passe at this point. I never got that but I’m often told to shut up and have fun so it probably isn’t worth asking about.
Cody works a headlock to start but a run of the ropes goes to Daniels, who puts his boot on Cody’s back as Cody drops down. Speaking of dropping down, Cody heads to the floor with a bloody lip. Back in and Angel’s Wings don’t work as Cody bails right back to the floor. This time he even goes into the crowd for a longer breather. Back in (again) and Daniels slugs away, sending Cody and his bloody lip outside for the third time.
Daniels finally follows him out with a baseball slide but Cody beats him up against the barricade to take over for a very short while. They head inside again with Daniels going up top, allowing Cody to armdrag him right back down in a good looking sequence. Cody grabs a short armscissors but stops to go outside and yell at former ROH owner Carey Silkin. Back in and Daniels drives him into the corner for a ref bump, allowing Cody to kick him low. BJ: “RIGHT IN THE DING DING!” After how forgettable he’s been tonight, even ripping off Steve Corino is a bit of an improvement for him.
Daniels gets in a small package for no count and here’s Scurll to throw Cody a chair. Of course the referee wakes up as Daniels picks up the chair, meaning it’s an Eddie Guerrero moment as he throws it to Cody and drops down. Cody grabs a cutter on the chair for no cover, but he does get a CODY chant. Kazarian comes out to get rid of Scurll and it’s table time.
The champ is right back with a Flatliner on the apron and an STO for two more. Angel’s Wings through the table is broken up and Cody busts out a Rainmaker (Thankfully not for a near fall BECAUSE IT’S JUST A CLOTHESLINE!). The Beautiful Disaster staggers Daniels but he’s still able to suplex Cody through the table in a big crash.
They both barely beat the count and Daniels grabs the Koji Clutch, sending Cody over to the ropes. Cody spits water (Where did he get that?) in Daniels’ face and gets two off Cross Rhodes. Angel’s Wings are countered again and Cody rolls him into another Cross Rhodes for the pin and the title at 19:18 to a huge face pop.
Rating: B. The crowd took me out of this one but that’s not on the wrestlers. Cody was trying to cheat in every possible way out there and they only cheered for him more. Simply put, if ROH doesn’t go for a BIG face turn for Cody (or perhaps even a double turn), they’re flat out wasting their time. The wrestling part here was fine and I liked the fact that the interference didn’t play a role in the win. Daniels lost the title at the right time as he was never going to be the next huge champion. Just giving him a feel good win and a few months as champion was all he ever needed to be.
Bullet Club comes out to celebrate to end the show as the announcers try to treat this as horrible while the fans can’t cheer Cody hard enough.
Overall Rating: B+. As is usually the case with Ring of Honor, I liked the show well enough but you’re only going to get so far with so little connection to a lot of the characters and stories. If the fans are going to cheer almost every heel, how exactly are they heels and therefore, why should I care about the people I’m supposed to care about? The wrestling is still good enough (flippy issues aside, though you expect that going into this one) and I liked most of the matches so I can easily say the show is good, though you have to really like this kind of wrestling to get behind the show, as is often the case around here.
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