Ring of Honor
Date: November 9, 2016
Location: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Steve Corino, Kevin Kelly

There’s not a lot going on at the moment with the big story being Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly and a secondary story of the Six Man Tag Team Title tournament. I mean, it’s not like there are enough teams to run such a tournament and a bunch of the teams have been brought in but let’s have it anyway. Let’s get to it.

Toru Yano vs. Michael Elgin

Yano is a GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, which is the Tag Team Title of Pro Wrestling Noah, which is invading New Japan. So yes, we now have TWO Japanese promotions represented here in Ring of Honor and arguably in this one match. Yano, the comedy guy, bounces off Elgin a few times until Elgin shoulders him down with ease.

That means hiding in the corner and offering a left handed handshake. Elgin knocks him outside but misses a charge into the steps. Yano uses the distraction to cut off a turnbuckle pad and smash Elgin in the back (it’s a big CUSHIONED PAD but Elgin sells it anyway) as we take a break. Back with Yano pulling on Elgin’s beard but getting caught in a falcon arrow for two. An atomic drop puts Yano down but for some reason Elgin can’t follow up.

Instead he gets the wire cutters and unhooks another pad, which he uses to hit Yano in the face. See, that first one just wasn’t good enough. A buckle bomb is countered and Elgin is catapulted into the buckle, only to have Yano blocking a signature low blow. Yano hits it a few seconds later and rolls Elgin up for two. The Elgin Bomb finally finishes Yano at 11:23.

Rating: D+. Do you know why this match took place? Back in the G1 Climax Tournament, Yano defeated Elgin and cost him a spot at the top of his block. So to translate: we’re watching a match in November because of a match in a Japanese tournament back in August. Oh and it was comedy. As in the Santino style of comedy: do the same spots every single time because they’re OH SO FUNNY. Like I’ve said: this place is New Japan’s dumping ground and I’m getting sick of it.

Video on Dragon Lee, a visiting wrestler from CMLL.

We look at the Bullet Club going after ReDRagon and specifically Bobby Fish’s TV Title. Fish thinks Page is in way over his head.

Bobby Fish vs. Dragon Lee

This is a Proving Ground match, meaning if Lee wins or goes to a time limit draw, he’ll get a title shot within thirty days. Oh and Lee is the CMLL World Lightweight Champion because we don’t have enough belts floating around. Fish had bad ribs coming in so Lee goes after the arm to start.

An armdrag and a hurricanrana make the ribs even worse (makes sense) and Lee suicide dives him into the barricade to take us to a break. Back with a release German suplex making the ribs even worse. A brainbuster gets two on Fish and we hit an STF to stay on the ribs. You can’t say Lee isn’t wrestling a smart match. Back up and Lee dropkicks the knee, setting up la majistral for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: C. This was a squash as Fish never had any offense and got pinned clean. I get the rib injury thing but they couldn’t do a countout here? Or even the rare referee stoppage? Or, I don’t know, NOT DO THIS MATCH??? This really isn’t doing anything for the reputation that Ring of Honor has of making its own wrestlers look bad against visiting wrestlers. But hey, CMLL looks good and that’s what matters.

Matt Taven says the countdown is on for the end of the Bullet Club.

Recap of the Six Man Tag Team Title tournament.

Six Man Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Kingdom vs. Bullet Club

This is the return of the Kingdom, now comprised of Matt Taven, T.K. O’Ryan and Vinny Marseglia. The Club here is Adam Cole and the Young Bucks so at least they’re bringing out the big names. It’s a brawl to start and the Kingdom actually cleans house early on as we take an early break.

Back with the Club taking over and hitting triple dives. Vinny gets caught in a camel clutch while the Bucks run the ropes, only to have them stop and kiss Cole on the cheek. Things settle down with Vinny fighting off Nick before handing it off to Taven. The Jacksons come right back with Matt kicking the Kingdom down as we take another break. Back again with the Bucks still in control via a slingshot X Factor on….whichever that one is as we’re basically just supposed to know who the other members of the Kingdom are (it was Ryan in case it means that much to you).

We get the Taven vs. Cole showdown that no one was waiting on with Cole starting in on the leg. The Canadian Destroyer is botched so badly that it turns into a sunset flip, leaving the Bucks to fire off a bunch of superkicks. The second attempt at the Destroyer results in Cole landing on his back and Taven’s head going into his ribs. A double Meltzer Driver is broken up and that means a double low blow. Vinny drops a Swanton Bomb on Nick for the pin at 13:56.

Rating: C-. Well that happened. I’m glad the Club won’t be dominating all the titles in an NWO style angle but the Kingdom might be the least interesting stable this side of the Cabinet. Simple questions: who are T.K. and Vinny and why in the world should I care about them? The announcers said they knew who they were and the match was going from there. How does that help viewers at home? It doesn’t help that the match was pretty lifeless with the Destroyers both looking horrible.

Overall Rating: D+. Let me get the important part out of the way: the wrestling here was fine. It wasn’t great or memorable but it was certainly watchable. You had three matches and the action was acceptable. The Proving Ground match was easily the best and told a simple story, despite a questionable ending.

Unfortunately, that’s about all the positives there are for this show. This episode was almost every major problem Ring of Honor has rolled into one. We had stories that have nothing to do with ROH, a champion losing clean to someone who is just here on a visit and a completely lifeless main event for titles that don’t need to exist. This was an episode you didn’t need to see as the only thing of note was a first round tournament match with two unknowns joining the weak link in a former midcard stable that isn’t that interesting without Maria around. I need a story to invest in and this show didn’t have one all night.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete 2014 Raw and Smackdown Reviews Part I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Ring of Honor
Date: October 5, 2016
Location: MCU Park, Brooklyn, New York
Attendance: 1,500
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino

It’s the first show after a pay per view and that means…..well I have no idea what that means actually as this could be anything for the most part. We could be getting a special look at someone or a special show with nothing to do with the regular shows. Or it could just be a stand alone show that focuses on some midcard storylines. My guess: New Japan. Let’s get to it.

We’re going to a special show called Field of Honor from Brooklyn back on August 27, 2016.

National Anthem.

Opening sequence.

TV Title: Bobby Fish vs. Evil

Fish is defending and gets his eyes raked to start. An early kneebar attempt sends Evil outside and Fish is right there to kick at the leg. Evil is right back up with a chair to the back before wrapping it around Fish’s throat to send it into the post. It’s not a DQ for reasons that aren’t clear and we take a break.

Back with Fish suplexing Evil into the corner because that’s a required spot these days. They trade forearms until Fish gets in a Samoan drop for a breather. A half and half suplex gets two for Evil and he takes Fish’s head off with a clothesline. Fish pops right back up with a falcon arrow into a kneebar and Evil taps at 10:40.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that I can always go with: simple wrestling with a random challenger coming for a title despite there being no chance of a title change (partially because this was taped six weeks ago). I’m not big on Evil but he was the perfect choice to go after the champ like this. Fun little match.

IWGP Intercontinental Title: Michael Elgin vs. Donovan Dijak

Elgin is defending and this title has never been on the line in New York before. Dijak gets powered into the corner but he punches Mike in the cut on his forehead. That goes nowhere so Elgin shoulders him down and follows with the delayed vertical suplex. Dijak avoids a charge in the corner and lifts Elgin up for some knees to the back. It’s too early to finish the champ off though and he muscles Dijak up for a suplex as we take another break.

Back with Elgin hitting Dijak in the face and getting two off a really hard clothesline. The Elgin Bomb gets two and Dijak grabs a fireman’s carry into a sitout powerbomb of his own for two more. A chokebreaker sets up Dijak’s moonsault for two. Elgin shrugs that off too and hits a quick Death Valley Driver onto the apron. A German superplex knocks Dijak silly and it’s a buckle bomb into the Elgin Bomb to retain the title at 11:45.

Rating: B-. I had a lot of fun with this as they just beat each other up for a long time. There was nothing scientific here and that’s all it was supposed to be. Elgin is a beast who can run people over and Dijak is the kind of athletic freak that you only get every now and then. Fun match here as this show has been good so far.

Bullet Club vs. ACH/Lio Rush/Motor City Machine Guns

Yujiro Takahashi/Hangman Page/Young Bucks for the Bullet Club here and ACH/Lio Rush and the Motor City Machine Guns for ACH/Lio Rush/Motor City Machine Guns. We have to wait for ACH to run around the bases before it’s time to get going. Matt and Lio start things off and it’s a thumb to the eye to give the Club the early advantage. Rush flips around and starts kicking both Bucks so we can take a break.

Back with Sabin headlocking Page and bringing Shelley in for a top rope armdrag. Nick gets hung over the top with three guys holding him in place for Rush’s top rope double stomp. Quadruple strikes have Nick in even more trouble and the rest of the Club FINALLY comes in for the save. A bunch of superkicks have Rush and ACH down so the fans gets behind the Club. Of course they do. Back in and the powerbomb into a kick to the head knocks Rush silly.

We come back from another break with Rush diving at the corner but getting suplexed over for two. Matt grabs a camel clutch so Nick can run the ropes, only to stop for a Too Sweet poke to the eyes. Rush doesn’t seem interested in sucking it so he makes the hot tag to ACH. Everything breaks down with ACH doing a bunch of dives and kicks to the head of anyone he can find.

A belly to back suplex gets two on Page and the Guns hit a Magic Killer on Matt. Rush starts firing off suicide dives and some superkicks send Page into a German suplex for two. The Guns start their rapid fire offense on the Bucks but a double superkick knocks Rush to the floor. Now we get the Bucks firing off dives but ACH hits an even bigger one to take everyone down. Back in and a double superkick into the Rite of Passage knocks Sabin out for the pin at 15:29.

Rating: B. This was exactly what it needed to be with eight guys who were there to fly all over the place and pop the crowd all over the place. The Bullet Club continues to dominate the promotion because that’s what Ring of Honor is about anymore. The Guns/Rush/ACH are fine enough for a group to lose to the Club so it’s all gravy here.

Overall Rating: B. Now this is the kind of show that I can get into. They aren’t trying anything over the top or anything stupid like the Kevin Sullivan story and just went with the wrestling, which is what you need every now and then. There’s good stuff in this promotion (meaning it doesn’t need New Japan) and it’s fun to watch them from time to time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete 2014 Raw and Smackdown Reviews Part I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Ring of Honor
Date: September 14, 2016
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

All-Star Extravaganza is in a few weeks and we only know a few matches so far. These monthly pay per views are really hard to book when Ring of Honor has so many stand alone TV episodes just after the pay per views as they’re basically booking a huge show in just a few weeks. Hopefully this makes things a bit better. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last week’s Bullet Club segment and Jay Lethal interrupting to set up a six man tag with Los Ingobernables de Japan backing him up.

Opening sequence.

Bullet Club vs. Jay Lethal/Los Ingobernables de Japan

That would be Adam Cole/Hangman Page/Yujiro Takahashi vs. Lethal/Tetsuya Naito/Evil. Takahashi and Evil get things going here with Evil easily taking him down. That means it’s off to Cole vs. Lethal with Adam bailing out to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Naito sending Page to the floor and doing his signature take it easy pose. We get more Cole vs. Lethal and yet again Adam tags out to Takahashi.

The fast tagging continues as Naito comes back in, only to get jumped from behind by Cole. A blind tag allows Lethal to finally get his hands on Cole and the brawl is on until a double right hand puts both guys down. Naito gets annoyed at Lethal’s attempt at a tag so Los Ingobernables both walk out. That means another break and we come back to Lethal in real trouble thanks to the triple teaming.

Cue Michael Elgin to get in Lethal’s corner and Nigel says it’s all cool (thank you for actually having the boss approve something). House is quickly cleaned with Elgin powerslamming Page and Takahashi at the same time (that’s not normal) to take over. More triple teaming has Elgin in trouble so here’s Kyle O’Reilly to really make this a six man tag again.

The tag brings in Kyle to slug it out with Adam until a brainbuster gets two on a champ. We take a ridiculous third break and come back with Kyle’s rebound lariat taking out Page and Takahashi. Kyle and Adam strike it out again until a low superkick from Cole puts both guys down. The double tag brings in Lethal and Takahashi and a quick Lethal Injection ends Yujiro at 19:20.

Rating: C+. This was more than I was going to like as they threw in so much stuff that it was hard to focus on anything. Elgin isn’t much of a title challenger as Kyle is pretty clearly the real contender to Cole’s title. Kyle needs a big win to get him into the title picture though and I’m not sure who they could put in that place.

Bobby Fish is ready for Katsuyori Shibata, who is getting a title shot because he’s from New Japan and that’s important.

Addiction is ready for Ladder War.

Lethal is still by the ring (nice of him to wait through all the taped material) and says he wants revenge on Naito. That earns him a match at All Star Extravaganza, though Nigel points out that Lethal’s last request cost him the title. The match makes sense as you have to completely confirm Lethal’s face turn.

TV Title: Bobby Fish vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Fish is defending and Shibata’s Never Openweight Title isn’t on the line. The threat of an early Penalty Kick sends Fish into the ropes as the fans are almost all behind Shibata. We get a Figure Four on the champ and the turn escape isn’t working for Bobby. A rope break gets him out of the hold and sends us to an early break. Back with Shibata’s knee in trouble and Fish getting two off a snap suplex.

We hit the chinlock and here’s Prince Nana for commentary as his client is #1 contender to the title. Fish starts in with the kicks to the chest but Shibata tells him to bring it on. Shibata wins a slugout and hits a running dropkick in the corner. It’s off to a rear naked choke on Fish but he reverses into the heel hook.

Shibata gets in a leglock of his own at the same time so both guys are in trouble. They roll into the ropes and we take another break. Back from a late break with Shibata using fighting spirit (Nigel’s words) to get in a German suplex. Another slugout goes to Shibata with an STO getting a one. Armbars don’t go anywhere so Shibata gets in a triangle, only to have Fish roll him up to retain at 16:33.

Rating: C+. I still don’t get the appeal of Shibata but that’s probably a Ring of Honor thing as I’m sure he’s different here than he is over in Japan. I’m fine with the one off match here as that’s the idea behind the TV Title, even though it’s basically treated as a regular midcard title most of the time.

Fish and Shibata go nose to nose to set up their rematch in Japan.

Nigel tells us that Steve Corino is back on commentary next week.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a good enough way to set up All-Star Extravaganza, which still doesn’t feel like an important show. At least the card is starting to fill in and they can put in more Six Man Title tournament matches to really pad things out. The wrestling was fine here if a bit uninspired but we got a big match set up and some build towards a few other matches so this did its job.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s Complete 2014 Raw and Smackdown Reviews Part I at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Death Before Dishonor 2016
Date: August 19, 2016
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

It’s time for another ROH pay per view and in this case that means more from the stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Unfortunately that also means a lot of matches with almost no story and a lot of NJPW vs. ROH matches. The main event has potential though as Adam Cole challenging Jay Lethal for the ROH World Title. Let’s get to it.

The opening video mainly focuses on the World Title match, which makes sense as that’s certainly the biggest match of the show.

The announcers run down the card.

Kamaitachi vs. Donovan Dijak vs. Jay White vs. Lio Rush

Winner gets a TV Title shot at some point in the future. Dijak and Kamaitachi (the heels) start things off but instead of fighting each other they go after the good guys on the apron to turn it into a brawl. Rush comes right back with a flip dive over the top to take out Dijak though, leaving White to dive onto Kamaitachi. The good guys fight in the middle as the announcers take every chance they can to suck up to Rush. Actually hold that though as it’s time to plug the New Japan TV show. We wouldn’t want the fans to think this is an ROH show.

Things settle down to White and Kamaitachi forearming each other in the face before it’s back to Rush for a bunch of suicide dives. Dijak pulls him out of the air but that means Lio Rush isn’t treated like the biggest star ever so he hits his reverse hurricanrana on the floor. Back in and Dijak hits the chokebreaker on Rush, only to get caught in a Rock Bottom from White for two. Kamaitachi dives over the top to take out White and Dijak throws Rush onto all of them. Dijak hits his own dive before having to stop Rush’s running C4. That means it’s a discus boot to the face and Feast Your Eyes puts Rush away at 8:10.

Rating: C+. This was their best option for an opener. I like Dijak and White so this is one of the better options. Rush…..I still don’t get it. I know they’re VERY high on him but I honestly don’t see the massive appeal. Granted that might have something to do with me being a big fan of Punisher Martinez, who actually felt like something different. Rush just feels like an indy guy who keeps getting pushed all over the place.

We recap Katsuyori Shibata vs. Silas Young. Silas is annoyed that he keeps fighting through ROH but all he ever hears about are the New Japan guys. GEE, YOU THINK THAT MIGHT BE A PROBLEM??? Tonight he wants to fight Shibata, who is considered the toughest guy in New Japan so he can prove a point.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Silas Young

This is Shibata’s American debut and his Never Openweight Title isn’t on the line because they never are in ROH. Silas slaps him in the face to start and the fans tell Silas that he’s made a big mistake. Shibata starts in with the strikes but Young goes after the bad shoulder to take over.

A Boston crab doesn’t get Young anywhere as Shibata goes into his “zone”, or basically Hulks Up. Shibata starts forearming Silas down in the corner and grabs an abdominal stretch. A belly to back backbreaker gets two for Young, followed by a cutter for the same. The springboard moonsault gets two more on Shibata and the fans actually say it was three. Shibata comes right back with a standing choke and a running kick to the chest for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C. Young’s promo summed up every issue I had with the New Japan guys in a nutshell: Ring of Honor wrestlers do everything they can ever time but “oh never mind, we’ve got New Japan”. It’s like a reverse invasion where the fans are happy that the New Japan guys are here and buy tickets for them instead of ROH talent. Maybe the ROH guys would be worth more if they were actually presented as a big deal or actually won some major matches over the bigger New Japan stars, but that’s just not how it works on here and it’s getting really old in a hurry.

Silas actually shakes hands post match. I wouldn’t have expected that.

Yujiro Takahashi/Guerillas of Destiny vs. Roppangi Vice/Toru Yano

Bullet Club vs. Chaos, which means ALL NEW JAPAN! Caprice Coleman of the Cabinet (the most useless stable I’ve seen in a long time) is here to scout the Guerillas for a match at tomorrow’s TV tapings. Yano, a comedy guy, runs away from Tonga Loa so Beretta comes in and gets shoved right back down. Now we get Yano for real and he hides in the ropes, drawing a LET HIM GO chant.

Romero comes in for some running clotheslines on Tama Tonga. Everything breaks down for a bit and it’s Romero being taken into the wrong corner for a beatdown. Coleman starts screaming at Nigel about having something against the Cabinet, who can’t get on pay per view while these “less talented jive turkeys” can get on the show. Loa gets two off a powerslam as Kelly tries to explain the story here, almost all of which happened in Japan.

Romero finally kicks his way over to the corner and it’s off to Beretta to clean house. It’s off to Yano who can’t take off a turnbuckle pad, allowing Yujiro to hit a running kick to the chest for two. Yano finally gets the pad off and uses it as a weapon (that’s a new one) and of course the referee is fine with it. I guess incompetent refereeing goes across the world.

The Guerillas hit a powerbomb/neckbreaker combo onto the pad (Wouldn’t that weaken the blow?) for two on Yano with Vice making the save. A double knee takes out Loa and there are the stereo dives. Yujiro hits a fisherman’s buster for two on Yano as Coleman complains about Nigel not stopping the match due to the cheating. Yano hits Yujiro low and grabs a small package for the pin at 11:16.

Rating: C-. Well that happened. We had a referee who doesn’t mind cheating, a matchmaker who is called out on treating the ROH roster like a bunch of losers and a face who cheats to win and is cheered for it. Oh and Coleman is still really annoying. As I’ve said before: the booking in this company is all over the place and if you don’t cheer for New Japan, apparently you just don’t get it.

Post match a brawl breaks out and here’s Hangman Page to choke Yano, only to have Jay Briscoe run out for the save.

Jay Briscoe vs. Hangman Page

This actually started in ROH but of course was advanced in Japan, as everything else is. Anything goes so let’s start with a chair duel. Briscoe gets the better of it and sends Page outside in a big crash. A suplex on the ramp makes things worse for Page and it’s time to go back inside where Jay chokes with the noose.

Page fights off the attempted murder and knocks him outside for a powerbomb through an open chair. A VERY hard chair shot to the shoulder/head knocks Jay silly but Page would rather set up a table. Back in and a Death Valley Driver onto a chair gives Jay a break but no cover. Briscoe keeps up the violence by wrapping a chair around Page’s neck for a neckbreaker and only two.

We get the chair wedged in the corner and Jay ties Page to said chair. That’s different. Some running knees drive Page’s head into the chair but he blocks a third charge, which really doesn’t make a ton of sense. Page gets off the table and comes back with a hard running clothesline for two of his own. They’re beating the heck out of each other here and it’s really starting to work.

It’s back to the noose with Briscoe being sent over the top but fighting his way out of the hanging. Page tries a running shooting star off the apron but Briscoe superkicks him in the shoulder (which required a replay to see). The Jay Driller through the table is broken up and Page hits the Rite of Passage (over the back piledriver) through the table for a VERY close two. Adam’s leg is cut all to pieces and Jay is bleeding from the back. Page chokes with the noose and hits another Rite of Passage for the pin at 17:42.

Rating: B+. Now THAT is how you give someone a rub. Page felt like the Buff Bagwell of the Bullet Club and now he’s got the biggest win of his career over someone who has lost like two matches in a year. The Rite of Passage through the table was a great callback to their first match and I was way into the violence and seeing who could hang on. Awesome match here and it worked really, really well.

Dalton Castle sees the Boys playing with Okada Bucks. Castle: “WHAT THE DICKENS???” Dalton says it’s ok because he loves New Japan too, but he’d rather drop someone on their head. He eats one of the Okada Bucks and that’s the extent of the build to this match.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Dalton Castle

Non-title again. Castle has a grand entrance with even more Boys than usual, including some wheeling him through the curtain. The announcers praise Okada during his entrance to make sure they don’t anger their New Japan overlords. Okada works on the wristlock to start as the fans are actually split for a change. An early Rainmaker attempt doesn’t work (and it’s one heck of a CLOTHESLINE) so Dalton gives him the peacock pose.

The Boys actually fan Okada and the distraction lets Castle get in a running knee to the head. Back in and Dalton works on the arm to slow things way down. Castle sends him outside for a suicide dive, followed by a bulldog for two. A t-bone suplex plants Okada and a great looking bridging German suplex gets two more.

Cue the Boys into the ring to apparently side with Okada, only to have Castle hit the Bang A Rang. Okada rolls outside though because he can’t get pinned around here. The Boys start cheering for Castle again but the second Bang A Rang is countered. A Tombstone plants Castle and the Rainmaker gives Okada the pin at 13:54.

Rating: B-. Who would have thought the match would have been Castle getting close but coming up short against Okada and the IT’S STILL A FREAKING CLOTHESLINE? The thing with the Boys was a weird story that kept changing sides before the end, which was about as predictable as anything else on the show. At least the match wasn’t bad.

Okada and Castle post after the match.

We recap Mark Briscoe vs. Bobby Fish. Briscoe is the workhorse of ROH and wants to finally win something on his own but Fish says he’s just not good enough. Somehow this turned into a battle between chicken and fish because…..I have no idea actually.

TV Title: Bobby Fish vs. Mark Briscoe

Mark is challenging. Fish takes him to the mat to start and cranks on the leg before switching to a headlock. The technical stuff continues until Mark forearms him in the jaw to take over. Fish bails to the floor and says it’s his time. I’m not sure why we need to have every TV Champion (at least the ones who work for ROH) turn heel around the time they win the title but at least it’s working here.

Back in and Fish starts the kicks to the chest, only to have it countered by Redneck Kung Fu. The Blockbuster off the apron has Fish in trouble but Briscoe comes up holding his back. Ever the smart one, Bobby starts in on the leg before opting for a kick to the back. At least he’s thinking. Mark blocks a suplex but hurts his back even worse, followed by missing a charge into the corner.

A Sick Kick and fisherman buster get two on Bobby but the Froggy Bow hits knees. It’s off to the kneebar on Mark for a few seconds, only to have him grab the rope and plant Fish with a slam. Now the Froggy Bow gets two and Briscoe is spent. Fish sends him back first into the corner, followed by an exploder suplex into the same corner. A falcon arrow retains the title at 16:08.

Rating: B. They told a good story with the back injury and Fish being able to pick him apart throughout the match, which is all you need to do here. I’m fine with Fish retaining the title, though Fish vs. Dijak could be a little weird. Good match here though as the wrestling continues to work, even when New Japan isn’t around.

The Addiction says they’re so great that two top New Japan teams want a chance at the titles. Every team looks up to them because they’re the kings of the best tag team roster in the world.

Tag Team Titles: Addiction vs. Los Ingobernables de Japan vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi/Michael Elgin

Addiction is defending and Matt Taven is on commentary, again for no apparent reason. Tanahashi and Naito start things off but Daniels tags himself in before there’s any contact. Naito quickly sends him outside and poses on the mat, earning himself a face pop despite being a huge heel in Japan. It’s off to Elgin to run over both champions in succession before suplexing them at the same time.

Tanahashi comes in but the champs take over, only to have Naito tag himself in. Makes sense as you have to be in the ring to win the titles. We get a weird collaboration between Daniels and Evil but everything breaks down with Elgin throwing everyone around with German suplexes. The Addiction gets German suplexed at the same time, followed by a fall away slam/Samoan drop combo to the other challengers.

Daniels suicide dives onto Evil (Taven: “Show me that beautiful bean footage.”), only to have Tanahashi break up Celebrity Rehab. We get the big spot of the match with Elgin hitting a running flip dive over the top to take out everyone at the same time. Eh big men flying are always cool.

Back in and Elgin powerslams Evil off the middle rope, followed by the reverse Alabama Slam splash from Tanahashi for two. Cue Kamaitachi for a distraction so Addiction can get two off a belt shot. Evil plants Tanahashi for the same as I wonder how the ROH boss isn’t fired for letting this happen in a match he’s calling. The Sling Blade plants Evil and sets up the High Fly Flow but Daniels tags himself in and steals the pin to retain at 14:48.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on the three way tags or the Addiction in general so this was about as good as it was going to get. Not that it really matters though as there’s a good chance that the Young Bucks take the Tag Team Titles in a few weeks anyway. I’m glad they didn’t give the belts to one of the invading teams here for the sake of “building the titles up” as that almost never goes well for anyone and often screws things up even more. Match was fine but nothing I’m interested in.

We recap Adam Cole vs. Jay Lethal with Cole attacking months ago, waiting for Lethal to retain against Jay Briscoe, and then cutting the champ’s hair to earn a shot here. Lethal has been champion for over a year now and they’ve done a very good job of setting him up as unbeatable.

ROH World Title: Jay Lethal vs. Adam Cole

Lethal is defending and they’re both here alone. Apparently Nigel has told the referee to relax the rules here so there must be a winner. Cole pulls out some of Lethal’s shaved hair and the fight is on in a hurry. Lethal hiptosses him down and cartwheels into a basement dropkick. Cole comes back and it’s time to SHOUT A CATCHPHRASE.

They head outside with Lethal taking over again and setting up a table, which is kind of outside his nature. A cutter on the floor knocks Cole silly but he’s still able to roll off the table, sending Jay’s flying elbow through the table instead. Adam very slowly takes his time getting back inside so we can hit the chinlock.

Lethal finally gets up and hits a middle rope leg lariat to start the first of probably multiple comebacks. There’s a springboard dropkick to knock Cole off the apron and Lethal hits three straight suicide dives. That’s WAY too common of a move around here and it doesn’t get any better when he does it a fourth and fifth time. The sixth (this is reaching superkick levels) hits the barricade though and Cole is suddenly fine. To be fair they’re really just flying shoves so this isn’t a huge stretch.

Back in and Cole kicks him in the face to cut off a second comeback, followed by a Shining Wizard for another near fall. A superkick misses (I’m sure he’ll get to throw more) and Lethal takes him down with a clothesline. It’s way too early for the Lethal Injection though and Cole hits him low for two more.

Lethal can’t get a Figure Four but the Lethal Combination breaks up a choke and puts both guys down. The top rope elbow connects for two more and it’s time to trade big strikes. Cole’s Canadian Destroyer is countered but the Lethal Injection is blocked with, of course, a superkick.

The suplex backbreaker gets a VERY close two and the fans are way into this. Cole actually takes the time to talk trash and the Lethal Injection only gets two on Adam. Both guys are spent so Cole flips him off, sending Lethal into a rage. That’s exactly what Cole wants though as he grabs another suplex backbreaker for the pin and the title at 24:00.

Rating: B. They did a very good job with the ending as I was waiting on the Bucks to run in and then Cole just pinned him clean by getting inside Lethal’s head and throwing him off his game. Cole winning was the only real option here as Lethal can’t do anything else with the belt and it’s WAY past the point where the Bullet Club should have gotten the title. If nothing else now they’re not just on the sideline and dominating the show. Besides Cole is rather awesome and made a good champion the first time around.

Since a show can’t end cleanly around here though, here’s Kyle O’Reilly to lay out Cole and hold up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. It’s amazing how much more I liked this show once we had people I actually know and care about. The New Japan matches were mostly fine but for me, wrestling is about the storylines and caring one way or another about what’s going on. Just having matches for the sake of having matches, especially when you know the New Japan guys are going over, gets tiresome in a hurry.

The other major issue though is how the booking continues to go. Make no mistake about it: this company is ALL about New Japan, the Bullet Club, and making sure Ring of Honor wrestlers look like second class performers by comparison. I can’t think of the last time a major New Japan star did a job to an ROH wrestler and it’s becoming a waste of time to watch them wrestle.

Yeah I know it’s cool for the live fans but “Come see Okada and Tanahashi!” stopped being a draw for me a long time ago. Would it really kill them to have an ROH only pay per view for a change? I really can’t imagine the buys would change that significantly. Maybe if they built their own talent up, the New Japan talent wouldn’t be as necessary.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s WWE Grab Bag at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Three previews in one, meaning my fingers are rather tired.

http://wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-ill-die-before-i-dishonor-brooklyn-by-going-back-to-takeover-summerslam/

Ring of Honor
Date: August 10, 2016
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 850
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

We’re on to another taping cycle here and we only have two weeks before Death Before Dishonor. It’s a big show this week though as we have Colt Cabana getting his ROH World Title shot against the now bald Jay Lethal. This should make for an interesting match as it’s almost guaranteed to be a way to set up Adam Cole as the next challenger. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the Bullet Club shaving Lethal’s hair and see Jay freaking out in a mirror. Good visual there actually.

Opening sequence.

Will Ferrara vs. Jay White

White is, say it with me, from New Japan. Well at least from their Dojo. For some reason this is treated like his debut even though he was on ROH a few weeks back. White grabs a wristlock to start but Will gets up for a stalemate. A middle rope hurricanrana gets two for Ferrara but White starts twisting his wrist around to take over. Ferrara sends him outside though and a suicide dive takes us to a break. Back with Ferrara hitting a bouncing DDT but getting caught with a missile dropkick for another near fall. A loud dropkick and spinning Rock Bottom get two for White, followed by the Kiwi Crusher for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C. This was fine as White is someone who needs ring time and some wins that go somewhere to set him up as something important. That’s all well and good but I really don’t need someone else toiling in Ring of Honor until they can go back to New Japan for their real career. White isn’t bad though and that’s a good sign, especially if he sticks around for awhile.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Silas Young at Death Before Dishonor. That would be the latest New Japan vs. ROH match with no story announced for the pay per view because they don’t have time to set up ROH vs. ROH matches because they’re too busy doing New Japan vs. ROH matches. It’s a vicious cycle.

We look back at Mark Briscoe beating ACH to become #1 contender for the TV Title.

Here’s Mark Briscoe to be in the Fish Tank. Before Bobby Fish comes out, Mark talks about learning the inner workings of the Fish Tank. It’s Bobby Fish subliminally trying to infiltrate his brain. Fish was about to come out but Mark told the music man to play the Briscoes’ music instead. Therefore, this is now THE CHICKEN SHACK with first guest Bobby Fish! Or maybe Chris Jericho since this is screaming Ambrose Asylum/Highlight Reel.

Fish comes out in a suit and Mark approves of the clothing. Mark asks if Fish prefers chicken or fish on his flights but Bobby doesn’t eat airplane food. Question #2: “Is it true that the last time you were in Las Vegas you married an Ethiopian midget?” Fish says no comment because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. That brings Mark to the next time Fish is going to Las Vegas which will be at Death Before Dishonor.

Fish says there is no way he’s losing the title but let’s say the impossible happens. If Mark wins the title, who will he be then? Fish knows the answer: Mark would be Jay Briscoe’s little brother holding his secondary title. See, if Mark wins the title, that title drops right back down the ladder. That’s enough for Mark who throws the chairs over but security breaks it up. Fish says Mark is looking at the champion, who will be leaving Las Vegas with the title. I really liked this segment and it made me want to see the match for the first time, which I didn’t expect.

The Addiction is ready to take care of the Motor City Machine Guns.

ROH World Title: Colt Cabana vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is defending in a rematch after Adam Cole and the Young Bucks interfered last time. Feeling out process to start as they have a lot of time to work with here, save for an angle at the end that is. Lethal is sent outside in frustration and Cabana is nice enough to hold the ropes open for the champ.

Back in and Lethal dropkicks him outside to earn a nice face chant. Lethal holds the ropes open for Cabana and the fans are getting into the idea here. Back in again and we get some very obvious spot calling with Cabana hitting another dropkick to put Jay on the floor. They quickly switch places so Jay can hit back to back to back suicide dives and the fans are WAY into Lethal here. I think we can call that a successful face turn.

We come back from another break with Cabana charging into a boot in the corner and a slugout won by the challenger. Jay can’t get a rolling suplex but can counter the Billy Goat’s Curse. Instead Cabana hits a middle rope splash for two, only to get caught in the Lethal Combination. Hail To The King is countered into a crucifix but Jay comes back with the Lethal Injection for a near fall.

Cabana is smart enough to step to the side before Jay can try another Injection, only to catch Lethal with the Chicago Skyline (a fireman’s carry drop onto the turnbuckle) as we take another break. Back again with Cabana hitting a jumping hip attack to block the Lethal Injection for a very close two. That would have been better without the commercial right before. Another Injection doesn’t work so Lethal hits a cutter and now the Injection connects to retain the title at 14:12.

Rating: B. I liked this way more than I was expecting to and I was genuinely surprised that they went with a clean finish here. That’s a good thing though as they needed to write Cabana off as a challenger instead of letting that hang over Lethal’s title reign again. I don’t think anyone was expecting Cabana to win the title in the first place but at least they had a good match to blow it off. Lethal really works as a face too, which is kind of a surprise.

Post match Jay asks Nigel McGuinness to get in the ring. Normally Lethal would be saying there’s no one left but there’s one man left. He wants Adam Cole at Death Before Dishonor because he can’t stand by while the Bullet Club takes over. I’m not sure how they’re taking over but that’s what we’re going with. At least it’s not the Beat Down Clan. Nigel says no because there are more worthy challengers.

Cue Cole to say no one is buying this. Cole says nothing should be holding him back from being World Champion again. Unless Jay defends the title again him, that title reign means nothing. Cole calls Lethal a rather rude name and Jay snaps, basically demanding a title match. The demand and the cheering from the crowd forces Nigel to officially make the match, only about two weeks after it was announced on ROH’s website. Cole (with the skinniest arms of a main eventer I’ve seen in years) smiles and leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. Maybe it’s that I watched the Urban Wrestling Federation show before this but this was the best ROH show I can remember seeing in probably six months. The opener was fine, the main event was really good, and the two promos to set up/build pay per view matches were awesome. Nothing on this show didn’t work and I had a really good time with it. Well done indeed ROH and I’m fairly shocked to say that these days.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s WWE Grab Bag at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Ring of Honor
Date: July 13, 2016
Location: Cabarrus Arena, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

It’s about time. We’re finally back to some fresh episode with only the Ring of Honor crew as it’s time to deal with some fallout from Best in the World. It’s not clear what the next pay per view will be (or when it will be for that matter) but odds are we’ll be seeing Adam Cole as the next challenger to Jay Lethal’s ROH World Title. Let’s get to it.

We open with stills from Lethal vs. Briscoe II where Lethal retained the title clean.

Jason Kincaid vs. Donovan Dijak

Kincaid put in a strong performance in the Top Prospect Tournament. Dijak has Prince Nana because that new Embassy thing is STILL going on. Donovan powers him into the corner off a lockup and actually rams him into the corner while still in the lockup. I’ve never actually seen that. Dijak knocks him outside but can’t get a suplex on the floor. Instead Kincaid slips out and lands on the bottom rope, only to springboard backwards into a facebuster. That looked sweet and takes us to a break.

Back with Kincaid minus his shirt and getting thrown out of a suplex for a big crash. Another faceplant lets Kincaid come back again, setting up a seated Blockbuster to put Donovan on the floor. That means a suicide dive into a sunset bomb, followed by a springboard tornado DDT for two on Dijak back inside. That was a very flashy looking sequence and Kincaid gets even better by standing on the post for a super Diamond Dust (flipping Stunner). An armbar on the chokeslam arm has Dijak in trouble but he catches Kincaid coming off the top in Feast Your Eyes for the pin at 9:41.

Rating: C+. Big star making performance for Kincaid here, though it wasn’t the best idea in the world to have him use all of his big stuff in one night. That being said, when you’re not guaranteed a change to get out there very often, you need to get your stuff in. I wasn’t wild on the way he did things but he didn’t have many other options so it’s understandable. Dijak basically had one or two moves in the whole match but it’s not like he’s been doing anything other than the quick Lethal mini feud.

ACH is ready to become #1 contender to the TV Title tonight.

Tag Team Titles: Addiction vs. Beer City Bruiser/Silas Young

This was billed as the main event last week. Silas and Bruiser are challenging after winning Tag Wars on the road to Best in the World. Before the match, Daniels says he’s glad to be ready to face some REAL men. Kazarian and Young start things off by trading wristlocks before they both catch kicks to the ribs. They slowly put each others foot down before Kazarian takes over with some right hands. Daniels comes in and offers a knee for a faceplant but Young comes back with a kick to the chest.

The rather large Bruiser comes in to drive Daniels into the corner as this heel vs. heel thing is taking some getting used to. Daniels gets crushed in the corner with a running Umaga Attack, running knee and Cannonball but since Beer City Bruiser is…..well the Beer City Bruiser, Daniels easily takes over on him and scores with a split legged moonsault as we take a break.

Back (after Mark Briscoe saying he’s going to beat the better athlete in ACH tonight) with Bruiser crossbodying Kazarian to make the hot tag off to Silas as everything breaks down. Silas knees Kazarian in the face for two as the Addiction flips Silas into the air for a sitout powerbomb/neckbreaker combo and another near fall. Now it’s Bruiser getting knocked into the corner but Silas breaks up a double superplex. The big frog splash misses though and it’s the BME and Flux Capacitor (springboard spinning legdrop) to put Bruiser away and retain the titles at 12:19.

Rating: D. I’m not a big Addiction fan in the first place but this really didn’t work. Why they went with heels vs. heels isn’t clear but it caused some issues as the fans weren’t sure who to cheer and that’s not a good position to put them in. Bruiser and Young are fine as midcard bullies but they’re not really a team that is going to be a threat to the titles.

Kyle O’Reilly is fired up about his chance at the ROH World Title in two weeks.

It’s time for a live Fish Tank (Bobby Fish’s talk show) where Fish talks about how he’s the King of ROH. So he’s married to Maria and therefore Mike Bennett? Anyway his guests tonight are the potential #1 contenders to his TV Titles: Mark Briscoe and ACH. Briscoe goes first and wants to know what ACH stands for.

Perhaps it’s American Child Hero because ACH looks like a fourteen year old who has been eating grilled cheese all morning. Maybe it means Acrobatic Catlike Horseman? Fish isn’t sure but thinks Mark is on to something. ACH doesn’t like being called names like that because he wants his legacy. That means it’s time to beat up a chicken like Briscoe so the name means Annihilating Chickens Punks. Fish says let’s do the match right now.

Mark Briscoe vs. ACH

Winner gets a title shot against Fish, who sits in on commentary. Briscoe sends him to the mat to start and grabs a headlock to keep the high flier on the mat. ACH’s wristlock doesn’t last long so he goes with a rollup for two instead. It’s time to start flipping around until ACH dropkicks him out to the floor, meaning we get some basketball posing. Mark switches places with him and drops ACH, only to miss a Cactus Jack (complete with BANG BANGs) apron elbow.

ACH runs way too far around the ring and jumps to the apron for a headscissors around the post. Back in and ACH tries a springboard in but Mark dropkicks him backwards as we take a break. We come back to ACH hitting a discus lariat in the corner before they fight over a suplex for a long time. Mark finally gets him over but bangs his own head in the process to put both guys down again.

It’s time for Briscoe to take over as he sends ACH into all four turnbuckles in a row and then back to the first for a bonus. Mark can’t get a fisherman’s suplex but settles for a Death Valley Driver. He takes too long going up top though and gets kicked in the head, only to block the Midnight Star. A brainbuster sets up the Froggy Bow to put ACH away at 11:30.

Rating: D+. I really wasn’t feeling this one as there wasn’t much of a flow. Then again that’s a common problem in almost every ACH match I’ve seen so far and that’s not really surprising giving how his high flying style goes. Mark winning was the right call as I could see him winning the title whereas ACH would come off as just another guy.

Briscoe and Fish stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. The show was far from great but it was so nice to see some fresh stories for a change. It wasn’t the best wrestling in the world but at least these people aren’t the same imports that we’ve been watching for months now. It should be interesting to see them add in some more stuff going forward as things are kind of starting over again. Not a great shot but it was a major change that I had been waiting for since the beginning of the year.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s WWE Grab Bag at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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

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Ring of Honor
Date: July 6, 2016|
Host: Kevin Kelly

We’re at a special show this week with the 250^th episode, which is going to showcase the best of 2016 so far. This could mean several things, though I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of the New Japan wrestlers who have basically dominated the year so far. Unfortunately that means even more time away from the new stuff ROH is doing but that’s a common problem for the promotion. Let’s get to it.

TV Title: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Bobby Fish

From Global Wars with Ishii defending after taking the title from Roderick Strong, the champion that Fish had been chasing. Fish actually runs the much bigger Ishii over to start but Ishii does the same to send Fish outside for a bit of his time. Back in and Fish fires off some kicks to put Ishii in trouble, which isn’t something you see happen to him that often. Ishii wins another slugout though and a headbutt puts Fish down with ease.

Fish makes the mistake of headbutting Ishii and the referee has to check on him as a result. The champ gets knocked off the top but Fish misses a flying headbutt, only to start back in with kicks to the knee. We take a break and come back with Fish hitting an exploder suplex for two but getting headbutted for his efforts. Ishii gets his own near fall with a delayed vertical superplex, followed by a Saito Suplex.

Fish looks mostly dead so Ishii powerbombs him for two more but Bobby grabs a sleeper. I could go for a small vs. big match without the smaller guy jumping on his back with a sleeper. It’s just so overdone. Ishii, seemingly annoyed with how lame Fish’s strategy was, German suplexes him down.

They head to the apron with Fish back on his feet and slugging it out. As expected, Ishii easily knocks him down but Fish kicks the leg out to put both guys down on the floor. Back in and a hard lariat gets two for the champ but Fish goes back to the sleeper. He fires off some elbows to the head and survives a flip attempt to actually knock Ishii out at 15:30 (original time).

Rating: B. The match was a good, hard hitting brawl but Ishii is the definition of a guy that had no business winning the title or being involved in this story whatsoever. Strong vs. Fish had been a well built up story but instead of getting the payoff we had been set up for, Ishii got the belt despite having no connection to either of them. That’s becoming too common of a tradition and it’s getting old in a hurry. This match was good but Fish vs. Strong would have been as well and had a strong story to go with it. Which sounds better?

Briscoe Brothers vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi/Michael Elgin

From the 14^th Anniversary Show and no real story here other than ROH vs. New Japan in a “dream” match. Jay and Michael get things going with Jay kicking him in the face but getting gorilla pressed to put him right back down. We get the very cool delayed vertical suplex with Mark’s interference not doing a thing to stop Elgin. That’s such insane power.

It’s off to Mark vs. Tanahashi for the air guitar vs. Redneck Kung Fu battle which results in Tanahashi grabbing an armbar. Naturally that means it’s time to talk about Hiroshi’s hair but Jay is tagged in, only to stay on the floor while Mark hits a Blockbuster off the apron to take Elgin out. We get the big showdown (which isn’t treated as big or a showdown) with Jay getting two off an elbow to Tanahashi’s jaw. Mr. Wrestling 3 finally realizes what we saw there but it’s already off to Mark for a Russian legsweep.

The fans chant for Elgin but get a commercial instead. Back with the tag bringing in Elgin for some running strikes to Mark’s chest. Jay has to save his brother from Rolling Germans as everything breaks down. A back elbow/German suplex combo sends Mark flying but Jay breaks up the High Fly Flow.

Mark shouts a lot and flips Mike off the top for two. With Tanahashi down on the floor, the brothers take turns with headbutts until Mark is backdropped over the top. Elgin no sells a boot to the face (he’s from New Japan remember) and clotheslines Jay down for a breather. The hot tag brings in Tanahashi for some dragon screw leg whips but he walks into a neckbreaker.

Froggy Bow gets two before Elgin breaks up the Doomsday Device. In a cool move, Elgin gives Tanahashi a reverse Alabama Slam onto Mark for two more with Jay making the save. Jay is dispatched so it’s a powerbomb into the High Fly Flow for the pin on Mark at 14:50 (original match time).

Rating: C+. The match was fine though I’m rarely a fan of these matches where the only story is one great team against two guys who might team together for a few months. Oh and of course the New Japan team goes over clean. Heaven forbid Tanahashi isn’t treated as the biggest star in the history of ever over here.

Clips from the Fight Without Honor to blow off Silas Young vs. Dalton Castle. We see less than a minute of the match which ran over sixteen minutes. To recap: we can see a full TV Title match where a New Japan guy took a spot from an ROH guy for no reason other than “we need ROH vs. New Japan” and then we can see a full meaningless “dream” match where the freshly created New Japan team defeated the undisputed best team in ROH history. The blowoff match to a year long ROH only feud can’t even get a minute of TV time though. I’ve said it many times now but this isn’t an ROH show. This is New Japan TV: America.

ReDRagon vs. The Kingdom vs. Young Bucks

From ROH TV on January 20. It’s Cole/Bennett for the Kingdom here and this is a street fight. The Bucks jump O’Reilly and Fish during the entrances and we’re starting fast. The injured Taven gets a double superkick, as does ring announcers Bobby Cruz. ReDRagon gets back in to work on the Bucks, only to have the Kingdom come in again to turn this into a wild brawl that is going to be almost impossible to keep track of.

Bennett punches Fish down and it’s Cole setting Matt in a chair in the middle of the ring. A running charge sets up a chinlock and even Kelly has to acknowledge that it’s a spot they’ve seen before. Kyle backdrops Nick on the floor for a thud before diving into a superkick. We take a break and come back with Cole in a shopping cart and being wheeled into a superkick.

The Bucks set up a table at ringside but it’s ReDRagon double teaming Matt inside. The Kingdom brings in a ladder (Mr. Wrestling III: “It’s amazing what you can find in south Philadelphia”) to take out ReDRagon and it’s Cole putting the ladder around his neck. That only allows ReDRagon to blast the ladder with chairs before setting the ladder on top of those chairs.

Bennett comes back in to spinebuster Kyle onto the steel but the Bucks powerbomb him (Bennett) through the ladder. A Swanton onto the ladder sets up More Bang For Your Buck but Cole pulls the referee out at two. Kevin Kelly accidentally eats a superkick and Mr. Wrestling III freaks out while still shouting SUPERKICK in a funny moment.

We take another break and come back with Cole hitting the Canadian Destroyer on Matt but walking into a superkick from Nick. Bennett takes Chasing the Dragon on the floor, leaving O’Reilly and Cole to fight in the aisle. That leaves Fish alone against the Bucks but he stops to spear Bennett through a table on the floor. A double superkick off the apron gives Fish the weakest table bump in history with Nick having to splash him the rest of the way through.

Back in and the Bucks put a party hat on Bennett for a superkick party, only to have Maria hit them both low for a save. This brings out AJ Styles to hit Bennett in the ribs with a chair before laying him out with Bloody Sunday. Maria gets a Meltzer Driver and the Indytaker into the Styles Clash puts Bennett away at 16:45.

Rating: B. Totally wild brawl here and a lot of fun at the same time. This wasn’t about anything more than carnage and that’s all they delivered the entire time. The piledriver to Maria was a good way to write her off TV and the Kingdom goes out in a great performance, especially considering it wasn’t their usual combination.

Overall Rating: F. The wrestling wasn’t the problem here (obviously). The problem is the same thing I covered earlier: this isn’t about Ring of Honor anymore. I know the next set of TV tapings doesn’t feature the New Japan wrestlers but look at what they consider the best of the first half of 2016: New Japan wrestler, New Japan wrestlers, one minute of ROH only and the New Japan stable.

Also this was somehow their usage of the 250^th episode. No mention of the history of the show, no classic matches (or even match), nothing but “Hey here’s a bunch of New Japan stuff in case you haven’t seen enough of it yet.” ROH should be better than this by now and it’s not like they can’t stand on their own feet without New Japan.

I really can’t imagine their ratings go up that high when they’re there, especially when they’re around that often. It’s not even a novelty anymore as they’re around so much that we just had a highlight show featuring them in every match. Having them around every once in awhile for a set of tapings here and there is fine as they’re certainly an attraction but this is WAY too far and has been for a long time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Final Battle 2015
Date: December 18, 2015
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Mr. Wrestling III

As the name suggests, this is the final major show of the year for Ring of Honor as well as the biggest show of the year. The main event is a dream match with Ring of Honor World Champion Jay Lethal defending against AJ Styles in a match that hasn’t been the best promoted. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Cheeseburger vs. Bob Evans

This is the blowoff to a feud that has gone on far too long for a low level team that split up. Evans, with new student Tim Hughes in his corner, is a grizzled veteran and Cheeseburger is the size of a fourteen year old on a growth spurt. During the entrances, Kelly asks why Mr. Wrestling III sounds EXACTLY like Steve Corino. I’m sure you get the joke here.

Cheeseburger has to fight off Hughes to start and low bridges Evans out to the floor. An Asai moonsault takes out both villains but we get some old school distractions so Hughes can cheap shot Cheeseburger. Evans makes it even worse by putting on Cheeseburger’s hat. That’s like, evil man. Back in and Evans steps on Cheeseburger’s broken hand (which Evans threatened to saw off) as the slow beating continues.

Cheeseburger fights back again as Wrestling III makes sandwich puns. A springboard knee to the head drops Evans for two but the much bigger Bob runs him over. Evans trips going up top and Cheeseburger hits two straight palm strikes, the second of which puts Evans on the middle rope. A middle rope DDT gives Cheeseburger the kind of lame pin to end the feud.

Rating: D+. This is another feud where it needed to end a lot sooner than it did. It’s the same story they’ve had for months now and I don’t know why I needed to see another match between the two of them with Cheeseburger fighting from behind and getting the big underdog victory. At least it didn’t eat up a lot of TV time along the way though and they kept this before the pay per view here.

The opening video is kept simple as they just look at the matches on the card.

Briscoe Brothers vs. All Night Express vs. Young Bucks

For the #1 contendership and one fall to a finish. The Express beat the Briscoes and got cheated out of a win over the Bucks. The Briscoes are here because they’re the best tag team in ROH history. Mark Briscoe and Nick Jackson get things going and we get an early SUCK IT because that’s what the Bucks do. As the Spanish commentary bleeds in a bit, Jay comes in to pound on Nick as Wrestling III goes on the shortest limb ever to suggest that Jay is the most decorated wrestler in ROH history.

Titus tags himself in and the fans are not happy with the Bucks being on the apron. Jay elbows Titus out of the corner but eats a superkick from Matt, meaning it’s time for a mini superkick party. The Bucks are cleared from the ring and it’s time for Titus vs. Mark. That doesn’t last long as Mark takes him to the floor for a Blockbuster off the apron, only to have King dive on Mark. Jay does the same to King and Titus eats a superkick.

Both Bucks hit 450’s for two on Titus and it’s time for everyone to kick each other a bunch of times. For instance, Jay takes Nick down with a neckbreaker but eats a superkick from Matt. Of course the fans eat this up while also likely booing John Cena for only having five moves. The Briscoes take over on King with some good old fashioned double teaming. A Doomsday Device to King is broken up but the Bucks are right there with double superkicks to King and both Briscoes.

The Meltzer Driver gets two on Jay (Wrestling III: “FIVE STARS! FIVE STARS! FIVE STARS! Uncle Dave must be smiling at home!”) but More Bang for Your Buck is broken up. Mark loads Titus up for a superplex but King kicks him in the head, setting up a super One Night Stand (a powerbomb/Blockbuster combo) to pin Mark and give the Express the title shot. The fans are NOT happy with the result.

Rating: B-. Well they had the right idea here and the match was fun, though I really do not care for the Young Bucks. The idea is there but it’s just not something I ever need to see again. That being said, this was a really solid choice for an opener as the fans are on fire and the match was hot enough to get the show off on the right foot. Good stuff here, though far more entertaining than quality.

We recap Silas Young vs. Dalton Castle, which is a huge culture clash. Castle is much more flamboyant and had possession of his Boys. Young wanted those Boys to become men and won them in a match a few weeks back. Tonight is the final battle (oh I think I get it now) between the two, even though the Boys seem to have chosen to stay with Young.

Silas Young vs. Dalton Castle

Young has the Boys with him but is quickly taken down with some amateur stuff. This sets up a chase but the Boys block Castle from going after their new…..boss? Back in and Young sends him hard into the corner and drops Castle face first onto the buckle. Kelly thinks Castle is just a step off here, meaning the Boys are worth a half step each. A low blow make things even worse for Castle but the fans are too busy telling Young that he sucks to notice what’s going on.

We hit the chinlock (now that’s something you don’t see too often in ROH) for a bit before Dalton pops back up with a German suplex to get a breather. A half butterfly suplex gets two on Young and it’s time to pull back the floor mats. The Boys don’t seem to mind and watch the two of them slug it out on the apron.

Young sends him to another part of the apron and spears Castle through the corner and out to the floor. They’re doing a good job here of having Silas doing the speed wrestling and amateur stuff while Young is just doing pure power brawling. Castle catches a charge and sends him out to the apron, followed by a nice deadlift German from the apron for two.

Young backflips out of the corner but gets speared right back in as they’ve swapped styles. A slugout goes to Young but he dives into a release belly to belly throw. The Boys try to break up another German and one gets pulled in, only to eat a right hand from Castle. The distraught Dalton walks into Misery to give Young the pin.

Rating: C+. I still like the story they’re going with here but I’m not sure what the point here was in having Young win again. You would think the play here would be to have Castle get his revenge, perhaps with the Boys helping out, though it would kind of make their recent show of loyalty to Young seem a bit questionable.

Post match Young stomps on Castle and demands that he admit Young is a real man. Castle won’t say anything so Young stomps him down even more. Silas gives the Boys some chairs and Castle finally admits that Silas is a man. A very foolish man however as those are Dalton’s boys, who beat Young down with the chairs. Castle adds a Bang-a-Rang and sits on the Boys, who are now free, meaning stipulations mean nothing in ROH. There better be a Boys Are Back In Town reference some point soon.

We recap Moose vs. Michael Elgin which is all about who is the better monster. Both of them want a shot at Jay Lethal’s World Title so let’s have them beat on each other until one can’t get up.

Moose vs. Michael Elgin

Winner might be #1 contender but it doesn’t seem to be official. Moose comes out in a football helmet and shoulder pads to play up his NFL career. They shake hands to start before shoulders don’t move either guy anywhere. The next set of shoulders put both guys down and they slowly slug it out with Elgin getting the better of it, setting up a delayed vertical suplex.

Elgin barely looked strained there but Moose pops right up, mainly because it’s just a suplex. Back up and Elgin beats him to the punch, only to walk into a dropkick from the big man. They head outside with Moose’s spear hitting the barricade, allowing Elgin to hit a cannonball off the apron. Back in and a top rope shoulder (always cool) gets two for Mike as the announcers try to figure out if Elgin vs. Lethal, already signed for January 4 in Tokyo, will be a title match if Elgin wins here. So much for leaving any doubt about the ending.

Moose sends him flying off a fallaway slam, only to eat an enziguri. By eat I mean take because you don’t eat with the back of your head of course. Some rolling Germans have Moose in trouble but he puts Elgin on the top for another impressive dropkick. That means it’s time for a top rope plancha from Moose which only kind of connects but it still looked good. A sitout powerbomb gets two for Moose as they’re trading bombs here.

They head to the apron with Elgin’s Death Valley Driver looking to set up a corkscrew senton (not great looking but Elgin is no high flier) for two. Moose hammers away but charges into a double pop up powerbomb (That’s not normal. Like at all.), followed by the Elgin Bomb for a very close two.

Elgin is stunned, allowing Moose to hit a spear out of nowhere for a near fall of his own, sending Stokely into hysterics on the floor. That Spanish commentary bleeds in again as Moose gets all fired up, only to miss a charge in the corner. A Burning Hammer of all things (reverse Death Valley Driver with a shout of I’M COMING FOR YOU LETHAL) finally puts Moose away.

Rating: C+. Take two monsters and let them beat on each other for about ten minutes. It’s a formula that’s worked forever and it’s going to keep working, even in a smark promotion like Ring of Honor. Elgin winning was obvious as Moose still needs a lot of seasoning, but at least it was a fun match while it lasted. Good stuff, though it never hit that big power match level that these things are capable of hitting.

They shake hands again post match.

We recap Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole. They used to be partners in Future Shock and started to put the team back together until Cole turned on him at All-Star Extravaganza. Cole was ticked off about O’Reilly being dubbed a future star after Cole already held the ROH World Title. This caused Cole to start ruining O’Reilly’s life and career, setting up a showdown here. The recap promos do little to disprove the fact that Cole is so far ahead of O’Reilly on the mic.

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

They’re all over each other to start with Kyle trying for a triangle choke, only to settle for kicking Cole in the face instead. Cole is knocked outside and tries a chair but Kyle dropkicks him off the apron to knock it away. Back in and Kyle starts in on the arm before grabbing a quickly broken choke. O’Reilly tries to get a bit too fancy though and gets dropkicked out to the floor, meaning it’s time for Adam to go after the leg.

Kyle doesn’t seem to mind as he fires off knees, only to get taken down by the leg again. A leg lock doesn’t do much so Kyle wins a slugout but Cole takes him down into a half crab. With the holds not working, Cole blasts him in the head with a running knee instead. Kyle gets in a knee to the face of his own but it slows him down. Of course he’s able to snap off a series of strikes with a leg sweep before holding his knee again.

Kyle slaps him in the face but Cole flips him off, earning himself a cross armbreaker. Cole counters with a stomp to the face as the fans think this is wrestling. Not quite but you don’t argue with Philadelphia fans. They trade kicks until Kyle grabs a suplex for two to put both guys down again. Kyle’s Kimura is countered into a fireman’s carry neckbreaker to give Cole a breather.

Cole kicks the knee out and enziguris Kyle out to the floor, only to get caught in a guillotine. That’s countered into a suplex neckbreaker to give Cole two back inside. With nothing else working, it’s time to hit the Figure Four on Kyle’s bad knee. They strike it off again with a bunch of Japanese kicks from Kyle, who walks into a superkick. Kyle bounces off the ropes ala Ambrose, only to walk into another superkick ala half the WWE roster.

O’Reilly gets in a lariat off the second rebound and grabs the armbreaker, sending Cole into the ropes. Fans: “THIS IS AWESOME!” I just want to shake these people hard and scream at them about how they don’t get it. Cole hits another superkick so Kyle grabs a triangle choke, only to have Cole fall forward and put his feet on the ropes for a pin.

Rating: B+. HORRENDOUS selling issues aside (“BUT IT’S FIGHTING SPIRIT!” No, it’s stupid. You can call it whatever you want but it’s code for they aren’t selling.), this was a very well told story with Kyle being so obsessed with the submissions and making Cole tap out that he forgot you could win by pinfall, giving Cole an opening to win. All the striking was a bit more acceptable here as they would do other stuff in between, but that section where Kyle got kicked in the face over and over and then just did a clothesline followed by another hold was horrible.

Kyle destroys Cole’s arm with a cross armbreaker post match.

Quick recap of Addiction/Chris Sabin vs. ACH/Matt Sydal/Alex Shelley, which is simply a way to give us Sabin vs. Shelley without giving us Sabin vs. Shelley.

Chris Sabin/Addiction vs. ACH/Matt Sydal/Alex Shelley

Prince Nana comes out for commentary for no apparent reason. Daniels and Shelley get things going with Alex taking him down by the arm. It’s off to Sydal with a slingshot dropkick but Kazarian gets in a cheap shot and comes in to take over. That goes nowhere so it’s off to ACH as the announcers discuss Dragon Ball Z. Sabin comes in and things speed up without much contact as it only can in ROH.

We get the big showdown with Shelley but you know it’s not happening that fast, meaning it’s off to Kazarian instead. ACH comes in for an awkward run into a drop toehold before Sydal comes back in for a standing moonsault. Everything breaks down (shocking) and Sabin cleans house with some running kicks/knees to the face. Daniels comes in with a running neckbreaker to Sydal as things settle down.

The heels all hit legdrops with Kazarian adding a spinning springboard to his. Addiction breaks up a hot tag attempt and it’s a triple dropkick for two on Sydal. Matt finally sends him into the corner and makes the tag off to Shelley for some much needed house cleaning. A dragon screw leg whip puts Daniels down and it’s off to ACH as this really isn’t clicking so far. Everything breaks down and ACH totally botches what looked to be a headscissors around the post.

Daniels can’t hit the BME and it’s back to Sydal for his jumping strikes. The good guys try a triple…..something on Daniels that doesn’t quite work, just like Matt’s shooting star as Daniels gets his knees up. Daniels starts taking down all of the good guys until ACH sends him into Sabin. The Midnight Star (450) and the shooting star press from Sydal are enough for the pin on Chris.

Rating: D+. Did you know these guys are indy wrestlers? I didn’t know if you knew it from the fifteen minute indy style match they just worked but they’re indy wrestlers. Sabin vs. Shelley never happened and after this I really don’t need to see it happen. Not a good match here and it really needed five minutes cut out. I’m not a fan of this style and it really didn’t do anything for me here.

We get a promo from Bobby Fish which aired on TV last week. Roderick Strong calls himself Mr. ROH but Fish is the man that takes everyone to the limit. Tonight he’s taking Strong past the limit and taking the title.

TV Title: Bobby Fish vs. Roderick Strong

Roderick is defending. They hit the mat to start with Fish getting the better of it as the fans are mostly split. Bobby goes for the arm and tries the leg, sending Strong bailing for the ropes. A few minutes in and Kelly mentions that Fish pinned Strong back in September. Strong avoids a plancha to the floor and drops Fish onto the barricade to take over for the first time.

Back in and a quick suplex gets two for the champ and a belly to back suplex into a backbreaker (not bad) has Fish in even more trouble. Strong comes back with a running elbow and a high collar suplex into the corner ala Sami Zayn. We hit the rear naked choke (rapidly becoming too popular) but Strong is quickly in the ropes and firing off the running strikes. Fish gets sent to the apron and grabs a dragon screw leg whip to take over again, meaning it’s time to trade forearms. Back in and Strong hits a quick enziguri and a middle rope backbreaker for two.

They head back up top with Strong pulling him down into a super falcon’s arrow for two more. This has been trading big moves for a while now and it’s starting to work more and more. Strong tries the running knee but gets caught in a leg bar. Roderick taps out where the referee can’t see it so Fish releases the hold, only to walk into the jumping knee to the head to give Strong the pin.

Rating: B-. While the six man needed to lose five minutes, this could have used a few more minutes. It felt like they were leading somewhere with the trading of spots but instead they went with an oddly placed Undertaker vs. Lesnar from Summerslam finish. It’s clear that they’re turning Strong heel with the finish, which makes me wonder who is supposed to be the top face at this point. Not a great match or anything but at least it was entertaining and told most of a good story.

Here are Veda Scott and Cedric Alexander (with a nice watch) to ignore the fans telling them to shut up and brag about a settlement with Ring of Honor over their recent lawsuit. This just ate up time.

Tag Team Titles: War Machine vs. Kingdom

Kingdom is defending here and there’s no real story. War Machine came out one day and told Taven and Bennett that they wanted the belts. Speaking of the belts, the Kingdom blasts War Machine with the titles before the bell and Taven dives onto Rowe. That’s not it though as the champs hit a Hail Mary (spike piledriver) onto the floor. The bell finally rings as Rowe is thrown inside for two.

Unfortunately Taven comes up limping and you can tell something is very wrong. Hanson gets sent back first into the apron and the champs are still able to double team Rowe for two back inside. Taven’s knee gives out on the floor so Rowe powerbombs Bennett up against the barricade. Back in and Fallout gives War Machine the titles in just over three minutes. I’m not going to rate this as it was clearly cut WAY short due to the injury and it wouldn’t be fair to grade a match where they had to go home that fast.

Mr. Wrestling III leaves commentary and here’s BJ Whitmer (not supposed to be here) to accuse Wrestling III of being Steve Corino. Security quickly gets rid of him.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal, which is really just to see who is better. It feels like a way to put Lethal over as they’ve barely done any interacting in the weeks building up to this.

Nigel McGuinness and Jerry Lynn join commentary.

Ring of Honor World Title: AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is defending and has Truth Martini/Taeler Hendrix with him. Styles, who has a bad back coming in, is part of the Bullet Club but comes out alone. We get some big match intros and we’re ready to go. Feeling out process to start as they seem to have a lot of time to work with. AJ gets the better of a technical sequence and Lethal bails out to the floor. Back in and AJ grabs a headlock as the announcers debate whether Elgin vs. Lethal will be for the title or not.

We get the drop down into the dropkick from Styles but Lethal hiptosses him down for a basement dropkick of his own. It’s time for some big chops until Lethal gets caught in the Calf Cutter, sending him straight to the ropes. AJ has to avoid a book shot from Martini and gets dropped onto the apron, drawing a TRUTH MARTINI chant.

Lethal gets smart by sending him back first into the barricade and the pace slows down. We hit a camel clutch as the fans swear at someone over something. A suplex into the corner (also becoming too popular lately) rocks Styles’ back for two more and Lethal grabs the world’s least convincing bearhug. Shockingly enough, Jay Lethal holding a bearhug doesn’t last long as AJ comes back with forearms and clotheslines, followed by a suplex into the corner of his own.

The springboard forearm is caught in the Lethal Combination for two and the champ takes over again. They fight over a suplex until AJ takes him over for a neckbreaker. I’ve always liked that move. Styles can’t get the Clash so Lethal throws him into the air and pulls him down into a neckbreaker for two of his own.

Lethal gets tired of this wrestling stuff and throws AJ over the barricade and into the crowd. Ever the genius, Lethal tries a suicide dive with AJ still behind the barricade. AJ, also not that bright, tries the forearm off the barricade but really just collides with Lethal instead. Naturally the fans think it’s awesome because you could put an ROH label on Lord Littlebrook vs. Little Beaver and they would declare it wrestling.

Back in and Jay grabs a Koji Clutch, only to get countered into the Calf Cutter, sending Jay into the ropes again. A big Lethal Injection out of the corner gets two but AJ snaps off a Pele, followed by the Bloody Sunday. Styles loads up something else but gets thrown over the top and through a table, absolutely destroying it in the crash. AJ dives in at nineteen and the Lethal Injection gets two (of course). Instead, Lethal uses Jerry Lynn’s cradle piledriver (due to Jerry saying AJ would win) to set up the second Lethal Injection to retain.

Rating: B+. This wasn’t a masterpiece or even a classic but it was a pay per view quality main event. Lethal pinning Styles clean was a good way to make Lethal look great as AJ has been considered one of the best in the world for a long time now. I’m not sure how long Jay holds the title but if they want to pull the trigger on something, giving it back to Elgin in Tokyo would be rather smart.

Lethal and company pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Good show but not great. The midcard stuff really didn’t work well at times and it made the show feel like it was dragging more than once. A lot of the talents are having contract issues which changed up a bunch of the results but the show still worked well enough. I liked the show and it flew by so we’ll call it a success after several weeks of good TV which built the show up well enough but not perfectly.

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Well I talk but you get the idea.  Ok so I’m typing so maybe you don’t get the idea.

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