Can’t Deny It
Date: April 4, 2024
Location: Penns Landing Caterers
Commentators: Jack Farmer, Rich Bocchini

This is from Defy Wrestling and that’s not a promotion I know very well. I’ve seen a bit from them before and I do remember liking them so there might be something worth seeing here. The main event will see Kenta defend the World Title against Gringo Loco, which should at least be good. Let’s get to it.

Schaff is in a four wheeler (or whatever you call a vehicle for driving through the woods in the mud) and wants everyone in the BMF battle royal for his Pacific Northwest Title.

Tag Team Titles: Bollywood Boyz vs. Man Like DeReiss/Michael Oku

DeReiss and Oku are challenging and have Amira with them. Oku is apparently a replacement for Leon Slater who isn’t here due to travel restrictions. DeReiss raps his way to the ring and seems to be rather popular. Gurv and DeReiss start things off with the latter powering him up against the ropes. Some running shoulders put Gurv down and we hear the Birmingham, England (DeReiss’ hometown) area code or whatever he keeps shouting.

Oku comes in and gets armdragged into an arm crank as it’s back to Gurv for more arm pulling. That’s broken up as Oku sends him into the corner, where he jumps over DeReiss for a kick to the chest. They head outside where Gurv hammers away on Oku, setting up a middle rope bulldog for two back inside. Oku fights out of the chinlock rather quickly so it’s a top rope elbow Hart Attack for two instead.

A quick shot to the face lets Oku go up for a frog splash high crossbody and it’s back to DeReiss to pick the pace way up. Everything breaks down and Oku hits a big running flip dive, followed by DeReiss’ powerbomb for two. Stereo half crabs (Oku’s signature) have the champs in trouble but they reverse into stereo Sharpshooters. That’s broken up as well so it’s a 3D to send Harv into Gurv for two. Harv shrugs it off and sense Oku outside, setting up the Bollywood Blast for the pin on DeReiss to retain at 16:36.

Rating: C+. Nice enough match to open the show here, though it really did start to break down near the end. There is only so much drama to be had out of a thrown together team challenging for the titles but it was about all that could be done. The Boyz aren’t the flashiest team in the world but they can do their thing more than well enough.

CCK vs. Moonlight Express

That would be Chris Brookes/Kid Lykos (with Kid Lykos II) vs. Mao/Mike Bailey, because Mike Bailey is everywhere over Wrestlemania Weekend. Mao flips the rather tall Brookes off to start so Brookes teases leaving. Not that it matters as he comes back so Mao can start with Lykos. Mao takes him down and flips him off so it’s off to Bailey, who can’t get into a test of strength with Brookes (as Bailey barely comes up to his shoulders).

Brookes pats him on the head so Bailey starts kicking away in a much smarter move. That lets Bailey pat him on the head for a nice touch and it’s Lykos coming in for a change. A poke to the eye just makes Bailey kick him even more and there’s a double dropkick to send Brookes outside. Stereo moonsaults (from the same corner) take out CCK on the floor and we head back inside.

This time Mao is sent crashing outside, allowing Lykos to hit a top rope Codebreaker on Bailey. We pause for some exchange of fluids from CCK to Bailey (who does have a funny face in reaction) before Lykos shouts BRAINBUSTER. Bailey blocks it so Lykos does the same thing again and, again, is blocked. Serves him right for telegraphing his offense. Mao comes in and sends CCK into each other but CCK is right back with stereo octopus holds.

Those are broken up so Brookes and Mao trade strikes to the face for a double down. Bailey is back in to strike Lykos down, setting up a running shooting star press for two. Brookes misses a kick to the head so Bailey moonsaults onto Lykos on the floor. Back in and the Express miss stereo Ultimate Weapons but Lykos calls for the brainbuster AGAIN and AGAIN it’s broken up.

Bailey’s tornado kick (which he didn’t advertise) hits Lykos and a rollup gets two. Brookes is back in with a kick but Map kicks him right back down. Lykos is back in with the unadvertised brainbuster for two on Bailey so Brookes adds a top rope double knee for two of his own. Mao is taken out again so it’s a Gory Bomb/Diamond Dust combination to finish Bailey at 16:13.

Rating: B. They got rolling near the end there and it was just one big move after another. Bailey is kind of perfect if you want a bunch of cool looking stuff with pretty much no selling in between so he fit in well here. Brookes stands out alone because of his size but he can move well out there to balance it out. Good stuff here, as they just did a bunch of stuff to show off.

Respect is shown post match.

Women’s Title: Vert Vixen vs. Jazmin Allure vs. Trish Adora

Vixen is defending and Mega Ran is a guest commentator. The champ is sent outside to start, leaving Adora to lift Allure up and bent her over the knee in a rather wacky looking hold (the wave to her mom makes it even better). Back in and Vixen makes the save, including a running elbow to drop Adora.

They go outside with Allure hitting a big dive, setting up the chinlock back inside. Adora comes back in but gets her leg kicked out, allowing Allure to hit a Sling Blade. Allure kicks at both of them but Adora pulls a high crossbody out of the air. Vixen’s missile dropkick puts the other two down, followed by a nasty German suplex to plant Allure.

A Blue Thunder Bomb gets two but Adora is up for the save. Allure drops Adora again and runs the corner for an armdrag to Vixen. That means it’s time for Adora and Vixen to trade kicks to the face until Adora is knocked outside. Allure’s guillotine is broken up and Vixen plants her with a powerbomb, followed by a brainbuster to retain at 12:52.

Rating: C+. This was the definition of a match that just kind of happened as they were getting in as much stuff as they could in their limited amount of time. There wasn’t much in the way of a story and while Allure stood out, the other two did well enough. Good enough for what it was, but they needed a better layout.

Pacific Northwest Title: BMF Battle Royal

This is an eight man battle royal, which appears to be either a Royal Rumble or gauntlet match, with Schaff defending. Luke Jacobs is in at #1 and Galeno del Mal is in at #2 with Mal hitting a hard shoulder to take over. Charles Crowley is in at #3 (as this is apparently a Royal Rumble with 57 second intervals) and dances around ringside as Jacobs takes over. The other two pause as the dancing gets inside, followed by Crowley slams Jacobs.

LJ Cleary is in at #4 and fires off some strikes, setting up a springboard armdrag on Mal. Shota is in at #5 as the ring is filling up quickly. Shota runs into and gets kicked down by the much bigger Mal and it’s Gene Munny in at #6. A slingshot spear hits Crowley and house is quickly cleaned by the less than serious Munny.

Ricky Knight Jr. is in at #7 and easily fireman’s carries Cleary and Munny at the same time for a double Samoan drop. Schaff is in at #8 to complete the field and house is quickly cleaned. In this case, cleaning doesn’t mean eliminating though as everyone pairs off. Munny gets clotheslined out, leaving Cleary and Crowley to fight out to the apron. Both tease getting back in but Munny pulls them out, leaving us with five.

Schaff cuts off Shota’s tornado DDT attempt and throws him out. Knight is eliminated as well, leaving us with Schaff, Jacobs and Mal. Jacobs catches Schaff up top and grabs a superplex (instead of knocking him to the floor), followed by a pop up powerbomb to Mal. That doesn’t go well though as Mal tosses Jacobs and we’re down to two. Schaff low bridges Mal over the top but he barely hangs on, giving us a Shawn Michaels reference. They slug it out on the apron until Schaff grabs a Death Valley Driver to retain at 15:00.

Rating: C+. This was another match where it felt like they were trying to get in as many people as possible. That isn’t the worst idea on a show like this, but it doesn’t exactly let anyone but the winner show off. Thankfully they didn’t spend too much time with the ring full, but it was more or less “everyone comes in and then Schaff beats the up”, which isn’t much of a match.

Sovereign vs. Dragon Gate vs. C4XKC

That would be:

Sovereign: Evan Rivers/Judas Icarus/Travis Williams
Dragon Gate: Ho Ho Lun/Kzy/Shun Skywalker
C4XKC: Cody Chhun/Guillermo Rosas/KC Navarro

Skywalker headscissors Chhun to start as Mega Ran talks about work he has done on entrance music and completely ignores the match. Navarro comes in to yell at Kzy but neither of them can actually make much contact. Icarus sneaks in for a hard clothesline on Kzy as Sovereign comes in to stomp away. Kzy gets pulled back into the corner but it’s Rosas coming in to clean house.

Everything breaks down and it’s time to start the rapid fire dives. Rivers sends Rosas into the corner and it’s Williams cranking on the arms over the ropes. Rosas is back up with a heck of a clothesline and the tag brings Chhun back in to pick up the pace. A DDT gets two on Williams and everything breaks down again.

Skywalker’s standing moonsault knees hit Chhun for two but Williams is back in with a moonsault for two of his own. We hit the parade of people knocking each other to the floor until C4XKC take over on Williams. Stereo rolling kicks to the head give C4XKC a triple pin on Williams at 12:40.

Rating: B-. As you might have expected, there is only so much you can get out of a match involving nine people in a single ring. While the teams probably have their own backstories and histories, we only got so much of those things here as commentary wasn’t exactly telling us much. The action was good and they did what you would have expected, but it would have been nice to know more about what I was watching.

The #1 Defy Match Of The Year is Judas Icarus vs. Mike Bailey. One might think they would give the date of the match but oh well.

Defy World Title: Kenta vs. Gringo Loco

Kenta is defending. They circle each other for about a minute until Kenta grabs a wristlock. Loco flips away and they stare it down again as this isn’t in the fastest gear to start. Kenta snaps off a headscissors and they head outside with Kenta taking him down again. The fight heads into the crowd with Kenta hammering away even more. Back in and some knees to the head let Kenta gloat a bit more.

An offer of a handshake just lets Kenta poke him in the eyes but Loco plants him down for a change. Loco works on the arm for a bit before going big with a double springboard moonsault for two. Some chops against the ropes just seem to wake Kenta up so he comes back with a release fisherman’s suplex. A tornado DDT gives Kenta two and he grabs the STF.

With that broken via the ropes, Kenta goes up but dives into a spinning sitout powerbomb for two. They head to the apron and slug it out where another powerbomb is countered into a DDT to plant Loco hard. The count is barely beaten so Kenta drops a top rope double stomp for two. Loco grabs something like a powerslam spun into an F5 for the same and they head up top.

Kenta tries a super Falcon Arrow but gets reversed into…uh well a super Falcon Arrow actually. The referee gets bumped and Kenta grabs a DDT, plus a chair for a bonus. A bunch of shots have Loco down but he counters a belt shot into an over the shoulder Tombstone. There’s no referee so Loco goes up, only to get kneed down for two. The Go To Sleep retains the title at 23:07.

Rating: B-. Lame ending to a pretty good match, as the chairs and ref bump felt like they needed a way to add drama. I’m not sure how regular Loco is in Defy but he felt like someone who was just there for the sake of having a challenger with a name. They were getting going near the end and then they did the stuff with the chair to bring it right back down. I was expecting more from this and it wound up being just strong enough for a main event.

Respect is shown to end the match. How nice of Loco to shrug off the rampant chair shots.

Overall Rating: B-. I remember having a great time with the first Defy show that I watched and this didn’t really come close to that. The biggest problem here was nothing about the show stood out. Save for maybe the battle royal, there was nothing on here that you couldn’t see on any decent independent show. This is the kind of show that I’m going to forget by the end of the day and that’s not something you want to say about any show, let alone something on the biggest wrestling weekend of the year.

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Ring Of Honor
Date: November 16, 2023
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have five shows left before Final battle and it would be nice to see something added to the card. There is a good chance that we’ll start doing that tonight as we need to crown a new TV Champion. Other than that, Dalton Castle wants a shot at Eddie Kingston’s World Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The announcers preview the show.

Peter Avalon vs. Trent Beretta

Kris Statlander and Orange Cassidy are here with Trent. Avalon shoulders him down to start but Trent is back up with a heck of a chop. Trent knocks him to the apron but gets sent hard into the post for his efforts. A missed charge into the barricade makes it even worse for Trent and Avalon grabs the armbar back inside.

Avalon spends too much time going up though and gets suplexed back down for a nasty crash. Trent rolls some German suplexes and hits a running knee for two. Back up and Avalon wins a battle over a Tombstone for two. A sunset flip is loaded up but Trent reverses into the Scrunchie for the pin at 8:05.

Rating: B-. It was a good match and that’s not the biggest surprise given the people involved. Trent is consistently solid in the ring and Avalon can hang in there with a lot of people if given the chance. I could go for more of Trent, but that isn’t likely to happen while he’s still under Cassidy’s shadow.

Dalton Castle is confident going into his World Title shot because he knows he’s better than Eddie Kingston. Castle is lighter on his feet and the only way Kingston can beat him is by knocking him out. For now though, cheese time.

Outrunners vs. Jacoby Watts/Sebastian Wolf

Before the match, Watts actually gets to talk, sounding like a preacher who praises…himself. The Outrunners jump him from behind though and we’re off to a fast start. A double elbow drops Wolf as commentary compares the Outrunners to a variety of classic 80s teams. Floyd misses an elbow and the tag brings Watts in to clean house. Everything breaks down and a powerslam/sliding neckbreaker combination finishes Watts at 2:25. Yes, the Outrunners won a match and yes that is awesome.

Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal are ready for Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo because this is what they live for.

Emi Sakura vs. Kel

Sakura easily takes her down into a surfboard to start but Kel manages a kick to the head. The rapid fire chops in the corner rock Kel and the rather delayed butterfly backbreaker finishes for Sakura at 2:15.

The Outrunners are VERY happy with their win and they’re here to show us what tag wrestling is all about.

Bollywood Boyz vs. The Boys

Brent slips out of Samir’s sunset flip to start and grabs a rollup for two. Sunil comes in to take over on Brandon’s arm and we hit the Bollywood dance. That takes too long so it’s off to Brent to clean house with some dropkicks. Everything breaks down and the Bollywood Blast gets two with Brent making the save. A double belly to back faceplant finishes Sunil at 4:47.

Rating: C+. It was fast paced while it lasted but again it didn’t last that long. These teams are capable of going out there and popping the crowd with some fast paced offense and that is a good thing to have on a show. The Boys continue to be a nice team but they’re so often used in six man tags and squashes that they don’t get to showcase themselves often enough, At the same time, the Boyz have long since shown that they can hang at a high level and I could go with seeing them around more often.

Tony Khan announces that since Samoa Joe vacated the TV Title (on AEW TV, because AEW actually has TV), we’ll have a Survival Of The Fittest match (six way elimination with qualifying matches in the coming weeks) for the title. I will absolutely take that over another ladder match.

The Renegades say they’re a real team, unlike Leyla Hirsch and Rachael Ellering. They may have lost singles matches, but tag matches are their thing. Maria Kanellis-Bennett comes in to ask for a minute of their time. Lexi Nair: “I’m very confused. I’m not sure what that was about.”

Billie Starkz/Athena vs. Brooke Havok/Johnnie Robbie

Robbie kicks Athena in the face to start but gets powerbombed out of the corner for her efforts. Starkz comes in (with Athena telling her to not screw this up) and gets DDTed by Havok. That doesn’t work for Starkz, who hammers away with forearms. Athena’s Despicable Knee finishes Havok at 2:14.

Post match Starkz and Athena wreck them again as Starkz is now more evil.

Ethan Page is interrupted by Mark Sterling and Tony Nese. Sterling rants about how Page cost Nese a match against Serpentico last week but Nese cuts him off. Nese yells at Page and a rematch is set for next week.

Renegades vs. Leyla Hirsch/Rachael Ellering

Charlette and Hirsch lock up to start with neither being able to get very far. Hirsch pulls her down and into the other corner so Ellering can grab a front facelock. With that broken up a middle rope crossbody hits Ellering and it’s Robyn coming in to hammer away. A double suplex hits Ellering, setting up a Muta Lock/slap to the face for two. Ellering fights up and hands it off to Hirsch for the suplexes. Everything breaks down and Ellering rams the Renegades into each other. That’s enough for a sunset flip to pin Charlette at 7:21.

Rating: C. So again, Maria seems interested in someone and they lose. That’s about all you can expect from the story at this point as it seems to keep going with almost nothing working for her. The match itself was decent enough as Hirsch and Ellering made for an ok team, though it’s not like there are many teams for them to face around here.

Post match Leyla’s knee seems to be hurt so here is Maria Kanellis-Bennett to check on her.

Athena is pleased with Billie Starkz’ progress but doesn’t see anyone on the horizon for Final Battle. At the same time, Starkz needs to step up as a Minion In Training or she’ll get stomped out.

Marina Shafir vs. Amira

Shafir takes her down without much trouble to start but Amira knees and strikes away at the head. A crossbody gives Amira two but Shafir kicks her in the face and chokes her out at 2:10.

Final Battle ad.

Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal vs. El Hijo del Vikingo/Komander

Sydal gets two off a fast sunset flip to Vikingo, who is right back up to avoid a kick to the face. Komander flips in to impress Daniels but a running shoulder puts Komander down. A dropkick to Daniels does the same thing and some double dropkicks do it twice as well. Daniels gets caught in a double 619 and Komander’s standing moonsault gets two.

Daniels hot shots his way out of trouble and it’s back to Sydal for the chops in the corner. It’s back to Daniels for the chinlock and a suplex, setting up Sydal’s slingshot knee for two. The STO gives Daniels two more and frustration is setting in. Komander rolls away though and it’s Vikingo coming in to clean house.

A springboard crucifix driver gives Komander two (Ian: “You can’t do that with action figures. He did it as a person.”) as everything breaks down. Daniels hits a powerbomb/Meteora combination for two on Vikingo but Komander is back up to knock Daniels down. Komander dives onto Sydal and Vikingo hits a frog splash for the pin on Daniels at 11:28.

Rating: B-. Much like earlier, this is a match where you knew it was going to be good based on the wrestlers involved. Daniels and Sydal are the talented jobbers of the tag division and building up Vikingo and Komander is not a bad idea. Granted I can’t imagine them being a long form team, but this was a nice, long match to let them do all of their crazy dives, which they do so well.

Respect is shown post match.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Eddie Kingston vs. Dalton Castle

Castle, with the Boys, is challenging. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far. Kingston takes him down by the arm so Castle bails to the floor for some fanning. Back in and Castle wrestles him to the mat for some forearms and a clothesline. A knee to the back sets up a choke as Kingston can’t get off the mat. They finally get up and Kingston snapmares him into a double stomp to the chest.

Castle slugs away in the corner and hits a spinning bulldog, followed by a running knee to put Kingston on the floor. There’s another running knee off the apron to the floor but Kingston blasts him with a clothesline back inside. The rapid fire chops in the corner rock Castle, who is right back with a German suplex for two. The Bang-A-Rang is blocked and Kingston hits the spinning backfist for two more. A half and half suplex into another spinning backfist retains the title at 10:38.

Rating: B-. It was another good match, though Castle could have been built up far stronger as a challenger. Angelico got about a month of buildup for his title shot while Castle got a week? That aside, this at last felt like a big match, though I’m not sure who is going to be coming after the title at Final Battle.

Post match Kingston shakes Castle’s hand, saying this was for Brodie.

After some highlights, Kingston is in the back to say he’s really tired. Not just from defending the title, but seeing other World Champions barely ever showing up. You’re supposed to be the tide that raises everything up. He’s a true World Champion and remember that.

Is he kidding? Kingston has been World Champion for two months and has been here three times. That’s a bit better than Roman Reigns (I’m not sure who else he would be talking about) but stop acting like you’re Bruno Sammartino. You’ve been on the show two straight weeks now and have beaten Serpentico and Angelico before having a real challenger. That’s not exactly tearing up the world.

Overall Rating: C+. This was Ring Of Honor in a nutshell: they had good stuff but there was so much added to the card that absolutely could have been cut without losing anything that just made the show feel longer. Was anything going to be lost without squashes from Emi Sakura and Marina Shafir or the Boys vs. the Bollywood Boyz? Or maybe a few minutes less on the Daniels/Sydal tag match? This was a heck of a one hour show show stretched out to over an hour and a half, which might as well be called the Ring Of Honor special at this point.

Results
Trent Beretta b. Peter Avalon – Scrunchie
Outrunners b. Jacoby Watts/Sebastian Wolf – Powerslam/sliding neckbreaker combination to Watts
Emi Sakura b. Kel – Butterfly backbreaker
Boys b. Bollywood Boyz – Double belly to back faceplant to Sunil
Athena/Billie Starkz b. Brooke Havok/Johnnie Robbie – Despicable Knee to Havok
Leyla Hirsch/Rachael Ellering b. Renegades – Sunset flip to Charlette
Marina Shafir b. Amira – Choke
Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo b. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal – Frog splash to Daniels
Eddie Kingston b. Dalton Castle – Spinning backfish

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Dynamite
Date: November 8, 2023
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We are a week and a half away from Full Gear and that means we should be getting the final push towards the show. This week that includes MJF defending the World Title against Daniel Garcia and an interesting main event of Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe. Other than that, we have a heck of a showdown between Keith Lee and Samoa Joe for the ROH TV Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings in MJF to talk about his lost last week but MJF says it will never happen again. Adam Cole calls him so MJF throws it to a video screen and says MJF should take Samoa Joe up on his offer. MJF isn’t sure why but here is Daniel Garcia (challenging MJF for the title tonight) to laugh a bit. Garcia says tonight, MJF is getting the professional wrestler. With Garcia gone, the Kingdom wheels in Roderick Strong, who offers MJF some tips. MJF walks off, which Strong says is what the devil would do. It’s time to remind people who Strong is.

Opening sequence.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Daniel Garcia

Garcia, with Matt Menard and Angelo Parker, is challenging. MJF hits him in the face to start so Garcia does the same, only to have his friends break up the dance (as tends to be their custom as of late). An armbar has Garcia down and a rollup gives MJF two. We take a break and come back with Garcia hitting a one armed German suplex and dancing a bit.

MJF is right back on the arm before a hammerlock DDT gets two. Garcia kicks the leg out and hits a one armed piledriver for two. They’re doing something there with the arm not working at full strength. The Dragontamer goes on but MJF escapes and grabs the Salt Of The Earth to retain the title at 10:38.

Rating: B-. Not too bad at all here, though Garcia continues to not exactly be the most interesting star in the world. He’s a strong technician, but that doesn’t do much to help his charisma. Thankfully they didn’t let this go on too long, as there was no way to make Garcia feel like a serious threat to the title.

Post match MJF wants to shake hands but Garcia’s friends won’t allow it.

Mark Briscoe is ready for Jay White.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Outrunners

Allin headlocks Magnum to start but gets take into the corner for a stomping from Floyd. A suplex is broken up and String comes in to clean house. The Scorpion Deathlock finishes Floyd at 2:58. That’s how it should have gone.

We have a sitdown interview (in black and white) between Hikaru Shida and Toni Storm. Shida promises to beat her again as usual but Storm doesn’t seem to buy it. They sign the contract and go face to face.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Swerve Strickland

Feeling out process to start until Swerve takes him into the corner for a kick to the leg. Swerve bites the fingers but Penta is back with some chops. A Backstabber sends Swerve outside, where he is able to drop Penta face first onto the steps. Penta strikes away and hits a big running flip dive as we take a break.

Back with Made In Japan and the JML Driver both being blocked, leaving us with a double knockdown. A Death Valley Driver gets Penta two and he drops Swerve hard onto the apron to leave Swerve on the floor. Back in and Swerve reverses a headscissors out of the corner by flipping Penta into the corner. A 450 is blocked and Made In Japan gives Penta two. Swerve is back with his own Death Valley Driver and snaps Penta’s arm. The Swerve Stomp gives Swerve the pin at 13:33.

Rating: B. One of AEW’s greatest strengths is being able to take any two wrestlers out of a huge number available and have them put on a good match. That’s what they did here as these two came pretty close to tearing the house down. If you can get Penta away from doing his CERO MIEDO line over and over again and let him do his thing, he can put in a heck of a performance and that was the case here. At the same time you have Swerve continuing to showcase just how good he really is as his roll continues.

Post match Swerve goes for the mast but Hangman Page runs in to lay Swerve out with a Deadeye off the stage and through some tables. It seems WAY too early for that as it could have come during their Full Gear match instead.

Jay White is ready to beat up Mark Briscoe tonight and hopes MJF is watching.

The Don Callis Family is ready for serious violence next week against Chris Jericho and pals.

Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega are ready to fight next week, but the Young Bucks come in to bring up an idea of the Elite. They think Jericho is just here to get a paycheck, but Jericho thinks he and Omega are a better team. They agree to fight at Full Gear, with Jericho wanting the Bucks’ Tag Team Title shot on the line. That works with the Bucks, but if they win, Jericho and Omega are done as a team and they get back to being the Elite. Omega says he’s beaten the Bucks before so he can do it again.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Keith Lee

Joe is defending and grabs a headlock to start. Lee isn’t having that and runs Joe over with a shoulder. Some choking on the rope keeps Joe down but he’s back up with the snap jabs in the corner. Back up and Lee leapfrogs over him and knocks Joe outside to send us to a break. We come back with Joe taking out the leg, including hitting a dragon screw legwhip. Lee manages a pop up powerbomb for a delayed two but Joe is right back up. Joe pulls him into the Koquina Clutch to retain the title at 11:26.

Rating: B-. This was the hoss match it was advertised as being and that made for a good fight. While I could go for more of Lee being a monster who runs people over, there is little shame in losing to someone as dominant as Joe. That being said, this felt like a match that could have been built up a lot better, but that is the case for a lot of things on AEW TV.

Post match Joe says he’s vacating the title to go after the AEW World Title. After a year and a half and Joe retaining the title when it seemed perfect for Joe to lose, he just walks away from it without putting anyone over? And not even on the ROH show. This has been your weekly reminder that RING OF HONOR MEANS NOTHING.

Orange Cassidy, with Hook, is rather serious and says he has to beat Jon Moxley.

Gunns b. Bollywood Boyz

3:10 To Yuma finishes Gurv at 42 seconds.

Post match the Gunns promise to beat up MJF and win the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles.

Jon Moxley says he’s in for the Full Gear title shot against Orange Cassidy, but he and Wheeler Yuta might crush Cassidy and Hook before they get there.

Wardlow is ready to end MJF.

Julia Hart vs. Red Velvet

This is Velvet’s return after nine months on the injured list. Velvet snaps off some armdrags to start and strikes away in the corner. Hart knocks her out of said corner though and we take a break. Back with Velvet making the clothesline comeback and hitting some running knees. An Iconoclasm out of the corner gives Velvet two but Hart kicks her down. The moonsault finishes for Hart at 8:26.

Rating: C+. Hart gets some momentum back after losing at WrestleDream and still looks like she’s keeping most of her momentum. She seems to have turned a corner in recent months and that moonsault looks good every time. It’s also nice to have Velvet back as you never want to see someone on the shelf, especially for that long.

Post match Hart goes after Velvet but Skye Blue comes out for the staredown. Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale come in to break it up before things get physical.

Mariah May is ready to debut in AEW and is excited about Toni Storm being here.

Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe

The rest of Bullet Club Gold is at ringside. Mark sends him outside to start and White needs an early breather. Back in and Mark chops away, setting up a suplex to put White down again. Redneck Kung Fu puts White on the floor and there’s the Bang Bang Elbow to make it worse. The Club knocks Mark off the top though and we take a break.

Back with White kicking the knee out but getting cut off with a middle rope dropkick. They strike it out with Mark getting the better of things and hitting a fisherman’s buster for two. A dragon screw legwhip over the ropes hits White again and there’s a Death Valley Driver. The Froggy Bow gets two but White snaps off the swinging Rock Bottom. White goes for the knee but the Blade Runner is countered into an exploder suplex. More chops have Mark down again and the sleeper suplex drops him hard. The Blade Runner finishes for White at 14:00.

Rating: B. Another good one here, though I’m not wild on having Briscoe lose so soon after his comeback. Granted it’s against a big name in White who has a major match coming up, but it’s still a bit of a weird choice. That being said, Mark getting to showcase himself is a good thing as he really is one of the better hands in the ring around here.

Post match MJF comes out with the diamond ring to chase White off but he still can’t get the belt back. For the first time ever, MJF has a reason to fight for everyone in the arena and wants to know if White can pull the trigger.

The lights go out and we cut to the back where the masked men are attacking Billy Gunn and the Acclaimed. Anthony Bowens is sent through some glass as we see the person in the devil mask watching. MJF runs to the back, where Samoa Joe pops up to say MJF is running out of friends.

Overall Rating: B. Better show than last week and it’s nice to see things getting a bit back to normal. They had more of a focus this week as they get ready for Full Gear and things got more interesting with the angle at the end. Throw in some good wrestling up and down the card and it made for a good Dynamite. Now just get to Full Gear with the same efficiency and everything should work very well.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Daniel Garcia – Salt Of The Earth
Sting/Darby Allin b. Outrunners – Scorpion Deathlock to Floyd
Swerve Strickland b. Penta El Zero Miedo – Swerve Strickland
Samoa Joe b. Keith Lee – Koquina Clutch
Gunns b. Bollywood Boyz – 3:10 To Yuma to Gurv
Julia Hart b. Red Velvet – Moonsault
Jay White b. Mark Briscoe – Blade Runner

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Ring Of Honor
Date: July 20, 2023
Location: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the go home show for Death Before Dishonor and we have a handful of matches. The World Title match was announced earlier today, as Pac will be getting the shot against Claudio Castagnoli. Other than that, we need a #1 contender to the TV Title, so tonight it’s Shane Taylor vs. Dalton Castle for the shot. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on Daniel Garcia challenging Katsuyori Shibata for the Pure Rules Title at Death Before Dishonor. This gets the talking heads treatment.

Opening sequence.

Daniel Garcia vs. Jason Geiger

Pure Rules and they grapple against the ropes to start until Garcia pats him on the head. Garcia takes him down and dances, only to have Geiger do exactly the same. Geiger cranks on the arm and Garcia actually uses his first rope break. More arm cranking ensues but Garcia drops him again. This time Geiger muscles him up with a suplex and a butterfly variation gets two. Back up and Garcia drops him again, setting up the Boston crab (in a nod to Shibata). With that not working, the Dragontamer finishes Geiger at 7:08.

Rating: C+. Garcia gave him a lot here and that’s a bit weird to see the night before Garcia gets a title shot under these same special rules. That being said, Garcia did win in the end and that is what matters more than anything else as the momentum is there going into tomorrow. That also being said, this is probably the weakest title feud going in ROH today as it’s just not that interesting and there isn’t much of a way to hide it. I’m sure the match will be good, but it’s not exactly drawing me in.

Post match, Katsuyori Shibata comes out for the staredown.

Trish Adora vs. Utami Hayashishita

The Infantry is here with Adora, who grabs a headlock takeover to start. Adora cranks on the arm and rolls her over for two before loading up an Air Raid Crash. Instead of crashing though, Adora kneels down and cranks on various things at once. Utami escapes but can’t slam the bigger Adora, who comes back with some forearms to the ribs.

A kick to the arm slows Utami again but she counters the Lariat Tubman into a German suplex for two. Utami’s Air Raid Crash is broken up and Adora kicks her in the face, setting up a backsplash for another near fall. Back up and Utami grabs a torture rack spun into a powerbomb for two, followed by James Storm’s Eye of the Storm for the pin at 9:19.

Rating: B-. Commentary was hyping up Utami as a big deal from Stardom so there is definitely something to her. At the same time, Adora isn’t really doing anything at the moment so the loss only does so much damage. They were beating each other up rather well too so this was a pretty nice one off match.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Dalton Castle vs. Shane Taylor

For the shot at Samoa Joe at Death Before Dishonor and I would have bet on this being the main event. The Boys clear out but Taylor scares Castle outside to start. Taylor powers him into the corner back inside but Castle slips away and grabs a DDT. You don’t do that to Taylor, who knocks him down and hits a Tower Of London on the floor.

A side slam gets two back inside and Taylor starts in on the always damaged back. Castle fights up and manages a low bridge to the floor, setting up the hurricanrana. Back in and Taylor goes simple by punching him in the ribs, only to have Castle snap off a suplex. The Julie Newmar bulldog gets two and one heck of a Bang A Rang (he spun Taylor around a few times sends Castle to Death Before Dishonor at 8:32.

Rating: B-. I’m tempted to go higher than that just because of how impressive that ending really was. Castle going forward was the only option as he is a far more interesting challenger than Taylor. While I can’t really picture a title change, I’ll take almost anything that has Castle on screen more often, as he really does have the charisma to make it work every time. Good match here, and dang that ending worked.

Josh Woods vs. James Stone

Pure Rules again and Woods has Mark Sterling and the Varsity Athletes with him. Woods starts fast and takes him into the ropes for the first break. Stone gets rocked again and has to use a second break, only to have Woods grab an anarchist suplex for the pin at 2:38. Total squash and I’m not sure why this needed to be Pure Rules, but it was so quick that it doesn’t really matter.

Tony Khan announces that Willow Nightingale is getting a Ring Of Honor Women’s Title shot against Athena at Death Before Dishonor. Willow is ready for the title match and she is ready to bring her big smile, big hair and a big fight.

Athena yells at Jerry Lynn and Stokely Hathaway about how she isn’t going to have this match. Tony Khan comes in to say oh yes you are. This segment served to remind you that Lynn and Hathaway are still in fact people on this show.

Athena vs. Nikita

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Nikita wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Athena is in street clothes here and shakes her head in the corner to start. For some reason Nikita comes in and shoves her in the face. A right hand, the only move of the match, finishes Nikita at 56 seconds.

Post match the destruction is on but Willow Nightingale makes the save.

The Righteous vs. The Boys

Stu Grayson is here with the Righteous. Vincent runs Brandon over to start and sends him chest first into the corner. Dutch comes in and a basement Downward Spiral gets two. Brandon rolls under a clothesline though and dives over for the tag to Brent. Some dropkicks stagger Dutch but he runs Brent over with a clothesline. Vincent grabs Autumn Sunshine for the pin at 2:14.

Nicole Matthews vs. Leyla Hirsch

Hirsch headscissors her down for some posing to start before they fight over wristlocks. Matthews knocks her into the corner and hits a neckbreaker, followed by some forearms to the face. Hirsch isn’t having that and nails a running knee for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: C. They didn’t waste time here and Hirsch gets a fine win. She very well could be the next major challenger for the title, though the idea of her facing Willow Nightingale is a little strange. Matthews is a weird case as she was in that group of independent women who were stars in their time but were kind of forgotten after the Women’s Revolution. That’s a shame as she was quite good, but she feels like a blast from the past here.

Here’s what’s coming on Zero Hour, because the Death Before Dishonor card can’t be announced until days before the show but Zero Hour can be thrown together all at once.

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

Video on the Tag Team Title match, which has two teams who have not won a match in Ring Of Honor in over three months.

Video on Pac vs. Claudio Castagnoli, which was set up the night before this show (fair enough due to the Mark Briscoe injury).

Kingdom vs. Bollywood Boyz vs. Workhorsemen vs. Darius Martin/Action Andretti

Drake and Bennett knock some of the others off the apron before firing off the chops. Martin pulls Bennett off the apron to take over though and more people are knocked off the apron to clear things out again. We settle down to Martin getting double teamed until Bennett hits a dropkick for two.

Drake breaks up a cover off Just The Tip, allowing Martin to come back with a double DDT. The Workhorsemen and the Kingdom get in a fight on the floor so Andretti hits a big flipping dive. Back in and a top rope Hart Attack (elbow instead of clothesline) gets two on Bennett as the Boyz get to take over for a change. A Demolition Decapitator gets the same and it’s time for the parade of kicks to the face. The Proton Pack lets Bennett pin Harv at 6:23.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted, but the Tag Team Title match at the pay per view is such a mess. Why not have Andretti and Martin, who have actually been around, in there instead? At least the Kingdom won here, furthering the idea that they should be in a regular title match instead of this four way stuff. This was the usual insane mess, with four teams being spread out over six minutes, so how is anyone supposed to stand out?

Overall Rating: C+. The shorter shows continue as this clocked in at about an hour and twenty minutes. That’s the third straight week within that range so maybe they have figured out the proper timing. Other than that though, there was enough on here that worked, but Death Before Dishonor is feeling as slapped together as any show could possibly be and that’s not good. I would say maybe they can get better organized after this, but that doesn’t seem likely. Decent show this week, though not exactly must see.

Results
Daniel Garcia b. Jason Geiger – Dragontamer
Utami Hayashishita b. Trish Adora – Eye of the Storm
Dalton Castle b. Shane Taylor – Bang A Rang
Josh Woods b. James Stone – Anarchist suplex
Athena b. Nikita – Right hand
The Righteous b. The Boys – Autumn Sunshine to Brent
Leyla Hirsch b. Nicole Matthews – Running knee
The Kingdom b. Workhorsemen, Action Andretti/Darius Martin and the Bollywood Boyz – Proton Pack to Harv

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Dynamite
Date: July 5, 2023
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re into the second half of the year here and the slow build towards All In continues. Before we get to that though, Blood & Guts is in two weeks, with the BCC vs. the Elite. That could be a bit tricky for both as the Elite will need an extra hand if Eddie Kingston is still in Japan and Bryan Danielson is still hurt. Maybe we find out something for that this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Darby Allin tells Keith Lee to do something to make himself dominant again. Allin: “Pull your head out of your a** and take this seriously or you can just sit on the apron and cry about it.”

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament First Round: Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin vs. Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland

Lee LAUNCHES Allin to start so it’s off to Cassidy for the lazy kicks instead. The Grizzly Magnum puts Cassidy in the corner, where he puts his hands in his pockets and gets chopped down again. Strickland comes in and kicks Allin down as this is one sided so far. We take a break and come back with Lee Tower of Dooming Strickland and Allin out of the corner. Cassidy comes back in and gets caught in a bearhug as Strickland buries Allin underneath the steps.

They go outside with Cassidy trying a sleeper….but Lee walks up the steps, with Allin still underneath them (egads man). Back in and a Stundog Millionaire to Lee sets up a Canadian Destroyer from Allin. Strickland makes the save with a 450, which hits Lee by mistake (Strickland doesn’t mind). Cassidy DDT’s Strickland and hits a diving DDT to Lee on the floor, leaving Allin to grab the Last Supper to pin Strickland at 11:12.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match with Lee looking like his old self. Cassidy and Allin as a dark horse team could go on rather well though I’m not sure I can see them getting the title shot. For now, I can go with Lee being happy with running people over and then seeing Strickland lose in the end. Heck of an opener here, at least partially due to Lee throwing people around.

Video on Nick Wayne, an 18 year old prodigy who has signed to AEW. Darby Allin knew Wayne when he was a kid and helped get him signed.

We look at Hook chasing Jungle Boy off last week.

Jungle Boy wants an FTW Title match against Hook, who runs up and jumps Jungle Boy instead. Another daring escape in a waiting car ensues.

Video on Adam Cole and MJF’s history together.

MJF and Cole worked out together. Cole doesn’t pay attention spotting MJF, who then makes fun of a large man working out nearby. Then MJF doesn’t spot Cole bench pressing, and it doesn’t go very well.

Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. Blade/Bollywood Boyz

After soaking in some cheers, Gunn grabs a headlock on Blade and punches him hard in the face. Harv comes in and gets caught in Scissor Me Timbers, meaning we have a three way scissoring. We take a break and come back with Bowens cleaning house and handing it off to Gunn to drop Gurv. The Mic Drop finishes for Castor at 6:42.

Rating: C. This has been your weekly “why did this match need a break” match as the Acclaimed and Gunn should have run them over a good bit faster than they did. At least they’re getting back to what made the team worked, though giving them something that matters would be nice. As in not QTV.

Post match Harley Cameron (of course) pops up on screen to say she’ll prove her talents with a video next week. Gunn tells her to suck it.

Eddie Kingston won the Strong Openweight Title in Japan earlier today.

Jon Moxley talks about how he and Kingston have known each other for a long time and they have gotten more out of wrestling than they could have hoped. Now though, Kingston needs to answer his phone.

Matt Hardy draws Jeff in the tag tournament. Jarrett that is.

Wheeler Yuta is ready to hurt Kenny Omega.

Here is Chris Jericho for a chat. Jericho thanks the fans for their cheers but he has a lot of big losses over the last few months. Maybe it is time for him to make some changes, and there is no better place to do it than right here. We hear about Jericho’s career starting around here and now it is time to be the best Jericho he can be.

Cue Don Callis to interrupt and talk about how he set up the Jericho vs. Omega match at Wrestle Kingdom. Jericho can’t hear him over the booing and they take credit for each other’s current success. Callis recaps his issues with Kenny Omega and offers Jericho a spot in his new family. Jericho says maybe and leaves. Callis gets some amazing reactions but my goodness he is as uninteresting as it gets.

Video on CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

Video on Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ricky Starks in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

Samoa Joe laid out Roderick Strong on Collision and hurt his neck.

Strong is banged up and wearing a neck brace. Adam Cole comes in to check on him but gets a text from MJF about using a double clothesline tonight.

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament First Round: MJF/Adam Cole vs. Butcher/Matt Menard

Cole and MJF get stomped down in the corner to start. We settle down to MJF telling Menard to wait and then hitting him in the face. The abdominal stretch goes on and MJF starts a DO IT chant to get Cole to cheat. Cole won’t do it so MJF what his deal is. Then Cole cheats and MJF is WAY too happy. Menard gets out and sends MJF into the corner, allowing Butcher to take over as we take a break. Back with MJF poking Menard in the eye and bringing Cole back in to clean house. MJF calls for the double clothesline but Cole just Booms Menard for the pin at 8:43 instead.

Rating: C+. This match was all about the will they/won’t they deal and that made for an entertaining match. You could go in a bunch of different ways here and that makes for an interesting story as I want to know which path they take. If nothing else, MJF begging for the double clothesline and getting to hit it one day should be fun. Butcher and Menard were little more than two warm bodies who weren’t going to be hurt by a loss and that is a good role for them here.

Post match MJF tries to put over Cole, who isn’t overly impressed. They’ll team together one more time, but first of all, MJF wants to wish Cole a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Some backstage workers bring out a small cake and party hats. MJF sings a rather nice rendition of Happy Birthday as Cole looks on in utter confusion. Cole finally says that MJF has done more than enough but MJF wants him to make a wish. MJF teases sending Cole’s face into the cake but gets sent into it instead (Schiavone: “It never fails.”). Cole tries some cake and thanks MJF for doing all this. He even calls MJF his friend and leaves without incident. That’s interesting.

Britt Baker doesn’t like Ruby Soho saying she’s taken everything Baker cares about. Soho hasn’t taken her pride and Baker is ready to beat her.

Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara want an explanation from Chris Jericho but are told that they’re in the tag tournament together. Jericho is happy and tells them to go win without him, because he can’t be with them forever.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation First Round: Ruby Soho vs. Britt Baker

The rest of the Outcasts are here with Soho, who is sent outside to start. Back in and Baker can’t get Lockjaw but can hit a Sling Blade. What looked to be a suplex doesn’t go so well and winds up being something of a DDT to Soho. An Outcasts distraction lets Soho pull Baker to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Baker hitting a fisherman’s neckbreaker for two but not being able to add the Stomp. Instead she kicks Soho in the head but gets tripped by Toni Storm. Baker is fine enough to try the Lockjaw but a distraction lets Soho send her into a title belt. No Future connects for two so Soho puts on her own Lockjaw. With that not working, it’s something closer to the Bank Statement, sending Baker to the ropes. Baker’s Lockjaw goes on but Saraya pulls Soho to the floor. Baker beats the Outcasts up but gets rolled up for the assisted pin at 10:24.

Rating: C-. Two things about this match stick out to me. First of all: they really, really, really need to introduce a prize for the winner of the Owen tournaments. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of matches for the sake of matches and then after about a week, any momentum gained is pretty much gone. It really shouldn’t be asking too much to put something up for grabs.

Second, there was WAY too much interference here. How many distractions or interference spots were there here? About four in a ten minute match? That’s pounding something into the ground and it really dulls things down a lot. You really shouldn’t need that many interferences and distractions to get through a ten minute match and it was just annoying by the end.

Post match Skye Blue comes out for the staredown with Soho.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Kenny Omega

Yuta jumps him to start but Omega says bring it and unloads in the corner. Omega knocks him down and stomps away but You Can’t Escape hurts Omega’s own neck. Yuta hits a missile dropkick for two and the suicide dive sends Omega into the barricade. Omega gets dropped again and we take a break with Yuta in firm control.

Back with Omega fighting out of a chinlock and getting his knees up to block a backsplash. A running clothesline drops Yuta as Excalibur lists off a bunch of upcoming matches. The V Trigger misses though and Yuta goes with a suplex for two. Yuta goes up top and gets superplexed right back down in a huge crash.

A poke to the eye slows Omega down and some rolling German suplexes give Yuta two. Omega is back with the snapdragon and then he does it again for a bonus. There’s the V Trigger but the shoulder gives out on the One Winged Angel. Yuta Seatbelts him for two but Omega runs him over again. Cue Don Callis for a distraction so Konosuke Takeshita can Blue Thunder Bomb Omega. Yuta’s splash gets two but Omega catches him on top and hits the One Winged Angel for the pin at 15:32.

Rating: B-. Another good match to close out the show as Yuta was in over his head but hung in there rather well with a top star. There’s nothing wrong with having Omega working a bit until he got the win, despite the screwiness. Good stuff here, as Yuta is starting to feel more natural when he is in there with bigger names.

Post match Claudio Castagnoli comes in for the beatdown. The Young Bucks can’t make the save so here is Hangman Page with a chair…but the Dark Order comes in to take it away to end the show. Because of course the Dark Order had to be involved.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where the good stuff was rather good and the weaker stuff wasn’t that bad, making for a rather strong effort. The MJF/Cole parts were great and the opener was a lot of fun, which combined to be enough to carry a lot of the show. They were focusing more on the storytelling and moving things forward here, which makes sense as Blood & Guts is coming up soon. Very entertaining show here and I had a good time getting through an easy two hours.

Results
Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy b. Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee – Last Supper to Strickland
Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. Blade/Bollywood Boyz – Mic Drop to Gurv
MJF/Adam Cole b. Butcher/Matt Menard – Boom to Menard,
Ruby Soho b. Britt Baker – Rollup
Kenny Omega b. Wheeler Yuta – One Winged Angel

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Island Vibes
Date: March 30, 2023
Location: Common Space Brewery, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Megan, Aloysius Gibergenes III

Time for another promotion you have probably never heard of with All Caribbean Wrestling. It’s another case where I have no idea what is going on here but they are running a show in Los Angeles over Wrestlemania Weekend so it’s time to look. If nothing else, when are you going to see a wrestling promotion from Trinidad & Tobago? Let’s get to it.

Note that I am coming into this completely blind so I have no idea what to expect here. I’m sorry in advance for missing any story notes, character history etc. Granted this is the third event the promotion has ever presented so there isn’t much to know.

Commentary welcomes us to the show and that is as close as I can get to the man’s name. He even makes a joke about how fast he can say the it.

Jay Malachi vs. Diego Hill

Malachi (I think, as there are no graphics and the sound is far from great) jumps Hill to start but blocks the springboard cutter (the Malacutter). They bounce and flip to counter a bit more until a stomp to the back keeps Malachi down. A standing shooting star press gives Hill two but Malachi is back up with some right hands out of the corner.

Malachi gets two off a springboard clothesline (the camera cuts are REALLY weird here as one angle him pulling back for the springboard and the next showed the move landing). Hill pulls a springboard out of the air though and hits a spinning Samoan driver for the pin at 2:33. Well that was quick after a very gymnastic match.

FEW Flares Title: Mazzerati vs. Brooke Havok

This appears to be another promotion’s Women’s Title and Mazzerati is defending. Mazzerati also comes out with another, unidentified title. Havok gets stomped down in the corner and Mazzerati hits Eat Defeat from the apron. Choking with what looks to be a glove ensues and a snap suplex gives Mazzerati two but Brooke jawbreaks her way out of trouble. A basement dropkick gets two on Mazzerati but she’s right back with a rollup and trunks for the pin to retain at 4:02.

Rating: C-. This was quick and to the point but not exactly great stuff. There is only so much that you can get out of something like this as Mazzerati beat her up, got caught for a few seconds, and then cheated to win. That isn’t exactly an exciting match, though what were they supposed to do with about four minutes?

Los Nuevos Gringos Locos vs. Diablo Azteca/Rockero/???

This is under lucha rules and Locos aren’t given individual names (or maybe they did, but the sound quality on this is pretty dreadful). Rockero (thank goodness for names on boots) starts with the bald Loco and sends him to the apron. The bald one is sent outside, meaning it’s off to the big one vs. Azteca. A quick headscissors puts the big one on the floor so the one with hair (Pistolero according to his tights) comes in and gets headlocked by….I think commentary said Diaz so we’ll go with that.

The bald Loco (Fabuloso Pelon, which is apparently the nickname of a Jason Styles) gets in a cheap shot though, allowing Pistolero to hit a clothesline. Rockero comes back in and gets beaten down, only to avoid the big one’s middle rope moonsault. Everything breaks down and Rockero victory rolls the big one (Maskara Infernal) for the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C. I’m not sure which is worse: the fact that the most entertaining part of the match was trying to figure out their names or the fact that we are twenty two minutes into the match and this is the longest match so far. It was a pretty basic six man lucha match with wrestlers who aren’t that high up on the totem pole, but again, you can only be so bad or good with so little time out there. Completely watchable match if you aren’t looking for anything to blow your mind.

Commentary talks….and the camera cuts back to the ring mid-sentence. Come on they’re not that bad.

Isaiah Bronson vs. Elijah Burke

The heck is the Pope doing on this show??? Bronson is a very tall guy and shoves Burke down hard to start. A shoulder does the same as Burke needs to think this out. Burke sends him face first into the corner and hammers away, only to miss a running splash. Bronson starts working on the arm, including dropping some hard knees.

A boot to the arm cuts off a comeback attempt and Bronson lifts him by said arm for more cranking. Bronson’s chokeslam is countered into a DDT and after a breather, Burke gets to rain down some right hands in the corner. Burke gets sent to the apron but flips back in and hits a low superkick. Bronson pops back up and tries a Tombstone, which Burke reverses into one of his own. The top rope elbow gives Burke the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C+. It was definitely the best match on the show by a mile, but that could be to either the talent involved or having some extra time. Burke is clearly a lot better than anyone else around here so far and it was nice to see him get some time here. Bronson is a big enough guy that he might get a look down the road, but for now he’s just tall.

Sidenote: the camera cuts that go back or forward a second were FAR worse in that match as I kept thinking my internet was messing up. Stop doing that.

FEW Tag Team Titles: Nu Nation vs. Bollywood Boyz

The Nation (Oba Zo/Prince Agballah) is defending and the Boyz dance with the ring announcer before the champs come to the ring. Gurv and Zo start things off with the much bigger Zo shoving him down. A headlock works a bit better for Gurv and it’s off to Harv to work on the arm. The legdrop onto the arm sets up an armbar and it’s Gurv coming back in for his own armbar.

Zo finally sends him into the corner and it’s Prince coming in for a running splash. Gurv gets sent into the corner and his back is bent over Prince’s knee. Zo (whose gear looks to be inspired by Kamala’s stomach) comes back in to crank on the neck but misses a charge in the corner. The hot tag brings in Harv to clean house, including an atomic drop to put Zo down. A top rope elbow connects but Prince’s distraction lets Zo get in a belt shot to retain at 8:07.

Rating: C. The string of ok but really basic matches continues as the Boyz, who can do a bit more than this, didn’t have much to work with here. The Nation are a pair of big guys who did basic power moves while the Boyz were out there to pick up the pace. It also doesn’t help that the Boyz are some of the bigger names on the card and they might as well have been any speed team. I’m running out of ways to say “this wasn’t bad but it came and went” because that is the theme of this show.

Commentary: “What happened?” “I do not know.” I….don’t think they can make it much more obvious.

Post match the Boyz grab the mic to say the champs suck and volunteer to face them next month in Trinidad. The match seems to be made.

Intermission.

Jada Stone vs. Ameera Rose

Rose jumps her to start and the fight is on fast. Stone Matrixes away from her though and sends Rose into the corner for the running knees. Back up and Rose sends her face first into the middle buckle and gets two off a full nelson slam. Kicks to the back keep Stone in trouble but she avoids a charge. Stone misses a moonsault though and Rose suplexes her into a chinlock. Back up and Rose forearms her way out of trouble, setting up a splits Stunner for the pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. And now we’re back to where we were before, with the short matches that don’t have time to get anywhere. Neither of them really stood out and it felt like another match that was there to fill in time on the card. Then again if that’s the case, you would think the match would have broken four minutes. If they can’t do more than that (though they very well could), I’m not sure why they’re on a show.

Juicy Finau/Juice Kross vs. Kimo Killer/Big Fonz

Kross (at least I think that was his name) is a martial artist. Finau, who weighs over 400lbs, powers around Kimo (again, I think that’s his name, as commentary is almost impossible to hear a good chunk of the time). Fonz (also called EOC) comes in and dropkicks Killer down, meaning it’s Finau coming back in to run him over. Double teaming doesn’t work as Finau splashes Kross by mistake, allowing Fonz to drop him with three straight clotheslines. Kross comes back in and gets kneed in the face, setting up a top rope double stomp/reverse fireman’s carry slam combination for the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C-. Finau is a rather big man who certainly stands out but the other three involved didn’t in any real way. As has been the case almost all night, this came and went so fast that nothing about it stood out. Getting four people involved in about five minutes can be done but they didn’t make it work very well here, meaning it’s another match that I’ll have forgotten about in a few minutes.

JC Storm vs. Amera

Storm has cotton candy with her. They trade fast rollups for two each until Amera (or Tower of Power as they keep calling her, despite not being very tall) dropkicks her into the corner. A running uppercut into a sidewalk slam gets two on Storm but she starts going after the back. Amera’s belly to back suplex gets a pair of near falls and some hard forearms make it worse. Storm is right back up with a ripcord Downward Spiral for the pin at 4:35.

Rating: C-. At least Amera did some power stuff to make half of her nickname make sense. The cotton candy on the other hand did nothing for Storm, which would have made things more interesting. Other than that, you had two women trading some moves, though Amera was trying with a different style.

Alan Angels vs. Malik Bosede

Angels is “representing the Design” because I can’t escape those people. They fight over a lockup with Angels taking him into the corner to get under Malik’s skin. Malik shoulders him down and grabs a rollup for two before hitting a quick Sling Blade. A twisting splash out of the corner gets two more so Angels bails to the floor, where he uses the ring skirt to trip Malik down.

Back in and we hit the chinlock for a bit to slow things down. Malik fights up and hits a spinebuster, followed by a bulldog. Angels crotches him in the corner though and hits a running dropkick for two. They chop it out with Angels hitting a clothesline for two, leaving him stunned. Malik is back up with a tiger bomb though and a 450 finishes Angels at 8:39 in quite the upset.

Rating: C+. Angels is a name that some might recognize and it can mean a lot for one of the promotion’s stars to get a win like this. While I don’t think Malik is going to be on Angels’ level anytime soon, this is going to make a difference for the ACW shows in the future. It helps that it was one of the better matches on the show, which granted might not mean much.

Commentary plus the next show and we’re out.

Overall Rating: D+. You know what this felt like? A good portion of it came off like a badly written sitcom where the cast forgets that they need to put on a show and then throws everything together with an hour to go. Save for the matches with bigger names, this show didn’t feel incredibly planned out, with all kinds of stuff being cut short. The whole show runs about an hour and thirty minutes (not counting a ten minute intermission) and has nine matches. Cut out about three of those and let something else get some time and this could have been better, but for now it feels like something slapped together to meet a requirement.

There was also very little that made this feel unique, as I would expecting more from a promotion called All Caribbean Wrestling. This could have been from anywhere and you wouldn’t have noticed the difference. They also REALLY need to work on their audio, as I could barely understand the ring announcer or commentary for most of the show. You could hear their voices, but they were either low or drowned out, leaving me wondering who I was watching. It’s not the worst and nothing on it is downright horrible, but the overall presentation didn’t work, especially with some of the talented people on the card.

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One Night Only: Amped Anthology Part IV
Date: December 8, 2017
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Cyrus Fees, Chael Sonnen

Thank goodness it ends here. This is the final piece of the four part series of Jeff Jarrett’s failed attempt to launch his own promotion (the second time that is). Impact then released the TV tapings as a series of four events so that is what we have here, with the final four shows and a bunch of champions being crowned. Let’s get to it.

The opening video gives us a rapid fire look at what is left in the tournaments.

Commentary chatters and previews the show.

Seiya Sanda is ready to become #1 contender to the X-Division Title.

Sonjay Dutt is ready to become #1 contender to the X-Division Title.

Sonjay Dutt vs. Seiya Sanada

The winner gets a Nex Gen Title shot at some point in the future. Dutt bows to Sanada to start and we get a nice handshake. They go to the mat to start and it’s an early standoff. Dutt works on the arm as we hear about Sanada being part of the Bullet Club. Back up and Dutt hurricanranas him to the floor, setting up a headscissors to take him down again. A slingshot legdrop gives Dutt two and a backsplash is good for the same. The Octopus hold goes on with Dutt working on the hand to be a little more evil. Sonnen: “Sanada looks as Asian as Scott Hall does Cuban. I think it’s an angle.”

Sanada springboards in with a chop to the head, which we see three times for some reason. A TKO gives Sanada two but the moonsault misses. Instead Sanada grabs a bridging German suplex for two more but Dutt stacks up la majistral for his own two. There’s a running shooting star press for two more on Sanada and a running tornado DDT. A top rope splash gives Dutt the pin at 8:47.

Rating: C. This is a good example of what was wrong with GFW: there was little to the story and the action was completely average. The match was a perfect example of something that came and went with a few decent spots but I won’t remember it by the end of the show. It was very basic, by the book professional wrestling, but it has no staying power whatsoever.

Respect is shown post match.

Brian Myers is upset by his recent loss but he isn’t done.

Masked Saint vs. Juicy Joey

Saint is rather skinny and a tie in to a movie of the same name and apparently the grandson of the real version. Joey (Ryan of course) takes him into the corner to start but Saint is back with a clothesline into a headlock. A shoulder runs Saint over but Joey gets hiptossed out to the floor. Back in and Joey runs him over again, setting up the signature pose on the rope. Saint is back with a DDT for two but Joey knocks him down without much trouble. The chinlock goes on for a bit, only to have Saint pop up with a dropkick. A high crossbody finishes Joey at 5:10.

Rating: D+. It is pretty clear that Saint is very new at wrestling, as his offense was rather entry level. Then again, this felt like little more than a way to hype up the movie and that is acceptable enough. It isn’t like Joey Ryan is going to be hurt by taking a loss on a show like this, so just give the movie some press and move on.

Nick Aldis is ready to beat Bobby Roode and be the World Champion.

Chael Sonnen talks about training fellow MMA fighter Phil Baroni and calling him out during an appearance on a previous show. Baroni jumped the barricade and a match seems to be imminent.

Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Whirlwind Gentlemen vs. Bollywood Boyz

The Gentlemen are Jack Manley/Remy Marcel while the Boyz are Gurv/Harv. The Boyz are better known as the Singh Brothers in WWE, which commentary points out for us. Harv and Manley start things off and a shoulder means it’s time for the Bollywood dancing. An armdrag into an armbar lets Gurv come in with an ax handle to the arm.

Gurv gets sent outside for a slam onto the apron and it’s time for the Gentlemen to work on the arm. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by more stomping to keep Gurv down. Back up and Manley is sent into Marcel, allowing the tag back to Harv. Everything breaks down and a double neckbreaker takes Remy down. The Bollywood Blast finishes Marcel at 4:33.

Rating: C-. Another “just a match” match here and that doesn’t exactly surprise me. The wrestling has not been the strong suit on this wrestling show and that is quite the issue to get around. They had two teams in a match here and the good guys won to get a title shot against more villains. I’m not sure what else you should have expected here.

Post match the celebration is on but Christina Von Eerie runs in to jump the Boyz’s dancers. Reno Scum comes in to jump the Boyz but Amber Gallows (facing Von Eerie for the Women’s Title) runs in for the save.

Video on the Women’s Title match.

We start the second episode with a look at the Women’s Title match.

Christopher Mordetzky (Chris Masters), with his advocate Stu Stone (I think?) arrives with a bouquet of flowers.

Cielo Escorpion wants the Nex Gen Title.

Enigma wants the Nex Gen Title.

Bestia 666 wants the Nex Gen Title.

Enigma vs. Bestia 666 vs. Cielo Escorpion

Enigma is better known as Venum Black Jr. and wrestled around Mexico for a few years. Escorpion is Scorpio Sky under a mask. Bestia decks both of them to start and we’re already in the triple headlock. Escorpion is sent outside, leaving Enigma to hit a rather speedy headscissors on Bestia. Back in and Escorpion gets springboard armdragged outside, allowing Enigma to hit a flipping suicide dive. Enigma gets back inside where Bestia gives him a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, followed by a superkick into a standing moonsault for two on Escorpion.

Enigma is back in with a Code Red (not a Destroyer) for two on Bestia but Escorpion is back up with a jumping knee to the face. Escorpion’s big flip dive takes Bestia out again as we hear about WCW’s cruiserweight division. Bestia pops back up and drops Enigma, setting up a kneeling Musclebuster for two on Escorpion. Back up and Enigma grabs a satellite DDT on Bestia, followed by a running sunset flip (Fees: “I don’t even know what to call that!” It’s a running sunset flip.) for the pin at 5:09.

Rating: C+. This was mainly a bunch of spots and it worked out well enough, though the short time frame might have helped things. You could tell that Enigma was going to be the focal point of the match from the opening bell, which may or may not have been the best thing. It did what it needed to do, but it still fees like “hey we have a lucha/X-Division/Nex Gen match!” for no reason other than saying they have one on the show.

Here is Chael Sonnen for a chat, because he is tired of waiting on Jeff Jarrett. The Global Title is in the middle of the ring and in two weeks, these men will face off for the title. Cue Bobby Roode and Nick Aldis, with Roode now holding the TNA King Of The Mountain Title. Roode talks about all of the success that he has had elsewhere and brags about the title already on his shoulder.

The only thing standing between himself and the GFW Global Title is Aldis so now Roode has one obstacle left. Once he wins it, he is off to Nashville for a big celebration…or maybe he’ll just burn it in a trashcan. Aldis says Roode mentioned not wanting to be here, yet he is here anyway. That means he wants to be here but Roode is hedging his bets with TNA. Roode wants to roll the dice and see what happens but Aldis is here to win the title.

Cue Stu Stone and Christopher Mordetzky, with Stone saying they have been trying to get hold of Aldis. Nick doesn’t want to hear it, even when Stone makes a reference to Mickie James. Mordetzky has the flowers with him, with Roode saying Aldis should take them home to his wife and kid since he won’t be taking the title. Sonnen and Roode lay Aldis out. Nice enough segment to put some heat on the match, but Mordetzky is an energy killer.

We recap Christina Von Eerie vs. Amber Gallows for the Women’s Title. A lot of people like Gallows but Von Eerie has no compassion for or fear of her.

Women’s Title: Christina Von Eerie vs. Amber Gallows

For the inaugural title with Karen Jarrett here to present the belt. Von Eerie isn’t in for the Too Sweet so the brawl is on with Gallows spearing her down. The yet to be named YES Kicks into a running kick to the head have Von Eerie in even more trouble. Gallows gets kicked in the face as well though and Von Eerie takes her down to set up a kick to the back.

That doesn’t last long as Gallows is back up with a Russian legsweep and they head to the apron. A backdrop puts Von Eerie down onto the apron and then the floor, followed by a whip into the barricade for two. Back in and an Iconoclasm into a superkick gives Gallows two but the Amber Alert is broken up. The Dead Raising (cross arm Backstabber) gives Von Eerie the pin and the title at 6:34.

Rating: D+. I actually went back to make sure I had the time right because this was nothing. The match came and went with nothing to it and Von Eerie happened to win. They were certainly trying and the match wasn’t terrible, but what are you expecting from what is supposed to be some big match that doesn’t even get seven minutes?

We start the third episode with a look at the Tag Team Title match between Reno Scum and the Bollywood Boyz. They have both worked so hard to get here and now it is all about the titles. Points for focusing on the fact that they’re teams instead of a couple of people wrestling together.

Chael Sonnen rants about how Jeff Jarrett is screwing up the company (again) because Sonnen is a bigger star who draws more ratings and sells more tickets.

We look at how the Bollywood Boyz and Reno Scum made it to the finals.

Here are Jeff and Karen Jarrett for a chat. They are both very happy to be here and Jeff explains the four divisions (which really shouldn’t require an explanation) with the World Title being the main prize. Cue Chael Sonnen to say that he is responsible for all of this company’s success. He has been watching Jeff burn through so much of his family’s money that people are starting to call him Dixie.

Jeff says this isn’t the time or the place for Sonnen to ask for a match again but we’ll figure that out later. That’s not good enough for Sonnen but Karen says he means nothing around here. Sonnen says it’s amazing to see what $10,000 worth of silicone can get you. He isn’t here to talk to a woman, so he’ll talk to Kurt. Sonnen: “Sorry, I mean Jeff. If you want to fast forward to 2017, I can just call you Chael.”

Sonnen wants to see what Karen has and gets slapped in the face. With that out of the way, Sonnen says he’ll fight Phil Baroni and wrestle anyone. If he has to, he’ll go to the graveyard and dance on Jeff’s dad’s grave. I mean, that might be hard as Jerry Jarrett is still alive but Sonnen is the best talker around here so it’s hard to complain.

Video on the Tag Team Title match as the total filler on this episode continues.

Reno Scum talks about getting called to come into GFW and knowing it was their chance to win a real Tag Team Title.

The Bollywood Boyz talk about wrestling in Canada for years and finally getting their chance to make it elsewhere. Their father came from a part of India where you don’t have electricity after 6pm and now they want to make something better for their family. That’s a nice statement.

Back to Reno Scum, they want to make their families proud.

The Boyz are undersized and are ready to show what they are all about and what they can do.

Both teams talk about training/their diets as this video is still going. Scum says the Boyz have big hearts but people with big hearts die early deaths. Wow.

This whole thing went on over ten minutes and might as well have had a big FILLER flashing sign over it. Some of the stuff was fine if not good, but cut this WAY down.

Tag Team Titles: Reno Scum vs. Bollywood Boyz

For the inaugural titles with Jeff Jarrett there to present the belts. Christina Von Eerie is here with Scum and the Boyz have their Bollywood dancers. The brawl is on before the bell with the Boyz clearing the ring in a hurry. That means it’s time for the dives but Luster the Legend pulls Harv into a Texas Cloverleaf.

The fans are behind the home state Scum but Harv dropkicks Gurv in the back to break up a slam. A buckle bomb plants Harv though and Adam Thornstowe sends him into the corner for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Harv manages to get in his half of a double clothesline to put them both down. Gurv comes in for a spinwheel kick and a near fall on Thornstowe and it’s the Bollywood Blast for the same. A double superkick puts Luster on the floor but Harv’s dive only hits barricade.

Back in and Thornstowe’s Alberto double stomp gets two on Gurv. Harv is tied in the Tree of Woe and Gurv hits a running Razor’s Edge to knock them both silly. That doesn’t last long though as Luster is sent outside, leaving Thornstowe to eat a double superkick. A missile dropkick into a top rope elbow finishes Luster to give the Boyz the titles at 9:50.

Rating: C. Another match which was fine enough but has no impact other than getting to say the Boyz are the first champions. The Boyz going over is fine for a feel good moment and their (lengthy) video talking about wanting to make things better for their family was great, but they can’t get more than ten minutes?

Respect is shown post match.

We start the fourth episode looking at the Global Title match. Bobby Roode and Nick Aldis are both awesome and ready to go from different parts of the world. This is going to be another talking heavy show isn’t it?

Commentary welcomes us to the show and of course Sonnen is wearing the Global Title.

We recap how Aldis and Roode made the tournament finals.

Both guys arrived earlier.

We go to the hype video on the main event, talking about how important it is to be the champion. Fans are inspired by the champion and for the most part, it is only a dream for the wrestlers. Mick Foley pops in to say Bobby Roode is underrated and Jeff Jarrett is amazed that Roode is from another promotion but came here for the tournament.

We talk about Roode’s development and how he has moved up from a tag team guy to a main eventer.

Aldis knows Roode is good.

With that video done, we look at another video on how they got here. Now I know we already did this, but here’s a DETAILED look at their earlier matches. This includes Chris Mordetzky talking about going to see Mickie James, which was too far for Aldis. Then Aldis had to deal with Chael Sonnen, which didn’t go very far.

Foley still likes Roode’s chances.

Roode isn’t sure what he’ll do with the title when he wins.

After TWENTY MINUTES of hype videos, we’re ready to go. Remember that this was supposed to be an hour long TV show too, meaning this would probably have been over half of the show.

GFW Global Title: Bobby Roode vs. Nick Aldis

For the inaugural title and Jeff Jarrett is here to present the belt again. They go with the feeling out process to start as Sonnen keeps ripping on Jeff and Fees. Aldis takes him down without much trouble but the threat of the Spine Shaker (modified belly to back suplex) sends Roode outside.

Back in and Roode sends him into the corner and starts in on the arm. Roode drops some knees on the arm and the seated armbar goes on. Aldis breaks up a superplex attempt though and drops a top rope elbow for two. Roode is right back with the top rope Blockbuster for the same but Aldis catches him in a suplex for another near fall. The King’s Lynn Cloverleaf has Roode in more trouble until a rope is grabbed.

Roode is back with an enziguri into a Backstabber for his own two so it’s time to bring in the belt. That means the referee gets bumped and it’s a low blow into a belt shot to drop Aldis. The very delayed count gets two but the Roode Bomb is countered into a rollup which is countered into the Crossface on Aldis’ bad arm. That’s broken up as well and Aldis sends him into the corner, setting up the Spine Shaker for the pin and the title at 10:18.

Rating: C+. That’s almost out of pity, as it’s the longest match of the show and that’s hardly worth mentioning. The match was fine enough for a quick TV match but for the first World Champion? Much like with the Boyz winning the Tag Team Titles, it’s cool to see a champion crowned but it isn’t like this felt important or anything. The fans were dead and commentary didn’t really make it seem special, leaving it down to the wrestlers. They did what they could, but how epic is a ten minute match going to be most of the time?

Post match Jeff Jarrett presents Aldis with the title but here are Stu Stone and Chris Mordetzky for the brawl. Mordetzky hits him with the flowers, which had a lead pipe included. Kongo Kong joins in on the beatdown, with Aldis being left bloody. Jeff Jarrett comes in for the save and gets Masterlocked. The beatdown is on and Mordetzky lays the title onto Jeff to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. That’s the end of Amped and it couldn’t come faster. This wasn’t so much a bad show as much as uninteresting it was. It felt like they were just going through the motions and trying to check boxes off a list of things they needed to do here. None of the matches were memorable, the fans didn’t care, and the best person on the show was the heel commentator.

I’m not sure who would want to watch this as a weekly series as I could barely tell you what happened in the four episodes I just watched, let alone the first twelve. Amped was little more than Jeff Jarrett trying to do something TNA like again but without the talent or effort that TNA had. The matches could have been far worse, but they couldn’t have been much less interesting if they tried. Really boring show and thankfully the end of Amped, which didn’t deserve a future after this.

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205 Live
Date: May 21, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

Believe it or not, 205 Liv is kind of on a roll here and it could be interesting to see where they take it. Above all else, they have introduced some new names into the fold and that could make all the difference in the world. Even Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari have seemed a bit more energized as of late so hopefully they can keep it up. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Asher Hale vs. Ari Sterling

This could be interesting. Sterling grabs the arm to start and blocks a snapmare attempt with a shove off for a unique counter. Hale starts working on the arm and spins him down into an armbar. Back up and Sterling hits a running shoulder but Hale kicks the leg out to put him down again. A slingshot anklescissors sends Hale into the corner though and Sterling hits a running spinwheel kick.

Back up and Hale sends him outside for the moonsault off the apron and Sterling is in trouble again. A neckbreaker across the knee drops Sterling and we hit the cross arm choke. That’s reversed into one from Sterling but Hale goes right back to the knee to put him down. Something like a Figure Four dragon screw legwhip has Sterling in trouble but he comes back with some strikes to the face.

A running forearm in the corner rocks Hale but the knee gives out on a running hurricanrana attempt. Hale grabs a bridging Indian Deathlock, eventually sending Sterling over to the ropes. Another attempt is countered into a small package for two and some more rollups give Sterling some more near falls. Back up and Sterling hits a jumping knee to the face, setting up 86 for the pin at 9:14.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match that this show needs as it was two new guys trying to showcase themselves and that’s what they got to do. Sterling needed the win a little bit more and is the kind of guy who could be beefed up into an eventual challenger. Hale looked good as well and that Indian Deathlock looked rather good. Nice stuff here, and that’s the kind of thing the show needs.

Bollywood Boyz vs. August Grey/Ikemen Jiro

Jiro has a watermelon jacket this time. Grey and Samir start things off with an exchange of headlock takeovers. Samir’s headscissors is broken up in a hurry and Grey grabs a rollup for two. An armdrag into an armbar works a bit better for Samir and it’s off to Sunil for a double elbow. Jiro comes in for a shot to the face and an armdrag into an armbar of his own. It’s already back to Grey, who misses a charge into the post so Sunil starts cranking away.

Samir comes back in with a middle rope bulldog for two and the armbar goes on again. Grey fights up and sends Sunil outside though and the hot tag brings in Jiro to start picking up the pace. A slingshot springboard moonsault gets two on Sunil but a Swanton misses. Instead Sunil snaps off a spinwheel kick and it’s a modified Hart Attack (top rope elbow instead of a running clothesline) for two on Jiro with Grey making the save. Grey breaks up a double superkick so Jiro can hit a solo version of his own and a running knee (Ikemen Slash) finishes Sunil at 8:33.

Rating: C. Rather energized match here as Grey and Jiro continue their nice start as a tag team. It isn’t like the Boyz losing is going to hurt anything for them as they are as established of an act as you can get around here. The new guys continue their roll and that’s a nice thing to be able to say.

Overall Rating: C+. Solid stuff here with a theme throughout the show, including one good and one pretty good match. I liked both of the matches and the big story here is continuing the youth (or at least) new movement. Just let things grow from here and maybe give us some stories and this might turn into a nice little show. For once.

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205 Live
Date: April 30, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

It’s another show from the cruiserweights and odds are we are not going to be seeing any of the bigger names of the division. I don’t know if it is some kind of a Coronavirus thing or just a weird choice, but you would think that some of the more prominent cruiserweights could pop up here every now and then. I would say maybe tonight, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jake Atlas/August Grey vs. Bollywood Boyz

Sunil headlocks Grey to the mat to start and then runs him over with a shoulder. They go to a standoff so it’s a fist bump and a double tag to bring in Samir to roll Atlas up. The kickout sends Samir outside in a crash so it’s time for Atlas to chop away back inside. Atlas elbows Samir down and puts on a bodyscissors to work on the ribs.

Grey comes back in and sends Samir chest first into the buckle. Samir manages to get in a shot of his own and the hot tag brings in Sunil to clean house. The top rope elbow gets two on Atlas but Sunil is sent into Samir to knock him to the floor. Atlas hits a good superkick on Sunil and Grey adds the spinning high crossbody for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C. Pretty nice match here as Grey and Atlas are fine enough as a team. Granted that isn’t going to get them very far as there are only two regular teams on this show and they just beat one of them. At least it is a slightly different way for them to go though as it isn’t like there is anything else for the two of them to do.

Post match here are Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese to interrupt the celebration as they have a match of their own.

We look at Legado del Fantasma beating Kushida/MSK on NXT.

Tony Nese/Ariya Daivari vs. Ever-Rise

Nese takes Martel down to start and hands it off to Daivari for some kicks to the head. It’s already back to Nese for the cover and the forearms to the back keep Martel in trouble. Daivari snapmares him into a chinlock as Martel stays down. A dropkick gives Nese two but Martel is back up with a clothesline. Nese knocks Parker off the apron like a good villain should and the springboard moonsault connects. Daivari adds the Persian Lion splash for two but Martel gets in a shot of his own, allowing the hot tag to Parker.

A Gory Bomb gets two on Nese but he’s right back up to go to the corner. Nese’s superplex is countered into a super spinning neckbreaker but Daivari is back in with a reverse DDT for two. Martel is taken up top for a running palm strike and an Iconoclasm. Nese gets two off a 450 but Martel is right back with a powerbomb into a Boston crab. Daivari makes the save with a superkick but Parker comes in for one of his own. Everything breaks down and it’s the Sweet Taste to finish Nese at 11:53.

Rating: C. What else is there to say about a Nese and Daivari match? It feels like we have seen about a hundred of them at this point and that doesn’t exactly leave you with much to get excited about. Ever-Rise have turned into some rather enjoyable good guys and yet there still isn’t much of a reason to care about what you’re seeing here. Totally passable match and that’s the end of my enthusiasm.

Overall Rating: C-. This was indeed an episode of 205 Live, featuring mostly the same people having matches that we have probably seen before. I know I make the same criticisms of this show over and over but that is because we keep seeing the same things over and over. I’m not even expecting things to change any longer, but it would be nice to be able to believe that they could. As usual though, it’s hard to really get mad at a 30 minute show, but it isn’t easy to get interested either.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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205 Live
Date: April 23, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tom Phillips

It’s time for more interchangeable cruiserweight action as the same people get to have mostly the same matches as they always do around here. Hopefully the action is good, because that is about all that happens to make things interesting on this show. I wouldn’t bet on it though, as I learned not to do a long time ago. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bollywood Boyz vs. Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese

The Boyz manage to get Phillips, now with a beard, to dance a bit. Commentary points out that we’ve seen this match before, which isn’t giving me much hope. Daivari hammers away on Samir to start and sends him arm first into the buckle. A cobra clutch puts Samir down and it’s off to Nese for the quickly broken chinlock. Instead, Daivari comes back in to drop some elbows but Samir manages a tornado DDT.

Nese is smart enough to break up the hot tag though and comes back in for two off a snap suplex. A chinlock with a bodyscissors keeps Samir in trouble but he fights up again. This time Nese’s suplex is countered into a neckbreaker and the hot tag brings in Sunil to pick up the pace. A middle rope clothesline gets two on Daivari and the middle rope Hart Attack (elbow instead of clothesline) gets the same. The Bollywood Blast gets another near fall with Daivari having to make a save. Nese hits a pair of Running Neses for the pin on Sunil at 8:16.

Rating: C-. Quick match here without breaking their mold. There is only so much that you can do with a match like this as Nese and Daivari are going to be the major heels around here for years and the Boyz can’t go higher on the card. The action was decent, but it’s another match with no impact or stakes at all, other than recharging Nese and Daivari for the 167^th time.

We look at Kushida issuing an open challenge for a Cruiserweight Title shot and retaining over Oney Lorcan on NXT. Post match, MSK had to save Kushida from a Legado del Fantasma beatdown, setting up a six man next week.

August Grey vs. Ashante Adonis

Grey spins out of a wristlock to start but can’t get an O’Connor roll. Adonis sweeps the leg and elbows him in the jaw to send Grey into the corner. Grey is right back with an armdrag into an armbar but Adonis makes the rope. Not to waste a chance, Adonis pulls him throat first into the rope to take over. Some elbows set up a missed knee drop but Adonis pulls him right back down into the chinlock.

What looks like a Captain’s Hook is countered so Adonis snaps off a belly to back suplex for two. Cue Ariya Daivari to watch from ringside as Grey hits a running elbow to the face. A bulldog drops Adonis again and the spinning high crossbody connects for no cover. Instead they both crash to the floor, with Daivari telling Grey to take the countout win. That isn’t happening but the distraction lets Adonis hit the Long Kiss Goodnight for the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and the Daivari stuff should set up something going forward. Adonis needed a win so maybe he can get a minor push around here. I’m not if it is going to amount to anything, but at least they gave him a quick win here, even if it was more about Daivari vs. Grey than anything else.

Post match Daivari yells at him for not using his head. Grey says he’s doing it his way.

Overall Rating: C-. Yet another dull, dry and repetitive offering from 205 Live, which is kind of hard to fathom. You would think at some point that they could come up with something fresh, even in the short term, but that has not been the case in years now. If nothing else, just having someone other than Nese and Daivari as the main villains would be a nice upgrade.

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