Ring of Honor
Date: October 18, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re still in Las Vegas and still dealing with the fallout from Death Before Dishonor. It’s not clear if Global Wars, which will have ended by the time this show airs, will get any focus. That’s what keeps confusing me about this company: some of their pay per views matter and some are just big time specials. At least TV has been good lately so let’s get to it.

Addiction isn’t allowed in, despite being awesome wrestlers.

Opening sequence.

Kushida vs. Scorpio Sky

Sky is a PWG legend. A technical sequence goes nowhere so Sky takes over with a backbreaker for two. Kushida starts in on the arm and it turns out that his mom is in the crowd. Well that’s always cool. Hopefully she’s fine with her son working on the arm with kicks and a stomp until Sky takes him down with a neckbreaker. Sky goes up but his frog splash is countered into a cross armbreaker. It’s too close to the ropes though and here’s Daniels with an air horn. Kazarian comes in to kick Kushida low for the DQ at 3:27.

Rating: C. This didn’t have the time to mean much but it was nice while it lasted. Sky is someone I’ve heard a lot about but I’ve only seen him a few times. I wouldn’t be complaining about him being around here more often. At least Kushida was around as that’s always a good thing.

Kushida gets beaten down until Jay Lethal makes the save. During the break, a challenge for a tag match was made and we have a match…at some point in the future.

We look back at Jay Briscoe injuring Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer’s promo with him last week.

Here’s Bully in sunglasses to no music. He apologizes for everything being low key and says he has to worry about the head trauma at the moment. Right now he doesn’t know if he’s ever going to get his hands on Jay Briscoe, even if he’d love to more than anything else. For the first time in his career, he’s thinking about stepping away for the sake of his family. These people have been his wrestling family all these years but for once he has to think about his family at home. Bully goes to leave and Mark Briscoe comes out to say Bully’s issues are with Jay, not the family. They’re cool with each other.

We look back at Kenny King saying he’ll fight anyone for the TV Title anytime. A small army came out to stare him down and King didn’t seem to mind. Next week, it’s a four way to crown a new #1 contender.

Here’s the Bullet Club for a celebration with the promise of a big surprise. Shane Taylor follows the team out with Cody handing him a wad of money along the way. Cody talks about having the most lucrative contract in ROH history. We hit that YOU DESERVE IT chant before Cody talks about the Young Bucks getting offers from every wrestling company in the world about two years ago.

That’s where Cody is now, but he is officially signing the exclusive contract with Ring of Honor. This….pretty much changes nothing but it’s the Bullet Club so that makes it awesome. Everyone else leaves and Cody thinks he should do something special for his first official night on the roster. How about a title defense right now? Cody hints that it’s going to be Dalton Castle but instead it’s….Cheeseburger.

Ring of Honor World Title: Cody vs. Cheeseburger

Cody is defending in a suit with Shane Taylor at ringside. Cheeseburger gets taken down and slapped in the head a few times, only to come out of the corner with a high double kick to the chest. Cody bails to the floor and that means a slingshot dive as Cheeseburger gets in his early offense. A shot with the big ring cuts Cheeseburger off though and it’s time for a belt whipping.

Cheeseburger takes it away and gets two off a crucifix but a delayed superplex cuts him off in a hurry. A quick springboard knee to the head (ala Seth Rollins) gives Cheeseburger two but the palm strike is countered into Cross Rhodes….for two as Cody picks him up. The delay lets Cheeseburger get in a few whips, only to have Cody slap on the American Deathlock for the tap at 5:44.

Rating: C+. That’s the kind of Cheeseburger match I can go for: he gets in some hope spots but is overwhelmed by the size and skill. It gets old watching him do the same things over and over again so this was fairly refreshing. Cody wasn’t going to lose here but it came off like a weaker version of HHH vs. Taka Michinoku (that’s a compliment), which is just fine.

The Kingdom is ready.

It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit with his guests the Dawgs, Will Ferrara and Rhett Titus. Apparently they’re wearing the wrong suit jackets and Ferrara isn’t happy. So yeah, they’re a bad comedy act. Ferrara hates cheese and he hates Cheeseburger. Titus on the other hand isn’t happy with Kenny King not appreciating Titus getting him his job back. They’re ready for the Tempura Boyz next week. This team doesn’t look promising.

Kingdom vs. Search and Destroy

It’s the Motor City Machine Guns and Jonathan Gresham for Search and Destroy here. Taven jumps Sabin from behind to start and we start….well not that fast really. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Kingdom is sent outside for a triple dive. Back in and some triple kicks take Taven down but Marseglia’s blind tag breaks up a tornado DDT attempt. The Kingdom takes over on Sabin in the corner with a variety of stomping as we’re told how interesting Marseglia really is. O’Ryan hits a good looking spinebuster and a running knee gets two as we take a break.

Back with Sabin escaping Rockstar Supernova and getting pummeled for his efforts. Sabin DDT’s and dropkicks his way to freedom as his partners have no issues with all three opponents being in the ring at once. It’s off to Gresham to clean house, including a moonsault onto O’Ryan off a belly to back from Taven in a nice counter. Gresham ankle locks O’Ryan as the Guns dive onto Marseglia and Taven. It’s Taven coming back in with a Disaster Kick for the save so Gresham tags Sabin back in for a fairly dumb idea.

The Guns come right back with the Dream Sequence and a suicide dive on O’Ryan. Marseglia takes them both down with a springboard dive, followed by Taven hitting a no hands version. Gresham moonsaults from the middle rope and grazes a few of them. Back in and Skull and Bones is broken up, allowing Taven to get in a walking stick shot for the rollup (with tights) pin at 10:24.

Rating: C+. This could have been better if I cared about the Kingdom in any way, shape or form. The Guns are starting to grow on me again, especially now that they actually got the belts off the Bucks. That being said, it’s not a good idea to have a new champion take a fall like this. Just pin Gresham.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t a bad show but there was nothing that blew me away. The Bully promo is good and while I don’t think there’s any secret tot he fact that this is setting up Bully vs. Jay at Final Battle, at least they’re giving us a good story along the way. Not a bad show here but it’s a filler episode, even with big names around.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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Ring of Honor
Date: September 13, 2017
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Marty Scurll

We’re less than two weeks away from Death Before Dishonor and hopefully we can actually get somewhere other than “hey, Minoru Suzuki is going to be here” for a change. I know he’s a Japanese legend but it seems that he’s the major selling point for the pay per view, despite not actually being on the card. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the Kingdom returning to health and beating down the Briscoe Brothers and Bully Ray.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Bully Ray to open the show. He’s accomplished a lot of things in his career but this is the first time he’s been in Atlanta with Ring of Honor. When he got here, the company asked him what he wanted to do. He immediately wanted to team up with the Briscoes and they won the Six Man Tag Team Titles but unfortunately they lost them almost as soon. All he wants now is to get those titles back in Las Vegas, and that’s exactly what he promises to do. Simple and to the point here.

Quick look at the Young Bucks and Hangman Page winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles. You know, in case they hadn’t been featured enough lately.

We recap Cheeseburger vs. Will Ferrara. They used to be partners until Cheeseburger hit Ferrara by mistake, sending Ferrara over the edge. Tonight it’s a grudge match.

Will Ferrara vs. Cheeseburger

Ferrara tries to come in through the crowd for a cheap shot but Cheeseburger is ready for him. A kick to the ribs and a kneedrop have Will in trouble as the fans are way into this. Cheeseburger gets sent throat first into the rope though and a clothesline puts him down again. Ferrara snaps the throat across the ropes and we take a break.

Back with Cheeseburger palm striking him off the top and getting two off a springboard swanton bomb. A Michinoku Driver gives Ferrara two but he can’t get something out of a fireman’s carry. Cheeseburger grabs a Saito suplex and an ankle lock of all things until Ferrara makes the ropes.

The high flying goes a bit too high though as Ferrara pulls him out of the air with a Codebreaker for two, followed by a jumping Downward Spiral for an even closer near fall. The required low superkick sets up a dragon suplex to drop Ferrara, followed by a Tombstone for two. There’s a top rope double stomp for the same but Ferrara blocks a tornado DDT. The hammerlock lariat sets up a modified Crossface to knock Cheeseburger out at 11:19.

Rating: B. This was WAY more fun than it should have been, despite a pretty horrible build to get us here. The stakes for this one are still really low and it’s not a thrilling story but sweet goodness they beat the heck out of each other with some awesome near falls. Good match, but they can only get so far with Cheeseburger when he does the same story over and over again.

Ferrara won’t let go of the hold so here’s Rhett Titus for the save. As you might expect, Titus stomps away on Cheeseburger as well.

It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit where he doesn’t like jive turkeys. And that’s it for this edition, which was basically just a preview with the new set.

Video on Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young in a street fight with neither of them being able to get up after the match was over. Therefore, it’s Last Man Standing at Death Before Dishonor.

Silas Young vs. Chase Brown

Young shoulders him down to start and beats the heck out of the jobber, including that backbreaker into a clothesline. Brown gets in a few shots but is taken down with ease. Misery ends Brown at 2:35.

Post match the beatdown is on but Lethal comes in for the save. Silas offers a challenge for Last Man Standing, even though that’s already been set.

Cody is ready to face Suzuki.

The Bullet Club attacked Dalton Castle to advance the story from War of the Worlds UK.

Pay per view rundown. This is more than you get for these things more often than not.

Bully Ray and the Briscoes are ready to take the Six Man Tag Team Titles back.

Kenny King is ready to win the TV Title in his hometown.

Search and Destroy vs. Bullet Club

Motor City Machine Guns/Jonathan Gresham/Jay White vs. Guerrillas of Destiny/Young Bucks. Scurll dancing to the Guerrillas’ music is rather amusing. Nick and Gresham start things off with things speeding up and neither being able to do much of anything. Gresham finally gets in a dropkick to send Jackson outside though and the Bucks are in some early peril.

The Guerrillas have some better luck but Sabin is there with a suicide dive to take them out. The Bucks are right back up with the kicks to the head though, followed by some suicide shoves of their own. Matt adds a running flip dive off the stage and everyone is down. Gresham gets up for some dives of his own, followed by a shooting star press, only to have Roa run in for a cutter to pull Gresham out of the air in a SWEET counter.

Back from a break with Gresham taking the Bucks down and bringing in White to fight both Guerrillas at the same time. A double Flatliner has Scurll panicking but Tama is right back with a Lumbar Check. Nick gets the tag and beats up both Guns at the same time in a completely face sequence.

Everything breaks down and it’s a double Sharpshooter to the Guns. Sabin slips out of More Bang For Your Buck and it’s the Dream Sequence to Matt. Nick will have none of that though and cleans house until Jay Rock Bottoms Matt down, followed by a big flip dive out to the floor to drop a pile of people. The Meltzer Driver is broken up and it’s the Guns kicking the heck out of Matt. Something like a double Death Valley Driver is enough to put Matt away at 11:20.

Rating: B. This was another fast paced, entertaining match that could even overcome the Bucks levels of annoyance. Having the Bucks lose was a good way to set up a likely title match at the pay per view and that’s as simple of a way as you can go. The Bucks need challengers and while I don’t think the Guns are going to get the belts, they’re as fine as anyone else for some short term challengers.

Bucks vs. Guns for the Tag Team Titles is announced for the pay per view to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. It’s almost like this show is WAY better when there’s actually a point. This show gave us two good matches and helped hype up the pay per view. We have an actual card now and that keeps the TV shows from being dull, meaningless wastes of time. I had a good time with this show and that’s something I don’t get to say much around here.

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

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Ring of Honor
Date: September 6, 2017
Location: Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re rapidly approaching Death Before Dishonor and it would be nice to actually hype up the show instead of just having a single episode to build things up. They got it right with Best in the World and I have no idea why it’s so hard to repeat the success. Unfortunately it’s the end of a taping cycle so things might not be the most energetic. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young, which has turned into a nice feud, assuming they finally go anywhere with it.

Beer City Bruiser vs. Jay Lethal

No DQ and we’re joined in progress with the two of them fighting in the aisle. Lethal slugs away and manages to avoid a cannonball to send Bruiser into the barricade. Jay hits one of his own and Bruiser is in early trouble. A dropkick staggers Bruiser with Jay scoring with a suicide dive to follow up.

Back from a break with Lethal missing a chair shot and Silas Young on commentary. Scratch that as he heads towards the ring, where Bruiser is hitting Lethal in the ribs with a chair. The chair is wedged into the corner and you know what that’s going to mean. Security stops Silas so he goes back to talk some more, which means we need to look at him far more often than is necessary. A basement dropkick of all things staggers Lethal and it’s time for some duct tape.

Jay fights back though and takes off his belt for a beating. Ian and Silas argue over whether or not Riccaboni is impartial as Jay sends Bruiser head first into the chair in the corner. Young heads to the ring again and we take a break. Back with Bruiser missing a top rope elbow, earning him some praise from Silas. Young: “Smart move Bruiser.” Colt: “Said no one ever.”

There’s the Lethal Injection but Jay would rather tape Bruiser to the ropes instead of covering. Jay grabs Bruiser’s keg and puts it over the knee, which he then crushes with a chair. More chair shots to the leg have Bruiser screaming in pain and it’s a Figure Four for the submission at 15:11.

Rating: B. When did Bruiser start getting good? I was buying into the hatred and the violence here with Lethal getting a good warmup before his major showdown with Young at the pay per view. When Lethal is on his game he’s as good as anyone in the promotion and this was no exception. Really solid brawl with the beating doing a great job to show off Lethal’s anger.

Post match Jay puts the hold on again as security holds Silas back.

Video on Minoru Suzuki, who is from New Japan and has an MMA background so he’s the coolest guy ever.

Cody talks about the difference between MMA and “sports entertainment”. Which one of them is real? Suzuki has 29 recorded wins in mixed martial arts. You know what else is ready? Cody is going to stretch him and Suzuki is going to call him daddy.

Earlier today Will Ferrara attacked Cheeseburger at an autograph signing.

We look at the Addiction attacking the Motor City Machine Guns and the Young Bucks last week.

Earlier today Caprice Coleman wanted to interview the Addiction but just had chairs and a microphone, much to his annoyance. Kazarian says he wanted to talk to Caprice Coleman and only Caprice Coleman because he knows what it’s like to be disrespected. Look at the lack of set that Coleman requested weeks ago. That’s why the Addiction is declaring war on respect.

Caprice asks if Daniels wants the Tag Team Titles back so Daniels takes the one mic they’re sharing (Coleman: “Be careful. It’s attached.”) to say that’s not the point. He feels betrayed by the fans, who booed him at Best in the World. Daniels was ready to lead the company but the fans didn’t want that. They’re going to find out what the fans want and that’s what they’re going to prevent from happening. If the fans want the best wrestling, the Addiction is going to burn it to the ground.

Will Ferrara vs. Howie Timberche

Howie throws him into the corner for some right hands and sings A Whole New World from Aladdin before punching Ferrara in the face. More dancing and singing sees Ferrara get slammed down, followed by a good looking dropkick. They head outside with Timberche getting pulled shoulder first into the post, followed by the suicide tornado DDT. Timberche gets in a jumping back elbow and a side slam before putting him in the Tree of Woe (complete with more singing). A backflip into an elbow gets two on Ferrara but a low blow cuts Howie off. The second tornado DDT gives Ferrara the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C-. I really hope that’s not all we see from Timberche, who should have gotten at least a second look out of that performance. He has a good look, a lot of charisma and his work is fine. Ferrara was outshined here, which isn’t surprising given how generic he is. He’s just a small guy who doesn’t have anything that makes him stand out, which is a problem for a lot of people around here. Timberche was fun and I’d like to see him again, though he definitely looks more like a WWE guy than an ROH guy.

Post match Cheeseburger comes out to issue a challenge for next week. I know he’s a cult favorite but I’ve been watching him have the same “my partner betrayed me” feud for what feels like years now.

Jay Briscoe has a concussion but Ring of Honor paid for him to be here anyway so here he is.

Mark Briscoe/Bully Ray vs. Cody/Adam Page

I love that Cody is one of the only champions around that still wears the belt. Cody does his “who wants the shirt” bit before handing it to Page. The classics never die. Mark dropkicks Page off the apron and sends Cody outside for a dropkick. The apron Blockbuster makes things even worse but Cody elbows him in the face to get a breather.

After a little spitting from Mark, Page trips him up and hits the slingshot clothesline to really take over. Mark can’t quite fight out of the corner yet as Cody forearms him in the back and stomps away. Back from a break with Mark kicking Page in the face and making the hot tag off to Bully for the house cleaning.

Bully hammers on Page and hits a Bionic Elbow on Cody (that’s rather cruel). What’s Up with Mark hitting an elbow instead of a headbutt has Cody in trouble and it’s table time. Cue Marty Scurll for a distraction but Jay comes out to take care of him. Jay sets up a table but gets punched in his concussed head, which can’t be a good thing.

Marty and Jay fight around the back of the crowd and it’s a Doomsday Device on Page. Cody breaks up the elbow to drive Page through the table but walks into Mark’s fisherman’s buster for two. Cue the Kingdom to take Mark out though and Cross Rhodes puts him away at 11:20.

Rating: C-. This was every ROH main event all over again: too much stuff packed into a match to really work, which goes against the idea of the entire promotion. Then again it’s what worked in WWE for so long and that’s what wrestling companies do, even if it gets dull in a hurry. At least the ending helped set up the Six Man Tag Team Title stuff at Death Before Dishonor, which still isn’t all that thrilling.

Post match the Kingdom lays out Mark and Bully until Jay makes the save. That just earns him Rock Star Supernova (still way too awesome of a name for such a lame team) to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. You can tell they’re at the end of a taping cycle here and unfortunately it’s a taping cycle as we head towards a World Title match with a challenger who has no connection to the promotion. In other words, the World Champion is just a detail in the promotion while the big deal is a Japanese legend who isn’t appearing or talking until the pay per view. You know, like what happened at the last pay per view. But hey, at least the New Japan fans get what they want out of this and that’s what matters. Not a good show this week, as they’re firmly in the period of having nothing to do despite a big show coming up.

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

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Ring of Honor
Date: July 19, 2017
Location: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re coming up on War of the Worlds in the UK and that means we need a pay per view card. You can almost guarantee that Cody will be defending the World Title against Christopher Daniels at some point but it might not be at the pay per view. If not, I have no idea who would be getting the shot instead. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Cody to open things up after Christopher Daniels’ comments were deemed inappropriate to air on television. Cody agrees that he does deserve it before moving on to Daniels, who isn’t that popular with the crowd at the moment. Daniels isn’t happy at the moment and it’s almost like he’s lost his smile (this is the same building where Shawn Michaels gave the Lost My Smile speech).

Cody still hasn’t signed a Ring of Honor contract and that means his family owns the ROH World Title. Fans: “TOO SWEET!” Back to Daniels, he’ll get his rematch but let’s make it 2/3 falls. Ring of Honor doesn’t care too much for him because he’s steroid free full time….and that’s it. Kind of an abrupt ending.

Punishment Martinez vs. Jonathan Gresham

The monster Martinez shoves him around to start but Gresham keeps charging at him, including a failed attempt at a guillotine choke. Martinez misses a running boot in the corner though and Gresham gets in a kick to the leg. He’s sticking and moving to start and it’s working about as well as that style can. Something like a headlock takeover frustrates Martinez again but Gresham yanks on his knee and it’s time to go after a target. A spinning backbreaker cuts Gresham off though and it’s time for a break.

Back with Gresham getting in a DDT and moonsaulting to the floor to drop Martinez again. The one footed stomp to the chest out of the corner puts Gresham down again though and a Falcon Arrow gets two. Jonathan is right back on the knee though including something like a reverse Indian deathlock (they’re both on their back) to send Martinez over to the ropes. A shooting star press gets two but Gresham goes right to an ankle lock. Martinez rolls outside though and counters Gresham’s dive into a Last Ride onto the apron. Back in and the Psycho Driver (inverted Samoan driver) ends Gresham at 9:25.

Rating: C+. Gresham is talented but he’s another name on a very long list of Ring of Honor talents who are little more than a guy in boots and tights. There’s nothing special about his character (Does he even have one?) and that keeps him from standing out from the crowd like he needs to do. The match was good, though I really don’t know about Martinez selling so much.

Martinez goes after Gresham post match until Jay White runs in for the save.

We look back at Best in the World where the Briscoes and Bully Ray lost the Six Man Tag Team Titles. After the match, Bully yelled at the Briscoes for the loss because Jay lost his cool and Mark got pinned. It’s a TEAM you see. Well so are the Briscoes Bully.

Mandy Leon announces a Women of Honor show in two weeks but Silas Young comes in and announces 22 days since Jay Lethal was injured.

Tempura Boys vs. Cheeseburger/Joey Daddiego

Riccaboni: “Listen to the ovation here in Lowell.” All I heard was pure silence but that’s just me. The announcers ask where the beef is and make Burger King references as the Boyz jump Cheeseburger and Daddiego to little effect. Daddiego throws Sho with a fall away slam and does the same to Yo for two. The Boyz come back in with a Backstabber to Cheeseburger and Yo gets two off a standing moonsault.

Cheeseburger gets beaten down even more as the announcers talk about the tag division. Sho gets thrown onto Yo and there’s the hot tag to Daddiego. It’s right back to Cheeseburger as everything breaks down. A spear drops Yo as the stupid fast food jokes continue. The Shotei palm strike ends Sho at 3:58.

Rating: D. The Tempura Boyz continue to be one of the least interesting tag teams I’ve seen in a long time. I have no idea what’s supposed to be interesting about the two of them, save for the fact that they’re from New Japan and therefore must be awesome. No one in this match feels important as Cheeseburger comes off as someone they put out there for the sake of a smile without being comedy relief. Cheeseburger just kind of comes and goes while still being popular and it’s still nothing I can bring myself to care about.

Post match Will Ferrara jumps Cheeseburger.

We look at Jay White beating Punishment Martinez a few weeks back.

Bullet Club vs. Bully Ray/Briscoe Brothers

Young Bucks and Adam Page here in what was supposed to be a title match until Bully and the Briscoes lost the titles. Jay forearms Adam to start before it’s off to Mark for some forearms of his own. The Bucks get in some double teaming, including a springboard crossbody, to take the Briscoes down and it’s off to an early break.

Back with Bully staring the Bucks down and Matt making the mistake of chopping him in the chest. Matt offers up his own chest but pokes Bully in the eye before the big chop can hit. Again, the Bucks are presented as the smartest heels in the history of ever and the faces all have to look stupid for the sake of TOO SWEET chants. Bully comes back with the chops and stereo Flip Flop and Fly jabs. Say it with me though: double SUPERKICKS put him down and it’s back to the too sweet chants.

The Rise of the Terminators is loaded up but the Club is pulled outside for a suicide dive from Jay. Mark adds a moonsault to the floor and Bully loads up a dive of his own, only to have to deal with Page. More superkicks put him down though and it’s time for the Bucks to hit some dives because they haven’t gotten to show off in all of a minute. Things settle down with Bully getting triple teamed, including the kicks to the head in the corner.

We take another break and come back with Bully breaking up What’s Up. The hot tag brings in Mark for a fisherman’s buster on Nick but the ref gets bumped. The three man 3D gets two from a replacement referee, earning himself a double superkick. Cue Marty Scurll to hit Jay in the back with the umbrella to give Page the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C-. It really is amazing how much different the ROH Bucks are to the New Japan Bucks. This version is nothing but superkicks and flip dives while making themselves look as cool as possible. The New Japan version is actually a polished high flying team that I have fun watching. I guess that doesn’t sell as many t-shirts though so this is what we’re stuck with stateside.

The Briscoes beat up security and Bully is disappointed to end the show. I could go for a Briscoes heel turn.

Overall Rating: D+. This one missed pretty badly as it was definitely the B level guys (at best) doing their thing while the bigger names were too busy. Cody’s cameo and speech were the best parts of the show but that’s not enough to make up for some lackluster stuff elsewhere. The fact that we’re also coming up on another Women of Honor show doesn’t help things. The women try but when they’re on TV two or three times a year, it makes the shows feel like a waste of time. They’re trying though and that’s on the company rather than the talent. Anyway, nothing to see here but that’s often the case around here.

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

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

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: June 14, 2017
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

Best in the World is rapidly approaching and it would be nice to actually know something about the card other than just the main event. I know I’ve liked the fact that we know that match so far in advance but a little more than that would be nice. Hopefully it’s not just throwing a bunch of names together and hoping for the best. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Young Bucks/Hangman Page vs. Roppongi Vice/Chuck Taylor

Taylor is Trent Barretta’s other partner so this is kind of a mixture of two teams. It’s a brawl to start with the Bullet Club being sent outside for a big flip dive. That earns Chuck a chant, followed by the BEST FRIENDS chant (Trent/Chuck’s team name). Trent does a big run up and down the apron before slingshotting in for a stomp to the face.

Chuck adds a slow motion hilo and we get a big hug. Romero isn’t happy so he grabs Trent’s leg as the announcers talk about either team being possible challengers for the Six Man Tag Team Titles, again showing how TOTALLY WORTHLESS those belts are. These teams are working together for possibly the first time ever in this promotion and they might be in line for a title shot? Vice and Chuckie have some communication issues but Romero clotheslines the Bucks down anyway. That means the Bucks might have to sell something so they start cleaning house with kicks and a flip dive as we take a break.

Back with Romero being pulled off the apron so Chuckie can get the hot tag. A middle rope dropkick puts Page on the floor and Nick is suplexed into Matt. Everything breaks down again and Matt gets reverse Razor’s Edged into a cutter for two. Romero suicide dives onto Nick and Adam, leaving Matt to eat a cradle piledriver for two more. Strong Zero is broken up but Chuck takes Romero’s place to keep the wedge going. Nick Swantons onto Trent for the save and it’s time for a bunch of kicks to the face.

The slingshot X Factor drops Trent again and a DDT on the apron makes things worse for Chuckie. More Bang for Your Buck gets two with Romero making the save for Chuckie, meaning it’s time for the Superkick Party. Romero even shields Chuckie but he takes his sixth superkick anyway. The Meltzer Driver is broken up and a quick rotating piledriver is enough for the pin on Matt at 13:31.

Rating: B-. That was a lot of fun, assuming you can ignore the lack of the tagging and the Bucks in general, though I’ve ranted enough about them as of late. Chuck being wedged into the team is interesting, though that’s a story that could have taken three months and they did it in a single night here. If nothing else it’s nice to have someone from Kentucky who isn’t a hillbilly or Eugene.

The winners celebrate.

The Kingdom is ready to beat up the Boys next week. This team is still stupid.

Video on Jay White, who is so glad to be here after working so hard. The New Japan Dojo is awesome if you didn’t know that. He had a great match with Will Ospreay at War of the Worlds and now it’s time to face Punishment Martinez, who interrupted after. The Martinez stuff was a simple promo style and I liked it more than what you usually get around here.

Rebellion vs. Jay White/Jonathan Gresham

Shane Taylor/Rhett Titus for Rebellion here. The Rebellion jumps White and Gresham in the aisle to start as Alex Shelley joins commentary. Double dives take the Rebellion down as a Jay White chant starts up. White throws Gresham at Titus and we hear Shelley talking about how awesome Search and Destroy is. I still don’t quite know who is actually on that team at this point and I still don’t know why it’s supposed to be interesting.

The opening bell finally rings with the massive Taylor hammering on the tiny Gresham. Titus adds a gutwrench powerbomb and a splash for two. There’s no White to tag so it’s back to Taylor as we take a break. Back with Gresham still in trouble until Titus Bronco Busts Taylor by mistake.

White comes in to clean house as everything breaks down. Jay actually slams Taylor and a two man backsplash gets two. Caprice Coleman comes in with a spinebuster on Gresham so Shelley and Chris Sabin come in to take Coleman down. Jay dives onto the Rebellion and the match is thrown out (because SOMEONE INTERFERING IN FRONT OF THE REFEREE isn’t a DQ anymore) at 8:30.

Rating: C. This has been my least favorite story in Ring of Honor for months now as these teams really aren’t interesting. They’re just kind of there for the sake of having a feud, which isn’t enough to keep my interest most of the time. It doesn’t help that there’s nothing for these teams to do other than fight for a potential shot at the worthless Six Man Titles, which isn’t enough to keep my interest.

Shelley issues a challenge for Best in the World: Search and Destroy vs. Rebellion with the losing team having to disband. Well that helps a lot.

Kazarian has a belt and wants to use it on Hangman Page.

Jay Briscoe isn’t happy with the Boys costing him a tag match last week. Therefore, he wants to eat the Boys.

TV Title: Kushida vs. Marty Scurll

Scurll is defending and has to spin out of a wristlock to start. The fans decide that THIS is wrestling as the announcers talk about wrestlers debating what the top title is around here. Eh probably something from New Japan. Marty can’t spin out of a front facelock so Kushida spins around on his back and mocks the bird pose.

Back from a break with Kushida kicking him in the head and adding a springboard chop. The champ quickly breaks a cross armbreaker but Kushida grabs a DDT into a failed fisherman’s buster. Kushida misses a flip dive but is still able to reverse a chickenwing attempt into a cradle for two. They start trading the kicks until Kushida handsprings into the chickenwing.

The Hoverboard Lock goes on but Scurll spins out and snaps the finger. A hard clothesline turns Kushida inside out and both guys are down. Back up and Scurll calls for the chickenwing but the lights go out. They come back up in a hurry and someone is on the apron, wearing Scurll’s villain costume. Of course it’s Adam Cole and the distraction sets up a fisherman’s buster into a small package to give Kushida the title at 11:32.

Rating: B. I was ready to be annoyed at the title change but the interference and advancement of Cole vs. the Bullet Club helps a lot. I’m never wild on throwing a title on a New Japan guy if they’re not going to be around full time (which isn’t happening here) but you have to get used to it at this point.

Overall Rating: B. This was easily the best TV show they’ve done in several weeks as they advance stories, change a title and help get ready for a pay per view. I had a good time with the show and it flew by, which really isn’t the norm around here. Keep this stuff up and don’t take major detours before a pay per view and things will be fine.

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Ring of Honor
Date: May 24, 2017
Location: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Attendance: 1,636/1,271
Commentators: Rocky Romero, Kevin Kelly

We’re less than ten days removed from the War of the Worlds pay per view and last week was a stand alone episode. Therefore, this week it’s…..a series of matches from the Honor Rising event back in February. In other words, these matches have nothing to do with anything going on at the moment, other than featuring New Japan stars. Let’s get to it.

Ian Riccaboni welcomes us to the show via voiceover.

Never Openweight Six Man Tag Team Titles: Delirious/Tiger Mask/Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

Los Ingobernables (Bushi/Evil/Sanada) are defending as we start with five New Japan wrestlers and the ROH booker who hasn’t been seen on TV for probably over a year. We’re joined in progress with Tiger Mask coming in and taking over on Bushi via some choking with a shirt (despite Tiger being a face).

It’s off to Jushin to face Sanada as the announcers continue to treat everyone as people we should know without offering much of an explanation. The villains start ripping as Liger’s mask with Evil getting two off a backsplash. Sanada misses a charge and gets sent outside, allowing the hot tag to Tiger Mask for a dropkick.

We take a break and come back with Bushi neckbreakering Tiger for two, only to have Delirious get the tag a few seconds later. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Delirious gets Sanada in a cobra clutch. The champs start triple teaming him for the save though and it’s a Backstabber into a belly to back for two. Delirious grabs some rollups for two each on Sanada but Evil chairs Delirious in the face, setting up a dragon sleeper to retain the titles at 10:34 (total match time).

Rating: C. This was good enough for most of a ten minute match with people we’re just supposed to know because they’re in New Japan and if we watch Ring of Honor, we clearly watch New Japan. These titles have caused Ring of Honor to create their own version and the waste of time that came with them so I’m not too fond of the originals in the first place.

Never Openweight Title: Hirooki Goto vs. Punishment Martinez

Martinez is challenging and we start from the beginning for a change. Goto gets run over to start but avoids a big stomp to give us a standoff. A quick trip to the floor goes badly for Goto as Martinez hits a good looking spin kick back inside. Goto hits one of his own in the corner though, followed by a kick to the chest to drop Martinez again.

It’s time for the forearm exchange/slow down/second forearm exchange until Goto hits the fireman’s carry flip onto the knee (the move that Mauro Ranallo always told us that Goto invented during AJ Styles matches). Back from a break with Martinez getting two off a clothesline and going up top. Goto bails to the floor to take the over the top dive, followed by a spinwheel kick from the top. A suplex is broken up with a headbutt and Martinez is stunned but not badly enough to get kicked in the chest. The chokeslam is countered though and Goto hits the GTR (Eye of the Hurricane onto the knee) to retain at 10:49.

Rating: C+. Good power match here with the same complaint I had earlier. Martinez looked like a player here, even if there was no reason to believe he was going to win the title. This is basically the tough man title so Martinez was a very good choice for the challenger here.

Chaos vs. Bullet Club

Chaos: Briscoe Brothers/Will Ospreay/Kazuchika Okara

Bullet Club: Cody/Young Bucks/Kenny Omega

Since we’re coming up on Supercard of Honor, the Bucks keep chanting DELETE. We get the big Okada vs. Omega showdown to start but, of course, there’s no contact made and it’s off to Mark vs. Cody. Mark is quickly annoyed with Cody’s antics so it’s off to Jay, who takes an elevated dropkick from Matt. A few right hands get Jay out of trouble and Ospreay gets a chance, only to have to deal with the Young Bucks, who you know aren’t going to take much offense.

Ospreay sends them outside and does the backflip into the pose, only to load up a very early Meltzer Driver. That’s broken up just as quickly though and Ospreay sends the brothers outside again. A kick to the head sends Ospreay outside and we take a break. Back with Ospreay being thrown into three boots in the corner but avoiding a superkick. That’s it for his good luck though as four straight superkicks set up a springboard 450/moonsault combination for two.

Omega comes in and grabs a chinlock for two arm drops (you don’t see that every day) as Ospreay is in trouble. A suplex is countered into a Stunner and a tornado DDT allows the hot tag off to Okada. The Bucks aren’t impressed (of course) so Okada punches them outside, followed by an over the shoulder backbreaker to Cody. Everything breaks down and the Briscoes come in to clean house as we take a break.

Back with Mark hitting a suicide dive, followed by a Cactus Jack elbow off the apron. Cody is right back up though and superplexes Ospreay onto the big pile. That leaves Omega vs. Okada (who looks like he just got out of the shower and doesn’t even appearing to be sweating) for the huge strike off with Omega getting the better of it. Both finishers miss though and it’s the Bucks superkicking Okada down.

Omega and the Bucks get into a Three Stooges eye poke sequence on each other before a triple superkick drops Okada again. Cue Ospreay to kick Omega in the head, only to get powerslammed down by Cody. The Briscoes come back in to clean house with a superplex into the Froggy Bow on Omega.

The Rainmaker is broken up but Ospreay is right back in there to catch Kenny with the one man Spanish Fly. Will gives Cody a Falcon Arrow for two but misses the shooting star. The spinning kick to the head connects for Ospreay, only to have the Oscutter countered into Cross Rhodes for the pin at 20:16.

Rating: B+. That certainly worked. You knew what they were going to do here as soon as you saw who was in here and that’s all that mattered. Omega vs. Okada was a very fresh match at this point and it’s one of the few things that’s actually well timed here as we’re less than a month away from their rematch. Anyway, really good stuff here, which isn’t exactly a surprise.

We’re off the air with two minutes left in the hour.

Overall Rating: B-. This one ENTIRELY depends on what kind of wrestling show you were looking for here. If you’re looking for an hour of no frills and good action, you’re going to like this. If you’re looking for Ring of Honor, just wait until next week. In other words, the taping cycle curse strikes again because, for whatever reason that I’ve never heard, we can’t just move the new shows a bit closer to the pay per view. No instead we NEEDED to see a New Japan showcase. I still don’t get why this company works this was and I don’t see it changing anytime soon.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Histories of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Clash of the Champions, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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Ring of Honor
Date: April 5, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Kevin Kelly

We’re past Supercard of Honor and if we’re lucky we’ll hear about it in a few weeks. The big story at the moment seems to be Adam Cole having issues with the Bullet Club as he’s been on a losing streak as of late. That sounds like fuel for a face turn or a way to get to NXT. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We open with bonus footage from after last week’s show. Adam Cole asked the Young Bucks to get in the ring because he’s disappointed in them. They left him alone at the Fifteenth Anniversary Show and he lost the title as a result. Then they superkicked him in the face and cost him a match tonight. Cole fires both of them from the Bullet Club but the Bucks say they brought him in. They remind Cole that Kenny Omega leave the Bullet Club and walk out.

Cole is furious about losing the title. He can live with losing the belt in a fair contest but he lost in a 2-1 situation. Not that it matters as he’s won the title three times and he’ll do it again.

Ray Rowe vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Davey hits him in the knee to start and we get a bell while the beating is going on. Ray is in early trouble as Davey wraps the knee around the post, only to get punched in the face for his efforts. The knee is dropped onto a table though and you get a rare shot of hardwood floors in the arena. I don’t remember seeing that very often but it’s a unique look.

A Hartbreaker around the post has Ray screaming as we go to a break. Back with Rowe punching him in the face again but the knee gives out on a suplex attempt. An STF makes the knee even worse until Rowe makes the ropes. Davey switches to a reverse Muta Lock before missing a charge in the corner.

Rowe uses the shotgun knees in the corner despite the injury but he didn’t get a running start and stays down after hitting them. A German suplex drops Davey again but Rowe wrenches his knee again. Davey’s Batista Bomb gets two more, only to have Rowe knee him in the face. A full nelson slam into a knee to the back (Death Rowe) is good for the pin on Davey at 11:04.

Rating: B-. I liked this way more than I was expecting to and I’m really surprised at how much better Davey really was since the last time I saw him. I’m not sure I get having him lose here (assuming this wasn’t a one off appearance) as he dominated the match until losing to a few knee strikes at the end. Good match though.

Marty Scurll says he’ll beat Kenny King.

Kenny says he’ll win.

Top Prospect Tournament Semifinals: Brian Milonas vs. Josh Woods

Sweet goodness END THIS TOURNAMENT ALREADY. This is from Manhattan Mayhem. Milonas is the huge guy and Woods is the submission specialist. Woods goes for the leg but can only drive Milonas into the corner for almost no avail. With that not working, Josh grabs an arm hold around the ropes but of course it has to be broken in a hurry. Milonas gets in a major side slam and we take a break.

Back with Milonas using standard huge man offense, including the fat man elbow. A knee to the head finally staggers the big man and an armbar has Milonas in trouble. That goes nowhere so Milonas sits on him in the corner. Since that’s not the best offense in the world, Woods knees and kicks him down again for two with Brian grabbing the ropes. That weird falling splash gets two on Woods but he comes back with a German suplex for the same. A kneebar finally makes Milonas tap at 9:28.

Rating: D. This just kept going with the same story throughout: Milonas is huge but Woods is a good striker and kept cutting him down. It’s not the worst match I’ve ever seen but sweet goodness it took forever to get to the end. Woods is definitely the right call and while Milonas isn’t horrible, he ran out of things to do in a hurry.

We see stills of Bully Ray debuting to join forces with the Briscoes.

The Briscoes talk about teaming up with their childhood hero to challenge for the Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Kazarian won a #1 contenders match for a shot at the TV Title. Later that night, he helped Christopher Daniels win the World Title for the first time ever.

TV Title: Marty Scurll vs. Kenny King

Scurll is defending and Kazarian is on commentary. After some big match intros, it’s time to hit the mat with no one getting anywhere. They fight over wristlocks instead with Scurll spinning out and posing to take us to a break. Back with King grabbing a headlock on the mat, which goes as far as anything else has so far.

King snaps him throat first across the top but Marty pops back up for a superkick from the apron. Back in and Scurll starts going after the arm with a few twists. A kneedrop onto the arm gets two and it’s off to a double arm choke. King reverses into one of his own before getting in one heck of a near fall for two. We take another break and come back with Scurll getting two off a brainbuster.

A piledriver gets the same as Marty is now working on the neck. That’s very smart to set up the chickenwing. Scurll heads up top but gets stunned by a dropkick. They head outside with King hitting a charge up against the barricade, followed by a Blockbuster for a close two back inside. Not that it matters as Scurll pops the finger and gets the chickenwing to retain at 13:17.

Rating: B-. This should have been better but it felt like we were waiting around for the chickenwing. That’s perfectly fine as Scurll is a really solid choice for the championship right now, though I could go for more character stuff from him. Other than breaking the fingers and his entrance, there isn’t a lot of villany in him. Good match though, with King wrestling a bit better than usual.

Overall Rating: B-. If you can get around the fact that this has NOTHING to do with the pay per view storylines and accept that we won’t pick them up again for a good two or three weeks, you can really enjoy this episode. I really don’t get why Ring of Honor can’t get this right somehow. They tape enough TV to make it work but the scheduling is ridiculous. Does it really take that long to turn around an hour of TV? Just figure out something other than this as I have no idea when this is supposed to take place as we’re a few days past a show where a team is defending titles they haven’t even won yet on TV. Fix this stuff already!

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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Ring of Honor
Date: March 8, 2017
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentator: Ian Riccabani

Officially this is the go home show for the Fifteenth Anniversary Show but it’s hard to really imagine how the schedule is going to go based on how ridiculous some of these tapings go. We’re likely going to hear about the pay per view but also the Top Prospect Tournament, which continues to not do much for me. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

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

Kingdom is defending and Dalton Castle is on commentary. Titus and O’Ryan go after the hair to start as Ian points out how similar these two are, both in style and look. I really wouldn’t bring up how only one of them really needs to be employed dude. Titus seems to tweak his ankle on a leapfrog so it’s off to Vinnie and Caprice, both of whom try kicks to the ribs and then poke each other in the eye.

King and Taven come in instead with Kenny kicking him in the head. Titus comes back in to chop at O’Ryan and clean some house in general. The knee goes out again though and we take a break. Back with Titus being taken to the locker room and Coleman hitting something like an RKO on O’Ryan. King gets the tag but the referee doesn’t see it, nor does he see King hammering on Taven in the corner.

Coleman somehow knocks down all three champs but here’s Lio Rush dressed as a member of the Rebellion to take the tag. Lio cleans house (Castle: “HOW IS THIS ALLOWED?”) with his usual fast paced stuff before he gives King an RKO and watched from the apron. Ian: “Was this a ploy all along???” All along? It lasted like a minute and a half! The Kingdom’s triple powerbomb retains the titles at 8:14.

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

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

Briscoe calls White dog food and accepts.

Dalton Castle and the Boys want a Six Man Tag Team Title shot at the pay per view. Castle starts quoting Pocahontas, asking if you’ve ever asked the grinning bobcat why he grins. Castle: “WELL I HAVE! And I got 36 stitches and a rabies shot!”

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

Bob Evans has replaced Dalton on commentary. King is a frat boy with a female manager. On the other hand, Brian is a huge guy who weighs nearly 400lbs. King does some shouting and the slugout is on with Brian’s right right hand not seeming to make contact. Trash is talked and King gets in a dropkick, only to be crushed by some splashes.

Brian misses a middle rope legdrop and gets kicked in the face as this isn’t exactly working. Evans asks what else you can do other than kicking and punching Brian, which isn’t the best thing to point out. The manager gets in a slap of her own, setting up a good looking Rock Bottom for two. A side slam sets up a…..well I guess a backwards splash as Milonas was setting up for a regular splash but turned around and just fell backwards for the pin at 3:38.

Rating: D-. No idea who these guys are and it was horrible to see Milonas just being huge and not having much skill beyond that. King was watchable enough but that doesn’t mean it’s worth watching. I really can’t stand this tournament and this is one of the weaker classes of talent I’ve ever seen it have.

Christopher Daniels is your new guest commentator.

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

It’s Cody, Adam Cole and the Young Bucks. We’ll start with Lethal and Matt Jackson but Lethal has to knock the Club off the apron before really getting started. A suicide dive takes Cody into the barricade and everything breaks down in a hurry. We wind up with Cody and Lethal in the ring and Cody taking a cartwheel into a dropkick.

It’s off to Mark who gets pulled to the floor and pummeled by Matt as this match is all over the place so far. Cole hits some bicycle kicks on Fish but takes a big jumping knee to the head for his efforts. That means a Briscoes vs. Bucks showdown and of course that means superkicks all around.

The Bucks add some big flip dives to the floor but Mark gets in a running Blockbuster off the apron on Cole. Not to be outdone, Cody superplexes Mark onto the whole pile of people for a major crash. Back from a break with the Bucks working over Mark but stopping to strut because they’re cool heels you see.

Mark isn’t ready to fight out of the corner just yet so Cody suplexes Cole onto him for no count as Fish and Lethal have the referee’s attention. A flipping slam off the ropes takes Cole out though and the hot tag brings in Lethal. Everything breaks down and Lethal hits the four pack of suicide dives. Fish wants to pin Cole though and they get in a fight to take us to a second break.

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

Rating: B. Well that worked. This was all about flying all over the place and letting everyone look good (especially the Young Bucks of course). Lethal and Fish are fighting at the pay per view so their brawl here makes sense, making the match a little more logical. It’s easily the best thing ROH has done in a few weeks and it was very necessary on this show.

Post match Cole is left alone in the ring so here’s Daniels in the ring with some scissors. A pair of Angel’s Wings drop Cole but here’s Kazarian to help. That leads to Kazarian pulling off his shirt to reveal a Bullet Club shirt, which freaks Daniels out as expected. Kazarian knocks the scissors away from Daniels and takes a lot of yelling. Too Sweet brings the Bucks back out for double superkicks and the Club stands tall to end the show. Note that Kazarian didn’t punch Daniels once, which seems like a potential swerve.

Overall Rating: D+. The main event did this show some wonders but there was just WAY too much damage done by the time we got there. As usual, Ring of Honor doesn’t seem capable of focusing on anything long enough to really build it up, which is why we’re seeing a pay per view build and a tournament at the same time. The main event helped but the talent drops off a cliff at various point in ROH and those first two matches really showed it.

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Ring of Honor
Date: February 15, 2017
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Mark Briscoe

We’re still getting ready for the Fifteenth Anniversary Show and that means we’re still getting ready for the finals of the Decade of Excellence Tournament. The big story from last week is Donovan Dijak earning a TV Title shot against Champion Marty Scurll, which may or may not take place at the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Adam Page vs. Matt Sells

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

Post match the rest of the Bullet Club comes out, including Cody as the big deal. Cody gets a huge face reaction from his hometown fans but rips on the crowd because this is such a garbage city. Ever since he moved in to the richer neighborhoods, Cody knew that he and his family were better than the rest of the people in the town. Right now though, he’d like to have Jay Lethal come out here for a chat. Cue Lethal who charges into the ring after some trash talk. Cue Bobby Fish to try and help (he and Lethal are teaming up tonight), followed by Alex Shelley, Lio Rush and Jay White for the real save as we take a break.

Jay Lethal/Bobby Fish vs. Adam Cole/Cody

This was scheduled for later but we’re doing it right now. Fish clotheslines Cody down to start as Kelly praises Mark for not jumping in and helping on the brawl. We head outside with the Club taking over on Fish as Lethal should be a bit more helpful than that. Cody suplexes Cole onto Fish for two and we hit the chinlock.

The beating takes us into a break but we come back with the illegal Lethal chopping Cole down. It’s not enough for the hot tag though as Cody dances a bit and stomps Fish back into the corner. Fish gets in an exploder suplex and there’s the hot tag to Lethal. Everything breaks down (as it always tends to do) and the Lethal Injection hits Cole….who isn’t legal.

There’s a Lethal Combination to Cole as Fish runs over Cody, putting all four down at the same time. Back from a second break with Lethal hitting the suicide shove on Cody, which even the announcers acknowledge didn’t have a ton of effect. Fish ducks a Shining Wizard and Cole taps to the kneebar at 14:02.

Rating: B-. The idea here was to set up Fish’s title shot in Manhattan and while I don’t buy Fish as having a prayer at winning there, this was as good of an idea as they could have used to set it up. Unfortunately the multiple breaks really cut things off here and there’s only so much you can do when such a large portion of the match is cut off like that.

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

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

Frankie Kazarian wants to see Daniels win because it’s Daniels’ last chance. One day Daniels is going to run out of tomorrows and the business is going to tell him it’s time to go. That’s what the business does and this is Daniels painting himself into a corner with his own blood. After this tournament, Daniels could either be at the peak of his career or he could be on his way out.

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

Mark Briscoe vs. Sal Rinauro

Kelly not knowing this match was coming was rather amusing. Sal dances to start and gets headlocked for his efforts. Mark sends him outside for the Blockbuster from the apron but Rinauro (who is a former Tag Team Champion but gets a LET’S GO JOBBER chant) grabs a Michinoku Driver for two. That just earns him a fisherman’s buster, followed by the Froggy Bow to give Mark the pin at 2:59.

Bobby Fish talks about how great of a tag team wrestler he was before ReDRagon broke up as both guys wanted to pursue singles careers. He made the TV Title important and now it’s no longer as important, at least until he decides to win it again. I’m assuming this was to hype up the Cole match but he never mentioned Cole or the title match.

Rebellion vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys

Beer City Bruiser and Silas Young are on commentary. King strikes a pose in front of Castle to start so we have the third dancing sequence of the show (kind of at least). Dalton gets chopped to officially get things going but he takes Kenny down with a waistlock for his efforts. Titus comes in for a staredown but it’s quickly off to one of the Boys (names would be appreciated). Unfortunately the match is ignored at this point because Beer City Bruiser is out of beer. King talks trash but here’s Colt Cabana with a six pack for the Bruiser.

Back with Bruiser drinking beer (just labeled “beer”) and Cabana taking his place on commentary. The beating of Boy #1 continues as the announcers argue over whether Cabana should go in and beat Castle up. Kelly calls them Boy #1 and Boy #2 (Cabana: “Boy oh boy.”) as #1 gets over and makes the hot tag to Castle. Dalton’s lifting German suplex gets two on King as everything breaks down. Castle hits back and forth running knees until he gets launched out to the floor. That leaves Boy #2 to take the Sky Splitter and the frog splash from Titus is good for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: D-. Where do I even begin? First of all: the Rebellion sucks and there’s no other way to put it. They’re not a good team and the wrestlers aren’t all that great but above all else the gimmick is just horrible. How many indy companies have something like that and how many of them are nothing compared to ROH? Other than that most of this match was set up to be a story about Cabana and the Bruiser instead of ANYTHING else. It had no business being the main event but for whatever reason, they switched this with a match that had actual star power and a decent story.

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

When did Ring of Honor go flying off the rails like this? The show is a huge mess and I have no idea what the heck the point of this promotion is anymore. Right now it’s a big combination of everyone leaving and trying to throw things together with the leftover pieces. If an argument over who should be the co-commentator on the main event is the best story they’ve got, they’re in major trouble.

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

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

Toru Yano vs. Michael Elgin

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

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

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

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

Video on Dragon Lee, a visiting wrestler from CMLL.

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

Bobby Fish vs. Dragon Lee

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

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

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

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

Recap of the Six Man Tag Team Title tournament.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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