Ring Of Honor
Date: October 8, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the second ROH show of the week and the World Title has already been defended twice in the last four days. Bandido is still the champion after turning back Kofi in Paris earlier this week, meaning he has about three more months to surpass the longest reign in title history. Odds are he’ll have a match before then and it might be set up here so let’s get to it.

Here are Monday’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Serpentico vs. Hook

We’re in Paris, because I guess they need to have the full “yes ROH is here too” experience. Hook easily takes him down to start so Serpentico is back with a crucifix for two. A reverse Sling Blade gives Serpentico two more but Hook sends him flying with a suplex. They head outside, where Serpentico fires off some chops but stops to call out to the fans, meaning a chop hits the post. Schiavone: “You dummy!” Back in and Serpentico is fine enough to hit a suplex of his own, followed by a nice superkick. Then Hook just snatches the Redrum for the tap at 5:26.

Rating: C. And yes, somehow Hook is just as uninteresting on another continent. I know AEW wants him to be a thing but my goodness it isn’t working. He’s technically fine but he’s pretty much right where he’s been for years now. Adding him to whatever stable isn’t helping him so here we are, with him doing the same matches, albeit with Schiavone mocking Serpentico.

Rocky Romero vs. Jordan Oliver

Still in Paris. Romero grabs a headlock to start and they run the ropes, with Oliver diving at him for a slid slam to Romero, which has Wight impressed. Back up and Romero hangs in the ropes to send Oliver crashing to the floor. The neck crank goes on back inside, followed by a chinlock as commentary talks about French breakfast. Oliver is up with some chops and a boot to the face gets two. An Iconoclasm is broken up and Romero grabs Sliced Bread out of the corner for two more. Romero gets caught on top and it’s an Iconoclasm faceplant to give Oliver the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C+. Well, I approve of Oliver winning as there’s something to him, even if it came at the expense of having to watch Romero. For the life of me I do not get the guy’s appeal and he’s on Tony Khan shows more than anyone not named Moxley. That being said, they kept this short and to the point here so it could have been a lot worse.

And now, to Jacksonville as I guess we’re done with the pre-show.

We look at Bandido retaining the World Title at Grand Slam.

Matt Sydal calls out Bryan Keith on behalf of Skyflight.

Vertvixen/Viva Van vs. Tiara James/Kelsey Raegan

James and Raegan jump them at the bell to start fast until we settle down to Vertvixen punching James for two. Van comes in and flips into a pose, followed by a rollup for two on James. A spinwheel kick puts James down again so it’s off to Raegan, who gets caught in a stretch muffler. That’s broken up and Van is sent into the corner for some running kicks to the face. Van gets out rather quickly and it’s back to Vertvixen to clean house. A DDT into a gutbuster gives Van two and a German suplex has Raegan in more trouble. That sets up Van’s top rope spinwheel kick to finish Raegan at 4:56.

Rating: C+. I like the finisher and again, the women’s tag division needs some teams. Van and Vertvixen are far from the worst choice so there are worse ideas than seeing what they can do. As usual, a squash for a team like them isn’t an option because Heaven forbid we have no name wrestlers get crushed, but the chemistry is starting to grow.

Mance Warner has been studying up on the Pure Rules and wants one more title shot.

We look at Action Andretti cheating to retain the TV Title over Adam Priest two weeks ago.

Adam Priest vs. Alex Zayne

Priest gets to wear Zayne’s fur coat before the match and we’re ready to go. They trade standing switches to start and Priest grabs him by the neck to set up a wristlock. Zayne is back up and jumps over Priest for some knees to the back to take over. They take turns missing chops in the corner before Zayne’s suplex puts him down. That doesn’t seem to go anywhere so they chop it out some more.

Priest reverses a moonsault into a half crab, with Zayne making the rope. Zayne is able to send him outside for the running flip dive, followed by a Nightmare On Helm Street back inside. Priest catches him on top with a super hurricanrana but Zayne is right back with a faceplant. The 450 misses and Priest gets a chop block to set up the half crab for the tap at 6:35.

Rating: B-. Priest continues to be a good hand, but the size issue is killing him. There’s not much that can be done about it of course but it is fun to watch him in the ring. Zayne was his usual high flying self here and he makes it feel unique enough to warrant a look. Nice match here, even if it’s between two people with nothing going on.

Preston Vance sits down with Caprice Coleman and talks about the success he has had recently. The fans have accepted him but the one person he wants to accept him is John Silver. Dark Order will always be his roots and he wants to be back but he gets why Silver doesn’t accept him. All he hopes is that Silver lets them be a family again and he’s willing to wait. Coleman lets him say something to Silver, with Vance saying he wants one more chance and that brothers can fight and make up.

Solorato and Griff Garrison say they’re losing a lot so they should steal better moves. This is feeling more and more like Team Rocket every week.

Solorato/Griff Garrison vs. MxM TV

Taya Valkyrie is here with TV. Solo and TV start things off with Solo armdragging him out of the corner and stopping for the Bandido finger gun. Garrison comes in to shoulder Mansoor, followed by a fallaway slam. Madden and Comorato come in for the big exchange of shoulders and Comorato actually puts him down. It’s back to Solo, who gets knocked off the top and out to the floor for some stomping on the outside. Back in and Madden hits the running hip attack so the Collection can pose.

We pause for some kissing between TV and Valkyrie before TV and Madden go high/low for two. Mansoor knocks Solo’s partner off the apron but Solo fights up, allowing the tag off to Garrison. A torture rack powerbomb gets two on TV as everything breaks down. Comorato avoids Starship Pain but misses a Cannonball. Solo can’t hit a 21 Plex (getting stuck trying to flip back) and Garrison fails at a Buckshot Lariat, earning him a triple stomping. The Super Glossy Centerfold finishes Garrison at 9:15.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun and I like the creativity here. Having Solorato/Garrison (get them a three person name) trying to steal better teams’ moves but not being talented enough to pull them off is great. It’s better than just having the same stuff over and over and I’m rather pleased at what this team of goofs is doing. You can see the effort in there and I could go for more of them.

Billie Starkz vs. Hyan

Athena is here with Starkz. Hyan cuts off an early kick to the ribs so Starkz pokes her in the eyes. They’re quickly on the floor with Starkz posting her, followed by a Swanton for two back inside. Hyan is right back with a suplex for two of her own so Starkz grabs a chokeslam. Starkz goes up again and gets superplexed back down, leaving them both in quite the pain.

A belly to back suplex gives Hyan two but she misses a running knee in the corner. Starkz goes up again and this time it’s a sunset bomb to bring her back down. They trade some running shots against the ropes but Starkz gives her a Gory Bomb into the corner. Hyan is back with a spear and a Glam Slam finishes Starkz off at 8:02.

Rating: C+. Well that was a surprise, as Starkz losing isn’t something I was expecting. Hyan winning is a good choice too as she certainly has talent so giving her a chance might go somewhere. I’ll take this kind of a change of pace, though hopefully it doesn’t lead to more issues/fighting between Starkz and Athena as we’ve covered that.

Post match Athena applauds Hyan and says she’ll call her.

Video on Deonna Purrazzo vs. Emi Sakura, which takes place for the Women’s Pure Title next week.

Billie Starkz yells at Athena, who calls her a failed experiment. Athena thinks Hyan might be a good choice for a Minion. Starkz: “HUH?”

Ortiz vs. Mark Davis

Ortiz hurts his hand chopping Davis and they head outside, with Davis chopping him down. A powerbomb onto the apron has Ortiz in more trouble and he has to crawl back inside. Ortiz is able to scratch Davis’ chest, which earns him even more pain. They head outside again with Davis trying another apron bomb, which is countered for a bite to the head.

Ortiz gets in a suicide dive and a leg lariat connects back inside, earning himself some rather hard forearms for two. A swinging neckbreaker gets Ortiz out of trouble but Davis is back with the running clothesline for two more. They head out to the apron, where Davis clothesline him right back over the top. A Death Valley Driver gives Ortiz a quick two but Davis knocks him out of the air. The piledriver finishes Ortiz off at 8:58.

Rating: C+. This was one of those matches where you knew the result was never in doubt and it was basically there for Davis to smash through someone. I really do not get the appeal of Ortiz, especially as a singles wrestler. Davis gets his boost before his upcoming title shot in AEW, though that doesn’t make for a great main event.

Overall Rating: B-. This was one of the easier Ring Of Honor’s I’ve seen in a bit, with the six man tag being a nice highlight. As usual it helps to have the shot not run as long and have as much filler, especially when it’s the second ROH show of the week. Good enough show here and they even announced a few matches for next week! What a concept!

Results
Hook b. Serpentico – Redrum
Jordan Oliver b. Rocky Romero – Middle rope faceplant
Vertvixen/Viva Van b. Tiara James/Kelsey Raegan – Top rope spinwheel kick to Raegan
Adam Priest b. Alex Zayne – Half crab
MxM TV b. Solorato/Griff Garrison – Super Glossy Centerfold to Garrison
Hyan b. Billie Starkz – Glam Slam
Mark Davis b. Ortiz – Piledriver

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: September 17, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight

We’re back here and the question now is what we’ll be getting this week. That’s a rather wide open question but that’s just kind of how it goes with this show. There’s a chance that it’s a bunch of random matches with little to do with the previous weeks but there will probably be a title match thrown in too. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Women’s TV Title: Remi Reade vs. Red Velvet

Velvet is defending and this is from 1FW (1 Fall Wrestling) and was filmed during Dynamite, because crossing over with one promotion isn’t enough for ROH anymore. They trade rollups to start fast and get up for a standoff as the fans are oddly silent. Velvet takes her down by the arm before knocking her into the corner for some choking. The running knees to the back keep Reade down but she’s right back with a falcon arrow for two. That’s shrugged off and Velvet kicks her in the head for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one as it was nice to see Velvet look fairly dominant, but Reade was another case of “who is this person”. I’m assuming she’s a star in 1FW but what the heck is 1FW? I get it more with a promotion like New Japan, which at least has a long history and reputation, but this appears to just be an independent promotion in Georgia. In other words, as usual, it’s another case where they just waved their hands and went with it because it’s ROH and it doesn’t matter.

We look at Nick Wayne losing at Death Before Dishonor and this week on Dynamite. Therefore, it’s time for Wayne to get a win to get his quote unquote heat back.

Nick Wayne vs. Adam Priest

And here we are. Wayne ducks away a few times and spits at Priest before going outside. Back in and Wayne stomps away but gets caught with a quick running clothesline. Priest grabs the armbar but Wayne gets out and drops a top rope double stomp onto the arm. Wayne twists the arm around again and we’re off to a keylock. Back up and Priest avoids a charge in the corner and grabs a dragon screw legwhip.

A top rope superplex drops Wayne again and Priest grabs a DDT for two. They forearm it out until Priest takes out the leg to set up the half crab. Wayne makes it to the rope and tries a suplex, which sends both of them crashing out to the floor. Back in and Wayne knocks the rope into Priest, setting up the ProdigyPlex for the pin at 10:00.

Rating: B. The match was good, which is hardly a surprise, but it felt like “this is the thing that we always do and we’re getting through it”. If that’s what you want to do, maybe don’t have it be on Ring Of Honor? Or on a One Fall Wrestling show or whatever this is this time? Anyway, they had a rather watchable match, as the two of them tend to do.

And now, off to Jacksonville.

The Hex vs. Emi Sakura/Deonna Purrazzo

Belle and Purrazzo start things off with Belle being low bridged to the floor. Purrazzo dropkicks her down and Sakura hits a running crossbody to drive Belle into the steps. Back in and Kay pulls Purrazzo down by the hair so the villains can take over. Belle kicks her into Kay’s backsplash into a running kick to the chest for two. Purrazzo fights out of trouble and it’s off to Sakura, who sends the Hex into each other for a double down. Kay gets two off a clothesline and everything breaks down, with stereo Fujiwara armbars making the Hex tap at 6:21.

Rating: C+. I’m assuming that Sakura is the next challenger for Purrazzo and it’s not like there is anyone else coming for the belt. The title has been needing someone fresh to come after if for a long time now and Sakura is considered a big deal around here. If nothing else the stereo armbars was a cool looking finish.

Post match Sakura jumps Purrazzo and grabs another Fujiwara armbar. Well points for not wasting time.

Nick Comoroto and Aaron Solo join forces with Griff Garrison and want gold. Sure guys.

The Kingdom/Bryan Keith vs. Skyflight

After Sky checks the referee for weapons (yep), he and Bennett start things off with Bennett getting in a running shoulder. Everything breaks down and Skyflight clears the ring but Taven dropkicks Darius down. That’s broken up and Taven gets bulldogged onto a knee to put him in trouble for a change. Hold on though as the Kingdom gets their phone to check with AI and apparently the answer is to throw Darius the phone and hit him in the face (the phone appears to be fine).

A pop up forearm gives Bennett two but Darius gets over to the corner for the tag to Dante. That means a series of kicks into a high crossbody but Keith is back in for a running clothesline. Everything breaks down again and we get the parade of knockdowns but Darius’ dive is cut off. Keith grabs a tiger bomb to pin Darius at 8:10.

Rating: B-. As usual, Skyflight looks good and mostly out there to lose against someone else. The Kingdom and Keith are a new team and the AI deal is unique enough (at least for this generation) so see what it can do. It’s not like they’ll get a title shot anytime soon so if nothing else, it gives them a chance to be build up.

The Dark Order sits down with Caprice Coleman, with the team talking about how they’ve been around for a long time and no one has gone up against the things they’ve faced. They’re still not in sync about Preston Vance but Evil Uno insists that they’re a family. Tensions seem to stay high.

Robyn Renegade vs. Isla Dawn

They shove each other to start and lock up in the corner, with Dawn firing off a forearm. Some kicks to the chest have Renegade in more trouble but she knocks Dawn back. Dawn slams her off the top though and a running knee gives Dawn two. The chinlock goes on with Dawn switching into a headlock, sending Renegade to the rope. Back up and Renegade kicks her in the back and a Backstabber has Dawn in more trouble. A middle rope clothesline gives Renegade two so Dawn kicks her in the head. That and a dragon sleeper make Renegade tap at 6:12.

Rating: B. This was a hard hitting back and forth match and Dawn felt like she had to work to get the win here. That’s always nice to see and Renegade has felt like someone who could be build into something bigger if she was given the chance. It was better than I was expecting here and hopefully we see both of them around more often.

Post match Dawn goes to leave but is interrupted by Mina Shirakawa, which doesn’t seem to please Dawn.

Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata vs. Dream Girl Ellie/Xanti Li

Aminata backs Li into the corner to start and then does it again against the ropes. An armdrag has Li in more trouble and she tries a running shoulder, which just bounces off of Aminata. Chocolate Kisses let Shirakawa come in for some dancing and a running dropkick to the back. Li slips out of a slam and brings in Ellie, who kicks Shirakawa in the face for a quick two.

It’s back to Li for a running uppercut in the corner and Ellie’s snap suplex gets two. Shirakawa is right back up and brings Aminata in to fire off the running forearms in the corner. Everything breaks down and Shirakawa Stunners Li over the top rope for a slingshot corkscrew splash. Back in and a spinning backfist knocks Li silly and it’s a Figure Four (with Aminata taking Ellie out) for the tap at 9:37.

Rating: C+. Shirakawa and Aminata seem to be the next women’s team around here and it’s not a good sign that it took them this long to beat a makeshift team. I get that the idea is to have the best matches possible every chance but that doesn’t always benefit them in the long run. That was the case here, as Shirakawa and Aminata should have been a more dominant force here.

Post match the winners dance.

Aaron Solo/Griff Garrison/Nick Comoroto vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Solo and Moriarty start things off with Moriarty getting in a quick rollup for two but Solo snaps off a running hurricanrana. Garrison comes in and backsplashes Miles but it’s off to Taylor, who punches Garrison in the face. Taylor even throws on Garrison’s cowboy hat (yeah he has a cowboy hat now) and dances a bit, allowing Moriarty to fire off some knees to the ribs.

Garrison gets away though and Comoroto comes in to run through everyone. Everything breaks down and we get the Comoroto vs. Taylor showdown. Taylor plants him with a release Rock Bottom but gets sent outside, leaving Miles to superkick Solo for the pin at 6:38.

Rating: C+. This was in fact another version of the Promotions getting to beat another group of low level stars. I’m not sure why I should believe that this is going to be their next step towards success but the Promotions get to do this kind of stuff rather frequently. In other words, more of the same stuff with a lot of the same people.

Satnam Singh vs. Matt Mako

Mako tries to kick away and charges into a boot in the corner. Singh chops away and hits a clothesline before Mako runs away on the floor. Back in and Mako kicks at the leg some more and jumps on the back for a choke. More kicks to the leg have Singh down…but he comes back with a pop up cutter of all things for the pin at 3:31.

Rating: C+. Well that was a surprise. I wasn’t exactly expecting Singh to be in trouble here and Mako actually gave him a sweat. At the same time, it has me wondering when Singh is going to actually do something that matters. It never really happens and that’s a problem with far too many people around here.

Bandido/Komander vs. Soleil/AR Fox

Bandido and Soleil start things off with Soleil missing a charge into the corner and knocking Komander down. For some reason Soleil apologizes to him, leaving commentary confused. Bandido kicks Fox off the apron by mistake as well and now we’re all even. Bandido and Soleil slug it out, with Bandido flipping into the finger gun pose. Fox comes in to cutter Bandido into the corner and Soleil takes Komander down. Soleil and Fox run around a bit before kicking Komander in the back for two.

Bandido is back in for a Shining Wizard to Fox, followed by a running boot to the head for another near fall. Something like an upside down surfboard has Fox in trouble, at least until he flips over for two off a sunset flip. Soleil and Komander come in with Soleil flipping around for some kicks. Everything breaks down and Fox hits a 450 on Bandido to give Soleil two. Bandido and Komander are up for a one handed gorilla press and the running flip dive, followed by the assisted X Knee to Soleil. The 21 Plex gives Bandido the pin at 9:25.

Rating: B. It was fun and they did their usual flips and dives, which was quite the impressive feat. You knew exactly what you were going to see with these teams and it wound up going well. As usual, this does nothing for the World Title and it’s not like there are any challengers for it at the moment, so I’ll take what I can get. I think.

Post match respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a textbook example of how Ring Of Honor can feel like the most useless weekly wrestling show. As usual, the matches were fine. As also usual, it felt like very little on here mattered whatsoever. Outside of Sakura attacking Purrazzo (ending their partnership after a total of just ever six minutes), it felt like everyone on this show is right where they were when the show started. That happens WAY too often around here and that makes these shows feel very, very long. The wrestling is bad, but thrown in some promos or angles or ANYTHING to make this show feel like it matters already.

Results
Red Velvet b. Remi Reade – Spinning kick to the head
Nick Wayne b. Adam Priest – ProdigyPlex
Emi Sakura/Deonna Purrazzo b. The Hex – Double Fujiwara armbar
The Kingdom/Bryan Keith b. Skyflight – Tiger bomb to Darius
Isla Dawn b. Robyn Renegade – Dragon sleeper
Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata b. Dream Girl Ellie/Xanti Li – Figure Four to Li
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Aaron Solo/Griff Garrison/Nick Comoroto – Superkick to Solo
Satnam Singh b. Matt Mako – Pop up cutter
Bandido/Komander b. Soleil/AR Fox – 21 Plex to Soleil

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: September 10, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We continue the period of time before we get anywhere close to Final Battle and that could make for some treacherous shows. You pretty much never know what to expect from most of these shows as they could be any mixture of midcarders with nothing to do. I’m sure a title or two will be on the line though so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Andy Williams.

Opening sequence.

TV Title: Adam Priest vs. Action Andretti

Andretti is defending. Priest chases him outside so Andretti takes a look at the title, only for Andretti to come back with a handspring Stunner. That means Andretti gets to look at the title again but Priest is back up with a running clothesline. Priest works on the arm before snapping the leg over the ropes.

Now Priest goes outside to kiss the title, earning himself a stomping back inside. Andretti whips him hard into the corner for a handspring elbow but Priest is back up with some running clotheslines. Some kicks stagger Priest and a Falcon Arrow gives Andretti two. The leg gets banged up on a split legged moonsault though and Priest slaps on the half crab. Andretti grabs the rope rather quickly and they trade some rollups, with Andretti getting the rope for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C+. This was in fact a match between Andretti and someone who had been built up with a few wins. At the same time, I cannot bring myself to get interested in Andretti. He’s just a standard heel but he’s with the Opps in the latest attempt to make them a thing. Andretti is perfectly fine but there is nothing about him that makes me want to see him and that’s an issue that is hard to overcome.

Post match Priest is rather unhappy with the cheating and rants a bunch before leaving. Andretti isn’t impressed.

Lacey Lane/Janai Kai vs. Maya World/Hyan

Hyan works on Kai’s arm to start and they flip around a bit, followed by a handshake. Lane comes in to take over on World, with a crucifix getting two. Back up and Lane is draped across the top rope for stereo running boots so it’s back to Kai. Some arm cranking and a suplex take Hyan down and Lane’s slingshot elbow gets two.

Hyan DDTs her way out of a double suplex and World comes back in to clean house. A reverse Cannonball gets two on Kai but lane crushes World and Hyan in the corner. Everything breaks down and Lane is sent outside, meaning it’s a spear to Kai and a middle rope moonsault…only gets two, with Kai making the save. A pump kick gets two on Hyan but Kai is sent outside again. The wheelbarrow faceplant/Downward Spiral finishes Lane at 8:37.

Rating: B-. That save by Kai was a surprise as I was convinced the match was over. World and Hyan are an established team and there isn’t much of a reason to have them toiling around here when they could be built up for a Women’s Tag Team Title match. As usual, Lane has a bit of star power to her but it doesn’t really matter if this is all she’s doing.

We look at Athena dominating on Collision.

Deonna Purrazzo and Emi Sakura seem ready to team up.

Il Cartello Grillo vs. Serpentico/The Colons

Grillo and Serpentico start things off, with Serpentico hitting a running shoulder. Orlando comes in to work on the arm and picks Grillo up for an atomic drop. It’s off to Seal, who gets taken down with an armdrag and everything breaks down, with Eddie getting caught. Impala knees Eddie down and we’re off to the armbar.

Grillo sends Eddie into the corner for the running knee and Seal grabs a chinlock. Back up and Seal dropkicks Eddie into Orlando in the corner and the pace picks up again. A spinebuster gives Orlando two and Serpentico tornado DDTs Grillo out to the floor. Some rolling suplexes and a pair of top rope splashes finish Seal at 7:47.

Rating: C+. I have a grand total of no idea why the Colons and Serpentico are getting a push, or really any kind of television time. The Colons haven’t felt important in years and Serpentico has been a jobber (or somehow a pair of them) for pretty much his entire time around here. How is there no better team who could be in this spot?

Caprice Coleman and Ian Riccaboni sit down with the MxM Collection with Riccaboni looking rather nervous. Riccaboni gets a finger touch and the Collection plugs Honor Club, with Riccaboni putting money in Mansoor’s shirt pocket. With Riccaboni squeezing between the two of them, Coleman has to ask Riccaboni to be composed. Mansoor wants Coleman to change his name to Sun, so he could be Caprice Sun. They all pose to end of the most entertaining segments I’ve seen in a long time.

Ortiz vs. Rocky Romero

This match is indeed happening. The referee gets some handshakes but Romero takes Ortiz down for some kicks to the head. Ortiz’s choke is blocked so he goes with a clothesline, plus a clothesline for good measure. Romero is able to break up a superplex with an arm snap across the top rope, followed by a middle rope knee to the arm. Ortiz gets two off a middle rope sunset flip and tries a Koji Clutch, which is reversed into an arm snap.

Back up and Ortiz gets in a powerslam for a double down before sending Romero outside. The suicide dive connects and a facebuster gives Ortiz two back inside. A tornado DDT gives Romero the same and he goes to the eyes to send Ortiz outside. Cue Trent Beretta for a cheap shot from behind, setting up a standing Sliced Bread for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C. The match isn’t bad at all and from a technical standpoint, it went well enough. The problem is, again, these two are so low on the totem pole that it’s like watching a pair of opening match wrestlers at an old house show. This felt like a match designed to just fill in time, which makes you wonder why it exists when the promotion gets to decide how long it lasts. Just more content for the sake of content.

Post match RPG Vice brags about their win and Romero mocks Ortiz.

AR Fox/Soleil vs. Body Bundy/Jacked Josh

Bundy and Josh jump them to start, with Soleil fighting back just as fast. Josh is kicked out to the floor and Fox hits a big running flip dive. Back in and Fox’s top rope flip dive connects, followed by some stereo rolling dropkicks (that was nice). A wheelbarrow Stunner finishes Josh at 3:52.

Rating: C+. The match was a fun squash, with Bundy and Josh being an indy team who didn’t exactly look like great body guys but they have enough of a theme together. Fox and Soleil are an entertaining enough team, though I could go with Fox being on his own. He had that nice singles run and then it just stopped for Lio Rush and Action Andretti. I get that Fox isn’t going to be a top star, but he could be more on his own than he is right now.

Action Andretti brags about beating Adam Priest clean

Jacked Jameson vs. Matt Menard

Wait. They have these marathon tapings with the matches feeling randomly assorted and no one cared that they had people named JACKED in back to back matches? Sweet goodness this place somehow finds new ways to not care. Jameson grabs a headlock and puts Menard on the apron, with Menard coming back in to get clotheslined. Menard is tied in the Tree Of Woe for a stomp, followed by something like a 619. A top rope backsplash misses though and Menard rains down some right hands in the corner. The DDT gives Menard the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C. Well, it could have been worse if they had gotten some more time. This is another match where the people involved don’t mean much around here, with Menard’s highlight being a random Pure Rules Title match. Jameson hasn’t meant anything in forever and this was just a quick match that changes nothing for him. As usual.

Infantry vs. Alex Zayne/Mance Warner

Shane Taylor Promotions are here with the Infantry. Warner and Dean start things off with Warner posing in the corner and Bravo coming in with a cheap shot to Zayne. Back up and Warner and Zayne quickly clear the ring and Zayne hits a big running flip dive. Warner bites Bravo’s head and Zayne is back in with some twisting double knees. Zayne gets sent into the post though and the double stomping is on outside.

A swinging neckbreaker takes Zayne down back inside and Christian XO gets in a cheap shot from the floor. The Bronco Buster connects in the corner but Warner is right back up to clean house. That includes the wind up elbow to Bravo and it’s a superplex into a Swanton for two. Dean comes back in to knock Zayne down but he gets two off a facebuster. A running knee and hurricanrana get two on Dean with Bravo making the last second save. Back up and the double stomp finishes Zayne at 10:32.

Rating: B-. There have been some nice matches on this show and it was fun to see the Infantry getting a chance to shine. They’re a talented enough team but as is the case with far too many good wrestlers, they’re stuck in a big stable and can’t get the chance to showcase what they can do. Warner continues to be fun, while Zayne is good while he’s around, even if that isn’t very often.

The Kingdom says AI has given them the solution: they need a third member. Like Bryan Keith, comes in to say he’s here for money but he’s in.

Steph de Lander vs. Zayda Steel

De Lander isn’t about to shake hands to start and knocks Steel into the corner, leaving Steel frustrated. A wristdrag out of the corner seems to get some of that frustration out but a hanging Codebreaker is blocked. De Lander gets her in an electric chair and walks her around the ring for a face first drop onto the apron. Back in and a fall away slam sends Steel flying for two and de Lander suplexes her for the same.

Hold on though as de Lander goes outside to yell at Christopher Daniels, earning herself a suicide dive from Steel. The comeback is on but de Lander catches her on top with a running boot and brings her back down for two. Steel is fine enough to spin around into a DDT to plant de Lander, who is back with a spear for two more. De Lander loads up a fireman’s carry, which is quickly reversed into a rollup to give Steel the fast pin at 7:32.

Rating: B-. They were building into something here with the idea of Steel trying to get in whatever she could over the much stronger de Lander. It made for a good match and Steel continues her slow rise up the charts. That’s not a bad idea as she’s doing well in her spot, though she still has a bit to go.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Beef/Premiere Athletes

Robinson and Daivari start things off with Daivari taking over on the arm. That doesn’t last long as Robinson snaps off a Russian legsweep and screams a lot, with Austin screaming right back. Colten comes in and gets taken into the wrong corner, with Beef coming in to work on the arm. The chops in the corner miss though and it’s off to Austin for the snap jabs. The Gang clears the ring but Nese posts Robinson to cut him off.

Back in and Robinson is tied in the Tree Of Woe for some stomping, including some with Nese doing some crunches. Robinson is stomped down in the corner and Nese fires off some crossfaces to the jaw. The throat snap across the top rope sets up a missed Lionsault and it’s Austin coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and a full nelson slam gets two on Nese. A spinning kick to the face gives Nese two but Beef misses a charge in the corner. We hit the parade of secondary finishers, with Robinson decking Mark Sterling. 3:10 To Yuma finishes Beef at 11:25.

Rating: B-. It’s that much easier to get through an Athletes match when they’re not around every week, though the Gang being in there helped too. The Gang can make just about anything work and it’s nice to see them getting a showcase. They’ve had that a few times now and hopefully they get to do something a bit more important.

Overall Rating: C+. The show had some good parts, but my goodness there were a lot of parts overall. You had some nice stuff in there but asking me to watch stuff like Serpentico/the Colons, Menard and Jameson and Ortiz vs. Romero and it’s not the most thrilling show. Split this in half and get rid of some of the lowest level people and it works that much better. It won’t happen, but it would be nice to see.

Results
Action Andretti b. Adam Priest – Rollup while holding the rope
Maya World/Hyan b. Lacey Lane/Janai Kai – Wheelbarrow faceplant/Downward Spiral combination to Lane
Serpentico/The Colons b. Il Cartello Grillo – Top rope splash to Seal
Rocky Romero b. Ortiz – Standing Sliced Bread
AR Fox/Soleil b. Body Bundy/Jacket Josh – Wheelbarrow Stunner to Josh
Matt Menard b. Jacked Jameson – DDT
The Infantry b. Alex Zayne/Mance Warner – Double stomp to Zayne
Zayda Steel b. Steph de Lander – Rollup
Bang Bang Gang b. Premiere Athletes/Beef – 3:10 To Yuma to Beef

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Ring of Honor
Date: November 17, 2021
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Silas Young

The long march to Final Battle continues as we are still in the post-Death Before Dishonor TV tapings. In other words, these are still matches from before all of the company’s future went away, so there might still be a little something here. Then again, I’m not sure how much hope that really is. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and gives us the rundown.

Caprice Coleman vs. Beer City Bruiser

This is Coleman’s first singles match in a long time and Bruiser has Brian Milonas and Ken Dixon with him. Before the match, Bruiser says Coleman wasn’t an official entrant in the Honor Rumble so he was never eliminated and should be #1 contender. Coleman comes to the ring and Bruiser laughs at the idea of Coleman getting back in the ring….so he can face Dixon instead.

Caprice Coleman vs. Ken Dixon

Dixon is in jeans and the Bouncers are at ringside. Feeling out process to start as they go to the mat with Dixon not being able to get very far. We take a break and come back with Coleman hitting a basement shoulder, setting up a legdrop for two. Milonas offers a distraction so Bruiser can add a clothesline to give Dixon control for a change.

A fall away slam gives Dixon two and we hit the chinlock. Backup and the clothesline comeback is on but Father Time (cobra clutch Russian legsweep) is broken up. Dixon sends him outside but Coleman flips backwards into a headscissors to drop Dixon on the floor. Back in and Father Time sets up the cobra clutch but the Bruiser comes in for the DQ at 8:01.

Rating: C. Coleman getting back in the ring is somewhat interesting, but it’s not like he was the biggest star in Ring of Honor history. The good thing is that he can still get in the ring and look just fine, which was the case here. Odds are he can get in a big match with Bruiser down the line, which should work well for a TV main event.

We recap Flip Gordon losing his memory and taking potions to get his memory back. If ANY of this has been mentioned on TV since it happened, I haven’t been paying close enough attention.

PJ Black is taking care of Gordon’s memory troubles.

PJ Black/Flip Gordon vs. OGK

Taven and Gordon start things off as Gordon doesn’t seem impressed. Gordon grabs a headlock but Taven talks his way out of it, allowing the tag to Black. OGK gets together for a double dropkick but Black grabs a wristlock. A tag (with the foot) brings in Gordon, who has to be told to come in off the top to work on the arm. Back from a break with Gordon and Bennett trading chops but Black breaks up a spike piledriver attempt. Black comes back in for a springboard moonsault into a double reverse layout DDT.

Bennett’s spear gives Taven two and a running kick to the face gives Bennett two of his own. A backbreaker/top rope elbow combination gives Taven two more and Bennett’s brainbuster gets the same. Black is fine enough to roll over for the hot tag off to Gordon, who springboards in to take OGK down. House is cleaned but Gordon has to bail out of the 450. Instead, he puts Taven on his shoulders for a Doomsday Canadian Destroyer but Bennett makes the save. Black gets sent outside though and it’s a spike piledriver to finish Gordon at 9:43.

Rating: C+. The match was good, though this Gordon thing is straight out of nowhere, at least on this show. It’s also not exactly like Ring of Honor, which rarely does the wacky stipulations like this one. OGK continues their roll though and it’s great to see a good team like them getting their chance to shine.

Honor For All rundown.

Righteous vs. Foundation

Vincent/Bateman/Dutch vs. Jonathan Gresham/Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus. Vincent and Titus start but Gresham comes in before anything happens. Hold on though as Vincent grabs the mic and tells Jay Lethal, on the floor, to come stand in the right corner. That’s a no, so Vincent shows a clip of Lethal saying he doesn’t even like the Foundation.

Tracy walks Lethal to the back as Lethal protests, allowing the Righteous to jump the other two. The beating takes us to a break and we come back with Gresham being sent into the corner for a stomping, followed by some choking to make it worse. Gresham rolls over and brings in Williams to clean house, including a discus lariat to Vincent, who isn’t legal. Dutch comes in and cleans house, allowing Vincent to hit some running forearms in the corner. Redrum gets two, with Gresham needing a double save.

We take a break and come back with Vincent hitting a basement Downward Spiral for two on Gresham, including another save. The hot tag brings in Titus for a half crab on Bateman but Dutch drives Gresham into them for the save. Dutch Jackhammers Titus and Bateman adds Orange Sunshine. A ripcord Boss Man Slam finishes Titus at 12:25.

Rating: B-. Pretty good stuff here, with the Righteous being the latest group to get a bunch of TV time. That’s not a bad thing either as the team is just off enough that it makes you want to see more of them. I liked the match a good bit, as the Foundation continues to be the kind of team that does not have a bad match no matter what happens.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty nice hour of TV here, but the lack of a future is really dragging it down. It’s hard to get excited about much of this, even if this is still the television taping from before the big news broke. I’m not sure how long the next cycle is going to go on for, but it could make for a pretty lifeless time if everything is just a bunch of cold matches.

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: April 11, 2018
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s one of those weird shows as we’re past Supercard of Honor but still at least a little time away from the next batch of TV tapings. There’s a good chance we’ll be having some minor storyline advancement but for the sake of this show, odds are we’re going to be seeing some stand alone stories. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Punishment Martinez vs. Shane Taylor

This could be fun. The fans are behind Martinez and a knee to the ribs cuts him down on an early test of strength. Martinez slips out and jumps over Taylor (not bad) to set up the exchange of the shoulders. A big right hand seems to please Taylor but he ducks a few kicks to the head. Martinez’s crossbody has no effect and he can’t slam the bigger man so Taylor sends him outside. Taylor can’t hit a dive so we take a break.

Back with Shane hitting a Cannonball in the corner, followed by a running flip dive from the apron. Martinez Falcon Arrows him off the top though and a running elbow connects in the corner. South of Heaven is broken up and Taylor hits his own chokeslam. Now Martinez’s kicks work a bit better to send Taylor outside. You don’t have to ask Martinez twice to hit a big dive and Taylor is rocked. Back in and South of Heaven gives Martinez the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C-. Not bad here with Martinez getting the logical win. Taylor is good in an enforcer role, meaning he doesn’t need to win anything more than a squash or tag match. He’s designed to be beaten up by someone like Martinez, who can get a lot out of a win like this. Nothing too bad here and I’m liking Martinez more every time I see him.

It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit with Jay Lethal as the guest. Lethal doesn’t like the show so he’s only giving Coleman two questions. Coleman asks about him losing the World Title so Jay goes into a rant about how Coleman is never going to be in the World Title scene so it doesn’t really matter. He’s beaten people Coleman is never going to be able to beat so let’s get on to the next question. Coleman brings up Lethal dating AJ Lee and gets cut off, sending Coleman into a fit of laughter. That’s enough for Lethal and he’s out. Good, because the Pulpit is terrible.

Kazarian is ready to face Hiromu Takahashi, who used to be their friend. He’s not a fan of Daryl and instead of being a time bomb, Kazarian is a gun that you can’t unload.

Jay Lethal vs. Caprice Coleman

They brawl on the floor to start with Lethal grabbing a suplex to take over. Some chops rock Coleman and they head inside….only to head right back to the floor. Lethal gets whipped into the barricade but he’s right back with chops. An enziguri staggers Coleman and they head inside with Lethal dropkicking him to the floor for the third time. A suicide dive takes us to a break as the stuff on the floor is getting really old.

Back with Coleman getting two off an STO and grabbing a chinlock. Lethal fights up but the Injection is countered into a cobra clutch of all things. Better than another chinlock at least. Back up and Lethal chops away even more before grabbing a torture rack. Not exactly what I would have expected and Coleman breaks out in short order. The Lethal Injection puts him away a few seconds later at 11:03.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one and a lot of that was due to Lethal not exactly looking interesting. This was a lot of chopping and then the Lethal Injection. That being said, even an unmotivated Lethal is often better than most people around the promotion. It’s not a terrible match, but Coleman needs to go FAR away.

Videos on the downcoming Women’s of Honor Title Tournament semifinals. Why downcoming? Well they already happened (along with the finals), so they’re certainly not upcoming. This is the kind of stuff that makes Ring of Honor look minor league half the time.

Cody vs. Matt Taven vs. Christopher Daniels

Cody still has a bear with him, introduced as Bernard the Business Bear. They circle each other to start until Taven gets caught in an exchange of right hands. That’s enough to send him outside so Cody and Daniels can exchange shoulders. Taven comes back in with a dropkick but misses a charge to put all three outside. Daniels scores with an Arabian moonsault to take Cody out and Taven kicks Cody in the face for good measure.

Back in and Taven’s flip neckbreaker gets two on Cody but Daniels is back in with his usual. Taven sends Daniels outside for a big dive, which is followed by Cody’s own version. We take a break and come back with Cody getting the American Deathlock on Taven but the BME is good for the save. Taven and Daniels collide before trading cheating rollups for two each. Cody comes back in and sends Taven to the floor before hitting the Rise of the Terminator pose. Cross Rhodes hits Daniels but Taven hits a frog splash on Cody and steals the pin on Daniels at 9:35.

Rating: C+. They were working out here and the match worked well enough as a result. It’s amazing how much easier it is to put up with Taven when I don’t have to hear him talk. Oh and when there’s no Kingdom there with people I have no reason to care about. Cody not winning is a bit of a surprise but Taven gets more out of it than either of the other two would have.

A quick recap of Masters of the Craft takes us out.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one and that package on the tournament matches which have already taken place was inexcusable. Like seriously, how in the world do you leave that in? Show something from Future of Honor or have a video ready on the new champion, but don’t air stuff hyping matches that have already happened. That’s TNA level stuff and there’s nothing positive about that. Not a bad show, but completely skippable in every way.

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Ring of Honor
Date: December 13, 2017
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the go home show for Final Battle and you never know what that means around this promotion. They might set up something for the pay per view but at the same time it might be any given show. Unfortunately it’s probably going to be two weeks at minimum before we get to any kind of follow up due to the annoying taping schedule. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Kenny King vs. Caprice Coleman. That’s going to be our feature attraction tonight isn’t it? I’m so thrilled.

Opening sequence.

TV Title: Kenny King vs. Caprice Coleman

Silas Young is on commentary. King is defending but Coleman has the enforcer for hire Shane Taylor in his corner. The champ works on a hammerlock to start but it’s way too early for the Royal Flush. Back from a break with Coleman snapping him throat first across the top rope and grabbing a headscissors on the floor.

King gets sent hard into the corner for two and it’s off to something like a camel clutch/crossface chickenwing hybrid. A top rope hurricanrana doesn’t work though as King slips out, leaving Coleman to take a heck of a fall with his legs bouncing off the ropes. King gets two off a tabletop suplex but Coleman grabs his rolling northern lights suplexes for two more.

The Sky Splitter is good for the same but Coleman can’t hit a piledriver. Taylor finally gets involved with a distraction attempt, prompting the announcers to talk about King being on the Bachelor. Coleman’s rollup gets two but King is right back with the Royal Flush to retain at 10:05.

Rating: C-. Total lack of drama aside, this wasn’t too bad. Coleman continues to be a guy who is just there and I’m not sure how many people were begging for a Rebellion blowoff match. King is already set for a major title defense on Friday and they’re not going to mess with that so close to the show. Not bad though, especially that landing off the missed hurricanrana.

Post match Taylor and Punishment Martinez come in to beat King down but Young goes after both of them.

Here’s the Addiction to demand War Machine be fired for accidentally hitting a fan a few months back. Cue Hanson to go after both of them until a chair shot to the back takes him down. Hanson gets taped to the ropes and Daniels clips off a piece of his beard. Security comes in and Hanson gets free to clear things out.

Bullet Club is ready to defend the Six Man Tag Team Titles. I keep forgetting those exist.

Here are the Briscoe Brothers for a chat, though the fans aren’t exactly accepting of the heel turn. They’re here to tell it like it is and that includes saying they want Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer. Jay talks about doing everything they can to get those two in the ring and they don’t know what else they can do.

Cue Bully and Dreamer but security quickly cuts them off. COO Joe Koff comes out to try and calm things down but the Briscoes say the ECW guys are taking orders from a short old man. Koff gets in the ring and yells at them, saying he’s the matchmaker around here. The Briscoes are disrespecting everyone around here so the match is on for Final Battle and it’s going to be hardcore. Bully and Dreamer get in for the brawl but security is on them.

Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal

Marty Scurll is on commentary. They go straight at it and head to the floor in the first few seconds. Lethal shrugs off some chops and throws Taven over the barricade, only to suplex him back to ringside. A top rope ax handle gives Lethal two back inside and there’s the cartwheel into the basement dropkick. Scurll rips on him for the theatrics but Cabana points out that Marty spins around before the chickenwing. Marty: “IT’S MOMENTUM!” Cabana: “FOR A CHICKENWING???”

Jay’s Figure Four is countered into a small package for two but Lethal clotheslines him to the floor. That means a suicide dive but Jay stops at one for a change of pace. Taven gets in a dive of his own though and we take a break. Back with Taven getting two off a flip neckbreaker but hitting knees on a Lionsault attempt.

A slow slugout goes to Lethal and now the Figure Four goes on. The Kingdom helps Taven get to the ropes and Marty freaks out on Cabana for some reason. Hail to the King gets two as Marty goes to ringside. He throws the umbrella in but Lethal’s not sure. The delay allows Taven to grab a rollup for the pin at 10:11.

Rating: C+. They were working out there and Lethal losing via distraction is fine. Taven didn’t do much here but at least he wasn’t talking and that’s always a perk in his case. Not a bad match and it didn’t overstay its welcome. Scurll vs. Lethal should be a lot of fun and Taven….well Scurll vs. Lethal should be a lot of fun.

It’s time for the contract signing between Cody and Dalton Castle. Cody, in a fur coat, and company, including Brandi Rhodes also in a fur coat, are in the ring but Castle gets an entrance. Castle says Cody looks ridiculous but Cody is too busy eating what appears to be meats and cheeses.

Cody and Brandi stop for some champagne until Castle talks about breaking Cody’s heart at Final Battle. He was excited when he heard Cody was coming because Cody loved wrestling as much as Castle does. Then Cody showed up and it was clear he was overdressed, overpaid and overrated. Both guys sign and they stare each other down to end the show. No violence of anything, making this kind of disappointing. How appropriate in Cody’s case.

Overall Rating: C-. Uh….yeah. This didn’t exactly do much in regards to getting me fired up for Final Battle as the matches were ones you would see on any given TV show. I’m looking forward to the pay per view though and that’s a lot more than I thought I’d be saying a few months ago. Hopefully the show is better, but as always I’m cautiously optimistic around here.

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Ring of Honor
Date: April 19, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Kevin Kelly

We finally wrap up the Las Vegas tapings here as we get closer to only being a month behind. This time it’s about the World Title again as we have a randomly drawn eight man tag. The winning team will face off next week in a four way with the winner getting a World Title shot at some point in the future. Let’s get to it.

The opening video explains what I just told you. I doubt people read those things but come on now.

Opening sequence.

Chris Sabin vs. Caprice Coleman

Feeling out process to start with Sabin doing the nip up out of the wristlock, only to have Coleman drop him because he’s smart enough to not stand there while Sabin does his movements. And never mind as Sabin does it again while Coleman just stands there. It was nice while it lasted.

Sabin gets in an enziguri and something like a spinning Big Ending for two. The running kick from the apron (that almost everyone seems to do anymore) drops Coleman, only to have Kenny King offer a distraction. Cue Lio Rush as Coleman gets two off a springboard dropkick.

Back from a break with Coleman rolling northern lights suplexes for two, only to eat a running boot in the corner. A Falcon’s Arrow gets two but Coleman grabs something like a running Diamond Cutter for the same. Sabin ducks the Sky Splitter and goes outside to take out King because he’s the kind of face who feels overly aggressive. A sunset flip (with Rush breaking up King’s cheating) gives Sabin the pin at 9:19.

Rating: C-. I really can’t stand Chris Sabin. He’s not interesting and so many of his matches feel incredibly choreographed. The match was fine enough and helped advance the feud between the two groups but it’s still not something that I really care about watching. The name Search and Destroy doesn’t help Sabin’s stable either. Watchable match with no interest.

We look back at the Briscoes and Bully Ray winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles last week.

Silas Young plugs Unauthorized in Milwaukee with the same promo from last week.

Cheeseburger/Will Ferrara vs. Roppongi Vice

Vice throws their gear to the announcers, who put them on for reasons of unfunny comedy. Trent and Ferrara start things off but the fans want a double tag. They immediately do the forearms with Cheeseburger telling him to bring it before dropping Romero with a shoulder. Everything breaks down for a bit with Trent picking Romero up and ramming him into both guys.

We take a break and come back with Romero doing his forever clotheslines (exactly what it sounds like) until Cheeseburger gets in one of his own. Everything breaks down again with Ferrara hitting his suicide dive but getting dropped by Romero’s running knee. Strong Zero is broken up and Cheeseburger does his running palm strike into a crucifix for two on Trent. Cheeseburger dives onto Romero and Ferrara hits a German suplex on Trent. Not that it matters though as a tornado DDT is countered into Strong Zero for the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C+. Better match than I was expecting but I’m still really tired of hearing about how great a team is in Japan. Yeah Vice has won a bunch of stuff in Japan but they haven’t done much in ROH, making it seem like I’m missing something. That gets old in a hurry and it happens far too often around here.

Ferrara shoves Cheeseburger away and walks off on his own.

Quick preview of next week’s Top Prospect Tournament final. Thank goodness we can be done with that thing.

Silas Young/Hangman Page/Jay White/Jay Lethal vs. Colt Cabana/Lio Rush/Hanson/Bobby Fish

The winning team advances to a four way for a World Title shot. White and Rush start things off with more spinning out of a wristlock, as in what we saw in the first match. Rush flips away a lot more, misses a few legsweeps, and grabs a rollup for two. Young is really not impressed and tells White to do better. Lethal’s team gets in a brawl and we take a break.

Back with Lethal vs. Cabana with Colt telling the other team to start fighting again. Hanson comes in and rubs his beard over Lethal’s face before it’s off to Page to work over Fish in the corner. Lethal’s team gets in another fight over who gets to stay on Fish with Silas eventually getting the call.

Back from another break with Fish being sent outside so Page can hit a good looking shooting star off the apron. Young and Page keep refusing to tag in either Jay so Fish suplexes Silas into Adam, allowing the tag to Hanson. That means it’s time for a bunch of clotheslines with two opponents in each corner. Hanson probably runs across the ring ten times before handing it back to Rush for a slam onto Page.

Rush manages to slam the 200lbs heavier Hanson onto Page as well but a tornado DDT only gets two on Lethal. Everyone keeps brawling on the floor until Rush dives onto the pile. Lethal gets the Lethal Combination on Cabana but Page refuses to take the tag. He goes to leave but gets caught by Kazarian, who throws Page to the back. Rush gets one heck of a powerbomb on Lethal but his frog splash hits knees. The Lethal Injection puts Lio away at 17:45.

Rating: B-. The psychology here made a lot of sense as you had so many people wanting to be the one to win that they didn’t see the bigger prize. I’m assuming Page didn’t want Lethal to win as the Bullet Club is scared of having to deal with him again. Other than that almost everyone was just there and that’s fine for a match like this. It’s a strong match and a good way to make things feel a bit more important.

Overall Rating: C. This show illustrated a problem that a lot of Ring of Honor shows have: a good chunk of it feels like it doesn’t matter and then there’s one major match that feels important. Look at the first two matches here. We had a match involving the Rebellion (the poster child for useless stables) and then a match that felt like it was designed to set up a team for a run in Japan/to break up a lower card team. Neither of those things really need to be taking up TV time, especially when it feels like so much time passes between some major stories.

It feels like ROH has so much going on but they take so long to get to a lot of those things. When you have an hour a week, you really shouldn’t be putting in filler. The second match certainly felt like filler while the first match just wasn’t all that interesting. They need to tighten this stuff up but I’ve been making those complaints for years now and it’s pretty clear that they’re not going to be changed anytime soon.

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Ring of Honor
Date: September 7, 2016
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

We’re finally back to the regular taping cycle though thankfully we had two strong stand alone shows in the weeks since the pay per view. The big story is Adam Cole winning the ROH World Title and bringing it to the Bullet Club, which is suddenly stronger than ever before around here. Let’s get to it.

We open with a package on Cole winning the title and being attacked by Kyle O’Reilly, likely setting up their showdown at Final Battle.

Opening sequence.

Here’s the Bullet Club for their big celebration. It’s Story Time With Adam Cole, who has delivered on his promise to become a two time ROH World Champion. He’s going to be champion as long as he wants but here’s Jay Lethal to disagree. Cole knows that Jay wants his rematch tonight but it’s the champ’s night off. If Lethal wants to fight later then that’s fine, but just remember the Bullet Club will be right there. Lethal isn’t worried though because he’s got friends of his own: Los Ingobernables de Japan. The big staredown takes us to a break.

A six man tag has been made for next week.

We look at what happened after last week’s show ended, with the Young Bucks beating Addiction down.

Here’s the Addiction at the announcers’ desk to say that footage was doctored.

Video on Punisher Martinez being the new heir to Kevin Sullivan’s evil.

Caprice Coleman vs. Dalton Castle

They actually start with a battle of the thumbs until Dalton single legs him down for two. We get the chest stick out followed by a BOO/YAY fight over a headlock. A running knee knocks Coleman off the corner and there’s a running kick to the head because wrestling is about running strikes these days. With Coleman in trouble, the rest of the Cabinet goes after the Boys and we get a four man ejection to take us to a break.

Back with the Boys still at ringside and Coleman being thrown off a suplex. Castle does a sweet bridge out of a rollup into the lifting German suplex but here’s the Cabinet to get on my nerves all over again. I love that the company’s boss is RIGHT THERE and this keeps happening. The Boys come in and dive onto the Cabinet, leaving Castle to hit the Bang A Rang for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: C-. Castle and the Boys are as different than the Cabinet as you can possibly be. I know that’s probably why they’re feuding but that doesn’t work when the major difference is one being entertaining and the other being an act that caused me to wait several days to sit through this show. Hopefully this wraps up soon.

Clips from the way too good Jay Briscoe vs. Jay White match that ended in a time limit draw.

Here’s the Addiction with a ladder to say they’ve beaten every team put in front of them. See, they’re at the top of this ladder and each rung is a team beneath them.

Bobby Fish is ready for his title defense against Katsuyori Shibata next week and suggests that Shibata just pay off the referee because he has no chance otherwise.

Donovan Dijak vs. Manny Lemos

Manny slaps Dijak in the face on the handshake and gets punched down for his disrespect. Dijak throws him to the floor, bring him back in, and finishes with Feast Your Eyes at 1:34. Total squash.

Post match Prince Nana says Dijak is coming for the winner of next week’s TV Title match.

The Briscoes can respect what Jay White did in their singles match but tonight it’s a tag team match and that’s their world.

Briscoe Brothers vs. Lio Rush/Jay White

Non-title. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll only refer to Jay Briscoe as Jay. Mark and Rush get things going with Lio snapping off a springboard hurricanrana. It’s already off to White but Jay crushes him with a splash in the corner. Back from a break with White DDTing Jay and tagging in Rush for his variety of kicks. That means it’s time for the first flip dive over the top to take Jay out, only to have Mark come back with the Blockbuster from the apron.

Back in and Rush gets thrown with a gutwrench suplex, followed by a regular suplex for two. As you might expect, more kicks allow the tag off to White to face Jay and you can feel the energy picking up. White scores with a missile dropkick for two and we take a second break. Back with Rush hitting a suicide dive to take Mark out, leaving White to cover Jay for two. The fans are actually accurate for once with their THIS IS AWESOME chants.

Mark grabs a fisherman’s buster for two on Lio and the kickout stuns him. A Shining Wizard catches Mark for two more and it’s time for the slugout between Jay and Lio. The Death Valley Driver into the Froggy Bow knocks Lio silly but White tackles Jay onto the cover for the save. The even bigger slugout goes to Jay but White slaps him in the face anyway. A double forearm from the Briscoes puts White on the floor and sets up a Doomsday Device to put Rush away at 18:41.

Rating: B+. I know he hasn’t won anything but this mini-feud has done more for White than almost any initial push that I’ve seen in a long time. It’s certainly better than having him win a tournament over a bunch of other unknowns and then having him lose to a singles champion. White has the goods and could be something special if he can talk.

We get the big handshake to really make the young guys look good.

Before we’re done, Nigel makes Addiction vs. Young Bucks vs. the Motor City Machine Guns in a ladder war at All Star Extravaganza. Addiction is treated as the heels here, which really should confirm the fact that the Bucks are faces despite acting like heels. The champs freak out backstage to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event easily carries this one and it was cool to see the focus on something other than the main event again. That being said, we’re less than three weeks away from the pay per view and I barely have any idea what we’ve got coming up other than a World Title match, a ladder match and some matches in the Six Man Tag Team Title tournament, which is likely a thing because they’re a big deal in New Japan. They need something more to fill in the card and I have a bad feeling it’s more New Japan to the rescue.

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Ring of Honor
Date: March 16, 2016
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Attendance: 675
Commentators: Mr. Wrestling III, Kevin Kelly

Tonight is literally all about the tag division as we’ll be seeing the entire show containing one match. In this case it’s a seven team gauntlet match, which hopefully won’t include any thirty second falls. The winners here get a Tag Team Title shot at some point in the future, which could make for some entertaining action. Let’s get to it.

Tag Team Gauntlet

ReDRagon and Caprice Coleman/Will Ferrara (Together due to accepting Prince Nana’s envelopes over the last several, several months. Normally I would say they need to get things going with that story but I don’t remember the last story I cared less about so drop it already) get things going with Ferrara and O’Reilly starting us off. Kyle can’t get a Kimura in so he holds the arms to avoid a dropkick.

Ferrara gets punched down with ease, allowing ReDRagon to start taking their turns on him in the corner. Fish gets two off a belly to back but Will dives through the legs and gets the tag. Unfortunately it’s not the hottest tag because the fans realize they’re going to see six falls before the ending. Everything breaks down and Fish backdrops Ferrara over the corner, only to have Will come back in and get caught in Fish’s knee bar for the tap at 5:52.

The third team in is the House of Truth, comprised of Joey Daddiego/Chris Laruso. This seems to be Laruso’s debut, who is described as a martial artist and a lawyer. The action starts after a break with Chris armdragging Fish down for little effect. Bobby comes right back with another knee bar but Laruso is fast enough to get over to the ropes.

ReDRagon starts taking turns again as they tend to be quite efficient at doing, including O’Reilly pounding away with strikes to the head. Daddiego has to break up an arm hold as the fans are still dead silent for this. A powerbomb gets Joey out of a triangle choke and everything breaks down again. Laruso kicks Daddiego by mistake and Joey walks out, leaving Laruso to get kneed in the face and choked out by Kyle at 17:30 total, including entrances.

The Young Bucks are in fourth and tell ReDRagon to suck it to get things going. Fish and O’Reilly grab stereo ankle locks, only to get sent out to the floor, allowing us to get TOO SWEET and a double suicide dive. We settle down with O’Reilly throwing Matt’s kick into Nick’s leg, allowing him to dragon screw leg whip both of them at the same time. It’s stupid when Davey Richards does the DDT version and it’s stupid here too. Everything breaks down and Nick’s Swanton hits Fish’s knees.

Kyle and Nick start trading kicks on the floor, only to have O’Reilly counter a superkick with an ankle lock. We take another break and come back with Fish suplexing Matt for two. It’s back to Kyle, who gets caught with a spinning Diamond Cutter out of the corner. Cool looking spot, even if the flip wasn’t really necessary. Nick comes in off the hot tag and superkicks Fish, only to miss another Swanton. Kyle and Nick come in off the double tag for a double superkick from the Bucks. More Bang For Your Buck puts ReDRagon out at 35:56 total.

Brutal Bob Evans and Tim Hughes come in fifth, charge into a double superkick, and are knocked to the floor for the opening bell. Hughes and Evans stall on the outside until we get another double superkick. Some might say this is a one move team. Hughes gets inside for a slow motion side slam, only to have Nick superkick him in the jaw. Evans comes in for some sweet shin music, setting up ANOTHER double superkick. A corner powerbomb into an enziguri sets up the hanging swanton for the pin on Bob at 39:57.

Next up is the Addiction, who sneak in from behind to jump the Bucks. Kazarian and Daniels start things fast and of course charge into a superkick. Another superkick drops Kazarian and a third breaks up Angel’s Wings, allowing Matt to roll Daniels up for the pin at 43:30. Well that was quick.

Addiction beats the Bucks down again after the match as Roppangi Vice come in last. The Addiction beats them down too until Vice fights them off, allowing referees to break it up. The actual match starts fast with the Bucks taking a slight advantage before we go to a break. Back with Vice dropping Matt with a Doomsday Device off the apron with a knee instead of a clothesline. Well at least they’re moving fast out there. Vice’s double jumping knee to Nick’s face gets two and it’s off to a seated abdominal stretch.

Back up and Nick sends Romero to the floor before superkicking Trent off the apron. The hot tag brings in Matt but we take yet another break. Back with nothing having changed and Matt telling Romero to suck it. The Meltzer Driver is broken up (Kelly: “That’ll mess up the star rating.”) twice in a row with Nick getting crotched on top during the second counter. More Bang For Your Buck is broken up as well and Strong Zero puts Matt away at 53:29 total, giving Vice the title shot.

Rating: B-. I liked most of this but they definitely could have cut some stuff out. Stuff like Hughes and Evans or Coleman and Ferrara easily could have been excluded to give more time to the bigger pairs but I get why they wanted to get as many people into this as possible. ReDRagon starting things off was a good option and they’re even protected by only losing in their third fall. I could have gone for a different team than Vice winning but you take what you can get in something like this.

Vice celebrates a lot.

We end with a video hyping up next week’s Global Wars, including a clip of Okada/Nakamura vs. the Briscoes from last year.

Overall Rating: B-. These show long matches are hard to pull off but if you can get an entertaining match out of it, things are about as strong as they can be. This has nothing on Zayn vs. Joe from a last week but at least there was enough entertaining stuff here to keep the show moving at a fast pace. It’s nothing great or anything, though it accomplished something and set up a match later on so it’s not the worst idea.

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Ring of Honor
Date: February 17, 2016
Location: Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

The Anniversary pay per view is almost here and we’re also getting closer to the end of the first round of the Top Prospect Tournament. However, we’re also getting closer to the end of this taping cycle which means things have a tendency to start dragging. Ring of Honor isn’t the best at going week to week so there’s little connection between shows. That can make things hard to keep track of but hopefully it isn’t a major issue here. Let’s get to it.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Jason Kincaid vs. Lio Rush

Two smaller guys here with Kincaid looking like Erick Rowan minus about 100lbs (but with some hair) and with pictures of a woman and a skull on his thighs. Nigel thinks Lio is in the vein of ACH. Well at least they don’t look the same. Lio kicks at the leg to start but Kincaid heads to the apron for a slingshot flip neckbreaker. Off to a Gory Stretch on Rush, followed by something like a standing abdominal stretch (as in Lio isn’t twisted around) into a jawbreaker.

Kincaid takes off his shoulder pads vest (that helped) but Lio knocks him outside for a flip dive. Back in and something like a spinebuster into the corner has Lio in trouble, though he’s still able to head outside before Jason can go Coast to Coast. That’s fine with Jason as he does it anyway, actually hitting the Coast to Coast with Lio on the floor. He’s not done though as Kincaid dives through the ropes into a flip Diamond Cutter. Jason’s top rope double stomp misses though and Lio catches him in a standing C4 for the pin at 5:05.

Rating: C+. Best match of the tournament so far and I’m really hoping Kincaid gets another look after that performance. One important thing here was Kelly putting over Jason’s backstory as coming up from pure poverty to get where he is today. That helped set Kincaid apart and let us connect to him a bit, which is the best thing you can do here. Unfortunately ROH felt the need to add another generic high flier because they don’t have enough of them yet. I mean, Nigel said Rush is exactly like ACH, so why would they want to go with him when they already have ACH?

Will Ferrara/Caprice Coleman vs. Beer City Bruiser/Silas Young

Prince Nana is on commentary to continue this story which feels like it’s been going on for six months despite not actually going anywhere. Coleman and Young get things going with a slugout as Kelly asks Nana about going after Donovan Dijak. Nana says the pieces of the puzzle are all in the letter and that’s all Kelly needs to know. Coleman takes over but Ferrara tags himself in, much to his partner’s annoyance.

A rollup gets two for Will but he goes with a much more effective German suplex to send Silas into the corner, meaning it’s off to the much bigger Bruiser. For some reason Ferrara tries to slam the big man and gets crushed as he deserved after something that stupid. The villains take turns beating on Ferrara until Bruiser misses a charge and Coleman gets the lukewarm tag.

Everything breaks down and Bruiser tries a superplex on Coleman, only to have Ferrara run in for a powerbomb. The Sky Splitter is broken up but here come the Boys (so much for selling a big beatdown) for a distraction, allowing Ferrara to DDT Bruiser on the floor. Now the Sky Splitter is enough to put Young away at 6:10.

Rating: C. Not bad here but again I lost all interest in whatever Nana is doing months ago. If he wants to reform the Embassy or whatever then so be it but that’s just it: so be it already. Instead of just giving people envelopes and showing them the way or whatever, do something because a Ferrara/Coleman/whoever else he has stable isn’t exactly thrilling in the first place.

Here’s the Decade with something to say. Whitmer has been hearing Steve Corino promising to come here tonight and have someone deal with BJ. Corino has three friends in wrestling and most of them are gone from this company already. This brings out Corino, who doesn’t exactly seem ready to fight.

No one wants to hear Whitmer talking week after week (I don’t mind it) and now BJ thinks Corino is the one coming for him. That’s going to happen one day but it’s not just yet. Someone has come to Corino and offered to take Whitmer out…..and apparently it’s Adam Page. The brawl is quickly on and the fans have no issue cheering for Page as security comes in to break it up. This makes as much sense as anything else if Corino is too hurt to fight.

We run down the PPV card, including a video of All Night Express beating War Machine via DQ to set up their No DQ match. The triple threat main event gets a quick video as well.

Mark Briscoe vs. Tim Hughes

Hughes is small and very pale. Mark knocks him into the corner as you would expect from a star beating on a jobber in a squash match on the weekly TV show. A Russian legsweep gets two on Hughes but Tim comes back with a long sidewalk slam. That just earns him some Redneck Kung Fu and a fisherman’s buster, followed by the Froggy Bow for the pin on Hughes at 3:50.

Rating: D. This was what it was with Mark getting a squash that he really didn’t need. I’m not sure what they were going for here as Briscoe is ready for a big tag team showdown, so why give him something like this? Nothing to see here and on top of that it wasn’t even all that entertaining.

ACH/Matt Sydal vs. Young Bucks

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line here and for the sake of simplicity I’ll only refer to Matt Jackson as Matt. The handshakes take a while but thankfully they wait until after the break of the opening bell. Sydal slaps a belt out of Matt hand to start and it’s an early superkick party to send the non-champions to the floor but Sydal dives out to drop both Bucks.

Back in and ACH dives in, followed by a leg lariat and dropkick to Matt. A bit too much posing allows Nick to score with a superkick though and it’s time for a double superkick to send Sydal to the floor. The Bucks superkick an invisible ball into the crowd and we take a break. Back with Nick riding ACH’s arm and posing on the apron like a heel should, even though he’s a face here.

It’s time for more invisible basketball but ACH trips them up, allowing Sydal to come in off the hot tag. Everything breaks down and the slingshot X-Factor drops ACH and it’s yet another superkick party. More Bang For Your Buck is broken up but Sydal misses the Shooting Star, allowing Matt to hit another superkick. Nick’s Swanton is good for two but More Bang For Your Buck is countered again with some raised knees. Now the Shooting Star connects on Matt for the big upset win at 10:11.

Rating: C. I’m not wild on the teams here and I’m not sure how much I like champions losing clean, even if they’re champions in another promotion but there was something about that ending I did like. The Bucks’ offense was countered and Sydal/ACH get another win over them, which again I know because Kelly told us that at the start of the match. It sounded like a minor detail to start but knowing that helps the story they’re going for here. Again, well done and something so easy to do, which is what makes it so frustrating when most companies don’t do it.

Overall Rating: C. This was fine for the most part, but again they’re not exactly doing a great job of building up the pay per view. I know the World Title isn’t always the most important thing in Ring of Honor but they seem to go out of their way to not have Lethal out there. It’s nice for a change, but at times it becomes a bit annoying as whether Ring of Honor likes it or not, the World Title is going to be seen as the most important thing in the promotion. Still though, totally watchable show here, even with the midcard getting the focus.

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