Cruiserweight Classic
Date: August 10, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Daniel Bryan

We’ve hit the second round as the field has shrunk to sixteen competitors. This is where things start to get more interesting as a lot of the people who came in with no chance have been eliminated, leaving us with matches between more realistic options. Only two matches have been announced for tonight but there could be extras to go with them. Let’s get to it.

We open with a music video recap of the first round.

Opening sequence.

The announcers talk about the tournament for a few moments.

Corey Graves previews tonight’s show.

Gran Metalik is here to represent Mexico.

Tajiri has been around for a long time but wants to make one more run.

Second Round: Gran Metalik vs. Tajiri

Mexico vs. Japan. They trade some fast armdrags and legsweeps to start and it’s an early stalemate. Tajiri takes him to the mat for a reverse Koji Clutch but gets reversed into an ankle lock. Now it’s time to trade rollups as they’re mirroring each other so far. Metalik sends him outside but Tajiri runs inside again and hits a quick kick to set up a chinlock. That goes into a headscissors on Metalik before it turns into a slugout with Metalik getting the better of it off an enziguri.

Tajiri goes outside again and that means it’s time for Gran to walk the ropes into a flip dive for a huge crash. Back in and a top rope elbow gets two on Tajiri but he goes back to the kicks for a break. Metalik gets put in the Tree of Woe for the basement dropkick. A powerbomb gets two more for Tajiri before he grabs a sunset flip but goes to the side, leans back and pulls on Metalik’s head for a submission attempt. Metalik escapes and ducks another kick, setting up the Metalik Screwdriver (Samoan Driver) to advance at 10:54.

Rating: B. This was exactly why you bring in someone like Tajiri: he has a resume, the fans know who he is and he can still go. Metalik is a stranger to most of these people but now he’s beaten a former multiple time Cruiserweight Champion to give him some credibility with people not so familiar with him. The booking and structure of the match were both perfect and the execution being strong was a bonus. Very well done here.

Cedric Alexander is here to prove he’s the best.

Kota Ibushi is a star in Japan and wants to be one in America as well.

Second Round: Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander

Japan vs. America. They start fast as well with Ibushi knocking him to the mat but Cedric is smart enough to not run in again. Back up and Cedric grabs an armbar for a bit before Ibushi comes back up and turns on the speed again. A sunset flip gets two for Kota before he stops playing and just blasts Cedric in the chest with a big kick.

Kota heads to the apron and chops Cedric in the face (Isn’t that a slap?) to set up a springboard dropkick. A moonsault to the floor misses though and Cedric nails a running flip dive. Back in and a great looking top rope clothesline gets two on Kota. They chop it out again before Kota hits the loudest dropkick I’ve heard in years. Ibushi fires off even more rapid strikes and gets two off a standing corkscrew moonsault.

An exploder suplex sends Cedric to the floor and now Ibushi hits the big moonsault dive to the floor. Fans: “FIGHT FOREVER!” A Michinoku Driver gets two for Cedric and he one ups himself by landing on his feet to counter a super Frankensteiner. Now it’s a brainbuster for two more, almost immediately followed by a hard kick to Kota’s head for an even closer two. Kota drops him on his head with a German suplex and the Golden Star Powerbomb sends Ibushi to the second round at 14:56.

Rating: A. WOW that was fun. This match felt like it was going on for the better part of an hour and I was stunned when it wasn’t even fifteen minutes long. Cedric has won me over here as I wasn’t the biggest fan of his ROH stuff but was blown away by his performance tonight. Absolutely incredibly action packed match here and a complete spectacle from bell to bell. Check this match out for sure, which isn’t something I’ll often say.

Bryan previews next week’s matches but we cut back to the arena where Cedric gets a standing ovation. Fans: “PLEASE SIGN CEDRIC!” Alexander starts crying and HHH comes out to congratulate him as well. He gives the fans a thumbs up which might mean they get what they want.

Overall Rating: A+. The first round grew on me over time but this was the show where they jumped to the next level. It’s rare enough to see one amazing match like this and we got two of them in about forty five minutes. I was amazed by this stuff and the final could be the match of the year almost no matter what combination we get. Watch this show and keep watching

Results

Gran Metalik b. Tajiri – Metalik Screwdriver

Kota Ibushi b. Cedric Alexander – Golden Star Bomb

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Cruiserweight Classic
Date: July 13, 2016
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Daniel Bryan

This is something very different as it’s all about the actual wrestling. What we have here is a thirty two man international tournament with a bunch of wrestlers coming in from outside the company to compete. From what I understand there won’t be any storylines here, though that could change as we go along. Let’s get to it.

The opening video, narrated by HHH, shows clips of various great cruiserweight matches over the years. HHH talks about how this has always been the most exciting style of wrestling and tonight it’s time to start the new generation with people trying to blaze a new trail.

Opening sequence.

Corey Graves shows us the four matches we’ll be seeing tonight.

Gran Metalik (Mascara Dorado) from Mexico and Alejandro Saez from Chile say they’re here to represent their countries.

The set is very similar to NXT’s though there’s no ramp and the aisle comes from the corner instead of to the side of the ring.

First Round: Alejandro Saez vs. Gran Metalik

According to their quick bios, Saez is a striker while Metalik is a luchador. Charles Robinson brings them to the middle of the ring for a handshake and we’re ready to go. Saez starts things fast with a shoulder and basement dropkick, followed by a springboard missile dropkick for two.

A quick argument with the referee allows Metalik to knock him outside for an ACH middle rope springboard flip dive. Back in and a top rope (as in from the middle of the rope instead of the corner) gets two on Saez but Gran gets kicked out to the floor. Saez hits a shooting star off the apron, only to get caught in a Samoan Driver to give Metalik the pin at 4:05.

Rating: B-. Oh yeah this was the perfect choice for an opener. They kept it short and to the point here with fast paced high flying and a quick finish. Metalik seems like a big deal and a potential favorite here, though it’s probably way too early to predict something like that when we’ve only seen two people so far. This was a good opener though and that’s so important for something like this tournament.

Metalik is announced as the official winner ala a UFC fight.

Ariya Daivari (the brother of the better known Daivari) knows what it takes to win and he’ll do whatever it takes.

Hoho Lun is here to show that this is his job.

First Round: Ariya Daivar vs. Hoho Lun

Lun is a regular in a very small Chinese promotion I watch so this is kind of bizarre. Daivari won’t shake hands to give us our first heel. A dropkick puts Daivari down to start and a second one to the back gets two as the fans are a lot more quiet this time around. Daivari comes back with a neckbreaker and a good looking jumping knee to the face for two of his own.

We hit the chinlock as the fans chant HOHO to the OLE tune. Daivari kicks him in the head but a slap to the face just sets Hoho off and earns Daivari a spinwheel kick to the face. A running knee to the back of Daivari’s head and a low superkick set up a German suplex to put Daivari away at 5:07.

Rating: C. Lun is a small guy and I’m surprised that he went over the brother of a name like Daivari. If nothing else you would think they would go with Daivari for the sake of having a heel going forward. Lun doesn’t seem to have much of a future in this but it’s cool to see him get a win, if nothing else due to him being from a small promotion that not a lot of people have heard of.

Clement Petiot is a Lance Storm student from France and seems to be one of the bigger guys in the field.

Cedric Alexander is from Charlotte and used to be in Ring of Honor.

First Round: Clement Petiot vs. Cedric Alexander

They almost get in a fight before the bell rings and it’s time to hit the mat with Cedric quickly escaping a front facelock. Clement is sent outside and Alexander teases a big dive to the floor but moonsaults back to the middle instead. Back in and a great looking dropkick puts Petiot down for two but Clement sends him hard into the corner.

We hit the chinlock before a running knee to the face gets two in the corner. Cedric comes right back with a perfect springboard clothesline but Clement flips him inside out with a discus clothesline. Not that it matters as Cedric comes right back with the Lumbar Check (belly to back suplex into a Backstabber) for the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C. Three matches in and we have three faces going forward but there’s a lot of time left to get some villains. Alexander looked great here with that springboard clothesline being as smooth as any I’ve seen in a long time. Petiot was fine but clearly needs some ring time and a bit more of a character to make him stand out.

Kota Ibushi is ready to prove himself.

Sean Maluta is Afa’s nephew and another part of the Anoa’i Family.

First Round: Sean Maluta vs. Kota Ibushi

Ibushi is a big crowd favorite. Feeling out process to start with Maluta taking him down to the mat, only to have Ibushi come back with a kick to the chest. A t-bone suplex sends Maluta flying but Sean gets in a middle rope Codebreaker to knock Ibushi silly. Maluta sends him to the floor and tries a running flip dive, which may or may not have been botched as he landed on the apron but it might have been intentional as he immediately flipped over again to take Ibushi down.

Back in and Kota hits a very high dropkick before some very fast strikes have Sean in trouble. A standing moonsault gets two on Sean but he blocks a superplex, only to get kicked hard out to the floor. Ibushi keeps things fast with a running springboard moonsault to take Sean down. Back in and a superkick knocks Kota silly for two but he pops up and hits a sitout Last Ride for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: B. Best match of the night here and a lot of that is due to the time. Ibushi is definitely one of the big favorites and it’s clear that he’s a big star as they put him in the main event slot on the debut episode. Maluta looked good and could probably get a developmental deal very soon. Ibushi is going to be a big deal if he signs with WWE though and his match with Alexander should be awesome.

Overall Rating: B. This was a strong start to the show and the key was they kept the matches fast. With no stories and a lot of wrestlers that fans probably haven’t seen before, it’s very important to not let them get bored. Keeping the matches quick with fast paced offense and simple stories is going to allow the fans to stick with this and prevents the audience from losing interest in people who aren’t the most interesting in the first place. It’s a good show concept but the first few weeks are going to be a bit more rough with a lot of first round matches before we get to the bigger stuff down the line. Good start though.

Results

Gran Metalik b. Alejandro Saez – Samoan Driver

Hoho Lun b. Ariya Daivari – German Suplex

Cedric Alexander b. Clement Petiot – Lumbar Check

Kota Ibushi b. Sean Maluta – Sitout Powerbomb

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Ring of Honor
Date: March 23, 2015
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Mr. Wrestling III, Kevin Kelly

It’s a special show this time as we have a new taping cycle including the New Japan crew. These things can go a bunch of different ways and unfortunately a lot of those ways don’t often go well for the normal Ring of Honor guys. It’s also the fight show after the 14^th Anniversary Show so things can start moving forward. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

TV Title: BJ Whitmer vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Ishii is defending after taking the title in Japan because WE MUST PRAISE NEW JAPAN. The graphic says “Tomorhiro” but I can’t find anything else that spells is that way. We’re not quite ready to go yet though as Veda Scott and Cedric Alexander come out with Veda offering a check in exchange for the title shot. Whitmer is appalled at the suggestion that he could be bought off and then takes the check anyway.

TV Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Tomohiro Ishii

The match starts after a break with Ishii hitting a hard shoulder and throwing Alexander across the ring with ease. Ishii headbutts him down but Veda grabs the boot to finally give Cedric an opening. See, she’s effective as well as gorgeous. Cedric starts stomping at the head before going with a far less painful chinlock.

That’s enough for the champ though as he Hulks Up and scores with chops and a suplex. Cedric is up at two and climbs the corner for a spinning kick to the head. Back up and Ishii just headbutts the heck out of him, only to have the sliding lariat get countered into a crucifix for two. Ishii is done playing though and he braninbusts Alexander for the pin to retain at 6:32.

Rating: C. I’m really not a fan of the NEVER stuff that Ishii does over in New Japan but he’s perfectly acceptable when he’s doing more wrestling than all that strong style toughman nonsense. Alexander is way too generic for my tastes but at least Veda is awesome in her role and can carry anyone however far she needs to.

Here’s the Addiction to complain about the reunion of the Motor City Machine Guns. Oh great that’s a thing again. They take credit for bringing Chris Sabin back from the depths (I’d have cheered if they added “of TNA”) and now they’ve been betrayed for a Machine Guns reunion. Kazarian gets in a few shots at Las Vegas being the land of bad decisions and thinks this was all one bad choice. Daniels thinks the fans are all thinking it’s Christmas morning to see Sabin/Shelley back together again but it’s time for an apology.

Cue the Guns, unfortunately without their rocking TNA theme. Before they get going, how in the world is Sabin the only former World Champion out of this group? Sabin has reached the conclusion that the Addiction are just delusional jerks. The brawl is teased but of course the Addiction bails. Daniels says they’ll have a match but it’s up to them, the adults, to decide when that happens.

Jay Lethal is ready to defend against Hirooki Goto next week.

Reno Scum vs. Briscoes

Scum (Luster the Legend/Adam Thorestowe) is a team who has been around before but aren’t that well known. Adam and Mark get things going with the former getting double teamed in a somewhat heelish attack by the Briscoes. Back in and Adam can’t get anywhere with Mark so it’s off to Luster for a running shoulder in the corner. Mark gets pounded down but finally comes back with some right hands to both Scum.

It’s still not enough though as a catapult sends Mark into a Death Valley Driver for two. Not that it matters as Mark flips onto his feet and makes the tag off to Jay as house is cleaned. Everything breaks down and a powerbomb into a neckbreaker gets two on Luster. A German suplex followed by a double stomp gets the same on Mark, only to have him pop up with a Death Valley Driver. The Froggy Bow is enough to put Adam away at 6:55.

Rating: C-. Scum didn’t do anything for me here and I’m really not sure who is supposed to benefit here. The Briscoes were fine enough but this had that Ring of Honor style to it that doesn’t get me interested. There are more than enough teams in Ring of Honor already and Scum really wasn’t needed here.

Dalton Castle is excited for his Fight Without Honor with Silas Young in three weeks but the Boys aren’t old enough to know what he has planned.

Young Bucks vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi/Michael Elgin

The fans are far more behind Tanahashi than the Bucks here, which is a nice sign for the future of wrestling. Elgin and Nick start with Michael actually trying a test of strength. Now since no power guy has ever gotten a small heel to try a test of strength, I’ll let you guess how this goes. The Bucks start speeding things up and a pair of dropkicks have the good guys (I think?) on the floor.

Matt dives over the top to take Tanahashi out and we take a break. Back with Elgin bicycle kicking Matt out to the floor before giving him a double suplex. Elgin and Tanahashi give Nick a double SUCK IT in a nice visual. There’s a delayed vertical suplex with Nick trying a save, only to have Elgin suplex both of them at the same time. Tanahashi grabs an abdominal stretch and uses Matt’s ribs as an air guitar. Eh that was amusing.

We hit the chinlock for a bit until Nick pulls Elgin to the floor for our first superkick. Nick gets in a regular SUCK IT and there’s the slingshot X Factor. We take a break and come back with the Bucks still in control and getting cheered way too loudly. Tanahashi gets in a cross body though and the tag brings Elgin back in. Big Mike picks up the Bucks for a Samoan drop/fall away slam at the same time because he’s got freaking strength. The Falcon Arrow gets two on Matt but double superkicks set up a double 450 for two on Elgin.

Tanahashi no sells ANOTHER superkick and gets loaded up into kind of a reverse Alabama Slam from Elgin to send him onto….Matt’s knees. Now you might think we just had enough double superkicks for a lifetime, but that’s not how the Bucks roll. FIVE more superkicks have them in control but the Meltzer Driver is countered with Elgin’s powerbomb. The Sling Blade and another powerbomb sets up the High Fly Flow to give Tanahashi the pin at 16:10.

Rating: B. Better match here but I’ve made my opinions on the Bucks pretty clear over the last year. I still don’t get why they’re faces in this or any other promotion (well maybe PWG would make sense) but the fans go nuts over them and that’s the point of bringing in acts like this. Tanahashi continues to be amazing (I’m a bit late on that one) and Elgin has that freakish strength that only a handful of people ever have, making this a rather fun match. Not exactly the kind of match I’d like as I’m not big on the styles of either promotion, but at least it was a fun performance.

Overall Rating: C+. This was good enough but the New Japan shows can get annoying in a hurry. At least we had a good match and the Fight Without Honor offers some promise, especially if it gives Castle the boost that he’s been needing for months. Unfortunately I have a feeling we’re in for A LOT more New Japan before we get there and that’s not the most entertaining thing in the world.

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Ring of Honor
Date: March 9, 2016
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Attendance: 675
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Mr. Wrestling III

It’s another stand alone show as we wait the first tapings from after the Anniversary Show. This week is a big week as we have the finals of the Top Prospect Tournament, though the most interesting prospect has already been eliminated. Other than that we don’t have a lot going on but one big match is better than none. Let’s get to it.

Dalton Castle talks about drawing a bath the other night when he realized he was hungry. Not for food though, but rather victories. He’ll be taking the moon starting tonight with Christopher Daniels.

Opening sequence.

Top Prospect Tournament Finals: Brian Fury vs. Lio Rush

They take their time to start with the bigger (though still average sized) guy shoving Rush around with ease. Rush takes him to the mat for some technical stuff as the crowd is eerily silent here. It’s almost like there’s no reason to care about either guy and it’s based entirely on their work. Fury gets knocked to the floor for a suicide dive as commentary is gone for some reason. A hiptoss counters a charge to send Rush into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Rush doing the same kind of strike sequence that almost every indy wrestler does. Fury nails a headbutt to set up the Pop Up Powerbomb, only to be countered with a hurricanrana. A DDT gets two for Rush but Fury grabs a Gory Special into a faceplant for two of his own. Fury reverses a sunset flip and puts his hand on the rope for two but gets caught by an actually competent referee. The Pop Up Powerbomb gets two on Lio so he comes back with the C4 for the pin and the tournament at 9:02.

Rating: C+. The match was fun and if they’re so obsessed with Lio then so be it but I still don’t get it. Fury wasn’t much better as an option due to his age but I would have liked to see someone different instead of someone who screams INDY WRESTLER. It’s not a bad match or anything here so good enough, just nothing that interests me due to the names in there.

ReDRagon is ready for a tag team gauntlet match next week.

Moose vs. Kongo

Kongo is overweight and his singlet looks torn. No Stokely Hathaway for Moose here. They slug it out to start with Moose getting the better of it off a dropkick. Kongo is sent hard into the barricade but he sidesteps Moose to send him in as well. Back in and Kongo crushes him with a pair of splashes as this is WAY more competitive than it should be.

Moose headbutts him a few times before no selling a suplex. A discus lariat gets two on Kongo but he comes back with a Pounce of all things (minus the actual pouncing) for his own near fall. Moose bicycle kicks him in the face and runs the ropes for a cross body which was more like a standing splash to the face. The spear puts Kongo away at 5:04.

Rating: D-. Horrible stuff here as Kongo was a horrible option here. This should have been Kongo hitting a few fat man forearms to the back and then getting speared down for the pin in thirty seconds. Not every match needs to be some drawn out affair that wastes this much of our time on a boring match. Bad booking here and it showed horribly.

The Young Bucks are ready for the gauntlet match.

Earlier today, Mike Posey and the Get A Long Gang (seriously) rapped a lot until Cheeseburger came out to beat them down with a bunch of palm strikes.

Ad for War of the Worlds and all the New Japan stars who are coming in again.

We recap Jonathan Gresham turning down Veda Scott’s offer of money in exchange for a TV Title shot and his departure from the company.

Cedric Alexander vs. Adam Page

Scott is in her wrestling gear here which is rather fetching. Never mind as BJ Whitmer comes in and beats Page down. Alexander joins in until Gresham runs out for the save, possibly setting up a tag match next week.

We recap Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser beating the Boys last week which lead to Dalton Castle being beaten down.

Dalton Castle vs. Christopher Daniels

Silas Young is on commentary. They shove each other around to start until Silas stands up for a distraction. Young: “I’m just adjusting my pants!” Castle offers a clean break in the corner but stops Daniels in his tracks with a peacock chest thrust. They trade shoulders and it’s a standoff over who can bend backwards further.

Daniels can’t get as deep so Dalton gutwrenches him down before slowing down again. Castle’s running knee puts Daniels on the floor but he drives Dalton back first into the barricade. Kazarian offers an unnecessary distraction and we hit the waistlock to keep Dalton in trouble.

Back from a break with Castle hitting a running clothesline, followed by a pair of suplexes. A bridging German suplex gets two on Daniels as they’re still just trading moves with no particular rhyme or reason. Dalton misses a high cross body but Kazarian punches one of the Boys. That goes nowhere so Daniels grabs Angel’s Wings for the pin at 11:11.

Rating: D. I really wasn’t feeling this one as Young and Kazarian screwed up whatever they might have gotten going. It doesn’t help that these two have no reason to be fighting, much like Castle has no reason to still be fighting Young. Those two have been feuding for months and there’s really no reason for it to keep going. It’s not like it’s done Castle any good either as he was one of the hottest acts on the show and now he’s just there.

Post match Castle says everyone knows he’s better than Silas and it’s time for some titles. That can’t happen though because Castle can’t stop focusing on Silas. They should be done with each other so let’s have a Fight Without Honor.

Overall Rating: D. This was pretty easily the worst show they’ve had in months and there’s little to blame other than the way the show was put together. I’m really not sure why the tournament opened the show when the announcement of the Fight Without Honor wasn’t the strongest ending in the first place. Just a bad show with only one watchable match and very little interesting as far as storyline development. I expected a lot better than this from ROH.

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 27, 2016
Location: Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Mr. Wrestling 3

It’s a new taping cycle as we’re out of Philadelphia and now moving towards the Anniversary Show pay per view. However, we’ve got something interesting for tonight as well with the start of the Top Prospect Tournament. This is an annual competition for newcomers (not necessarily rookies) and has led to the rises of names like Mike Bennett, Matt Taven and Donovan Dijak. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Brian Fury vs. Shaheem Ali

Fury is a seventeen year veteran and trained Sasha Banks. Ali shrugs off some headlocks to start as Kelly recaps both guys’ injury histories. A wristlock doesn’t get Ali anywhere so he knees Fury in the head and gets two off a basement dropkick. Back up and Fury rolls him into the corner (because in today’s wrestling, it’s all about doing something to send someone into the corner), followed by a belly to back for two.

Ali comes back with a gutwrench sitout powerbomb for two of his own before taking Fury outside for a t-bone suplex on the floor. Back in and Fury grabs the referee’s foot for a distraction to bring Ali’s head off the top, setting up a Pop Up Sitout Powerbomb for the pin on Ali at 5:55.

Rating: C. You can see the problem with the tournament from here: there’s no reason for these people to be fighting and I have almost no idea who any of them are. It might be cool if someone stands out over the rest but this was two guys doing moves to each other for a few minutes before one of them got a pin. I need more than that to care about a match and especially a tournament.

Here are Veda Scott and Cedric Alexander to brag about their victory in their lawsuit against Ring of Honor. Jonathan Gresham got lucky to beat Alexander, who deserves shots at the best talent in the world. That means an open challenge.

Cedric Alexander vs. Cheeseburger

Cheeseburger goes right for him to start and actually gets two off a quick rollup. Alexander’s fireman’s carry is broken up and a victory roll gets another near fall. A springboard knee to the head drops Cedric but the running palm strike is countered into the Lumbar Check for the easy pin on Cheeseburger at 1:42.

Post match Cedric keeps beating on Cheeseburger until Jonathan Gresham comes out for the save. Veda sets up an impromptu match, which she can just do.

Cedric Alexander vs. Jonathan Gresham

Gresham follows the Cheeseburger plan by trying an early rollup, sending Cedric out to the floor. Back in and Cedric quickly bails again as this is barely a match. Cedric comes in again but walks into an Octopus Hold, drawing in Veda for the DQ at 1:45.

Alexander beats up Gresham after the match until referees make the save.

Here’s the House of Truth to find out who Jay Lethal will be defending against at the Anniversary Show. Nigel McGuinness is in the ring and talks about how many big wins Lethal has had in recent months, including AJ Styles and Michael Elgin. That brings him to the next challenger, which makes Nigel thinking of Kyle O’Reilly. That’s fine with Lethal because he’s beaten Kyle already but Nigel wasn’t finished. Kyle is indeed great, but he was defeated by Adam Cole at Final Battle, which makes Cole the new #1 contender.

This brings out Cole who says it’s Story Time. He knows his battles with Kyle are over and that means O’Reilly will never be challenging for the World Title again. Lethal may have some great victories as champion but Cole isn’t on that list. Cole promises to win the title in Las Vegas but Nigel isn’t done. It’s true that Cole is the #1 contender, but Kyle isn’t done with Cole yet. Unless Adam is scared, there’s no reason to not make this a triple threat match.

Cue Kyle who is thankful for the title shot at the end of February, but what about the time between now and then? He wants a piece of both guys in Charlotte (the show is in Concord but close enough) so Nigel makes it ReDRagon vs. Jay Lethal/Adam Cole for some point in the near future.

We recap Silas Young vs. Dalton Castle and the saga over the Boys.

Silas talks about teaching the Boys to be like men for three months, but then along comes Dalton Castle to manipulate them into changing back. The Boys have one more chance to become men and that’s it for them.

Jay Briscoe vs. Michael Elgin

Mark Briscoe is out for commentary but here’s Moose to interrupt. If the World Title can be a three way, why can’t this match be one too? They do at least mention that Nigel signed off on the change.

Jay Briscoe vs. Michael Elgin vs. Moose

Briscoe Cactus Clotheslines Moose out to the floor so Elgin follows them out with a flip dive. Moose is left on the floor as Elgin puts Jay up in a delayed vertical. Elgin doesn’t even drop him when Moose kicks him in the ribs so Moose waits until Jay is down before bicycle kicking Elgin in the jaw. Moose and Jay slug it out until Briscoe kicks him in the face for two as we take a break.

Back with Elgin apron superplexing Briscoe until Moose breaks it up. That’s not cool with Elgin so he turns Moose’s superplex attempt into a slingshot Tower of Power to put everyone down. Elgin slips off Moose’s shoulders and lifts him up into a powerbomb for two as Jay makes the save. Briscoe gets two on Elgin off a Death Valley Driver, only to have Moose spear Briscoe down. That leaves Elgin and Moose to clothesline each other until Elgin clotheslines Jay instead. Elgin goes after Moose though, allowing Jay to backslide Michael for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C+. Nice hard hitting match here though it was really just three alternating singles matches with the occasional big spot thrown in. Still though, that’s all you need a lot of the time as everyone was beating on everyone with bigger and bigger shots. Moose really didn’t need to be there but at least it protects Elgin a bit.

Post match Elgin says Mark was out here backing up his brother mentally, so why not make it a tag match at the Anniversary Show with Elgin teaming up with Hiroshi Tanahashi? That’s quite the jump to get to the match but the Briscoes agree to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I liked the show but the Cedric Alexander stuff in the middle really didn’t do anything for me, much like that whole story. I’m still not sure where it’s supposed to go but beating Cheeseburger didn’t make me care about Alexander. It’s still an entertaining show though and goes by quickly, which is all you can ask for.

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 6, 2016
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 600
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Mr. Wrestling III

We’re back to a regular show this week but due to the taping schedule, this show will be about setting up the January 4 show in the Tokyo Dome. This show aired earlier in syndication which makes the online version a bit of a problem at times, especially given that this taping cycle will likely run three weeks at least. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

TV Title: Roderick Strong vs. Stevie Richards

Strong is defending and ignores the YOU TAPPED OUT chants. Stevie grabs an armbar to start but it’s a quick standstill. A hard kick to the back has Strong in trouble but he ribs Stevie’s chest off with a chop. Strong gets in a nice dropkick for his first real advantage and puts on a seated abdominal stretch. They aren’t exactly burning up the mat here. An Angle slam gets one for the champ and we hit the chinlock.

We take a break and come back with Stevie walking into an enziguri for two more. Strong goes up top, allowing Stevie to superkick him down, drawing a Young Bucks reference from Mr. Wrestling. A double arm DDT gets two on the champ but Strong calmly drops him with a backbreaker. The Sick kick is countered by another Stevie kick for two, only to charge into an Irish curse. The Stronghold doesn’t go on so Roderick knees him in the head to retain at 9:36.

Rating: C+. Nice match here, even if it was almost all about the live crowd instead of anything else. Stevie was doing well enough considering he doesn’t wrestle that much anymore at forty four years old. Strong continues to look strong as well, even in a match that he had no chance of losing.

Post match here’s Bobby Fish for a live Fish Tank. He talks about what a banner year 2015 was for the TV Title. The title dates all the way back to Eddie Edwards and now it’s in the hands of Mr. ROH. However, it wasn’t all good. Fish shows us a picture of Strong tapping out at Final Battle but Strong denies it again and storms off.

Will Ferrara vs. Caprice Coleman

No DQ and a rematch from two weeks ago when it turned into a chair duel. Before the match, Coleman promises to show that he’s more than just a jive turkey. Will forearms him in the face to knock Coleman outside for a suicide dive to get us going. Coleman is sent hard into the barricade to bug his eyes out (I love when that happens) but quickly kicks Will in the head to take over.

Back in and Coleman whips him with a belt until Ferrara is smart enough to grab the belt for a breather. It’s already time for a chair duel with Caprice getting in a shot to the ribs. There are the rolling northern lights suplexes with the third sending Ferrara into the chair in the corner for a big crash. More chair shots to the back just tick Ferrara off, because that’s how chair shots work. A DDT onto the chair gets two on Coleman and it’s table time. Ferrara loads him up on the top for what looks like a superplex, only to get knocked back to set up the Sky Splitter through the table to give Caprice the pin at 5:53.

Rating: C. Another solid enough match here but I’m not sure how much it needed to be anything goes. This stuff with Prince Nana and the letters isn’t going anywhere and I’m really not interested in watching it until it actually advances. The ending looked good here but neither guy is getting much out of this story.

Prince Nana comes out and looks rather happy.

Cedric Alexander vs. Jonathan Gresham

Cedric quickly takes him down to start and gets two off a dropkick to the back of the head. He can’t get the Three Amigos though (good, as the rolling suplexes spot is getting too common) as Jonathan small packages him for a fast two. A middle rope cross body gets the same on Cedric and there’s an octopus hold, only to have Veda Scott get up on the apron for a distraction. Cedric gets back up and hits a wicked Lumbar Check (belly to back suplex into a backbreaker) to knock Gresham cold. He takes way too long covering though, allowing Jonathan to roll him up for the fluke pin at 3:37.

Rating: D+. This is another story that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere but I can handle it as long as I have Veda Scott on my screen. That Lumbar Check looked awesome if nothing else and it’s cool to see a rookie like Gresham get a win, even if it’s almost guaranteed that he’s going to lose most of his next matches.

Anniversary show ad.

Michael Elgin vs. Donovan Dijak

This is supposed to help set up Lethal vs. Elgin in Tokyo, which has already happened by the time this aired on ROH’s website. Lethal sits in on commentary but Jerry Lynn comes up to him and offers a handshake to admit that Lethal was better at Final Battle. Dijak makes the mistake of trying to slug it out to start and is quickly knocked back into the corner.

Elgin is staggered by a boot to the face but runs Dijak over again. A pretty impressive gorilla press puts Donovan down again and an even longer delayed vertical suplex gets two. Back up and Donovan sends him to the apron for a discus big boot (yes a discus big boot) and we take a break. We come back with Donovan dropping him with a release suplex for two and putting on a cravate.

Elgin powers up and grabs a quick t-bone suplex which still doesn’t impress Lethal. An enziguri stops Dijak again and a delayed German suplex gets two. Dijak grabs a quick chokeslam backbreaker, followed by a middle rope moonsault for two of his own. The fans start chanting for Dijak but Feast Your Eyes is countered into the Elgin bomb for the pin at 8:15.

Rating: C+. Another good match here as Elgin looked dominant for the most part. That’s how you want to set up a title match down the line and another good reason to have minions like Dijak around. Even without knowing the ending in advance, I didn’t think Elgin had a chance at the title but at least we had a nice little build here.

Elgin and Lethal stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s pretty impressive to put three good matches together in less than an hour of TV. The problem though is the midcard stories really aren’t doing much for me at the moment. The Prince Nana stuff is lame and I just can’t imagine Fish getting the TV Title from Strong once they have their rematch. Still though, fun show here, as is the case almost every week.

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Ring of Honor
Date: December 23, 2015
Location: Tennessee State Fair Grounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Prince Nana

Final Battle has come and past but we’re not going to get any significant fallout from it for a few weeks now due to the taping schedule. Therefore, it’s time for another stand alone show, which could range anywhere from really fun to nothing of note. I’m to the point where I’ll give Ring of Honor the benefit of the doubt though so let’s get to it.

Will Ferrara vs. Caprice Coleman

Before the match, Coleman says he and Ferrara have both been getting mail from someone (Prince Nana) lately, but Coleman’s mail will always be thicker and always come priority. I’d advise some better insults Coleman. They slug it out to start with Ferrara sending him to the floor for a suicide dive because you’re required to have a suicide dive in a match anymore.

Ferrara grabs a chair but gets sent into the barricade instead. A hard running dropkick drives Ferrara head first into the barricade again as this is far more violent than you would expect. Back in and Caprice rolls some northern lights suplexes to send Ferrara into the corner. Will breaks up a few Sky Splitter attempts by slamming Coleman off the top, only to have both guys grab chairs. The quick duel draws a no contest at 3:23.

Rating: D+. I like the idea here but this feels like a really low level feud that isn’t going to mean anything. Ferrara is cool but Nana and the possibly reformed Embassy aren’t exactly the most thrilling plans. Coleman doesn’t do much for me either, leaving this as a fun enough fast paced brawl and little more.

Jay Lethal and the House of Truth are opening boxes to determine who are on their team in the ten man tag. They think Moose is in a big box but they get Cheeseburger instead. I like the idea here.

Here’s the House of Truth with potential new member Ken Phoenix. Martini tells him that if Phoenix impresses him in the following match, he’s officially on the team.

Donovan Dijak/Ken Phoenix vs. All Night Express

Titus and Phoenix get things going with Rhett taking him down into a headscissors. Phoenix sends Titus outside where Dijak gets in a few cheap shots, allowing Ken to baseball slide him down. Dijak comes in for the power game but throws in a superkick to keep his modern wrestler card.

It’s off to Phoenix for a bit but he doesn’t listen when Dijak tells him to tag out. Titus dodges a charge in the corner and King comes in to speed things up. A blind tag brings in Titus, who dives right into a chokeslam for two. Phoenix tags himself back in and Prince Nana is freaking out at the stupidity. Dijak gets knocked to the floor and a backbreaker from Titus sets up a corkscrew splash from King for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C-. Just like in the opener, this was a simple story that they told well enough to make it work. Dijak seems to have the potential to go somewhere but I’m not sure how far he’s going to go as part of the House of Truth. You can tell things are going bad when the heel commentator is getting on you though and Phoenix wasn’t anything special.

Post match Martini gives Phoenix the thumbs down, earning him a Feast Your Eyes from Dijak. The House of Truth leaves and Nana gives Dijak another envelope.

Here’s Steve Corino in a neck brace to address the crowd. He’s down right now but for twenty one years, this is all he’s ever wanted to do. One day though, this neck brace is coming off and BJ Whitmer is going to pay for his sins. Steve Corino will always be an evil man and Whitmer will find that out soon enough.

Jay Lethal/Cheeseburger/Adam Page/Cliff Compton/Jay Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong/Cedric Alexander/Mark Briscoe/Moose/Matt Jackson

These partners were picked at random. Compton is better known as Domino from Deuce N Domino but he’s had a much better run in the indies as a serious guy. BJ Whitmer is sitting in on commentary. Jay and Roderick get things going with Jay grabbing a quick backslide for two. Strong can’t get a backslide of his own so it’s off to Matt vs. Page. Adam shoulders him down but Matt gives him a SUCK IT from the mat. In case you didn’t know they think they’re DX or the Kliq you see.

Off to Alexander vs. Lethal which seems to be something important. They trade shoulders to start and Jay hits one out of two dropkicks in a very fast paced sequence. Mark and Cliff come in and they agree to go fight on the floor. It’s Cliff in early control with a release belly to belly and it’s time for a table. Mark tries to grab a chair but the referee tells them to go back inside.

We take a break and come back with Lethal tagging in Cheeseburger to face Alexander, who immediately tags out to Moose. Cheeseburger tries with everything he can until Moose casually launches him into the corner. Matt comes in for some slams before Strong slams everyone onto Cheeseburger in a cool sequence. Nana: “Cheeseburger looks like a broken poodle dog!” Cheeseburger stops some charges in the corner and flips out of two suplexes in a row, allowing the tag to Jay Briscoe.

We get a big power showdown between Moose and Jay Briscoe before Moose tags out to Mark for a showdown that is probably going to headline a pay per view some day if it hasn’t already. They trade about eight boots to the face until Jay scores with a discus lariat. A standoff sends us to another double tag with Adam and Matt coming in. It’s Page getting the better of it until Moose and Matt double team him. Moose plays Nick for a double superkick and we take a second break.

Back again with Matt’s 450 getting two on Page. Strong’s team surrounds Cheeseburger and he actually fights them all off with palm strikes. Moose takes him down with a weaker spear than you would expect but the Lethal Injection drops Moose and it’s time for the parade of secondary finishers. Compton gets superkicked off the top and through a table at ringside, leaving Page to eat a suplex backbreaker and the Froggy Bow from Mark for the pin at 21:20.

Rating: B-. This was exactly what it was supposed to be with everyone working hard and giving the fans something fun to end the meaningless show. Those showdowns with Briscoe vs. Briscoe and Briscoe vs. Moose were interesting and made things feel more special than they should have otherwise. Fun match here and it did everything it was supposed to do.

The winners praise Cheeseburger to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like a special episode and that’s all it needed to be. I like this kind of show more than the New Japan episodes as you have some storyline advancement, even if it’s something in a low level story like Nana’s envelopes. Anyway, nice little fun show here and that’s all I was hoping for.

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Ring of Honor
Date: November 11, 2015
Location: Wings Stadium Annex, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

We’re on a new taping cycle now as we’ve hit Glory By Honor. These should be some better TV shows as most tapings with names tend to be. The big story continues to be the build towards Lethal’s next title defenses against Roderick Strong and AJ Styles, but we also have Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly likely about to be announced for Final Battle. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Cedric Alexander vs. ACH

Cedric has Veda Scott in his corner and that’s always a good way to open a show. ACH is coming up on the final match in his best of five series against Matt Sydal. Cedric isn’t interested in a handshake here so we have a feeling out process to start. A few kicks send Cedric to the ropes for a quick meeting with Veda and they trade flips over each other. ACH misses an enziguri and Cedric slams him head first into the mat.

Never one to sell for very long, ACH kicks him out to the floor but Veda blocks a dive, allowing Cedric to hit a running STO onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Alexander hitting some rolling suplexes and smiling a lot. It’s a bit too much smiling though as ACH grabs a downward spiral into the top turnbuckle. The same missed enziguri works a bit better this time as ACH bounces back with a kick to the jaw.

Cedric rolls to the floor but another Veda distraction blocks the dive. You know they’re getting in their dives on this show though as ACH hits that Jordan dive (Kelly: “Like a young Nigel McGuinness!”) of his. Back in and a German suplex gets two on Cedric and another kick to the head puts Alexander down again. The Dub Dub Stomp (egads the names in this place) misses and Cedric nails a running dropkick in the corner. He slips off the springboard though and ACH hits a superkick for indy darling move #1. It’s followed by indy darling move #2 with a brainbuster, followed by the Midnight Star to pin Cedric at 11:25.

Rating: C-. I know that’s something that’s going to get me yelled at but I really don’t like this kick and flip style. Alexander and Scott make a good pair, though it would be nice if he won something big after the feud with Moose. ACH on the other hand…..I just can’t get behind him. He’s the definition of a flippy guy (though to be fair they’re good flips) which makes for exciting matches, but they seem to be setting him up for something bigger. If that’s the case, he needs to change his style a bit.

Post match ACH says he’s going to beat Sydal.

After a break, Veda blames Nigel for the slip because of so much baby oil on the ropes.

Will Ferrara vs. Caprice Coleman

Before the match Caprice asks the fans to cheer for Ferrara but says he hasn’t taught him everything yet. They trade some armdrags with Ferrara getting control with some armbars. Caprice slams him back down but Will snaps the arm to stop him again. An STO (we get it: you played No Mercy) puts Ferrara into the turnbuckle for two and some knees to the chest keep him in trouble.

Ferrara comes back with a tornado DDT (I’m sick of that move) for two as Prince Nana comes out to watch. Back up and Will misses a charge into the post but Caprice doesn’t mind as he sends Ferrara’s shoulder into the steel again. A one arm camel clutch (the Judgment Seat) gives Caprice the win at 6:01.

Rating: C. This told a much better story as Coleman couldn’t hang with Ferrara as well as he thought he did so he cheated to win. Presumably this leads to a heel turn and a spot in the Embassy for Coleman, which is probably a good idea for him as the midcard veteran is only going to get him so far.

Nana gives Ferrara an envelope of his own post match.

It’s Storytime with Adam Cole where he gets to talk about whatever he wants. In this case it’s his issues with Kyle O’Reilly, even though everyone knows that Cole is the better man. After a clip of Cole pinning Kyle last week, we see him making Kyle tap back in 2012 in New York. Adam says that’s all the proof you need, but he’s not done until Kyle is out of ROH. Cole is far and away better than most of the roster on the mic.

Prince Nana says the envelopes contain the secrets to life. He is far from done in Ring of Honor.

We look back at the All Night Express (Kenny King and Rhett Titus) beating the Briscoe Brothers at All-Star Extravaganza.

All Night Express vs. Briscoe Brothers

Kenny and Mark get things going with Mark grabbing a headlock but taking a right hand to the jaw. It’s quickly off to Titus who walks into a belly to belly, allowing Jay to come in but he’s quickly taken down with a double shot to the face. Titus’ splash gets two and we’re already in the chinlock.

That goes nowhere so Jay comes back with a boot to the face, allowing for the hot tag (this early?) to Mark. Chops and a big flip dive have the Express in trouble and Titus gets stomped down in the corner. A quick Snake Eyes drops Mark but Jay is smart enough to break up the tag before Titus can go anywhere. Back from a quick break with Titus rolling over for the tag to speed things up.

Kenny cleans house and drops Jay off the apron to keep Mark in trouble. I love smart wrestling. King takes too much time posing though and walks into a forearm from Jay. The Doomsday Device to Titus is broken up but so is the One Night Stand. Jay’s suicide dive sends Titus into the barricade and Mark adds a Blockbuster off the apron to King. The Jay Driller and Froggy Bo put Titus away at 11:32.

Rating: B-. Much better than the other two matches here as they went with a tag formula of keeping it moving the whole time. The Express is a good team but the Briscoes are running into the problem that so many dominant acts have had to deal with over the years: what do you do when you’ve won everything? I know it’s been awhile but is winning another title going to mean much?

They shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. As usual Ring of Honor is a really easy forty five minutes to sit through as it comes and goes with a few good matches and some simple, well done stories. It helps so much that they have an hour on TV a week because it doesn’t have time to get weighed down. Unfortunately we might be coming up on another weird schedule due to Survival of the Fittest, but that’s one of the things you have to deal with in ROH. Still though, fun show this week as is becoming the norm.

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Ring of Honor
Date: October 29, 2015
Location: Shrine Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

Last week was a good show for ROH as they addressed several stories while also giving us some good action. Tonight we have some fallout from last week with the Kingdom facing ReDRagon/Michael Elgin in a six man which has some potential. We’re also getting the return of Dalton Castle for the first time since he lost the Boys. Let’s get to it.

Just like last week the announcers’ audio is really low and I can barely understand them to start. They talk about King Corino facing repercussions for their actions last week.

Donovan Dijak vs. Moose

Dijak’s shoulder blocks don’t work early on so Stokely Hathaway tells Moose to go for it, meaning it’s a big dropkick to put Dijak on the floor. That’s fine with Dijak who chokeslams Moose onto the apron and follows with an Asai moonsault of all things (ok so he hit Moose’s shoulder but it still looked cool).

Back in and Moose headbutts him in the chest and dropkicks Dijak to the floor, followed by a suicide dive. Men this size should not be able to do these kind of things so easily. Moose scores with a bicycle kick but walks into a chokebreaker for two. Feast Your Eyes is broken up so Moose casually runs up the corner and comes off with a spinning kick to the face. The spear ends Dijak at 4:42.

Rating: C+. Well that worked. Yeah it was a spot fest but guys this young being able to do this kind of stuff isn’t normal. Moose looked like an athletic freak out there and Dijak showed why he’s considered such a top prospect. This was really fun stuff and I was impressed by a lot of what Moose did, even if it didn’t look as crisp as it could have.

Dalton Castle vs. Cedric Alexander

Castle is just in a t-shirt and trunks and Alexander is banged up from All-Star Extravaganza. Alexander pokes him in the chest to start but Dalton grabs him with a t-bone suplex. He deadlifts Cedric off the mat and then throws him right back down in a surprising display of strength. Veda Scott has to intervene by grabbing Dalton’s leg and Alexander gets in a kick to the face to take over. Chops just seem to tick Castle off and he catches a springboard in midair. Alexander gets kicked in the face and the Bat-A-Rang puts him away at 3:35.

Rating: D+. This is the kind of character evolution that works best in wrestling. Castle has a reason to be all angry and aggressive and it gets him away from the over the top style while still letting him showcase his charisma. That opens more doors for Castle going forward and was a very necessary adjustment for his career.

Post match Veda yells at Nigel for putting Alexander in an unsafe working environment and caused her unfair distress. Lawsuits are promised.

Here are Truth Martini and Jay Lethal with something to say. The fans chant for AJ Styles but Martini says that’s not his name. Cue Roderick Strong and please for all things good and holy don’t let him talk. Roderick congratulates Lethal on beating him the last time they “faced” but he shakes Martini’s hand because he’s the only reason Lethal has those titles. Lethal is livid so Strong gets right to the point: he wants one more match. They yell at each other a lot and you can hear the Flair in Lethal’s voice.

Lethal tells Nigel (remember that he’s the boss) to get in the ring and explain this to Strong. McGuinness says it’s true that AJ Styles is already the #1 contender to the World Title……but there currently isn’t a #1 contender to the TV Title. The match is quickly made for some point in the future and both guys react as you would expect. This worked far better than I was expecting as Strong seems to work better live instead of on tape.

We look back at the first four matches in the best of five series between ACH and Matt Sydal. The final match will be at Survival of the Fittest.

Kingdom vs. Michael Elgin/ReDRagon

It’s the brawl you would expect to start with Fish diving onto Bennett and Cole, leaving Kyle to grab an armbreaker on Taven over the top rope. Elgin dives on Bennett and Cole as well as McGuinness swoons over Maria (yep). Back in and Elgin Germans Taven into an armbreaker from Kyle as we take a break. It’s back to Elgin holding Taven in a delayed vertical suplex with Bennett’s kicks having no effect. Fish comes in but goes after Cole, allowing Bennett to superkick him into Taven’s enziguri for two.

The Kingdom starts their triple teaming, complete with a fake tag for bad measure. Bennett catapults Fish into a forearm from Cole, followed by a top rope elbow from Taven for two. Taven: “This is why we’re tag champs. Because we’re really good.” A high cross body gets two more but the fans chant for the Young Bucks. Off to Cole for a chinlock and we take a second break. Back with Fish avoiding a triple superkick and suplexing Taven into the corner. The hot tag brings in Elgin for a BIG MIKE chant.

Taven breaks up a superplex attempt so Elgin powerslams both he and Bennett at the same time for two. Bennett’s kicks to the face have no effect on Elgin (gah) so it’s off to Kyle for a top rope double missile dropkick. Everything breaks down and Fish drives Taven into the barricade. Taven is thrown inside for the rapid fire ReDRagon offense, followed by a wheelbarrow suplex for two on Bennett. Elgin takes a double superkick but Fish breaks up the spike piledriver. A buckle bomb sends Bennett into Taven in the corner and Chasing the Dragon puts Bennett away at 15:49.

Rating: B-. This was your fun ROH style main event with a lot of insanity but just enough coherence to keep track of what was going on. The ending is fine and keeps ReDRagon on the Kingdom’s trail while also keeping Cole vs. Kyle fresh for later. Elgin is an interesting addition as he doesn’t really have anyone in the Kingdom to feud with but maybe he and Cole fight later. Or he’s just there to fill in a spot.

Cole lays out ReDRagon post match and the Kingdom goes to leave. Kyle wants Cole next week but Cole is already busy with AJ Styles. Not a problem according to Nigel, who makes it a triple threat.

Overall Rating: C+. I had a good time with this show as they’ve definitely found a groove and know how to keep me entertained for an hour without getting bored. This show doesn’t feel like it goes by as fast as NXT but it’s still an easy hour to sit through with some fun action and tolerable promos. Good show this week and we should be hitting Glory By Honor soon.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Ring of Honor
Date: September 16, 2015
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: King Corino, Kevin Kelly

It’s the go home show for All-Star Extravaganza but that means a few different things in Ring of Honor due to their taping schedule. We’ll hear about the upcoming show, but it’s not clear how much of the show is going to be spent hyping Friday’s show. These shows have settled into a nice groove lately and hopefully it continues tonight. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

House of Truth vs. ReDRagon

Dijak/Diesel for the House of Truth with Lethal and Martini at ringside. Lethal is defending both his titles against Fish and O’Reilly on Friday so this makes sense. The champ is even sitting in on commentary for a not very rare treat. We actually get handshakes to start before Kyle and Diesel get things going. They slug it out to start and Diesel, a Golden Gloves boxer, is throwing forearms. So much for common sense.

A big slap to the face puts Diesel down and Kyle grabs a cross armbreaker. It’s way too early for that to work though so it’s off to Fish for some kicks to Diesel’s chest. A double kick to the chest gets two on Diesel as Dijak is totally content to stay on the apron for all of this. He finally adds a knee to Kyle’s back to take over, only to chase Kyle to the floor where Fish gets in some shots to the ribs.

Back in and Dijak catches Kyle’s cross body and throws him over the top like a doll. We come back from a break with Dijak throwing Kyle across the ring with a big release suplex. There’s something to be said about a big strong guy throwing small opponents around. You don’t see it very often in ROH, which makes it even better. A springboard elbow gets two for Donovan but Kyle flips out of a belly to back suplex and fires off his strikes.

Fish comes in to strike away on Diesel and everything breaks down. ReDRagon take turns kicking Dijak’s knees until he goes down and Kyle puts Diesel in an ankle lock. Dijak comes back in and slugs away but the hold isn’t broken. I rather like that idea for a change. With Fish throwing Dijak in a sleeper, Kyle adds a grapevine to the ankle lock and Diesel taps at 8:43.

Rating: C+. This was better than I was expecting with the story making the match work better. Lethal has reason to be scared of ReDRagon already and now he can see what they’re capable of. Dijak is a beast though and has a ton of potential. I get a kind of Dino Bravo vibe out of Diesel and that’s a very good role for someone to play.

The Briscoes are ready for any mystery team on Friday, including Godzilla and King Kong. That’s not much of a team though as they would wind up fighting each other. Mark really needs to think this through better.

Dalton Castle vs. Cedric Alexander

Silas Young is on commentary before his match with Castle on Friday. Cedric celebrates an early armdrag, sending the Boys over to fan Castle off. Back up and Dalton can’t get an O’Connor roll but he lands on his feet to freak Cedric out for some reason. That wasn’t really surprising but wrestling heels are often stupid. Castle crotches himself in the corner and a big kick to the head knocks him silly.

Back from a break with Cedric still in control until he charges into a boot in the corner. Everything heads outside with Castle not being able to send him into the post. Instead it’s something like a 619 under the apron into a hurricanrana to take Cedric down. Nice spot. Back in and a belly to belly gets two for Castle but Cedric kicks him in the head. That’s fine with Dalton as he powers Cedric up into a German suplex for two. Silas goes after the Boys though, allowing Cedric to grab a rollup for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: C-. This was all story again but the entertainment level wasn’t as high as it was in the opener. Castle vs. Young is a simple story and that’s all it needs to be. Both guys play their roles very well and either ending having a lot of possibilities. The match was nothing great here but it did its job.

Moose comes out to spear Cedric.

Kingdom vs. War Machine

As usual, I tend to forget anything else going on when Maria shows up. Just…..good night. Bennett and Taven for the Kingdom here. Their early superkicks have no effect on Hanson and Rowe and the power guys start by double teaming Taven. We settle down to Hanson side slamming Taven before Rowe comes in for a double slam. Bennett gets in and is immediately planted with a double release belly to back.

Maria comes in and grabs Hanson’s hair but gets placed on top of Bennett in the corner. Taven saves her from getting forearmed and hits a Disaster kick off the barricade to drop Hanson as we take a break. Back with the Kingdom keeping Hanson in trouble in the corner. That lasts as long as two guys can keep a monster like Hanson in trouble though as he comes back with a reverse powerslam and makes the tag to Rowe. A massive release Boss Man Slam plants Taven and everything breaks down.

War Machine easily catches both dives to the floor and powerbombs Bennett onto Taven. That looked good. Back in and Hanson and Taven trade cartwheels in a pretty stupid bit. Taven enziguris Hanson down and gets two off a Lionsault. How Jerichoish of him. Rowe comes back in for the Path of Resistance but Maria grabs Hanson’s leg. Cue the Young Bucks to pull her off the apron, leaving Bennett to take a double chokeslam. Fallout is enough to put Taven away at 14:38.

Rating: C-. More storytelling but at least Hanson and Rowe were there to throw the Kingdom all over the place. Maria continues to be the star of the team and that’s exactly what she’s supposed to be. I’m sure we’ll have some post match stuff with the Addiction because that’s how wrestling works.

The Bucks superkick Bennett down but the KRD (Addiction/Chris Sabin) come in with belt shots. Makes sense.

A long All-Star Extravaganza video takes us out.

Overall Rating: C. This show was different from most go home shows as they talked about the matches, but it went from the World Title to the midcard matches to the Tag Team Title match. Other than that the rest of Friday’s card was basically ignored, but there’s only so much you can do in an hour of TV a week. It’s entertaining enough though and the wrestling was fine, but I’m a bit less interested in seeing the pay per view than I was coming in.

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