The House Always Wins
Date: April 9, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Attendance: 1,300
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Eddie Kingston

So this is a show that has been known about for a long time but never shown until now as far as I can remember. The idea here is rather simple, as it’s a rather rare AEW house show but we’re seeing it because it features both the Butcher who passed away earlier this month and Rebel, who is battling ALS. It’s a shame that it took such a bad reason to see it but it’s a rather interesting subject from almost forever ago in AEW. Let’s get to it.

Battle Royal

Stu Grayson, Evil Uno, Alan Angels, 10, Alex Reynolds, Colt Cabana, Butcher, Blade, Colten Gunn, Austin Gunn, Ethan Page, Scorpio Sky, Lance Archer, Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs

For a TNT Title shot against Darby Allin in the main event. I don’t think we had an opening bell so we’ll hope for the best on the time. Colten tries the Shake Rattle and Roll on Archer and actually stays alive, which even has commentary surprised. Grayson almost loses his trunks as he stays inside and it’s time for the Dark Order to face the Gunn Club. It’s not overly interesting but it does in fact happen.

The Gunns actually take over and Austin gets in that still awesome Quick Draw on Grayson. Colten gets thrown out and Angels makes the mistake of trying a springboard earning an elimination of his own. Austin is tossed and Archer gets rid of Reynolds without much trouble. There goes Grayson and Saints goes after Archer, which goes as well as you would expect with Archer eliminating him as well.

Uno is tossed over the top and Page sends him from the apron to the ramp and he’s out as well. Then Uno pulls Page out and Cabana is tossed as well as the ring is rapidly clearing out. 10 gets rid of Sky and there goes Blade, leaving 10, Archer, Hobbs and Butcher. Hobbs eliminates 10 and Hobbs gives Butcher a spinebuster. Butcher bails to the floor without being eliminated as Archer gets rid of Hobbs. The distracted Archer is almost thrown out by Butcher but Bunny offers a distraction, allowing Butcher to really put him out for the win at 8:40.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t much to see but it was fascinating to look at all the names who have left AEW and gone on to WWE. Having a battle royal for a title shot later in the show has been done for years in wrestling and there is nothing wrong with following a trend that has worked. Butcher getting the win is not exactly something expected, which makes it more fun than doing the norm in something like this.

Post match Matt Hardy (manager of the Hardy Family Office, including Butcher and Blade) says this guarantees a TNT Title win because Butcher will either win the title and give it to him (in exchange for monetary value) or Hardy will beat up a destroyed Allin to win the title. Butcher does not seem pleased.

Pinnacle vs. Christopher Daniels/Luchasaurus/Jungle Boy/Dante Martin

In case you don’t remember, the Pinnacle is MJF, FTR and Shawn Spears, with Wardlow and Tully Blanchard. Before the match, MJF promises to take out the Inner Circle at Blood & Guts on May 5 before insulting the women in the audience. Harwood brags about the team some more so the fans cheer for Chris Jericho, who Harwood insists isn’t here. Daniels and Wheeler start things off with Daniels quickly taking him down, meaning it’s off to the already laughing MJF.

That means Daniels has to escape a wristlock and score with an armdrag, sending a frustrated MJF out to the floor. Jungle Boy comes in and gets to face Spears, who has some taped up ribs. A rather springboardy armdrag takes Spears down and Jungle Boy gets smart by going to the ribs. Martin comes in and goes after the ribs as well so we’ll try Luchasaurus vs…well hang on as Harwood goes to the floor to grab a microphone and tell the fans to STOP CHANTING FOR LUCHASAURUS.

That’s fine with Luchasaurus, who beats up FTR and MJF (must not like letters) but Harwood gives Martin a brainbuster to take over. As Kingston won’t say what he did at 20 years old, the villains take turns beating on Martin in the corner. Martin goes between the legs though and it’s off to Jungle Boy to pick up the pace.

The German suplexes about until Harwood takes Jungle Boy down. That’s broken up and Daniels comes back in for the STO as everything breaks down. Martin hits a heck of a dive onto Spears and Daniels gets Angel’s Wings, with a save having to be made. MJF is right back with the Salt Of The Earth to make Daniels tap at 14:26.

Rating: B-. This worked, with the Pinnacle being out there to get a win against a makeshift team of villains. The Pinnacle was a good team while they lasted, but there were so many evil teams floating around at this point that it was hard to get them to stand out. The talent was certainly there though, with MJF rapidly climbing the ladder to becoming one of the biggest stars around.

Jade Cargill vs. Reke Tehaka

Tehaka busts out the Haka to start and is quickly knocked down. Cargill talks some trash but gets caught by the arm, only to break up Old School. A belly to back suplex drops Tehaka again and Cargill hits a pump kick but stops for some pushups. Tehaka gets in some shots of her own and a middle rope ax handle connects for two. Cargill has had it though and grabs the yet to be named Jaded for the pin at 3:24.

Rating: C. Cargill was showing some inexperience here, but you could see the raw power and athleticism shining through. AEW would have been nuts to not try something with someone who looked like her and they were smart to keep it short. This definitely wasn’t a squash, but Cargill wasn’t about to lose to anyone anytime soon.

Here is Britt Baker for a chat, but first she would like the fans to cheer for her. She’s not happy with the lack of volume but she’s hopeful that this is the last time they have a show in Jacksonville. Title shots should be based on merchandise sales, TV demographic ratings and the length of the meet and greet lines. Tonight, it’s time for the women ranked higher than her to get a taste of the Doctor.

Cody Rhodes vs. Aaron Solo

Street fight and the chase is on at the bell, with Solo trying to get away, which Kingston refers to as “head games”. Back in and Rhodes hammers away, setting up a rather delayed gordbuster. The Cactus Clothesline puts them on the floor again and it’s time to go into the crowd (which is sparse, partially due to Covid), where Solo takes a drink to the face.

A fan gets to hold Solo so Rhodes can punch him and it’s time for the weapons, with Rhodes needing a few attempts to get the trashcan into the ring. Solo is dropped onto the trashcan but cuts off a suicide dive with a trashcan lid. Back in and some chair shots have Rhodes in more trouble, with Solo wedging the chair into the corner.

Believe it or not, Rhodes actually goes into the chair to leave it dented, which doesn’t seem to do much damage. They hit stereo crossbodies and here is QT Marshall with a kendo stick. Billy Gunn runs in to take care of Marshall so Rhodes kicks Solo low. Some kendo stick shots have Solo in more trouble and it’s time for a dog collar on a chain, with fans chanting for Brodie Lee.

Solo gets rocked again and Rhodes his a pair of Cross Rhodes…but stops the count at two. Instead Rhodes busts out a table, but Solo gets in a few kendo stick shots to cut him off. Solo goes up and takes WAY too long, meaning it’s a reverse superplex through the table to give Rhodes the pin at 15:46.

Rating: C+. This went rather long but the idea was just to get Rhodes out there. That’s all it needed to be as it’s not like Solo was a big star here. This was part of the Rhodes vs. the Factory feud and…well there’s a reason that’s not exactly on his highlight reel. When your big star is QT Marshall, how great do you think your stable is going to be?

Post match Anthony Ogogo comes in to drop Rhodes with a single shot to the ribs.

Ricky Starks and Colt Cabana replace Eddie Kingston on commentary.

Orange Cassidy/Chuck Taylor/Trent vs. Max Caster/Hybrid 2

Caster’s rap is about wanting to get Trent’s mom in the back of a fan. Kris Statlander and Anthony Bowens are here too and it’s Trent knocking Caster down to start. Taylor comes in for a double elbow but gets taken into the corner, which doesn’t last long either. Caster accidentally hits Evans so the Hybrid 2 take Caster out. With that out of the way, it’s time for the big six or so man chain submission, with Cassidy breaking it up.

Hold on though as Evans wants a dance off with Cassidy. Before Cassidy can go, Bowens says no one wants to see this so let’s have Caster and Cassidy in a battle rap. Caster raps about Cassidy being rather stoic so Cassidy kicks him in the legs, with the Hybrid 2 jumping Cassidy and taking him into the corner.

Cassidy gets in an exchange of standing switches with Angelico and escapes to get over to Taylor for the tag. Everything breaks down and Evans gets a flipping jackknife rollup for two, followed by a 450 for the same. Cassidy is back in with the falling splash but the referee actually points out that he isn’t legal. Statlander boops Caster and Cassidy fires off the Orange Punches before Strong Zero can finish Evans at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This was the fun match that it needed to be as the fans loved Cassidy and he was still more goofy than anything resembling serious. Evans was one of those people who could get on anyone’s nerves at any time and he was a good choice for a foil here. The fans were into this and that’s why it was put out there, as AEW knew what they had with these guys.

Post match the winners and Statlander all hug.

Eddie Kingston vs. Cezar Bononi

Kingston is coming in with a bad leg/ankle. Kingston grinds away on a headlock to start but gets kicked in the chest. That lets Bononi choke on the rope a bit and get two off a slam as the fans are right behind Kingston. Bononi’s running powerslam gets two and he grabs the chinlock, which has Kingston in even more trouble.

Kingston fights back and tries the exploder but the ankle is too banged up. Instead Bononi gets in a pumphandle suplex and a sitout powerbomb for two but Kingston says bring it. Back up and Bononi tries a torture rack but gets enziguried for his efforts. The Stretch Plumb gives Kingston the win at 9:20.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one as it was mainly Bononi beating Kingston up until the fast comeback at the end. That being said, Kingston has never one to focus on what he was doing in the ring. He was going to get over just by talking and having personal issues with someone and that is the focus of his ankle issue. Kingston being on the card is fine though, as the fans love him.

Post match Kingston talks about how bad things were a year ago but then he ran his mouth at an independent show. That got him a match on Dynamite and he got beat up by Cody Rhodes. He started watching AEW and was so glad to have something back for the wrestlers. This gives them a place to be themselves so please support the young guys and the stars in this company. As usual, Kingston can play the emotions like few others.

Vickie Guerrero cuts off Justin Roberts’ introduction…but then lets him do it.

The Bunny/Rebel/Britt Baker/Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida/Red Velvet/Tay Conti/Ryo Mizumani

Velvet spins out of a wristlock to start but Baker takes her down into a hammerlock. Back up and Velvet faceplants Baker but mostly misses a standing moonsault. Conti (Melo) comes in to fire off the kicks to Bunny but charges into the corner. Shida comes in to go after Rebel, who fakes a knee injury to kick Shida in the head (even Rebel was surprised she pulled that off).

Rose runs Mizumani over but she’s right back with a spear, sending Cabana and Starks into an argument over spearing ability. Mizumani can’t get in a suplex so let’s have the rest of her partners come in for a quadrupleplex instead. Everything breaks down and we get a Shida vs. Rebel kendo stick vs. crutch match. Back in and Bunny knees Velvet to the mat and rubs Velvet’s face into it, allowing Baker to cheap shot Velvet.

A hair faceplant gives Velvet a breather and it’s back to Shida as everything breaks down into a quadruple submission. Those are all broken up and Rose backsplashes Shida for two. Shida reverses Baker’s suplex attempt into a Falcon Arrow for two and Mizumani uses Shida as a launchpad for a legdrop. Conti and Rebel get the double tag with Conti going after the leg and the DDTay finishes at 13:57.

Rating: C+. The early days of the women’s division were a bit messy for AEW but you could see some of the talent starting to come together. If nothing else, it’s kind of fascinating that Velvet has been around this long. Some of the better names were starting to come together and you could see Baker turning into a star right before your eyes. Throw in Shida as her solid self and the base was there.

Death Triangle/Matt Sydal/Mike Sydal vs. Kenny Omega/Konosuke Takeshita/Michael Nakazawa/Young Bucks

Nick and Fenix start things off with Fenix flipping away early. Pac and Matt come in as well so all four can block a superkick. Pac stays in and gets caught in the wrong corner but flips away from Takeshita. It’s off to Matt, who beats on Nakazawa (in his polo and khakis), allowing the Triangle to come in for a triple dropkick. Nakazawa grabs Mike’s nipples and the Bucks come in, only to get kicked to the floor.

That means the Lucha Bros can get in their own dives but Omega (reigning World Champion) gets to take over on Mike. This includes a backbreaker over the knee and Nakamura gets to come in for some offense of his own. Takeshita (who looks very young here) comes in for a chinlock and the Bucks get to send Mike into FOUR boots in the corner. Omega wants EIGHT boots up in the corner, which of course goes badly for him, allowing Matt to get the tag.

Everything breaks down and the Bros get to wheelbarrow splash Omega for two. Fenix gets caught in the wrong corner for the rapid fire clotheslines though, with Takeshita’s being one too many. Instead Fenix is back with a cutter for two but Pac’s Black Arrow is broken up. We hit the parade of strikes to the face and Takeshita’s Blue Thunder Bomb gets two.

Matt is held in the ropes for a Swanton from Nick and a double Meltzer Driver gets two as Penta makes a save. Omega gets to fire off some snapdragons…but tags in Nakazawa. With Omega not there for the save, it’s a suplex into the spike package piledriver and the Brutalizer makes Nakazawa tap at 17:22.

Rating: B-. This was something of a main event level match, with the World Champion and the Bucks involved, though the Sydals and Nakazawa being involved was a bit odd. Then again, that’s the point of having Nakazawa, with those snappy khakis, there to take the fall. Fenix and Penta were awesome out there and Pac looked like he could have beaten up a concrete wall. The match was big and the good guys won so that’s a logical inclusion here.

Post match Pac says the Death Triangle is coming for Omega and the Bucks. Omega teases a brawl here but then run from a fight.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. The Butcher

Butcher is challenging and has the Hardy Family Office with him. Allin starts fast with a dropkick to the floor and a suicide dive. Matt Hardy offers a distraction though and Butcher takes over on the floor, with a snap suplex getting two. Allin’s comeback is cut off with a boot to the face and a powerbomb gives Butcher two more.

For some reason Allin slaps him in the face and is slapped right back down for his efforts. Some slaps actually work for Allin and he dropkicks Butcher into the corner, earning himself a Texas Cloverleaf. That’s broken up and they head outside with Butcher chopping the post by mistake, allowing Allin to send the bad arm into the barricade. Back in and Butcher knocks him into the corner but Allin fights off the top. A Code Red sets up a quick Coffin Drop to retain the title at 8:15.

Rating: C+. This felt like they were running out of time, even though the title was obviously never in anything close to danger. The good thing is that Allin, the popular star, got out there to close the show and send the fans home happy. It’s another tried and true ending to a house show and it’s hard to complain much here, even if the match was just ok.

Post match the Hardy Family Office jumps in to go after Butcher but Colt Cabana, after decking Ricky Starks, leads the Dark Order in for the save. Matt Hardy promises to win the TNT Title and begin the reign of Big Money Matt, which of course didn’t happen. Allin is ready and seems to challenge for a falls count anywhere match. As a bonus, he gives a fan his skateboard, a kid who gets to come up and get it in a nice touch. More celebrating ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Well it’s a house show, featuring the stars of AEW in some perfectly acceptable matches. Is it some kind of hidden gem? Not really no, but it’s a fun look back at a different era of AEW and a nice tribute to the Butcher in a rare moment of him wrestling on his own. The point of this was to give the fans a good time and AEW made that happen. If you’re an AEW fan, you’ll have a good time with this and there are far worse ways to spend an afternoon/evening.

Results
The Butcher won a battle royal last eliminating Lance Archer
The Pinnacle b. Dante Martin/Jungle Boy/Luchasaurus/Christopher Daniels – Salt Of The Earth to Daniels
Jade Cargill b. Reke Tehaka – Jaded
Orange Cassidy/Trent/Chuck Taylor b. Max Caster/Hybrid 2 – Strong Zero to Evans
Eddie Kingston b. Cezar Bononi – Stretch Plumb
Hikaru Shida/Red Velvet/Tay Conti/Ryo Mizumani b. The Bunny/Rebel/Britt Baker/Nyla Rose – DDTay to Rebel
Death Triangle/Matt Sydal/Mike Sydal b. Kenny Omega/Young Bucks/Michael Nakazawa/Konosuke Takeshita – Brutalizer to Nakazawa
Darby Allin b. The Butcher – Coffin Drop

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

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Collision
Date: September 12, 2026
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Paul Wight, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

So this is a different kind of show as the whole thing is a tribute to the Butcher, who passed away earlier this month at the far too early age of 48. While Butcher hadn’t wrestled here in a bit, he was certainly a part of the AEW family and deserves such an honor. I’m not sure what this is going to be but it should be emotional, so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

In Memory Of Andy Williams.

There is a wreath and guitar in the ring. Tony Schiavone has the fans stand for a ten bell salute.

Various wrestlers and AEW personalities, including Brody King, Colt Cabana, Justin Roberts, Penelope Ford, Jeff Jarrett and Kip Sabian pay tribute to Butcher.

Commentary pays tribute as well and runs down the card.

Jon Moxley vs. Mike Bailey

Non-title Eliminator Match. They go with the grappling to start and it’s an early standoff. Bailey trips him down into a front facelock so Moxley gets in a takedown of his own to work on the arm. Bailey gets up and snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor, with Moxley already looking frustrated.

Back in and Moxley easily takes him down for a reverse chinlock and it’s time to work on Bailey’s fingers. That earns Moxley a missile dropkick but he sends Bailey flying out to the floor. Bailey is fine enough to start in on the leg, with some kicks setting up a dragon screw legwhip. A corkscrew Asai moonsault drops Moxley and we take a break.

We come back with Moxley getting in a butterfly superplex but Bailey scores with another kick. The standing moonsault knees give Bailey two and he sends Moxley to the apron to do it again. Back in and the Ultimate Weapon misses so Bailey kicks away, only for Moxley to pop up with a cutter. Moxley misses a boot in the corner and gets kicked in the back, with a shooting star giving Bailey two. Bailey gets a kneebar, with Moxley escaping and hitting a Stomp. The Death Rider finishes Bailey at 18:09.

Rating: B. This was your usual Moxley match, as he popped up after everything Bailey threw at him and survived in the end, which is hardly a surprise. At the same time, it was hard to believe that Bailey had much of a chance here as even the time limit almost expiring didn’t really build up much drama. Other than that, Paul Wight praising the continental wrestling with its lack of interference and weapons made me shake my head, as I remember that just being called a wrestling match.

Nick Wayne says youth is what matters and Chris Jericho is worried about him. If Jericho is so sure about himself, come prove it on Dynamite.

Rascalz vs. Aaron Solo/Griff Garrison/Nick Comoroto

Reed throws Garrison down to start and a double slingshot belly to back suplex does it again. Comoroto comes in and gets triple teamed to the floor and Reed cutters Solo. Reed hits a dive and the Hot Fire Flame finishes Solo at 2:01. Total squash.

Daniel Garcia, Willow Nightingale and Pac pay tribute to the Butcher.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Queen Aminata

Mercedes Mone is on commentary. Aminata grabs a quickly broken headlock to start and is taken down, allowing Shirakawa to dance. Back up and Aminata gets in a running shoulder block and we get the required Chocolate Kisses. Shirakawa knocks her down for the slingshot corkscrew dive and the big dive to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Aminata knocking her down and grabbing a snap suplex. Shirakawa grabs a quick Glamorous Driver for two so she puts on the Figure Four, with Aminata having to roll to the rope. A quick small package gives Aminata the pin at 10:19.

Rating: C+. So I guess Aminata is going to be the next victim for Mone and that’s perfectly fine for a quick Collision main event in a few weeks. That’s a weird way to go as Thekla and Willow Nightingale are already likely to come after the title, probably even at All Out. Other than that, Shirakawa loses again, because that’s all she does most of the time.

Post match respect is shown.

Pac says tonight is business as usual for the Death Riders but here are the Dogs to complain about the team stopping them from attacking Will Ospreay. Jon Moxley threatens them because he doesn’t do any favors for anyone. Tonight, the Dogs better go take care of the Bang Bang Gang.

Jay White vs. Adam Priest

They grapple to a standoff to start and White takes him down into a headlock. That’s broken up so Priest strikes away until White drops him again. A Muta Lock sends Priest over to the rope and he’s right back up with a dragon screw legwhip. Priest’s swinging neckbreaker gets two but an attempt at the half crab is reversed into the Blade Runner to give White the pin at 5:19.

Rating: C+. I was expecting this to get more time and it was nice to see White take him down with his finisher instead of going too long. White is someone who can be rather smooth in the ring and look good out there when he is given the chance. Now just let him win some matches that actually matter.

Post match White says the Bang Bang Gang is ready for the Death Riders.

Dogs/Pac vs. Bang Bang Gang

Jay White and Jon Moxley are on commentary. It’s a big brawl to start and the Gang is cleared out with Austin getting caught in the wrong corner for the running clotheslines. The Gang is right back in to do the same to Finlay and Austin loads him up in the fireman’s carry for the squats. We take a break and come back with Robinson fighting out of trouble with a side kick to Pac.

The Gunns come in to clean house with Austin’s full nelson slam getting two on Connors. Austin is in with a double missile dropkick and we get the parade of knockdowns. A German suplex/clothesline combination puts Austin down and Moxley approves. Everyone gets back up and slug it out until Austin hits a big flip dive to the floor. 3:10 To Yuma drops Connors with Finlay diving in for the save (Moxley is thrilled). Pac trips Austin and Connors hits a spear for the pin at 10:51.

Rating: B-. Gah I was getting into this and hoping to see the Gang get a bigger win but why do that when you can have the freaking Dogs get a win? For the life of me I do not get the Dogs and they just keep going with one push after another. They do nothing for me and Kidd is the weakest of them all, so of course he gets the most attention.

Chuck Taylor, Darius Martin, Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels, Lee Moriarty and Kyle O’Reilly pay tribute to the Butcher.

The Blade has sent in a statement on Butcher’s passing.

Tommaso Ciampa wants a title and is coming to All Out.

Lethal Twist vs. Conglomeration

New Level is on commentary and the Twist’s ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Lethal and Cassidy start things off with Williams taking him up against the rope for a quick finger spin. Cassidy backs him to the floor where Lethal argues with New Level, earning himself a chop from Strong. Everything breaks down, including a barrage of chops, plus a backbreaker/middle rope knee combination to Lethal.

We take a break and come back with Cassidy fighting out of trouble and getting in a Stundog Millionaire. O’Reilly comes in to clean house and Strong throws Cassidy around as a weapon. Strong gets caught in a reverse DDT/high crossbody combination for two and Cassidy gets superkicked. He doesn’t actually fall down though as Strong shoves him back, with a double clothesline dropping the villains. O’Reilly and Cassidy hit a dive apiece, leaving Strong to hit the Sick Kick into the End Of Heartache to pin Lethal at 9:54.

Rating: B-. Yep, you knew how the match was going to go as soon as Ring Of Honor champions were involved. They were there to make the AEW stars look good and somehow this just keeps happening. I have no idea why that’s the case but for some reason Ring Of Honor is just used for jobbing. Just find someone else for this spot. It can’t be that hard with this roster.

Post match Conglomeration and New Level have a staredown.

Lena Kross and Megan Bayne are ticked off and promise to hurt the Brawling Birds.

All Out rundown.

Butcher Battle Royal

Lance Archer, Eddie Kingston, Ortiz, Claudio Castagnoli, Josh Alexander, Daniel Garcia, The Beast Mortos, Jake Doyle, Dante Martin, Darius Martin, AR Fox, Wheeler Yuta

For $100,000 to be donated to the charity of the winner’s choice in Butcher’s name. The brawl starts on the floor and the bell rings with no one actually in the ring. The Martins and Doyle come in to brawl, with Fox coming in to join the festivities. Ortiz gets tossed into a cutter and Mortos is back in to wreck various people.

Fox tries a tornado DDT but gets sent outside for the first elimination. The Death Riders get inside and Kingston and Ortiz are back in to take them out. Well down, not out, as in an elimination. A series of clotheslines against the ropes gets rid of Ortiz but Kingston backdrops Garcia out. The Martins backdrop Mortos out and we take a break.

We come back with the Martins cleaning house again and clotheslining Doyle out. Dante gets knocked out as well and Archer gets rid of Darius. Archer and Castagnoli trade clotheslines until Archer hits a crossbody. Castagnoli escapes the chokeslam and Swings Archer, setting up a clothesline for the elimination. Kingston and Castagnoli chop it out until Kingston gets the Swing as well.

Back up and Kingston is fine enough to spinning backfist Castagnoli out but gets dumped by Alexander. So I think that leaves Alexander and Garcia, with Garcia hitting a bunch of clotheslines but not being able to knock him out. A package piledriver plants Garcia, who holds onto the top rope for the save. Garcia pulls him over the top rope to the apron and gets back inside for a running dropkick and the win at 16:23.

Rating: B-. The quality of the match means absolutely nothing here as this was all about the special feelings. Garcia winning is fine as the actual result is pretty unimportant. It was a bunch of people who were friends with Butcher having a special match. Nothing wrong with that and it was nice to see.

Post match Garcia gets to hold up a Butcher sign and the guitar. The Death Riders have one more big hug.

We get a special tribute video to the Butcher and as usual, this was incredibly well done.

The roster comes to the stage/ramp for one more tribute to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where the wrestling itself was just kind of background noise. Instead it was about paying tribute to someone who seemed to be pretty awesome and passed away way too young. The show was perfectly fine and the opener was good, but this was all about the Butcher and that is perfectly fine. Good, emotional show here and something that needed to happen.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Mike Bailey – Death Rider
Rascalz b. Aaron Solo/Griff Garrison/Nick Comoroto – Hot Fire Flame to Solo
Queen Aminata b. Mina Shirakawa – Small package
Jay White b. Adam Priest – Blade Runner
Dogs/Pac b. Bang Bang Gang – Spear to Austin
Conglomeration b. Lethal Twist – End Of Heartache to Lethal
Daniel Garcia won the Butcher Battle Royal last eliminating Josh Alexander

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: February 22, 2024
Location: Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We FINALLY have a pay per view announced as Supercard Of Honor is about six weeks away. Since they actually got around to saying something about it, now we can get ready for the show, which probably has more than a few matches all but set. As for tonight, Athena is defending the Women’s Title against Nyla Rose in a 2/3 falls tables match. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s what’s coming on the show.

Women’s TV Title Tournament First Round: Taya Valkyrie vs. Sussy Love

Johnny TV is here with Taya, who easily takes her into the corner to start and hits a hard chop. Love’s Black Widow is quickly broken up but Taya misses a charge and falls out to the floor. That’s fine with Taya, who powerbombs her onto the apron and then chokes on the ropes back inside. The running knees in the corner give Taya two and we hit the chinlock. Love fights up and hits a crossbody into an enziguri before draping Taya over the middle rope. Some moonsault knees to the ribs give Sussy two but Taya spears her down. Shania Pain finishes for Taya at 7:18.

Rating: C. Another match that could have been trimmed as Taya shouldn’t be going back and forth with someone in their company debut. Taya goes forward and should be a threat to make a deep run in the tournament, especially with the stomp being an effective finisher. She’s also experienced and a name, so while I can’t imagine her winning, she should be in at least the final four or so.

We look back at last week’s first round tournament matches.

Lee Johnson vs. Sonico

Sonico kicks away a handshake to start and gets dropkicked into the corner. A headbutt to the ribs gives Sonico two and he chokes in the corner to keep Johnson down. That doesn’t last long as Johnson is back with some clotheslines and a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Sonico gets in a shot of his own but walks into the reverse inverted DDT to give Johnson the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C. Johnson is another guy who has talent but needs something to do other than being stuck in the eternal chase for a title shot. It seemed to be another such match here, with Johnson beating another competent opponent. At some point Johnson needs to do something though and that doesn’t seem likely anytime soon.

Women’s TV Title Tournament First Round: Red Velvet vs. Sandra Moone

They fight over a lockup to start until Velvet takes her down with a headlock. Moone is back with a headlock takeover of her own before a belly to back suplex gets two. Velvet comes up and chokes away in the corner but Moone missile dropkicks her back down. A legsweep sets up a standing moonsault to give Velvet two and it’s time to start on the arm.

Back up and a Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog is countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb to give Moone two. Moone strikes away rather hard for two more but Velvet kicks her in the face. The Final Mix misses though and Moone fisherman’s busters her for two more. Moone goes up top but gets super victory rolled down, setting up the Final Mix to give Velvet the pin at 9:01.

Rating: B-. This worked for a pair of reasons, with the bigger one being that Velvet is a weak enough star that you could see her getting taken out as the first round upset. At the same time, Moone was giving her a heck of a fight here and it was something close to a breakout performance. Good stuff here and by far the best thing on the show so far.

Taya Valkyrie, with Johnny TV, is ready to win the title.

Brandon Cutler vs. Danhausen

Cutler has Colt Cabana with him and elbows Danhausen down to start. That earns him the threaten of a CURSE so Cabana and Cutler load up the cold spray. For some reason it only sprays themselves so Danhausen gets in a slam for two. They stumble around and bump into each other and the slugout is on. Danhausen hits a running forearm in the corner int a slingshot German suplex to drop Cutler again. Cabana’s distraction doesn’t work and Danhausen pours the teeth into Cutler’s mouth, setting up the pump kick for the pin at 4:52.

Rating: C+. It was fun, it was goofy, and they were done in less than five minutes. Danhausen is going to get a reaction just due to how ridiculous he is and they were leaning into that here. They didn’t overstay their welcome here and it was nice to have something this different for a change.

Video on Athena vs. Nyla Rose.

Women’s TV Title Tournament First Round: Abadon vs. Viva Van

Abadon wastes no time in sending her into the corner for some running knees. Choking (with screaming) on the ropes has Van in more trouble but she’s back with a running spinwheel kick for two. Van grabs a Tarantula into a bow and arrow before she runs Abadon over for two more. Abadon fights back and bites the arm, setting up a running knee and Black Dahlia for the pin at 5:49.

Rating: C. They kept this shorter and that helped a bit, as it’s another case where there is little doubt about the winner. Abadon was treated like a big deal upon showing up in Ring Of Honor and that seems to still be the case. You have to add some star power from the main roster and Abadon can do that well enough in a spot like this.

Anthony Henry vs. Ethan Page

JD Drake is here with Henry, who takes Page down to start and mocks him a bit. Back up and Page armdrags him down a few times before grabbing a quickly broken headlock. Page punches his way out of the corner but Henry is right back onto the arm to slow Page back down. That’s shrugged off again and Page hits some clotheslines into a powerslam for two, but the arm is banged up. Henry grabs a tornado DDT and cranks on the arm some more. They head to the apron, where Page clotheslines him back inside. The springboard cutter gives Henry the pin at 5:23.

Rating: C+. This should be the latest step towards Page getting a TV Title match, which has been in the making for a good while now. Then again at some pint he needs to actually win the title, which very well could happen at Supercard Of Honor. Henry is a good choice for an opponent here, as he’s established enough to be something of a threat, but also someone who can make Page look strong in defeat.

Queen Aminata is ready for her second round match against Taya Valkyrie, who is nowhere near what she used to be.

Women’s TV Title Tournament: Robyn Renegade vs. Billie Starkz

They fight over wrist control to start and neither get anywhere so it’s a staredown instead. Starkz kicks her in the head but gets small packaged for two for her efforts. Back up and Robyn hits a hard chop in the corner but misses another, allowing Starkz to strike away for a change. A fisherman’s suplex gives Robyn two and a Backstabber gets the same. The chinlock keeps Starkz down for a bit until she fights up and runs Robyn over.

Starkz’s comeback is cut off by an enziguri but she knocks Robyn outside. That means a heck of a suicide dive, followed by a second, but the third is pulled out of the air. Back in and Robyn grabs a diving sunset bomb out to the floor, leaving Starkz to dive back in and beat the count. Back in and Starkz grabs a quick half and half suplex before putting on a choke with a knee in the back to make Robyn tap at 9:48.

Rating: C+. Nice enough here as we wrap up the first round, though it’s still weird to see one of the Renegades on their own. Robyn is capable of doing quite a bit on her own but when you’re half of a tag team, it doesn’t exactly make her seem likely to pull it off here. It also doesn’t help that Starks has been a featured part of the division for a long time now and she wasn’t likely to lose in the first round.

Ethan Page wants the TV Title and says there is something in the air.

AR Fox vs. Matt Sydal vs. Komander vs. Exodus Prime

Fox gets pounded down in the corner to start until Komander and Sydal clear the ring. An exchange of rollups gives us a standoff but Fox is back in to take over on both of them. Fox hits a springboard moonsault on Komander before beating up Prime for a bonus. Sydal is back up to take over on Komander and Fox, including a standing corkscrew dive onto the latter.

Now it’s Prime getting up with a top rope elbow to Fox, who comes back with a twisting suplex for two on Prime. Everyone grabs a different hold on Prime until it’s broken up so Komander can take Sydal to the apron. Komander puts on a surfboard, but Fox dives over them to take Prime down. Sydal and Fox team up on Prime in the corner until Komander is back in to go up top.

Prime cuts that off and hits a reverse slam for two on Komander. Fox is back in with a split legged superplex to Prime, setting up a split legged moonsault. Sydal and Komander make the save because this needs to keep going. Prime rolls Komander up for two but he’s back with a tornado DDT to put Prime down. Cielito Lindo gives Komander the pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. Yeah cool, can we move on to something that matters now? This was an extended version of the same four way stuff we regularly see around here: a bunch of flips and dives with one person managing to get a pin in the end. It isn’t likely to go anywhere and Komander is likely to be in another one of these things next time, because they keep happening for reasons of getting people on the show.

Billie Starkz promises to win the TV Title.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Nyla Rose

Athena is defending in a 2/3 falls tables match. Rose runs her over to start and hits a Samoan drop to plant Athena early. The first table is set up on the floor and Rose apron bombs Athena, followed by a powerbomb through said table for the first fall at 1:17. Athena is back up and kicks Rose down before sliding another table inside. Rose is back up to with a chokeslam onto the apron and Athena is in big trouble.

Back in and a cannonball crushes Athena and the table is set up in the corner. Athena blocks a hiptoss so Rose his a crossbody to crush her again. They head outside again and Athena pulls out another table. Now it’s back to the apron for a slugout, followed by the O Face to send Rose through the ringside table to tie it up at 10:09 overall. Back in and Athena tries to powerbomb Rose through a table but her knee gives out instead. They fight up to the top in front of a table before Athena gets down and puts Rose in an electric chair. A big toss through the ringside table retains the title at 13:57.

Rating: C+. It was a good fight and I would hope that the ending leaves open for a rematch at the pay per view. Otherwise I have no idea who is next for Athena as there is no one ready to come after the title at the moment. The tables stipulation was unique enough and it keeps Rose somewhat save, though beating a challenger at her own stipulation doesn’t give the story the brightest future.

Overall Rating: C+. Well, the good run lasted a week, as this was the same overly long show with a bunch of matches that were just ok. It helps to have the tournament aspect, but having three of those matches featuring stars vs. enhancement talent and another being a star against a tag wrestler made me wonder why they didn’t just start with an eight person field. It wasn’t a bad show, but it was another that was hard to get through as there was very little to get excited about on the whole card.

Results
Taya Valkyrie b. Sussy Love – Shania Pain
Lee Johnson b. Sonico – Reverse inverted DDT
Red Velvet b. Sandra Moone – Final Mix
Danhausen b. Brandon Cutler – Pump kick
Abadon b. Viva Van – Black Dahlia
Ethan Page b. Anthony Henry – Springboard cutter
Billie Starkz b. Robyn Renegade – Half and half choke
Komander b. AR Fox, Exodus Prime and Matt Sydal – Cielito Lindo to Prime
Athena b. Nyla Rose 2-1

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Ring Of Honor
Date: November 30, 2023
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

So how do you follow up on Ronda Rousey making a surprise appearance last week and having a pretty solid match? There’s a good chance you don’t, as Rousey’s appearance seems to be a one off. In a way that might be a good thing though, as we have three shows left before Final Battle, meaning it’s probably time to mostly burn off a show before we get most of the card announced with about ten days before the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Athena yells at Billie Starkz for last week’s loss but this week, she can make it up against Marina Shafir. With Starkz gone, Athena yells at Eddie Kingston, saying you can’t backfist her to the future because her back is heavy from carrying this place. Lexi Nair as a not great hype woman for Athena is great.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Kingston vs. Lee Johnson

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Johnson wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a shot….at the North American Triple Crown. Well that closes a bit of a loophole. Feeling out process to start as the fans are behind Kingston. Johnson has to flip out of a wristlock to give us a standoff. Kingston snaps off a belly to belly for two and another suplex gets another two.

A DDT gives Johnson a breather but Kingston elbows his way out of a suplex attempt. Kingston’s t-bone suplex gets two more, only to have Johnson come back with a neckbreaker. The frog splash gives Johnson two of his own and that’s enough for Kingston, who snaps off a half dragon suplex. The backfist finishes Johnson at 6:30.

Rating: C. What matters most here is Kingston actually wrestling on this show on something of a regular basis. The show felt like nothing with the champions mostly missing so it’s very nice to have the top star around. That being said, it’s not quite as good with the title basically held in limbo until the end of the Continental Classic, but I can’t imagine ROH was high on the list of priorities when the tournament was announced.

The Boys vs. The Infantry

Bravo and Brent fight over wrist control to start until Brent snaps off some armdrags into an armbar. The Boys pick up the pace with a enziguri into a Backstabber for two. Bravo manages a block though and it’s Dean coming in to…well actually get armdragged a few times as well. An atomic drop gives Brandon two as everything breaks down. We settle down to Brandon getting stomped down in the corner until a roll over allows Brent to come back in. That doesn’t last long though as Boot Camp finishes Brent at 5:49.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced match, though I couldn’t help but chuckle at commentary trying to say this might play into the Tag Team Title picture. They’re right in that it could, though there is no reason to believe that it will for a good while. The lack of having the titles around makes these tag matches feel a lot less important and that’s never a good sign.

Rachael Ellering says Leyla Hirsch’s knee is healing….and here is Maria Kanellis-Bennett to interrupt. Maria says Leyla is in good spirits but Ellering wants to know why Maria was talking to the Renegades last week. Leyla comes in to ask if one of them will have her back this week. Maria and Ellering: “Yes.”

Emi Sakura vs. Trish Adora

A collision goes nowhere to start so they try it again, with Adora knocking her down. Sakura is right back with a drop toehold into the ropes though and some chops have Adora’s eyes bugging out. The surfboard has Adora in more trouble but she’s right back up with a Bully Bomb. They chop it out again until Adora boots her in the ace for two. The Lariat Tubman connects but Sakura rolls to the ropes in a smart move. Sakura’s elbow to the face gives her two of her own and the butterfly backbreaker finishes Adora at 4:32.

Rating: C+. It was a hard hitting match and that’s the best thing you can ask for from this kind of a match. Neither of them have much going at the moment and that doesn’t give them a ton to work with in the match. The good thing is that both of them got in enough to look strong and it was a nice match as a result.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Heather Reckless

Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Rachael Ellering are here with Hirsch. Reckless is actually shorter than Hirsch and commentary says that isn’t something you see very often. Hirsch powers her down to start without much effort and a backbreaker puts Reckless down again. A suplex into a release suplex sets up the cross armbreaker to finish Reckless at 2:08. Total squash.

Post match Hirsch leaves on her own, as commentary pushes the idea of her needing to choose a side. Well at least that’s something.

Willie Mack vs. Robert Anthony

Mack snaps off some armdrags to start but Anthony elbows him in the face to take over. Some elbows have Mack down again but Mack is right back with a swinging slam. A sitout powerbomb finishes Anthony off at 3:10.

Rating: C. Not much to this one but it’s nice to see Mack getting a win for a change. He’s been beaten so many times in recent months that he needs a win like this to rebound a bit. Mack is more or less a glorified jobber to the stars around here but that might be his ceiling unless he is given the chance to do something else. This won’t be the big change, though it’s better than another loss.

Billie Starkz vs. Marina Shafir

Shafir shoves her out to the floor to start, leaving Starkz to do some jumping jacks. Back in and Shafir hits some knees to the ribs, only to get shoved outside instead. This time Starkz rips at Shafir’s face and snaps off a suplex to keep Shafir in trouble. The Swanton is broken up so Starkz kicks her in the head and grabs a German suplex for two. A hard forearm knocks Shafir silly but she’s back with a kick to the head for two of her own. Shafir ties her up in a nasty arm/leg twist until Starkz kicks her way to freedom. The Swanton only hits raised knees and Shafir plants her for two more. Starkz manages to come back with Gory Bomb and the Swanton connects for another near fall. Starkz’ End (arm trap faceplant) finishes Shafir at 8:13.

Rating: B-. They had a good fight here and it’s nice to see Starkz getting one of the biggest singles wins of her career. It still seems like she is perfect for the title shot at Final Battle but for some reason we haven’t gotten there yet. For now though, it’s nice to see her get a win, though it needs to lead somewhere.

Post match Starkz attacks her again so here are Athena and Lexi Nair, the latter in a graduation cap and gown, for their Minion In Training graduation ceremony. Athena introduces the valedictorian, who sucked when Athena met her but got better: Lexi Nair! She gets a Minion shirt and is now known as Minion: Bestie! Commentary mocks the two of them for their attire (Nair in red and Starkz in yellow, meaning we get ketchup and mustard chants) as Nair is rather pleased, while Starkz is wished the best in her future endeavors.

Starkz yells at Athena, who tells her to back down. Athena gets her way again….but then Starkz decks her and grabs the title. I’m not sure if “I turned you evil, but you’re not evil enough” is an all time face turn but it seems we’re FINALLY getting to the match that has been building for months.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Evil Uno vs. Dalton Castle

The Boys are here too. Feeling out process to start with Castle chopping away but getting sent to the floor. That means a fanning off, followed by Uno offering him some free chops. Instead Castle drops him with a running clothesline, followed by a standing splash to send Uno outside. Back in and Uno scores with a backbreaker and, after blocking a Bang A Rang, send Castle outside for a change. This time Uno decks the Boys, which is enough of a distraction for Castle to hit a suplex. The reverse Sling Blade sets up the Bang A Rang to finish Uno at 7:27.

Rating: C. While I wasn’t going to buy Uno as a serious threat to beat Uno, this could have been a lot worse. Uno made Castle work for the win, which sends him on to the match that he should absolutely be in. Castle should be a favorite to win the title as he has been building to it for months. Nice enough match, even with a not so shocking ending.

Tony Khan congratulates Lexi Nair on her graduation when Billie Starkz comes in. Starkz wants a shot at Athena so she is given the Final Battle shot. So what was Khan there to announce?

Brandon Cutler/Colt Cabana vs. GPA/Trevor Outlaw

Cabana and GPA grapple around to start until Cutler comes in for a double hiptoss. Cutler’s neckbreaker drops GPA again but he’s back with a jawbreaker to put Cutler down for a change. The villains take over on Cutler in the corner but he kicks his way to freedom. Cabana comes in to clean house and it’s a side slam/STO combination to finish GPA at 4:31.

Rating: C. I’m assuming that this was the match designed to warm up the crowd, because AEW fans are well known for being quiet and uninterested until someone steps in to wake them up. Cabana and Cutler aren’t likely to be much more than a low level team, if they are anything at that, but at least it wasn’t anything taking up much time here.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Komander vs. Gringo Loco

Loco flips away from him to start and gets taken down by the arm for his efforts. Komander sends him outside, where Loco chops away at him and gets in a posting for two back inside. Loco misses a dropkick though and gets catapulted to the floor, setting up the big flip dive. Back in and a springboard 450 gives Komander two, followed by a hurricanrana driver for the same.

They go to the apron, where Komander’s hurricanrana is countered into a hard powerbomb. Back in and they go to the top, with something like an inverted super Spanish Fly planting Komander hard. Loco misses a springboard moonsault though and gets kicked in the head. A backbreaker into Cielito Lindo sends Komander to Final Battle at 11:03.

Rating: B-. You know all the times where some of the luchadors have gone out there and had an entertaining match for a little while? Well this is the most recent edition, though at least there was something on the line for a change. Komander being in a multi-person match is no surprise, though at least Loco got a chance to shine again as well.

Respect is shown post match.

Tony Nese and Mark Sterling demand that Jerry Lynn (hey he still works here) let Sterling be at ringside for Nese vs. Ethan Page. Works for Lynn, though Sterling will be handcuffed to the post.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Spanish Announce Project

Dralistico and Preston Vance for the Faccion. Dralistico and Serpentico start things off with an exchange of chops. Stereo flip ups to their feet mean it’s off to Vance vs. Angelico for a change. Serpentico comes in to stomp on the arm but Vance fights up without much trouble. It’s back to Dralistico to go after Serpentico’s arm, followed by an exchange of Canadian Destroyers. Angelico comes back in to kick Vance in the head but the leglock is broken up. Dralistico makes the save and hits a springboard Codebreaker into Vance’s discus lariat for the pin at 8:04.

Rating: C. This was the most nothing match I can remember in a very long time. It was a pair of low level teams having a completely average match that won’t change much of anything they’re doing going forward. This is a show that could have been dropped from a show that is running about two hours and fifteen minutes without missing much and that’s not a good sign. Also, it’s nice to see Angelico right back where he was a month and a half ago after building him into something a bit more interesting.

Nyla Rose vs. Zoey Lynn

Lynn tries to jump her to start and gets taken into the corner for her efforts. A running elbow knocks Lynn silly but she manages to strike away. Rose doesn’t mind and knocks her out of the air, setting up a chokeslam and the Beast Bomb for the pin at 3:03.

Rating: C. This was Rose’s Ring Of Honor debut and she did what she has done several times in AEW. It was a total squash and did just fine, but it’s a match that could have been postponed to next week and taken away from an already long show. Rose in Ring Of Honor is better than no Rose at all, but dang this show is getting longer and longer and that isn’t helping things.

Iron Savages vs. Butcher and the Blade

Bronson wants Butcher and is driven into the corner for his efforts. A running shoulder works a bit better for Bronson so it’s off to Blade, who is sent face first into Boulder’s chest. Boulder comes in and muscles Blade up for a suplex. A discussion of Savage Sauce takes too long though and it’s Bronson getting caught in the corner for a change. Everything breaks down and Butcher hammers away on Boulder, who is back with a kick to the face. A splash gives Boulder two but the electric chair splash is broken up. The powerbomb/neckbreaker combination finishes Bronson at 6:37.

Rating: C+. It was a nice power match and it’s good to see Butcher and the Blade get a win for once. Much like Rose, if they aren’t doing anything in AEW, put them in ROH and see if they can do anything here. The Savages continue to be a fun team who never win much of anything and their value is only going to last so long.

Brian Cage vs. Action Andretti

Prince Nana is here with Cage. Andretti tries to pick up the pace to start but can’t get very far with a tornado DDT attempt. Instead Andretti kicks him in the face, only to get sent hard to the floor. Back in and we hit the chinlock, followed by a quick belly to belly. Andretti fights up and strikes away, setting up a springboard clothesline.

Cage grabs a reverse suplex faceplant (that’s a new one) and the apron superplex gets two. Andretti is right back with the tornado DDT but has to fight out o Weapon X. The torture rack neckbreaker drops Cage and the standing shooting star press gets two more. Nana offers a distraction though and a powerbomb into Weapon X finishes Andretti at 10:21.

Rating: C+. Power vs. speed worked as usual here, which is something that Ring Of Honor certainly seems to understand. Cage is the bigger star, though I’m still not quite sure what the point is in having he and the Gates of Agony win the Six Man Tag Team Titles when the Gates were on their way to Japan for the World Tag League. Not much of a main event here, but it could have been worse.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a show where the problems are entirely in the presentation and not in the wrestling. The matches themselves ranged from good to decent, but there were thirteen matches on this show and three of them felt like they had any kind of impact. Other than that, it was a bunch of stuff that was put on the card seemingly or no other reason than to extend the show. It wasn’t a fun show to watch and most of it feels like it could have been heavily trimmed down or cut entirely. Rather bad presentation and a waste of some good action.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Lee Johnson – Spinning backfist
The Infantry b. The Boys – Boot Camp to Brent
Emi Sakura b. Trish Adora – Butterfly backbreaker
Leyla Hirsch b. Heather Reckless – Cross armbreaker
Willie Mack b. Robert Anthony – Sitout powerbomb
Billie Starkz b. Marina Shafir – Starkz’ End
Dalton Castle b. Evil Uno – Bang A Rang
Brandon Cutler/Colt Cabana b. GPA/Trevor Outlaw – Side slam/STO combination to GPA
Komander b. Gringo Loco – Cielito Lindo
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Spanish Announce Project – Discus lariat to Serpentico
Nyla Rose b. Zoey Lynn – Beast Bomb
Butcher and the Blade b. Iron Savages – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Bronson
Brian Cage b. Action Andretti – Weapon X

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

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The Secret Of The Ooze
Date: August 14, 2004
Location: Hollywood Los Feliz JCC
Attendance: 160
Commentators: Excalibur, Disco Machine

It’s back to PWG and I don’t think you can ask for a cooler title than that. As usual I have no idea what to expect from this show, but this is just over a year into the company’s history. That could be hit or miss, though this is far before the days when PWG became such an indy darling. Let’s get to it.

We open with PWG World Champion Frankie Kazarian in the ring, bragging about beating Adam Pearce in a Loser Leaves PWG match. Pearce didn’t know his credentials, just like the other stupid fans (he used a different word and it started with an R) here. We hear about his title wins across different promotions but Kazarian stops to yell at a fan in the front row. As for tonight, he’s facing Colt Cabana, so we pause for a COLT COLT COLT chant. Kazarian is the future, and the future looks good.

Cue Cabana and he has a list of his own. He is a six time marshmallow eating champion, a three time Illinois state Hungry Hungry Hippos champion, and he can chug Tang faster than anyone around here. He’s also a former US, Intercontinental, ECW Mid-Atlantic Coast Champion and a three time 1-2-3 WWF Heavyweight Champion. Cabana tries to go into something about the present being today but gets a bit lost, only to say he’ll be champion. Simple hype for the main event here and it went well enough, with Kazarian sounding like a rather good smarmy heel.

Tag Team Gauntlet Match

Supa Badd and Human Tornado are in at #1 and Top Gun Talwar/Charles Mercury are in at #2 with Talwar grabbing a quickly broken headlock on Tornado. A dropkick staggers Tornado and everything breaks down with the fight heading out to the floor. Talwar gets a basketball bounced off his head, followed by a dunk and a hurricanrana from Tornado.

Back in and Badd atomic drops Talwar before Mercury is tossed outside again. Badd clotheslines Talwar and does pushups during the near fall for a bonus. As commentary says tags are encouraged rather than required, Mercury gets a Texas Cloverleaf on Badd and Talwar rolls Tornado up in the corner for the pin and elimination at 3:27.

Excalibur and Disco Machine are in at #3, with Excalibur (on commentary) credits Talwar’s drug use for losing a test of strength. With everyone else on the floor, Talwar goes up top and hits a huge flip dive to take everyone out. Mercury hits his own flip dive onto all three of them, followed by a legdrop for two on Excalibur back inside. Talwar’s clothesline gets the same and Mercury….really can’t quite manage to slam Talwar onto Excalibur.

Commentary blasts how bad things went as Talwar lands on Excalibur, who is right back up with a clothesline for a breather. It’s off to Disco as commentary makes fun of Chris Bosh and Rick Knox. An atomic drop hits Talwar and Mercury’s elbow drop for a save hits his partner by mistake. Everything breaks down and Excalibur Tombstones Talwar on the floor. That leaves Disco to chokebreaker Mercury for the elimination at 9:17 total.

Los Rojos Locos (a masked team) come in and deck Excalibur on the floor (Excalibur on commentary: “You can never trust a Mexican.”). That leaves Mercury to get beaten down inside, including #1 grabbing a Liontamer as we hear about Excalibur’s racist college entrance essay. A backbreaker gives #2 two on Mercury before #1 drops a middle rope elbow.

Mercury fights his way out of trouble and hits a double basement dropkick. Excalibur comes in to clean house as everything breaks down. #2 grabs Excalibur from the apron (Excalibur: “Patented dirty Mexican cheating.” HOW DOES HE HAVE A JOB???) but a charge misses. Excalibur and #1 wind up on their opponents’ respective shoulders and it’s time to play chicken.

With Disco down, Excalibur is dropped into an X Factor for little impact. Instead #1 is tied in the ropes, with #2 making a fast save. Disco gets caught in a Crossface/Boston crab combination with Excalibur making the save this time. Not that it matters as a half crab makes Disco tap at 16:25 total to give Los Rojos Locos the win.

Rating: C+. Well it was a gauntlet match and it went through three falls. That’s about all there is to say here, as the action was nothing great and Excalibur’s commentary was as worthless as usual. It opened the show well enough, but I can barely remember the other teams involved a few minutes after the match ended, which should tell you a lot about how well this went.

Here is Joey Ryan (reigning Tag Team Champion) to say Chris Bosh isn’t here so get him an opponent out here.

Joey Ryan vs. Quicksilver

Feeling out process to start with Quicksilver armdragging him down by the bad arm. Ryan is right back up with a dropkick into an armdrag into an armbar of his own. It’s so strange to see Ryan as a clean cut face but it’s quite the staple of early PWG. As commentary talks about Ryan enjoying the company of voluptuous young women, Quicksilver takes him down for a moonsault onto the arm.

The cranking continues as we hear about Ryan’s hand signals to an attendant to help him pick up women. The bad arm is sent into buckle but Ryan reverses out and sends him into the buckle as well. They head to the floor with Ryan hitting a big dive to take Quicksilver down again. Various jokes are made on commentary but they’re cut off by a phone call, leaving Excalibur to do solo commentary. Back up and they crash out to the floor again, followed by another arm crank from Quicksilver back inside.

We’ll make that a Fujiwara armbar until Ryan spinebusters his way to freedom. They’re both down so commentary talks about trail mix. Ryan is back up with a Tombstone shoulder breaker and we hit the Rings of Saturn on Quicksilver. That’s broken up as well so Ryan grabs a powerbomb for a rather delayed two. A piledriver doesn’t work though and Quicksilver hits him in the arm, setting up a rollup. That’s fine with Ryan, who reverses into one of his own for the pin at 13:14.

Rating: B-. As usual, your best move here is to ignore commentary and focus on what was an otherwise nice match. Quicksilver is someone who has been around for a lot of these PWG shows and tends to work well enough. Ryan can wrestle a good match as well, though he doesn’t exactly stand out nearly as much as he would with the sleazy stuff.

Post match Commissioner Paul T comes in to say Ryan and Scott Lost have not defended the Tag Team Titles in two months. Therefore, the titles will be held up and Ryan will face Lost. The winner gets the titles and can pick a new partner of his choosing.

Apollo Khan/Brandon Thomaselli vs. First Family

The Family would be Babi Slymm/Brad Bradley. Thomaselli kicks away at the rather large Bradley’s leg to start as commentary points out that Thomaselli has no connection to anyone in this match. A big chop rocks Thomaselli again and a running shoulder puts him down. Slymm and Khan come in, shake hands, and circle each other a bit. Slymm powers him down to start but Khan is right back with a hammerlock.

As commentary talks about whether or not they’re racist, Slymm grinds away on a headlock. Some dropkicks get Khan out of trouble and it’s back to Bradley, who runs into raised boots in the corner. Thomaselli’s high crossbody completely misses and Bradley grabs a heck of a German suplex. Slymm comes back in for a dancing elbow drop but Thomaselli slugs away on Bradley. A sunset flip doesn’t work as Bradley sits on Thomaselli’s chest, setting up an airplane spin of all things.

Slymm grabs the chinlock but Thomaselli is back up with a dropkick to the knee. Khan comes in and gets to clean house, leaving Thomaselli to hit an Asai moonsault on Bradley. Back up and Bradley is fine enough to low bridge Khan to the floor as the villains take over again. A belly to back neckbreaker drops Khan and a running knee in the corner gets two. Khan suplexes his way to freedom (with Excalibur crediting Khan’s people’s “strong legs and thighs”) and the tag brings in Thomaselli as everything breaks down. Thomaselli’s top rope hurricanrana is countered and a lariat finishes for Bradley at 14:21.

Rating: B-. Perfectly watchable match here but it doesn’t help when commentary is saying that there is no connection between some of the wrestlers. It was a cold match that worked well enough, but they weren’t really hiding the fact that that this was a thrown together match. Bradley looked good for a big man but the rest of the match was just kind of there, though it could have been a lot worse.

Puma vs. Josh Prohibition

They fight over a lockup as Excalibur actually gives us a backstory, talking about how this was originally supposed to be Prohibition vs. Super Dragon last month but things were changed because of a Japan tour (Excalibur: “When Japan calls, you must listen.”). It’s better than nothing. Puma works on a wristlock but Prohibition pulls him into a hammerlock.

The arm cranking continues until Puma reverses into a suplex for two. Excalibur talks about possibly recording the audio in the PWG locker room as Prohibition fights up and elbows him in the face for two. Commentary goes into his rapid fire calling of the match as Prohibition missile dropkicks Puma and puts on another armbar.

With the wrestling out of the way, Excalibur goes into a long story about Prohibition moving to Salt Lake City. Puma is back up with a Tombstone but a tornado DDT is countered into a double underhook arm crank. The Falcon Arrow and a brainbuster get two each on Puma but he German suplexes his way to freedom. A half crab makes Prohibition tap at 9:12.

Rating: B-. Good match here, as Prohibition is someone I’ve heard a lot about over the years but haven’t seen much of in the ring. Granted he didn’t exactly stand out, but I’ve seen far worse. At the same time, Puma is someone who was making appearances for Impact Wrestling around this time and was getting a bit of a name for himself before just dropping out of sight. Anyway, nice match, and it even included a reason for taking place.

PWG World Title: Frankie Kazarian vs. Colt Cabana

Kazarian is defending and doesn’t take kindly to some fans chanting various insults at him. They go with the technical off to start and grapple away on the mat until it’s a standoff. Cabana takes him down and Kazarian is already going for a break in the ropes. The fight goes outside with commentary ignoring everything to talk about Cabana, apparently much like Hollywood, being Jewish.

Back in and Cabana works on an armbar but Kazarian is right out with an elbow to take over. Kazarian sweeps the leg and hits a slingshot legdrop as we hear about Kazarian dropping water bombs on wildfires. Cabana fights up but plays some possum, allowing him to get two off a small package. Back up and Cabana tries the Wave Of The Future (Kazarian’s spinning Downward Spiral) but Kazarian breaks it up without much effort.

Cabana scores with a flying forearm (Tito Santana references abound) and Kazarian is sent outside. A dropkick through the ropes hits Kazarian but Cabana chops the post by mistake. Back in and Kazarian hits a Blockbuster for two but Cabana fights up again. That doesn’t last long this time though as Kazarian grabs the Wave Of The Future to retain at 13:10.

Rating: B. Commentary was ruining this (tends to be a tradition around here) but I’m digging Kazarian as this rather cocky heel. He’s feeling like someone who is ready to be a breakout star on the bigger stage and that’s kind of what he wound up doing. Cabana was being himself, but thankfully it was the more serious version, which did come out often enough in these bigger matches.

Post match the First Family comes in to stomp on Cabana and Cabana’s manager C. Edward Van Der Pyle mocks him, apparently siding with Kazarian. The bragging goes on for a long time until Cabana clears the ring with a chair.

CM Punk vs. Donovan Morgan

Before the match Morgan talks about something but Excalibur would rather talk about Steven Richards making Sunday Night Heat into Stevie Night Heat. Punk bails to the floor as Morgan keeps talking, only to be drowned out by Excalibur going on about someone’s sexual appetite. The referee brings a woman into the ring and Morgan kisses her, earning a tossed shoe.

With the woman gone, Morgan talks to Punk as Excalibur is STILL GOING ON about Richards. Excalibur says that Punk’s response is just meandering so we’ll talk about going to Whole Foods instead. The bell finally rings and they go into the corner, where Punk gets forearmed in the face. Punk: “That’s great, f*** you!” Morgan gets taken to the mat and keeps trying to sit out even after Punk has let him go. As interesting as that might be, Excalibur keeps talking about Richards instead. We pause for a bit as Morgan goes to the floor, only to come back in and get caught with a backbreaker. Punk starts in on the arm but Morgan snaps off a high collar suplex for a breather.

A figure four neck lock goes on for a bit, though it might be better if his legs were anywhere near Punk’s throat. Punk fights up and hits a DDT for a breather as they’re both down. Back up and they forearm it out until Punk grabs a crossface. That’s broken up just as fast and Morgan gets up for a middle rope DDT. A fisherman’s neckbreaker gets two on Punk but he’s right back with a backslide for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: B-. They were having a good match but commentary absolutely ruined almost everything they had going here. This was a great example of commentary putting every bit of the focus on themselves and while I get that’s kind of Excalibur’s thing, it doesn’t do any good for fans trying to watch the match. Incredibly annoying commentary aside, the match itself worked and I’ll take old school Punk more often than not.

Samoa Joe vs. Super Dragon

Hold on though as Dragon doesn’t like some late streamer throwing and goes outside to yell at the fans. Joe wrestles him down to start as we hear about Joe’s Ring Of Honor World Title reign. Back up and they strike it out with Joe firing off knees to the face. The big kick misses though and Dragon is out on the floor again. Back in and Dragon gets in a head fake, setting up a spinning kick to the head.

Joe isn’t having that and knocks him outside again, setting up the huge suicide elbow. Dragon is whipped into the chairs and Joe just unloads on him back inside. The kick to the chest sets up the knee drop for two as Dragon is in trouble. Some slaps to the mask have the fans booing Joe but Dragon comes out of the corner with a running enziguri. The sets up a corkscrew dive off the top to the floor, with Dragon’s boots hitting Joe and the rest of him hitting the floor/apron hard.

Back in and a tornado DDT gives Dragon another breather, leaving them both down. Joe is back up for the strikes in the corner and plants Dragon down hard. The powerbomb into the STF into the crossface has Dragon in more trouble, at least until a rope is grabbed. Joe sends him shoulder first into the post for the crash out to the floor, meaning it’s time to go after the arm back inside.

Dragon actually manages to hit a discus forearm to drop Joe but his arm is too banged up for a slingshot. The top rope spinwheel kick is knocked out of the air to give Joe two but the Island Driver is blocked. The Psycho Driver is countered as well so Dragon settles for a belly to back suplex instead.

Dragon hits a top rope knee to the head (ouch) for two, followed by a hard clothesline for the same. Joe snaps off the powerslam for two more and grabs a cross armbreaker. That doesn’t last either and it’s Dragon coming up with the chops in the corner. Joe backdrops him out to the floor, which is finally enough for the countout at 21:50.

Rating: B+. The more I think about it, the more I like that ending, as it wasn’t so much Joe winning as much as Dragon just couldn’t go any longer. It made both of them look like monsters and that is what they seemed to be trying to do here. Joe was on absolute fire at this point and could do no wrong, which probably explains the result. Heck of a match here and by far the best thing on the show.

Post match Excalibur and Disco Machine run out to check on Dragon to end the show.

We’ll also throw in the extras.

Los Rojos Locos do some rather high school level Spanish about how great and handsome they are. After speaking English to ask what the next word in Spanish is supposed to be, they ask why the Ballard Brothers aren’t being brought back (I bet you can get the joke).

Babi Slymm is ready to take over PWG with the help of his friends.

Colt Cabana is ready to go over the edge, though he does have to ask the director for his lines. For now, he’s off to England to craft his hone (that’s what he said). Now rewind the DVD and watch him over and over. With popcorn, Pop Tarts and smores!

Frankie Kazarian is ready to beat anyone ever from Chicago. Even Mike Ditka! He doesn’t care if Samoa Joe or Super Dragon is next.

The First Family brags about its high level of awesome. They’re great and the fans want them as their screensavers. Now they’re out because Van Der Pyle doesn’t feel like talking anymore.

Samoa Joe says the fans got what they asked for and he is the one who walked out. Now he wants the World Title.

Overall Rating: B. This show kept getting better as it went, but there were some things holding it back. By that I mean the commentary, which was an absolute nightmare all night long. Old PWG includes Excalibur ignoring the matches or long stretches of time and firing off all kinds of racist, sexist and homophobic jokes. It gets really tiring really fast and made me want to pull my headphones out so I could actually pay attention to the matches. Other than that, it’s another rather strong show, even if it was never going to live up to the name.

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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 20, 2023
Location: University Of Milwaukee-Wisconsin Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

You never know what you can expect out of this show (save for Athena and Tony Nese/Mark Sterling of course) and in a way, that makes it more fun. They keep things simple with the show and it makes things that much better a lot of the time. The show has yet to be bad and if they can keep that up, it’s a nice use of however long it is this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Kingdom vs. Darius Martin/Action Andretti

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is here with the Kingdom. Martin gets suckered into the wrong corner to start and Taven adds a dropkick. A running forearm gives Bennett two and a spinebuster is good for the same. Martin manages to send Bennett outside though and it’s Andretti coming in as everything breaks down. Taven gets sent into the corner but Bennett cuts Andretti off, allowing Taven to kick him in the head. The Hail Mary is broken up though and it’s Martin coming back in to pick up the pace. Martin and Andretti both go up but Maria offers a distraction. That’s enough for Bennett to Proton Pack Martin for the pin at 6:16.

Rating: C+. This was a fun enough match, as the Kingdom beat a makeshift team and hopefully get to move on to something more serious. They could easily be slotted into a title feud and I’m rather surprised they haven’t been closer to the titles. The team already has the resume so why not run with that for a bit?

Athena doesn’t like that she’s not being taken seriously so the open challenge is on. The fact that there was a graphic during the first match showing who she was facing takes away some of the intrigue.

Willow Nightingale vs. Robyn Renegade

Robyn’s sister Charlotte is here too, but Riccaboni steals the show by rapping Nightingale to the ring (and doing rather well). Nightingale shoulders Robyn down to start and strikes a pose, followed by a basement crossbody for two. A bulldog drops Robyn again but she trips Nightingale up on the apron to take over. Back in and Nightingale kicks her in the face, setting up a spinebuster for two. The Pounce sets up…a sister switch, but the referee catches her. Nightingale grabs a cradle for the pin at 4:57.

Rating: C. The ending was a bit of a twist and it was kind of nice to see Nightingale cut off what seemed to be a good plan. Other than that, Nightingale gets another win that keeps her warm, but she is to the point where she needs a big win or a lot of this isn’t going to matter. Nightingale has the tools, but a win is what matters and she doesn’t have a big one yet in either promotion. Fix that or these wins don’t mean much.

Post match the Renegades take Nightingale out.

Colt Cabana is happy to be back and getting a TV Title match tonight against Samoa Joe.

Lance Archer vs. Jah-C

As usual, Archer jumps him during the entrance and is in control as the bell rings. For some reason Jah-C tries a dropkick and gets screamed at for his efforts. Chops have just as little effect and the reverse DDT plants Jah-C. A lariat finishes for Archer at 1:59.

Post match Archer beats him to the back.

Brian Cage vs. Joey Jett

Prince Nana is here with Cage. An overhead belly to belly sends Jett flying and a German suplex makes it worse. Jett’s slingshot cutter is blocked and Cage hits another suplex. Back up and Jett slugs away, setting up a quick Downward Spiral. Jett hits a running kick to the face for two but Cage takes his head off with a discus lariat. The F5 finishes Jett off at 5:07.

Rating: C. Jett was a hometown boy and for a few seconds there, the fans were having quite the bit of fun getting behind him. There was little reason to believe anything else was going to happen though and that’s ok here. Giving Jett even a bit of offense in there was fun and it made what should have been a total squash more entertaining than it would have been otherwise.

Heather Reckless vs. Athena

Non-title Proving Ground match (if Reckless wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, she gets a title shot). Athena kicks her in the face but stops to pose, allowing Reckless to send her outside. The dive doesn’t go well though as Athena pulls her out of the air for some tosses into the barricade. Back in and about five powerbombs in a row set up a Crossface to make Reckless tap at 2:55.

Post match Athena sends her face first into the title belt, as tends to be her custom.

Dark Order vs. Lee Johnson/Cole Karter

John Silver/Alex Reynolds for the Order here. Silver flips over Johnson to start and hits a dropkick but Reynolds gets driven into the wrong corner. Reynolds shoulders his way out of trouble and a clothesline gets two on Karter. Silver gets drawn in though and Johnson get sin a cheap shot on the floor. Johnson takes Reynolds down and tries to cut off a hot tag attempt but a backdrop lets Silver come in anyway. Karter punches Silver from the floor to cut him off again so it’s right back to Reynolds. Everything breaks down and a series of strikes set up the Stunner into the German suplex into the flipping bridge to pin Karter at 6:07.

Rating: C. The action was fine but it’s hard to get into a match that felt like it belonged on Elevation at best. The Dark Order get reactions but they have long since stopped feeling like they matter whatsoever. Johnson and Karter (Remember when he dressed up like Sting that one time and it went nowhere?) never felt like anything in the first place so there just wasn’t much to get behind here.

Penta El Cero Miedo vs. Nick Comoroto

Alex Abrahantes is here with Penta. Comoroto throws a toothpick in Penta’s face to start so we get the glove removal but Comoroto cuts off the throw. Some hard shots put Penta down as the early power dominance begins. Penta fights up with a pair of Sling Blades and gets two off a Backstabber. There’s the arm snap for two but Comoroto is back with a fireman’s carry backbreaker onto the knee for two more. Penta isn’t having this and snaps the arm again for the pin at 5:41.

Rating: C. Comoroto hasn’t crossed my mind in a good while, which is kind of shame as he has enough of a look to have at least a chance. Then again, there is only so much you can do when you are put into a low level group with little reason to care. Hopefully he gets a shot somewhere, but losing to Penta in five minutes isn’t a great step forward.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Lee Moriarty

They trade takedowns to the mat to start, with Takeshita’s headscissors not getting him very far. Back up and an exchange of armdrags sets up a leg lariat to drop Moriarty. Takeshita gets knocked outside though and some running knees send him into the barricade. Moriarty starts in on the arm back inside and bends away, including snapping the fingers.

The shoulder is sent into the buckle a few times but Takeshita is back with a jumping clothesline. There’s a brainbuster to give Takeshita a breather and some running kicks in the corner rock Moriarty. A middle rope backsplash gives Takeshita two but Moriarty catches him on top with a superplex.

They slug it out until Takeshita’s German suplex into the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. The running knee misses though and Moriarty suplexes him into a Border City Stretch. That’s broken up as well and Moriarty’s European Clutch is countered into a legtrap Tombstone for two. Takeshita forearms him down and the running knee finishes at 12:40.

Rating: B. This is a tale of two matches and we’ll start with the good. These two beat the fire out of each other for almost thirteen minutes and it was one heck of a back and forth match, with Takeshita adding another strong match to his long list and Moriarty getting perhaps his best match ever as a result.

On the other hand, it was a little jarring to see Takeshita get his big hero moment by saving the Elite from the Blackpool Combat Club and FINALLY be moved up on Wednesday and then do this on Thursday. I get that it’s just the order they were filmed in, but maybe the person putting this together should have known better than to have that happen on back to back nights.

Gringo Loco vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

Non-title. They flip around to start until Vikingo runs the ropes for a headscissors and then kicks Loco to the floor. Loco takes him right back down though and hits a dive, only to get slammed down back inside. Loco catches him inside for a super Spanish Fly, followed by a spinning faceplant for two.

Vikingo scores with some kicks to the face before doing a triple springboard hurricanrana (thankfully Loco was nice enough to just stand there while Vikingo set it up, including composing himself before starting) to send him outside. A springboard inverted hurricanrana drops Loco on the floor for two back inside, followed by the outside in corkscrew 450 for two more.

Vikingo’s swinging sitout Rock Bottom plants Loco again, setting up a corkscrew rope walk dive to the floor. The 630 misses though and Loco drops him face first onto the top. They both go up top for the super gorilla press slam to plant Vikingo again. A double springboard poisonrana plants Loco and the 630….apparently retains the title at 12:19.

Rating: B+. This was more of the crazy excitement from Vikingo and Loco looked great in his own right. As usual, there was A LOT to ignore in the way of “why is he standing there while the other guy jumps all over the place” but dang those flips and dives are enough to cover it up. Vikingo is the modern highlight reel wrestler and it’s a great to see him. Now maybe hype up his appearance a bit more next time since he’s that big of a deal?

Iron Savages vs. Logan Lynch/Ren Jones

The Savage are formerly known as Bear Country and have Jameson Ryan with them. Jones’ early shots to Boulder just hurt himself and Jones is sent flying into Lynch. Bronson piledrives Lynch onto Jones and Boulder slams both of them. An electric chair into a splash gives Bronson the double pin at 2:18. The Savages looked impressive enough and it’s better than Bear Country.

Gringo Loco lost but Tony Khan has invited him back so it’s a good night.

TV Title: Colt Cabana vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending. Cabana rolls him up to start but Joe elbows him in the face and fires off the rapid jabs in the corner. A snapmare into the chop to the back gets two but the MuscleBuster is cut off. Cabana’s middle rope sunset flip gets two and the Bionic Elbow puts Joe down again. The Flying Apple into the middle rope splash gives Cabana two but a moonsault hits knees. Joe Koquina Clutches him to retain at 5:41.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and after some of the other things on the show, didn’t feel all that important. Joe racks up another win over a name challenger but there wasn’t time to build much drama. Cabana is an ROH legend though and having him around makes all the sense in the world. Put this much earlier in the show and it’s an improvement.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There’s a really good show in here if you trim down a lot, but this week was giving me that same “when is this over” vibe as they just packed in match after match. Cut some of this stuff out and the show will feel a lot better, or at least reorganize it a bit so that Vikingo/Loco was on last, as nothing was topping it. The show still feels like it doesn’t have a ton of direction, as wrestlers do a lot of the same stuff week after week. Building to another show would help, but unless they have something new to add in before Death Before Dishonor, it’s going to be a long few months.

Results
The Kingdom b. Darius Martin/Action Andretti – Proton Pack to Martin
Willow Nightingale b. Robyn Renegade – Rollup
Lance Archer b. Jah-C – Lariat
Brian Cage b. Joey Jett – F5
Athena b. Heather Reckless – Crossface
Dark Order b. Lee Johnson/Cole Karter – Flipping rollup to Karter
Penta El Cero Miedo b. Nick Comoroto – Arm snap
Konosuke Takeshita b. Lee Moriarty – Running knee
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Gringo Loco – 630
Iron Savages b. Logan Lynch/Ren Jones – Double pin
Samoa Joe b. Colt Cabana – Koquina Clutch

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

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Threemendous II
Date: July 31, 2009
Location: American Legion Post #308, Reseda, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Human Tornado, Chris Hero, Rick Knox, Chuck Taylor, Colt Cabana

This is the sixth year anniversary show from Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and that means we should be in for a big card. The more PWG I see, the more fun I tend to have, though they did get better as time went on. This is still relatively early in their history so things might still be a bit shaky. Let’s get to it.

Colt Cabana and El Generico are in the back, with Cabana saying Generico’s English and Spanish are both terrible. Cabana tells him to cut a promo on someone who isn’t good, so -Generico stumbles through some very broken promos on Kenny Omega and Chuck Taylor. At Cabana’s prompting, Generico talks about wanting to relieve himself in their ears and eat their children. They both crack up as Generico says he thinks that was a muy good promo. Generico continues to be hysterical.

Cutler Brothers/Charles Mercury vs. LTP/Brandon Gatson/Johnny Goodtime

Before the match, LTP busts out an NES Track & Field Power Pad for a bit of a warmup. The Cutlers and Mercury work out a bit during their Big Match Intros as the fans certainly seem to like Goodtime. Gatson is described as a newcomer and Robinson has to be held back before the bell, which Excalibur describes as “engaging in some homoeroticism”. Dustin Cutler and Gatson start things off, with Dustin backing him into the corner to start the triple teaming.

A double shoulder drops Gatson as Joey Ryan does NOT want to talk about his title match in tonight’s main event. Gatson fights back with a corner clothesline and it’s Goodtime coming in for a basement dropkick to the side of Mercury’s head. Commentary goes into a variety of movie and book spoilers as LTP dropkicks Mercury into the corner for a running corner dropkick.

It’s back to Goodtime, who takes Brandon Cutler down for a slingshot dropkick to the side of the head. A quick low bridge sends Goodtime crashing out to the floor and the good guys are in trouble fast. Goodtime gets triple teamed, setting up Dustin’s chinlock as commentary talks about X-Men comics. Mercury drops a bottom rope knee before grabbing a reverse chinlock to keep Goodtime in trouble.

Goodtime kicks away and enziguris his way to freedom, allowing Gatson to come in and clean house. Dustin cuts off Gatson’s handspring elbow and the Cutlers chop away at Gatson in the corner. A slingshot cutter gets Gatson out of trouble, allowing Goodtime to dive onto Dustin (with a nasty crash). LTP springboards off Gatson’s back for the huge dive, setting up Gatson’s Sasuke Special onto everyone.

Back in and Goodtime Falcon Arrows Brandon Cutler….for no count as the referee says he isn’t legal. Excalibur: “What the h*** are you doing???” Eh ok point for a funny line. Goodtime hits a top rope double stomp to the back of Brandon Cutler’s head as everything breaks down. Dustin hits a heck of a swinging Downward Spiral on Gatson and Brandon plants LTP with a German suplex.

Everyone is down until it’s LTP getting up top, only to have his high crossbody caught by the Cutlers. One heck of a double fall away slam sends LTP flying but Goodtime dropkicks both Cutlers down. They’re right up though and grab a wheelbarrow Codebreaker combination, setting up a running spike Tombstone to finish LTP at 16:49.

Rating: B. This was the “let everyone go nuts” match and it worked very well as an opener. What mattered here was getting the fans even more excited for the show (granted not that hard around here) and they made that work very well. Fun match, even if it wasn’t exactly going by your classic textbook structure.

Scott Lost vs. Alex Shelley

Lost jumps Shelley from behind during his posing session and a chop puts him down again. Shelley manages a suplex though and starts cranking on the arm. That’s reversed into a broken up Scorpion Deathlock and Shelley shoulders him into the post. Shelley cranks on both arms before sending it into the post again. Back up and Lost manages a double stomp out of the corner to take right back over.

They chop it out until Shelley manages a kick to the head but Lost kicks him back as commentary makes NBA Jam references. Lost manages a spear on the floor and we hit the reverse chinlock back inside. Shelley gets dropped chest first onto the apron for one and we hit the bodyscissors to stay on said chest. That’s reversed so Shelley can slam Lost’s face into the mat a few times as the NBA references continue.

Shelley gets caught in a chinlock but manages to send him hard into the corner. A big kick to the head gives Shelley two but Lost is fine enough to crotch him on top. With Shelley still on top, he ties Lost’s arm around the buckle and armbars it back on the mat. That’s broken up with a gutbuster but Shelley is right back with a series of rollups for two each.

Another rollup sets up a cross armbreaker on Lost, which is reversed into a Sharpshooter. Shelley realizes he’s right next to the rope for the break and they’re out to the apron. Lost breaks up Sliced Bread and grabs a Stunner to put Shelley down hard. Back in and an elbow to the face gives Lost two more but Shelley kicks him in the head. An Air Raid Crash (Human Tornado: “That n**** dead.”) gets two on Lost and a reverse brainbuster drops him again. A frog splash gets two more but Shelley is right back up on top, where the second frog splash finishes Lost at 16:13.

Rating: B. These two beat on each other for a long time until Lost just couldn’t kick out anymore. Shelley is one of those wrestlers who can work with anyone and make it look good. Lost is someone who you don’t hear much about outside for PWG but he’s usually fine when he’s in the ring. Good match here, as the show is off to a great start.

Chris Sabin vs. Bryan Danielson

Before the match, Sabin compliments Danielson’s entrance music as the coolest in wrestling. They fight over wrist control to start with Danielson getting the better of things as commentary talks about the murder of Rikidozan. Sabin slips out of something like a chickenwing and grabs an armbar, which doesn’t get him very far. Danielson is taken into the corner for a clean break before Sabin’s headlock is called boring.

Sabin sends him to the apron for a legsweep (best strike in No Mercy so it works here too) to the floor, naturally setting up a dive. We hit the chinlock back inside before Sabin switches to something like a crossface. Some chops have Danielson reeling and a Vader Bomb elbow gets two. Sabin grabs an octopus hold on the mat but Danielson is back up with a kick to the chest.

More kicks have Sabin in more trouble and it’s time to work on the leg. That doesn’t last long as Danielson opts to rip at his face instead. Back up and Danielson wins a kick off, setting up a surfboard with a dragon sleeper (egads). With that broken up, Sabin slips out of a superplex attempt and ties Danielson in the Tree of Woe. A running dropkick and a running forearm rock Danielson again as he falls out.

Stereo crossbodies leave both of them down for a bit before it’s time to chop it out. Sabin snaps off a suplex neckbreaker but Danielson knocks him hard into the corner. A jumping knee rocks Sabin again and a springboard missile dropkick sends him down. With Sabin favoring his ankle (which Danielson might not have seen), Cattle Mutilation goes on but Danielson switches to the hard elbows to the face. After a rear naked choke doesn’t work very well, Danielson slaps on Cattle Mutilation again to make Sabin tap at 17:55.

Rating: B+. This was about two people beating on each other for a long time until one of them finally broke down. Danielson is a far bigger singles star than Sabin, but this wasn’t anything resembling an easy win. Sabin can go with just about anyone in the ring and he looked rather good here, even in defeat. Heck of a match here, as they beat each other up rather well.

Post match Danielson checks on Sabin, who has to be helped to the back.

Chuck Taylor vs. Colt Cabana

Taylor hides in the corner to start so Cabana sits down in another corner. Back up and Cabana drops the towel before Taylor grabs a headlock. Cabana sends him into the corner and seems to do the JYD Juke. Taylor backs off a bit and the fans are not pleases with his cowardice. A wristlock takes Taylor down….so he offers Cabana money in exchange for Taylor getting to slam him.

Then Taylor whips out an invisible grenade, which is too much even for Cabana. The grenade is sent outside and the pin comes out, meaning Taylor has to dive on it on the floor. With the grenade taken care of, Taylor goes back inside for a test of strength. Cabana easily takes over but some spit in the eyes lets Taylor take over for a change. With Cabana on the mat, he tries to give Taylor a hug but Taylor cranks on the leg instead.

Back up and Cabana sends him into the corner, allowing Cabana to get in some posing. Taylor misses a flip out of the corner and fakes an injury, allowing a small package to get two. Cabana: “SMALL PACKAGE!” Then he small packages Taylor and they roll around for a series of near falls.

The referee gets knocked down so Cabana sits on his back and kind of rides him into the corner. All three wind up in the corner for some rather suggestive thrusting. Taylor isn’t a fan so Cabana drops him with a right hand (Commentary: “Shades of Matt Classic right there.”) and a clothesline gets two. Taylor is right back up with a rollup and grabs the rope for the pin at 11:11.

Rating: C+. This was the weakest part of the show so far and even then it was completely fine. They went in a different direction here with the comedy (some of which was rather bad), as you probably guessed from the people involved. Cabana is capable of having a more serious match but go with what the people want, which is why he was on the show. Taylor was less than serious as well, but at least they didn’t go back to the grenade later.

Roderick Strong vs. Davey Richards

They go straight to the strikes to start before running the ropes and trading leapfrogs. Strong ducks the big kick and they strike it out until the fight heads to the floor. Back in and Strong kicks him down for two before more chopping ensues. Richards kicks away to take over again and we hit the chinlock, followed by a running knee to the ribs. More strikes put Strong into the corner but he raises a boot to cut off a charge.

They forearm it out again until Richards hits a handspring kick to the head. The Texas Cloverleaf doesn’t last long so Richards kicks him down, only to get blasted with a dropkick. Strong picks him up and tosses him with a release suplex into a backbreaker for two. The Falcon Arrow gets the same and Richards is sat on the apron. Strong charges into a kick to the head and a missile dropkick sends him into the corner again.

Richards strikes away and gets two off a sliding clothesline. Strong is right back with a quick Stronghold but Richards crawls over to the rope. Back up and the tiger driver is blocked, allowing Richards to hit a pop up kick to the chest. A bridging German suplex gives Richards two and the Cloverleaf goes on again. That’s broken up so Strong kicks him in the head, setting up a gutbuster. Back to back Sick Kicks set up the tiger driver to finish Richards at 12:27.

Rating: B. This was another hard hitting match between two people who know how to do that style rather well. I’ve never been much of a Richards fan but he was doing his thing here well enough. At the same time, I wouldn’t have bet on Strong winning and it’s nice to see him beat someone in a match like this one.

Young Bucks vs. Two Skinny Black Guys

The Bucks’ Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line and the Guys are El Generico and Human Tornado. Matt and Tornado start things off as commentary talks about a bunch of wrestlers going to In And Out Burger (as you should). Tornado takes him down and works on the leg for a bit before it’s off to Nick instead. That doesn’t go well for Nick either, as Tornado steals his bandanna and poses a bit.

Generico comes in and gets headscissored down, setting up a dropkick into the corner. The rope walk sets up Nick’s rather spinny wristdrag as Generico can’t get anything going. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Matt down though as Taylor complains about promotions not booking him. Tornado comes in for a no hands Scorpion Deathlock (that’s a new one) on Matt but he standing Sliced Breads himself out of trouble.

It’s back to Nick to slam Generico and the Bucks hit their stereo basement dropkicks. The fans turn on the Bucks, which has Excalibur rather surprised. As the fans suggest that the Bucks keep doing the same thing, they do the same thing with another double basement dropkick. Generico finally gets a boot up in the corner and the hot tag brings in Tornado (Fans: “LET’S GO BLACK GUYS!”) for the house cleaning.

Everything breaks down and the Guys stomp away in the corner and Nick gets kicked low, allowing a clothesline out to the floor. Tornado hits a big flip dive to the floor and Matt is down for a bit. Matt manages to shove the Guys into each other and a huge dive drops Tornado inside. Nick hits a top rope flipping Stunner for two on Generico as commentary tries to count knees.

Generico Michinoku Drivers Matt for two and more shots to the face leave everyone down again. Nick and Tornado strike it out until Generico gets low bridged to the floor. More Bang For The Buck hits Tornado for two, with Generico having to make the save. With Generico on the floor, Tornado gets his head kicked off but Generico runs back in with the corner brainbuster on Nick. Matt gets suplexed by Tornado, who dives over to pin Nick at 19:54.

Rating: B+. This is the kind of all action matches that you would expect and that is how it should have gone. Let the Bucks go out there and go nuts while Tornado and Generico get to do the same. It was four guys running around and hitting everything they could, which is what tag wrestling has become in modern times. Very exciting stuff here though, as everyone was getting to work their best style.

Respect is shown post match. Matt says that the Guys are the hottest tag team in the world right now and they beat the Bucks 1-2-3 here. The Bucks are still the champs, but the Guys have earned a title shot, which seems set for next month. After everyone else leaves, Chuck Taylor comes in to lay Generico out, saying he and Kenny Omega deserve the Tag Team Title shot. Taylor issues the challenge to face Generico one on one next month, with the winner getting the shot at the titles.

PWG World Title: Joey Ryan vs. Chris Hero

Hero, with Candice LeRae, is defending and this is Guerrilla Warfare, meaning anything goes. They strike it out with Hero getting the better of things and running Ryan over. A backsplash crushes Ryan and Hero talks trash to him in the corner. Ryan’s comeback is cut off rather quickly but he pulls Hero off the top. Now it’s Ryan hammering away for a change but Hero is out before even a one count.

Back up and Hero hits a Liger Bomb for two before sending him to the floor. A chair is wedged in the corner but Hero is sent into it instead in quite the irony. Hero is busted open as Ryan takes him back inside for some chain shots to the head. They’re right back on the floor with Hero scoring with an elbow to take over.

Back in and Ryan uses a trashcan to block another elbow, allowing him to wrap Hero’s arm around the post. The arm is sent into the corner and Ryan ties it behind Hero’s back for a slam. The tie starts to come loose though, meaning Ryan needs to hit him in the head a few more times. Hero manages a shot of his own, followed by a chair to the head to knock Ryan silly. Ryan is busted open pretty badly as well and Hero slides in a table.

Actually we’ll switch that to having it on the floor, with Hero taking too long to put Ryan on top. Back in and a trashcan shot knocks Hero silly again before Ryan brings in some chairs. They both go up but LeRae shoves Ryan down and hits a top rope double stomp to his back. Hero’s Blockbuster gets two and Ryan’s superkick gets the same. They head up again for a headbutt off until Ryan slams him down onto the chairs for two.

The Hero’s Welcome (Cross Rhodes) gets two more and now it’s Hero’s turn to grab the chain. The chain is wrapped around Ryan’s neck for a piledriver and another near fall, so Hero grabs an STF (with a cravate). Ryan manages to get out and hits a Psycho Driver before knocking LeRae down as well. Hero is fine enough to hit a dropkick through the ropes but misses a dive through the table.

That’s enough for two back inside but the superkick with the chain misses. Hero blasts him with the discus elbow for two more, then ties the chain around Ryan’s neck to hit a second discus elbow. With that and the third elbow getting two each, Hero chokes him out with the chain to retain at 43:20.

Rating: B+. This was long but didn’t feel like it was dragging, which is a heck of a trick for a match this long and violent. They beat each other up for a long time and there were times where I was buying the idea of Ryan getting the title. Hero felt like a monster out there though and it should take a special challenger/performance to beat him. Rather good stuff here and maybe the best thing on a stacked show.

Post match Hero brags about his win until Ryan says he promised to shake Hero’s hand no matter what. Hero brings out the best in him but he doesn’t like how Hero talks to the crowd. The fans aren’t happy with Ryan praising Hero but do applaud the handshake and the hug. Then Hero lays Ryan out to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. The more I watch of PWG, the more I get the appeal. They put on some incredibly entertaining shows, though you are not exactly going to be getting much in the way of storylines. Instead, this is all about one action based match after another and it was a three hour show that flew by. Check this out of you can find it, as it was one of the easiest shows to watch that I’ve seen in a long time.

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Threemendous
Date: July 16, 2006
Location: Hollywood-Los Feliz JCC, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 350
Commentators: Disco Machine, Excalibur

So someone requested that I do this show…..oh seven or eight years ago now but I’ve finally gotten around to/remembered to do it. It’s back in the earlier days of PWG and I’m not sure if there is some kind of gimmick for the show. PWG has a history of some rather awesome show names and the tradition holds up in their earlier days too. Let’s get to it.

An unnamed man is in the ring and talks about how amazing it is for PWG to have been around for three years. He’s a bit hard to understand but he talks about fixing some problem and promises a special show tonight. Oh and buy concessions.

Disco Machine vs. Excalibur

Before the match, Excalibur talks (of course) talks about seeing some familiar faces around here but there are some people who might not know the history between these two. They have been together for a long time now and there have been questions about who is the better commentator. Excalibur says he can talk at length about absolutely nothing so he proposes a title match tonight: the winner earns the title of Best PWG DVD Commentator.

We get a guest referee who….is not named, which probably has something to do with the massive clipping that PWG releases have to do due to various rights issues. Commentary does let us know that the referee is named Patrick Hernandez. Good to know. Anyway they fight over arm control to start with Excalibur grabbing a top wristlock and flipping over. That’s broken up and it’s a standoff until Disco twists Excalibur’s fingers.

That’s broken up with a hiptoss and Excalibur drops some knees as the two of them talk about the referee allegedly being the inspiration for the Robin Williams movie RV. Disco gets red carded for a headbutt to the chest which lets Excalibur come back with a suplex for two. A catapult sends Excalibur outside for the big dive (which Disco said he didn’t know was coming) and they’re both down on the floor, leaving commentary to go over the company’s history.

Back in and Disco grabs a camel clutch before a suplex gets two. As Disco hits a backbreaker, commentary talks about airline experiences, including the lack of peanuts and package deliveries. Excalibur rakes the eyes to come back and grabs something close to a cobra clutch, setting up a German suplex for two. Disco chokes him to block a heart punch and a chokebreaker finishes Excalibur at 8:30.

Rating: C. I wouldn’t have bet on this having a definitive winner as it would have seemed destined to go to a draw. It wasn’t a match that meant much of anything as it was all about playing into the company’s history, which makes sense on an anniversary show. Excalibur never was much in the ring and he didn’t show me anything else here, but for a fun way to open the show and give the fans something to like, it worked well enough.

Ronin vs. Nemesis

Nemesis grabs a wristlock to start and armdrags him down, meaning it’s time to pose. Back up and Nemesis kicks him into the corner as the fans chant HELLO KITTY at Ronin in an old school callback. I mean, as old school as you can get in a promotion that is three years old. Nemesis sends him outside, teases the pose, and then misses a baseball slide.

Ronin gets in a shot to the ribs and sends him back inside for two off a suplex. Back up and Nemesis grabs a Cradle Shock for two and hammers away in the corner. What looks to be a running monkey flip out of the corner doesn’t go so well and Ronin is back with a swinging brainbuster for two. One heck of a lariat into a Death Valley Driver finishes Nemesis at 7:09.

Rating: C. Another just ok match here with two PWG regulars. The lack of story behind the match made it a bit difficult to get invested in what they were doing though, as they were just doing moves until someone won. Ronin has been on a lot of these PWG shows but has never really done much to get my interest up. Nemesis was just another guy here and while the match was watchable, it kind of came and went.

Top Gun Talwar vs. Colt Cabana

Cabana, who isn’t a very big guy, towers over Talwar. As a bonus, Cabana has two formal photos of some couples. Commentary says Cabana doesn’t know who they are, but that’s the pretty run of the mill for him. Then Talwar offers to fight from his knees….and seems to do a line of cocaine (commentary’s word). Cabana fights from his knees as well and scares Talwar outside, where he circles the ring on his knees.

Back in and they fight over wrist control as commentary talks about stabbing your leg after drunkenly staggering around your apartment. They lock hands and roll around until Talwar finally breaks out, leaving them to sit next to each other on the mat. Now it’s time to lay on each other for some near falls before Talwar’s rollup is countered with a crawl across the ring. Cabana sweeps the legs so Talwar winds up on all fours, where he crawls around with Cabana on his back. Yeah it’s that kind of a match people.

They tease a test of strength but Talwar stops to smell Cabana’s fingers. Now it’s a lockup with Talwar climbing the ropes without breaking contact. Said lockup stays on as they go outside, around the ring and through the entrance curtain. We can hear a bunch of stuff….and then the curtain is pulled back to reveal them having some tea. The referee grabs both of them by the ear and brings them back to the ring, where Cabana picks the ankle. The tease of a low blow is switched into a leg stretch, with Cabana talking until Talwar bites the fingers.

That’s not enough to escape so Cabana rocks them back and forth to make Talwar angrier. Back up and they gently slap it out (Excalibur: “Shades of Moe and Shemp.”) before heading outside again. Talwar is whipped towards the barricade but keeps running, only to trip over the steps. Cabana finds some resistance bands to tie around Talwar’s throat while getting in some exercise, only to have Talwar tie it around Cabana’s wrist.

The tug of war is on until Talwar pulls him in for a clothesline to take over. Back in and Talwar hits a spinning reverse DDT (the Chipolte) for two on Cabana as commentary makes fun of Ike Turner beating Tina Turner. Cabana misses the Flying Apple but counters another Chipolte into an inverted bearhug (meaning Cabana picks him up for a Tombstone and shakes him back and forth) for the win at 12:02.

Rating: C+. This match wasn’t for me and I’m not big on the comedy stuff, but they also didn’t do anything so stupid that it was ridiculous. Cabana doing his comedy stuff is his bread and butter and Talwar is one of those wacky guys who can make something like this work well enough. Not something I’d ever want to see again, but it could have been FAR worse.

Post match Cabana leaves and World Champion Joey Ryan runs in to beat up Talwar. A piledriver on the chair leaves Talwar laid out and Ryan brags about being the best PWG Champion of all time. The fans don’t like it, so Ryan piledrives Talwar on the chair again. Ryan wants Excalibur out here so here he is, just after Ryan hits a third piledriver on the chair. Good beatdown, but those sideburns make Ryan look like a joke rather than a serious guy.

Davey Richards/Kevin Steen/Human Tornado vs. Dynasty

Richards and company have Candice LeRae with them and the Dynasty is Chris Bosh/Scott Lost/Scorpio Sky, with Jade Chung. It’s a big brawl before (I think?) the bell and it all heads outside until the Dynasty is left laying. Back in and Davey kicks at Lost but the tiger driver 98 is blocked. Sky comes in to dance a bit so Richards shoulders him down as well. Tornado and Steen clear the ring with the Dynasty needing a breather on the floor.

After teasing leaving, the Dynasty comes back and slows it down a bit until we get to Tornado vs. Lost. A crossbody puts Lost down and his attempt at a low blow fails (that’s difficult to do). It’s off to Richards to strike away as commentary discusses why a low blow didn’t affect Tornado (I’ll let you figure that one out). Tornado comes back in for a dancing low blow on Scott and Bosh’s attempt at a low blow just hurts his hand. A leg trip takes Tornado down though and it’s Sky getting to stomp away in the corner.

Bosh and Steen (on the apron) exchange nipple twists before Tornado is sent face first into Sky’s rock hard abs. They certainly have some unique spots around here. Figure out if that is a good thing on your own. Sky heads outside where he gets beaten up by Steen and Richards, who have to be pulled off. Back in and Tornado gets elbowed in the face and Lost grabs a chinlock. Tornado fights up and this a neckbreaker, allowing the hot tag to Steen to pick up the pace. Richards comes in with a missile dropkick and it’s a German suplex for two on Lost.

Bosh and Steen slug it out but it’s right back to Sky to leg lariat Richards. With everyone else on the floor, Tornado hits a HUGE flip dive to wipe out the pile. Back in and Richards rolls Lost up for two but Sky takes Richards down with a jumping cutter. Bosh’s clothesline into a backbreaker gets two on Tornado and there’s a Stunner to Steen. That doesn’t work for Steen, who is back with a Rock Bottom to Bosh. Richards gives Sky a gutbuster and Lost has to break up a stretch muffler. Steen hits a great looking moonsault for two on Bosh but Sky clears them out and knocks Tornado silly with an implant DDT for the pin at 20:05.

Rating: B. Now this felt more like a PWG match as you had six guys in there starting off with a regular tag before going into the wild fight that it needed to be. The Dynasty looked like a team but since commentary isn’t about to offer any kind of insight into what is going on, they were just people who had somewhat matching gear. The other three were people who happened to be teaming together, as backstory or drawing people in isn’t exactly PWG’s strong suit.

Post match Steen grabs the mic and yells something at Richards that is kind of hard to understand but it doesn’t seem to go well. Richards grabs the mic and rants about a variety of things, including slipping in a gay slur. He seems ready for the Battle Of Los Angeles and is ready to take someone out. Steen appears to apologize to Tornado and they hug it out. I think that was a heel promo? Maybe?

Roderick Strong vs. TJ Perkins

Perkins is only 21 here and looks even younger than that. They start slowly with Strong tying him up, only to get pulled down into a cross arm choke. That’s reversed into the same thing from Strong. With that broken up, Perkins needs to tie his boot and Strong is nice enough to let him. Perkins wins a battle over wrist control but gets flipped over into an armbar. That’s reversed into a hammerlock from Perkins as the technical start continues.

Perkins fights out again and it’s another standoff, this time with Strong bailing to the floor for a seat in the first row. Back in and Perkins goes right back to the arm as commentary explains why it might not be great business for Strong to be a heel. Strong fights up and tries a kick to the ribs, which Perkins stops and spins around to drop Strong again. The front facelock goes on and is switched into a cravate as Strong can’t get anything going here.

The chop off goes a bit better for Strong, who manages to hit his first backbreaker. We hit the full nelson with Strong’s legs, followed by a less painful looking (for both of them) camel clutch. A torture rack backbreaker drops Perkins again but Strong pauses to yell at the fans. Strong hits a suplex for two and then slams him on the apron to make it worse. Back in and Strong ties their legs together and pulls on the arm for a rather nasty looking hold.

Perkins gets out and avoids a charge in the corner, setting up a high crossbody for two. Strong is back with an enziguri into a Falcon Arrow for two more but Perkins pulls him into a cross armbreaker. With that broken up, Strong hits the fireman’s carry gutbuster into the Sick Kick into the tiger driver for….two, in quite the kickout. Not that it matters as the Strong Hold makes Perkins tap at 18:56.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that would fit in PWG or Ring Of Honor as they kept it straight and went with one move after another until Strong, the bigger star, got the win. That is all you needed to do here and it was the lengthy match that didn’t feel boring or long despite getting a lot of time. Good stuff here as both guys are always worth at least a look.

Kings Of Wrestling vs. Cape Fear

That would be Claudio Castagnoli/Chris Hero vs. El Generico/Quicksilver. This is announced as impromptu, but there is no story given for why it was thrown together. Hero and Generico start things off with the fans WAY behind the Kings. Generico works on the arm but Hero cravates him down and it’s off to Quicksilver vs. Castagnoli. Some leg cranking has Quicksilver in even more trouble but he’s back up with a hurricanrana for two.

Hero comes back in and has to counter a monkey flip so it’s right back to Castagnoli to clothesline Generico. This time it’s Generico grabbing a hurricanrana of his own and Castagnoli is frustrated. Hero comes in without a tag and the Kings chop each other by mistake. Generico sends them outside for some dives as Castagnoli is busted open bad (via a gash from the previous night).

Back in and Hero makes a blind (but not deaf) tag to take Generico down. Hero chops him in the throat and Castagnoli adds an uppercut for two. A gorilla (appropriate) press drop onto the turnbuckle has Generico in more trouble and Hero comes in for a dropkick for two. Generico finally manages to armdrag Castagnoli into Hero and a flip over allows the hot tag to Quicksilver.

A middle rope spin into a Black Widow has Hero in big trouble as Generico hits a heck of a dive onto Castagnoli on the floor. Hero falls over to the ropes and suplexes Quicksilver down hard for the break. It’s back to Generico, whose corner run tornado DDT is countered into an uppercut from Castagnoli for two more.

Hero ducks the Yakuza Kick and hits Generico with one of his own but back to back dropkicks take him down. Castagnoli gets taken down by a hurricanrana on the floor and a brainbuster gives Generico two on Hero. That’s too far for Castagnoli, who LAUNCHES Quicksilver into some chairs at ringside. Back in and Hero flips Generico into a powerbomb from Castagnoli (cool) for the pin at 20:48.

Rating: B. This got going near the end but there were some long stretches of dull to get there. Generico is someone who can work well with anyone but the Kings were much better as a team. Good match here and it ate up a lot of time, though it never reached that point of being a classic or into a higher gear.

PWG World Title: B-Boy vs. Joey Ryan

Ryan is defending in a Battledome, meaning a TLC match inside a cage (though you win via pinfall/submission). The weapons are already in the cage and Ryan goes for the climb at the bell, only to have B-Boy throw a chair at the wall to cut him off. Ryan’s elbows are broken up and cut off with a single elbow to the face, followed by a heck of a kick to the chest.

There’s a clothesline to drop Ryan again and Excalibur gets in a jab at Konnan for some reason. Ryan gets blasted with a chair to the head and the blood is flowing early. The blood works well for B-Boy, who sends Ryan face first into the cage. Back up and Ryan sends him into the cage for a change (and his first major offense) to bust B-Boy open as well.

Ryan snapmares him down, sits in a chair, and grabs the chinlock to slow things down a bit. With that broken up like a drop toehold should be, Ryan drop toeholds him into the chair to make the bleeding even worse. A chair to the face lets Ryan grab a ladder, which is slammed back with a chair. Some ladder shots to the face have Ryan in more trouble and another shot takes out a cameraman.

The chairs are piled up for a Death Valley Driver to give B-Boy two more but the referee gets bumped. Therefore, Ryan tapping to B-Boy’s Crossface means nothing, allowing Ryan to come back with a spinebuster onto a chair for two. The table is set up near the corner and a superbomb through it gives Ryan two of his own. Ryan slaps the referee for the slow count so they slug it out (just go with it) until Ryan sends him into the cage over and over.

A Go To Sleep connects but there is no referee again. A second referee slides in to count two before checking on the bloody original referee. Ryan and B-Boy fight to the floor (escape doesn’t matter in this match) with B-Boy getting the better of things by throwing Ryan into the chairs. A cheap shot slows B-Boy down but he gets in a low blow. A double stomp onto some chairs keep Ryan in trouble as they have been on the floor for a good while now.

Ryan is back with a low blow and they climb the side of the cage until Ryan elbows him down through the table at ringside. Back in and B-Boy fights back and puts Ryan on a ladder, setting up a top rope cutter for the double knockdown. A VERY delayed cover gets two so B-Boy puts Ryan’s head through the ladder rungs. With a chair over Ryan’s head, B-Boy goes to the top of the ladder and double stomps down onto the chair.

Since Ryan is done, Scott Lost runs in to beat down B-Boy, including a Vertebreaker onto the pile of chairs. B-Boy is up at two so here is Human Tornado to take out Lost. Scorpio Sky and Chris Bosh run in to beat on Tornado so Kevin Steen, Davey Richards and Excalibur run in to clear some of them out. Everyone fights at ringside and Tornado sets up a table in the ring.

Tornado goes up top but flip dives onto the pile at ringside instead of moonsaulting onto Ryan through the table. B-Boy goes up top for a Superfly Splash through Ryan through the table for two (with the fans popping BIG for the near fall). With both of them down, Jade Chung comes in but Candice LeRae is right there to take her out. Ryan sends LeRae into the cage so B-Boy hits him with a chair. Chung makes the save this time so B-Boy gives her a GTS. That’s enough for Ryan to pour something on a cloth to smother B-Boy and knock him out to retain the title at 34:47.

Rating: C-. I don’t often get to say this, but you could have easily cut half of this off and had a better match. This was A LOT of filler, plus all of the insanity at the end. It doesn’t help that Ryan isn’t very good in the ring and seems to be more about reputation than anything else. The brawling was good but I was checked out about halfway through and just wanting this to end. B-Boy was ok here but he didn’t exactly feel like a top star. Good enough match, though its flaws are really bad.

We’re off the air with the ring announcer only getting to AND STILL.

Overall Rating: B-. This show hit a nice stretch near the middle but the main event didn’t work and the first few matches weren’t exactly great. Maybe this is just too early in its history, but the show didn’t have me wanting to race out to see more PWG. While it certainly isn’t a bad show, there is almost nothing on here that blew me away. Maybe jumping ahead a bit will help, but this was closer to mediocre than good.

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

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AND

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Pancakes And Piledrivers II
Date: April 7, 2018
Location: Sugar Mill, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Jake Manning, Marty DeRosa

This is a show from Pro Wrestling Revolver plus some other companies (AAW/Fight Club Pro), with the show being billed as the Indy Summit. The show took place over Wrestlemania XXXIV weekend and I had a ticket to this show but went to WrestleCon instead. Odds are I made a mistake but let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the promotions included for a nice change of pace.

Jeff Cobb vs. Shane Strickland

Yeah this is going to be fun, even with Matt Striker as ring announcer. At the very least, seeing Strickland’s Ain’t Nobody entrance is always awesome. Strickland hurts his arm on an early clothesline attempt so Cobb grabs him by the throat. A charge into the corner takes too long though, allowing Strickland to go up top. That’s fine with Cobb, who pulls him out of the air and hits the swinging belly to back toss. The huge beal out of the corner sends Strickland flying again as commentary mocks the building for being filthy but not allowing the advertised pancakes.

Strickland tries to come back with a chop, allowing Cobb to show him how one is properly thrown. They have the same exchange with forearms but Strickland manages a kick to the head into a German suplex. The running kick to the head gives Strickland two and a hard knee to the head makes it worse. The Swerve Stomp gets two but Cobb sends him into the corner for a running uppercut. A headbutt plants Strickland again and the Tour of the Islands gives Cobb the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C+. Nice opener here as we get one of the things that WrestleCon does well: putting together indy (well then indy) stars and letting them have a fun match. Strickland continues to feel like a star and it is no surprise that he has become a bigger deal. Cobb is a monster who can run over anyone and it is always fun to see him throw people around.

Post match Strickland thanks all three companies for putting the show on.

Colt Cabana/Marty DeRosa vs. Joey Ryan/Session Moth Martina

It’s still weird to hear Ryan being treated as some kind of awesome star. Martina on the other hand goes around the ring drinking with fans, which makes her seem rather popular. Grinding on everyone in the ring makes it even better (Better?) as this is going to be an interesting one. This is DeRosa’s, usually a commentator, debut and he has gear very similar to Cabana’s.

Ryan oils up and gives Cabana some for he and DeRosa to share. The bell rings and Ryan tells Cabana to touch it but, after an apology to the crowd, he declines. Ryan thinks DeRosa might do it instead so Cabana brings him in…and has to hold DeRosa back from touching it. DeRosa and Ryan trade wristlocks to start but Ryan still can’t get him to touch it. If that won’t happen, maybe DeRosa will touch Martina’s….uh, yeah.

Cabana is MORE than willing to try (Martina doesn’t seem to mind) but they’ll wrestle instead. Well maybe not as Martina grinds on Cabana to get out of a waistlock and Ryan tags himself back in. Cabana does his STOP, WHAT’S THAT and slaps Ryan in the face and annoyance begins to grow. DeRosa and Martina come in with DeRosa slapping her in the same way, which is NOT COOL with a lot of people. Ryan knocks DeRosa into the corner for a Bronco Buster (the long form) from Martina.

With DeRosa down, it’s time for the lollipop from Ryan’s trunks. Cabana breaks that up and it’s stereo Bionic Elbows to the….villains? DeRosa busts out a super hurricanrana for two, followed by a Figure Four. Cabana puts Martina in the Billy Goat’s Curse at the same time but Martina crawls on top of DeRosa’s face and bounces for the double break.

Then Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer starts playing (ok that’s a plus) and romance is teased….until DeRosa and Cabana’s hands are put between Ryan and Martina’s respective legs. There’s the double flip (with the referee falling down too) and Ryan pulls out a sucker/Martina pulls out a prophylactic from their tights, which go into Cabana and DeRosa’s mouths. Stereo superkicks are good for stereo pins for Ryan and Martina at 8:12.

Rating: F. This is the definition of a your mileage may vary match and that isn’t the best thing to see. Ryan’s shtick didn’t work for me before everything came out about him and it’s even more uncomfortable not. The match was pure “comedy” and barely a match, but what else were you expecting here? Absolutely not my thing and the kind of stuff I never need to see again.

Peace is made post match as Jim Cornette insults abound.

Eddie Kingston vs. Juice Robinson

Kingston comes out to David Starr’s music as the result of a lost bet. They go technical to start with Kingston working on a hammerlock before switching into a top wristlock. Back up and Robinson hits a spinwheel kick, setting up a Cannonball in the corner. A high crossbody gives Robinson two as commentary talks about Sami Callihan. Kingston isn’t having that and knocks him outside, setting up the big suicide dive.

Robinson’s piledriver attempt is countered into a backdrop on the floor, setting up a big whip into the barricade. Back in and the waistlock goes on to keep Robinson down, followed by the rapid fire (minus rapid fire) chops in the corner. That’s reversed into some chops from Robinson and a layout powerbomb gets two. Kingston runs him over again and NOW it’s time for the big chop off (which you knew was coming). Robinson gets in another shot and grabs Pulp Friction for the pin at 8:29.

Rating: C. That ending came out of nowhere and it wasn’t exactly a great match in the first place. This felt more like the match where someone said “hey they’ve never fought before” and that was the extent of the planning. Granted there is only so much that you can do with a story on this show, but this was just kind of there for the most part.

Fight Club Pro Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Kimber Lee vs. Jessicka Havok

Satomura is defending and this is the top title of the promotion (out of England, owned by Trent Seven) rather than the Women’s Title. Striker, ever the nitwit, insists that it IS the Women’s Title, even though that title doesn’t seem to have ever existed. Havok clotheslines both of them down to start and does it again to Satomura for daring to fight back.

Satomura and Lee get together and start striking away to take Havok down, leaving Lee to forearm away at Satomura for a bit. Some kicks to the head rock Lee but she’s back with a bridging German suplex for two. Havok is back in though and tosses Lee around with no trouble. Three straight running kicks to the face stagger Lee even more but Satomura forearms Havok away. A DDT sends Havok outside and Lee gets Death Valley Drivered for two. Satomura hits Scorpion Rising to retain at 6:06.

Rating: C. That was rather sudden as Havok never came back in after the DDT. Not having a title changed here isn’t exactly shocking and it was cool to see Satomura getting to showcase herself. Lee is someone I never could get into but she is talented. Havok on the other hand is a total monster that you get as soon as you see her. Perfectly fine match here, but I was expecting more.

AAW Title: Trevor Lee vs. ACH

ACH is defending and Lee’s (probably better known as Cameron Grimes) AAW Heritage Title isn’t on the line. Lee bails to the floor to start and grabs the mic, allowing him to complain about this show taking place at “eleven o’clock in the afternoon”. These people here don’t care that he was out late on Bourbon Street but all that matters is that he is going to win the AAW Title. Not some loser like ACH who can’t even get on another show this weekend, but a real champion.

After bragging about the money he is going to make, Lee gets hit in the face, only to have ACH miss the 450 back inside. A shot to the face knocks out ACH’s tooth or gum but he is fine enough to avoid the Cave In. ACH is back with a superkick into a brainbuster for…..the pin at 3:10!

Rating: C+. Sure why not, as Lee’s promo and then getting getting shut up so fast was funny, but the wrestling was barely half of this. Sometimes you need a fun match like this, even if it was probably a way to cut time on a loaded show. ACH really was a talented guy before he went a bit bonkers, while Lee would go on to a rather nice career.

Post match, Lee reminds us that he is STILL the Heritage Champion.

OVE vs. Brian Cage/Joey Janela/AR Fox

Tornado rules. That would be the Crist Brothers/Sami Callihan, who are billed under both of their names (Ohio vs. Everything and Ohio Is For Killers). Jake Crist isn’t waiting on the bell and flip dives onto everyone, setting up an Asai moonsault as we’re just getting started without a bell. Penelope Ford comes out to watch as Dave takes Fox inside for a wind up DDT. Janela high crossbodies Fox but gets clotheslined by Callihan.

Cage is waiting on him so Callihan spits in his face….which earns Callihan a heck of a discus lariat. Jake knocks Cage outside but his suicide dive is caught in a suplex because Cage can do that. Everyone else heads outside, leaving Janela to hit a big top rope flip dive. Dave goes up so Ford catches him and it’s a superplex onto the big pile. That’s too far for Callihan, who powerbombs Ford onto a slightly smaller pile, which has commentary freaking out. Not over what Ford did, which was more dangerous, but just what Callihan did. Hypocrites.

Back in and a bunch of strikes to the face leave everyone down as commentary talks about Ford’s Gizmo themed gear. OVE is back up with stereo superkicks but charge into superkicks. Fox avoids a charge though and hits a Spanish Fly, setting up a 450 for two. Jake is back in with a Death Valley Driver to Fox, setting up the spike Tombstone (Killing Spree) for….one?

Everyone is back up for the big staredown, with Cage hitting an F5 and Fox hitting a Death Valley Driver of his own, setting up a triple cover. OVE breaks up stereo triple superplexes so Fox knocks Dave down instead. Fox loads up a frog splash but Jake dives from the adjacent corner with a super cutter to knock Fox cold for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: B-. Thank goodness they went to the finish after that cutter because nothing was going to top that one. Fox was knocked silly and there was no reason to try anything else. The rest of the match was your usual insanity that comes with such a stipulation and it went rather well, at least partially helped because OVE is a regular team. That finish looked great though and it carried the match a lot higher.

PWR Scramble Title: Matt Palmer vs. Jake Manning vs. Caleb Konley vs. Trey Miguel vs. Clint Margera vs. Jason Cade vs. Ace Romero vs. Curt Stallion vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Myron Reed vs. Connor Braxton vs. Omari

Palmer is defending and this would be your OH COME ON match of the show, as there are TWELVE PEOPLE in this. Everyone but MJF jumps Palmer to start and toss him outside, leaving everyone else to brawl inside. Reed is left alone to dropkick Cade outside so Stallion comes in to dropkick him. Romero hits a dropkick to Stallion but the rather tall Braxton kicks Romero outside.

Palmer and MJF double team Braxton and we seem to have a partnership….until they both poke eyes and kick each other low, which is good for a handshake out of mutual respect. That’s always nice to see. Omari and Margera hit stereo flip dives onto the floor, followed by Miguel’s springboard flip dive. Manning’s top rope trust fall (while still reading his Boy Scout manual, as is his custom) takes everyone down, leaving Romero (nearly 400lbs) to hit his own dive, much to the fans’ delight.

Back in and we get the required Tower Of Doom, albeit with Palmer and MJF teaming together, teasing a split, and then splitting in the span of ten seconds. Braxton and Stallion double team Romero, with the former managing an impressive slam. Manning is back in with a backbreaker into a lifting Downward Spiral to Stallion and we hit the parade of secondary (or maybe primary) finishers. Omari takes Miguel out so MJF tries to steal the pin, only to get rolled up by Palmer (with trunks) to retain at 8:14.

Rating: C. Yeah it was fine and that’s all I can think of to say about it. What in the world are you supposed to do with a dozen people doing spot after spot for about eight minutes? Palmer stealing the pin doesn’t so much prove anything as he just was in the right place at the right time. That is how these matches always go and while they get a lot of people on the show, they almost never do anything for me as no one gets to stand out in the slightest.

Lucha Bros vs. Jack Evans/Teddy Hart

First half of a double main event and it takes a good while for the Bros to get here. As usual, Evans runs his mouth a lot before the match, which will likely continue after the bell. Fenix and Evans start things off and yes Evans is still running his mouth, which is rarely a good idea. They trade their flips until Fenix kicks the leg out for no count before flipping up into a standoff.

Hart and Penta come in and the chop off is on fast before Hart complains about the lack of respect. A Backstabber drops Penta and Evans springboards in to kick Fenix in the head. That leaves Hart to hit a hanging piledriver/DDT at the same time to drop both Bros. Evans does a triple backflip into the corner to poke Fenix in the eye, which he describes as never before seen. The Canadian Destroyer into the moonsault gives Hart two on Fenix but Penta is back in for a change.

The double teaming takes him down as well, only to have the Bros pop up for running corner clotheslines. Penta gives Hart a heck of a superkick into the corner, with Evans being tied in the Tree of Woe to put them on top of each other. Fenix flips Penta onto the pile before Evans is tied up in a surfboard. That’s not enough for Penta though, as Fenix pulls on the arms at the same time.

Since that doesn’t really work nearly as well as the single version would, Evans hangs on until Hart makes the save. Penta Canadian Destroyers Hart for two with Evans making a save of his own. A springboard doesn’t work for Evans as he falls off the top but he’s right back with a middle rope Phoenix splash for two as Fenix makes his own save.

Fenix hits a rolling cutter on Evans as the referee is trying to restore order for whatever reason. One heck of a Project Ciampa drops Fenix and Evans adds the 630 for two more. Penta powerbombs Evans onto his knee for his own near fall, setting up a stereo Pentagon Driver/Black Fire Driver to give the Bros the double pin at 10:34.

Rating: B-. I would call this the “well, what did you expect” special, as you know what you’re going to get when you have a match involving these people. There is nothing else to expect from these four getting into a match and they made it work well. Let them go out there and do their flips and dives to pop the crowd and that’s all you need. Fun stuff of course, despite being total junk food wrestling.

AAW/PWR Tag Team Titles: Besties In The World vs. Aussie Open vs. Rascalz

The Besties (Davey Vega/Mat Fitchett) are defending both sets of titles in a ladder match. The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier/Zachary Wentz) are debuting their name, having been formerly known as Scarlett And Graves (weird name). That leaves Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher/Mark Davis), who have nothing of note but I needed a reason to say their names. And yes, the Besties are the team who do their entrance to Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden and yes it is still amazing.

Hold on though, as Fitchett wants tables and chairs added in to the ladders because they’re hardcore! Vega: “NO WE’RE NOT!” Striker says everything is legal, despite it being a ladder match where everything is legal in the first place. A bunch of weapons are thrown inside as commentary talks about how ridiculous it is to have all of these totally unnecessary things underneath the ring.

Ladders and plywood are placed in the corner and Fitchett and Miguel are knocked into/through them. Vega goes up top and gets caught by a bunch of people who shove him through another plywood board. Aussie Open and the Rascalz slug it out with the bigger Fletcher being the last man standing. Wentz chairs him off the ladder though and goes up, allowing commentary to mock JR’s voice on the famous Jeff Hardy ladder climb.

With that broken up, Wentz hits a big step up dive onto a pile on the floor, followed by Fitchett’s running lip dive. Davis Arabian presses onto a bunch of people, leaving Xavier alone with a ladder in the ring. Instead of going for the belts, he climbs the ladder and shooting stars down onto the pile. Vega has used the delay to put a board over six chairs at ringside and superplex Wentz through it for the next big crash.

Back in and Fitchett kicks Xavier in the face but it’s Aussie Open cleaning house. Davis’ running forearm in the corner rocks Xavier and the Aussies both climb at once (Commentary: “No, no, no.”). Fitchett makes the save and the champs crush Aussie Open with ladders in the corner. The Rascalz are back in to kick the Besties down, including Wentz superkicking a chair into Fitchett’s face. Davis comes back in this time and powerbombs Xavier with one arm (dang) but gets kicked in the face by Wentz as well.

Xavier is back up to kick Fletcher and Fitchett down, leaving everyone on the mat. The Aussies catch Xavier going up and Fletcher dives off the top for a cutter (not quite OVE level but not bad). Wentz chops at the Aussies but gets thrown into a ladder in the corner for his efforts. That’s enough to dent the ladder so Fletcher gets on Davis’ shoulders but the champs turn it into a Doomsday Device. The Besties hit stereo piledrivers on the Rascalz (illegal in Louisiana) and retain the titles at 14:10.

Rating: B. It was a six man indy ladder match and that should tell you everything that you need to know. There were cool spots and a lot of carnage until one of the teams got the titles, which is exactly how something like this was supposed to go. It’s nothing great or memorable but for a big main event on a show like this one, it went well and was probably the best thing on the card.

Post match the Besties say that’s how you win gold together (Fan: “THEY’RE SILVER!”) but they want to call out….DAVID ARQUETTE??? AND HE’S HERE! Arquette pulls out a $100 bill scarf and says the Besties just want his money, before bragging about the big names he has faced. He says he’s a real champion and that WWE ruined WCW. Then he pulls off his jacket and reveals a NEVER BEEN PINNED shirt. Arquette seems to challenge the Besties to a match and leaves through the crowd to end the show on an awkward note.

Overall Rating: B-. I had fun and it only went a little over two hours so it didn’t overstay its welcome. What matters here is getting a bunch of people on a show and popping the crowd over and over. You don’t look for continuity or logic here and what we got here lived up to those requirements. It’s cool to see some of the non-WWE stars out there doing their thing and there is only one match that really didn’t work on the whole card. Fun stuff and I’m kind of regretting not taking it in live.

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Death Before Dishonor 2022
Date: July 23, 2022
Location: Tsongas Center, Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Ring Of Honor is back and that should be a good thing. The company certainly has a history and it is nice to see that history continuing, but there has only been a limited build to the show on AEW TV. Then again, Ring Of Honor has always been about the in-ring work more than anything else and maybe that is enough to make the show work. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Colt Cabana vs. Anthony Henry

JD Drake is here with Henry. Cabana takes him down by the arm to start but Henry spins out and strikes away in the corner. A sunset flip is blocked and Henry twists Cabana’s neck around to slow things down. Some more neck cranking sets up some kicks to the chest, which just fire Cabana up. Henry is fine with that and cuts him off with a piledriver for two.

Back up and Cabana grabs a spinning belly to back suplex, setting up the Flip Flop and (slightly delayed) Fly. The Flying Apple sets up a lariat to put Henry on the floor, meaning it’s time for Drake to offer a distraction. Henry sends Cabana into the barricade and drops a frog splash for two back inside. Cabana is fine enough to try the Billy Goat’s Curse, sending Henry over to the ropes. That’s fine with Cabana, who hits a moonsault for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C. It’s a Colt Cabana match and you probably know what you’re getting with one of those. Cabana isn’t going to be there to have some classic at this point, but rather to wake up the crowd and let them have a good time. That is something he can do as well as anyone else, making him a great choice for the first spot on a show like this. Perfectly watchable match, which did its job.

Zero Hour: Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. Trust Busters

That would be Eli Isom/Cheeseburger vs. Ari Daivari/Slim J. Daivari takes Cheeseburger into the corner to start and it’s off to Slim J, who was around way back in the earlier days of Ring Of Honor. A forearm gets Cheeseburger out of trouble and the tag brings in Isom to pick up the pace. An armdrag out of the corner drops Slim J and Cheeseburger comes back in to work on the arm.

That’s too much for Daivari, who offers a distraction from the apron and gets in a cheap shot to put Cheeseburger in trouble. That doesn’t last long either as Cheeseburger gets away again and brings Isom back in so everything can break down. Cheeseburger is sent outside so Slim J can hit a running cutter on Isom. Daivari’s frog splash is good for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C-. The match was ok enough, but is Slim J/Ari Daivari supposed to be interesting enough to do much of anything? They didn’t show anything to make them stand out here and odds are they’ll be used as cannon fodder for the bigger teams. I’m sure they’ll get some time before then, but that is only going to be so interesting at best.

Prince Nana announces that he has purchased Tully Blanchard Enterprises.

Zero Hour: Tony Deppen/Alex Zayne/Blake Christian vs. Tully Blanchard Enterprises

Prince Nana is here with Gates of Agony/Brian Cage. Deppen marches right at Deppen to start and hits him in the face a few times. You don’t do that to Cage, who hits a Bron Breakker gorilla press into a powerslam to shut that down in a hurry. Kaun comes in with a slingshot hilo to the back but misses a charge, allowing the tag to Zayne. A bit of house cleaning ensues, only to have Toa come in off a blind tag and run Zayne down.

Kaun comes back in and hammers away in the corner, setting up a side slam onto the top turnbuckle. Cage’s apron superplex gets two, with Deppen having to make a save. Zayne tries to fight back and gets wheelbarrow suplexed for his efforts. Another suplex is escaped though and the hot tag brings in Christian for a Phenomenal Forearm.

Christian’s big dive is cut off so Deppen adds his own dive to take the Gates of Agony down. Back in and Cage clotheslines Deppen but gets enziguried by Christian and Zayne. Everything breaks down and Deppen gets all fired up, even if he’s all alone. Kaun’s fireman’s carry gutbuster into something like a Dominator/running boot combination finishes Deppen off at 11:26.

Rating: C. Good action here, but do you really want three monsters like this to need the better part of twelve minutes to beat a thrown together team? The match was entertaining enough as Zayne can fly around rather well and Deppen has enough of a reputation with the fans, but I kept waiting on the dominance and it never happened. At least Nana feels like more of a fit here than Blanchard, which does say something.

Zero Hour: Willow Nightingale vs. Allysin Kay

Nightingale takes her down for an early two and hits an enziguri. Kay doesn’t mind and hits a kick of her own for two as the pace slows down. An STF doesn’t do much to Nightingale as she’s back up with a bulldog. The Babe Breaker is countered into a Kimura but Nightingale plants her down for two of her own. Kay’s sunset driver gets two more but Nightingale kicks her in the face and hits a Pounce. Back up and a gutwrench powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin at 7:49.

Rating: C. Another quick match without much impact here, but it is nice to see Nightingale getting a win. She has so much charisma and it is a lot of fun to watch her, but at some point you have to win something. This might not be some big breakthrough win, though it’s better than taking another loss. Now do something with her and see if you have a star on your hands.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jonathan Gresham

Castagnoli is challenging and William Regal is on commentary. Gresham has to avoid the running uppercut in the corner to start but Castagnoli powers him down by the arm. That works for Gresham, who uses his feet to pop the arm and escape. Castagnoli goes with the power again, this time grabbing the legs for the giant swing (complete with an overhead view for a cool change of pace).

Despite the dizziness, Gresham kicks the knee out and ties the legs up for a breather. That’s broken up with straight power and Gresham is kicked outside. Castagnoli’s leg is fine enough for an apron gutwrench superplex. Back up and Gresham kicks him in the leg again, setting up a quickly broken ankle lock.

Castagnoli can’t get the Sharpshooter and it’s another kick to the leg to hobble him again. Gresham gets another ankle lock, sending Castagnoli over to the ropes. A strike off goes to Castagnoli but the knee gives out on the UFO attempt. Gresham’s German suplex gets two but Gresham gets uppercutted out of the air. A heck of a lariat drops Gresham, with Castagnoli getting fired up. Some hammer and anvil elbows set up the Riccola Bomb to give Castagnoli the pin and the title at 11:34.

Rating: B. They didn’t have much of another choice here as Castagnoli has been pushed as a major star since he debuted. You need to give him something solid and the Ring Of Honor World Title would certainly qualify. Gresham was great, but at some point you need to go in a different direction and that is what they did here, albeit in a heck of a match with power vs. technical skills.

Respect is shown post match as Gresham doesn’t seem to be a full on heel any longer. William Regal looks so pleased with Castagnoli’s win.

Daniel Garcia doesn’t like the rules of the Pure Wrestling Title and wants to take it back to AEW and destroy it.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Righteous vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys

The Righteous (Vincent/Bateman/Dutch) are defending and have Vita VonStarr in their corner. Castle wrestles Vincent down to start but gets sent to the floor for some fanning. Back in and Bateman gets suplexed and Castle slams Brent onto him for two. Dutch comes in to run the Boys over and a suplex gets two on Brent. It’s back to Bateman, who misses a clothesline so Brent can roll over for the tag off to Castle.

Everything breaks down and Castle tosses the Boys over the top onto the champs for a cool visual. VonStarr offers a distraction though and it’s Dutch sending Castle outside. There’s the big running flip dive from Dutch, which is quite the crowd popper. Back in and Vincent’s Death From Above gets two, with Castle having to make a save. Castle takes Vincent outside for a hurricanrana, setting up the Bang A Rang to Bateman for the pin and the titles at 9:35.

Rating: C+. This is one of those matches that worked, even if it was something that could have been cut from the card without missing anything. The Six Man Tag Team Titles have always been a bit of a weird addition to Ring Of Honor but at least they gave us a feel good moment with the popular team getting them back. Not a great match or anything, but it was fun enough while it lasted.

Jay Lethal and company are ready to take the TV Title from Samoa Joe.

Pure Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta

Garcia is challenging and William Regal is on commentary. They go technical to start (shocking) with Yuta having to power out of an early arm crank. That means Yuta can put on a cross arm choke but Garcia is up with a headbutt for the break. Yuta gets sent outside for a whip into the barricade, setting up a suplex back inside.

A leg takedown lets Yuta pull him into a bow and arrow as Regal talks about hurting someone’s nose so their eyes water and they can’t see. What a villain he made. Back up and Yuta works on the arm so Garcia bites his ear (Regal: “Good for Daniel.”) for the break. Garcia stays on the ear (there’s something you don’t say often) but Yuta knocks him back, setting up a missile dropkick. A top rope forearm drops Garcia again as we hear about the attendance/pay per view buys, meaning it’s time to praise Tony Khan.

Yuta gets the better of a strike off and a German suplex gives him down. The hammer and anvil elbows rock Garcia but he flips out and hits some of his own. Garcia’s lean back Sharpshooter is reversed into a choke, which is reversed into a Regal Stretch of all things. Coleman: “Did you teach him to get out of your move?” Regal: “What do you think?” After Yuta escapes, a Boston crab sends Garcia over to the ropes for his first break. Garcia loads up some stomps but gets reversed into a quick cradle for the retaining pin at 15:57.

Rating: B. I don’t know if these two are ever going to be breakout stars, but they know how to work this style really well and that is what they did here. Throw in Regal on commentary (that “what do you think” line was great) and this was a heck of a match with both guys working hard and getting in one sweet counter after another. This style can be a lot of fun and they were nailing it here so well done.

Dragon Lee vs. Rush

Brother vs. Brother so they start with a hug instead of a handshake. Rush powers him into the corner to start before they hit the mat, with Rush grabbing an armbar. That’s countered into a rollup for two and they trade shoulders to no avail. Lee kicks him into the corner for a slingshot dropkick but Rush sends him outside for a heck of a running flip dive. The hard whips into the barricade rock Lee again, with Rush insisting that he is TRANQUILO.

Back in and Rush hits some boot scrapes in the corner, setting up a powerslam for two. Lee manages to kick him down though and knocks Rush outside, where he is sat on a table. That means a suicide dive, which drives Rush through the table and thankfully doesn’t end Lee. Back in and they slug it out, with Lee spitting on his hand before a chop. Rush finally takes him down but needs a breather of his own, meaning it’s a double down.

They chop it out on the apron until Lee charges into an overhead belly to belly to the floor (OUCH). Lee is somehow right back up with a hurricanrana and they’re both down again. Back in and Rush counters a charge into an overhead belly to belly suplex into the corner. The Bull’s Horns gets two, as commentary does their best WWE impression by swearing it’s over before the cover.

Lee is placed up top but knocks him into the Tree of Woe, setting up the Alberto double stomp for one. The Incinerator gets two more and Rush is in trouble. He’s in so much trouble that Lee checks on him, allowing Rush to knock him into the corner. The Bull’s Horns gives Rush the pin at 15:36.

Rating: B. This was the kind of hard hitting lucha match where you’re sure that one of them is going to knock themselves silly but it keeps being fun anyway. It’s a different style and the brother vs. brother deal made it even better. Lee is in the same vein as Rey Fenix as he can fly around so fast that it is hard to believe what you’re seeing, meaning it’s quite entertaining as always. That was the case again here, even if Rush’s Ring Of Honor dominance continues to give me some scary flashbacks. Another awesome match here.

We recap Mercedes Martinez defending the Women’s Title against Serena Deeb. They’ll both do anything to win.

Women’s Title: Mercedes Martinez vs. Serena Deeb

Deeb is challenging. They wrestle to the mat to start with neither being able to get the better of things. Back up and Martinez uses the power to run her over but Deeb is right there with an armbar to cut things off. Martinez powers up and hits a spinebuster, meaning Deeb needs to roll outside for a breather. They fight to the apron with Martinez knocking her backwards but getting caught with a hard spear.

Back in and Deeb busts out Diamond Dust of all things for two. Deeb slows things down a bit, which is enough for Martinez to snap off an overhead suplex. That doesn’t go well for Martinez, who gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some choking, followed by something like an abdominal stretch. Deebtox (double arm crank with a bodyscissors) has Martinez in big trouble but she flips her way out with more power.

They fight over a choke on the mat until Martinez is up with a hard shot to the face. Martinez puts her up top for a NASTY German superplex, with Martinez hanging on and not going down as well. Some hard strikes rock Deeb again but the TKO is countered into a rolling neckbreaker. Deeb grabs the Serenity Lock but gets reversed into a cradle for two. Martinez catches her on top with the OG Drop for two, so it’s the Brass City Sleeper to retain the title at 17:19.

Rating: C+. They had a nice story here with the power vs. technical skill, but it never quite hit that next level. The good thing is that they made it work well and the match didn’t feel anywhere near as long as it went. This is the title that needs to stay far away from AEW as it absolutely does not need three Women’s Titles, but it was a lot better than most of the Ring Of Honor women’s division over the years.

We recap Jay Lethal challenging Samoa Joe for the TV Title. Lethal and company took Joe out and kept demanding a title match. At the same time, Lethal is also Joe’s former student and wants to prove that he is the better man. Joe, as you might expect, is mad (in theory, as he hasn’t been on TV in over a month).

TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal, with Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh, is challenging. Joe jumps him on the floor before Lethal can even get in the ring and they start fast on the outside. A few cheap shots cut Joe off and Lethal hits his three suicide dives. Lethal’s charge is cut off with a chop but Singh drops Joe and crushes the arm against the post with a chair. They go inside for the opening bell (after a heck of a pre-match fight) but first, the referee ejects Singh.

Lethal goes after the injured arm but Joe manages to send him into the corner for the enziguri. That takes a bit out of Joe as well though and it’s a missile dropkick to give Lethal two. An enziguri drops Joe this time but he’s able to knock Lethal outside. The big dive drops Lethal and the fans are right back behind Joe. A hard clothesline and the snap powerslam give Joe two but Lethal is back with the Lethal Combination.

For some reason Lethal tries his own MuscleBuster, which is knocked away to set up a middle rope leg lariat to give Joe two. Joe’s MuscleBuster is countered into the Lethal Injection for two more and Lethal can’t believe it. Dutt offers a distraction with the lead pipe so Lethal can get in a belt shot for a VERY near fall. Back up and the Lethal Injection is countered into the Koquina Clutch to retain Joe’s title at 12:27.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what the deal is with Joe at the moment as he has been gone in recent months and then had a shorter than expected match here. It’s nice to have him back, but hopefully he is around a little bit more than he has been recently. Good enough match here, though Lethal losing again isn’t quite a great sign for his future.

We run down the Fight For The Fallen card, including Bryan Danielson’s return to the ring.

We recap the Briscoes vs. FTR. They have a huge rivalry, including their likely Match Of The Year at Supercard of Honor. Now it’s time for a 2/3 falls match to settle the score once and for all.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Briscoes

FTR is defending and this is 2/3 falls. Mark and Harwood take their time locking up until Mark hits a shoulder for a standoff. Harwood takes him down for a change and Mark isn’t sure what to do here. An armbar starts in on Mark’s bad arm and it’s Wheeler coming in to stay on it. Mark armdrags his way to freedom and hits a bit of Redneck Kung Fu to give himself a breather. Jay comes in to stare Harwood down before grabbing a hurricanrana of all things.

Harwood is knocked outside and hang on as he has to be looked at by the doctor. We settle back down to Wheeler chopping and suplexing Jay, setting up a drop toehold. Harwood comes back in to drop an elbow but Jay gets up and brings Mark back in to slug away. That means Wheeler needs a breather of his own but Mark isn’t having that and tosses him right back in. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Wheeler manages to counter a leapfrog into a powerslam.

There’s the tag back to Harwood for the rolling German suplexes but a Jay distraction lets Mark get a rollup for two. The Bang Bang Elbow is blocked by a heck of a clothesline from Wheeler, leaving Harwood to DDT Jay for two of his own. Harwood gets catapulted into the post though and it’s a Doomsday Device to give the Briscoes the first fall at 16:28.

After a quick break between falls, Jay kicks Harwood outside for the hard chops from Mark. Harwood’s chest is busted open (geez) as Jay sends him into the barricade and then takes it back inside for more chops. Mark grabs a headlock of all things until Harwood suplexes his way to freedom. A belly to back superplex still isn’t enough for the tag though as Jay makes a save. Redneck Boogie gets two and we hit the chinlock again.

Harwood fights up and they slug it out until he falls backwards into the tag to Wheeler (nice). House is cleaned with a hard clothesline to Mark, setting up a brainbuster for two. The Gory Bomb gets two more, even as Harwood cuts Jay off. The fight heads outside (Coleman: “Spanish announce table, not us!”) with Mark being sent into various things. A high crossbody gives Wheeler two but Jay gets in a bell shot for a rather near fall (and what feels like a heel turn). The Death Valley Driver into the Froggy Bow gets the same but Harwood flapjacks Mark onto the steps. Back in and the Big Rig to Jay ties us up at 29:35 total.

Wheeler and Mark, both bleeding, trade headbutts with Mark getting the better of things before Rock Bottoming Harwood. Mark and Harwood chop it out on the apron until Redneck Kung Fu drops Harwood to the floor. There’s the apron Blockbuster, setting up a superkick from Jay back inside. The Jay Driller is countered into a hard piledriver for two (and the fans aren’t that interested in the kickout).

Mark is back up so Wheeler has to break up the Doomsday Device. An errant right hand drops the referee by mistake, meaning Jay gets no count after dropping Harwood. Yet another Doomsday Device is broken up so the Briscoes do it again for two on Harwood, leaving everyone down. Back up and Wheeler slugs it out with Mark until they can’t quite suplex each other over the top. That leaves Harwood and Jay to slug it out with Jay getting the better of things.

The Briscoes grab stereo camel clutches but FTR locks hands (ala their match against DIY in NXT) and then grabs the rope for the double break. Mark goes up but Wheeler is right there with a belly to back superplex through a table on the floor, leaving Jay stunned. Harwood and Jay slug it out again until Harwood catches him on top. A middle rope piledriver is enough to finally finish Jay to retain the titles at 43:36.

Rating: A. What else is there to say here? I’d put it just a hair beneath the Supercard of Honor match but it takes something special to go almost 45 minutes and keep it at this kind of a level. This felt like an absolute war, with Harwood hitting the big finisher to finally put Jay down. There was way this couldn’t headline the show and they more than delivered in another Match of the Year candidate.

Post match FTR high fives a bunch of people around the ring and calls in the Briscoes for some respect. Harwood says he f’ing loves this and wrestling saved his life. Call him an f’ing mark if you want but he’ll see you on Dynamite. Top Guys out.

The Blackpool Combat Club comes out to applaud FTR and we might have some new challengers. It isn’t like there is another team worth challenging FTR on the ROH roster so that makes sense.

Overall Rating: A-. As usual, this worked well because they focused on the wrestling rather than the mostly non-existent storytelling. That is where Ring Of Honor tends to shine and it worked very well here. I’m still not sure where Ring Of Honor is going, but they still need their own show instead of just a bunch of one off (and great) events. The main event is more than worth watching, but there is a lot of other good stuff on the show to make it worth seeing. Great show here, and a good next step for Ring Of Honor, assuming they have a path forward anytime soon.

Results
Colt Cabana b. Anthony Henry – Moonsault
Trust Busters b. Shinobi Shadow Squad – Frog splash to Isom
Tully Blanchard Enterprises b. Alex Zayne/Blake Christian/Tony Deppen – Running boot/Dominator combination to Deppen
Willow Nightingale b. Allysin Kay – Gutwrench powerbomb
Claudio Castagnoli b. Jonathan Gresham – Riccola Bomb
Dalton Castle/The Boys b. Righteous – Bang A Rang to Bateman
Wheeler Yuta b. Daniel Garcia – Rollup
Rush b. Dragon Lee – Bull’s Horns
Mercedes Martinez b. Serena Deeb – Brass City Sleeper
Samoa Joe b. Jay Lethal – Koquina Clutch
FTR b. Briscoes 2-1

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