IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: December 18, 2019
Location: Express Live, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana
Host: Ian Riccaboni

We’re at the end of the year now and that means things are going to be….well pretty much just a placeholder show. With Final Battle out of the way and the holidays upon us, this is going to be an unrelated show, which likely means a bunch of stuff from their multitude of Honor Club shows. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Everything tonight is from Unauthorized.

Clips of Jefe Cobbo/El Villainisto vs. Delirious/Mini Delirious with Mini Delirious taking the fall to get unmasked as Swoggle. Yeah Unauthorized wasn’t the most serious show. Colt Cabana: “It’s Little John Studd!”

Ian welcomes us to the show and explains the idea of Unauthorized: it’s a comedy show, though he doesn’t actually use those words.

Cheeseburger/Bouncers vs. Dalton Castle/Flip Gordon/Kenny King

That would be Cheeseburger/Double Cheeseburger/Triple Cheeseburger vs. Dalton White Castle/Burger Flip Gordon/Kenny Burger King to give you an idea of what we’re doing here. Gordon tags himself in to start with Beer City Bruiser, with the waistlock going as badly as you would expect. A big chop puts Gordon down and it’s time for the snap jabs into the toothless bite. Castle and King get the lack of teeth as well so it’s off to King vs. Cheeseburger (with the hat).

Some armdrags make Cheeseburger lose the hat so King takes bite out of the thing. Back up and Cheeseburger takes King’s leg out and climbs onto his back to bend the arm a bit. We take a break and come back with Cheeseburger in trouble and Castle drawing in Milonas so a lot of stomping can ensue. Gordon does the same thing to Bruiser and Milonas and it’s a triple stomp because the Bouncers aren’t that bright.

Actually the referee catches them and in the argument, Cheeseburger crawls through the legs and makes the tag to Milonas. Eh point for a clever idea. Gordon dives into a swinging sitout Boss Man Slam, setting up Bruiser’s middle rope splash for two. The Bouncers help Cheeseburger on a Canadian Destroyer to Gordon but a rope grab breaks it up. We get the big fight over the superplex until the Bouncers suplex all three of them at once.

King hits an Arabian press onto a bunch of people on the floor and it’s Cheeseburger, Bruiser and Cheeseburger fighting on the stage. Cheeseburger gets thrown onto the pile and Gordon teases a dive, only to flip off the crowd. Bruiser does the dive instead and it’s Cheeseburger hitting a palm strike on Castle, only to get rolled up by Gordon for the pin at 14:05.

Rating: C. Yeah this isn’t something that hasn’t been done better before, but doing this at a show like this is fine. It’s designed to be a comedy match and they weren’t hiding that, which helps a lot. This is something that’s ok to do when you’re in on the joke and that was the case here.

Clips of the ten man tag, which included Ian Riccaboni, a referee, a cameraman and Gary Jester teaming with Colt Cabana to win a glorified handicap match.

Brian Zane’s Top Five of the week looks at the best managers with Truth Martini at the top. Makes sense as there aren’t a lot of big managers to pick from around here.

TK O’Ryan comes out in street clothes and talks about being hurt by Vinny Marseglia and Matt Taven. They’re not his friends but he’s been associated with them for a long time. Last night Marseglia put an end to the team and he wasn’t brought in to the party. A few years ago, O’Ryan was brought in cold with no fanfare and two months later, he was a Six Man Tag Team Champion. He loves this company and there is a better way.

The last few weeks have been very difficult for the three of them but if you go back a few months, there is something he never told anyone in wrestling: he had a head injury and people started passing him by. He feels like a horse without a stable and he isn’t sure if he’ll ever wrestle again. It’s true that he hasn’t been the nicest guy but people can change. He has been receiving a bunch of messages from fans, who are the biggest supporters in the world and he’ll never forget that.

This may be his only chance to say thank you and that is what he wants to do right now. If he’s ever able to wrestle again, he’ll be back as a man that everyone can be proud of. This was clipped but it was a heck of an emotional speech and after having no feelings about O’Ryan ever, I want to see him come back. It sounded legitimate and that’s hard to take no matter who you are. Hopefully he gets better soon.

Clips from some Unauthorized matches.

Brian Johnson is tired of failing and promises to make 2020 a year of change.

Lifeblood vs. Dragon Lee/Rush

Mark Haskins/Tracy Williams for Lifeblood (Is there anyone left for the team?) and this is under Lucha Rules. Lee and Haskins start things off and go to the mat early on with Haskins not being able to get the full cross armbreaker. A standoff sends us to an early break and we come back to Rush coming in to face Williams. The missed flips begin until Rush dropkicks him out to the floor.

Haskins won’t let him down though, allowing Lee to hit his own dropkick. Everything breaks down and it’s Haskins vs. Lee, as the lack of tags makes sense. Haskins and Williams fire off knees to Lee’s chest and a double kick gets two. Haskins starts working on the arm in various painful ways, including a YES Lock. That’s switched into the Rings of Saturn, sending Lee’s leg onto the rope.

The slugout is on until Lee hits a hard dropkick, allowing the hot tag to Rush so everything can break down. Lee and Rush load up stereo dives but roll into double Tranquilo instead. Back from another break with Lee biting Williams’ ear and Rush coming in for a half crab. Lee grabs a leg of his own and we hit the posing hold. Haskins makes the save but gets sent outside, only to have Williams get kicked down again, requiring a second straight save. Williams fights back and kicks both of them to the floor, setting up a double Lifeblood dive to the floor.

Back in and Lee chops the heck out of both of them until the strikes get the better of him. A Death Valley Driver into a Samoan Driver/powerbomb combination gets two with Rush having to make the save. Williams hits an elevated DDT onto the top on Rush but Lee comes in with a top rope double stomp for the save. Lee brainbusters Haskins and jumps over the top to hurricanrana him off the apron. The Bull’s Horns hits Williams for the pin at 16:01.

Rating: B+. This was all action and I had a blast with it. Lee and Rush are two of the best around right now and you got a great example of the in-ring talent that they have around here. That’s where Ring of Honor keeps its reputation: when you strip away everything else, you get a heck of a match with four talented guys going out there and tearing the house down. I had a great time with this and it’s one of the best things Ring of Honor has done in a long time.

Overall Rating: B. I know it’s a special show and not something you can do every week but this was a lot of fun and the kind of show that they needed to do. Sometimes the solution to the problem, at least in the short term, is to have a fun wrestling show and that’s what we got here. The main event was a blast and worth your time, with the opener being entertaining as well. Good stuff all around here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: July 24, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

We continue with the post Best in the World fallout this week and that means….well it could mean a lot of things actually as this place doesn’t exactly have the easiest schedule to follow. We could be in for a variety of things around here and as usual, that can be quite the mixed bag. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dalton Castle vs. Jonathan Gresham vs. Jeff Cobb vs. Kenny King

One fall to a finish. Everyone is in the ring and the bell rings less than five seconds after we start in the arena. King lets Castle have Cobb, who blocks a waistlock without much effort. Back up and Cobb hits a heck of a dropkick before it’s off to King vs. Gresham. They slug it out until King kicks the leg and sweeps it away, setting up a knee to the head for two. Castle comes back in to work over Gresham in the corner as this is feeling like a tag match.

Gresham gets caught on the mat and it’s King coming back in for a springboard clothesline. Even commentary talks about this basically being a tag match early on. We take a break and come back with very little fanfare as King carries Gresham back into the corner for a tag to Castle. An AA into a splash gives Castle two with King not even inching over for a save.

The Bang a Rang is broken up and Gresham grabs two off a rollup. King comes back in and mocks Cobb, allowing Castle to pull Cobb to the floor. Castle tags himself back in but King does the same as the argument is on. Gresham is smart enough to quietly sneak over for the tag to Cobb (Is that really smart though? Cobb is fresh and a monster, but this has been a weird match all around.) so house can be cleaned.

Running elbows in the corner have Castle and King in trouble until Castle hits the reverse Sling Blade. King hits a Blockbuster for two on Gresham but Cobb is back up with a Jackhammer for the same. With the wrestling not working, King brings in a woman’s shoe. Gresham takes it away though and knocks King silly, setting up a rollup with tights to give Gresham the pin at 13:00.

Rating: C-. What a weird match. The psychology was all over the place as they really did seem to act like it was a tag match instead of the four way they were going for. You had people tagging out and then standing on the apron during covers, which misses the point pretty badly. The wrestling was good but think this stuff through.

The Shinobi Shadow Squad wants the Six Man Tag Team Titles. Well I want this team to be gone so you can’t have everything you want.

Video on Sumie Sakai, who is back soon. Great indeed.

Video on the Guerrillas of Destiny stealing the Tag Team Titles from the Briscoes.

We look back to last week with Maria Manic beating people up and the Kenny King/Rhett Titus segment.

Video on the Soldiers of Savagery debut and ensuing destruction.

Soldiers of Savagery vs. Primal Fear

The jobbers get punched in the face to start things off and it’s a double chokeslam to knock one silly. The other jobber gets the same for the pin at 46 seconds. Exactly what it should have been.

Jay Lethal yells at Gresham for cheating lately. Gresham doesn’t want to hear it and walks away but Gresham says this place is changing. He’s going to be the best in the world however he needs to do it. Gresham just pinned King, which Lethal couldn’t do. Think about that.

We look back at Flip Gordon joining Villain Enterprises at Best in the World. The destruction of Lifeblood followed.

Here’s Lifeblood for a chat. Mark Haskins rants about Villain Enterprises stealing Flip and him stabbing them in their backs, so get out here right now. Cue the Villains, with Flip shaking everyone’s hand but going to the back because he’s banged up (not mentioned here, though you can see him holding his arm after the 450 at Best in the World). A challenge is tossed out and Lifeblood wants to make it a street fight.

Villain Enterprises vs. Lifeblood

Non-title and Villain Enterprises (PCO/Brody King/Marty Scurll) are in trouble early on. Back with Bandido diving onto King as Haskins beats up Scurll. King gets sent into the barricade as Bandido loads up a table. Some chairs are brought in as well with PCO’s powerbomb to Williams being broken up. Haskins comes back in to try and take over but a left hand to King doesn’t do much good.

A chair shot to his back lets King hit a swinging Boss Man Slam for two but it’s Williams coming back in with the kendo stick, including wrapping King’s bad wrist around said stick. PCO makes the save and tells Williams and Bandido to beat him up with the chairs. That’s fine with him as he runs the chairs over, leaving King to cannonball off the apron to take out Bandido and Williams.

The monkey flip into the second cannonball sends PCO flying onto the two of them as it’s all the Villains. Scurll puts Haskins in the Boston crab and PCO drops the middle rope leg, followed by a backsplash onto a chair onto Haskins. Back from a break with Haskins being saved from a superplex through a bunch of tables. That lets Bandido and Williams powerbomb King through the chairs for two in an impressive kickout. Scurll fires PCO up so PCO goes to the top, only to get hurricanranaed to the floor and through the table in a heck of a crash.

That leaves Haskins to Sharpshooter Scurll, with Williams adding a Crossface with the kendo stick. King makes the save and sends both of them to the floor for the big flip dive. Scurll backdrops PCO onto everyone but Bandido superkicks Marty outside as well. You don’t set up a luchador like that and it’s the corkscrew moonsault onto everyone and we take a break.

Back with Bandido hitting a GTS on PCO to set up the 21 Plex onto a chair with King having to make another save. Haskins and Williams beat the heck out of King with the kendo sticks and then smash a chair into his face with the stick for a bonus. Scurll comes back in with the umbrella but Bandido is up with an umbrella shot to Marty on top. Scurll snaps his fingers on top though, only to have Bandido poke him in the eye and hit the super flipping fall away slam through a table to finish Scurll at 19:03.

Rating: B+. Oh yeah this worked. This was all about the violence and insanity, with one big spot after another. I know the story is there and Flip can’t do anything with the injury, but what we got here was a lot of fun with Ring of Honor knowing how to just let people go out there and beat each other up. Check this out if you want a crazy match.

The Briscoes are ready to fight Dragon Lee and Rush next week, with some Spanish thrown in.

A video on the Briscoes vs. Rush/Lee wraps things up.

Overall Rating: B. This has to be the weirdest TV show of the week. I can’t remember the last time I was excited to see the show because the stories aren’t there, but once they get in there and just have the wrestling, it winds up being pretty consistently entertaining. They need to make some changes, but what they had here was good. Just find some more interesting characters and stories to go with the wrestling and they would be gold.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: June 5, 2019
Location: The Odeum, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Things have been going fairly well for the company as of late and that’s rather nice for a change. The problem is I’m not sure how long that can last, as there are a lot of problems that need to be fixed around here. Hopefully things stay as good as they have been in recent weeks, though this company doesn’t have the best track record. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Allure to talk about how they’ve brought credibility to the Women of Honor. They started a revolution a long time ago and it’s time to believe in then. We hear their resumes and they know how to make an impact. That’s why they debuted at the biggest show of the year in Madison Square Garden. And for all the Twitter trolls hiding in their mom’s basement, Mandy Leon is the foundation of the Women of Honor division.

Cue Jenny Rose and Kelly Klein for the brawl with Velvet Sky bailing to the floor. A hairspray blast blinds Jenny and the Allure gets out. Klein wants to know what the three of them have done lately and the challenge is laid out for anytime and anywhere. This still feels so out of place around here.

Bouncers vs. Kingdom vs. Coast to Coast vs. Young Lions

One fall to a finish. LSG shoves Milonas in the face for some reason and is shoved down with ease. Marseglia comes in instead but the chops don’t do much on the big man. The huge crossbody drops Marseglia so it’s off to Bruiser for some snap jabs. Marseglia gets smart and kicks at the knee before going after Bruiser’s teeth….which don’t exist.

Alex Coughlin takes himself in and gets Clark Conners to help with a double hiptoss on O’Ryan. The Lions start cleaning house and it’s a Cannonball from Bruiser to take out Coast to Coast. Back from a break with Conners taking a double flapjack from the Kingdom and a legdrop/backsplash combination getting two. We settle back down to Ali hitting a slingshot hilo for two on Conners, followed by a double slam for two more.

Conners finally slips out of a suplex attempt and the hot tag brings in Coughlin to clean house. A missed charge in the corner allows Bruiser to tag himself in though and everything breaks down again. Marseglia comes back in to start kicking people in the face but gets sent into a sitout Boss Man Slam.

Coast to Coast hits a Stroke/Downward Spiral combination on Bruiser but the Lions and Kingdom are back in. House of 1000 Horses drops Conners though and Ali gets two, with Bruiser shoving LSG onto the cover for the break. Coughlin tries to clean house but gets crushed in the corner, setting up Closing Time to give Milonas the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C. The Bouncers continue to grow on me as they’re fitting in well for the fun team spot, which isn’t the worst place in the world to be. The Young Lions losing doesn’t hurt them so this was hardly a devastating loss. If nothing else it’s nice to not see the Kingdom win again so this was a nice surprise.

Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams are ready for Bully Ray, even though Lifeblood’s numbers are down. PJ Black comes in to offer his services but they walk away.

We look at Colt Cabana winning the NWA National Title and being challenged by James Storm after the match. The title match is next week in Chicago.

We look back at last week’s show with Silas Young’s exhibition and Kenny King defeating Jay Lethal using Lethal’s own Lethal Injection.

We get a video on Jeff Cobb, who is challenging for the World Title at Best In The World. He was born in Baltimore but moved to Guam, where he managed to make the US Olympic team. He didn’t fare well and now he wants to be the best in the world in Ring of Honor.

Josh Woods vs. Maverick Boone

Woods powerbombs him down and hits the Seismic Toss for the pin at 54 seconds.

Yuji Nagata/Satoshi Kojima vs. Evil/Sanada

The crowd wastes no time in the ALL THESE GUYS chants as Nagata forearms Sanada to start. They go to the mat and it’s an early standoff. They shake hands and Sanada kicks him in the ribs, which you don’t do to an old wrestler. Nagata kicks at the leg and brings in Kojima for some kicks of his own. We pause for some chest bouncing between Sanada and Kojima until Evil trips Kojima to take over.

Sanada ties Kojima up in the Paradise Lock for the running dropkick. Back from a quick break with Kojima kicking and DDTing his way out of trouble. That’s enough for the diving tag off to Nagata so house the hard kicks can continue. The exploder suplex gives Nagata two and it’s time to forearm it out. Nagata’s big kick is countered but he blocks another Paradise Lock attempt. Instead it’s the Nagata Lock but Evil finally comes in for the break. The freed Sanada hits a springboard dropkick to Nagata and hands it off to Evil, who gets dropkicked in the knee.

That’s enough for the tag to Kojima for the rapid fire chops to both of them in the corner. A top rope elbow gets two on Evil but the discus lariat is countered with a rake to the eyes. Evil gets two off a clothesline but Nagata breaks up the Magic Killer. The Koji Cutter gets two on Evil, followed by the brainbuster for the same. Evil and Kojima trade standing switches until Sanada comes back in for a dropkick, setting up the Magic Killer for the pin at 12:16.

Rating: C+. I’ve never been a fan of Nagata’s but this was a fun match with the old guys looking good and Evil/Sanada getting a bit of a statement win over the legends. It was a smart move for a TV main event as these fans are going to cheer this kind of stuff every single time. Sometimes it’s ok to not have a storyline main event and that’s what they did here.

Here’s Dalton Castle to talk about what has been going on with him. He has come to terms with the fact that he lost at Supercard of Honor. It was a spectacular loss though because Rush beat him in sixteen seconds. It’s ok though because Rush is a dirty, filthy cheater. That’s why Castle wants a match with Rush…..’s brother Dragon Lee. Rush is going to pay with his family’s health as Castle breaks every bone in Lee’s body.

Cue the Boys, now in regular gear, to beat Castle down and knock him to the floor. Castle fights back though and sends them into the barricade and various other hard objects. Boy #1 is put on a table and Castle powerbombs #2 onto him but not through the table. Castle yells a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The streak of good shows stumbled here but it’s not quite done yet. This was a show where they threw in some of the less important stuff and I have a feeling that’s going to be the case next week as well. There was nothing bad here though and that’s certainly better than some of the things that happen around here on some occasions. The Castle segment worked well and hopefully they can keep building up the midcard like this.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: May 8, 2019
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Rhett Titus

It’s hard to say what we might be getting this week as last week’s return show after the trip to New York wasn’t the most thrilling in the world. It wasn’t bad by any means but I was expecting a little bit more. Maybe we get that tonight, but you really never can tell around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Eli Isom vs. PJ Black

Isom gets the better of the wristlock exchange to start and it’s an early standoff. Back up and Black gets in an armdrag into some legsweeps but Isom hits a jumping knee to the face. A springboard missile dropkick is countered into Black’s Boston crab, which is reversed into a rollup as we take a break.

Back with Black cranking on both arms and grabbing a Billy Goat’s Curse of all things. That doesn’t last long so it’s a springboard high crossbody instead, with Isom rolling through for two. A German suplex gives Isom two more and it’s time for the not very dramatic exchange of strikes. Isom muscles him up for a Death Valley Driver but slips off of a springboard, allowing Black to hit a springboard 450 for two. The moonsault double knees to the chest finish Isom at 8:41.

Rating: C-. I’m still not feeling Black most of the time as there’s the same vibe from him as the Motor City Machine Guns, who feel like they have every single thing planned out at times. The match was the usual fine opener and I like Isom more and more every time I see him. There isn’t much to say here, but it was far from bad.

We recap the build to some of the matches on the War of the Worlds tour.

Ray Lyn vs. Kelly Klein

Non-title. Before the match, Ray says she likes Klein but doesn’t respect her and won’t shake her hand. Klein is NOT her champ, so Klein shoves her into the corner to start things off. We take another very fast break and come back with Lyn hitting a running knee in the corner but having her high crossbody reversed into a fall away slam. Klein gets in some running strikes in the corner, setting up K Power for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: D. So Klein is a face now? There isn’t anything about her that sounds like a face, but that hasn’t stopped wrestling companies from calling it a turn anyway. The match wasn’t a squash with Ray getting in some offense before getting crushed, though Klein as the star face of the division against Allure isn’t going to work. Granted it’s still better than whatever they’ve been doing for the last year plus.

Post match Klein commands respect from Lyn, who does shake her hand. Lyn leaves and Klein talks about being the fighting champion. Allure cares about their online presence and their looks but she cares about wrestling. That’s what Women of Honor is about but here are Velvet Sky and Mandy Leon. Angelina Love sneaks in with a bicycle kick so here’s Jenny Rose for a failed save attempt. Rose gets the lipstick branding, and yes we are supposed to believe that this isn’t a Beautiful People rehash.

We look at Rush beating Dalton Castle in 16 seconds at Madison Square Garden, causing Castle to snap and beat up the Boys.

Here’s Castle for his first comments since New York. The fans want to know where the Boys are as Castle says he owes some people some explanations. That starts with the Boys, who very hesitantly come to the ring. What happened in MSG was a mistake and he wants to make things right. It was frustration and Castle took it out on the two of them. He isn’t willing to throw that away because of a mistake and they should move forward. They hug…and he beats them down again, including taking their masks, because that’s exactly what he should do.

Tracy Williams/Mark Haskins vs. Vinny Marseglia/TK O’Ryan

The Kingdom jumps them at the bell but get sent to the floor in a hurry as we settle things down. It’s an O’Ryan distraction so Marseglia can hammer away on Haskins before it’s O’Ryan coming in legally. A blind tag brings Williams in for the kick to the chest and it’s time to start on the arm. The Kingdom gets tied together and kicked in the chest, setting up a double camel clutch (with the legs still tied together) as we take a break. Back with Williams in trouble in the corner and favoring his arm.

Marseglia suplexes him back into the corner and O’Ryan slaps on a top wristlock. A raised boot in the corner lets Williams hit a middle rope Fameasser, allowing Haskins to come in off the hot tag. The Crossface into the Rings of Saturn has O’Ryan in more trouble until Marseglia pulls him to the rope. That’s fine with Williams, who hits a frog splash to continue the Radicalz tribute offense. The shoulder goes out on a powerbomb attempt so it’s an ankle lock to O’Ryan instead. Marseglia makes a save so Haskins grabs the pull back Sharpshooter to make O’Ryan tap at 9:51.

Rating: B-. Lifeblood may have completely faltered as a storyline but they still have the rather good matches which are more than enough to keep them in such a high place. The fact that they rarely lose helps as well and this was another nice win over a team with some value. Not a great match or anything, but fine for a TV main event.

Post match Williams calls out Bully Ray as a cancer in Ring of Honor and they want to cut him out. This brings out Ray, who mocks them for being upset about Tenille Dashwood. Ray tells them where they can go and leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The storyline advancement continues to take place at a rather slow place but at least the wrestling made up for it (mostly) this week. It still feels like they are in search of a top story and realizing that the World Title situation isn’t the best idea in the world. Not a great show as it feels like they’re slowly getting back to normal.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: April 10, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Nick Aldis

We’re almost to the biggest Ring of Honor show ever and that means we should be getting an update on it in just a month or so because ROH can’t figure this out to save their lives. In other words, this is another lame duck show in a series of them, meaning we could be going in a variety of ways. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Alex Coughlin/Karl Fredericks/Clark Conners vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys

They’re Young Lions from the New Japan Los Angeles dojo, meaning black trunks and boots with a limited moveset. Dalton takes Conners down with ease to start but Conners says bring it on. The amateur wrestling goes to Castle (well duh) and an airplane spin sends Conners over for the tag to Alex. Both Boys tag themselves in at the same time and Coughlin has to deal with both of them at once, meaning a dropkick from #1.

Coughlin isn’t having any of the chops and drops #1 with some of his own. Back from a break with everything breaking down and the hot tag bringing in Castle to slug away at the Lions. Suplexes drop all three of them as Aldis can’t remember which Boy is which either. I mean, it’s not like it matters. Castle is alone in the ring and says to BRING HIM A BOY, both of whom are thrown onto a Lion, with both of them getting three turns each.

Back in and Conners gets powerbombed for two with Fredericks making the save. #2 gets the tag but is sent straight into the post, leaving Castle to take a double flapjack. Conners knocks #1 into the corner and a hard chop sets up the Boston crab. Castle makes a save of his own and pulls Conners outside, allowing #2 to take #1’s place. The small package finishes Fredericks at 10:08.

Rating: C+. I saw the Lions over Wrestlemania weekend and just like they did there, they impressed me here. Those guys have some skills to them and with more experience, they’re going to be fine. There’s something to be said here about having the Boys get the win though, as Castle’s bad run continues.

We look at Bandido beating PJ Black in January.

Black calls the loss an eye opener that made him see that the cheating wasn’t working for him. The rematch is in two weeks.

Bouncers vs. Voros Twins

That would be Chris and Patrick (twins), which is more information than we get about jobbers most of the time. They’re rather small and have lights in their hair as they seem very excited to be here. Aldis things the Twins, who don’t shake hands and offer a double thumbs down, are a little intoxicated. Patrick gets run over to start so Chris offers a failure of a distraction.

Another attempt lets Patrick chop block Bruiser down but the fans chant for beer. Since the Twins aren’t all that great, they allow Bruiser to roll over for the tag to Milonas so the big splash can connect in the corner. One heck of a clothesline puts Patrick on the floor and it’s the Last Call to Chris at 3:20.

Rating: D. The Bouncers are fine in a role like this and it’s about time they were turned face. How much booing do you think a team from the bar who loves to drink is going to draw? This is as good as it’s going to get for them, save for a token title shot somewhere in there. Just let the fans have fun and that’s all it needs to be.

We look at Silas Young attacking Jonathan Gresham at the Anniversary Show. Hence tonight’s main event.

The Briscoes are ready for Jeff Cobb and Willie Mack. What a random yet kind of awesome team.

Silas Young vs. Jonathan Gresham

Young’s headlock takeovers are countered with headscissors so he rakes the eyes instead. A test of strength goes to Young as well, with the boot to the ribs helping things out. They head outside for the exchange of chops with Gresham holding his own until they have to dive back in to beat the count.

Back from a break with a series of standing switches until Young realizes he’s in over his head. They head outside again with Gresham hitting a dive, only to miss the high crossbody back inside. A suplex sets up a double arm crank on Gresham, who gets out of it as easily as something that is easy to get out of. Young tosses him to the floor in a heap and a hard whip into the corner keeps Gresham’s back in trouble.

We take another break and come back with Gresham getting two off an O’Connor roll and spinning into a DDT to drop Young again. Gresham hits a running basement dropkick in the corner before bridging up into a failed backslide attempt. Young’s rollup gets two and it’s a double clothesline for a double knockdown. A Death Valley Driver into a bad looking double stomp gives Young two more and they’re both down again. The hanging swinging suplex gets two more but Gresham starts in on the leg.

For some reason Gresham is fine with a slugout, with some running forearms getting two each. Young gets sent into the ropes for a snap German suplex into another forearm for two more. Gresham sends him outside for a suicide dive and a shooting star press….only gets two again. It’s straight into an ankle lock until Young rolls him into the referee. A low blow into a rollup gives Young the pin at 21:50.

Rating: B-. It was rather long, but that fits well around a promotion like this with the wrestling being the focal point. Gresham is getting better and better every week while Young is the same villain he’s been for a long time. The match wasn’t great, but I can go for a long match for a change instead of squeezing in as many matches as you can onto a show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a wrestling heavy show as we continue to have almost nothing storyline based for a few weeks. Once the pay per view actually takes place though, we’re going to be in for a long wait, as tends to be the case around here. That being said, the stories coming out of the Supershow aren’t the strongest in the world so the wait doesn’t sound too bad. Pretty good show here though, with the wrestling getting the focus.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: March 27, 2019
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

The post-Anniversary Show shows continue here and that means another one off night that may or may not mean anything. There’s always the chance that none of this goes anywhere, which can be rather tiresome. At the same time though, there is a real chance of getting something very nice out of these shows. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. Lifeblood

Bandido/Tracy Williams/Juice Robinson with Tenille Dashwood for Lifeblood here. Castle sends Robinson to the floor for the strut to start, only to have Robinson throw him to the floor for a strut of his own. Another exchange of tosses to the floor is capped off by Castle being sent over the top but he comes back in for another strut off. It’s off to Williams instead, with the Boys making some rather weird noises to suggest that they want in.

Boy #2 comes in for a chop but has to bring in #1 for threat of being chopped back. The exact same sequence brings #2 back in and Williams chops both of them down for being annoying. Back from a break with Bandido in trouble as #1 hits a top rope double stomp to the arm. Castle slams him down and drops the Boys onto him but Bandido comes back up with a top rope corkscrew crossbody.

Robinson comes in for the snap punches and an airplane spin to #1, capped off by the Juicebox. Pulp Friction connects with Castle making the save, earning himself a big flip dive from Bandido. #1 forearms away but a springboard forearm has no effect. A slingshot hurricanrana takes Castle out but he’s fine enough to dive in for a save. Bandido throws #2 at Castle and Bandido’s rolling German suplex is good for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: C. Castle’s misfortunes continue as I keep trying to figure out how they’re going to turn him heel down the line. You can only have him do so many of his antics before the fans start cheering him again, which has to be expected. Lifeblood is still awesome and could go somewhere, but they need something to do other than one off matches.

Jay Lethal is excited to be wrestling in a sold out Madison Square Garden.

The Briscoes (still with the Tag Team Titles that they lost about two weeks ago) are ready for the MSG show where they’ll win the IWGP Tag Team Titles.

NWA National Title: Willie Mack vs. Rhett Titus

Titus has the Survival of the Fittest trophy and is very oily. An armbar doesn’t get very far on Mack but a headscissors works a lot better. Back up and Mack hits a running knee to the face, setting up the chop off in the corner. A big boot takes Mack down and we take a break with Titus in control.

Back with Mack getting two off a backslide and the swinging slam sets up an inverted Cannonball in the corner. That’s enough to send Titus outside for the running flip dive but it’s too early for a frog splash. Instead Mack goes with a Samoan drop into the standing moonsault. Now the Stunner sets up a frog splash to retain the title at 10:57.

Rating: C-. Mack is awesome and I’m very glad to see him showing up in so many promotions lately. He has such a natural charisma and it’s hard not to want to see him in the ring. Titus was just an opponent here, which has been the case for almost everything that he’s done since the All Night Express. That being said, I’ll take his “I’m in shape and have a trophy” deal over the Dawgs all day.

Bully Ray talks about his WWF successes in Madison Square Garden and throws out an open challenge for Madison Square Garden.

Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham vs. Coast 2 Coast

Lethal has bad ribs and they shake hands before we get started. Lethal and Ali start things off with Jay hitting a hard shoulder. The cartwheel into a dropkick is broken up and it’s off to LSG for a running neckbreaker. A suplex doesn’t work on Lethal and it’s a blind tag to bring in Gresham for a German suplex. LSG drives him into the corner though and it’s Ali with a bit of a dance into a spinning splash for two of his own. Gresham starts going after Ali’s leg and we take a break.

Back with Ali hitting something like an Angle Slam to get Gresham off his leg. Everything breaks down and the Lethal Injection is countered with a running flip neckbreaker. We settle down to Lethal and Ali slugging it out until an enziguri takes Ali down. Everything breaks down again and the Lethal Combination drops LSG, who gets sent outside. Gresham slaps the Figure Four on Ali with Gresham diving in for the save. Lethal rolls Gresham forward and a jumping cutter finishes Ali at 11:04.

Rating: C+. Nice enough tag match here as Coast 2 Coast being back is a good prospect. They’re a solid team and can help bolster a somewhat weak tag division outside of the very top. There’s nothing wrong with being in the midcard of the division and that’s where they are likely going to be if they stick around.

Overall Rating: C-. Completely skippable show this week though it was far from bad. It’s yet another example of a show that was taped before the pay per view and therefore has almost nothing in the way of advancing things for the big show. That’s not a good sign with a week to go before Madison Square Garden, but New Japan and the venue itself will be the stars of that show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 13, 2019
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I’m not sure what to expect from this show anymore and that’s a very cool thing to say. The stories have gotten awesome as of late and that makes me want to keep watching. This is the unofficial go home show for the Anniversary Show this Friday, where a lot of things will be set up for the MSG show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Jay Lethal destroying Matt Taven’s fake World Title last week.

Opening sequence.

Kingdom vs. Villain Enterprises

TK O’Ryan/Vinny Marseglia vs. Marty Scurll/PCO here with no one in either corner. The Kingdom jumps them before the bell but a screaming PCO clotheslines them both. He and Scurll clear the ring and pose before settling down to work on O’Ryan’s arm. Marseglia breaks up a sunset flip attempt though and whips Scurll nearly through the barricade to take over. Back in and a double suplex gets two on Marty as we take a break.

We come back with O’Ryan ripping at Marty’s eye like a true villain should. A headbutt misses and it’s off to PCO for the scary power. I don’t mean that he’s overly strong, but he has power while being scary. Scurll backdrops the Kingdom to the floor and then backdrops PCO onto them for a good visual. Back in and a frog splash gives PCO two on Marseglia, who is right back up with a Russian neckbreaker on Scurll. What looked to be a piledriver on the apron is broken up and Marseglia suicide dives onto PCO. That lets O’Ryan bust Scurll’s spine, setting up a Swanton from Marseglia for two.

We take a second break and come back again with another Swanton driving PCO through a table. PCO almost immediately sits up but gets shoved off the top, sending him face first into a chair on the apron. O’Ryan hits a moonsault for two more on Scurll but Marty is right back with a powerslam into a Boston crab. A middle rope legdrop from PCO makes it even worse and Marseglia gets catapulted into the corner. The chickenwing makes Marseglia tap at 16:33.

Rating: B. It was energetic and long, which is the kind of thing that this company does well. I like Villain Enterprises a lot and having a monster like Brody King on the team as well makes them that much better. There’s a good chance that they could go after some titles soon and I could live with that including Scurll being World Champion. At least it’s not Taven.

Rush rants in Spanish and seems to say this is his house. Bandido comes in and speaks more Spanish before offering a handshake. That’s not happening, but they’re meeting at the Anniversary Show so there was indeed a clear point here.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Holidead

Iwataini’s freshly won Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Iwatani kicks her in the ribs to start and ducks a big boot as they start fairly fast. A dropkick puts Holidead on the floor but she makes a quick save on top and tries a superplex. Since that might kill Iwatani, they knock each other to the apron instead, followed by a Stunner over the rope to drop Iwatani. An apron legdrop takes us to a break and we come back with Sumie Sakai cheering for Iwatani.

Holidead rams her back first into a few buckles and shrugs off the kicks to the ribs. A kick to the head works a bit better but Holidead is right back with a belly to back suplex for two. Iwatani is back with a crucifix bomb for two more, only to get blasted with a clothesline for the same. With nothing else working, Iwatani superkicks her into a German suplex, followed by another kick to the head. A good looking moonsault finishes Holidead at 8:23.

Rating: C. Iwatani is already about 184x more interesting than Sakai ever could have been so at least they’re going in the right direction. I just hope we don’t have to see the two of them fight in some teacher vs. student deal, as I don’t think I can handle that much more Sakai. Anyway, entertaining match here, mainly because Iwatani has some good charisma.

Post match Kelly Klein and Team Kelly (A bunch of people in track suits who we’ve never seen before. I know it’s probably something established on Honor Club, but you can’t expect us to watch all that stuff and know who these people are.) appears. Iwatani takes them out like the goons (who only attack one at a time) they are, leaving Kelly to hold up the title, setting up their title match at the Anniversary Show.

We look at the Briscoe Brothers fighting with Villain Enterprises, setting up their title match at the Anniversary Show.

Kenny King vs. Dalton Castle

Castle, with taped ribs, is shaken up after losing the fall in the ten man tag a few weeks ago. King isn’t shaking hands to start so Castle takes him down with a waistlock. The gutwrench is blocked though and we hit that Peacock Pose. King gets knocked to the floor and Castle does the strut. We take a break and come back with King working on the ribs because he’s smarter than he looks.

A short DDT gets Castle out of trouble but it bangs up the ribs even more. They take turns missing a series of clotheslines in the corner so Castle goes with a suplex into the reverse Sling Blade for two. The wrestling isn’t working for King so he heads outside and grabs one of the Boys to throw at Castle. The distraction sets up the Royal Flush to finish Castle at 6:48.

Rating: C-. This was more angle advancement for Castle, who might be heading for a heel turn after all of these losses. The problem with that is Castle being so charismatic and great at what he does that he’s going to get cheered anyway, but maybe they have an idea to make up for that. It’s a risky move, but something that could work.

Post match King promises to beat up Marty Scurll again at the Anniversary Show.

Matt Taven is distraught over his title being destroyed and swears vengeance.

Pay per view rundown, with the quick promos from various people.

The Briscoes say they kill people.

Kelly Klein promises to win her title back.

Marty Scurll says the match may be in Kenny King’s hometown but it’s Villain Country.

Here’s Taven to rant about the title being destroyed. He’s out here by himself and Jay Lethal needs to come out here and face him like a man one on one. Lethal comes out in street clothes but the Kingdom runs in and beats Lethal down. Taven rips off Lethal’s clothes and the comeback is cut off by the numbers game. A table is brought in but here’s Jonathan Gresham to make a failed comeback bid. House of 1000 Corpses plants Gresham and he goes shoulder first into the post. A top rope elbow puts Lethal through the table to end the show. Nice heat segment here, though it’s still Matt Taven.

Overall Rating: B. Did this company change creative recently or something? They’re even getting their go home shows right as this was way more entertaining and focused than most shows before a pay per view. The TV has been a lot better but the next thing they need to do is nail a big show. They’ll have a chance on Friday and they already have a good track record with pay per views, so hopefully history stays on a roll. Another good show in a lengthening series of them.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor

Supercard of Honor XI
Date: April 1, 2017
Location: Jenkins Arena, Lakeland, Florida
Attendance: 3,500
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Kevin Kelly

This was requested at some point and I might as well knock it out. It’s the Wrestlemania weekend show down in Orlando, which is usually pretty entertaining. It’s also usually pretty long, which is quite the problem around here. The main event is a ladder match between the Young Bucks and the Hardy Boyz, which has awesome spectacle written all over it. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at tonight’s big matches and why some people come here.

We’re in the arena…and there’s no audio from commentary. It’s especially weird because the graphics showing the matches have sound, but not the people talking.

TV Title: Marty Scurll vs. Adam Cole

Scurll is defending and Cole, part of the Bullet Club, is running out of time around here. Marty kicks away a handshake offer because he knows what Cole is thinking. They go with the technical sequence to start but neither can get anywhere other than to a standoff. Cole strikes the pose so Marty rolls away and flaps his arms. A takedown lets Cole run the ropes and go with the Kevin Owens chinlock, which is broken up in short order. Scurll sends him outside for chops against the barricade but Cole grabs the umbrella.

Marty gets the belt and it’s an evil standoff. A missed big boot lets Scurll hit his apron superkick and it’s back inside with Scurll spitting at him. That fires Cole up enough for the fireman’s carry backbreaker as the fans sound completely split. An exchange of low superkicks goes to Scurll and a brainbuster gets two. Since he takes forever loading up the chickenwing though, Cole is ready with an enziguri, followed by a sliding kick to the face for two.

Never being one to learn, Cole loads up his own chickenwing but his own dancing setup lets Scurll roll him up instead. The finger snap staggers Cole but his feet are fine enough for some superkicks. The package piledriver gets two and it’s time to grab the belt. With the referee taking it away, Scurll breaks the umbrella upside Cole’s head, followed by a piledriver for two more. Cole gets two of his own off a Tombstone but it’s two more finger snaps into another piledriver to knock him silly. The chickenwing retains Scurll’s title at 12:59.

Rating: B-. Pushing Scurll as a bigger name is a good idea for ROH, especially with Cole on his way out. The wrestling was an interesting exchange between two heels and Scurll was just better overall. Cole’s issues with the Bullet Club continue and you can feel the split coming from here. Nice opener though, as the crowd was into both guys.

We recap Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser vs. the Kingdom. The Kingdom needed a partner to defend the Six Man Tag Team Titles so Silas offered his services but the team lost the titles, with Silas not taking the pin. Tonight it’s about settling things.

The Kingdom vs. Beer City Bruiser/Silas Young

The still injured TK O’Ryan is the odd man out here. Before the match, Matt Taven insults the crowd and O’Ryan says he’s sick of hearing the stupid fans offering their condolences. Not to be outdone, Silas says the loss was the Kingdom’s fault because they’re boys instead of men. It’s a brawl to start with Silas being sent into the barricade, allowing Marseglia to dive off the apron. Bruiser comes in to clean house and yells at Marseglia, which is the next logical step in a match.

Marseglia calls Bruiser a pumpkin and gets crossbodied for two with Taven springboarding in for the save. A headlock driver puts Bruiser down again and it’s time for a slugout with Silas. The springboard clothesline sends Taven outside and it’s a double superplex into stereo frog splashes from Bruiser and Taven for two each. Bruiser dives onto Taven for the squash spot but Marseglia stops….for a cigar? Silas avoids being blinded by the lit cigar, hits Misery and smokes the cigar as he gets the pin at 6:57.

Rating: C. Not a bad little brawl here and anytime you keep Bruiser’s ring time short, it’s probably a good idea. The story makes sense and it pushes Young and Bruiser, possibly towards a title shot, and Silas getting the pin makes even more sense. Seeing the Kingdom lose is just a bonus.

Bully Ray is ready to defend the Six Man Tag Team Titles because it’s a big deal. He’s still new around here and has already had a bunch of firsts. Tonight, he’ll have another first when he faces God (the Guerrillas of Destiny that is), who he just happened to train.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Bully Ray/Briscoes vs. Bullet Club

The Club (Hangman Page/Guerrillas of Destiny) is challenging. Tama and Mark start things off and the fans are into the Club (shocking I know) as they trade clotheslines. For some reason Mark decides to headbutt a Tongan and gets forearmed backwards but a crossbody works a bit better. Jay comes in but a blind tag brings in Loa for a hard clothesline of his own.

The headbutts actually work on Loa until a powerslam puts Jay down again. A double backdrop doesn’t work and it’s off to Bully for the big showdown. He wants a handshake because that’s how the Guerrillas were taught but the beatdown is on instead. Ray and Loa slap it out with Ray going up top and diving onto everyone, setting up What’s Up on Tonga.

It’s table time but the Club takes the Briscoes down to break it up. Ray’s spear is enough to keep Page down for the tag off to Mark for the house cleaning. Mark dives onto Tama but Page is right off the apron with the running shooting star. Everything breaks down and it’s the parade of big moves that aren’t even secondary finishers. Tama and Page get caught in a double Doomsday Device and the Super 3D finishes Loa at 13:30.

Rating: C+. This was a nice brawl and the teacher vs. student story, while not exactly emphasized here, worked as a story for the match. Bully being treated as a legend is a bit of a stretch but at least he’s someone with some status who isn’t going straight to the World Title picture. Also, it’s nice to see the Bullet Club not win even more titles, though this isn’t their top lineup anyway. Oh and the table didn’t get used?

We recap Cody vs. Jay Lethal. Cody debuted against Jay at Final Battle and turned heel to beat him. Lethal wants revenge and since Cody is the son of Dusty Rhodes, it’s a Texas bull rope match between a guy from New Jersey and a guy from Georgia in Florida.

Cody vs. Jay Lethal

Pin/submission to win. They’re in street clothes because that’s how you have a bullrope match. Cody does make up for it a bit with a LETHAL SUCKS EGGS shirt. Hang on though as Cody needs to go outside before the rope is attached. We get going with Jay choking but getting stomped down in the corner.

That just earns Cody chops and stomps in the corner before Jay gets smart by tying Cody up with the rope. There’s a posting and Cody comes up bloody. Lethal goes with both the side and bottom of the bell to the head before bringing in a chair. Naturally he takes too long setting it up though and gets pulled off the ropes into said chair to give Cody his first advantage. The Flip Flop and Fly is broken up, as is the Lethal Injection with a pull of the rope.

Cody goes after the knee with the bell and gets in a shot to the ribs as a bonus. The table is set up on the floor before Cody goes with the Figure Four. Jay gets smart by hitting him in the head with the bell for the break but Cody slams him off the top through the table for a well received crash. Back in and a low blow sets up Cross Rhodes for a close two followed by a boot to the head. A superplex is countered and Hail to the King gets two. The Lethal Injection finishes Cody at 17:23.

Rating: B-. They did a good job here with the vindication for Jay as Cody takes his first loss. I know ROH (and many other companies) love Cody but sometimes you need to have him lose and this is the kind of match where that should happen. The bullrope wasn’t used all that much but it was just enough of a factor to make it worthwhile.

Post match Cody hands Jay the bell, which is….symbolic?

Intermission, thankfully skipped on the video.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Cheeseburger/Will Ferrara vs. Rebellion

Rhett Titus and Shane Taylor for the Rebellion. Egads I had forgotten how pathetic that stable was. Titus and Cheeseburger get things going and it’s quickly off to Ferrara, who picks Cheeseburger up to drive him into Titus in the corner. Sabin comes in to trade rollups with Ferrara for two each before a blindly tagged in Shelley sends Ferrara to the floor.

Everything breaks down (What took them so long?) and the Guns clear the ring until Titus gets in a shot from behind to take over. We settle down to Taylor crushing Ferrara with a jumping legdrop but Titus’ splash hits knees. Cheeseburger comes in and tries the rapid fire chops, which have no effect on Titus. A springboard knee to the side of the head works a bit better but Taylor makes the save.

Titus boots Cheeseburger in the face and gets two off the frog splash. The Guns are left alone in the ring but it’s a bunch of kicks from the apron instead of the dives for a change of pace. Back in and Cheeseburger cleans house with the palm strikes until Taylor punches him out of the air. The Guns come back in with the Dream Sequence and something like a double Death Valley Driver finishes Cheeseburger at 9:24.

Rating: C. It was entertaining but this should have been a dark match to let the show breathe a little more. It’s not like this meant anything of note so having it on the card just made things longer than it needed to be. The Guns winning is fine as they’re the best of the three teams, but it’s nothing I needed to see.

Post match Ferrara isn’t happy with Cheeseburger for losing but here’s Punishment Martinez to scare Ferrara off. Martinez is in a match next so let’s cut out the stuff in between.

Punishment Martinez vs. Frankie Kazarian

Kazarian goes right after him in the corner but gets muscled across the ring and onto another corner. A shot to the face knocks Kazarian outside and that means the big dive over the top, which always looks awesome. Kazarian gets sent into the barricade and a release suplex slam have him in more trouble inside.

A Backstabber into a backsplash gets Kazarian a breather but Martinez is right back with a torture rack faceplant for two. The slingshot DDT really staggers Martinez and Kazarian follows him with a dive. Another slingshot into a cutter gives Kazarian two and the springboard spinning legdrop is good for the same. Cue Hangman Page for a distraction though and the South of Heaven chokeslam finishes Kazarian at 6:02.

Rating: C-. Weakest match of the night so far as it was little more than a glorified squash for the most part. Page and Kazarian having issues make sense as they’ve hated each other for a LONG time, but this felt forced in again. Martinez getting a win is a nice thing to see, but I’m not sure how much it needed to be on the show.

Now we get the intermission video.

Here’s Bobby Fish, who had been rumored to be on his way out of the company. He’s not done around here yet though and there are people on his list. Jay Lethal is on the top of that list…but here’s Silas Young to interrupt instead. Silas is tired of hearing Fish’s excuses for not beating Jay Lethal and they just make him a dime store punk. You know what that means.

Bobby Fish vs. Silas Young

Silas jumps him to start and they’re off fast. They head outside with an exchange of whips into the barricade, followed by Fish kicking him in the chest back inside. The referee gets his leg kicked out though and here’s a second referee. This one takes a chair away from Silas, who shoves him down for the DQ at 2:29. Uh, ok then.

Post match Fish spears Young through the ropes but gets spinebustered onto a pair of chairs. Security gets rid of Young. The post match match stuff was more interesting than the match itself.

Volador Jr./Will Ospreay vs. Dragon Lee/Jay White

International showcase. White and Ospreay start things off in a match that would be quite different just a few years later. Ospreay does the rapid fire nipups (without actually getting up) to escape a wristlock and we have an early standoff. White misses a kick to the head and it’s off to Volador vs. Dragon Lee, the latter of whom flips into the ring like a luchador should. The rapid fire trips and headscissors give us a standoff until Lee hurricanranas him to the floor for a suicide dive, which the camera misses.

White comes back in and forearms Volador down but it’s quickly back to Lee, who gets taken down as well. That means Ospreay comes in again as this is as fast paced as you would expect. Ospreay’s handspring moonsault double kick to the head takes but Lee is up with a running hurricanrana over the top to the floor. The series of dives begins but White catches Ospreay and brainbusts him on the top. Back in and White’s missile dropkick gets two on Ospreay and it’s a Downward Spiral into a German suplex.

Volador and Lee come in for some dropkicks and all four are down for a much needed breather. Lee’s Alberto Del Rio top rope double stomp gets two on Volador and it’s time for a luchador strike off. Lee gets in a snap German suplex but Volador is right up with a tornado DDT and a Canadian Destroyer. Just because he can, Ospreay runs the corner for a shooting star to the floor to take Lee out, leaving Volador to hit a (somewhat botched) super hurricanrana to pin White at 13:57.

Rating: B. Yeah what else were you expecting here? This was four guys going insane on each other for some time in front of a big crowd on a big show and it was one of the most entertaining things all night long. The action was great and it was exactly what it was supposed to be throughout. I’m not sure what else there is to say here and that’s a good thing to have on a card.

Christopher Daniels enjoys an Appletini and is very proud of winning the World Title but he’s ready to do anything to defend it, including against Dalton Castle.

Dalton Castle was getting worried about facing Daniels but then it hit him: he’s Dalton Castle and he’s fantastic.

ROH World Title: Dalton Castle vs. Christopher Daniels

Daniels is defending and Castle has the Boys with him. In something you don’t hear too often, Cabana flat out says that Daniels is 100% the better wrestler. They shake hands and we’re ready to go. They take their time to start with a wristlock not getting anyone anywhere. The fans are split here as you probably expected but it’s time to fan Castle off a bit. Castle can’t get a gutwrench suplex but he can hit the Peacock Pose to scare Daniels off a bit.

Daniels even takes Castle’s seat in the corner and asks for a fanning of his own, with the Boys having to stop themselves before they do the wrong thing. An O’Connor roll doesn’t work for Castle so Daniels sends him outside and steals the fans. Wait can he do that? The fans don’t seem to think so and the Boys get in to yell at him, allowing Castle to slap on a waistlock. A clothesline sends Daniels outside and we hit the strut. Back in and the waistlock goes on again but Daniel nails an STO to take over.

The champ gets two off a tilt-a-whirl slam and the Kofi Clutch goes on with Castle grabbing the mat, which Cabana insists was a tap. Castle gets to the rope and comes up with some shots to the face and a German suplex. Daniels gets laid over the top rope for a running knee to the head as the announcers debate sarcasm. With Castle in the ring, Daniels takes out the Boys, sending a flying Castle through the ropes to crush Daniels, as he should. Back in and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two and a release Rock Bottom plants Castle.

The BME is countered with a German suplex (cool) and the Bang a Rang gets the very close two. Daniels is right back with a Downward Spiral into another Koji Clutch but Castle powers up (Cabana: “No. No. NO!”). The Angel’s Wings and Bang a Rang are countered so Castle tries a German suplex with Daniels kicking him in the leg and rolling him up to retain at 15:47.

Rating: B-. Not bad here but there was no way that this was going to be able to live up to some of the other matches. Daniels definitely felt like a transitional champion even a few weeks into his title reign and there’s nothing wrong with that. They were really playing up the idea that Castle made a step towards the title and it was a good story to spend the rest of the year on.

Post match they shake hands but Cody runs in to jump them both and hold up the titles. Kazarian makes a save.

We recap the main event and….it’s the Young Bucks vs. the Hardys in a ladder match. I think we have this covered.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are challenging in a ladder match. The Hardys aren’t allowed to be Broken here….but they’re Broken. We get the staredown with the Hardys throwing down the Superkick Titles (stolen from the Bucks) and the fight is on because you don’t throw down vanity titles. It’s the Hardys taking over with their usual to start until Jeff dives into a superkick and Matt’s bulldog is broken up with another. Top rope knees connect on Jeff’s chest and Nick rolls across the ring for a Backstabber.

The Hardys are right back up with stereo Twists of Fate and we’ve got the first ladders. Granted that takes some time so the Bucks dive onto both of them but it’s WAY too early for a serious climb. The chops in the corner give us a DELETE/THE ELITE dueling chant and it’s a double DDT to send Nick outside. Matt throws Matt (erg) Jackson to the apron and Jeff ladders him through a table for the first big crash.

With the Bucks down, Matt tells Jeff to set up a kind of teeter totter but the Bucks get back up (because this took its sweet time) and Matt sets up a pair of tables on the floor. Back in and Matt uses the teeter totter to drive a ladder into Jeff’s face and Matt dives onto Matt (Hardy). A top rope 450 drives Jeff through a table, leaving us with a battle of the Matt’s on top of a big ladder. Nick comes in to make it the powerbomb into the enziguri in the corner but we need to stop for a superkick to Jeff.

The Hardys are back up for a Spin Cycle (that spinning double belly to back suplex thing of theirs) to drive Nick through a ladder but it’s Matt back up with a slingshot DDT to drive Jeff onto the apron. For your first really crazy spot, Nick goes up a small ladder, gets shoves onto a big ladder, falls from the big ladder to the top, and springboards into a spinning splash onto Jeff through a table. I think that description sums that up well enough.

Somehow Nick is up fast enough to slug it out with Matt on top of the ladder for a slugout and the DELETE/SUCK IT chants. They both crash for the four way knockdown but of course they’re all going up just a few moments later. A near crash sends Nick and Matt (Hardy) down and Jeff from one ladder to another (just go with it) until Matt (Hardy) has to shove Matt off the big ladder and through a table at ringside.

Nick shrugs off a double stomp in the corner and strikes away as his brother gets back in for a bunch of superkicks. Matt (Hardy) clotheslines the Bucks down and they’re all on the mat (oh come on) again. Nick and Jeff are backdropped over the top through tables and Matt Side Effects Matt (Jackson) off the apron through another table. The fans are behind the Bucks as all four come back in and both teams climb their own ladder. The Bucks are on the bigger one though and a pair of superkicks knock the Hardys down to give us new champions at 25:25.

Rating: A. Like this was going to be anything else. They hyped it up exactly this way and that’s what you got, with the Hardys again showing how great they still can be and making a big impact. The fact that they would return to WWE less than 24 hours later and win another ladder match for the Raw Tag Team Titles was even more impressive. This was awesome though, with a pretty obvious ending not hurting it one bit. Incredible stuff, and were you expecting anything different?

Post match Matt (Hardy) says the Bucks are the best tag team they’ve ever faced. He’s not sure how much longer he and Jeff can do this but they know the future of tag team wrestling is safe. Matt and Jeff knee to show respect and Jeff promises to celebrate by fading away and classifying themselves as obsolete. They said the same thing to the Lucha Bros the previous night at the WrestleCon Supershow. Celebrating takes us out.

Overall Rating: B+. For once, I think I might be questioning if I made the right choice by going to Takeover: Orlando on the same night. I mean, the fact that this was about an hour’s drive from my hotel instead of ten minutes away aside that is. They didn’t overstay their welcome here and the show never felt long, though there were a few things that could have been cut out to save some time. Almost everything ranged from very good to more than watchable though and the main event is a classic, so I’m not sure what more you could want here. Very entertaining show, as you had to expect.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: February 27, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I’m not used to saying this but I’m looking forward to this show. The last few weeks have been awesome around here and that’s the kind of thing that you don’t get to say about Ring of Honor too often. Again I don’t know if it’s the lack of the Elite guys but if that’s the case, so be it as these shows have been very good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose vs. Madison Rayne

Madison and Jenny get taken down to start but Madison sunset flips Sumie for two. Jenny is right back up with a bridging suplex for two on Sumie, who rolls out to the floor so Madison can get two off an enziguri. Sumie is back in with a dropkick to Madison, making her DDT Jenny for two more. We get the triple submission with Jenny in a Boston crab from Sumie, who gets caught in a sleeper from Madison. Back up and Jenny enziguris Madison to send us to a break.

We come back with Sumie’s fisherman’s brainbuster getting two on Jenny but Madison comes back in with the Rayne Check to both of them for two on Sumie. Jenny and Madison head outside for a double dropkick from the apron as this keeps going. Back in and Madison gets rolled up for two more but pops back up for a reverse DDT to finish Sumie at 10:03.

Rating: C-. It wasn’t bad but it felt very Ring of Honorish: people doing moves to each other with no particular desire to win the match. Yeah they were going for covers but it felt like they were doing that because it’s what they were supposed to do instead of having a desire to win the match. It was fine, though it was missing a spark.

We recap the debut of Lifeblood and last week’s challenge to a ten man tag against Jay Lethal and friends.

Lifeblood vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham/Flip Gordon/Dalton Castle/Jeff Cobb

Lifeblood is David Finlay/Tracy Williams/Bandido/Mark Haskins/Juice Robinson with Tenille Dashwood on commentary. Each Lifeblood member gets their own entrance, which doesn’t feel like a way to stretch the show out whatsoever. Robinson and Lethal lock up to start until Robinson shoulders him into the corner. Castle gets on the rope and says he likes what he sees and wants to show Robinson some of his Honor Babies.

The fans want to see Bandido so Castle yells at him, allowing Robinson to grab a rollup for two. They both miss a series of right hands in the corner (with the Boys ducking as well) until Castle hits the Peacock Pose. Robinson does one of his own and it’s time for the snap jabs. It’s off to Williams vs. Gresham and they quickly wrestle to a standoff. A series of headlocks into headscissors counters goes to Gresham until Williams headstands to his feet and offers a handshake.

Back from a break with Finlay and Lethal missing elbows until Finlay scores with a dropkick. It’s off to Haskins and Cobb with Haskins looking more than happy to face the monster. Cobb can’t hit a pop up powerbomb but Haskins makes the mistake of running at him, allowing Cobb to catch him in a German suplex. Haskins flips out so Cobb nips up, which is one of those things that is just going to make you stop in your tracks.

With Haskins a little shaken, he hands it off to Bandido to face Gordon, which the fans certainly seem to appreciate. Everyone else drops to the floor as the flips begin, with both guys countering a hurricanrana and missing a dropkick for a pair of standoffs. We take another break and come back with Castle working on Bandido’s arm before it’s back to Williams to beat up Gordon.

Something like the Rings of Saturn has Gordon in trouble with Gresham coming in to make the save. That’s rather dishonorable. Bandido adds a slingshot hilo but Finlay gets dropped, allowing the hot tag to Lethal. House is cleaned and we take another break. Back with Lethal’s Figure Four being kicked off and Robinson hitting a running corner clotheslines. A full nelson slam drops Jay but Gordon springboards in with a missile dropkick.

The parade of secondary finishers is on until everyone but Gordon and Bandido are down on the floor. Gordon’s springboard flip dive sets up Bandido’s corkscrew moonsault onto everyone for the big crash. Back in and it’s Haskins trading forearms with Castle and countering the Bang a Rang into the really hard Sharpshooter to make Castle tap at 26:25.

Rating: B. This felt like a major house show main event and that’s what it should have been. They did a good job with making Lifeblood out to be a big time threat here and the extended time helped a lot. Lethal is going to have even more people to deal with sooner rather than later and I’m not sure how much longer he’s going to be able to hold the title. Or stay face at this rate.

Post match everyone but Castle (down) shakes hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The opener wasn’t great but this was all about the main event and that’s perfectly fine. Sometimes you just need a show built around a single match like this and it worked out very well here. There’s some interesting stuff going on at the moment and with the right direction, we could be in for some very good television as we move towards some of the bigger shows of the year.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: January 9, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I must be confused because it seems that we’re already back to regular shows, even though Final Battle was only a few weeks ago. Usually it’s the better part of a year so this is quite the nice treat. The big stories coming out of the show were Jay Lethal retaining the World Title and the Briscoes winning Ladder War to become ten time Tag Team Champions. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ian is in the ring with four men who have earned World Title shots as of late: Chris Sabin (Proving Ground match), Flip Gordon (won the Sea of Honor tournament), Dalton Castle (contractually obligated rematch) and Marty Scurll (won the Survival of the Fittest tournament). Tonight it’s a four way with the winner getting a title shot at Honor Reigns Supreme on January 13. Ian introduces Lethal but gets Matt Taven instead.

Taven doesn’t see anyone worthy of getting a shot. It’s good to see Flip’s face again because his head has been buried in the Young Bucks’….yeah you get the idea. Is it 2012 again? That’s the only way Sabin could be relevant in the World Title picture. Marty Scurll must be sad because he’s not tall enough to ride the train to Jacksonville. That leaves him with Castle, who he beat at Final Battle. Go off and fake another injury already. This brings out Jay Lethal, with Taven spitting on the title. The fight is on with referees and agents having to break it up. Nice opening, with Taven FINALLY showing some personality.

Jeff Cobb vs. Luchasaurus

This is a Proving Ground match, meaning if Luchasaurus can win or go to the fifteen minute time limit, he gets a TV Title shot. Luchasaurus kicks him in the head at the bell for an early two and hits a spinning kick to the head for two more. That just earns him a spinning belly to back suplex, followed by Cobb putting him on the top for a dropkick. Luchasaurus kicks him again and hits a chokeslam as we take a break.

Back with Cobb hitting a running uppercut in the corner but walking into a superkick. A jumping kick to the side of the head drops Cobb again but Cobb catches him with a belly to belly superplex. Cobb muscles him up for a piledriver and the Tour of the Islands finishes Luchasaurus off at 6:56.

Rating: C+. There’s something to be said about a monster who can throw around another monster. That’s just not normal no matter how you spin it and that’s what happened here. It’s not a great match or anything, but it’s a fun spectacle and I’ll take that over a standard match most of the time.

Kelly Klein vs. Nikki Addams

Before the match, Kelly grabs the mic and says starting right now, every one on one match she’s in, will be a title match. Dang and I had “non-title again” all ready to go. Klein hits her in the face at the bell and gets crushed in the corner for her efforts. Addams misses a running boot in the corner though and it’s off to a cravate.

Back from a break with Addams backhanding Klein in the head and now the running boot connects for two. Addams takes too long going up top and gets pulled right back down, sending Klein into a fit. K Power is broken up so Kelly knees her in the face to retain at 4:44. Too short to rate but Addams didn’t look great.

Post match here’s Jenny Rose to say they have some unfinished business. They have a match on January 13 so it’s already a title match, but let’s make it a street fight. Klein says it’s on.

Beer City Bruiser is upset that Silas Young won’t talk to him. Brian Milonas says go talk to him in the locker room.

We look at Bully Ray, the Briscoes and Shane Taylor attacking the Elite after their final match. The whole thing is on Honor Club.

Video on Marty Scurll beating Christopher Daniels to end his ROH career at Final Battle.

Here’s Daniels in a suit for a chat. After a THANK YOU DANIELS chant, Daniels says Final Battle wasn’t a good night for SCU. The only thing left for him to do is say goodbye but he’s going to take the memories with him. The memories of the first main event against Low Ki and Bryan Danielson. Of that first World Title match going 60 minutes in 100 degree heat and every opponent who became his friends and brothers. Finally, the memories of becoming World Champion after all those years. He says goodbye but here’s Joe Koff to say thank you as well.

What Daniels did at Final Battle made Koff rethink things. Daniels defended Cary Silkin, who played such a huge role in ROH. That showed Koff that he did it for Ring of Honor and not himself. Therefore, here’s his new contract to continue wrestling around here. Daniels hugs him and holds up the contract but here’s Shane Taylor to jump Daniels from behind.

A dive takes Taylor down and the fight is on but Taylor throws him into the post. They head inside with Taylor kneeing him in the face and blasting him in the back with a chair. Greetings From 216 on the chair wrecks Daniels neck all over again and Taylor rips up the contract. I hope that’s not how Ring of Honor thinks contracts works.

Marty Scurll vs. Chris Sabin vs. Flip Gordon vs. Dalton Castle

One fall to a finish with the winner getting a shot on January 13 with Jay Lethal on commentary just in case Taven isn’t gone. Scurll bails straight to the floor to start and tries to get the fans clapping. Castle gets sent outside so it’s Sabin and Gordon trading some standing switches. That goes nowhere so they dive onto Castle and Scurll to keep the fans into things.

Back in and Sabin missile dropkicks Scurll right back out of the ring and Gordon nearly does the same thing to Castle. Gordon and Sabin don’t seem thrilled to fight each other so Castle cleans house and we take a break. Back with Castle throwing Gordon down again but getting kicked in the chest by Sabin. Marty is right back up to send Sabin outside for the apron superkick, only to get chopped by Gordon.

With Gordon being knocked down, we hit the quadruple submission. Since that’s completely ridiculous, the holds are all broken up and Sabin shoves Scurll off the top, setting up a triple high crossbody. A tornado DDT to Gordon lets Sabin kick the other two down at the same time but Castle is back up with a suplex. Gordon kicks Castle in the head and gets two off a running shooting star press. Sabin snaps off a hurricanrana but Gordon rolls through and scores with an enziguri. It doesn’t do a ton of damage though as Sabin is back up with kicks to Gordon and Scurll but he walks into the Bang a Rang to give Castle the clean pin at 9:04.

Rating: B-. It was a bit wild but that’s kind of the point here. You have to give all four of them title shots at some point and Castle is as good of a next challenger as anyone. It’s pretty clear that this is going to wind up being Taven taking the World Title from Lethal, which is about as uninteresting as you can get. Therefore, enjoy what you can get in the meantime because it’s going to go downhill pretty soon.

Post match Lethal comes in and shakes Castle’s hand to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Good show from top to bottom here with a combination of solid angles and matches. This felt like a good fallout show from Final Battle, which tends to take forever more often than not around here. At least we got a nice show here, even though there’s a lot that still needs to be done. More of this, and this company will get that much better.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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