Ring of Honor
Date: April 13, 2016
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Mr. Wrestling 3

It’s a very big show this week with the Tag Team Titles on the line, a major star from New Japan making an appearance and a Fight Without Honor for the first time ever on ROH TV. I know these staggered shows get annoying but they’ve actually got a big card here and that’s a rare sight on an hour long TV show. Let’s get to it.

Tag Team Titles: War Machine vs. Roppangi Vice

Vice (Trent Barreta and Rocky Romero) is challenging and knocks Hansen and Rowe off the apron before the bell. Rowe says ring the bell but gets beaten down in the corner to start. A standing moonsault doesn’t have much effect though and it’s Hansen back in for rights and lefts of his own. Romero is kicked out to the floor as Wrestling 3 tells stories of “joysting” (not jousting but joysting), whatever that is.

We take a break and come back with Hansen taking Rowe’s shotgun knees by mistake, followed by Romero kicking Rowe in the face. A quick Superman punch puts Romero down but Trent dropkicks both champs down to save his partner in a nice spot. Two double knees to the face drops Hansen but War Machine gets tired of these pests and lifts them up for powerbombs, only to slam the challengers into each other. That’s a new one. The Path of Resistance is broken up though as Romero hurricanranas Hansen down. A flip dive is countered into an apron bomb though and Fallout puts Romero away at 9:56.

Rating: C+. This was fine despite me not being a big fan of Barreta and Romero. There wasn’t much of a surprise here as they had been setting up the Briscoes challenging for the titles over the last few weeks but at least we had something other than a squash to get us there. Nice little match here.

Prince Nana brings out Donovan Dijak, in a Jay Lethal shirt, for something to say. Let’s get right to it with the envelopes: you’re not going to find out because you don’t need to know. Nana talks about how Dijak is enlightened while Donovan talks about being tired of spending the last year guarding Jay Lethal. This brings out Lethal for a brawl that security has to break up.

Dalton Castle says his goal is different again tonight because this time he wants to hurt Silas Young.

ACH vs. Kenny Omega

Omega, whose Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line here, is the head of the Bullet Club in New Japan and he has some awesome entrance music. Kenny is called the Cleaner so of course he comes out with a broom, along with the Young Bucks. As expected, the fans are almost entirely behind Omega.

Feeling out process to start with ACH doing all his flips as the announcers explain the latest issues in New Japan. An elbow to the head drops Omega and a dropkick puts him out on the floor. Naturally the numbers become an issue though as Omega distracts the referee, allowing a superkick to put ACH down. In a funny bit, Matt throws out a banana peel to offer an explanation.

We take a break (and get a promo from Adam Cole about how he created the Kingdom, meaning Matt Taven has no right to reform the team) and come back with ACH holding Omega in a headlock, only to be countered into what looked like a one man More Bang For Your Buck. That goes nowhere and ACH gets up a boot in the corner, followed by another kick to the face to put Omega on the floor.

The Jordan dive takes out the Bucks and Omega to a nice reaction as it’s not all Omega fans for a bit of a surprise. Back in and a top rope double stomp to the back gets two on Kenny and a brainbuster is good for the same. A 450 misses though and Omega gets in a hard knee to the ribs to take over. ACH comes back again and gets in a Stunner, giving us a Rock style sell job. The Midnight Star misses though and the One Winged Angel (electric chair into a forward piledriver) puts ACH away at 13:31.

Rating: B. I’m not a fan of ACH but this was pretty easily his best Ring of Honor match to date. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Omega over the last few months and he was definitely entertaining here but not quite as great as he’s been made out to be. I can go for ACH far more easily if he’s acting like a wrestler instead of a guy doing scripted out flips.

Dalton Castle vs. Silas Young

Fight Without Honor, basically meaning street fight. Castle has the Boys with him but they go to the back before he hits the ring. That’s the right idea for something like this. The fans are behind Castle as he clotheslines Silas to the floor while the streamers are still all over the ring. A suicide dive takes Young out again but Castle misses a running knee on the apron and gets shoved out to the floor. This hasn’t gotten violent yet but you can feel a different vibe.

Back up and Castle chops the post by mistake to give Young his first target. Castle tries another chop but fakes Young out and sends him into the barricade for a smart move. We take a break and come back with Young setting up a table on the floor to go with the ladder already in the ring. Neither of those are good enough for him though as he powerbombs Castle onto two open chairs instead.

A slingshot elbow gets two on Dalton and it’s time for some simple choking. For some reason Young lets him loose though and tries his slingshot moonsault but only hits ladder. They slug it out from their knees and then their feet with Castle getting the better of it until Young grabs a cutter for two. Misery gets the same so it’s time for a trashcan lid and some yelling on the mic.

Silas wishes the Boys were out here to see this beating so here they come, only to have one of them jump on Young’s back. That ticks Castle off all over again but he misses a running knee to send him outside. The Boys take a suicide dive to protect Dalton, who slides into the ring for a hurricanrana to send Young onto the floor again.

Back in and the Bang A Rang is countered so Dalton throws him over the top and down through the table for a YOU JUST KILLED HIM chant. Somehow that only gets two, followed by Silas hitting him low for the same. Not that it matters as the Bang A Rang onto the chairs gives Dalton the pin at 16:42.

Rating: B. This would have been a lot better if it had happened back in say……December. It was a good brawl and a very strong win for Castle but this story went on WAY too long to have the impact they were going for. I still like the feud and it’s a good blowoff match this could have been so much more if they had done it a long time ago.

Overall Rating: A-. A one hour show having two strong matches is about as easy of a layup as you’re going to get. This was the first time in a long time that a show felt like something big and a lot of that is due to how much time they spent building up Young vs. Castle. No they didn’t have amazing promos that made me want to see it, but just saying “it’s in three weeks” made me want to see where the match was going. You don’t get that in most promotions and it was a really nice change of pace which wound up working. Well done ROH, which isn’t something I’ve been able to say lately.

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Top Prospect Tournament Finals: Brian Fury vs. Lio Rush

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

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

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

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

Moose vs. Kongo

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

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

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

The Young Bucks are ready for the gauntlet match.

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

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

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

Cedric Alexander vs. Adam Page

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

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

Dalton Castle vs. Christopher Daniels

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

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

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

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

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

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

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume IV at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Ring of Honor
Date: March 2, 2016
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Attendance: 675
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Mr. Wrestling III

We’re officially in one of those weird periods where the pay per view has passed but we’re still not done with the old taping cycle so this will be a lot of stuff that has nothing to do with the Anniversary Show or its fallout. We do however had a big match with Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser vs. Dalton Castle’s Boys. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser vs. The Boys

The Boys are Brent and Brandon (named a few weeks back but not mentioned here). Before the match, Dalton Castle sneaks in from behind and gets in a few cheap shots on Young and Bruiser but the Boys stand back and let them regroup on the floor. Great, so now they’re mad. Castle is escorted out and we get down to a regular match. Before the action starts, Young rips on the Boys for failing every task he gave them. There is no fairy tale ending tonight though and Young is so confident he and Bruiser will win that he’ll put his career on the line in this match.

We get a second bell so I’m not sure if the match just started or if we’re two minutes in. Bruiser starts with we’ll say Brent as the announcers preview the show and ignore the match. Brent can’t do a thing with Bruiser so it’s off to Brandon for a double clothesline. That goes nowhere either so it’s a double Eat Defeat to stagger the big man. Bruiser smacks Brent down and we take a break. Back with Brent flipping out of a rollup and bulldogging Young down. The hot tag brings in Brandon and everything breaks down with Bruiser getting DDT’ed for two.

Young catches Brandon in the DDT into the bottom buckle but Bruiser’s top rope splash is countered with….well it was supposed to be a cutter but looked more like a jumping uppercut. Either way it only gets two, followed by Brent flipping off Brandon’s shoulders to take both guys down at once. Brandon follows with a big moonsault and a faceplant gets two on Young. Not that it matters as the Bruiser comes back in and crushes both Boys in the corner with a Cannonball, giving Silas the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C+. It’s the power vs. speed dynamic working again, as if there was any doubt it was going to. The Boys looked like any given jobber team coming into this but they wound up being a surprisingly decent high flying team. I’m not sure how long they can have the Boys as valets when it’s clear they can wrestle well enough but the Castle character has evolved well so far so hopefully the trend continues.

Dalton tries to run in post match but gets taken out as well.

Adam Cole is ready for Matt Sydal tonight.

Top Prospect Tournament Semi-Finals: Brian Fury vs. Action Ortiz

Ortiz takes him down to start and runs the smaller (though still good sized) Fury over, knocking him out to the floor. A big flip dive over the top crushes Fury (or at least his shoulder as Ortiz didn’t make perfect contact) for two back inside. Brian dropkicks the knee out and Ortiz is in trouble for a bit, only to come back with some right hands to the jaw. Another right hand drops Fury but he raises his boot on the way down for an “accidental” low blow. A sitout Sky High gives Fury the pin to advance at 4:05.

Rating: D+. Fury, who reminds me of Test (in a good way), was the better option here as Ortiz is really just an update on Bam Bam Bigelow. This whole tournament is kind of hard to get a handle on as the characters are being built from the ground up, which is a very tricky move to pull off. The match wasn’t the best in the world either as Ortiz was yet another big guy who can fly while Fury is a fairly generic guy with some decent power. Fury isn’t much but I liked him a lot better than Ortiz.

Fury doesn’t care who is in the finals with him because he hasn’t shown us anything yet.

Top Prospect Tournament Semi-Finals: Lio Rush vs. Punisher Martinez

Martinez has impressed me more than anyone else in this tournament and definitely has a presence about him. Lio slugs away to start and has to escape from the sitout chokeslam. Punisher misses a running big boot and they head outside with Lio getting in a running kick to the chest to drop Martinez for the first time. A springboard is quickly countered as Lio gets caught in a jawbreaker and the beating is on.

Lio rolls back out to the floor, only to have Punisher dive over the top for a great looking plancha. It would have looked even better if it had come close but at least it was a great dive. The apron Last Ride is escaped but Rush jumps up to the apron for a springboard into a tornado DDT (because everyone gets to use the tornado DDT) onto the floor. Back in and Punisher shrugs it off (granted it wasn’t much of a DDT) to set up a super chokeslam, but Lio counters into something resembling a C4 (landing on his own head in the process) for the pin at 6:04.

Rating: C. So much for Punisher getting to show off. I mean, we have ACH Jr. and that’s what matters around here. For the life of me I do not get the appeal of Rush while Martinez is a monster with a great look. Hopefully he gets hired by someone soon because I had a good time watching him. There’s a future for him either on his own or as a bodyguard and it should be awesome.

During the pin, you can see A LOT of empty seats opposite the camera. That’s a rare slip up from ROH.

Rush (who sounds like a Briscoe) is ready for the finals.

Matt Sydal vs. Adam Cole

Feeling out process to start as they have a lot of time to spend here. Cole takes him into the corner but Sydal trips him up and grabs an Indian Deathlock with a chinlock. The bridging forces Sydal to break the hold after a few seconds though and Cole takes over with a jawbreaker. Sydal gets shoved off the top for a big crash onto the apron and it’s time for Cole to take over. We hit the chinlock for a bit before taking an early break.

Back with Cole walking into an enziguri, followed by a standing moonsault for two. Sydal tries to fly around too much though and dives into Cole’s arms, allowing Adam to slam him into the apron and take over again. A Shining Wizard gets two on Matt but he hurricanranas Cole off the ropes to break up a Canadian Destroyer. Cole shrugs that off as well and grabs the Figure Four but it’s countered as fast as any other Figure Four. Back up again and Cole scores with two straight superkicks so Sydal takes him down with a reverse hurricanrana. The Shooting Star puts Cole away at 12:30.

Rating: B-. The match was fun and they’re setting up Sydal for his big house show title match, though I would have liked it to be against someone a little less important than Cole. It was entertaining though and a very ROH style match which isn’t exactly my thing most of the time but at least Cole looked awesome. Sydal as a house show challenger is fine enough but there are too many people who wrestle that style on the roster at the moment.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling helped make up for the mostly non-existent storyline advancement. That’s the thing you have to get used to in Ring of Honor though and I can’t really say I’m surprised. These stand alone shows are very hit or miss most of the time so this could have been a lot worse and the mostly decent wrestling helped get them through the hour.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume IV at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Ring of Honor
Date: February 10, 2016
Location: Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

Things are picking up again around here, as they so often do as we come up on a big match. The big story continues to be the multi-man World Title match at the 14^th Anniversary Show, but we also have the Top Prospect Tournament continuing, as well as the continuation of BJ Whitmer vs. Steve Corino. Let’s get to it.

Alex Shelley vs. Frankie Kazarian

Chris Sabin sits in on commentary. Shelley starts firing off chops as Sabin’s early advice doesn’t seem to have done much good. Kazarian’s dive is blocked with a kick to the head and it’s off to the knee to keep Alex in control. It doesn’t last long though as a slingshot DDT takes Shelly down as we go to a break. Back with Kazarian smacking Sabin in the face as Steve Corino calls in to the show. Corino is sick about what happened to Colby last week and he’s going to be back next week to deal with BJ Whitmer.

Shelley avoids a top rope legdrop and clotheslines Kazarian out to the floor. Back in and Kazarian grabs a swinging neckbreaker and a running Downward Spiral for two, only to get shoved away off the Killswitch. Shelley’s top rope splash hits knees though, only to have Kazarian pull out a hammer. Alex takes it away and glares at Sabin, setting up Sliced Bread #2 for the pin at 11:15.

Rating: C. I don’t care about this feud. Are they really building this up for the sake of a match between Sabin and Shelley? I know the Motor City Machine Guns were a big deal a few years back but are people still going to care about them enough to watch them fight in 2016? It doesn’t help that I’m really not feeling Shelley’s style and that Sabin is barely an active wrestler. I guess there’s an audience for it, but I’m really not feeling it.

Dalton Castle vs. Joey Daddiego

Before the match, Truth Martini suggests that the Boys need a daddy instead of someone teaching them to be a man. Joey takes him into the corner to start and does the WHO’S YOUR DADDY line. Castle easily takes over with a slam but does a big walk around the ring instead of diving through the ropes to take Joey out.

However, Martini actually does something for a change by crotching Castle on top, allowing him to get in the ring for some dancing. The Boys low bridge him to the floor though, leaving us with only the match for a change. A World’s Strongest Slam gets two for Joey but Castle starts the comeback with a running knee in the corner, followed by a running boot to the jaw for good measure. The Bang A Rang is enough to put Joey away at 3:35.

Rating: C-. Entertaining enough but it was a bit too much going on instead of just having the match. Daddiego is kind of worthless but at least there’s someone there to do the jobbing for the House of Truth. That being said, the entire stable is basically Truth, Lethal, Daddiego and Hendrix, which isn’t much more than Lethal and pals. Castle was fine though and is going to go somewhere once the Silas Young feud wraps up.

Speaking of Silas Young, here he is to make a final offer to Brent and Brendan (the Boys). As the Beer City Bruiser helps beat Castle down, Silas talks about how the Boys need to make their decision, only to have them fight back against Silas. That just earns them another beating and the villains get to yell a lot.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Leo St. Giovanni vs. Action Ortiz

Ortiz is described as a Bam Bam Bigelow type and was trained by Tommy Dreamer. Leo on the other hand has an MMA background. Ortiz gets knocked to the floor to start but blocks a charge with a big forearm to the face. Back in and Ortiz misses a Frog Splash, allowing Leo to go up for something like Xavier Woods’ Honor Roll from the top for two of his own. After a dive over the top to stagger him, Ortiz kicks Leo in the head to stagger him again. A belly to back flip suplex (as in Leo keeps going until he lands on his face) sends Ortiz to the next round at 3:45.

Rating: D. I really wasn’t feeling this one as neither guy had much of a presence. Leo was just a guy with a generic style and some decent flips, though it’s nothing that I haven’t seen a bunch of people do before. Ortiz is a bigger guy and moves well but again he doesn’t do anything for me. It’s not the worst, but it’s the same problem I’ve been worried about in this tournament: I don’t have any reason to care about these people and they’re not really helping things.

Stokely Hathaway wants Kazuchika Okada to face Moose at the Anniversary Show.

We look back at Final Battle to see the All Night Express becoming the #1 contenders.

Tag Team Titles: All Night Express vs. War Machine

War Machine (Hansen and Rowe in case you’re not familiar) are defending. Hansen and Titus get things going with the much bigger champion running him over. King comes in off a blind tag and an atomic drop/clothesline combination staggers Hansen, who comes right back with a double clothesline to take over again. It’s off to Rowe who terrifies King back into the corner for a tag to Rhett. Well that’s one way to switch things off.

The challengers take over but Hansen breaks up what looked like a powerbomb/neckbreaker combo. Rowe slams Hansen onto King for two, followed by Hansen powerbombing Rowe onto Titus as we take a break. Back with Titus low bridging Hansen to the floor but being pulled out of the air on a dive to Rowe. Everything breaks down with King being sent hard into the barricade with both teams diving back in at nineteen.

Titus will have none of this staying in the ring thing though as he and Hansen both dive through the ropes for huge crashes. Back in and King has to escape Fallout but he might have pulled the referee into the path of Hansen’s running knees. Titus pulls out a table (apparently not realizing that Nigel McGuinness is RIGHT THERE) but King gets driven through it, drawing a DQ at 11:02 as the referee wakes up just in time.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t bad but it was clearly just a way to set up another title match at the pay per view. Knowing ROH, it’s going to be some big messy match with several teams that loses any sense of structure or order. However, this actually worked with the Express hanging in there with the monsters for the entire match and then somehow winning in the end. Well done and a reason to watch the rematch.

The teams keep brawling to end the show as the fans want to see them fight.

Overall Rating: C. I liked the show for the most part with enough of the stories rolling along, though the World Title situation continues to not really be a priority around here. It’s cool that so many other things are treated as major ideas but the old fan in me wants to see the World Title as the centerpiece of the promotion instead of just another part of the show. Good enough show here but it was a step beneath some of their recent efforts.

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This might be the trickiest of all as you could say Sting is a rookie as he had his first WWE match in 2015. Since that could make things really complicated though, we’ll go with people I consider rookies, meaning I might not consider some of your choices.

We’ll start with someone outside WWE because I’m a WWE mark or something. ROH’s Dalton Castle had debuted a few years earlier but changed his gimmick and debuted in the Top Prospect Tournament in the early part of the year. This turned into a great run for him as he became one of the more entertaining guys on the roster with a surprisingly strong offense and a great character. He’s one of the people I enjoy most when watching ROH and his charisma alone will take him a long way.

Asuka is really kind of cheating as she’s been wrestling for over ten years. However, she debuted in NXT and was instantly the second (at worst) woman on the roster. It’s pretty clear Asuka vs. Bayley is coming at Takeover in Dallas and it should be one of the most awesome matches they’ve had…..well since the last time Bayley had a big showdown match. This is a stretch but she’s a rookie in WWE at least and that’s close enough.

Speaking of rookie women in NXT, we have Nia Jax, who actually did debut in 2015. I know her character is limited and I still don’t get why she and Eva Marie are teaming, but she played a perfect Vader to Bayley’s Sting, which is really impressive given that she was debuting six months prior to that. I don’t know how far she can go, but Nia is a great monster with a great look.

However, we finally have the runaway winner in Chad Gable. This is a guy who just gets it and was ready for the main roster about ten seconds after he debuted. Gable is the closest thing to another version of Kurt Angle as he went from the Olympics to the WWE where he’s a comedic goon who was capable of out wrestling anyone. This guy could be something very special in the future and he’s just fun to watch, especially when he’s with Jason Jordan.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume IV at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 13, 2016
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 600
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

The show started the new year on a roll so hopefully things can keep up this week. If nothing else this week won’t have build up for a show that already took place. Nothing has been announced for this show but that’s normally the case for this company and things tend to turn out fine. Let’s get to it.

Roppongi Vice vs. All Night Express

The Express are the #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles so this should be a nice test for them. King and Barreta go to the mat to start and it’s a quick standoff. The Express gets smart by taking Barreta into their corner for some double teaming, only to have Titus get backdropped out to the floor. King clotheslines Barreta but gets taken down by Romero. Nice starting sequence.

Romero gets kicked in the face for his efforts and Barreta gets pulled off the apron, sending him head first into the buckle as we take a break. Back with Barreta getting double teamed again but King takes a breather to shout at the crowd for a bit. Barreta gets in his double stomp out of the corner though and the hot tag brings in Romero.

House is cleaned until it’s back to Barreta for a slugout, only to have Vice double knee Titus in the chest. King gets taken down by a suicide dive and there’s Strong Zero (a springboard spike Fade to Black) on Titus but there’s no count. Instead King, the legal man, runs in and rolls Barreta up for the pin at 10:48.

Rating: C+. I liked this a lot more than I was expecting to as I’m not a fan of either team. Instead they had a nice back and forth formula based match which worked far better than I though it would. The right team won and they did so legally while still being heels, making everyone come out looking fine. Much better match than I was expecting.

Here’s the Kingdom (including Mike and Maria who have both left and Taven who is out for the better part of a year) for the first time since Final Battle. Cole says it’s time for Story Time with the Kingdom. There’s security around the ring so Kyle O’Reilly can’t come out here for another cheap shot. Cole says that he won but the other two dropped the ball. How can they hold all the gold without Taven and Bennett holding the Tag Team Titles?

Cue ReDRagon to say they remade tag team wrestling in this company and if they have to run through the Kingdom to get their belts back, it’s time for Nigel to make the match. That’s fine with McGuinness, who makes the match for next week. This brings out the Young Bucks who says if anyone is taking out these Bullet Club marks, it’s them. Therefore, Nigel makes it a three way Philadelphia street fight. Well that was quick.

Donovan Dijak/Joey Daddiego vs. War Machine

Non-title. Rowe gets kicked in the face to start and Dijak knocks Hanson off the apron as well. Donovan isn’t done as he takes out both champions with a corkscrew dive but he isn’t interested in using the Book of Truth. Instead it’s off to Daddiego, allowing Hanson to start slamming both guys. He piles the two of them on top for some forearms to Dijak’s chest, followed by a double Bronco Buster. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into a Superman Punch drops Dijak and there’s a double chokeslam to Daddiego. Fallout ends Dijak in a hurry at 3:22.

Rating: D+. Total squash here but Dijak looked solid. Daddiego is still just a small guy without much upside but Dijak is another example of a guy who really shouldn’t be able to do the things he does at his size. That never ceases to impress me, though the thing with the Book of Truth would suggest a split in the future.

Post break Truth Martini says Dijak is the weak link in the team, which even the announcers find stupid. There was no Dijak at the main event of Final Battle, which was a slap in Martini’s face. Truth slaps Dijak in the face and Daddiego punches Dijak down. Martini’s trash talk earns Daddiego a Feast Your Eyes so Martini fires Dijak. The fans seem very pleased. Cue Prince Nana to applaud as well.

ReDRagon is ready for next week.

We look at Dalton Castle reuniting with the Boys at Final Battle.

Dalton Castle vs. Jay Briscoe vs. Matt Sydal vs. Moose

This is one fall to a finish despite being called a survival match. You have to tag but there are lucha rules so going to the floor counts as a tag. Briscoe doesn’t seem cool with Castle, which really isn’t all that surprising. Sydal vs. Moose gets us going with Matt teasing a test of strength as a ruse to kick Moose in the thigh. A running curb stomp misses though and Moose tells him to bring it.

Now we actually get the test of strength with Matt going down in about half a second. Thankfully it’s off to Jay for the big staredown and the fans aren’t sure who to cheer for. Castle tags himself in to face Briscoe though and we get a much different showdown. The Jay Driller and Bang a Rang are both broken up to take us to a staredown, followed by a break. Back with Briscoe headbutting Castle before it’s off to Moose. The announcers say the two of them have been tagging in and out to work on Castle during the break, which may or may not be true but at least they’re trying to make it work.

As expected, Moose and Briscoe quickly break down and they trade some big left hands. Moose gets the better of it but stops to dance a bit, allowing Castle to get two off a German suplex. Everyone but Sydal winds up on the floor so Matt busts out a big moonsault to take them all down. The Boys start fanning until Moose’s manager Stokely Hathaway steals a fan to cool Moose off.

Back in and Sydal hurricanranas Moose for two until Jay makes a quick save. Moose spears Jay down but walks into a missile dropkick from Castle, who is taken down by Sydal’s reverse hurricanrana. The shooting star misses though and Castle Bang a Rangs Sydal for the pin at 9:18.

Rating: C. This was fine though more of your standard Ring of Honor formula. I know the name is a longstanding tradition in this company but when I hear the word “survival”, the first thing I think of is an elimination tag. I get the idea but I still wish they would change that. Castle winning is a nice touch and a surprise as he could definitely move up in the ranks soon enough.

Overall Rating: C. It was another totally watchable show from a company that specializes in such. The Kingdom basically crumbling is sad but at least they’ll have a good blowoff match next week to send them off. I’m not sure where a lot of this stuff goes but they have some time before we get to the next pay per view in late February.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of Wrestlemania at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Ring of Honor
Date: December 16, 2015
Location: Tennessee State Fair Grounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

It’s the go home show for Final Battle but the complicated TV schedule would suggest that a lot of this isn’t going to be focused on the pay per view main events. That being said, Ring of Honor has been more than entertaining enough lately and I’ve been looking forward to these shows more and more lately. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Adam Cole vs. Corey Hollis

Unfortunately no Maria with Cole. The announcers don’t try to hide the fact that this is going to be a glorified squash. Cole stomps him down in the corner to start and does his signature pose. The AA onto the knee sends Hollis into the corner again and a Shining Wizard breaks up a comeback.

Hollis tries a springboard and is quickly knocked outside for his efforts. Back in and Cole misses a superkick and has his suplex countered into a Stunner of all things. Sean O’Haire’s Widowmaker (kind of a fireman’s carry into a spinebuster) but Cole stops him dead with a superkick. A brainbuster onto the knee gives Cole the pin at 4:29.

Rating: C-. This was much more entertaining than I was expecting as they kept it moving but also gave Hollis enough offense to keep this from being a total squash. Cole continues to be probably the most well rounded performer in ROH and that’s a good choice for a showcase match like this one.

Post match we get a quick Story Time with Adam Cole where Kyle O’Reilly is guaranteed to be destroyed.

The Young Bucks vs. the All Night Express vs. the Briscoes for the #1 contendership is confirmed for Final Battle.

War Machine vs. Washington Bullets

The Bullets are Jon and Trey Williams, who decide it’s a good idea to not shake hands with the big bearded monsters about to kill them. Hanson clotheslines both of them down and it’s off to Rowe to German suplex Trey. Path of Resistance sets up Fallout for the pin on Jon at 1:33. Total squash and War Machine looked awesome.

Here’s former referee Mike Posey as a rapper and a five person posse. The fans sound stunned as he “raps” about Dalton Castle at a level equal to PG-13 from the Nation of Domination days.

Dalton Castle vs. Mike Posey

Posey tries to jump Dalton before the bell and is easily suplexed for his efforts. Some headbutts have Posey in trouble and Dalton goes after the posse to kill some time. The distraction doesn’t work as Castle belly to bellys him out to the floor, setting up the Bang A Rang for the pin at 2:50.

Post match Castle describes himself as the Aurora Borealis of the ring and says he’s as majestic as they come. Castle: “Isn’t that right Planet Peacock?” He wants Silas Young out here right now but gets the Boys instead. It’s just a distraction though, allowing Young to sneak up behind Castle for a beating.

Here’s Jerry Lynn for a special appearance. He talks about everyone calling him as he went through a recent surgery and was overwhelmed by all the support. We quickly move on to the upcoming World Title match and Lynn can’t pick a winner. Lynn has traveled the roads with both guys and he sees it as totally even. Kelly directly asks him but here’s the House of Truth to interrupt.

Lethal accuses Lynn of being too old and out of touch so Jerry picks AJ. That’s enough for Jay so he takes off his shirt but Jerry says Jay beating him up would hurt Lethal’s parents. Lethal goes on a Flair style rant about how great he is and how much he’s done this year. He says he is professional wrestling and the House of Truth walks out. I’m not a big Lethal fan but he ran circles around the pretty bad Lynn out there.

Video on Moose vs. Michael Elgin.

Roppangi Vice vs. ACH/Matt Sydal

Alex Shelley is on commentary. Sydal and Romero get things going with Matt working on the arm. Romero lands on his feet out of a monkey flip but one shot to the face sends him crawling over to Trent. That means a double tag and Trent takes over with some chops. ACH flips around a lot and dropkicks Trent to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Sydal in a Romero Octopus hold. A regular headlock doesn’t work all that well and it’s a hot tag to ACH as things speed way up. Trent gets kicked in the face to put him on the floor, setting up the Jordan flip dive. Back in and a delayed German gets two on Romero but Vice comes back with a string of knees to ACH’s head for two. Standing Sliced Bread #2 drops Sydal but ACH kicks Romero in the face to put all four down.

Romero goes up to but gets kicked in the head, setting up a quick hurricanrana from Sydal. ACH takes Romero to the floor but Sydal’s shooting star hits Trent’s knees. Trent’s running knee gets two on Matt and all four are back in. Romero distracts Trent to break up his kneeling piledriver and Code Red (a sunset bomb) is enough to give Sydal the pin at 11:31.

Rating: C. This just isn’t my kind of match. They’re flying around a lot and hitting (moderately) big spots but there’s little flow to it and the ending is about who hits the last spot. I’m not a fan of this style though and this didn’t change my mind. It’s certainly not the worst but I almost never have any reaction to this style.

One more run down of the card ends the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as it was almost all a big preview for next week’s major show but there was nothing that made me want to see Final Battle more. Lynn’s promo with Lethal was one sided and the wrestling ranged from squashes to nothing interesting. The card was almost entirely set up already though so this was just a bonus.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of Wrestlemania at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Ring of Honor
Date: December 9, 2015
Location: Tennessee State Fair Grounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

Final Battle is rapidly approaching and last week saw the first real build towards AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal for the ROH World Title. The rest of the show is starting to come together and it’s looking like a good show. We still have two shows left before the pay per view but the syndicated schedule could cause problems with the second episode. Let’s get to it.

Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser vs. ReDRagon

The Bruiser shoves Fish down to start so Bobby asks for a test of strength. As you might expect, that earns Bruiser a kick to the ribs, followed by a right hand to Fish’s jaw. Kyle (sweet goodness that is a pale man) tags himself in for some tandem kicks to Bruiser. Not wanting to feel left out, Silas tries to come in but gets both arms worked over.

With his limbs hurting, Silas goes to the eyes to take over and brings Bruiser back in for a right hand to the jaw. Bruiser’s running Umaga attack sets up a Broski Boot for two on Kyle and here’s Adam Cole to sit in on commentary. Back from a break with Kyle’s comeback being stopped again. Silas takes him into the corner (showing off the really old looking ring ropes) but Kyle avoids a charge and sweeps Bruiser’s leg for the hot tag.

Fish gets the better of a slugout with Silas (that’s a bit surprising) and a belly to belly sends Young hard into the corner. Now it’s a double team on Bruiser until he takes Kyle down with a clothesline. Young is back up to DDT Fish onto the bottom buckle (that was cool) but Bruiser misses a top rope splash.

Kyle has to kick a Boy down and dive onto Bruiser but the distraction means Misery only gets two on Fish. A Samoan drop puts Silas down and it’s a double tag to Kyle and the Bruiser. Kyle grabs a guillotine choke on Bruiser for a long time until he reaches the ropes, only to leave Silas to take a beating. Chasing the Dragon puts Bruiser away at 12:10.

Rating: B-. As usual, the tag division is the best part of ROH as they continue to have good match after good match. Well at least entertaining match after entertaining match but I’ll take what I can get. The Bruiser is a lot less worthless than I thought he was going to be when I first saw him, though that’s not really covering a lot of ground.

Cole and O’Reilly almost get in a fight after the match.

Silas orders the Boys to beat up the referee and they don’t seem to mind complying. The villains leave but here’s Dalton Castle to say Silas has something that belongs to him. Bruiser goes after Castle but gets knocked out by a microphone shot. The Boys tease getting in but walk away, nearly bringing Castle to tears.

Here’s Chris Sabin to vent about the man in the red mask. That person has cost the Addiction the World Tag Team Titles but more importantly, they’ve been STEALING HIS GIMMICK. Sabin demands that whoever it is come out here right now so here’s the masked man. He takes off the mask and it’s……Alex Shelley, Sabin’s former partner in the Motor City Machine Guns. Nothing is said but I think you know what’s coming.

TV Title: Roderick Strong vs. Samson Walker

Strong is defending, Walker is a good sized power guy and Bobby Fish, the #1 contender to the title, is on commentary. Walker shoves him around to start so Strong fires off a leg lariat to stagger the big man. It’s out to the floor with Strong’s back being driven into the post and the fans chant SEXUAL CHOCOLATE. We hit the kneeling bearhug on the champ, followed by a nice spinebuster for two. There go the straps (drawing gasps from the crowd) but Roderick nails a dropkick. Fish grabs the title and sits back down as Strong hits the running knee and the Sick Kick to retain at 5:37.

Rating: D+. Not much to see here but it’s always a plus to have the champ get a win like this where he wasn’t in much danger in the first place. Fish isn’t the most interesting challenger in the world but the fans love him and the match should be fun so it’s kind of hard to complain.

Fish gets in the ring with the title on, ticking Strong off even more.

Inside ROH recaps the 2015 Survival of the Fittest, won by Michael Elgin, who wants the World Title shot in New Japan.

Briscoe Brothers vs. Young Bucks

We continue the night’s trend with Kenny King sitting in on commentary and Rhett Titus standing behind him. Mark and Nick get things started after a quick fourway staredown but a quick superkick party takes the Briscoes down. Stereo suicide dives take the Briscoes down again and it’s back inside with Nick chopping away at Mark.

Everything breaks down with Jay cleaning house until Mark suplexes Nick down (and dances a bit) for two. Back from a break with Matt superkicking Mark on the apron to take over again. A Whisper in the Wind into a Diamond Cutter gets two on Mark but he comes back with Red Neck Kung Fu, allowing the tag off to Jay. Nick tries to speed things up but misses a moonsault off the apron, allowing Mark to come back with a Blockbuster.

Jay dives onto both Bucks and everyone is down. The Bucks tell Jay to suck it because the Bullet Club is turning the NWO/DX into a goofy comedy bit and the ROH fans eat it up due to irony or whatever, only to have the Briscoes take over again. Matt flips out of a Doomsday Device because he’s no selling a top rope clothesline from Mark. A double superkick and the Indytaker set up More Bang For Your Buck for the pin on Mark at 11:20.

Rating: C+. This was much better suited to the ROH style but I liked the first tag match, which was a much more traditional power vs. speed match. It doesn’t help that I still don’t care for the Bucks. I get the idea behind them (“WE’RE DOING STUFF THAT MAKES US LOOK LIKE INDY WRESTLERS!”) but it still doesn’t do it for me. The Briscoes are fine and the match was good, but the Bucks are just not for me in the slightest.

The Express gets in the ring and it’s a big three team brawl with security failing to break it up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, ROH is nailing it going into the biggest show of the year. The only major problem I have with them is they have so much stuff going on and the matches getting this much time means you don’t get a touch on every program each week and I forget where things are going at times. Tweak that and this is up there with NXT for best wrestling show of the week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of Wrestlemania at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Ring of Honor
Date: December 2, 2015
Location: Wings Stadium Annex, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly, Mark Briscoe

Final Battle is just around the corner and for the first time in a long time, Jay Lethal’s World Title really seems vulnerable. However, for some reason ROH seems much more interested in the tag team division, though that’s been some of the more interesting stuff they’ve been doing in recent weeks. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Adam Page vs. Will Ferrara

Page is still rightfully ticked off that he’s off Final Battle because of Whitmer and Corino being forced off the show as well. Will gets jumped from behind before the bell, which is totally dishonorable but the referee starts the match anyway. Page stomps him in the corner as Kelly runs down the Final Battle card instead of talking about the match. Back up and Page charges into a boot in the corner, only to come right back with a dropkick to send Ferrara out to the floor.

A bridging pumphandle suplex (that’s a new one) gets two for Page as Briscoe cheers for Ferrara. Will makes a quick comeback with a sunset bomb out of the corner for two. It’s time for a Decade meeting on the floor but Ferrara dives onto everyone. Colby offers a referee distraction and Whitmer throws in the crutch, only to have Ferrara intercept it and lay out Page for the big upset at 4:05.

Rating: C-. It’s cool to see the perennial jobber get a win like this though I’m still surprised that they’re going to leave the Decade off the big show after everything they’ve done in recent months. Corino being out changed what they had planned but there’s no one else that they could swap in there?

Post match Whitmer goes after Ferrara and the referee, drawing in Mark Briscoe for the save.

Here’s the Addiction to yell about how badly they’ve been mistreated around here. Daniels goes on a sexist rant against Maria who belongs in a kitchen or a nursery. Daniels: “YEAH I SAID IT!” Then they had a masked man run in which should have stopped the match immediately but it just kept going. Kazarian says if Ring of Honor wants to play checkers, the Addition will play chess……in New Japan Professional Wrestling. They’ll go win the Heavyweight Tag League and then come back to regain their World Tag Team Championships of the World.

Video on Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly which will be one heck of a grudge match at Final Battle.

Package on Brutal Bob Evans vs. Cheeseburger. WHY ARE THESE TWO STILL FIGHTING??? They were fighting like six months ago and they’re still at it. Evans broke Cheeseburger’s hand at this TV taping and they’ll be fighting again on the Final Battle pre-show in another grudge match. I’ll take that over them being on the main show.

We look back at Roderick Strong winning the TV Title last week.

Here’s the House of Truth (good night that’s a low cut dress on Hendrix) with something to say. Lethal says Strong FINALLY beat him last week after all the tries but Jay knows Strong couldn’t do it again. He’ll be TV Champion again soon enough anyway. That brings Lethal to AJ Styles, who Lethal came to for advice for most of their careers. It’s true that Styles was the best wrestler in the world for years, but that changed when Lethal became the undisputed ROH Champion.

Lethal is the only undisputed champion and now he wants Styles out here to say it to his face. This brings out AJ (who thankfully can walk here) to say that Lethal is right because of that belt around his waist. Jay losing the TV Title was the best thing that could have happened to him though because he needs to focus on AJ and AJ alone. They shake hands and stare each other down with Jay holding up the belt. Well done and very simple idea here.

It’s time for Storytime with Adam Cole which has become a highlight of these shows. Cole never saw this coming because even after he kicked Kyle with reality at All-Star Extravaganza, Kyle still didn’t get it. O’Reilly isn’t going to win the World Title as long as Cole is around because that’s just not how it works. Cole starts yelling that Kyle will never be champion because he’s not the man that Adam is. He’s going to make Kyle quit and leave ROH because he can’t handle the embarrassment of how bad things are going to get at Final Battle.

We run down the Final Battle card. I might have to watch that show.

Dalton Castle vs. Adam Cole

No Boys here and Castle is clearly not happy about it. Cole on the other hand has the whole Kingdom behind him. Kelly: “I think Cole’s greatest advantage, aside from being a former World Champion, is having three mates at ringside.” You can’t buy analysis like this people. Before we get going, cue the Boys to stand by Dalton’s side but Silas Young runs out to say not so fast. How nice is it to have stipulations adhered to?

Cole jumps Castle to start and Bennett trips Dalton to break up a comeback. Nigel: “Come on I’m right here!” Castle dives through the ropes to take out the Kingdom and Cole’s dive off the apron only earns him a suplex. The fans are way behind Dalton here but Cole shuts them up with a superkick. The Kingdom gets involved and it’s a quick DQ at 1:45.

Since the Kingdom has a Tag Team Title defense coming up, it would seem appropriate for their challengers to come out and make this a six man tag. The fans chant SIX MAN and that’s what they get, thanks to Nigel.

War Machine/Dalton Castle vs. Kingdom

The good guys take over on the floor to start with Hanson and Rowe destroying Bennett and Cole, leaving Dalton to….bite Taven’s stomach? They get inside for Rowe vs. Cole with the latter getting flipped all over the place off a clothesline. Taven and Bennett trip Rowe down and crotch him though, allowing the heels to take over. A dropkick from Taven gets two and a nice high cross body (Bennett: “TAVEN! FLY!”) connects for the same.

We take a break and come back with nothing having changed as Rowe is taken back into the heel corner. A missed dropkick allows Rowe to finally make the tag and it’s off to Hanson to clean house with knees to the chest. Cole and Castle come in with Dalton showing him how to do a missile dropkick. Taven comes back in and trades about ten Tombstone attempts with Castle until Dalton FINALLY plants him.

Rowe knees Taven and Bennett out to the floor so Hanson busts out a big top rope flip dive to drop everyone. Back in and the Path of Resistance sets up a middle rope splash for two on Cole as his partners make a save. Now it’s Hanson missing a suicide dive, allowing Cole to drop Castle with a brainbuster onto his knee for the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C+. This was your signature Ring of Honor main event with the tagging being forgotten by the end and letting it turn into a wild mess which was just coherent enough to keep track of it. You don’t want the Kingdom to lose here so having Castle take the fall was the best possible option. Good TV main event here.

The Kingdom poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Another fun show here that did a good job of setting up Final Battle, which is looking like a strong card to close out the year. It really does impress me to see how far Ring of Honor has come in just a few months as I wasn’t wild on their first Destination America shows but I’m digging their product now that it’s off the national network. This was fun stuff and worked more than well enough.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of the History of Wrestlemania at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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

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

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

Donovan Dijak vs. Moose

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

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

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

Dalton Castle vs. Cedric Alexander

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kingdom vs. Michael Elgin/ReDRagon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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