Ring Of Honor
Date: February 8, 2024
Location: Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Texas
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

We’re slowly making our way towards the yet to be announced Supercard of Honor. That should make for a big show, but given ROH’s tendencies, most of the card won’t be announced until shortly before the show. Maybe we’ll get the Women’s TV Title tournament finals there, assuming they ever actually start the tournament. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down some of the card.

Workhorsemen vs. Sayrus GT/Brilliante RB

Henry and Brilliante start things off with Henry blocking an early armdrag attempt. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Brilliante down again but he dives over to bring in Sayrus to clean house. Drake isn’t having any of this diving stuff though and bounces Sayrus off the ropes for a hard forearm to the face. Back in and a DDT plants Sayrus but he slips out of what looks like a powerbomb and brings Brilliante in again. Not that it matters as Drake suplexes him into the corner for the running knees from Henry. A Downward Spiral/running kick to the head combination finishes Brilliante at 4:07.

Rating: C. This was short and to the point here with the luchadors not getting much time to showcase themselves. It’s nice to see someone new brought in, but it’s even nicer to have an established team win a match without too much trouble. I still don’t buy the Workhorsemen as title threats but at least they got a nice win here.

Dalton Castle won’t let anyone, including Jerry Lynn, Taya Valkyrie or Johnny TV see his friend.

Ethan Page vs. Aaron Solo

Solo isn’t interested in the Code Of Honor to start so Page stomps him down in the corner. Page drives him into another corner and rains down some right hands but it’s too early for Ego’s Edge. Solo pulls him off the middle for a crash into the corner, allowing Solo to hit a spinning kick to the head for two. Page fights out of the chinlock and hits him in the face before pulling him into a powerslam for another near fall. The Ego’s Edge is blocked again and a release northern lights suplex gives Solo two. Solo gets caught cheating on a rollup so Page kicks him in the face, setting up the Ego’s Edge for the pin at 7:29.

Rating: C+. It’s good for Page to pick up another win and he’s getting the momentum going, but assuming he gets the TV Title match at the next big show, we’re going to be waiting a good while. That’s one of the problems with Ring Of Honor: they take so long to have their big matches because such matches don’t take place on the regular show. That leaves some long gaps and Page is stuck in the middle of one.

Penta El Zero Miedo/El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Jon Cruz/KM

Penta and Cruz start things off so we pause for the two of them to shout their names. An exchange of shoves is the only contact for the first minute and forty five seconds until Penta grabs a headlock. Penta kicks him in the ribs but KM gets in a cheap shot from the apron for a breather.

Vikingo comes in and gets suplexed for two, followed by KM grabbing a reverse chinlock. A full nelson slam gives Vikingo two but he fights up and brings in Penta to clean house. A Backstabber into a rope walk double stomp to the ribs gets two on Cruz with KM making the save. Something like What’s Up gets two more and the package piledriver plants him (with Vikingo taking out KM) for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C+. This was a bit more competitive than I was expecting, but spending almost two minutes waiting for them to start was a bit annoying. Penta and Vikingo seemed to be treated like something of a dream team and while they kind of are, it’s not quite as effective as the Lucha Bros. It was just another match with the flashy luchadors flipping around a lot and we’ve kind of covered that to death around here.

Billie Starkz and Lexi Nair are in the back with the latter handing Starkz a message. Starkz says if Nyla Rose is looking for her, come find her after her match.

Johnny TV vs. ???

TV has Taya Valkyrie with him and his opponent, Dalton Castle’s friend is….Hombre de Pavo Real de Montana. That would be Mountain Peacock Man, which is pretty clearly Castle with a beard and a hat. Taya questions Montana’s Spanish abilities but he’s only using a Spanish name to make himself learn Spanish. He even has an app! Montana admits that he is indeed Castle and says it was a ruse to get TV to fight him. TV finally agrees and will tell Castle what it takes….next week.

Shane Taylor issues a proclamation: If you are feeling left out, come join up or fight against them.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett shows Lexi Nair Cole Karter and Griff Garrison attacking someone who appears to be Serpentico. Angelico makes the save but it’s not really Serpentico, meaning the beatdown is on again. The real Serpentico makes the save.

Billie Starkz vs. Araya Thorn

They fight over arm control to start until Starkz takes it to the mat to work on the leg. Starks strikes away and rolls her up for two, followed by a German suplex to send her outside. There’s the suicide dive but here is Nyla Rose with a table for a distraction. Back in and something like a crossface chickenwing finishes Thorn at 3:52.

Rating: C. This was more about the Rose interruption than anything else. In theory we’re waiting on Rose beating Starkz before she gets a Women’s Title shot, but that might take a little while to set up at this point. For now, Starkz stays strong and they didn’t waste time with a longer match when it didn’t need to be.

Post match Rose seems to challenge Starkz but here is the returning Athena to knock Rose off the apron and through the table. Again: I have no idea why Rose is supposed to be the heel here but that seems to be where they’re going.

Trish Adora vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch

Hogan and Diamante clear the ring, with Hogan hitting a dropkick to put her down for an early two. Hirsch and Adora are back in for an amateur off until Adora is sent outside again. Back in and Adora runs them all over with shoulders until Diamante suplexes Adora onto the other two. A triple dropkick puts Diamante down but Hirsch sends the other two outside again. Diamante grabs a chair but Rachael Ellering cuts it off, only to have Diamante roll Hirsch up with her feet on the ropes for the pin at 4:50.

Rating: C. Yeah whatever. These four way matches and momentum building matches towards the tournament have been going on for weeks now and they stopped being interesting a good while ago. Either start the tournament already or stop talking about it because these matches are coming and going with no impact whatsoever. Maybe they shouldn’t have announces the tournament all the way before Christmas if it wasn’t going to start until February (at the earliest). Just a thought.

Griff Garrison/Cole Karter/Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Iron Savages/Infantry

Dean cranks on Garrison’s arm to start and hands it off to Bravo for something like a Demolition Decapitator for two. Bronson comes in for a heck of a backdrop before handing it off to Boulder to load up his chest spot. Hold on though as Maria gets on the apron to open her jacket for a distraction. That doesn’t work so well as Garrison and Karter are sent into Boulder’s chest instead as the villains can’t get anything going.

The Infantry clears the ring and Dean hits a dive but Garrison cuts him off with a clothesline. Back in and Dean has to fight out of the wrong corner, setting up the tag to Bravo (who sipped the Savage Sauce). That means it’s Bravo coming in to clean house as everything breaks down. Boulder suplexes Garrison and Karter, leaving Taylor to come in for a slugout. Taylor this a release Rock Bottom but Bravo knocks him into the corner. Moriarty is back in with a quick suplex into a Downward Spiral to finish Bravo at 9:16.

Rating: C+. This is the part where commentary talks about how the teams are building momentum and might be in line for a Tag Team Title shot. I see little reason for that to be taken seriously as the Kingdom has defended the titles once in their month and a half reign. Maybe they can start interacting with the tag division more frequently but until then, this feels like the same treadmill that the teams have been running on for months. On a side note: can we please give the Savages a week off? They’ve been on the show week after week for months and they’re doing the same stuff over and over. It’s ok to give us a break.

Post match Maria holds up Serpentico’s mask so here he is to get it back. Karter and Garrison take him out, leaving Coleman to say “this feud here is never ending. Every time we think it’s over there’s more to it.” Preach it man.

Rachael Ellering and Leyla Hirsch confirm that everything is ok.

Gravity vs. Lee Johnson

Johnson cranks on a headlock to start before running Gravity over with a shoulder. Gravity is back up and we get a standoff as things reset a bit. Gravity’s dropkick takes out the leg and Johnson gets knocked outside. The dive is cut off so Gravity comes back in for a springboard armdrag. Johnson is sent outside again and this time the dive takes him out. Gravity manages a powerbomb to leave them both down for a double breather. Johnson is back up with his reverse inverted DDT for the pin at 6:04.

Rating: C. This was kind of a weird match as it was back and forth until Johnson just hit his finisher for the pin. Johnson is getting a few wins and if that means a TV Title shot or something like that, cool. The problem is he needs to actually get something out of this and it’s hard to believe that will be the case.

Dalton Castle thinks Johnny TV might want his worm farm or his perfect blood. Then he grabs his chest and gets inside a washing machine.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Killa Kate

Johnny TV is here with Valkyrie, who kicks Kate into the corner to start. A bunch of kicks and a clothesline get two each before a spear cuts Kate off. Shania Pain finishes for Valkyrie at 2:52.

The Women’s TV Title Tournament starts next week. Thank goodness.

Jack Cartwheel vs. AR Fox vs. Komander vs. Willie Mack

They shake hands before everyone goes at it to start. Fox clears the ring but gets sent into the corner by Cartwheel, who cartwheels away. The flipping elbow drop gets two on Fox but Mack is back in to run everyone over. An exploder suplex drops Cartwheel but Komander sends Mack outside for a springboard moonsault. Fox is back up but his 450 hits Mack’s raised knees.

Mack powerbombs Fox for two before Cartwheel comes in to slug it out with Fox. Komander comes in but gets taken down by Cartwheel, whose backbreaker connects for two. Mack dives onto Komander and Fox, setting up Cartwheel’s dive onto everyone. Komander is back in with a springboard 450 to Cartwheel, setting up Cielito Lindo for the pin at 10:26.

Rating: B-. This was the same match they’ve had for the last month plus with different people involved. They did their dives and flips with everyone getting in something until one person won. I’m sure this will launch Komander into the title picture, because he has never been put into a random title match and come up short.

Athena sends the minions to get things ready for a celebration before calling Nyla Rose nothing. Then Rose comes in to put her through a table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Usual caveat: the wrestling was good to rather good with nothing that was close to bad. That being said, this continues to be one of the worst week to week shows that I have ever seen. There is so much stuff that feels like it is there to extend the run time or feels like it is building to nothing because stories take FOREVER to get to a resolution. Caprice Coleman even said something similar about the Serpentico stuff as it feels like it’s ending and then it just keeps going.

There is nothing wrong with having a good match on a show, but at some point it needs to mean SOMETHING. Ring Of Honor has had these four ways for what feels like months and where have they led? Maybe a one off TV Title match here or there but it’s not like there is any consistency. Instead it’s just a bunch of people having matches and every so often, one of them will get a random title match. Nothing on here feels any bigger than the rest and there is so much on the show that feels like a way to get people in the ring. I wonder how much these tapings affect the AEW shows’ attendance, as I wouldn’t want to sit through almost two hours of this stuff. Again: not a bad show, but a totally unnecessarily long one.

Results
Workhorsemen b. Sayrus GT/Brilliante RB – Downward Spiral/running kick to the head combination to Brilliante
Ethan Page b. Aaron Solo – Ego’s Edge
Penta El Zero Miedo/El Hijo del Vikingo b. Jon Cruz/KM – Package piledriver to Cruz
Billie Starkz b. Araya Thorn – Crossface chickenwing
Diamante b. Leyla Hirsch, Trish Adora and Kiera Hogan – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Hirsch
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Griff Garrison/Cole Karter b. Iron Savages/Infantry – Suplex Downward Spiral to Bravo
Lee Johnson b. Gravity – Reverse inverted DDT
Taya Valkyrie b. Killa Kate – Shania Pain
Komander b. Willie Mack, Jack Cartwheel and AR Fox – Cielito Lindo to Cartwheel

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

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Rampage
Date: January 26, 2024
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

It’s the Friday show and that could mean more than a few things. Rampage is the one AEW show that doesn’t exactly have a regular format and that opens up a few options. You never know what kind of a show you’re going to get and most of them wind up working well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley vs. Lee Moriarty

Shane Taylor is here with Moriarty, who is quickly chopped out to the floor. Back in and Moriarty pulls him into a headlock, only to get elbowed outside. Moxley and Taylor almost get into it, leaving Moriarty and Moxley to slug it out back inside. Moriarty manages to take him into the corner for some right hands and we take a break.

Back with the two of them striking it out on the apron until Moriarty takes him down by the arm. They get back inside with Moriarty cranking on the arm and getting two off a German suplex. Moxley comes out of the corner with a hard clothesline into the hammer and anvil elbows. Moriarty snaps the fingers and hits some running corner dropkicks but Moxley grabs a piledriver. More elbows and a running kick to the face gets two, followed by a rear naked choke for the win at 12:52.

Rating: B. Yep that was a Moxley match, as he did his wrestling/grappling stuff with insert opponent here. It’s not that they’re bad or anything close to it, but it feels like something that we’ve covered so many times that it stops meaning as much. Moxley is probably going to be back in a title hunt sooner or later and odds are he’ll be doing the exact same stuff, as tends to be the case.

Post match Taylor jumps Moxley for the double beatdown.

Angelo Parker asks Anna Jay if she had anything to do with Harley Cameron kissing her…so Jay slaps him. She’s tired of no one having her back so she’s having her match tonight on her own.

CMLL is coming to AEW.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Christopher Daniels

The Don Callis Family is here with Takeshita with Callis himself on commentary. Takeshita hits him in the face and hits a running crossbody. A middle rope backsplash connects but Daniels headbutts him off the top. The middle rope swinging Downward Spiral drops Takeshita but he’s right back with a kneeling Tombstone. The running knee finishes for Takeshita at 3:07.

Rating: C. This was short and to the point and that’s all it needed to be. Takeshita continues to feel like he should be a killer but for some reason he only pops up every now and then. At least he beat up Daniels in short order, but can we get something a little more substantial for Takeshita already? He’s too good for the role he’s in at the moment.

Post match Callis gets on the mic and talks about how his family has taken away everything from Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega. Now it’s time for Takeshita to face Chris Jericho in two weeks, but Kyle Fletcher says he wants to face Jericho instead. Works for Callis, who says Jericho can face Fletcher next week.

Top Flight with Action Andretti and Private Party talk trash before their match next week. Andretti’s water bottle is knocked out of his hands.

Ruby Soho vs. Anna Jay

The Outcasts are here with Soho, who jumps Jay before the bell and sends her outside. Jay is sent into various things on the floor and they head back inside for the opening bell. A whip into the corner has Soho in trouble but she runs Jay over as we take a break. Back with Jay getting two off a DDT but Harley Cameron breaks up the Queenslayer. That’s enough for the double ejections, leaving Soho to hit Destination Unknown for two. Jay is fine enough to grab the Queenslayer for the win at 6:53.

Rating: C. As usual, there is only so much you can get out of a match that doesn’t even last seven minutes and almost half of it is spent in a commercial break. It’s nice to see Jay get a win, but forgive me if I don’t think this is going to be her big break. She has some of the worst start and stop momentum in wrestling and there is no reason to believe this will be the first big step.

Eddie Kingston, in a Cincinnati Reds shirt, for some reason is willing to give Willie Mack a non-title shot on Collision.

Video on Serena Deeb.

El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Kip Sabian vs. Komander vs. Butcher

The winner gets an International Title shot on Collision. The brawl is on to start with Sabian and Butcher seemingly working together. Sabian turns on him just as quickly though, allowing Vikingo and Komander to send them outside. Stereo dives connect but Vikingo and Komander come back inside for a standoff. Butcher comes back in for a weird cloverleaf on Komander. Sabian takes out Vikingo and we take a break.

Back with Butcher and Sabian working on Komander until Sabian tries to turn on him AGAIN. This time it’s a backbreaker to Sabian but Vikingo is back in with a springboard kick to put Butcher down. Komander is back up to clean house, with a Spanish Fly getting two on Sabian.

Butcher manages to hold both of them up until Sabian trips them down for two of his own. Komander goes outside and uses Alex Abrahantes as a launch pad for a Canadian Destroyer to Sabian. Back in and Vikingo hits running knees to Butcher but Sabian runs him over. A bridging German suplex gives Sabian two on Komander, who is right back with a hurricanrana to pin Sabian at 12:59.

Rating: B-. It was a good enough match but this is a fine example of a match where it’s hard to care. You have four people who are rarely above the midcard and now they’re in a thrown together four way for a shot at a title the next night against a champion who is set for a pay per view showdown the month after next. It’s a case where a bigger name would do a lot of good, but instead we get this which was…there.

Post match Orange Cassidy comes out for a staredown with Komander to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was indeed Rampage and it was indeed a show whose purpose was to set things up for later rather than doing anything of importance here. It’s a show where if you watch it, you’ll probably have a good time but if you don’t, you’re really not going to miss anything. That doesn’t exactly come off as a positive, as the show could use some more star power and stakes, as they’re both mostly lacking here.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Lee Moriarty – Rear naked choke
Konosuke Takeshita b. Christopher Daniels – Running knee
Anna Jay b. Ruby Soho – Queenslayer
Komander b. Kip Sabian, El Hijo del Vikingo and The Butcher – Hurricanrana to Sabian

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 18, 2024
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s a regular show for the first time in a good while and in this case that means it’s the first weekly show back under the TNA name. We have some new champions, with Moose as the new World Champion and Jordynne Grace as the new Knockouts Champion. That should be more than enough to carry things for a few weeks, but we also have Josh Alexander vs. Will Ospreay II. Let’s get to it.

Here is Hard To Kill if you need a recap.

We open with a long Hard To Kill recap, capped off by the debut of Nic Nemeth.

Kushida vs. Jake Something vs. Trey Miguel vs. Laredo Kid vs. Mike Bailey vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

One fall to a finish. Kushida gets the idea of a bunch of people going after Something but Miguel gets tossed instead. Triple dives take down the villains on the floor before Miguel hits the Lightning Spiral on Kushida. Something is back in to shrug off chops from Vikingo, who is powerbombed over the top onto a bunch of people. Kushida cartwheels into a basement dropkick to Miguel but Vikingo is back in to break up the Hoverboard Lock. Not that it matters as Something comes back in with Into The Void to finish Kid at 5:34.

Rating: C+. This would have been better off as a four way or a triple threat for the sake of giving the match some more space to breathe. They were going for the idea of “total nonstop action” here and that’s a fun way to start. It’s something Impact had been doing for months now and it worked here too. Something continues to look and feel like a force, but having him win something that matters would be nice.

Will Ospreay is ready to beat Josh Alexander again and talks about how TNA made him a wrestler. This was a talk into the camera promo and Ospreay had some fire.

Video on Ash By Elegance, which looks like a perfume commercial.

We look at Gisele Shaw winning Ultimate X at Hard To Kill.

Shaw did what she said she would do and now Jordynne Grace needs to keep her eyes open. Gail Kim comes in to say this is what Shaw can do on her own, but Shaw walks away.

Tasha Steelz vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside rolls out of a wristlock to start and snaps off a hurricanrana. Steelz is back up with a poke to the eye and a headbutt for two. The chinlock goes on before Steelz grabs Three Amigos, which thankfully doesn’t include an Eddie dance. Brookside is back up with a headscissors and a running neckbreaker for one. Steelz’s Codebreaker gets two but Brookside catches her on top with an Iconoclasm into a bridging pin (the Brooksie Bomb) at 5:06.

Rating: C. Nothing exactly great here but it was a way to get Brookside a win to establish herself a little bit here. Brookside is someone who did well during her time in NXT UK but that doesn’t exactly make her a household name. Let her get her feet wet here and she should be off to a nice start.

We look at Joe Hendry’s music video about AJ Francis, which earned him a beating thanks to a laptop shot to the back from DJ Who Kid.

Hendry isn’t happy with the beatdown but again brings up Francis being the Cheez-It Champion, which is the point of the music video. We’ll call it all even, as he even has a new laptop….and has apparently taken out Who Kid.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Frankie Kazarian/Eric Young

Young goes right after Gibson to start but Drake comes in to work on his arm instead. Kazarian comes in and gets pulled to the floor, where a dive takes him out. We take a break and come back with Kazarian getting pulled back into the corner to cut off a tag attempt. Kazarian suplexes his way out of trouble but Drake pulls Young off the apron in a smart move. Some running shots in the corner rock Kazarian but he ducks an elbow and gets over to Young for the fast tag. Everything breaks down and Grit Your Teeth (double Codebreaker) finishes Young at 9:44.

Rating: C. Much like Brookside, this was a nice way to have the newcomers get a win over some established names. The Veterans are a good team but they’re brand new around here and need to show what they can do. Beating some former World Champions, even if they’re not a regular team, should accomplish that just fine.

Post match a frustrated Kazarian turns on Young, ending their partnership after…five days. Kazarian yells at him a good bit, saying this was supposed to be Kazarian’s year and nailing a Fade To Black.

The System celebrated Moose’s World Title win in Las Vegas. It’s a new beginning for all of them and Moose is only going to be known as World Champion.

Here is Nic Nemeth for a chat. Hard To Kill was a special moment and TNA is back. After the required chant (Nemeth: “I love that.”), Nemeth talks about how he’s intimidated, scared and excited. He picked his time and place and wound up face to face with the TNA World Champion.

Now he’s going to win the TNA World Title and celebrate with everyone in this crowd. He’s gotten to the top before and now he’s going to do it again st Nic Nemeth. Cue Steve Maclin to interrupt, saying it’s his turn to talk. This is his area of operations and all people are going to ask is what happened to Dolph Ziggler. The fight is on and Nemeth drops him in a hurry. That sets up his first big match and gave him a nice intro promo.

Jordynne Grace is happy with her win over Trinity, who interrupts her. Trinity is taking her rematch next week.

Here is Jai Vidal to say he hates this place and no one here can beat him up.

PCO vs. Jai Vidal

PCO knocks him into the corner to start, followed by the chokeslam and PCOsault for the pin at 1:25.

The Motor City Machine Guns talk about knowing Kazuchika Okada, who they want to face the System next week. Okada pops in to say he’s back.

Josh Alexander vs. Will Ospreay

Ospreay flips out of a wristlock to start and takes him down, which is good for an early standoff. Alexander’s running shoulder just makes Ospreay nip up, where he can chop Alexander down and hit a standing shooting star press for two. A backbreaker gives Ospreay two but Alexander breaks up a springboard. The running crossbody on the apron sends Ospreay out to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Alexander winning a fight over a suplex and hitting a powerbomb onto the knee for two. A regular backbreaker sends Ospreay to the apron, meaning it’s time to fight over a drive through the table (because there’s a table at ringside). Ospreay hits a tiger driver through said table and we pause for the medics to check on both of them. The referee says we’re continuing but Alexander has to beat the count….where Ospreay hits a springboard missile dropkick to the ribs.

The Oscutter gets two but the Hidden Blade misses. We take another break and come back with Alexander hitting a Tombstone on the ramp. They get back in with Alexander getting two off a super Regal Roll, setting up the ankle lock. Ospreay rolls it into the corner, setting up the Cheeky Nandos Kick.

A super poisonrana sets up the Hidden Blade to give Ospreay two and they both need a breather. Another Hidden Blade sets up the Storm Driver 93 for two more and another breather. A third Hidden Blade is cut off and Alexander runs through him with a clothesline. The C4 Spike is countered but so is Ospreay’s Styles Clash, with Alexander hitting one of his own for two. Now the C4 Spike can finish Ospreay at 22:45.

Rating: A-. This was a heck of a match and it gave Alexander the big win that he has been needing. Ospreay is one of the best in the world at the moment and it means a lot for someone to get that kind of a win over him. Alexander hung in there with him the entire way and then dropped Ospreay on his head for the pin. Great match here and worth a look.

Post match Scott D’Amore comes out and talks about his love for wrestling and how this place was declared dead. Now there is blood pumping through its veins and it has inspired people like Will Ospreay and Trey Miguel and Tasha Steelz. TNA is back and it’s never going away. The old Cross The Line theme plays us out.

Overall Rating: B. This is a show where the main event is going to be the big focal point and not much else is going to matter. The main event more than stole the show and I had a good enough time with the rest of the night. It was a good follow up to Hard To Kill as they were pushing the idea that TNA is back, but it really just felt like the same Impact with a different color scheme. If they can keep that going then they’ll be in a good place, and it started with this show being pretty awesome.

Results
Jake Something b. Kushida, Trey Miguel, Laredo Kid, Mike Bailey and El Hijo del Vikingo – Into The Void to Kid
Xia Brookside b. Tasha Steelz – Brooksie Bomb
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Eric Young/Frankie Kazarian – Grit Your Teeth to Young
PCO b. Jai Vidal – PCOsault
Josh Alexander b. Will Ospreay – C4 Spike

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Ring Of Honor
Date: January 18, 2024
Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

We’re back with another week but there is a twist this time: the Tag Team Champions are ACTUALLY HERE! For the first time since early August, the titles will not only be on the show but also on the line. It’s a tiny victory but I’ll take the little things that I can get here and there. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s what’s coming this week.

We look back at Nyla Rose attacking Athena at a training school.

Billie Starkz and Lexi Nair don’t get how this happened but Nair suggests herbal tea and Friends. Starkz on the other hand wants the Women’s TV Title. These two are still great together.

Nyla Rose vs. Erica Leigh

Leigh chops away to start but is dropped with a single chop. They go outside with Leigh being rammed ribs first into the apron and then into the steps as the fans approve of Rose. Back in and Leigh gets in a kick, earning herself a “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND” and a chokeslam. The cannonball and Beast Bomb finish for Rose at 2:57.

Tag Team Titles: Iron Savages vs. The Kingdom

The Kingdom is defending and Bennett chops Bronson into the corner to start. Bennett’s right hands don’t get him very far as Bronson backdrops him down and hands it off to Boulder for a swinging side slam. Bennett sends the Savages into each other though and Taven comes in for a spear. A running flipping neckbreaker gives Taven two on Bronson as commentary talks about the Kingdom’s history.

Taven’s chinlock doesn’t last long so it’s back to Bennett for the chops in the corner. A splash misses for Bennett though and it’s Boulder coming in to pick up the pace. Slams and corner splashes keep the Kingdom in trouble, with a powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam combination getting two. Taven low bridges Boulder to the floor but Bronson sends Taven outside for the dive. Back in and a Sky High gives Bronson two but it’s Just The Tip into the Death Valley Driver into Just The Tip to give Taven two. Hail Mary (spike piledriver) retains the titles at 6:54.

Rating: C+. That’s something the show has been missing for a long time now. This wasn’t some epic match, but the champs being here and putting the titles on the line gives the other tag teams a reason to fight. There’s a prize to be won now and there might be a reason to having all of those tag matches now. It’s not so much a great match, but it’s an important event that needs to happen every so often.

Robyn Renegade, Taya Valkyrie, Leyla Hirsch and Rachael Ellering are ready for their eight woman tag match as a preview for the Women’s TV Title tournament.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Bryan Keith

Castagnoli powers him into the corner to start and adds a nice shove. It works so well that Castagnoli does it again, this time for some rights and lefts to make it more violent. Keith is able to send him outside and follows with…actually some strikes rather than a dive. Back in and Castagnoli grabs a chokeslam of all things, setting up an elbow drop for two.

Some stomps in the corner have Keith in more trouble and Castagnoli grabs a slam to cut off the comeback attempt. A gorilla press into the corner sends Keith outside again but he’s back in with a tornado DDT. They head outside again with Keith firing off some kicks to the chest but Castagnoli uppercuts his head off.

Back in and Keith hits a running knee for two of his own and a Death Valley Driver onto the knee gets the same. Castagnoli has had it though and grabs the Swing for two of his own. The big uppercut gets two more so Castagnoli grabs a swinging sleeper into a rear naked choke to finish at 12:46.

Rating: B. This started off slowly but they got into a groove and were tearing the house down by the end. Castagnoli going into wrecking ball mode is great to see as there isn’t much that can stop him when he gets going like that. Keith held his own here too and I was into this by the end, which is a great sign for any match.

Respect is shown post match.

Billie Starkz/Queen Aminata/Kiera Hogan/Lady Frost vs. Taya Valkyrie/Robyn Renegade/Leyla Hirsch/Rachael Ellering

Starkz and Renegade start things off, with Starkz hitting a hard shot to the face. Frost comes in to flip over Hirsch and dropkick her in the back, allowing Ellering to come in. Aminata comes in as well as commentary hypes her up as a major prospect. Ellering wins a strike off so Aminata takes her down for a kick to the back.

Hogan gets to strike away at Ellering, who casually picks her up and drops her into the wrong corner. It’s Renegade coming in for a change, with Hogan hitting a running hip attack to the back. Renegade kicks her out to the floor for two, followed by Taya’s sliding clothesline for the same. Ellering’s backsplash gets two more and Renegade gets to grab a reverse chinlock as the fast tags continue.

Hogan grabs a jumping neckbreaker to get her way out of trouble and it’s Frost coming back in to pick up the pace. A cartwheel hip attack in the corner gets two on Valkyrie and things settle a bit. Everything breaks down (you knew that was coming) and we hit the parade of secondary finishers. Starkz grabs the Starkz’s End for the pin on Renegade at 9:15.

Rating: C+. As usual, there is only so much that you can do in a match with this many people involved. What matters is that they’re setting up the TV Title tournament, though it would be nice if the thing actually, you know, started. Starkz would seem to be a favorite to win the thing but you never know in something like this.

Post match Abadon comes out to stare everyone down again.

We look at Bullet Club Gold winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles on Dynamite.

Top Flight give Action Andretti a ride in a golf cart before his shot at El Hijo del Vikingo later tonight.

We’re off to Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida for a bit.

Butcher and the Blade vs. Top Flight

Dante throws Blade into the corner to start and a running Downward Spiral brings him back out. Butcher comes in but gets dropkicked into another corner so Blade tries his luck again. Blade finally takes Darius into the corner and Butcher hits a heck of a clothesline to take over for the first time.

The chinlock doesn’t last long but Butcher cuts of the tag attempt. That doesn’t last long either as Darius gets over for the tag to Dante so the pace can pick up in a hurry. Everything breaks down and an assisted tornado DDT plants Butcher. Darius drops Blade and Dante’s top rope splash finishes at 7:03.

Rating: C+. Another nice match here with the power vs. speed formula. Butcher and the Blade are a team who always feels like they could move up to the next level but then they lose here. In theory this is Top Flight getting some momentum back, though I could go with it not being at Butcher and the Blade’s expense.

Mark Briscoe vs. Serpentico

Briscoe takes him down to the mat without much effort but Serpentico is back up with a hurricanrana out of the corner. A running boot to the face puts Serpentico outside and Briscoe gets to stomp away back inside. Briscoe’s suplex gets two and they chop it out. Serpentico grabs a jumping cutter for two more but Briscoe knocks him to the floor for a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and the Jay Driller is countered into a jumping Downward Spiral for two, only for Briscoe to come back with the Driller for the pin at 6:22.

Rating: C+. They had another nice match here in a streak of them this week. Serpentico has gone from little more than a comedy goof to someone who can hang in there with some bigger names and that is nice to see. Briscoe continues to just kind of float around, and unless that’s what he wants to do, I have no idea why he’s being used this way.

Lexi Nair is annoyed at Nyla Rose for attacking Athena, with Rose saying she’ll be the new head of the Minions….and then doing a Cartman impression for a bit of charm. Rose wants Athena but for now, she’s looking for Billie Starkz.

Diamante vs. Dream Girl Ellie

Diamante starts fast and hammers away, setting up an early chinlock. Ellie is back up with a scream, only to get taken down by a clothesline. Something like Reno’s old Roll of the Dice finishes Ellie at 1:27.

Johnny TV, with Taya Valkyrie, isn’t going to fight Dalton Castle, who he calls Macho Man Randy Average. Cue an enraged Castle to chase TV into a locker room and almost cry about how much he needs to beat TV.

TV Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Christopher Daniels

Daniels is challenging. They circle each other to start until Daniels takes him down by the arm. Back up and Fletcher runs him over with a shoulder for two, only to get pulled into an armbar. Fletcher goes after the arm as well, including a slam while holding onto said arm. A quick Downward Spiral and belly to back suplex get Daniels out of trouble and he hammers away in the corner.

The middle rope Downward Spiral gives Daniels two but Fletcher’s brainbuster gets the same. Daniels manages a quick Angel’s Wings for two and the fans find this awesome. Back up and Fletcher hits a running knee to the back, setting up the kneeling piledriver to retain at 9:15.

Rating: B-. This was the wrestling match of the show and it worked well enough all things considered. At the end of the day though, Daniels losing over and over again is only going to get him so far. It’s more or less all he does most of the time and while it’s still working, it’s starting to lose some of its impact.

Ethan Page wants a title but he has to make specific goals. That’s why he’s looking at Kyle Fletcher and winning the TV Title. He’s ready to earn his way there too.

AAA Mega Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Action Andretti

Andretti is challenging. They trade rollups for two each to start and flip to a standoff, with the fans approving. After a handshake, Vikingo hits a dropkick into a headscissors out to the floor, only to have Andretti come back with a Falcon Arrow. A basement dropkick gives Andretti two and we hit the chinlock.

With that broken up, Andretti’s bicycle kick gets two and the chinlock goes on again. Vikingo grabs a quick Death Valley Driver for two of his own and goes up top for a heck of a twisting moonsault. Andretti gets sent outside for a heck of a moonsault but he comes back in with a springboard clothesline and a near fall. They trade rollups until Vikingo stacks him up to retain at 10:08.

Rating: B-. This was the high flying match with both of them doing their big moves until one of them got the pin. It’s an entertaining match, but it’s the kind of thing that I’ve seen so many times that it stops having that much impact. They had an entertaining main event and that’s all that matters here, as it was just a thrown together match at the end of a long show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show that would have been outstanding if you cut it off after the eight woman tag. The problem is that the show keeps going for over an hour after that and it went downhill a bit after that. The show was far from bad and it was down to under an hour and forty five minutes, but it did drag in places. I’ll definitely call it an improvement over recent weeks, but they still felt like they were just filling time for a good while and that’s not good.

Results
Nyla Rose b. Erica Leigh – Beast Bomb
Kingdom b. Iron Savages – Hail Mary to Bronson
Claudio Castagnoli b. Bryan Keith – Rear naked choke
Billie Starkz/Queen Aminata/Kiera Hogan/Lady Frost b. Taya Valkyrie/Robyn Renegade/Leyla Hirsch/Rachael Ellering – Stark’s End to Renegade
Top Flight b. Butcher and the Blade – Top rope splash to Blade
Mark Briscoe b. Serpentico – Jay Driller
Diamante b. Dream Girl Ellie – Rolling cutter
Kyle Fletcher b. Christopher Daniels – Kneeling piledriver
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Action Andretti – Rollup

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 11, 2024
Host: Tom Hannifan

We’re almost back to normal shows for the first time in months, but for now it’s time for one more Best Of show. That can be quite hit or miss, but the question becomes what constitutes “Best Of” this week. Hopefully they get to the right part of the vault this week so let’s get to it.

Hannifan welcomes us to the show and talks about this being a preview for Saturday’s Hard To Kill.

From Hard To Kill 2022.

Chelsea Green vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Lady Frost vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Alisha vs. Rosemary

It’s the first ever women’s Ultimate X match and the winner gets a Knockouts Title shot. Alisha is a last minute addition, replacing Rachael Ellering for no given reason. Everyone stares at each other for a bit before Steelz and Grace go straight for the X. That’s broken up of course and it’s time for a bunch of quickly broken climbs. Grace and Rosemary are left alone in the ring as Savannah Evans (Steelz’s partner) comes to the ring.

That doesn’t matter as Havok gives Rosemary a boost towards the X, only to have Green break it up with a missile dropkick. Green and Alisha climbs the same structure but then dive down onto everyone else instead of going after the X. Frost hits a dive of her own but Grace is right there to cut off a climb. Grace goes for the X instead so Frost jumps on her…to no avail as Grace hangs on. Well of course she’s that strong.

Rosemary’s powerbomb to Frost is countered into a hurricanrana though, meaning Steelz has to pull Grace down instead. Green goes for the X this time but falls, landing on Steelz for a scary crash. Alisha whips out Kendra and beats up a variety of people before going up herself. Rosemary cuts that off with a spear, which winds up being a flapjack as Alisha lands face first.

Steelz goes up but Grace goes with the chase to pull both of them down at the same time. With everyone else down, Frost goes up and moonsaults off the structure onto a bunch of people (who can be seen checking on each other). Back up and Grace, Steelz and Green all go up, with Grace falling down in a crash. The X is pulled down but it’s Steelz crashing down with possession for the win at 9:13.

Rating: C+. This was about making history and having the women get the chance to do something like this for a change. The spots were big, but there are only so many things you can do in a match like this one. Steelz winning is a big of a surprise, but she could be fine as a one off challenger on a monthly special. They had a good first time here though and it’s cool to see the women getting a chance in a match like this.

We look at ABC retaining the Tag Team Titles at Final Resolution but getting jumped by the Rascalz after their win.

Later in the night, the ABC cost the Rascalz a match against Trent Seven and Mike Bailey.

The Grizzled Young Veterans are debuting at Hard To Kill and they’re already in a four way Tag Team Title match. Cool. As Zack Gibson talks to the camera, someone bumps into James Drake so he goes off to pummel them. Cool as well.

From Impact, November 9, 2023.

Digital Media Title: Tommy Dreamer vs. Crazzy Steve

Dreamer is defending. They lock up to start and fight out to the floor before Steve takes it back inside for some chopping. A neckbreaker and knee lift get Dreamer out of trouble but Steve knocks him right back down and sings him a lullaby. Dreamer shrugs off some ripping at the face and slugs away.

A reverse DDT gives Dreamer two but the Dreamer Driver is broken up. Steve hits a Cannonball and goes for the fork but Dreamer bites the arm. Dreamer hits a cutter and stabs him with the fork instead. More stabbing has Steve running away and cackling as the match just kind of ends at about 7:15. I’d assume it was a DQ but I didn’t actually hear a bell.

Rating: C. Well, at least Dreamer didn’t win. I would hope that we are going to be seeing a rematch where Steve wins the title as there is no reason for Dreamer to be a long term champion. Dreamer going violent to even things up is fine, but he needs to drop the title to Steve, who is doing some good stuff right now.

Video on El Hijo del Vikingo.

From Impact, August 10, 2023.

Mike Bailey vs. Kushida

Kushida drops to the mat and tries to pull Bailey down before settling for a wristdrag. A kick to the chest drops Bailey again but the fans are split. The bouncing kicks don’t do much to Kushida, who sends Bailey outside. Back in and we hit the surfboard to keep Bailey in trouble a bit longer. They chop it out until Bailey is knocked outside for a shoulder first ram into the post.

We take a break and come back with Kushida tying up the legs and cranking away with an Indian deathlock (with commentary pointing out that since Kushida had taken out the arm, Bailey would start using his legs so Kushida is staying ahead of him). Back up and the leg is fine enough to hit a springboard moonsault (of course), only to miss something off the top.

Bailey strikes him down and tries the standing moonsault but gets caught in an armbar. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker but Kushida makes the rope. Bailey kicks him in the face so Kushida hits him in his, only to have Bailey knee him in the face for two. The tornado kick looks to set up the Ultimate Weapon but Kushida pulls him down and hits Back To The Future for the pin at 17:55.

Rating: B. This is one of those setups where you know it is going to be at least good give all of the circumstances. That being said, Bailey’s knee nonsense continues as Kushida worked it over and then bailey was right back up with the springboard moonsault. Other than that, Kushida seems to be on the road to an X-Division Title showdown and that should be very good whenever it happens.

From Hard To Kill 2022.

Josh Alexander vs. Jonah

They stare each other down until Alexander kicks him in the face to start. Alexander hammers away in the corner but gets knocked down for his efforts. Jonah’s backsplash misses so Alexander knocks him outside, where Jonah scores with some hard chops. Alexander ties the leg in the ropes and stomps down to take over, sending Jonah back outside. That goes badly for Alexander again, as Jonah drives him ribs first into the apron.

Back in and Jonah drops him ribs first onto the top turnbuckle before tossing Alexander around with ease. Neither of them can get a backslide so Jonah drops him ribs first across the top rope instead. The over the shoulder backbreaker stays on the ribs but Alexander slips out to chop away. Some slaps to the face earn Alexander a heck of a forearm, but he’s fine enough to start kicking at the leg.

Alexander dumps him over the top, with Jonah landing on his leg again. A hard right hand knocks Jonah into the front row and Alexander hits a huge dive to take him down again. That’s only good for a nine so Alexander goes right back to the knee. Alexander takes way too long going up so Jonah crotches him down.

One heck of a top rope superplex drops Alexander again before a powerbomb plants him hard. Jonah’s clothesline turns Alexander inside out and a brainbuster gets two more. Some headbutts have Alexander busted open but he’s able to avoid a moonsault. Alexander manages a powerbomb before stomping on the ankle. The ankle lock makes Jonah tap at 17:07.

Rating: B. This was the best way to have the match go, as Alexander fought through an injury to overcome the monster. Alexander needed this win after dropping the World Title in about five minutes, so while it’s annoying to see Jonah lose so soon, it is probably the best outcome. Alexander vs. Moose is going to happen at some point and this should clear the path for the April pay per view. Good match too, as Alexander can do no wrong at the moment.

From Slammiversary 2022.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Mia Yim vs. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Chelsea Green

Steelz, with Savannah Evans, is defending in Queen Of The Mountain and Mickie James is guest enforcer. Steelz has Mickie themed gear describing herself as “The Greatest Who Beat The Greatest” for a nice touch. The bell rings and Steelz bails to the floor to grab a table with Evans. Yim takes both of them out with a dive and Green hits her own flip dive (thankfully not breaking her arm for a change).

Purrazzo adds her own dive and Green rolls Steelz up to become eligible and send her to the penalty box for two minutes. Mickie sends Evans into the box as well, leaving Grace and Yim to beat up Purrazzo. Steelz and Evans are out with Steelz getting to strike away. Evans gets back inside and is ejected by Mickie, leaving Steelz to kick green down. Yim makes the save and suplexes Green for the pin/eligibility/penalty box time.

Green isn’t happy and hits Mickie with the door as Purrazzo has to cut off Yim from hanging the title. With Yim going up anyway, Steelz comes off the top with a cutter to pull her back down. As Purrazzo armbars Steelz, Green is released and takes Grace down with a spear. Steelz taps so Purrazzo can be eligible but it’s time to go after Grace. A Backstabber sends her outside as Green sends Yim into the corner for two. Green holds up the title as Steelz is released from the box.

The ladder is laid up against the ropes and it’s Yim coming off the penalty box to dropkick Green into said ladder. Yim hits a big dive to take out a bunch of people, setting up a package piledriver on the floor to pin Grace (remember Yim was already eligible). Green headbutts Steelz down and goes up but James is back in to break it up in an act of rather unprofessional revenge.

Purrazzo powerbombs Yim onto a ladder and goes up at the same time as Green. As Grace is released, Yim shoves the ladder over to put both Green and Purrazzo through the table. Yim gets dropped and double pinned by Grace and Steelz, meaning everyone is eligible. Steelz goes up but Grace hits her with a MuscleBuster for the pin, allowing Grace to hang the title for the win at 18:24.

Rating: C+. What do you say about a match like this? It’s total insanity and the rules are such a mess that it is quite the chore to keep track of everything that is going on. Grace was the monster throughout the match and it makes sense to have her win, as she hasn’t been around the title in a long time. Granted Masha Slamovich seems to be waiting on whoever won the title, but Grace winning is nice to see.

We look at Moose winning his first World Title by cashing in on Josh Alexander at Bound For Glory 2021.

We look at Alex Shelley winning his first World Title by defeating Steve Maclin at Against All Odds 2023.

We get a face to face sitdown interview between Moose and Alex Shelley before Moose challenges Shelley for the World Title at Hard To Kill. Shelley is feeling confident going into the title match but Moose says he’s coming in as Moose and leaving as World Champion. We get some questions from various members of the media, with the first being if Shelley is facing more pressure than usual. Shelley says he’ll do the same thing he’s been doing, while Moose says he doesn’t need to scare anyone.

The next question is about the rebirth of TNA, with Shelley saying Moose wasn’t around for the original so should be Shelley on top. Shelley is ready to be the champ who defends the title around the world, while Moose wants to be the first champion in TNA as everything changes to the new era.

Another question for Moose: he brought back the TNA World Championship, but did he ever think he would really hold the title? Moose says the company needed someone but Shelley wasn’t there. They go face to face and both say they should be champion to end the show. This was a good idea, but it went on one or two questions too long. I’ll certainly take some hype over the title match over none though so this was at least something.

Overall Rating: B-. There was a theme here and it made the show feel more important. It was still kind of all over the place with its match choices, but at least they were getting to the build for the big return. Hard To Kill is going to be in a weird place, though things will be back to normal starting next week. This was a glorified preview featuring previous matches to set things up, so for what they were trying to do, we’ll call it a good enough success.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Hard To Kill 2024
Date: January 13, 2024
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

Somehow, the big story here is the name of the promotion, as Impact Wrestling is gone and TNA Wrestling is back. Other than that, we have a pretty stacked card with a variety of title matches, plus the promise of a major name debuting. That could be multiple people, which opens up some interesting doors. Let’s get to it.

There is a new set, with the old school tunnel entrances coming diagonally down to the ramp.

Pre-Show: Rich Swann vs. Steve Maclin

Feeling out process to start and Swann, in what looks to be Flash Funk tribute gear, shakes his knees. Swann sends him to the floor for an early dive, followed by a middle rope crossbody for two back inside. Maclin gets in a hard forearm though and a backbreaker makes it worse.

Back up and Swann charges into a release Rock Bottom out of the corner for two more. Swann manages to strike away and kicks him in the head for two. Maclin is able to catch him in the corner though and something close to a Twist of Fate gets two more. That doesn’t slow Swann down as he’s right back with a kick of his own, setting up the 450 for another near fall.

Maclin is right back up to knock him off the top and it’s a top rope headbutt for two. There’s another backbreaker to plant Swann and we hit the Boston crab. The rope is grabbed for the break so Swann comes back with a Lethal Injection into a Trouble In Paradise for a rather near fall. The Phoenix splash misses though and Maclin grabs the KIA for the pin at 10:13.

Rating: B-. I can always go for a match that might not reinvent the wheel but is done well. That’s what we had here with two talented wrestlers who got the chance to do a few things and showcase their abilities. Maclin getting reheated isn’t a bad idea and we might be seeing just that in the new TNA.

Here is DJ Who Kid to bring out AJ Francis (formerly known as Top Dolla in WWE). He insults some fans for being broke and then introduces his new music video…which is interrupted by Joe Hendry. We get some introductions but Hendry has a video for Francis! The video focuses on Francis losing quite a bit, falling over the top rope, and absolutely loving Cheez-Its. Back in the arena and Who hits Hendry with a laptop, meaning the double teaming is on. This show hasn’t been the friendliest to the good guys so far.

Pre-Show: The System vs. Eric Young/Frankie Kazarian

The System would be Brian Myers/Eddie Edwards with Alisha Edwards (their stable mates Moose and DeAngelo Williams (former NFL player) aren’t here). Kazarian and Myers start things off but it’s almost immediately off to Young. They grapple into the corner before we get another Kazarian vs. Edwards slugout. Everything breaks down and the System is sent outside but Myers grabs Young’s boot from the floor so the beating can be on back inside.

Young fights out of the backpack Stunner and a double knockdown allow the double tag. Kazarian gets to clean house, including a Backstabber to Edwards and a slingshot cutter to Myers. Edwards is back up with the backpack Stunner into a running elbow for two as everything breaks down. An Unprettier hits Myers and Young adds a top rope elbow for two. Young gets backdropped to the floor, meaning it’s the Roster Cut into the Boston Knee Party for the pin on Young at 8:05.

Rating: C+. The match was ok but having the heel stable just suddenly being a thing is kind of weird. It felt like I missed the team being formed and that makes for kind of a strange situation. At the same time, the people involved are more than talented enough to make this work and what we got went well. Young and Kazarian are more than fine enough to slot in here as a makeshift team to get the System over, but I’m going to need more of an introduction.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Crazzy Steve vs. Tommy Dreamer

Dreamer is defending in a No DQ match. Steve punches him in the face but Dreamer is back with a clothesline out of the corner. A running knee sends Steve outside and there’s a suplex on the floor. Dreamer chokes with a towel and it’s time for some chairs inside. Steve gets in a chair shot to the back and then does it again for good measure. Some choking with the chair ensues and we hit the neck crank.

It’s time for the fork but Dreamer blocks the stabbing and slugs away. That doesn’t last long as Steve cutters him into a chair to take over again. Dreamer is back with a non-chair cutter of his own and some kind of a reverse suplex gets two. That’s not going to work for Steve though as he sends Dreamer face first into a trashcan in the corner. With Dreamer down, Steve tapes his hands together and whips out another fork…..and then a bunch of forks, which he puts under Dreamer’s shirt. The Cannonball crushes Dreamer again and Belladonna’s Kiss gives Steve the title at 11:10.

Rating: C+. The only thing that mattered here was getting the title off of Dreamer and onto Steve. He’s been ready to win something for months now and they pulled the trigger here. Dreamer never once felt like a long term champion and they didn’t bother doing anything crazy. Not exactly a great match, but it got the result they needed and that’s what mattered.

The show proper looks at the rebirth of TNA, with Eric Young narrating a walk through Las Vegas. Young comes into the arena and says this means everything to us, which is why they’re risking it all. With the roster gathered on the stage, he says WE ARE TNA WRESTLING and they are HARD TO KILL.

Tasha Steelz vs. Alisha Edwards vs. Gisele Shaw vs. Dani Luna vs. Jody Threat vs. Xia Brookside

Ultimate X or a future Knockouts Title shot and Brookside is a surprise entrant. Some people go for the corner to start and are quickly cut off by everyone else, as tends to be the case in these matches. Brookside, Threat and Luna are left in the ring but Steelz is back in to take over. Brookside fires off some clotheslines but Shaw kicks her in the face as it’s still way too early for anyone to get much momentum.

Threat beats up Edwards and Luna at the same time until the latter is back with a fall away slam. More suplexes abound and there’s a dive to take out Shaw on the floor. Threat climbs the structure and dives onto a bunch of people before going up again….this time with Alisha on her back. Alisha falls off and Threat does as well, leaving everyone to get a breather.

Back in and Luna and Threat hit some powerbombs to bring people down again. Brookside gets to the wires but gets pulled down in a crash, leaving Alisha to get in a crawl of her own. That’s broken up so Alisha grabs a DDT for a breather. Alisha whips out a kendo stick to start beating on people but Threat plants Brookside and Alisha at the same time. That’s enough for Threat to go up, only to have Shaw jump off of Luna for a spear and the big knockout. Luna Steelz and Shaw all go up at once, with Shaw knocking the other two down and winning at 12:01.

Rating: B-. These matches are basically TNA’s version of the ladder match, meaning there is very little in the way of telling a story or anything more than people going nuts with spots until someone wins. Shaw going over makes sense, as she has been around the title picture for a long time now. At some point she needs to win the thing though, and that might be where we are heading now.

We run down the rest of the card.

We look at the Joe Hendry/AJ Francis/DJ Who Kid segment from the pre-show.

Francis and DJ Who Kid are happy with what they did.

PCO vs. Dirty Dango

Dango has Oleg Prudius and Alpha Bravo with him. After Dango says he hates TNA Wrestling, some orderlies wheel PCO into the arena and electrify him back to life. As you do. Dango hammers away to start but PCO sends him outside for the running flip dive. Back in and the PCOsault is loaded up but Bravo comes in for the DQ at 1:26.

Post match the beatdown is on but Rhino comes in for the save. Cue Santino Marella (because they had to keep HIM) to make it a six man tag with one more addition.

PCO/Rhino/Jake Something vs. Alpha Bravo/Dirty Dango/Oleg Prudius

The brawl is on to start and the ring is quickly cleared, with PCO moonsaulting onto a bunch of people. The DeAnimator hits Dango and we settle down to Something coming in to beat up Dango even further. A hard clothesline puts Dango down again and it’s Rhino coming in to a nice reaction. Prudius gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Bravo gets to come in and choke away.

The villains start taking turns on Rhino in the corner, which doesn’t last long as he gets back up and makes it over to Something. House is quickly cleaned and PCO is back in for the middle rope legdrop. Rhino and Prudius slug it out but Dango breaks up the Gore attempt. Bravo gets Gores anyway and Something powerbombs Dango onto him to make it worse. PCOsault finishes Bravo at 7:25.

Rating: C. This felt like an Impact match and not much more, but in theory this is relaunch for the brand so it’s time to get as many people on the show as possible. On the good hand, one of them is Something but on the other hand, Santino is still there. Not a bad match at all, and I could always go for more PCO insanity.

Earlier today, an unseen woman arrived.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: MK Ultra vs. Decay

This is a bonus match with the returning Decay challenging. Havok sends Slamovich into the corner to start and Rosemary comes in with a clothesline. Rosemary’s German suplex gets two but Slamovich manages a knockdown of her own. Slamovich slams Kelly onto Rosemary for two and a PK gets the same.

A kick to the face lets Kelly crawl onto Rosemary, who snaps and hammers away on her instead. Havok gets to come back in and clean house but gets caught with a kick to the head. The Snow Plow gives Slamovich one and she can’t believe the kickout. Havok hits a double chokeslam and it’s a chokebomb/running hair plant to pin Kelly for the titles at 6:18.

Rating: C. The match was fine enough, but it runs into the same problem that these titles have always had: there is little story here, as the titles are so often just thrown into random matches like this one. Why are Rosemary and Havok back to their old selves? Eh who cares, but they’re the champs again. That’s the problem with these titles most of the time and that was on display again here.

TNA is working with the NFL Alumni Association for a health program.

We look at Steve Maclin beating Rich Swann on the pre-show.

Maclin says that was the first of many.

Here are TNA executive Scott D’Amore and AAA President Dorian Roldan. The two companies are going to be working together and they’re both rather happy. A highlight reel ensues and they sign the deal.

X-Division Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Kushida vs. Chris Sabin

Sabin (and only Sabin) is defending. The triple lockup doesn’t go anywhere to start so they snap of armdrags instead, leaving us with a standoff. Kushida sends them both down and then out to the floor, setting up a dive to take out Sabin. Back in and Vikingo hits a springboard hurricanrana, followed by the top rope inverted hurricanrana to take Kushida out of the corner.

Sabin is back up with some German suplexes and we get the triple submission, with Sabin letting go to kick Kushida down. Back up and Kushida ties up Vikingo’s arm and suplexes Sabin at the same time. That’s all broken up and Vikingo gets to clear the ring, setting up a moonsault out to the floor to take both of them down.

Back in and a triple clothesline leaves everyone down, with Vikingo getting up first. He stomps down onto Sabin’s ribs but Kushida is back in with the Hoverboard Lock. That’s broken up but Vikingo has to break up one to Sabin as well. Sabin and Vikingo slug it out until Vikingo is sent to the ramp for a springboard Canadian Destroyer. Back in and Sabin German superplexes Kushida down and grabs Cradle Shock to retain at 13:04.

Rating: B+. This was all action as they went nuts for about thirteen minutes straight. There were some very fun spots in there with people flying all over the place until Sabin retained. Kushida being a regular around here made a title change feel possible and that made things more interesting. Best match of the night by far here and rather good stuff.

Newcomer Alex Hammerstone has issued an open challenge and Josh Alexander has accepted.

Josh Alexander vs. Alex Hammerstone

Alexander goes after the powerhouse Hammerstone’s leg to start but the ankle lock is kicked out to the floor. That means Hammerstone can take Alexander out with a slingshot dive but Alexander is right back with another shot to the leg. A dragon screw legwhip takes Hammerstone down but the ankle lock is broken up again. Some chops in the corner make Hammerstone mad and he sends Alexander flying. He right back with a Regal Roll into a middle rope knee to the back of the head, but the ankle lock is broken up again.

Some boots to the face just annoy Hammerstone and he gorilla presses Alexander into a swinging release Rock Bottom. The tweaked knee is still fine enough to powerslam Alexander but he snaps on the ankle lock again. This time a grapevine goes on as well but Hammerstone gets to the rope. Alexander is back up with a quick Nightmare Pendulum (a suplex dropped forward into a Rock Bottom, his usual finisher) for two.

Alexander is smart enough to get over to the rope to avoid the cover so Hammerstone Death Valley Drivers him on the apron. A missile dropkick gives Hammerstone two as the fans certainly approve. Alexander’s discus forearm is shrugged off and Hammerstone powerbombs him for two. Alexander is back with a small package into the C4 Spike for the quick pin at 14:46.

Rating: B. This was the hard hitting fight that you might have expected if you’re familiar with Hammerstone. On the other hand, those who aren’t so familiar with him got a heck of an introduction, as he took one of TNA’s best to a great fight. This was the showcase match for Alexander and it worked very well. Good stuff here and Hammerstone looked like a star.

Video on the four way for the Tag Team Titles, with a new team getting a shot.

Tag Team Titles: ABC vs. Rascalz vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Laredo Kid/Mike Bailey

ABC is defending and Kid is replacing Trent Seven who had travel issues. Austin and Gibson start things off with neither being able to get very far. Drake comes in and gets double armdragged by the champs, with Bailey and Kid coming in to take over on Miguel. Everything breaks down and all our get in for the major staredown.

We settle down to Bailey’s bouncing kicks having Gibson in trouble but Drake’s cheap shot lets the Veterans take over. Bailey gets elbowed in the face for two and we hit the chinlock. The Rascalz and the Veterans get in an argument, allowing Bailey to kick his way to freedom. Kid comes back in and gets to clean house, including a super Michinoku Driver for two on Wentz.

ABC gets to come in and fire off a series of kicks, including a kick to the head/torture rack neckbreaker for two on Wentz. The Veterans are back in with a double kick for two more on Wentz, followed by a Doomsday Device. The cover is broken up as commentary says they can’t remember who is legal. Bailey is back in with a super poisonrana to Drake and the Ultimate Weapon connects, with the Rascalz making the save. A superkick/double stomp combination gives Wentz two and we get the ABC vs. Rascalz slugout. The 1-2-Sweet finishes Miguel to retain the titles at 14:16.

Rating: B-. They had another almost all action match here but this time there were so many people out there that it was hard to keep track of everything. At the end of the day, this was all about the Rascalz vs. ABC and that’s how it wound up, but that didn’t make the other teams seem that important. I’ll take more of the ABC as the champions though, as they really are one of the best teams going today.

We recap the Knockouts Title match, with Trinity defending against Call Your Shot winner Jordynne Grace. That’s pretty much the whole story.

Ash By Excellence (Dana Brooke) is in the front row as the mystery woman from earlier.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Trinity

Trinity is defending and they shake hands to start. Grace easily powers her up against the ropes to start but the threat of a kick Grace backing up. For some reason Trinity tries a test of strength but she does show some intelligence with a mule kick. Grace picks her up and plants her back down for two, followed by a World’s Strongest Slam for the same. It’s too early for the Juggernaut Driver so Trinity is back with a crossbody.

Grace knees her in the face and hits an Alley Oop for two more. Trinity needs a breather but Grace runs her over with a suicide dive into a Jackhammer on the floor for a nasty crash. Trinity manages a shot of her own and they head back inside for a strike off. Grace gets dropped so Trinity hits a split legged moonsault for two more. A full nelson puts Trinity back down but she makes the rope for the break.

With the holds not working, Grace grabs a MuscleBuster for two more. The Rear View puts Grace down for two and they head to the apron for something like a Heatseeker Pedigree from Trinity. A sitout powerbomb into Starstruck has Grace in more trouble…until she muscles Trinity up into a German suplex. The Juggernaut Driver gives Grace the title at 14:34.

Rating: B-. Grace getting the title back is a nice moment and the good thing is she has all kinds of challengers waiting for her. I know Grace has held the title before, but she feels like she has come more than a few feet since her most recent title reign. Trinity has held the title for a good while now and has only been so interesting. There is a good chance that she is back in WWE sooner than later and at least she had a decent one to go out on.

We recap Moose challenging Alex Shelley for the World Title. Much like the previous match, this is a Call Your Show cash in so there is only so much of a story.

TNA World Title: Alex Shelley vs. Moose

Shelley is defending. Moose’s offer of a handshake goes nowhere so Shelley sends him into the corner. A missed charge sends Moose into the post and we hit the logical armbar. Moose isn’t having that and hits a hard dropkick out to the floor to take over. Shelley gets rammed into the barricade and chopped against the ropes but he strikes away anyway. Moose’s arm gets stomped on the apron and the bad arm gets snapped back inside.

The good arm is enough to knock Shelley down though and Moose starts in on Shelley’s arm for a change. Some hard chops connect, with Shelley telling Moose to do it harder. Moose’s powerbomb is countered into a DDT and a dropkick sends him into the corner. A missed charge sends Moose outside and there’s a baseball slide into the barricade. Sliced Bread on the floor doesn’t work but Moose gets rammed into the post. Shelley drops him again with Shell Shock but can’t follow up, meaning we get a nine count.

Back in and Shelley forearms away, setting up a quickly broken Border City Stretch. The arm is good enough for Moose to hit a powerbomb for two and a needed breather. A quick Sliced Bread gives Shelley two and here is the System to interrupt. Chris Sabin and Kushida make the save but DeAngelo Williams stays at ringside.

They fight to the ramp where Shelley plants Moose down by the arm, meaning it’s time to go back inside and stay on the arm even longer. Moose’s headbutt doesn’t get him very far as Shelley blasts him with a clothesline. Shell Shock is loaded up but Moose shoves him off and hits the spear for the pin and the title at 21:29.

Rating: B. There is something classic about power vs. speed and in this case we had the bonus of Shelley wisely picking at the arm throughout. It’s a classic story that worked well again here, with a title change to cap off the show. Moose can be a heck of a juggernaut when he is given the chance and that is more or less what he did here. It might not be a classic, but it felt like a big deal and that is the most important part.

Post match Nic Nemeth sneaks in and superkicks Moose, setting up what used to be called the Zig Zag. Nemeth rips off his shirt to reveal a TNA shirt as the crowd approves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was about the rebirth of TNA and for the most part, it went pretty well. I would assume they were treating this as a jump on point for fans, hence having so many people on the show. That worked in that there was some very good action, but there was a good bit that could have been cut to make the show flow a bit better.

Other than that, you have quite a few title changes to go with the solid wrestling, which made the show an entertaining effort. Things will be interesting on Thursday, but for now at least, TNA is starting well with everything they have going on. The good thing is they aren’t starting from scratch and Impact was doing well, but it’s still pretty new for almost everything going on. That’s a weird setup, though they’re off to a good start.

Results
Steve Maclin b. Rich Swann – KIA
The System b. Eric Young/Frankie Kazarian – Boston Knee Party to Young
Crazzy Steve b. Tommy Dreamer – Belladonna’s Kiss
Gisele Shaw won Ultimate X
PCO b. Dirty Dango via DQ when Alpha Bravo interfered
PCO/Rhino/Jake Something b. Alpha Bravo/Dirty Dango/
Decay b. MK Ultra – Sitout chokebomb/running hair plant combination to Kelly
Chris Sabin b. Kushida and El Hijo del Vikingo – Cradle Shock to Sabin
Josh Alexander b. Alex Hammerstone – C4 Spike
ABC b. Rascalz, Grizzled Young Veterans and Laredo Kid/Mike Bailey – 1-2-Sweet to Miguel
Jordynne Grace b. Trinity – Juggernaut Driver
Moose b. Alex Shelley – Spear

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 3, 2024
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the show after Worlds End and Samoa Joe is the new World Champion. In what might be a bigger story though, Adam Cole was revealed as the Devil, with his henchmen (Wardlow/The Kingdom/Roderick Strong) wrecking MJF to end the show. We’re about two months from Revolution and it might be time to start the slow build. Let’s get to it.

Here is Worlds End if you need a recap.

We get a video from after Worlds End where a rather serious Samoa Joe talks about how MJF might be a scumbag but he’s a mean SOB. He’s going to take everything from anyone who tries to take the title from him. This was intense Joe and that is a great thing.

We look at the Devil/Henchmen reveal.

Here are Adam Cole and the henchmen, now with a graphic saying UNDISPUTED, for a chat. Roderick Strong tells us to shut up and listen to his best friend, ADAM. Cole finds it ironic that people were appalled and SHOCKED at him being the Devil. It means people are not only stupid but they also don’t understand right and wrong. Cole turned on MJF, who has talked bad about everyone in that locker room, but people are mad at him?

MJF only cares about himself and he’s never coming back. The second MJF felt like he didn’t need Cole anymore, he would have done the same thing. Cole never needed MJF but MJF needed him, which is why Cole sacrificed everything. No one would have cared about MJF without Cole and you can chant all you want, but MJF is dead. This is the Undisputed Kingdom, and they want gold.

Roderick Strong wants the International Title and Wardlow is after the AEW World Title. Then when the time is right, Wardlow is going to forfeit the title to Cole (Wardlow doesn’t seem opposed). That brings us to Samoa Joe, and it was nice to do business with him. This includes taking out Hangman Page for him, but it would suck to see Wardlow hurt Joe when it’s time to get there. The Devil is here to stay….bay bay.

The team poses but here is Jay White of all people to interrupt. He liked what happened to MJF, but he isn’t happy with being the catalyst to start all this. Cue the Gunns so Wardlow gets Cole to the floor so the fight can be on. Wardlow gets back in though and the Undisputed Kingdom takes over. Cue the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn to chase the Kingdom off but Bullet Club Gold leaves without scissoring.

They needed to have the big speech here and that worked well, but there is something missing because Cole can’t wrestle. Granted it is a good bit less bad because MJF is out of action as well. I could have waited on someone to interrupt the team, as it took something away from the segment, but the big explanation was good enough.

We look at Eddie Kingston winning the Continental Classic.

Daniel Garcia is ready to face Swerve Strickland.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Dante Martin

Cassidy is defending and gets armdragged into the corner, leaving him a bit annoyed to start. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Cassidy but Dante kicks him away and flips over for a standoff. They go outside with Cassidy sending him into the barricade, then putting his hands in his pockets for a run around the ring and a dropkick. Dante manages a suplex though and we take a break.

Back with Martin hitting a nice high crossbody for two before they trade the slow motion strikes. Martin gets taken into the corner for more slow stomps, followed by the spinning DDT for two. The Orange Punch and Beach Break both miss so Martin loads up a powerbomb, only to drop Cassidy face first onto his knee (that was cool). Martin goes up so Cassidy rolls away…leaving Martin to jump REALLY FAR to splash him instead. Martin misses a dropkick though and the Orange Punch retains at 13:29.

Rating: B-. This was straight out of the same playbook that Cassidy has been using for the better part of a year now, though there was pretty much nothing with him being aggressive or coming close to cheating. The good thing is that he seems to have a much bigger challenger coming in Roderick Strong so things should be picking up. Martin looked solid here too, as he can do the flying stuff rather well.

Post match Action Andretti, Darius Martin, Hook and Danhausen come out to check on their friends. Respect is shown but here is the returning Private Party to interrupt. They want the titles and put the tag teams on notice. Is there a reason a two person tag team interrupted a singles champion and a trio so they could talk about winning Tag Team Titles?

Toni Storm is here for Mariah May’s debut but changes her mind because it’s off to Broadway.

The House Of Black is ready to hurt FTR and make their families sad.

Swerve Strickland is ready to ace Daniel Garcia tonight but wants gold in 2024. Like from Samoa Joe.

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata

May strikes her up against the ropes to start and a running dropkick gets one. Another running dropkick to the back sends Aminata to the floor and us to a break. Back with Aminata striking away and hitting a dropkick, followed by a running forearm in the corner. May Sling Blades her way out of trouble and a Samoan Driver (May Day) finishes Aminata at 6:37.

Rating: C. Well that was lengthy and I’m not exactly sold on May as a big star. She did well in her debut but this felt more like it was almost about making Aminata a big deal than getting May her debut. May does look like a star though and she seemed polished enough in the ring. Not a bad match, but a strangely put together one.

Post match May says she wishes Toni Storm could have been here. And that this wasn’t in New Jersey. Cue Deonna Purrazzo (of the New Jersey Purrazzos) to say this is her home because she is All Elite. May calls her a b**** and gets kicked in the face for her efforts. Good debut, even with Purrazzo sounding rather nervous. Also, I’m not sure how smart it was to have May’s debut and Purrazzo as the surprise back to back, as it took away from May’s start.

Here is the Patriarchy for a chat. Shayna Wayne can’t believe that the people here boo her, so Christian Cage threatens them all with discipline. Cage talks about his title defense at Worlds End and we hear about how he left as champion (with no mention of the title changing hands)….but he specifically doesn’t mention Killswitch.

He talks about how Adam Copeland is out of title shots and brags about having no soul, which is why he beat Copeland. No one needs to come after this title but the fans chant LUCHASAURUS. Cage insists that his name is Killswitch to wrap things up. Shayna continues to be rather awful with a microphone. I’m not sure why they needed Wayne’s real mother there when there has to be someone better at talking who could play either that role or something close enough.

Ruby Soho admits that Harley Cameron was a success, with Cameron insisting she would do ANYTHING to help.

Darby Allin vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis joins commentary as Takeshita grabs a wheelbarrow suplex to start. Allin flips out and lands on his feet, with even Callis being impressed, only to have a heck of a backdrop put Allin down. Back up and Allin manages to send him outside for a dive, with Takeshita cutting it off with a jumping knee for a NASTY crash. Some rolling German suplexes on the ramp knock Allin even sillier and we take a break.

Back with Allin hitting the flipping Stunner out of the corner and sending Takeshita to the floor for the big running flip dive. Takeshita is sent hard into the barricade and bangs up his knee, allowing Allin to hit the top rope Coffin Drop to take him down on the floor. Back in and a Code Red gives Allin two, only to have Takeshita German suplex him down. A top rope German superplex (and Allin landed straight on the mat) sets up a running knee to give Takeshita the pin at 12:47.

Rating: B. I feel bad about watching these Allin matches as he feels like someone ready to suffer a career ending injury every time he gets in the ring. Since he doesn’t seem to care, it would be nice to have someone tell him to stop and not let him wrestle if he doesn’t listen, but that doesn’t seem likely. On the other hand you have Takeshita, who looked like a monster here. I could really go for him doing pretty much anything but being stuck with Callis and company, as he seems ready to be a breakout star (and has been so for a long time).

Post break Don Callis issues a challenge to Darby Allin and Sting next week, with promises of making the team 25-1.

Trent Beretta vs. El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Brian Cage vs. Bryan Keith

For a Continental Crown shot against Eddie Kingston (on commentary) on Collision. Vikingo takes Trent out to start but Cage runs people over. Vikingo gets suplexed and Trent is ran over on the floor as Cage is in control on the way to the break. Back with Vikingo cleaning house until Cage catches him on top.

Trent drops Cage for two with Vikingo making the save, leaving all four of them down. Cage F5’s Keith and hits a helicopter bomb for two on Trent. This brings Danhausen out of the crowd for a curse, allowing Vikingo to dive outside onto Cage. Keith hits a running headbutt to Trent, who is right back with Strong Zero for the pin at 9:41.

Rating: B-. This was your usual wild free for all, but that’s where it’s a little weird. We just spent six weeks on these straightforward singles matches for the right to be the first champion and then it’s a four way with a bunch of midcarders fighting for a shot. On a side note, what is Trent fighting for? The new title or the Triple Crown? I would hope the latter, because having Kingston defend three separate titles is absolutely not what was being teased in the tournament.

Matt Menard is interrupted by Hangman Page, who wants to fight someone.

Daniel Garcia vs. Swerve Strickland

Matt Menard is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Swerve taking him down without much trouble. Garcia fights back up and they head to the floor, with Swerve being sent into the barricade. That means it’s time for a dance off between Garcia and Prince Nana, but Swerve breaks it up.

We take a break and come back with Garcia dropkicking Swerve into the corner. A Saito suplex gets two on Swerve and they fight to the floor where Garcia doesn’t quite get all of a Sharpshooter the announcers’ desk. Back in and Swerve manages a suplex to put them both down, followed by a House Call for two. The Swerve Stomp gets two and, after Garcia gets a rollup for the same, Swerve finishes with the JML Driver at 11:41.

Rating: C+. That’s a weird way to end the show, as the big focal point was a dance off with a heel manager. Strickland took a good while to beat Garcia here, which isn’t the biggest stretch, but it’s a weird way to go when he’s talking about coming for the World Title. This didn’t quite feel like a big main event either, and that’s not a great sign to start the road to Revolution.

Post match respect is teased but Nana hits Garcia low. Matt Menard tries to come in but gets beaten down as well. Hangman Page comes out for the brawl with Swerve and they’re separated to end the show. So the ultra violent and bloody Texas Deathmatch was just a stop in the feud?

Overall Rating: B-. This wasn’t the show I was expecting but it also wasn’t a bad one. They covered the Adam Cole explanation well enough, but as tends to be the case in AEW, they tacked on more stuff right after and it took away from some of the impact. Other than that, you could definitely tell that a lot of people were gone for either Wrestle Kingdom or something else and it hurt the show a bit. This felt like a show that they ran when they had a week to burn, which is a weird feeling coming off a pay per view. Not bad whatsoever, but not one of their best.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Dante Martin – Orange Punch
Mariah May b. Queen Aminata – May Day
Konosuke Takeshita b. Darby Allin – Running knee
Trent Beretta b. Bryan Keith, Brian Cage and El Hijo del Vikingo – Strong Zero to Keith
Swerve Strickland b. Daniel Garcia – JML Driver

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

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AND

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Rampage
Date: December 22, 2023
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho, Excalibur

We’re just over a week away from Worlds End and that means things are starting to come together. This week’s show is a bit different though as we are in between the Continental Classic shows, meaning some other things should be getting some focus. That could make for an interesting show so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

International Title: Rocky Romero vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy is defending. They start fast to start with Cassidy taking him down and doing Romero’s dance. Cassidy teases a big wind up punch but puts his hands in his pockets instead, only to get taken down by a hurricanrana. Back in and Cassidy rolls away, only to get taken down by another hurricanrana on the floor. The Forever Clotheslines have Cassidy in more trouble and a backbreaker gives Romero two.

Cassidy manages the tornado DDT but Romero drapes him over the top. The jumping knee misses but Romero settles for a suplex on the apron. We take a break and come back with the exchange of forearms until Cassidy hits the Orange Punch. Cassidy stomps away but has to counter Strong Zero into a sunset flip. Romero knees him out of the air and Strong Zero gets two. Cassidy is right back with the Orange Punch into the Beach Break to retain at 10:54.

Rating: C+. This was exactly what you would have expected from Cassidy against a perennial midcarder in a Rampage title defense. Cassidy has done this match more times than I can count during his reigns as champion and it only has so much impact here. Decent match, but it was only going to be so good.

Hugging ensues post match.

Kris Statlander is happy about the win in a tag team street fight on Collision. Cue Stokely Hathaway, who comes in to recruit her, though he incorrectly calls her Kristen.

Brian Cage is ready to beat Keith Lee up on Collision.

Hardys vs. Kingdom

Roderick Strong is here with the Kingdom and calls some fans stupid on the way to the ring. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll only refer to Matt Hardy as Matt and Matt Taven as Taven. Matt takes Taven into the corner to start and hammers away before Jeff comes in for the flip splash/fist drop combination for two. Bennett comes in to punch Matt down but it’s right back to Jeff for Poetry In Motion.

A cheap shot sends Jeff outside though and we take a break. Back with Matt Side Effecting Bennett onto the apron, allowing Jeff to bring Matt back in. House is cleaned and the Side Effect gets two on Taven. The Twist Of Fate is broken up though and the fight heads outside. Jeff takes off his boot to beat on Bennett but Taven gets a rollup to pin Matt at 9:24.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to have the Hardys back in the ring here as they haven’t gotten to do much in recent months. They’re only doing so much here and the Kingdom needs some wins to go anywhere in the future. I’m not sure how far either team is going to be going anytime soon, but at least the Kingdom has Strong around to keep them active.

Angelo Parker interrupts Ruby Soho and invites her out for a drink tonight. Saraya comes in to say she supports this before sending Soho and Renee Paquette away. With the two of them gone, Saraya says she hates Parker and Soho is all hers. Soho pops back in and Saraya says she loves Parker.

Skye Blue vs. Prince Aminata

The much larger Aminata sends her outside to start but Blue gets in a knockdown on the apron to take over. Back in and Aminata hits a suplex into a running hip attack in the corner for two. Blue superkicks her way out of trouble though and it’s a TKO into a dragon sleeper for the tap at 3:42.

Rating: C. Aminata wasn’t bad here, especially for someone coming back after a bad knee injury. Blue wasn’t about to lose after her big official turn last week though and it’s not like it took her long to pick up the win. These women’s matches going short aren’t really helping anyone, but at least Blue got a quick win to boost her up a bit.

AAA Mega Title: Black Taurus vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

Vikingo is defending and slips out of a powerbomb attempt to start. Taurus shoulders him down so Vikingo snaps off some armdrags. Back up and we get a standoff, as the fans are declaring this awesome about two weeks in. The pop up Samoan drop gives Taurus two and we take a break.

Back with Taurus blocking a poisonrana but missing a charge to crash out to the floor. Taurus is right back up for a dive, only to get posted by Vikingo. Somehow Vikingo manages a powerslam and the rope walk twisting flip dive drops Taurus again. Back in and a rope walk running poisonrana plants Taurus, who is back up to run Vikingo over. Taurus sends him crashing down with the super gorilla press and a discus lariat gets two. Vikingo flips over him into a sunset bomb, followed by the running knees. More running knees set up a 630 to retain the title at 14:10.

Rating: B-. It was a good back and forth match but I just saw these two have a better, longer match on a bigger stage just a week ago. Now that being said, these two could seemingly have a solid match in their sleep as it’s a pretty easy dynamic to make work no matter what. Vikingo feels like a mega star despite his smaller stature and having Taurus there to bounce off of makes it even easier.

Overall Rating: B-. That’s as Rampagey of a Rampage as Rampage could be. Very little happened in the way of advancing any stories and it was more “here are some AEW wrestlers doing things” for forty five minutes before a good main event helped it out a lot. Rampage is an entertaining hour most of the time but it’s a show that could disappear without much being lost. Good enough show this week, but don’t expect much of anything that matters in the bigger pictures.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Roocky Romero – Beach Break
The Kingdom b. The Hardys – Rollup to Matt
Skye Blue b. Prince Aminata – Dragon sleeper
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Black Taurus – 630

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

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AND

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Rampage
Date: December 15, 2023
Location: College Park Center, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

Rampage has been on a bit of a roll in recent weeks and that could make things all the more interesting this week. While we probably won’t be having a Continental Classic match this week, we do have the Von Erichs near Dallas and that should be enough for a change of pace. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy/Von Erichs vs. Matt Menard/Jake Hager/Angelo Parker

Danhausen is here with Cassidy and company. Parker takes Ross up to the ropes to start but Ross cranks on the wrist. A dropkick and running boot to the face stagger Parker and it’s quickly off to Hager vs. Cassidy. Hager sends him hard into the corner but Cassidy rolls away and puts his hands in his pockets, setting up the tornado DDT.

Menard gets in a running knee to the head though and we take a break. Back with Cassidy rolling away and diving over to bring in Marshall to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Von Erichs dropkick Hager to the floor. Parker rolls Marshall up for two but Marshall rolls him up for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C. Much like they did at Final Battle, the Von Erichs being in a match near Dallas is as much of a layup as you can get. They didn’t try anything screwy here and had a quick match to let the fans have a fun moment. I’m not sure if the Von Erichs are ready to be around here full time, but at least they did the basics well here.

Post match the villains jump the Von Erichs but Danhausen (with purple hat) comes in but Kevin Von Erich comes in to Claw Hager. Again: give the fans something to cheer about.

Mark Briscoe is out of the Continental Classic but this is like his rookie season as a singles wrestler. Jay Lethal and company come up, with Briscoe saying he and Lethal face off next week. They agree to fight for honor and everything is cool.

Don Callis Family vs. Hunter Grey/Paul Titan

Grey and Titan look like crosses between the Barbarian and the Missing Link. Hobbs hits the World’s Most Dangerous Slam to pin Grey at 47 seconds.

Post match Don Callis rants about the Golden Jets, who came together out of fear of the Don Callis Family. Callis introduces the Don Callis Family Rules, which mean…any members of his Family can come after the Golden Jets. That needed a rule?

Ruby Soho is upset by her loss when Saraya comes in to yell at her. Saraya says Soho needs her, but Soho tells her to go beat Riho by herself.

Anna Jay vs. Red Velvet

Jay offers her a left handshake to start before they trade rollups for two each. Jay bows in front of her and gets kicked in the face for her efforts, only to send Velvet to the apron. A running hip attack puts Velvet on the floor as we take a break. Back with Jay cranking on both arms and snapping of a suplex. Velvet blocks another suplex though and strikes away before checking her watch. The running knees to the back rock Jay again but she’s right back with a Gory Bomb for two. Cue Matt Menard to distract Jay though and a discus lariat gives Velvet two. Not that it matters as the Queenslayer finishes Velvet at 8:34.

Rating: C. Jay continues to feel like someone that AEW wants to push and if she can take it to just one level higher, that could very easily take place. For now, she is doing well enough and getting in more and more reps should only help her. Velvet is doing well enough too, but she is only going to be able to go so far with the whole cooking deal.

We recap all of the Devil stuff from Dynamite, capped of by Hangman Page being laid out.

Top Flight/Action Andretti vs. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo/El Hijo del Vikingo

Dante and Komader fight over arm control to start until Komander pulls him into something like an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up so Dante is sent to the apron, where he avoids a running dive from Komander, who of course sticks the landing on the floor. Back in and it’s off to Vikingo and Andretti to flip around each other, with Andretti flipping out of a headscissors.

Vikingo misses a kick to the face and we have a standoff, with even Jericho applauding. Penta and Darius come in to chop it out until Penta scores with some Sling Blades. Everything breaks down (you knew that was coming) and the triple dives drop Andretti and Top Flight as we take a break.

Back with Vikingo caught in the wrong corner but he gets in a springboard armdrag to both Martins. Penta comes back in to clean house as everything breaks down again. Komander hits a springboard Swanton but Dante knees him in the face. Vikingo is back in with a very springboardy legdrop to Dante in the ropes. Penta hits a Big Bang Catastrophe of all things on Darius but Dante is back in to run Komander over.

Penta Codebreakers Dante, only to get hit with an AA onto the apron. Back up and Komander hits a running dive, followed by a monkey flip to send Vikingo onto the apron. Everyone needs a breather until Penta and Andretti chop it out back inside. The other four join them in the chop off until Andretti and Top Flight hit stereo superkicks.

The other three hit superkicks of their own and a triple clothesline puts everyone down. All six nip up and hit kicks to the face to put them all down again. Back up and Darius and Andretti cut off Penta and Vikingo with Spanish Flys, followed by a spinning half nelson slam to pin Komander at 16:06. Justin Roberts refers to it as a “spectacular match” because he has to be different.

Rating: A-. Yeah that was awesome, with all six of them going nuts for a long time and never really slowing down for more than a bit at a time. I had a great time with this and they didn’t bother trying to do anything but tear the house down. It’s a bunch of flips and dives and everything is all over the place, but dang it was a fun ride. It isn’t some technical masterpiece full of psychology and logic and it’s not supposed to be. Incredibly entertaining match that will probably make your eyes pop more than once.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event alone carries the show, even with the rest of it just being ok. This was a show built around one match and little else, which works rather well for an hour long show. Obviously check out the main event, but there isn’t much else to see on here. Nothing is bad, but one match blew away the rest without looking back.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Von Erichs b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Jake Hager – Rollup to Parker
Don Callis Family b. Hunter Grey/Paul Titan – World’s Most Dangerous Slam to Grey
Anna Jay b. Red Velvet – Queenslayer
Action Andretti/Top Flight b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo – Hal nelson slam to Komander

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Final Battle 2023
Date: December 15, 2023
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the biggest Ring Of Honor show of the year and that could mean all kinds of things. The main event is again about the Women’s Title, as Athena, in her hometown, defends against Billie Starkz. Other than that, we’ll be getting a new TV Champion in a six way match with five wrestlers announced. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Taya Valkyrie vs. Jazmin Allure

Bonus match and Johnny TV is with Valkyrie. A hard shot to the face puts Allure down to start and it’s time to choke on the ropes. Allure’s right hand doesn’t get her very far as Valkyrie hits the sliding German suplex. The running knees in the corner hit Allure for two and we hit the chinlock. Allure fights up and slugs away but gets caught up top, meaning it’s a top rope superplex. The curb stomp finishes Allure at 4:26.

Rating: C. So this week on Ring Of Honor, Valkyrie won a match over a bigger name but on the pay per view Kickoff Show, she beats someone who has only popped up here and there. Not much to see with this one but having Valkyrie around is a good thing. She’s a talented veteran and that adds a lot to the division. I’m not sure why this needed to be on the show, but at least Valkyrie was pretty dominant.

Zero Hour: Von Erichs vs. Outrunners

The Von Erichs in Dallas and you don’t advertise it better than this? Ross (which I know because commentary is smart enough to say which Von Erich is which since they aren’t known in Ring Of Honor) takes Magnum down to start and hits a dropkick, followed by a standing hurricanrana for two. Marshall comes in and clears the Outrunners out, meaning it’s time for a meeting on the floor.

Back in and Ross scares the Outrunners back to the floor where they hit…something on Ross that the camera misses. The beating is on back inside but Floyd has to cut off a hot tag. Ross kicks his way to freedom anyway though and it’s Marshall coming in to clean house. Monkey flips have the Outrunners flying and stereo Claws make the Outrunners tap at 6:11.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t very good but this was as much of a layup as you could get. You have the most famous family in the history of Dallas wrestling in a match close enough to Dallas and they won with their family’s signature move. This couldn’t have been an easier idea and they went exactly as they should have with it. Aside from the Outrunners losing of course, because that should never happen.

Zero Hour: Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Bryan Keith vs. Jack Cartwheel

Keith grabs a headlock to start and grinds away until Cartwheel reverses into one of his own. Cartwheel cartwheels away but a headscissors is broken up so Keith can kick him down for two. An enziguri staggers Keith, who boots Cartwheel in the face for his efforts. Back up and a cartwheel into a dragon screw legwhip drops Keith and a slingshot spinning elbow gets two.

A cartwheel into a powerslam plants Keith and a cartwheel Death Valley Driver is good for another near fall. With Keith on the floor, Cartwheel hits the big rolling flip dive but misses a shooting star press back inside. Keith avoids a shooting star press though and hits a Tiger Driver 97 for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. Having something on the line here helped a lot as that hasn’t been the case with the other two so far. I’m not sure why Johnny TV didn’t get this spot as he’s been feuding with Dalton Castle and is named TV but I guess we needed some Texas flavor to it instead. Keith has done well in the appearances I’ve seen from him over the years while Cartwheel is incredibly athletic, even if it seems like he’s just adding stuff to moves that would already be good on their own.

Tony Khan comes out to talk about his history around here and Jay Briscoe’s legacy at this event. For now though, we have one more bonus match.

Zero Hour: Daniel Garcia vs. Blake Christian

Feeling out process to start and they take turns driving each other into the corner for some dancing. They strike it out a bit until a butterfly suplex gives Garcia two. One heck of a chop puts Christian down again and the fans want it one more time. Christian motions for Garcia to bring it and then hits a basement dropkick.

Something like stereo kicks to the back keep Garcia down but he fights out of a rear naked choke. Garcia gets knocked into the corner and kicked in the face but he’s fine enough to suplex Christian into the corner. A backbreaker gets Christian out of trouble so he does it again and hits Garcia in the back of the neck.

They trade kicks to the face until Christian hits a running Spanish Fly for two more. Garcia is right back with a leglock into an ankle lock but Christian sends him outside for a big flip dive. A springboard 450 gives Christian two but Garcia pulls him into the Dragon Tamer for the tap at 12:15.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, which might be due to the amount of time they received. It made the match feel a bit more important, but at the same time, there is only so much that you can get out of this kind of a match. There was no story and it was added with no notice, meaning it was only going to be so interesting, especially with a newcomer like Christian.

Tony Khan has another announcement but Ring Of Honor World Champion comes in to say he wants to be on the card. Anthony Henry comes in to say he’ll fight so the Proving Ground match is on. That’s how the World Champion is booked for the biggest show of the year, less than two minutes before the show starts.

And now, the show proper.

AAA Mega Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Black Taurus

Taurus is challenging and isn’t interested in the Code Of Honor. The much smaller Vikingo is sent flying to start and Taurus knocks him out of the air. Back up and Taurus misses a running knee in the corner but the big running flip dive is countered into a powerbomb. They head back inside where Taurus hits a ripcord powerslam for two as the pace slows down again.

A clothesline puts Vikingo over the top, with his head bouncing off the apron on the way down. Taurus follows with the rather large flip dive and a reverse Sling Blade back inside. One heck of a pop up Samoan drop plants Vikingo but he avoids a big dive. Vikingo gets two fight back with a big flip to send Taurus outside.

Vikingo loads up two springboard flip dives but has to bail out and hits a standard dive, with Taurus standing there waiting the entire time (my goodness people just don’t do the dive if it takes that long). Back in and Taurus runs him over and they go upside, with Vikingo snapping off a super hurricanrana. They strike it out on the apron until Vikingo hits a not great looking running sunset bomb. Vikingo springboard dropkicks him into the corner but misses a charge into the corner.

A top rope gorilla press plants Vikingo (geez) but Vikingo kicks him in the face a few times. Vikingo hits a moonsault Samoan driver (because someone can do that) but Taurus spears him down for a double knockdown. Taurus is sent outside for a 720 (yes a 720), which thankfully doesn’t land on his head. Back in and one heck of a backbreaker plants Vikingo but he’s able to knock Taurus into the corner. The running knees and the 630 retain the title at 16:30.

Rating: B. Yes they botched quite a bit and it went a bit long, but my goodness I wanted to see Vikingo beat the monster put in front of him. This was a heck of an opener and Vikingo, despite being rather small, can get a crowd behind him like few others. This was about the entertainment value rather than the quality (which wasn’t exactly terrible) and I had a heck of a time with it. Just don’t stand there waiting on a dive like that again. Ever. That was terrible.

Commentary runs down the card.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Mogul Embassy vs. TMDK

TMDK (Shane Haste/Bad Dude Tito/Kosei Fujita) is challenging. Kaun and Fujita start things off with Kaun taking over and dropping him with a kick to the chest. Fujita is back up with a spinning kick to the face, allowing the tag off to Tito to take over on Kaun. It’s back to Fujita, who gets taken into the corner for the tag to Cage.

One heck of a powerslam plants Fujita for two and his right hands don’t do much good. Fujita does manage to punch his way out of trouble and everything breaks down. Haste kicks Toa into the corner and Haste nails a running kick to the face for two. The Gates aren’t having any of this and run Fujita over but Tito makes the save. Haste knees his way out of trouble but Toa cuts him in half with a spear for two.

Tito counters Cage’s discus lariat into a Death Valley Driver for two and Fujita springboard dropkicks Kaun for the same. Cage grabs the apron superplex to plant Fujita for two more with Tito making the save this time. Open The Gates hits Haste, leaving Fujita all alone against the champs. Running shots in the corner set up a toss sitout powerbomb to give Cage the retaining pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. Nice match here as everything went nuts in a smart move. At the same time, and much like earlier, there is only so much you can get out of the champs defending against a team that got their build in a tournament in Japan which was only mentioned before the match. It wasn’t a bad match, but this really could have been dropped from the card without much being lost.

We recap Tony Nese vs. Ethan Page in an I Quit match. Page was on a winning streak but Nese and his friends cut it off and then got on Page’s nerves. Now it’s time for an I Quit match, which is quite the escalation after one match. Also of note, commentary calls them former friends, which certainly hasn’t been a major part of the story.

Tony Nese vs. Ethan Page

I Quit match and Mark Sterling is here with Nese but is handcuffed to the ring. Well he is eventually that is, complete with Mark Henry coming out to make sure it happens. Nese jumps Page from behind to start fast and hammers away, only to get elbowed in the face to cut him off. They head outside where a Sterling distraction lets Nese get in another cheap shot to take over again. Hold on though as Sterling grabs some protein powder, which is thrown into Nese’s eyes by mistake.

They fight outside again, where Page is sent face first into the handcuffs for a fairly creative spot. Nese grabs the mic and tells Page to quit on behalf of the people. That’s not happening so Nese stomps away at the bloody Page, who fights back again. That means Nese is knocked over the barricade but comes back with a weight (as in the kind you put on a bench press).

The big shot misses but Nese sends him into the barricade to take over. Back in and Nese grabs a jump rope for some whipping, only to have Page fight back without much trouble. Nese teases quitting but uses the distraction to hit page with the microphone. That sets up the big flip dive to the floor, meaning some tables can be set up. Page gets in a shot to break things up and heads to the top, where he is knocked back down.

Not that it matters as Page grabs the slingshot cutter to send Nese through the tables. Back in and some chairs are set up with Nese hurricanranaing Page….completely over the chairs. Thankfully commentary acknowledges that it didn’t make contact and Page doesn’t quit. Nese goes to grab the keys to the handcuffs and, after taking out the referee, unlocks Sterling.

The stomping is on and then it’s time to handcuff Page so Nese can smash him with the weight, with Sterling promising to show the tape to Page’s daughter. Well that’s the plan at least as Sterling explains the idea without actually doing anything, allowing Scorpio Sky to come in for the save. Page is able to stomp Nese’s fingers underneath the plate and then DDT him into it.

Sterling gets hit in the face with the plate (probably should have killed him) and the Ego’s Edge drops him again. Sky takes Sterling to the back but Nese is back up with a chair to the head, meaning Page can indeed be handcuffed. Nese gives him one last chance to quit but Page shouts “F*** YOU” and makes the no hands comeback. The referee uncuffs Page, who hits Nese with the chair and chokes him with the handcuffs for the win at 20:01.

Rating: C+. I have no idea what to think of this, but the thing that stands out the most is how overbooked this was. It felt like they weren’t sure if they wanted to have the violent, bloody brawl or some kind of goofy match with all of the exercise equipment. While I wouldn’t call it bad, they could have cut out a lot of this and had a tighter match. It never felt like the biggest match ever as Nese has never been more than a midcard star at best, but at least Page gets a signature win over someone other than a jobber.

Nyla Rose vs. Vertvixen

Another bonus match. Rose starts fast and loads up the Beast Bomb in less than a minute but Vertvixen punches her way to freedom. Another hard shot drops Vertvixen but Rose pulls her up at two. The top rope knee to the back and the Beast Bomb finish for Rose at 2:39. Well that happened.

We recap the TV Title match, which is the result of Samoa Joe vacating the title. Therefore Survival Of The Fittest was brought back with the winner being the new champion.

TV Title: Survival Of The Fittest Finals

Dalton Castle, Lee Moriarty, Kyle Fletcher, Lee Johnson, Bryan Keith, Komander

Elimination rules but only two are in the ring at once. Castle and Moriarty start things off with a handshake before going to the mat. Fletcher comes in and gets beaten up without much effort, meaning it’s off to Johnson vs. Moriarty. It’s Johnson cleaning house and sending Castle outside but getting headscissored by Komander. Keith comes in and cuts off Komander, meaning it’s time for a showdown with Castle. That’s broken up by Fletcher, who tells Castle to bring it.

The fans are way behind Castle as he throws Fletcher outside, much to the fans’ delight. Komander and Fletcher both go up and stare at each other until Komander walks the ropes to dive onto everyone else. Back in and Johnson takes over on Keith but Moriarty slips out of a powerbomb attempt. Moriarty pulls Johnson into the Border City Stretch for the tap and the elimination at 8:47.

The Boys warm Castle up so he can take Moriarty down, followed by a suplex. Cue Johnny TV to drop…someone the camera misses on the floor. Apparently he dropped the Boys, which distracts Castle enough for Moriarty to hit a suplex Downward Spiral for the elimination at 11:17.

The fans are NOT happy, even as Moriarty, Keith and Fletcher slug it out. Komander is back in as a mini tag match breaks out, resulting in the Tower Of Doom leaving all four down. Keith is up with a fireman’s carry backbreaker for one on Moriarty, followed by a tiger driver to get rid of Moriarty for the pin at 15:39. That leaves Fletcher, Keith and Komander, with Keith kneeing Fletcher down. The tiger driver is blocked though and Fletcher Tombstones Keith for the pin at 16:54.

Fletcher and Komander slug it out with Fletcher getting rocked up against the ropes. The spinning Tombstone is broken up and Komander kicks the leg out, setting up a poisonrana. A slingshot hurricanrana to the floor is countered as well and Fletcher hits the jumping Tombstone on the apron to leave them both on the floor. Komander barely beats the count and it’s a brainbuster to give Fletcher two.

Fletcher puts him on top but Komander kicks the leg out and hits a springboard Canadian Destroyer for a rather near fall. A rope walk 450 onto the apron sets up a regular 450 for two and they’re both down. Komander goes up again but gets caught, setting up a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle for another near fall. Another jumping Tombstone gives Fletcher the pin and the title at 26:03.

Rating: B. The big positive here was they got the Survival part right. Fletcher felt like he survived against the others and that was a heck of a finishing sequence. That being said, it was another long match on a show that is going to go late into the night and it features another heel champion. Ring Of Honor needs to give us something more to cheer about and that is rarely the case when it comes to titles. Very energetic match, but dang some of those kickouts were a bit ridiculous.

Pure Rules Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Tom Lawlor

Lawlor is challenging in his ROH debut. They go to the mat to start with Lawlor getting the better of things and leaving Yuta a bit shaken. Lawlor’s armbreaker has Yuta going to the ropes for his first break and Lawlor seems pleased. Yuta gets in a right hand behind the referee’s back so Lawlor punches him back, earning his official warning.

Yuta takes over again and goes for the leg, sending Lawlor over to the ropes for his first break. They strike it out, with Lawlor favoring his leg, including as they trade discus forearms. Lawlor is back with a spear but Yuta goes straight back to the knee to take over again. An Octopus Hold into an abdominal stretch into a rollup gives Yuta two but Lawler suplex slams him down for the same.

A monkey flip breaks up another leglock attempt and Lawlor starts in on the arm, including a hammerlock piledriver for another near fall. Something like an Anaconda Vice sends Yuta to the ropes for another break, followed by a right hand to drop Lawlor again. They go up top with Lawlor grabbing a Kimura, which he holds while superplexing Yuta back down.

Another Kimura has Yuta using his final rope break so Lawlor goes with Becky Lynch’s Disarm-Her. Yuta reverses that into an ankle lock, which is reversed into another Kimura. That’s escaped as well and Yuta grabs the seatbelt for the…..pin at 13:12, despite Lawlor’s shoulder being a good foot off the mat and his feet being in the ropes.

Rating: B-. This was a technical battle between two rather skilled technical wrestlers and it worked well, aside from the terribly screwed up ending. The Pure Rules thing can work very well and it was good enough here, but this was another match with no backstory and an outsider getting a random title match. Hook is already feuding with Yuta, but here is Lawlor instead. That can get old fast and I wasn’t a fan of it here.

Post match Yuta stays on Lawlor but Hook makes the save. Yuta low blows Hook before leaving.

We recap Shane Taylor vs. Keith Lee. They were a monster team back in the original ROH but Lee went on to WWE and left Taylor to start over. Now Taylor wants revenge. That’s an actual story and I could have gone for it getting some more development than it received.

Shane Taylor vs. Keith Lee

They stare each other down to start before going to the test of strength. Taylor’s headlock has Lee in some trouble but he breaks out so they can run the ropes. One heck of a shoulder drops Taylor and he’s more than a bit stunned. Lee chops away and hits a slingshot crossbody for one.

Taylor is back with a Tower Of London for two and the apron legdrop crushes Lee again. We hit the chinlock back inside, followed by a knee to the face to give Taylor two. Back up and the forearm exchange goes to Lee, who hits a splash in the corner. Taylor knocks him back down and hits a middle rope splash for two more.

Lee knocks him down again and goes to the corner, only to have Lee Moriarty pop up for a distraction. The sitout powerbomb drops Moriarty but Taylor gets in a knee to the back of the head for two. Taylor goes up top and hits a super Canadian Destroyer….for two more. Back up and Keith grabs the Big Bang Catastrophe for the pin out of nowhere at 14:33.

Rating: B-. It was a good hoss fight with some big heavy shots, but again it ran longer than it needed to. There were too many times where they were slowing way down and it would have been better with a few minutes less. I’m not sure how much sense it makes for Keith to win here, but it won’t matter if he doesn’t get a stronger push than he has had in recent months.

Post match Keith pulls Taylor up and Taylor acknowledges the crowd.

Bryan Keith wants gold so Orange Cassidy comes in to say come collect the International Title on Collision.

We recap the Blackpool Combat Club vs. Mark Briscoe/FTR, which is a big tribute to Jay Briscoe and little more.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Mark Briscoe/FTR

After Dax Harwood goes over to glare at a fan on her phone, we start with Harwood vs. Moxley with neither getting very far. Castagnoli comes in to drive Harwood into the corner before it’s off to Danielson to strike it out with Wheeler. Briscoe gets to come in to a rather strong reaction and hammers away in the corner. It’s back to Harwood, who gets caught by the arm (now bleeding) with Danielson cranking away.

Castagnoli’s Swing has Harwood in more trouble but he German suplexes his way out of trouble. Wheeler gets the tag to clean house, including Redneck Boogie for two on Danielson. Back up and Danielson loads up the Swan Dive but gets caught with the PowerPlex into the Froggy Bow. The Doomsday Device is broken up so Danielson loads up a superplex on Briscoe. That’s broken up as well but Briscoe’s second Doomsday Device attempt lands on Castagnoli’s uppercut.

Moxley is back in with a cutter but Wheeler brainbusters him down. The Shatter Machine is broken up and it’s the running knee to Wheeler. Briscoe fights up to slug away at Moxley and Danielson but Castagnoli comes in with a Neutralizer for two. FTR is back in and a triple Shatter Machine gets the same on Castagnoli. The Jay Driller is broken up and the triple stomping has Briscoe down again.

The Club tries its own Doomsday Device but it gets broken up, meaning the brawl heads to the floor….where it’s a double countout at 19:17. Briscoe is NOT having that though and yeah we’re restarting it….as a Fight Without Honor (street fight, which I believe it was advertised as in advance). The fight is on in the crowd until Briscoe and Moxley head inside. The bloody Briscoe sends him outside and uses a chair for a step up flip dive. FTR loads up a table but let’s bring out a barbed wire ladder instead.

Moxley uses a fork on Harwood’s eye, followed by a curb stomp onto a chair back inside. Danielson is back in for a LeBell Lock to Wheeler, with Moxley adding barbed wire across the eyes. Briscoe makes the save but Moxley grabs a choke. Harwood makes the save this time so let’s throw in a bunch of chairs. A spike piledriver onto the chairs is broken up so Moxley is piledriven off the apron through a board covered in tacks. Danielson kicks away at Briscoe, who isn’t overly impressed. Briscoe fights up and hits a Jay Driller onto the chairs to finish Danielson at about 31:15 overall.

Rating: B. Yeah it was a mess and I’m not sure what was going on with the rules, but my goodness this was an entertaining fight. Much like the opener, they weren’t going for some classic match here as this was more about people beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. At the very least, it’s great to see Briscoe getting a big win and I’m sure Danielson was more than happy to let him get something that big. Heck of a fight here, which was what they were trying to do.

Eddie Kingston vs. Anthony Henry

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Henry wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. They start fast and fight out to the floor, where Henry hits a running boot against the barricade. Back in and a double stomp gives Henry two, followed by another kick for two. Kingston gets up and they chop it out, with Kingston snapping o the rapid fire corner chops. Henry is right back with an enziguri into a German suplex for two and they both need a breather. A top rope double stomp misses though and Kingston hits the spinning backfist. The stretch plum finishes Henry at 5:42.

Rating: C. It was a fine match but it’s a Proving Ground match, which has so far been a guaranteed win for the champion. I like the idea of Kingston being on the show, but it would have been nice to have something better for him than a midcard tag wrestler. It wasn’t exactly must see either, but at least they kept it short.

We recap the main event, with Athena defending the Women’s Title against Billie Starkz. Athena was training her as a minion but Starkz rebelled, setting up the title match. Athena has also added that she’s gone if she loses.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Billie Starkz

Athena, the hometown star with a broken nose, is defending. Starkz knocks her fast into the corner and they fight out to the floor. Athena sends Starkz face first into the barricade a few times, with Starkz coming up bleeding. Back in and Athena keeps up the beating, including a neck crank as the blood continues to flow. Starkz gets sent to the floor as this has been much more of a brawl than a match so far.

Athena cuts off a comeback attempt but Starkz fights out of the Tree of Woe and suplexes her into the corner. They both mix kicks to the face before Starkz grabs a dragon suplex. Starkz spears her down and pulls off the mask, setting up some less than great looking forearms. The Swanton connects for two so Athena goes outside, with Starkz hitting a suicide dive into the barricade.

Athena gets in a shot of her own and loads up the announcers’ table but Starkz suplexes her down to the floor. A fireman’s carry is escaped and Starkz pulls her down by the hair. They fight onto the barricade again and it’s a reverse Sling Blade to send Starkz face first onto the floor. It’s time to really try something new so they head back inside for a top rope German superplex for two on Starkz. Back up and the ref gets bumped so Athena asks guest ring announcer (and head Minion) Lexi Nair to hand her the title.

Starkz dropkicks Athena into Nair and Starkz’s End gets two. Back up again and they fight to the apron, where Starkz hits an electric chair driver to knock Athena silly on the floor. The Swanton misses back inside and Athena punches her in the face for a double knockdown. Athena wins a slugout and hits Despicable Knee for two. They trade some rollups for two each until Athena ties her up in something like a modified Octopus hold for the tap to retain at 28:21.

Rating: B. I would bet that this had to be more of a brawl than a match due to the injury, as the style let Athena take a few long breaks in there. Other than that….my goodness who is left to take the title from Athena? This is the match that has been built up for months now and, again, Athena just retains. I’m not sure who in the world is supposed to take the title from her, but it might not be happening for a bit. It’s cool to see a milestone like the women headlining, but it would also be cool to see a heel lose a major title match around here.

Post match Starkz goes to leave but Athena pulls her back. Starkz shows respect and poses with Athena and Nair to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Wow indeed. This show, counting the Zero Hour (which I do as it was advertised and played a role in the show, plus it’s playing if you go to watch Final Battle on Honor Club), was over five hours and, as tends to be the case, the good guys/women didn’t do very well in title matches. Ring Of Honor has a really bad record of pulling the trigger on a big title change (the biggest they’ve had in months, with Eddie Kingston, wasn’t even in ROH) and that was the case again here. There were some nice moments like the six man and Lee/Taylor making up, but those were pretty few and far between.

As has been the case for months, the wrestling is far from the problem around here. Instead, the problem is in how everything is thrown together with SO MUCH CONTENT included. This show had five matches added the day of the show and even more that were only added within the last two days. That doesn’t leave me wanting to see more ROH, but rather hoping that they never do that again. The weekly show continues to feel mostly disconnected to the PPVs and there is no reason to believe that will change.

Overall, it’s a good show because the wrestlers are so talented, but this was another pay per view that felt like it was thrown together at the last minute, with Tony Khan adding whatever came to his head in the car that morning. Ring Of Honor isn’t enjoyable to watch most of the time and a lot of the reasons why were on display here. As usual it isn’t about the action, which is strong, but the way that action is presented. Fix that and you have a heck of a show, but otherwise, you have a big mess which just keeps going.

Results
Taya Valkyrie b. Jazmin Allure – Curb Stomp
Von Erichs b. Outrunners – Double Iron Claws
Bryan Keith b. Jack Cartwheel – Tiger driver
Daniel Garcia b. Blake Christian – Dragon Tamer
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Black Taurus – 630
Mogul Embassy b. TMDK – Toss sitout powerbomb to Fujita
Ethan Page b. Tony Nese – Choke with handcuffs
Nyla Rose b. Vertvixen – Beast Bomb
Kyle Fletcher won Survival Of The Fittest last eliminating Komander
Wheeler Yuta b. Tom Lawlor – Seat belt
Keith Lee b. Shane Taylor – Big Bang Catastrophe
Mark Briscoe/FTR b. Blackpool Combat Club – Jay Driller to Danielson on a pile of chairs
Eddie Kingston b. Anthony Henry – Stretch plum
Athena b. Billie Starkz – Octopus hold

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