Uprising
Date: March 28, 2026
Location: St. Clair College SportsPlex, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the second night of the Ring Of Honor/Maple Leaf Pro shows and this one has quite a great show to follow from last night. Odds are this on will deal with some fallout from last night, including another Deonna Purrazzo vs. Gisele Shaw title match and a four way for the Interim Canadian Title. Let’s get to it.

The opening video more or less says this is the sequel to Global Wars.

Michael Allen Richard Clark (MLP)/Jake Crist (Wrestling Revolver) vs. Mascara Dorada (CMLL)/Bhupinder Gujjar (MLP)

Clark and Gujjar start things off with Gujjar picking up the pace into a dropkick. Dorada comes in and sticks the landing on Crist’s headscissors. Some dropkicks put Crist and Clark on the floor, setting up stereo dives. Back in and Clark knocks Gujjar to the floor for a dive of his own and Crist gives him a Russian legsweep back inside.

Clark comes in for the pushups (they’re his thing) on Gujjar’s back, which has Gujjar up for the high crossbody. The tag brings in Dorada to clean house and a spinning slam gets two on Crist. Gujjar’s TKO drops Crist for two, only for Clark to come back in with a powerslam/sliding neckbreaker combination for two on Gujjar. Everything breaks down and Dorada dives onto Crist, leaving Gujjar to spear Clark for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: B-. Pretty standard fast paced tag match here and that’s a good way to open the show. Clark is nice in the overly cocky heel style and Gujjar is fine as a middle of the road hero. As usual Dorada was the big star here and easily the flashiest thing in the match, though he didn’t get a ton of focus. Either way, perfectly fine way to get things going.

Sheldon Jean, Bryce Hansen and Brent Banks are ready to take the Tag Team Titles, though Hansen is told to get a haircut. Hansen is annoyed and yells at some people so Daisuke Sasaki throws a chair at him.

Taylor Rising/Chris Chambers (MLP) vs. Evil Uno (ROH)/Alice Crowley (JCW)

The women trade legsweeps and covers for two each before it’s off to Uno vs. Chambers. Uno can’t get very far working on the arm so Chambers is up with a dropkick. It’s back to Crowley to kick away at Rising, with a Saito suplex for two. Chambers pulls Crowley down from the apron though and Rising gets two off a victory roll.

It’s back to Chambers to work on Crowley and Uno has to come in for a quick save. That just lets Rising choke on the rope but Crowley backdrops her way out. That’s enough for the tag off to Uno for the house cleaning. Uno is sent into Rising, allowing Chambers to grab a rollup for two. Crowley is back in with a suplex though, allowing Uno to piledrive Chambers for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C. And we continue yesterday’s issue of MLP not doing so well over this weekend. The best thing is that Alice continues to showcase herself well. She got my attention yesterday and kept it going today. There is something to her that makes her stand out, with Rising not being far behind. Not a thrilling match, but it was nice to see another Canadian get a pin, even if Uno doesn’t work here.

The Swirl (ROH) vs. El Reverso/Mo Jabari (MLP)

Jimmy Jacobs is on commentary. Jabari and Johnson run the ropes to start, with Parker taking him down and then dropping Reverso on top. Reverso hammers away in the corner but gets taken into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long as Reverso escapes and brings Parker back in for the comeback. This time it’s Parker being taken into the wrong corner, with Johnson stomping away and Christian adding a suplex. A double clothesline leaves both of them down though and it’s back to Reverso as the pace picks way back up

Reverso’s Canadian Destroyer gets two but Johnson powerbombs him into Christian’s knees in the corner. Chasing The Dragon gets two on Reverso as Parker makes the save, leaving all four down. That’s enough for Jacobs to get up and hand Parker a chair. Parker drops it but gets speared on the apron by Christian. Reverso gets kneed in the head, setting up a top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to give Johnson the pin at 11:35.

Rating: B-. The Swirl continues to be one of the better things about Ring Of Honor so it was nice to see them getting to do something on this show. You just want to see them get what’s coming to them and that’s a good feeling to have for some villains. Reverso and Parker were fine, but there was nothing to them that especially stood out.

We recap Bishop Dyer vs. Kaito Kiyamiya. They were partners last night but had issues and lost the match. After it was over, Dyer turned on him.

Dyer is asked why he turned on Kiyamiya. Dyer: “Because I’m an a******.”

Bishop Dyer (MLP) vs. Kaito Kiyamiya (Pro Wrestling Noah)

Dyer shoves him down to start so Kiyamiya jumps on him to slug away. Some more right hands in the corner have Dyer in trouble but he shoves Kiyamiya down again. They go outside with Dyer chopping away against the barricade but hits the post by mistake. Back in and Dyer kicks the rope for a low blow, followed by the Deep Six for two. A hard whip sends Kiyamiya crashing over the corner to the floor and Dyer rams him hard into the apron.

Back in again and Dyer misses a charge in the corner, allowing Kiyamiya to hit a running clothesline. A nice dropkick puts Dyer down but the shining Wizard is countered into an AA. Dyer’s brainbuster gets two and a chokebreaker has Kiyamiya in even more trouble. Another chokebreaker is countered with a kick to the head and Dyer’s powerbomb is countered with a sunset flip to give Kiyamiya the pin at 13:01.

Rating: B-. It’s fascinating to see someone like Dyer be a bit less than successful as a main event heel but absolutely thrive as a midcard star. This is the role he was perfect for and it worked great here. Dyer knows how to wrestle like a monster bully and ultimately he got caught as he tried to do too much. Fun match here, though say it with me: MLP loses AGAIN.

Post match Dyer knocks Kiyamiya cold and hammers on him, followed by the End Of Days.

We get the announcement that MLP is coming to TSN this July.

Rohan Raja, with Aurora Teves, wants the Canadian Title because he’s already had the Champion’s Grail for over 500 days. He’ll win the title tonight anyway.

Daisuke Sasaki (DDT) vs. Bryce Hansen (MLP)

No DQ. Sasaki’s chair shots misses and Hansen kicks him outside. Back in and Sasaki gets in the chair shot before wrapping said chair around Hansen’s neck for a ram into the post. A running boot to Hansen, whose head is still in the chair, gets two and it’s already time for a table. As usual that takes too long though and Hansen fights back, only to set up his own table on the floor.

Even Callis thinks this is taking too long and Sasaki proves him right by choking him down onto the table. Hansen is able to fight up and grab a gutwrench powerbomb from the apron through the table. That’s only good for two back inside so Hansen grabs a kendo stick. Said stick hits the top rope though and bounces back onto Hansen’s own head. The spear through the table sets up a top rope chair shot as Hansen has a seat right over there to give Sasaki the pin at 8:12.

Rating: C. This was pretty much exactly what it should have been, as Sasaki took Hansen apart and basically dismantled him in a few minutes. Hansen got in some offense, but this was about Sasaki destroying him without much trouble. It’s a good example of “don’t overthink this” and it wound up going perfectly well.

Stu Grayson is feeling the pressure going into the main event but Evil Uno comes in to fire him up.

MLP Tag Team Titles: Good Brothers (MLP) vs. Sheldon Jean/Brent Banks (MLP)

The Brothers are defending after becoming the inaugural champions last night. Anderson chops the heck out of Banks to start and then takes him into the corner to do it again. Gallows comes in for his weird uppercuts and a fall away slam as the fans are ALL behind the Good Brothers here.

A big legdrop gives Gallows two but Banks gets in a shot of his own and ax handles away. It’s off to Jean so Gallows clotheslines them both down and brings Anderson back in to keep up the pace. A backsplash gets two on Jean but a trip brings Anderson down. Jean hits a clothesline and the challengers take over for a change, with Banks getting some quick near falls.

Anderson is right back up to send Jean outside, followed by a neckbreaker to Banks. It’s back to Gallows to clean house and the belly to back neckbreaker gets two on Banks. Jean breaks up the Magic Killer so Anderson grabs the spinebuster for another near fall. The Gun Stun is broken up though and Banks gets in a belt shot for the pin and the titles at 11:02.

Rating: C+. Hey MLP finally won something! I mean of course they lost at the same time but call it a step in the right direction. The Good Brothers being the inaugural champions give the belts a bit of prestige before another team won them, which is a tale as old as time in wrestling. The pesky heels get one over on the popular veterans and we move on to see who’s next. Nothing wrong with that.

Gisele Shaw says Deonna Purrazzo beat her in Pure Rules, which isn’t the same as pro wrestling. Purrazzo won on a technicality but tonight, everything will be different.

MLP Women’s Title: Gisele Shaw (MLP) vs. Deonna Purrazzo (ROH)

Shaw is defending. They fight over a lockup to start and then trade headlocks to no avail. Purrazzo shoulders Shaw in the arm that was banged up last night, with the Fujiwara armbar sending Shaw straight to the ropes. The fight heads outside with Purrazzo sending her face first into the apron, only for Shaw to come back with a posting.

Back in and Shaw grabs an armbar with some elbows to the head as a bonus. Purrazzo fights up and wins a test of strength, followed by a running knee. The Fujiwara is broken up though and Shaw grabs an anarchist suplex for two. A spear gives Shaw two more but Purrazzo fights right back to put her down again. The Fujiwara goes on again, with Shaw making the rope to save herself.

Back up and Shock And Awe gives Shaw two so they get up and slap it out. That turns into a slugout until they trade kicks to the face, with Shaw pulling the referee into the way of Purrazzo’s boot. Shaw sends the bad arm into the post and then crushes it with the steps to make it worse. Purrazzo is back with a Fujiwara and Shaw taps but there’s no referee. Since that isn’t enough cheating, Shaw finds some brass knuckles to knock Purrazzo silly and retain at 17:25.

Rating: B. This got going with the submission attempts, though I did like Shaw just going full on villain. There’s a good way to set up a rubber match down the line in there and that could make for a nice Multiverse match. Shaw has impressed me most of the time I’ve seen her and she hung in there with an established name, albeit by cheating in almost every possible way.

Interim Canadian Title: Elimination Challenge

It’s a six man gauntlet match for the vacant title. Jay Lethal (ROH) is in at #1 and Michael Oku (RevPro) is in at #2. They trade some rather fast rollups to start and it’s off to the exchange of forearms. Oku manages a dropkick to the floor and adds the running flip dive for the knockdown. Back in and Lethal gets in a knockdown of his own, with Oku’s leg getting tied up in the ropes.

Oku has to beat the count back in so Lethal hammers away and goes after the leg some more. The chinlock goes on for a bit but the Figure Four is blocked. A DDT gives Oku two but he can’t get the half crab. Instead it’s a Lethal Combination for two, setting up Lethal’s Figure Four. That’s reversed into another failed half crab attempt so Lethal goes up for Hail To the King…which is reversed into a rollup to give Oku the pin at 12:05.

Rohan Raja (MLP) is in at #3 and sneaks in to jump Oku, with a jumping Downward Spiral finishing for Raja at 13:04. Rich Swann (MLP) is in at #4 but Raja’s manager Aurora Teves grabs his leg, meaning it’s a jumping Downward Spiral for a near fall. A choke with a knee in Swann’s back is broken up but Swann knocks him down for two. Raja heads outside and gets taken down with a running flip dive.

Swann actually puts him in a chair and gets a running start for some running boots to the face. He tries it once too often though and Raja is back up with a boot of his own. Back in and Swann superkicks him out of the air and they’re both down. A frog splash gives Swann two more, followed by the middle rope 450 for the same. Teves offers a distraction though and another 450 misses. Raja’s Backstabber into a jumping Downward Spiral finishes Swann at 20:23.

Stu Grayson is in at #5 and the cut open Raja bails out to the floor. Grayson goes outside to get him and nails a quick Pele. Teves breaks up a torture rack and is finally ejected, leaving Raja angry on the ramp. He slides back in and gets kneed in the face, setting up Knightfall (torture rack dropped down into a backbreaker) to give Grayson the pin at 24:41. Jonathan Gresham (apparently freelance) is in at #6 to complete the field but hold on though as Raja chairs Grayson down before leaving.

Gresham glares at Raja before getting in and lets Grayson get a breather before going after him. They grapple around to start and neither gets anywhere so let’s shake hands. Grayson takes him down for an armbar and Gresham gets over to the ropes in a hurry. Grayson’s hurricanrana and dropkick have Gresham on the apron and the dive connects. Back in and a battle of the chops goes to Grayson, as Gresham wants a timeout. A sneaky low blow cuts Grayson down and they go to the mat, where Gresham can’t force the arm down.

With that not working, it’s a crucifix for two on Grayson before Gresham ties up the arms. Gresham pulls on one of the legs for some painful stretching before going back to the arm. They fight over a suplex until they both crash out over the top for a nasty double crash. Back in and Gresham goes after the arm again but Grayson sends him flying with some overhead belly to bellys.

A spinning Downward Spiral into a Lionsault gives Grayson two but Knightfall is blocked. Grayson settles for a springboard tornado DDT for two but Gresham is right back to the arm in a smart move. Gresham’s crossface is broken up with a grab of the rope so it’s off to an Octopus. With that broken up, Gresham goes up and gets superplexed back down, setting up a running knee. Knightfall gives Grayson the pin and the title at 42:27.

Rating: B-. This was a match where it felt like they were going for something epic and it really just felt long more than anything else. Grayson winning was pretty obvious once they got down to the final two as there was almost no way an American was winning the title in the end. It’s a good enough main event, though anything involving an interim title feels kind of weak by definition. Still though, at least Grayson looked like a star in the end, as he did last night.

Grayson celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show’s problem is it came after Global Wars, which was great, while this one was just pretty good. It’s certainly not a bad show and there are far worse options, but nothing on here felt must see. At the same time. MLP still feels like a higher end independent effort and I’ll absolutely take that every time. Good enough show here, though dang can the home promotion have a better success rate?

Results
Mascara Dorada/Bhupinder Gujjar b. Jake Crist/Michael Allen Richard Clark – Spear to Clark
Evil Uno/Alice Crowley b. Taylor Rising/Chris Chambers – Piledriver to Chambers
The Swirl b. Mo Jabari/El Reverso – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to Reverso
Kaito Kiyamiya b. Bishop Dyer – Sunset flip
Daisuke Sasaki b. Bryce Hansen – Top rope chair shot
Sheldon Jean/Brent Banks b. Good Brothers – Belt shot to Anderson
Gisele Shaw b. Deonna Purrazzo – Brass knuckles punch
Stu Grayson won an Elimination Challenge last eliminating Jonathan Gresham

 

 

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

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

Forged In Excellence Night One
Date: October 19, 2024
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Mauro Ranallo

So this is Maple Leaf Pro, the new promotion from former TNA executive Scott D’Amore. The card has been built up well over the last few weeks and I might as well look at the first two nights. As you might expect, there will be a heavy Canadian influence on the show, but there are some outsiders as well. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at some of the people on the show tonight and how they got here, with some classic Canadian wrestling clips thrown in. It’s almost weird seeing TNA clips in there given how D’Amore departed.

The production looks OUTSTANDING for an independent show, easily on par with TNA.

Josh Alexander/Stu Grayson/El Phantasmo vs. Rocky Romero/Alex Zayne/Trevor Lee

Well you knew Romero was going to be on a show like this. What kind of a show? Every kind of a show. Alexander works on Romero’s arm to start and elbows him down before handing it off to Grayson and Lee, the latter of whom has gotten a heck of a haircut. Grayson takes him down and hits a dropkick but Lee hands it off to Zayne.

Phantasmo comes in to take him down, followed by a very springboardy armdrag. Alexander and company grab stereo Sharpshooters but they’re quickly broken up, with Romero hitting the Forever Clotheslines on Phantasmo. Lee gets kicked into Zayne though and it’s off to Alexander to clean house. Everything breaks down and Alexander gets kicked down as Callis wants Alexander hurt before he faces Konosuke Takeshita tomorrow night.

Alexander fights up as well and hands it back to Grayson for a double clothesline. Phantasmo hits a torture rack neckbreaker but Romero sens him into Alexander. Grayson’s Nightfall (torture rack into a backbreaker) drops Zayne and Alexander hits a release German suplex on Lee. Romero’s armbar is countered into another backbreaker though and Alexander nails the C4 Spike for the pin at 13:27.

Rating: B. Heck of a choice for an opener here, as they didn’t overstay their welcome, kept the action up, and gave the fans a hot match to get things going. The Canadians winning is the most obvious result imaginable and they had a good one here, with Alexander feeling like a polished star. Rather solid match with this one and the show is off to a nice start.

Mike Bailey is ready for Konosuke Takeshita because we’re on his own home country turf.

We run down the card.

We get a history of Maple Leaf Wrestling and various great wrestling in Canada, as narrated by Bret Hart. That’s certainly a big get and there is some awesome classic footage in here.

Bhupinder Gujjar vs. QT Marshall

Gujjar is/was from TNA (he hasn’t been around in a bit) and Marshall has AEW’s Harley Cameron in his corner. Cameron mocks the Windsor fans and Marshall promises Gujjar the beating he deserves for thinking a cup of coffee in a major promotion matters. Marshall armdrags him to start and stops for some posing on the top. They fight over wrist control with Gujjar taking him down and hitting a nice dropkick for two. There’s a clothesline to the floor and Gujjar follows him out with a slingshot dive.

Back in and Marshall pulls him off the ropes for a crash to take over again. A slap to the face wakes Gujjar up though and he hits a running forearm to put Marshall down for a change. Marshall is right back with a sitout powerbomb for two but Gujjar hits some jumping shots to the face. Cameron grabs the foot though and Marshall scores with a Diamond Cutter for the pin at 8:25.

Rating: C+. Not as good as the opener but it lets a named heel get a win off some simple yet effective interference. That’s always been a standard for D’Amore’s shows: they aren’t going to reinvent the wheel, but they’re going to give you completely competent wrestling with talented stars. That’s what we had here, as it wasn’t a classic or anything, but it was perfectly acceptable wrestling.

Kylie Rae is really excited to be here in Canada and was here at 6am. She’s ready to face anyone and everyone.

Kylie Rae vs. Aurora Teves vs. Laynie Luck vs. Taylor Rising

One fall to a finish. Rae shakes hands with Teves and Luck but Rising kicks her in the ribs to start fast. They trade rollups for two each and it’s a four way standoff. Rising bails to the floor and it’s Rae grabbing a crossface on Luck, with Teves making the save. Back in and Rae forearms away at Rising but Teves takes over with some rapid fire kicks. Rae takes Luck to the floor and gets hit in the face, setting up a big flip dive off the top for a massive crash. Back in and Rising gives Teves a Pedigree but Luck comes in with a top rope cutter. Rae pops up to superkick Luck and pin Teves at 6:53.

Rating: C+. As usual, you can only gets so much out of a four way match with less than seven minutes as everyone is trying to get their stuff in as fast as they can. Rae is by far the biggest star in the match and it makes sense that the promotion would want to focus on her, but she doesn’t have the best record when it comes to sticking around. Maybe this is the exception though, as she certainly has the talent to go somewhere.

Josh Alexander (after an interview with Konosuke Takeshita is accidentally shown) is glad to be back in Canada and Canadian wrestling is back too! He’s ready for Konosuke Takeshita tomorrow as they make more history.

Now we get the Takeshita interview (fair enough as someone probably hit the button early by mistake), which is part of the WrestleDream press conference with Takeshita saying he’s ready to face anywhere, anytime.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles: Jet Setters vs. Aiden Prince/El Reverso vs. Rogue Squadron vs. Brent Banks/Johnny Swinger

The Jet Setters (Kushida and Kevin Knight) are defending and the Squadron are Rohit Raju/Sheldon Jean. The Squadron clears the ring to start but then runs off from the threat of violence. We settle down to Knight and Banks catching the others’ kicks so Swinger comes in and gets punched out to the floor. The rapid fire changes begin until Prince rolls over to kick Knight in the face. Prince and Reverso hit stereo dives onto the champs on the floor but it’s the Squad stomping away back inside.

Raju and Jean take turns working on Prince’s arm but the champs crotch Raju against the post to cut him down. Swinger, the goof, comes in and is immediately glared back into the corner by Kushida. The Squadron takes him into the corner but Kushida rolls out and hands it back to Knight. It’s back to Prince, who gets dropped by the champs, only for the Squadron to knock everyone down.

Swinger is the only one left standing so naturally he goes up, only to get crotched back own. A bunch of people are sent outside for the series of dives but Jean comes back in and strikes away. Banks clears the ring again until Reverso hits a springboard kick to the face. Knight is back up to kick various people down until Swinger grabs a rollup for two on Kushida. That’s enough for the champs, as it’s a neckbreaker/high crossbody combination to finish Swinger and retain the titles at 16:09.

Rating: B-. Another fun match with all kinds of action, but also another match with so many people floating around that it was hard to keep track of everything. It doesn’t help that the teams aren’t the most familiar and it is already tricky enough to remember who is who. This was fun while it lasted, but it would have been better with fewer teams.

Video on the Champion’s Grail, one of the promotion’s titles. Apparently it’s a cross between Riki Choshu and Kenny Omega. That’s a heck of a mixture.

PWA Champion’s Grail: Rohan Raja vs. Jake Something

For the inaugural title and no word on what the PWA is. Raja is a former member of the Desi Hit Squad in TNA, where Something currently wrestles as well. The bigger Something powers him into the corner to start and then runs him over with pure strength. Raja gets in a shot of his own though and some forearms to the back have Something in trouble for a change. Back up and Raja starts in on the arm, with a knockdown setting up an armbar.

Raja’s neckbreaker gets two but Something uses the good arm to hit a clothesline. What looks to be a powerbomb doesn’t work so Something settles for a spinebuster for two instead. Back up and a hard forearm rocks Raja again and a one armed powerbomb (cool) gives Something two more. Into The Void (boss Man Slam) is broken up and Raja hits a Backstabber into a brainbuster. Something misses a charge and Seek And Destroy (jumping Downward Spiral) gives Raja the pin at 13:31.

Rating: C+. Nice enough power vs. non-power match here but I’m still not entirely sure what the title is supposed to be. Given the people involved, I would assume it’s a midcard title but the whole PWA deal wasn’t exactly well explained. Perfectly fine match here, though nothing that stood out in the slightest, even with someone who with as good of a look as Something.

Post match Raja says he’s defending the title around the world and wants to face the best. He’s hungry for competition, so he’ll be called Ravenous Rohan Raja. Uh sure.

Bully Ray takes credit for the house because he is the biggest star in this company (well, kind of). He doesn’t know why Raj Dhesi (formerly known as Jinder Mahal) would sign up for a tables match with Ray, but it won’t go well for him.

Bully Ray vs. Raj Dhesi

Tables match. Before the match, Ray complains about being listed as only being in the WWE Hall Of Fame rather than WWE and TNA. Oh and he’s half of the greatest team of all time. And he’s Calfzilla. And handsome. The fans chant for Dhesi, which has Ray threatening to leave for the United States. Ray promises that Dhesi will never put him through a table so Dhesi strikes away, including a jumping knee to the face. Dhesi knocks him out to the floor but Ray gets in a mic shot to the face.

Back in and Ray rakes at the eyes before grabbing a kendo stick to keep up the beating. Ray calls a fan an “old bag” and gets in a low blow but stops to yell at the referee. That’s enough for Dhesi to get in some kendo stick shots before sending the referee up to play D-Von in What’s Up. The table is brought in but the referee gets bumped, meaning Dhesi putting Ray through the table doesn’t matter. Cue QT Marshall to drop Dhesi and put him on the broken table…which is enough to give Ray the win at 8:52.

Rating: C-. This was more about the What’s Up spot than anything else, which wasn’t anything overly special. Ray has a longstanding tendency to get wins like this for the sake of heat from the crowd, but it’s rare that he gets any kind of comeuppance. Now he already has a minion in Marshall and that isn’t boding well for the rest of his time around here.

Post match Ray loads up a chair but Bhupinder Gujjar makes the save.

Ad for TNA Bound For Glory.

We preview next week’s AEW Dynamite, because Tony Khan’s stuff has to be in everything.

Gisele Shaw is ready to face Miyu Yamashita before her ROH Women’s Title shot tomorrow.

Gisele Shaw vs. Miyu Yamashita

If Yamashita wins, she is added to the Ring Of Honor Women’s Title match on Night Two. Feeling out process to start, with Yamashita working on the arm but getting reversed into a hammerlock. Back up and Shaw misses a charge so Yamashita can kick away in the corner. Shaw knocks her out to the floor but Yamashita manages a posting for a needed breather.

Back in and Shaw ties her in the ropes for some knees to the ribs, setting up the chinlock. That’s broken up so Shaw settles for two off a sitout powerbomb instead. Yamashita is back with a springboard enziguri but Shaw backbreakers her into a Downward Spiral for two more. They strike it out with Shaw getting the better of things, only for Yamashita to tell her to bring it. That’s fine with Shaw, who hits a running knee for the pin at 12:35.

Rating: B-. This was one of the better matches on the show and it was good enough for the spot. Shaw had long since felt like she was ready to become the next star in the TNA women’s division but it never went on to the next level. Beating Yamashita gives Shaw some momentum on the way to tomorrow’s title shot, but it’s probably going to take more than that to get the title off of Athena. For now though, good match.

Video on Athena, the longest reigning champion of any kind in Ring Of Honor history.

We run down the Night Two card.

Video on Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey

Takeshita runs him over to start but Bailey pops up and fires off some kicks. A running hurricanrana sends Takeshita outside and there’s the running hurricanrana through the ropes. The triangle moonsault drops Takeshita again and the bouncing kicks have him in more trouble back inside. They’re already back on the apron, where Takeshita catches him with a Death Valley Driver to leave both of them on the floor.

Back in and we hit the chinlock until Bailey fights up, only to get planted with a DDT for two. Bailey fights up again and fires off the kicks, setting up the running shooting star press for two of his own. The standing moonsault hits raised knees though and Takeshita hits a crazy release German suplex. They both miss kicks and counters until Bailey scores with some moonsault knees for a breather. Bailey fires off more kicks but Takeshita pulls him up for a rather devastating forearm.

Takeshita misses a running charge to crash out to the floor, allowing Bailey to hit a big springboard corkscrew dive. Back in and Bailey misses the Ultimate Weapon, allowing Takeshita to launch him face first into the middle buckle. A powerbomb out of the corner puts Takeshita down and a shooting star legdrop (just go with it) gets two. Bailey knocks him out to the floor but Takeshita is right back with another huge forearm.

Back in and Bailey’s hurricanrana staggers Takeshita, who counters the tornado kick into a very spinny Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. A wheelbarrow suplex into a hard clothesline gives Takeshita two more but Bailey kicks him into the corner. The tornado kick sets up the Ultimate Weapon for two but the Flamingo Driver is countered into a kneeling tombstone for two. Takeshita hits his running knee or two and Raging Fire is finally enough to put Bailey away at 24:31.

Rating: A-. I’m not a big Bailey fan but he knows how to have some rather entertaining matches, which was the case here. These guys beat the living daylights out of each other until Takeshita put him away, which is all you can hope to see. It’s the kind of main event that people will notice and for the first big match the promotion has ever presented, that’s more than enough.

Josh Alexander comes out for a staredown with Takeshita before their title match tomorrow.

Overall Rating: B. The opener and the main event are both good and the stuff in the middle is mostly acceptable. The one match that doesn’t work very well is the tables match but you kind of know what you’re getting into with that. Otherwise, I had a good time with this show as they didn’t do anything insane. There was no big angle or storyline as they focused on the wrestling instead, which is a smart move. I’ll be checking out the second night as well and they’ll be coming in off a nice start with this part.

 

 

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.