IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: November 7, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Colt Cabana

We’re onto a fresh taping cycle tonight and, believe it or not, the big story here in Philadelphia is about an ECW wrestler as Bully Ray and Flip Gordon are sending in representatives (Ray has already announced Silas Young) for a match where the winner gets to pick whatever happens to the loser. Should we just pull up a Tommy Dreamer graphic already? Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Gordon vs. Ray challenge and the setup for tonight.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Ray with an envelope as we’re starting big. He explains the concept again, because airing that video in the arena was too complicated. Flip comes out as well and has his own envelope, labeled “Bully Ray’s Punishment.” I’m not sure I want to see what’s inside there. Colt Cabana gets off commentary and gets in the ring, much to Ray’s stunned displeasure. Ray: “You really are stupid Flip.” Colt says he’s here for two reasons: to support Flip and to be in the ring when he sees who Flip has chosen. And then this happens.

Silas Young vs. Sandman

Yes, because THE ECW TRIBUTES MUST CONTINUE!!! I get where they are and I get why they’re doing this, but do you really want to bring up this memory from ECW? The company that folded seventeen years ago? Meaning seventeen years after Sandman’s, ahem, athletic prime? Sandman canes him down for two as the fans chant for a company that is decidedly not Ring of Honor.

They head outside with Sandman in full control and grabbing a ladder. Coleman lists off some great ECW names and there are at least three of them who didn’t retire five years ago. Back in and Sandman gets sent into the ladder as we hear about Mikey Whipwreck and Joel Gertner. Silas gets in a few shots of his own and then grabs a table. Sandman puts the ladder on top of him and hits the Swanton onto the ladder onto Silas for two. That’s about it though as Misery finishes Sandman at 4:33.

Rating: D. Well it could have been worse. Again, I get what they’re going for here but egads this isn’t a good idea. It’s not like Sandman is an ROH legend. He’s a legend in the building they’re in at the moment. It’s bad enough that Ray is arguably the top heel in the promotion right now, but between this and Tommy Dreamer getting a spot at last year’s Final Battle, they need to cut out this ECW stuff. I’m sure the fans in the arena loved it, but there are a lot more fans on the other side of those cameras who are probably wondering why this is happening.

Post break, we see an edited version (with graphics and commentary saying it’s too violent to show in full) of Gordon’s punishment: ten Singapore cane shots to the back, because THEY DID THAT IN ECW TOO! Wrestlers eventually come out, including the Bullet Club with Cody making the actual save despite past issues with Gordon.

Everyone else gets out and Ray says this one is for Brandi. Gordon won’t give up and says F*** YOU to Ray because he has one more. Ray hits him low instead and everyone comes in to scare him off. It was an effective angle, though the ECW stuff really hurt it for me. Not worthy of using half the show, but it was good.

Karen Q./Britt Baker/Kelly Klein vs. Jenny Rose/Madison Rayne/Sumie Sakai

Mandy Leon is on commentary. Apparently Klein attacked Rose at the zoo in Japan. That’s not something you hear too often so at least they’re doing something. I mean, showing us that might be interesting but I’ll take what I can get. Sumie chops away at Baker to start but gets rolled into something like the Rings of Saturn.

That’s broken up just as fast and Sumie hits a running knee to the chest for two. The Sling Blade gets the same on Sakai and Baker runs the ropes, until Karen tags herself in (Coleman: “I wish she’d tag me like that.”). Jenny comes in for a headlock and it’s quickly off to Madison for a wristlock. A northern lights suplex gets two and we take a break.

Back with Sakai hitting a headscissors on Karen and bringing in Madison to dropkick Kelly. A crucifix driver hits Karen for no cover as she’s not legal (good referee) and it’s a ripcord cutter for two more. Rose and Kelly come in for the brawling but actually settle in with an abdominal stretch on Kelly. That’s broken up so Rose rolls Kelly up for the pin at 8:14.

Rating: D+. Another Women of Honor match with little story (though Rose vs. Klein was something) and no one really standing out. Pinning Klein is a big deal for Rose, but I still don’t know anything about her, though apparently she goes to Japanese zoos. The division just isn’t working and I’m not sure how they can fix it, though it’s not exactly getting better.

The Kingdom is ready for their six man tag next week.

Kenny King vs. Cody

Non-title, Jay Lethal is on commentary and Brandi has changed her outfit. Feeling out process to start with neither headlock going anywhere. Kenny’s wristlock works about the same and it’s time for some dancing. Cody tries a hammerlock instead and gets hiptossed down as it’s all King so far. The drop down right hand finally takes King down and a release gordbuster gets two.

Back up and King falls down but blames Brandi, who was nowhere near him. A Flatliner gets two on King and this time he accuses Brandi of a slap. King puts him down again and grabs a chinlock as we take a break. Back with a double clothesline taking both guys down for a breather.

Cody is up first with the Disaster kick for two and a superplex is good for the same. Kenny sends him outside for a dive and there’s a spinebuster for two of his own. With Cody down, King throws an elbow pad at Brandi, drawing her in to distract the ref. Cody gets up and King throws him the IWGP US Title before falling down, ala Eddie Guerrero. Another referee runs out to say not so fast so King shoves the referee for the DQ at 11:09.

Rating: D+. That ending was all kinds of messy and continues my streak of not liking something about King’s matches. Cody wasn’t doing any favors here either as he hit the Disaster kick and not much else. They were hyping up King getting a title shot this weekend so there was indeed a point to the thing, but it wasn’t working for me, as tends to be the case in their main event stuff.

Post match Kenny kicks Cody low and grabs Brandi but Lethal runs in for the save. Brandi leaves and Kenny belts Lethal down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This one was way off as the first half was spent on a single angle that featured Bully Ray, the Sandman, and an angle that felt more like a tribute to ECW than anything else. Then you had a women’s match that just showed how much the women all run together and a main event with an overbooked ending. I hope this was a one off bad show because this really missed bad.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: October 17, 2018
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer, Caprice Coleman

We’re FINALLY after the previous month’s pay per view and that means it’s time to do something fresh. Of course around here that doesn’t mean much as Glory By Honor, as in the next major show, has already taken place. I really can’t even mock them for this anymore as it’s still such a problem. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the ending of Death Before Dishonor, where Jay Lethal successfully defended the World Title against Will Ospreay but the Kingdom came in and beat him down. Matt Taven, now with a haircut, has his own World Title.

Opening sequence.

Here’s the Kingdom to take over the ring. They’re about to do something that should have been done a long time ago. The Kingdom has been silenced for far too long and the referee has to hold the title while the ring announcer reads off Taven’s resume. The last line says Taven is the ROH World Champion, which requires some coercing to be announced. No one comes out, but at least Lethal has a new challenger.

Video on Jeff Cobb showing up and then wrecking TV Champion Punishment Martinez. That could be a heck of a fight.

Chase Owens vs. Kenny King

Owens is Bullet Club and King is the hometown boy. They go to the arm holds to start until neither can kick the other in the face. King goes after the arm again but gets sent to the apron and dropkicked to the floor. Back from a break with Owens hitting a running neckbreaker for a delayed two until King slugs his way back into it.

The spinning leg lariat has Owens on the floor for the spinning corkscrew dive. A high crossbody gives King two and we hit a quickly broken chinlock. Owens loads up a swinging neckbreaker but twists it back into a faceplant for two of his own. The package piledriver is broken up and King bounces off the ropes but his knee buckles. Since Owens is dumb enough to fall for this, King small packages him for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: D+. You would think King would start getting better at putting a match together over time but that’s still not the case. It’s just spot after spot and then the finish with nothing connecting the sections together. The match wasn’t horrible or anything but Owens is just kind of there and King needs someone to help him along.

Coast To Coast is ready to win the Tag Team Titles next week.

Back to Death Before Dishonor, where Colt Cabana joined Bully Ray and Silas Young to beat down Colt Cabana and Flip Gordon.

Flip Gordon vs. Shane Taylor

Hang on though as Flip grabs a mic. Gordon will fight him tonight but first, he needs to call out Bully Ray. At Death Before Dishonor, Ray had to cheat before the tag team tables match but Gordon put him through a table anyway. Ray couldn’t handle that though and had to screw him over. So what does Ray want next? TLC? A Las Vegas street fight?

Here’s Ray to ask if he’s bothering Flip. Ray: “Are you upset that I keep kicking you in the balls?” As Ray talks, Taylor grabs a chair and here’s Silas Young for a low blow. The beatdown is on and no one comes out to help Gordon, despite Ray begging for someone to do so. Ian seems more interested than anyone else.

The Briscoes aren’t worried about Coast to Coast.

Jay Lethal is proud about Ring of Honor selling out Madison Square Garden and he’d love to come in defending the title.

The Kingdom leaves the arena.

We recap the show to fill time.

Next week: Coast to Coast vs. Briscoes, Cobb vs. Martinez for the TV Title and Marty Scurll vs. Chris Sabin.

Addiction vs. Best Friends vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Young Bucks

One fall to a finish and it’s Evil and Sanada for LIJ. Since there’s no bell after the break, I’m not sure if this is joined in progress or everyone just being really rude. It’s a huge brawl to start (I mean….duh) with the Bucks taking over (I repeat my duh) until Chuck sends them together. The lawn dart cutter sends Matt to the floor but LIJ breaks up the big hug. It’s Addiction’s turn to clean house with a clothesline to the back of Evil’s head and a double stomp, followed by a pair of moonsaults to Sanada.

We hit the string of dives with Nick hitting the big springboard version. Barretta loads up one of his own but stops for a hug, followed by the stereo flip dives from the Friends. We head back in…..FOR THE OPENING BELL, three and a half minutes after the fighting started. Ian: “WHAT???” Sanada ties Daniels and Kazarian up to start (for the second time) and it’s a double dropkick for two on Daniels. Evil gets two off a side slam and we hit the chinlock to send us to a break.

Back with Daniels faceplanting Evil but the Friends, now in sunglasses, pull Kazarian off the apron. As Ian points out how dumb that was, Daniels fights back and makes the hot tag to Nick for the house cleaning. The Friends come in as well and get flipped around but it’s too early for More Bang For Your Buck. Kazarian’s slingshot cutter hits Trent but Sanada is ready for him with a hanging swinging neckbreaker.

Trent comes back in with a tornado DDT but Evil uses the referee for a Magic Killer. Angel’s Wings drops Matt and the Awful Waffle gets two so Chuckie actually makes a tag. How nice of him. The Dude Buster hits Matt but Nick Swantons in for the save. Nick superkicks almost everyone until Matt turns it into double superkicks to everyone else. A dive onto a bunch of people sets up the Meltzer Driver for the pin on Trent at 7:50.

Rating: C+. Well what we got was good and being realistic, you might as well add in the pre-match stuff as part of the match itself. This was all about flying all over the place with very little story involved and there’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever. We got a fun match out of the eight guys and there’s nothing wrong with that. Entertaining match with the fans way into it.

Overall Rating: C. It might not be a great show but it’s so nice to have something that ACTUALLY MATTERS. The Taven stuff is going to depend on your opinion of the guy and while I’m still not a fan, he’s definitely better than he was just a few months ago. The main event was entertaining as well and the show was far easier to sit through than some of the dumb stuff they’ve done in recent weeks. Now just end the Bully Ray As The Super Heel story and we’ll be fine.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: October 3, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re officially past Death Before Dishonor but you wouldn’t know that for a long time around here. Alas we’re stuck with another series of nothing shows that don’t follow up on the pay per view for a few weeks for reasons that even I’m tired of talking about. Hopefully they have something good for tonight, but you never can guess. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Eli Isom vs. Shane Taylor vs. Flip Gordon vs. Chris Sabin

One fall to a finish. Sabin shoulders Flip down to start and it’s time for a very early slugout. A double clothesline gives us a double knockdown and it’s off to Isom vs. Taylor. Eli makes the mistake of going right after him, only to get planted with a spinebuster for two. Sabin and Gordon go after Taylor as well but get choked for their efforts. Some double teaming puts him on the floor though and it’s Flip hitting the big dive onto everyone.

Shane is back up though and hits a Cannonball off the apron to take all three down and take us to a break. Back with Sabin dropkicking Taylor in the corner and flip spearing him through the ropes. One heck of a clothesline drops Gordon so Sabin comes back in with a high crossbody, followed by a missile dropkick. A tornado DDT gets two on Taylor but he slams Sabin out of the corner to get a breather.

Isom comes back in and avoids a charge before getting two off a suplex of all things. Sabin grabs a DDT/Downward Spiral combination for a double knockdown but Taylor is back up to be the monster again. A huge show drops Gordon but Isom rolls Taylor up for the huge upset at 11:31.

Rating: C. There’s nothing wrong with pushing an underdog but I really hope we’re not coming up on Cheeseburger’s replacement with Isom. This is his second big upset win but at least he’s not the smallest guy in the world. Having him pin Taylor is fine, but it doesn’t work as well if they have a singles rematch later. Hopefully they just let Isom get away with it, which is going to do more for him than anything else.

Post match Taylor cleans house until Gordon superkicks him to the floor.

Marty Scurll is ready to face Shane Helms again and wants Shane to be his hero.

TV Title: Aaron Solow vs. Punishment Martinez

Solow won a competition called Dojo Pro to earn this shot and is better known as Bayley’s fiance. A slap to Martinez’s face takes us to the opening bell and Solow has to duck a spinning kick to the head. The chokeslam is escaped twice and a dropkick has Martinez in some trouble. He stomps Solow out of the corner though and it’s time for a trip to the floor for a whip into the barricade.

Back from a break with Solow hitting a kick from the apron and clotheslining Martinez to the floor for the big flip dive. The chokeslam is countered again and the belly to belly (nice touch) into a spinning suplex gets two. Martinez is right back with the running stomp and a South of Heaven chokeslam retains the title at 8:43.

Rating: C+. Not bad at all here with Solow getting to show off a bit. That’s the kind of performance you need to put in when you have an opportunity like this. The match wasn’t exactly in doubt, but Solow looked good and showed off his talents, which is a good sign for his future. Maybe he’ll be back again, which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Coast 2 Coast is back next week.

Bully Ray isn’t happy that Silas Young is teaming with the Bouncers because he sees it as a step backwards.

We look at the Kingdom being cheated out of the Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Cody/Young Bucks vs. Silas Young/Bouncers

Cody, with Brandi and Bernard, and the Bucks are defending. Matt tries his luck with the massive Milonas to start and gets knocked into the corner without much effort. Bruiser comes in to overpower Nick so everything breaks down with the champs triple dropkicking Milonas to the floor. More kicks and dropkicks clear the ring and of course the fans love it. Back in and things settle down with Nick rolling over for the hot tag to Cody but a cheap shot takes him down as well.

Silas hammers away at Cody before handing it off to an already tired Bruiser. Cody sidesteps a charge and Bruiser knocks Bernard over, allowing Milonas to crossbody Cody down for two. Back from a break with Cody powerslamming his way out of trouble and diving over for the hot tag to Nick (which is what he’s best at). Everything breaks down (well duh) and the Bucks clean house, including breaking up a variety of near finishers.

The splash/standing moonsault hits Bruiser for two and Cody dives onto Milonas and Young. Bruiser dives onto the other five, leaving Cody to take a big Trash Compactor for two back inside. That doesn’t bother the Bucks though as they start firing off superkicks, which is enough to have Young walk out. Cross Rhodes to Milonas retains the titles at 15:37.

Rating: C. Cody and the Bucks can only do so much with guys like Milonas and Bruiser, who just aren’t the most versatile people in the world. Young leaving makes perfect sense, especially given him being a bigger star and having more success than the other two put together. It’s fine for a one off main event, but the Bruiser and Milonas need someone smaller to do a big chunk of the matches

Overall Rating: D+. This wasn’t a great show by any means and it gave a good illustration of how these post-pay per view shows aren’t all that interesting. The matches are all standalone and none of them were anything more than a run of the mill showcase. Solow looked good, but I need a little more than Bayley’s fiance turning in a nice performance over the course of an hour.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: August 29, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re getting close to coming up on Death Before Dishonor and that means we might start putting a few things together. Other than that, it’s hard to say what we might be getting this week. That being said, the success rate around here isn’t half bad and there’s always a chance of seeing something great. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Christopher Daniels vs. Jay Briscoe

Mark Briscoe is on commentary to give us the four man booth. Fallout from Best in the World, which is just two months ago to the date of this show’s air date. Or “a couple of weeks” according to Ian. Jay drives him into the corner to start but Daniels shoves him away. A shot to the face knocks Jay to the floor and there’s the Arabian moonsault. Daniels stomps away in the corner and we take a break.

Back with Jay in control and grabbing a chinlock, which feels like a rarity around here. Daniels fights up in short order and gets two off the Blue Thunder Bomb. Angel’s Wings is driven back into the corner but the Jay Driller is broken up as well. That’s enough for Mark, who comes in and blasts Daniels in the back with a chair for the DQ at 7:36.

Rating: C-. Not enough time to go anywhere and I get why you wouldn’t want either of them to take a clean loss here. They were looking equal, which should be the case with two former World Champions. I’m still not sold on So Cal Uncensored as faces and it feels like it could be a big time ruse, which is how things should be going given their history.

Post match the beatdown is on but Scorpio Sky and Kazarian run in for the save.

Video on Jonathan Gresham vs. Jay Lethal in two weeks.

Video on Madison Rayne earning a title shot next week.

Silas Young vs. Flip Gordon

Flip’s ability to moonsault into the ring and take his pants off at the same time is most impressive. Gordon armdrags him a few times but an early suicide dive attempt is blocked right a right hand. A slingshot double stomp hits Flip in the ribs and now Young is ready to take the shirt off (sans moonsault). One heck of a whip into the corner gets two and it’s off to a chinlock (maybe they’re not so uncommon).

Back up and Gordon springboards in with a missile dropkick, drawing a loud FLIP chant. No flipping ensues, but he does hit a running dropkick in the corner. Now it’s the running flip dive to the floor and we take a break with Silas in trouble. Back with Gordon getting two off a high crossbody and a springboard spear is good for the same. Silas catches a charge with the swinging backbreaker into the low clothesline and it’s time for the big slugout.

Gordon gets the better of it with a Falcon Arrow but let’s go back to the slugout. This time Gordon enziguris him down, only to get booted in the face. A Pele drops Silas again but let’s go to the third slugout. With hitting Young in the head not working, Gordon O’Connor rolls him and bridges back for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: C. The slugouts got a little tiring but Gordon needs some more wins over credible names. Young doesn’t seem to be going anywhere now that he’s lost the TV Title but really, it’s not like there is a huge upside to him. He’s been better than I thought when I first saw him, but I think he’s reached his ceiling.

Post match Bully Ray comes in and low blows Gordon. Ray and Young stare at each other, seemingly out of respect.

Marty Scurll congratulates Kenny King on finding his inner villain. Revenge is coming.

King doesn’t have much to say about putting his feet on the ropes to beat Scurll. A year ago he was on a roll and it got him the TV Title. Now things have changed though and he lost to Austin Aries at Best in the World. King had the chance to win but wouldn’t use the Royal Flush on the floor. Ric Flair cheated and won sixteen World Titles so how much does King have to do to win once? King has options now, and that’s good. Nice explanation here, which is more than I was expecting.

Nick Aldis is on commentary for the main event as the fans want Cody.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Kingdom vs. Cody/Young Bucks

Cody and the Bucks, with Bernard the Business Bear and Brandi Rhodes, are challenging, plus getting very loudly cheered. Well Cody is from Marietta (about twenty miles from Atlanta) so it’s not that shocking. They waste no time in starting the brawl with the Kingdom getting the early advantage.

Cody gets left alone but the Bucks run back in to save him from a double suplex. The threat of a double superkick puts the kingdom on the floor and it’s a wheelbarrow faceplant into a cutter to put Taven down. O’Ryan comes in and gets kicked right back to the floor, followed by the slingshot dropkick to Marseglia as the Club is in full control to start. Cody dives to the floor to take out O’Ryan again and stares Aldis down.

Back in and it’s Marseglia chop blocking Matt to cut off a superkick attempt. Matt gets taken into the corner and the leg work continues, including Marseglia dropping some elbows on the knee. Taven comes in for a leglock of his own and we take a break. Back with Matt hitting a middle rope dropkick but banging up the knee again as Colt points out the lack of superkicks so far. Matt kicks O’Ryan down again and the hot tag brings in Nick for a series of non-super kicks.

Marseglia pops the balloon next to Nick’s head to mess with his balance though and Taven is on him with the right hands to the head. The real hot tag brings in Cody who grabs the Sharpshooter on Taven. O’Ryan and Marseglia get caught n the same hold for three at a time. All three are broken up and the first superkick drops Marseglia but Matt bangs up the bad knee again. Cody cleans house but takes WAY too long posing, allowing Marseglia to grab another balloon.

That gets superkicked next to his ear though and a triple superkick gets two on Taven. Cross Rhodes gets two on Taven with Marseglia making the save. The double dives are broken up and Marseglia dives onto Cody. Nick hits his own flip dive though, followed by Taven’s always great looking no hands dive. Brandi, in a dress, hits a big dive of her own and Taven isn’t sure what just happened.

Bernard gets on the apron so Taven kicks him in the head (it’s kind of an easy target) and there’s the Climax to Cody. Redrum (Swanton) gets two and everyone is down as Aldis wonders when the DQ is coming. Dude….actually it makes sense for the NWA World Champion to be that stuck in the past. Rockstar Supernova to Cody is broken up with stereo superkicks and Cross Rhodes to Marseglia is good for the pin and the titles at 14:33.

Rating: B. Heck of a match here with all of the dives and flips, though it might have needed to cut a minute or two to really make this work. They were flying around at the end, but it helped a lot to do the leg work and build up to that. Maybe it’s the traditionalist in me but I appreciate the work being put in to get to the insanity, and this match had that.

Post match Taven rants that Marseglia wasn’t legal (he wasn’t) and Aldis doesn’t like the ROH officiating to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helps as usual, but there’s often this strange feeling to Ring of Honor’s TV. It feels like they don’t really have a long term goal in mind and just make things up as they go. There were stories to everything here but it doesn’t exactly feel like they know where they’re going. Some of these stories feel like they keep going because it’s not clear how to wrap things up. It’s still a watchable show on its own, but long term it’s not the best stuff in the world.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: June 13, 2018
Location: Odeum Expo Theater, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re getting closer and closer to Best in the World and thankfully two of the biggest matches have already been announced. In this case that would be the World Title and Tag Team Title matches, though the Tag Team Titles are on the line tonight as well. If nothing else, hopefully we can get a good match without much possibility of drama. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Flip Gordon

Flip has to flip out of a wristlock to start and then flips away to avoid a leg sweep. That means a You Can’t See Me (Cabana: “Wrong TV show.”) and Gresham actually gives him credit. Gordon gets sent into the corner but Gresham isn’t exactly going right after him to follow up. The modified Octopus Hold has Gordon screaming in pain and Gresham turns it into an abdominal stretch to make things even better.

Flip gets out and dropkicks him to the floor, of course setting up the sky high dive to take Gresham out. Back from a break with an exchange of some loud chops and then a forearm off until Gordon kicks him in the head. Gresham’s springboard tornado DDT is countered into a Falcon Arrow for a slightly delayed two. The Star Spangled Stunner gives Gordon the pin at 8:51.

Rating: C. I’m surprised by the finish here as Gresham isn’t someone you would expect to be putting Gordon over. If nothing else this should give us more fuel towards the BOOK FLIP FOR ALL IN story, which is actually rather amusing and could lead to a good payoff. I can also go with Gordon using the Stunner as the finisher as he doesn’t need to flip around all the time.

Post match here’s Bully Ray to talk about Gordon. He didn’t know that Gordon’s family was from Montana, which is where Bully’s parents wanted to retire. When Ray’s mother died, he was in the process of buying his parents a ranch in Montana. When he was finishing up the purchase, his dad dies of a heart attack. Ray hands them pictures of his parents, which he had with him at the Hall of Fame induction.

He also found out that Gordon was in the Army, which means a lot to Ray. From now on, they have no heat and Ray wants to shake his hand. I won’t even bother suggesting that he’s being legit as he’s already kicked Gordon low by the time I finish the previous line. Gordon is just a young boy and Ray thinks he’s nothing.

Video on Kelly Klein vs. Deonna Purrazzo.

We look back at the end of last week’s show with Kenny King costing Austin Aries the TV Title and Aries beating him down after the match.

Kelly Klein vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is in street clothes and jumps Klein anyway, sending her into the steps. They head inside with Purrazzo trying an early Fujiwara armbar but getting rolled up for two instead. Purrazzo follows her to the floor and gets caught in a fall away slam to cut her off. Back from a break with Purrazzo rolling some German suplexes, capped off by a release to rock Klein again. A snap suplex that looked more like a brainbuster gets the same and there’s the Fujiwara armbar.

Klein is in the ropes so Purrazzo chops the heck out of her. One more armbar attempt goes badly though and Purrazzo is sent shoulder first into the post. A super fall away slam (without much elevation) gives Klein two and there’s a ref bump (which happens WAY too often around here). Purrazzo hits a cutter for no count and yells at the referee for being knocked down. Klein is back up and reverses the Fujiwara armbar into the End of the Match for the tap at 9:35.

Rating: C+. These are two of the best the division has and that’s not a good sign as they only had a fairly good match. The division has some talent but there’s a reason you rarely see most of the women outside of this company. When two of their best can only put up this kind of a match, they probably need to do something a little bit different as this wasn’t much to see.

Jay Lethal is facing Kushida at Best in the World. This was the announcement that he didn’t get to make last week.

Dalton Castle isn’t worried about facing two friends at the same time because he rages like a furnace. They should fear him.

Caprice Coleman is on commentary for the main event.

Tag Team Titles: Roppongi 3K vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending. Jay and Mark won’t shake hands and jump their much smaller challengers before the bell. As usual, these guys are such great villains. Mark gets caught in the wrong corner to start with Yoh hitting a slingshot dive. Coleman says that new champions wouldn’t mean an upset here. Uh, time to go back to the pulpit Caprice. A double back elbow puts the champs in control though and we take a break.

Back with Jay dropkicking Yoh in the face but not bothering to cover. Mark goes up and gets dropkicked out of the air but Jay is right in to cut off the hot tag attempt. It’s back to Mark to rip at Yoh’s face but he takes too long to follow up, allowing the hot tag to Show. That means rolling German suplexes with a superkick setting up the bridging version for two. 3K (Dominator/sliding cutter combination) is broken up though and Jay kicks Sho in the face, sending us to our second break.

Back with Mark powerbombing Sho for two more and the champs aren’t happy. Jay superplexes Sho to set up the Froggy Bow for another near fall and Coleman is losing it on commentary. Yoh comes back in for some running forearms so Mark chops the heck out of the two of them. That’s fine with Roppongi, who hit double flip dives to take the champs out again. 3K hits Mark with Jay diving in for the save. Jay throws in a chair for a distraction though and Mark gets in the low blow. Sho gets choked out and the Jay Driller to Yoh retains the titles at 13:39.

Rating: B+. I had a heck of a time here with all four working hard and turning it into a really fun match. Roppongi 3K’s growth in just the last year is nothing but amazing as they’ve gone from some worthless jobbers to guys capable of having a really good tag match. Excellent main event here and one of the most exciting things ROH has done in awhile.

Overall Rating: A-. The main event alone carries this one as the first two matches, while fine, didn’t exactly have the most energy in the world. I’ll still take a fun, fast paced main event that caps off a solid hour of wrestling but I could have gone for some build towards Best in the World. At least Lethal vs. Kushida should be a lot of fun as we haven’t seen much from Kushida in recent months.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: May 2, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer

We’re FINALLY at the new stuff after Supercard of Honor, which only took place last month. The big stories coming out of there are the Bullet Club’s continuing issues (expect to hear that for a long time) and Dalton Castle retaining the World Title over Marty Scurll. It’s now time to get ready for War of the Worlds….which starts a week from tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

As expected, we open with a long package on Supercard of Honor. It’s about time.

Opening sequence.

Chuckie T. vs. Josh Woods

Chuckie is getting a lot of time lately. He wastes no time in poking the eye and grabbing a Russian legsweep. Something like an Octopus Hold has Woods in trouble and an enziguri to the ribs (which makes no sense as enziguri means head kick) drops him again. An exploder suplex drops Chuckie and we take a break.

Back with another suplex putting Chuckie down again but he nails a middle rope dropkick for no cover. Chuckie gets two off a Falcon Arrow and Soul Food (Eat Defeat)….doesn’t have much effect (as it shouldn’t), with Woods hitting a fireman’s carry into a knee to the jaw. Rolling Chaos Theory gets two on Chuckie but he reverses a cross armbreaker into a rollup for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: C-. What happened to Woods? He was a solid midcard act for a few months there and this is the first time I’ve seen him do anything of note in a long time. Now he’s mostly getting squashed in an opening TV match. They don’t have the room for the roster they have and Woods seems to be one of those victims. I’m sure we’ll get a Cheeseburger match in the near future though right?

Brandi Rhodes says Cody is her favorite wrestler but he goes with Dalton Castle. Dalton is NOT like 1978 Bob Backlund because he’s just that good. Cody beat Jay Lethal so he should get something. Brandi makes the motion of a title around her waist. Cody: “YOU’RE PREGNANT???” Not quite, with Brandi’s reaction being worth a chuckle.

The Kingdom brags about stealing the Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Sumie Sakai vs. Stella Grey

Non-title and Jenny Rose is on commentary. Sakai dropkicks her down and does it again from the top rope for good measure. A spear cuts Sakai in half for two but she easily breaks up a powerbomb out of the corner. Some stomps to the face have Stella in more trouble but she’s right back with a tornado DDT. Sakai gets two off a belly to back suplex and Stella gets the same off a small package. Smashmouse finishes Stella at 3:25.

Rating: C. It’s an entertaining match but 100% the wrong match to have. Sakai isn’t just the new champion but she’s the FIRST champion. Her first match shouldn’t be going back and forth with someone with no resume. This should have been a quick squash but instead, Sakai looks weak right out of the gate. Completely wrong booking here and that’s not a good thing.

Post match Jenny gets in the ring and shows a clip of some miscommunication between the two of them in a tag match earlier this year. Jenny wants a title shot and Sakai reluctantly agrees to fight her friend. Sakai extends her hand but Jenny leaves without shaking it.

So Cal Uncensored is very mad at the Kingdom, who they refer to as children.

We look at Marty Scurll pinning Dalton Castle at the recent Masters of the Craft event.

Scurll wants a title shot at Best in the World. Logical progression and you can pretty much guarantee a multiman title match.

We look at Bully Ray helping Cheeseburger at Supercard of Honor and then turning on him because that’s EXACTLY what Bully’s role was calling for. How long was he even retired for?

Here’s Bully Ray to ask why Cheeseburger can put a legend like him on the spot (by asking Bully to do What’s Up). Cheeseburger is everything that Bully hates about the wrestling business, just like all of these fans. People like Cheeseburger and Flip Gordon are spoiled and entitled, must like people here tonight. A fans throws something and Ray threatens to come over the barricade and hit them in the face. Here come the streamers, with one of them hitting Ray in the head.

Ray calls out company boss Joe Koff, who provides these young guys a platform. They lack respect but Koff signs them to be the nice guy. Ray is still the enforcer around here and holds up the WWE Hall of Fame ring, which makes him better than everyone around here. Again: I wouldn’t go out of my way to bring up other promotions.

So….why am I supposed to disagree with Bully here? Cheeseburger looks like he’s about fifteen years old and is little more than this company’s less talented Spike Dudley. Yeah he sells merchandise, but he can do that without getting as much TV time as he gets. I’ve never been a fan and I’m not going to boo one of the most decorated wrestlers ever for saying something I agree with him on.

Castle talks about looking at his munchkin cat calendar and realized he’s been champion for over 100 days. Still though, people are asking if he’s championship material. Castle lists off some names he’s defeated and absolutely he is championship material.

TV Title: Silas Young vs. Flip Gordon

Gordon is challenging and Shane Taylor is on commentary. They fight over a wristlock to start and Flip nips up off a shoulder block. Young gets sent outside for a big flip dive (Oh….I get it.) but takes Gordon’s head off with a clothesline as we take a break. Back with Silas hitting a spinebuster and backdropping Flip to the apron.

That means an enziguri (to the head this time, as it should be) and a springboard missile dropkick for no cover. A springboard spinning spear drops Young for two more but he’s up to block the 450. Instead Gordon sends him outside for a suicide dive and we take a break….or at least we’re supposed to but Ian says we’re sticking with it. The 450 is downgraded to a 360 as Young rolls away. The standing shooting star gets two and now we take that break.

Back with Flip missing a charge into the corner and no selling a snap German suplex. Young’s backbreaker into the kneeling clothesline rocks Gordon and a hanging swinging neckbreaker gets two. The Star Spangled Stunner is countered but Gordon rolls him up for two more. A superkick into a Falcon Arrow gets a close two on Young and he rolls outside. Back in and the kick the rope low blow gets another near fall on Gordon (they got me on that one). Not that it matters as Misery retains the title at 13:45.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what it is about Young’s matches but something always feels just a bit off with them. There’s not much structure or flow to them and that creates a little bit of an odd feeling. At the same time though, they have good near falls and they’re certainly not boring. I like them more than I don’t like them so well done again.

Overall Rating: C. This was all about throwing everything after Supercard of Honor into one show, which unfortunately came so far after the show that I wasn’t sure what happened on the thing. There’s no reason to wait that long outside of the weird syndication schedule and it’s making it harder and harder to care about the big shows. The show wasn’t bad but it’s like we’re starting all over again with no momentum. Why cut yourselves off when you don’t have to?

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 28, 2018
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

As usual, Ring of Honor is in a weird place as they have to build to a pay per view with two episodes of TV and then a few episodes of unrelated TV after the show. At least we’re getting something and it’s not like the pay per view needs a lot of build up in the first place. Things should be fun though and that’s what matters, as Ring of Honor has been good as of late. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s the Kingdom with Matt Taven reiterating the conspiracy theory. They can get the Six Man Tag Team Titles back at Supercard of Honor but here’s Bully Ray to interrupt. He’s sick of hearing about the conspiracy and thinks maybe the Kingdom just sucks. The trio doesn’t have a match at Supercard of Honor but Taven protests. That earns him a no, with Taven asking why they won’t just show up anyway. Bully says go ahead, because he’d fire them right now if he could. That’s it, leaving the segment feeling like part of it was missing.

Quick video on the Women of Honor Tournament.

Women of Honor Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Kelly Klein vs. Mandy Leon

They slap it out to start until Klein easily takes over with a backbreaker. A hard knee to the back gives Klein two and Mandy is already fighting from underneath. Mandy’s first comeback bid is cut off with a kick to the chest and it’s off to a chinlock. Kelly heads outside but gets shoved to the floor for a cannonball off the apron.

Back from a break with Mandy pounding away in the corner and hitting an over the shoulder backbreaker onto the knee for two. Kelly is done with this getting beaten up thing though and grabs a super fall away slam for a double knockdown. It’s off to a dragon sleeper with a bodyscissors but Mandy rolls out in a bit of a surprising counter. Astral Projection gives Mandy two and she grabs a neckbreaker choke. Kelly taps so Mandy lets go but the referee didn’t see it. With Mandy yelling, Kelly grabs the End of the Match and Mandy passes out at 11:55.

Rating: D+. Mandy is getting better but it’s clear that most of the people she’s been facing are just that much better than she is. That becomes a problem when it’s pretty clear Ring of Honor wants her to be their Trish Stratus. Kelly may not be great but she’s more than capable of having a passable match. Mandy isn’t quite there yet (or at least not every time) and it’s showing against the more experienced opponents.

Jay Lethal is ready to team with Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the Tag Team Titles. There’s a story to be told with Lethal chasing one of the few things he hasn’t done around here.

So Cal Uncensored will do whatever it takes to retain the Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Hangman Page/Marty Scurll vs. The Boys

Rating: D-. Well that happened. This was just a quick match with nothing going on other than a way to have Castle and Scurll in the same arena. The match should be a good one when it happens but this didn’t do anything for Marty and Page doesn’t have anything going for him at the moment. Waste of time here for the most part.

Silas Young and Kenny King are brawling in the back.

The Briscoes are ready to beat the best because no one can touch them.

Young and King come into the arena with referees breaking up the match. Bully comes out and tells King to do something. Kenny throws out a challenge for a Last Man Standing match at Supercard of Honor. Things seem to be ready.

Scorpio Sky vs. Flip Gordon

Gordon misses an early superkick attempt and it’s already time for a nip up. A handstand (with one hand at times) has Sky in trouble and Flip takes him outside as we go to another early break. Back with Sky driving him into the corner and hammering away but stopping to pose as a heel is known to do. A running shoulder to the ribs gets two on Flip but he’s right back with a 619 to the gut. Gordon is fine enough for a springboard Sling Blade but here are Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian. Not that it matters as Gordon rolls Sky up for the pin at 5:25.

Rating: C-. Gordon is fun for what he is and yet somehow they’re making him grow further than I would have bet on him being able to do. I’m not sure how far he’s going to be able to go as he’s really just a flippy guy, but at having them embrace that is a very different way to go. The match was mainly there for the post match angle advancement and that’s fine enough.

Post match the beatdown is on but here are the Young Bucks for the save. The fans chant for ALL IN but Gordon shakes the Bucks’ hand. Bully comes back down and says it’s about time. This is interesting, but let’s make it more interesting: how about the Bucks and Gordon challenge So Cal Uncensored for the Six Man Tag Team Titles at Supercard of Honor? And let’s make it a ladder match.

Overall Rating: D. They advanced a few things but for a show based around wrestling, I don’t think this was clicking at all. The schedule continues to hurt them as it’s time to burn through the Supercard of Honor build and it’s even harder when a lot of the talent is from New Japan and therefore not here. This was a major misfire after what they’ve been doing of late and that’s very disappointing.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 14, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

This is one of those weird weeks where a pay per view has come and gone but we’re not to the next taping cycle yet. Therefore, tonight is probably going to be a standalone show, which have very mixed results around here. There aren’t likely to be any results from the Anniversary Show, which works well as I haven’t seen it yet. Let’s get to it.

Here’s last week’s show if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Battle Royal

Chuckie T., Barretta, Shane Taylor, Josh Woods, Will Ferrara, Leo St. Giovanni, Flip Gordon, QT Marshall, Caprice Coleman, Shaheem Ali, Kid USA, F.R. Josie

I think I got everyone in there. They waste no time with this as the sequence ends and the bell rings with everyone sliding into the ring. The final two in the ring will face off in a regular match for a shot at the TV Title at a date to be announced. Chuckie and Barretta are thrown out by Shane at the bell, followed by Josie and Ferrara being tossed out soon thereafter.

Kid USA gets knocked off the top and Coast to Coast can’t get rid of Taylor. Coleman shoves St. Giovanni out by breaking up a springboard with Ali and Woods being thrown out a few seconds later. We’re down to Marshall, Taylor, Coleman and Gordon with QT offering to pay the others off.

We take a break less than five minutes into the show and come back with all four still going. Coleman kicks Gordon in the face but gets cut off with a springboard spinning spear. Marshall hits Taylor by mistake and that’s it for QT. Gordon has to springboard back in from the apron and takes Coleman down with a clothesline. Taylor throws Coleman out and it’s Gordon and Taylor moving on at 8:55.

Rating: D. Well, it was certainly short. The problem here was they didn’t have the time or the star power to really make things work. They made it clear that these are people who have never held the title, which doesn’t exactly give you a lot of star power. Taylor and Gordon could make for a good singles match, but the battle royal wasn’t the best way to get there.

The Kingdom is sick of hearing about the Bullet Club when the Kingdom is on fire. So Cal Uncensored comes in to say they’ve been conspired against for years. An alliance is suggested and the Kingdom seems intrigued. Post break, TK O’Ryan doesn’t like the idea but Matt Taven says it’s worth it. Vinny Marseglia just wants violence against the Bullet Club.

Stacy Shadows is a good sized woman who wants to go through everyone to make history.

Tenille Dashwood is tired of being overlooked. She’s beaten Shadows before in a non-televised ROH match so this might not be the biggest surprise. I mean, the winner gets Brandi Rhodes in a match that already aired on the PPV pre-show so it’s kind of spoiled in advance.

Women of Honor Title Tournament First Round: Stacy Shadows vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood is better known as Emma and Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary. The much bigger Shadows blocks an armdrag attempt and drives Dashwood into the corner. Some kicks to Stacy’s legs set up a hurricanrana into a Russian legsweep for one. The running corner crossbody is shrugged off and Shadows scores with a spinebuster as we take a break.

Back with Stacy still in control and the announcers taking about the dangers of Dashwood’s Spotlight kick. A Vader Bomb misses though and Tenille grabs the Tarantula. Dashwood gets two off a high crossbody and the Spotlight Kick (a running kick to the side of the head) is good for the pin on Shadows at 8:41.

Rating: D+. Shadows was every bigger woman you’ll see and there was no reason to believe that Dashwood was losing here. This is a good example of a match that would have been better suited in a shorter form as it came off like they were stretching things out for the sake of stretching things out.

The Bullet Club is in the back and Cody seems worried about the Kingdom and So Cal Uncensored teaming up. Cody is tired of being told that he’s the bad guy and the team isn’t going anywhere. Can we just name this the Bullet Club Hour already?

Beer City Bruiser/Brian Milonas vs. Ryan Nova/Eli Isom

I think you get the idea here. Bruiser forearms Nova down to start and Nova’s kick to the ribs has as much effect as you would expect. A crossbody crushes Nova (Colt: “IS HE STILL ALIVE???”) and Milonas does his reverse splash. Nova gets crushed between the two big guys and it’s actually off to Isom to keep things going. That means a hard right hand to knock him silly, followed by a superplex into a frog splash to give Bruiser the pin at 3:48.

Rating: D. They’re certainly hammering you over the head with the idea behind Milonas and Bruiser, but that makes sense in this case as it’s not like they have anything else to do. Bruiser is at least decent but Milonas….my goodness no. This was a long squash but at least they got the idea down.

Shane Taylor vs. Flip Gordon

Bully Ray is on commentary and the winner gets a future TV Title shot. Gordon strikes away at the monster and the chops actually have an effect. A superkick does a bit more damage but Taylor pulls Gordon HARD out of the air with a spinebuster for two. Taylor goes with the heavy forearms to rock Gordon even more as the pace slows quite a bit. One heck of a legdrop gets two and we take a break.

Back with Taylor blasting him in the face for two more with Bully being stunned on the kickout. He’s so stunned that we cut to the announcers for a chat about Supercard of Honor. Taylor even hits a Bubba Bomb and Bully is now full on behind Flip. An enziguri rocks Taylor and there’s a second to stagger him…..until a hard clothesline takes Flip’s head off for two. The middle rope splash misses though and the Star Spangled Stunner into the 450 gives Flip the pin at 9:31.

Rating: C+. This was another story that didn’t need much laying out, though I’m not sure how smart it is to do very similar matches three times in a row. Gordon has some good charisma and all of the flipping does him some serious favors. If that’s how he keeps going, he’s going to be fine for a long time to come.

Post match Scorpio Sky runs in for the beatdown on Gordon but the Young Bucks make the save. They seem to be interested in Gordon but he doesn’t quite know what to do.

Cody wants to know where the rest of the Club is but he can do this himself because he knows all of their parts. Bullet Club is fine as they head into a ten man tag, presumably next week.

Overall Rating: C-. For a standalone episode, I’m not sure how well this one worked. Setting up a future TV Title shot is a good idea but having a first round match after the winner already had her quarterfinal match? Really? Other than that, having three big vs. little matches in a row felt like a really weak presentation, but maybe it was all they could put together. Not a bad show, but the Bullet Club stuff is getting old.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: February 21, 2018
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re coming up on the 16^th Anniversary Show and the card is starting to come together. If nothing else there’s a good reason to believe that Dalton Castle will be defending the World Title against Jay Lethal, but there’s also the possibility of Matt Taven, as the Kingdom continues its rise. Let’s get to it.

Here’s last week’s show in case you need a recap.

So Cal Uncensored is ready to make their mark by taking the Six Man tag Team Titles from the Bullet Club.

The Bullet Club says they’ll defend the titles and get some revenge. Adam Page promises six broken legs and they sing a song about being drug free.

Opening sequence.

Jay Lethal vs. Flip Gordon

This could be interesting. Gordon flips out of a headlock but his Oklahoma roll is countered into a rollup as well. Jay tries a cutter but Gordon gets his hands up and keeps his head off the mat in a nice counter. Back from an early break with Gordon knocking him into the corner as the announcers compare Flip to a franchise quarterback. Some running corner dropkicks rock Jay again but the third one misses, allowing Jay to hit one of his own.

Lethal starts in on the back with some knee drops and a backbreaker for two each. The reverse chinlock with a knee to the back is broken up and Gordon throws him outside for a suicide dive. Jay isn’t going to stand for this gimmick infringement and runs back in for a boot to the face. That sequence works so well that Gordon does the same thing to Jay, followed by a superkick from the apron. A middle rope corkscrew dive to the floor drops Jay again and we take another break.

Back again with the exchange of forearms and chops until Jay tries the Figure Four. That’s not working just yet so Gordon has to block the Lethal Injection. Instead it’s a springboard spinning Sling Blade to take Lethal down, followed by an enziguri for two. Lethal is sat on top but slips down for a powerbomb. That’s blocked as well and now the Figure Four goes on, sending Gordon bailing to the ropes. Lethal is done with this though and hits a dragon suplex into the Lethal Injection for the pin at 15:13.

Rating: B-. Lethal is the kind of guy that every promotion needs: someone who can have a good match with anyone and make them look better than they are otherwise. Gordon is a little more than a one trick pony but he needs a big win to keep himself from slipping backwards into the midcard pretty soon.

Post match Colt tells Lethal that he’s getting the World Title shot at the 16^th Anniversary Show. Marty Scurll storms out and says it should be his shot. Jay says he’s earned this so Scurll says he should be #1 contender when Lethal wins the title. That’s quite the retreat from a villain but Lethal agrees.

Brandi Rhodes knows she’s the underdog in this tournament but that lets her fly under the radar.

Karen Q says you should be focusing on her and no one else.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Karen Q vs. Brandi Rhodes

Karen jumps Brandi during her posing but Rhodes is up with some knees to the face and a dropkick. Some choking in the corner cuts Brandi off and there’s a running shot to the face as we take a break. Back with Karen scoring with a standing moonsault for two but missing something like a frog splash. Brandi chops away and even hits a Sling Blade (not the worst) for two. A middle rope dropkick misses though and Karen grabs a Boston crab. Back up and Brandi jumps over her in the corner but hurts her ankle. Now if you don’t know what’s coming, I don’t know what to tell you. The small package sends Brandi on at 7:24.

Rating: D+. Brandi was passable here and that’s all she needed to be. There’s no secret to the fact that she’s still very green but it’s easy to see why Ring of Honor wants to push her. With the family collections and a million dollar smile, she’s worth the effort to put some time in. That being said, this is as far as she should go in the tournament as you’re only going to get so far with an offense mainly comprised of chops.

Dalton Castle wants to talk about beanbag chairs and baby bunnies but Scurll interrupts. Marty wants to be Dalton’s next challenger if Castle retains against Cody. It’s a deal.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: So Cal Uncensored vs. Young Bucks/Adam Page

The Bucks and Page are defending. Kazarian and Page slug it out to start but So Cal runs in, drops the Bucks, and stomps on Page in the corner. Of course the Bucks are right back in and hitting flashy double team offense, including a wheelbarrow facebuster into a cutter on Scorpio. Page hits a dropsault on Daniels and Kazarian so let’s hit that TOO SWEET chant. Nick dives onto everyone and it’s the triple suicide dives as the champs are in full control.

Back in and Page kicks Sky out of the air, followed by Kazarian clotheslining Daniels by mistake. Daniels and Kazarian finally get in a few shots on Page to put him in trouble and take over. Kazarian chokes on the ropes and we take a break. Back with Page and Kazarian hitting a double clothesline for a double knockdown. Matt gets the hot tag but both Bucks come in because this might as well be their promotion.

A variety of kicks to the challengers’ heads have the Bucks in control and a standing moonsault/top rope splash combination gets two on Daniels. Sky knocks them outside though and it’s a dive to both Bucks. Page is right behind them though with a moonsault off the top onto the pile. Back in and Matt hurricanranas his way out of the Angel’s Wings and we hit the Sharpshooter. Daniels taps but Kazarian has the referee. It’s Sky coming in with a belt shot and Daniels gets the pin….but here’s Bully Ray to interrupt the celebration.

Bully has been watching every show since Final Battle and there’s a lack of honor around here as of late. COO Joe Koff has given him the authority (erg) to enforce the Code of Honor around here so let’s restart this match. Triple superkicks and a Meltzer Driver retain the titles at 11:21 (not counting the break for Bully).

Rating: C+. The Bucks still aren’t my cup of Yoo-Hoo and their near non-existent selling is beyond old. Still though, you can’t deny their level of overness and staying power so this is about as much as you can ask for. Bully coming out for the restart feels like any given wrestling company and that’s not what I want to see in Ring of Honor. Still though, you know what’s what you’re getting in wrestling so just live with it.

Overall Rating: C+. Totally watchable show here with Scurll looking like the smartest man in the room all night. Him getting the World Title shot at Supercard of Honor is pretty much the only way to go and that should be quite the entertaining night. Other than that the show was standard Ring of Honor, albeit with a good opening match.

Remember to check out my new forum at steelcageforums.com and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

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

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 10, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

We’re FINALLY at the post Final Battle tapings and that means it’s time to get on with the stories. There are some big issues coming out of the pay per view with Dalton Castle winning the World Title at the top of the list. It should be interesting to see where the fallout goes, including perhaps a new challenger for Castle. Let’s get to it.

We look at some clips from Final Battle, naturally focusing on the title change more than anything else.

Opening sequence with Castle more prominently featured.

Here are Castle and the Boys to get things open, as is tradition around here. The fans chant for the Boys until Castle, now with a rather white microphone cube, talks about making mistakes in the past. Like investing money in the sparkling water business. People kept telling him he would never be World Champion but it turns out that there’s a long time between now and ever.

Now he’s the World Champion and as long as he holds the title, the world is going to know that he’s not just a big fish in a little pond. This brings out Jay Lethal, who would be a logical first challenger (though I would have bet on Punishment Martinez). Castle: “THIS IS SHOCKING!”. In the years that Castle has been here, Lethal has never even given him the time of day. Lethal hasn’t even sent him a friend request on Facebook! Dalton isn’t sure what Jay could possible want from him now Castle: “I’m puzzled. It seems there could be so many things you could want.”.

Jay does want to congratulate him on his accomplishments and that title makes him the best in the world right now. To get to the point though, Jay wants his shot. That’s not what Castle was expecting and sits down on one of the Boys to think it over. The other Boy offers Jay a seat which he accepts, after wiping the Boy’s back down first. Jay can’t do it so the fans tell Jay to try it again. Castle: “It’s a shame to waste a perfectly good Boy.”

Dalton throws his feet on the other Boy’s back but Jay gets to the point, saying he wants to be at the top of Castle’s list. The champ agrees and Jay bails in a hurry. With the ring to himself, Dalton says this title is for the Boys. With Castle ready to leave, Punishment Martinez, who is owed a title shot due to winning the Survival of the Fittest, comes in for a chokeslam to lay Dalton out.

More often than not, a new champion will start their reign off by saying it’s a new era or something like that. For once, Castle’s actually does feel different. The stuff with the Boys is something we’ve seen before, but Castle was in regular street clothes here and having the Boys being used as chairs by a guy you might see anywhere was quite the odd visual. I buy him as champion and it feels different enough that I care, which is a great sign for him going forward.

The Kingdom says they’re coming for all the titles. My goodness shut up with this same stuff already. It’s been the same promo for WAY too long now and Taven not being a great talker doesn’t help either.

TV Title: Silas Young vs. Simon Grimm

Young is defending after winning the title at Final Battle. Grimm comes out in a mask for a rather different look, which might actually work. They hit the mat to start with Grimm getting the better of a wristlock. Young flips out of a snapmare as they seem to be trying to do a fast paced cruiserweight sequence but are a bit too big. It doesn’t look bad and it’s a well done change of pace, but it does look a bit awkward.

They fight over a pinfall reversal sequence until Grimm powers him up, only to get hurricanranaed right back down. A clothesline puts Grimm on the floor and we take a break. Back with Young still in control as the camera makes sure to look at Beer City Bruiser. Grimm gets in some uppercuts (because that’s what so many wrestlers use these days) and a bridging suplex gets two. Not that it matters as Misery retains the title at 7:31.

Rating: C-. Simple title defense for Young here to get him off on the right foot while we wait on the real challenger. They took their sweet time on giving Young a run with anything so it’s nice to finally see this pay off in any way. Young could make for a good TV Champion, even if he doesn’t hold the title all that long. Grimm is better than he was given credit for in WWE but I’m not seeing any great potential that the company missed.

Post match Kenny King with a beer bottle, just like the one that Silas had to use to take the title from him. Sure Silas beat Martinez on his own but it took a beer bottle to beat King. He’s already signed up for his rematch but thanks to the eight beers he’s had tonight, he’s ready to fight Young right now. Referees are right there but this was fine to set up the obvious rematch.

Stills package of Bully Ray/Tommy Dreamer vs. the Briscoe Brothers. Bully left his boots in the ring after the loss.

Clip of the Women of Honor Title tournament being announced.

Briscoes vs. Ryan Nova/Eli Isom

New music for Mark and Jay. The Briscoes jump the jobbers during the video package and Jay takes Isom’s head off with a clothesline. Mark does the same and the Froggy Bow ends Isom at 1:34. These guys are awesome heels, partially because they look like they could snap your neck at a moment’s notice.

Post match the Briscoes brag about ending Bully’s career. They want the Tag Team Titles back because no one is on their level right now. The Briscoes destroying the Guns would be as appropriate as anything else at the moment.

Silas, with his hair looking cleaner than it has in years, isn’t happy with what King did. The Beer City Bruiser wants to win the Tag Team Titles and even has a partner in mind. Silas gives him his blessing. This would have been more effective if the Briscoes hadn’t just squashed a team and challenged for the titles as well.

The Young Bucks and Adam Page aren’t happy with the Addiction and Scorpio Sky (now known as SoCal Uncensored). They can have a shot at the titles if that’s what they really want. Another year, another team crammed together for the sake of creating challengers for the titles.

Flip Gordon vs. Marty Scurll

Scurll’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title isn’t on the line. During the entrances, Scurll says he wants a shot at Castle too because he helped Lethal reach his inner villain. I completely support this. The fans are almost entirely behind Scurll as they fight over a wristlock to start. Gordon flips him down to start and Marty isn’t sure what to make of it. The handstand walk turns into Flip’s dance, followed by the multiple nip ups to avoid a clothesline.

It’s Flip getting in the first hard shot to send Marty outside, allowing Flip to stand on the top on one foot just because he can. Back from a break with Flip keeping the pace fast (Colt: “Fast and furious. Too fast and too furious!” Get your movies straight dude. It was Fast and THE Furious first. Fast and Furious was the fourth.) until Marty gets in a dropkick to take over. It’s already off to the cross arm choke and a Backstabber gives Marty two.

The near fall leads to a shoving match with the referee where the ref shoves him down (it worked for HHH back in the 90s and it would work here too). The referee gets BOOED for defending himself but the fans are distracted by a superkick to Gordon, despite him doing a handstand at the time. They rock each other with forearms until an enziguri gives Gordon his first offense in a good while.

A 619 around the corner has Scurll in trouble and a springboard Sling Blade is good for two. The standing shooting star gets the same and we take an abrupt break. Back again with Marty hitting the apron superkick and giving a rather evil sneer. Some spinning kicks are countered into a rollup, followed by some exchanged superkicks. Scurll’s Ghostbuster (Adam Cole’s Last Shot) gets two but Gordon sends him outside for a very big flip dive. A 450 gives Gordon two more and a Falcon Arrow gets the same. Scurll is done with this though and hits a second Ghostbuster for the pin at 13:40.

Rating: C+. Gordon is someone who interests and frustrates me at the same time. The athleticism is great but there comes a point where there’s just too much of it. Unfortunately Gordon hits that point about five minutes into his matches and it gets silly in a hurry. The last few minutes of this one showed that he can do more things than just flips and that would make the athletics look that much better. Mix is up a bit and learn to make those spots mean more and he could get a lot further.

Overall Rating: B. Now that’s how you do a first shot back. Three titles get challengers set up and there’s a good opening sequence plus a strong squash. The wrestling wasn’t bad either and there’s a lot of stuff to pick from around here. This is a lot better than the normal stuff you get around here and Marty going towards the World Title makes me rather smiley indeed.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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