Collision
Date: September 16, 2023
Location: Bryce Jordan Center, State College, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

The new era of Collision continues and we have some big matches this time around. First up we have FTR facing the Iron Savages, but the main event will see Kris Statlander defending the TBS Title against Britt Baker. The latter has the potential for quite the upset so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, Big Cass, Ricky Starks, Kris Statlander, Britt Baker, Dark Order, Acclaimed and Billy Gunn are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Ricky Starks/Big Bill vs. Bryan Danielson/Claudio Castagnoli

Danielson and Starks start things off but it’s off to Bill before anything happens. Bill chops away in the corner but Danielson comes right back with the kicks to the leg. Castagnoli comes in for the test of strength before slugging it out with Bill instead. With Danielson coming in for the double team, Bill clotheslines both of them down and hands it back to Starks to forearm away in the corner. Danielson strikes away in the corner and hits a middle rope hurricanrana for two. Bill comes back in for the splash in the corner and Danielson is sent outside, where Starks unloads again.

We take a break and come back with Danielson still in trouble in the corner. That’s broken up and Danielson hits a clothesline to leave them both down. The double tag brings in Castagnoli and Bill with the former firing off the uppercuts and clotheslines in the corner. A TKO gets two on Bill but he’s right back with a chokeslam for the same. It’s back to Starks, who is quickly caught in the Swing for two.

Everything breaks down and Danielson dropkicks Bill to the floor, setting up the suicide dive. Another uppercut gets two on Starks and Danielson kicks away at this chest. The LeBell Lock is blocked though and Bill gets in a cheap shot from the floor. The spear gets two with Castagnoli making a save this time. Bill and Castagnoli fight on the floor, leaving Danielson to load up hit belly to back superplex. Starks turns that over and lands on Danielson for two, leaving Bill to distract the referee. That’s enough for a low blow into a Roshambo to finish Danielson at 16:36.

Rating: B. There is a simple formula for success in AEW: let Bryan Danielson have a match. It is more or less impossible to screw that up and it worked again here, with everyone else doing very well at the same time. Everyone was working hard here and it was a good, long match as Danielson vs. Starks gets to continue going forward.

The Young Bucks and Hangman Page are ready to face the Mogul Embassy, but let’s make it a Trios Titles match. They’re on for Rampage.

Powerhouse Hobbs promises destruction.

Miro says Powerhouse Hobbs should be thanking him for not making Hobbs humble. They’ll have to meet up again, but now he needs to talk about his wife. Miro is ready to hurt anyone who won’t be redeemed.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Iron Savages

The Savages, with Jacked Jameson, are challenging. Jameson talks trash before the match and gets Shatter Machined for his efforts. That leaves Wheeler to get planted so a top rope splash can get two. Harwood is sent outside and it’s a sitout chokebomb for two more as the champs are in trouble early. A missed charge sends Bronson into the corner and it’s off to Harwood, who dropkicks Boulder. That doesn’t last long either as it’s Bronson going up, only to miss a moonsault. The Shatter Machine hits him and it’s a PowerPlex to Boulder for the pin at 3:16.

Rating: C+. Well they made good time. I can go with the idea of flying through a match like this, as the Savages don’t seem like a team that have the longest shelf during a match. Let FTR get in there, do their stuff and get out with what felt like an impactful win. It was quick and got the job done, which is about as good as anything else they were going to do here.

Post match the Workhorsemen come out and want a title shot, as Aussie Open watches in the back.

Keith Lee is in the back (after a director claps his hand and says Collision Take 22) but Shane Taylor interrupts. Taylor (Keith’s former tag team partner) introduces Lee to Lee Moriarty, the newest member of Shane Taylor Promotions. Keith doesn’t seem impressed and looks ready for Shane.

John Silver vs. Anthony Bowens

Hold on though as Silver has a microphone and a piece of paper. First of all though, he Googled scissoring and they’re doing it wrong. The paper is a contract, banning Billy Gunn and Max Caster from ringside. Silver jumps him from behind but Bowens fights back in the corner to take over. Bowens snapmares him over and we get a scissoring, which has Silver so annoyed that…he gets sent outside. Back in and Bowens gets knocked off the top and we take a break.

We come back with Bowens kicking him in the face a few times, setting up the running Fameasser for two. Silver strikes away to cut him off and hits a fisherman’s buster for two of his own. Bowens is fine enough to knock him outside for the discus forearm but cue Evil Uno from under the ring. A posting is enough to set up Silver’s running kick to the head for the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C+. Bowens is someone who has all kinds o charisma and that should be enough to carry him somewhere. He and Caster are great together and that might be the way to go for him, but there might be something else there if the team stops working. Acclaimed/Gunn vs. Dark Order should work for a title feud, at least until someone better comes along to go after the belts.

Eddie Kingston talks about his history with Claudio Castagnoli. They were friends in 2006 or 2007 but then Castagnoli started judging and disrespecting him. Castagnoli left potholes in the road that they had to follow and now he’s supposed to fix it. At Grans Slam it’s title for title and no matter what, that’s it between them. Everywhere he goes in New York is his and no one is beating him in New York. Try to beat him there. This was Kingston at his best: thundering away and saying whatever came to his mind about what he was doing.

Hook and Orange Cassidy share Doritos and agree to team together at Grand Slam. Renee: “….cool.”

Aussie Open vs. ???/???

The Aussies jump them and it’s an Alabama Slam into a sitout powerbomb for the pin on one of the unnamed at 43 seconds.

Post match the Aussies call out FTR for WrestleDream, titles on the line or not.

We get a sitdown interview with Toni Storm (called Portrait Of A Star). She insists that she has NOT changed and this company wouldn’t know talent if it slapped them. Oh and she does NOT like this lamp. More on this later. I’m not sure how to define what Storm is doing but it’s good.

Scorpio Sky is ready for Andrade El Idolo.

Scorpio Sky vs. Andrade El Idolo

Feeling out process to start until Sky snaps off an anklescissors. Andrade runs him over and goes up but gets knocked down hard as we take a break. Back with Andrade shrugging off a kick to the face and dragon screwing Sky’s leg. Andrade sends him into the corner but the running knees are cut off. The middle rope sunset flip gives Sky two so Andrade bails to the floor. There’s the big running flip dive but Andrade kicks out the leg back inside. The Figure Four goes on and Andrade bridges up into the Figure Eight for the tap at 9:10.

Rating: C+. I still like Sky quite a bit, but he might not be the most interesting star outside of having a string of good matches. The positive thing about that: it more or less guarantees him a job for as long as he wants one, as there is always going to be a spot for someone like that on a roster. Andrade is still very talented and gets to show that occasionally, but he needs something new to do.

Post match Andrade shows respect but Billet Club gold interrupts. Jay White introduces all of them and challenges Andrade for next week.

Video on Kenny Omega’s history with Kota Ibushi as Don Callis and company are coming for Ibushi.

Katsuyori Shibata will be at WrestleDream.

Hardys vs. Righteous

Matt sends Vincent into the three buckles over and over before Dutch is low bridged to the floor. The Hardys hit Poetry In Motion but Dutch plants Matt hard as we take a break. Back with Matt getting over for the tag to Jeff so house can be cleaned. The Twist of Fate looks to set up the Swanton but Dutch makes the save. Autumn Sunshine (assisted Dudley Dog) finishes Jeff at 7:26.

Rating: C. The Hardys losing so often means that the story here, while good for the Righteous, doesn’t have the biggest impact. It’s also still sad to see the Hardys out there looking old and banged up, even if that is exactly what they are these days. More of the Righteous is a good thing though, as they’re a different kind of team.

Post match the Righteous talk about how they’re here to tell you the truth, which will kill your ego, which leads to false love and friendships. Kind of like the fake love and friendship between Adam Cole and MJF.

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows, including the return of Rob Van Dam next week.

Claudio Castagnoli knows Eddie Kingston better than Eddie knows himself. He’s beaten him before and he’ll do it again.

FTR is ready for the Workhorsemen and then Aussie Open.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Britt Baker

Statlander is defending. They take their time to start until Statlander hits a slam, sending Baker bailing to the floor. Back in and they slug it out until Baker hits a running neckbreaker. Statlander grabs a powerslam for two and we take a break. We come back with Statlander missing a moonsault, allowing Baker to wrap the legs around the post. The sling Blade hits Statlander but she is right back with a blue Thunder Bomb for two more.

Baker knocks her down again and loads up the glove but Statlander grabs the hand. They slug it out and a double knockdown leaves them down again. Baker hits a knee but the Panama Sunrise is countered into Saturday Night Fever, which is countered into a rollup for two. Baker hits a Canadian Destroyer into Angel’s Wings into a Stomp for a rather close two. Something like an octopus into Lockjaw goes on but Statlander rolls her up to retain at 11:57.

Rating: B. They had me with the ending, as I would have bet on Statlander losing the title. Baker looked smoother out there this week and it would be nice to see her getting back to how she was before. Statlander piles up another win, and this time it is over another established name. More of those and the TBS Title will be getting closer to the Women’s Title’s level.

Statlander helps her up and respect is shown (with Baker looking at the title) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show managed to get over the hump in the end as it felt like the wrestling show for the week. That’s how Collision was looking before the mess with CM Punk and it’s good that they seem to be getting back on that path. What matters is finding some consistency, and if this is what they’ll be consistently doing, this show has an encouraging future.

Results
Ricky Starks/Big Bill b. Bryan Danielson/Claudio Castagnoli – Roshambo to Danielson
FTR b. Iron Savages – PowerPlex to Boulder
John Silver b. Anthony Bowens – Running kick to the face
Aussie Open b. ???/??? – Assisted sitout powerbomb
Andrade El Idolo b. Scorpio Sky – Figure Eight
Righteous b. Hardys – Autumn Sunshine to Jeff
Kris Statlander b. Britt Baker – Rollup

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 7, 2023
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back to the usual schedule and as expected, the show is the longest it has been in a few weeks. That’s how Ring Of Honor works when things are set up as Tony Khan wants them to be and I’m still not sure why. The big stories continue to be Athena and Maria Kanellis-Bennett’s glacially paced building up of her new army to protect the Kingdom. Let’s get to it.

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

Athena and Billie Starkz aren’t on the same page about Athena losing on the All Out Zero Hour. Allysin Kay comes in and challenges Athena for tonight. Athena yells a lot and a title match is set.

Opening sequence.

Women’s Title: Allysin Kay vs. Athena

Athena, with Billie Starkz is defending and poses/waves to the crowd a lot to start. Kay armdrags her down for one and Athena needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Starkz seems conflicted about whether to cheat, only to have Athena take over in the corner instead. The forearms in the rope and a running knee rock Kay again, followed by a spinebuster for two.

Athena grabs the chinlock but mocks Kay’s pinkies up thing and gets forearmed in the face. The AK-47 into the ankle lock has Athena in trouble but she kicks her way to freedom. One heck of a forearm drops Kay, who is fine enough to break up the O Face. Not that it matters as the O Face finishes Kay at 9:18.

Rating: B-. That’s a Ring Of Honor match and story if I’ve ever seen one. They set this up and paid it off in less than fifteen minutes. For the life of me I do not get why Ring Of Honor insists on going through things this fast but here we are again. Athena gets to vanquish someone else while Starkz isn’t sure what to do and odds are we’ll see it again in the near future.

Post match Athena wants Starkz to take out Kay but Athena has to do it herself.

We look at MJF and Samoa Joe getting in a fight on Dynamite.

Silas Young vs. Tony Nese

Mark Sterling is here with Nese, who does the exact same thing he does before every match he has these days. Nese tries to jump him to start but Young hammers away. Young sends him to the apron for the springboard clothesline and the fight goes out to the floor. A posting cuts Young off and they head back inside so Nese can kick away at the arm. Nese’s middle rope dropkick gets two and we hit the armbar. Nese misses a spinning kick though and gets blasted by a clothesline. Young stomps at the chest but Nese slips out of a fireman’s carry. The running Nese finishes Young at 5:24.

Rating: C. This was a nice way to get Nese a win over someone with some name value and the arm work went well enough. Nese is someone who is going to be around pretty regularly and at some point he needs to have some success. Nice match, though I could go with Young actually doing something other than jobbing for a change.

Post match Nese gives him a sweaty handshake.

Dalton Castle is bamboozled with all of the problems in front of him, including having to take care of his Boys. He needs to eat (yes eat) these problems, and yes he knows his new shirt is awesome.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Adam Priest/Schaff

Luther is here with the Project. Priest and Angelico start things off and the Project seems to have some fans here. They fight over wrist control with Serpentico coming in for some wrist cranking of his own. The much bigger Schaff comes in and stomps Serpentico down in the corner. A toss suplex makes it worse for Serpentico but he avoids a charge in the corner. The tag brings Angelico back in to pick up the pace, including a dancing kick to Schaff. A leglock makes Schaff tap at 3:35.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash for the Project as they are starting to actually do something for a change. I’m not exactly buying them as a serious threat going forward but at least they’re getting a few wins. The tag division can need some fresh blood and the fans like the team so go with it for the time being.

Kiera Hogan is ready for Leila Grey tonight and she’ll fight anyone else too.

Renegades vs. Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue

Blue again has the Chicago flag gear. Charlette’s headlock doesn’t do much to Blue to start as she hits a dropkick for two. A swinging neckbreaker lets Willow come in for a backsplash but Robyn comes in with a kick to Blue’s head. Robyn grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two and stereo kicks to the face put Blue down again. Blue manages to roll away and gets the diving tag to Willow for the house cleaning. The Pounce to Robyn and a spinebuster to Charlette gets two as everything breaks down. A Death Valley Driver into Code Blue finishes Robyn at 5:26.

Rating: C+. Nice fast paced match here, but Blue in the same Chicago style gear winning matches on three shows with the same rollup finisher isn’t having quite the impact. I get the idea but it’s the problem with having AEW run so many shows in a row and presenting the same people so many times. And hey the Renegades lose again because that’s what they do these days.

Mogul Embassy vs. Griff Garrison/Gravity/Metalik

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Garrison and company win or last the ten minute time limit, they get a future title shot. Kaun runs Garrison over to start and it’s already off to Toa, who teams up with Cage for a double faceplant. Garrison slips out of a suplex though and it’s Gravity coming in for a rollup. A superkick staggers Cage and it’s Metalik coming in with a springboard high crossbody. The reverse Sling Blade drops Cage and there’s the rope walk dropkick The rope walk Swanton gets two more and everything breaks down. A powerbomb/middle rope splash combination finishes Metalik at 5:44.

Rating: C. You know, it would be rather interesting if the challengers won, or just survived the time limit, for a Proving Ground match for once. They’ve been doing them for months now and no one has actually survived. The challengers weren’t anything special in this case but the Embassy has been so dominant that someone even making it to ten minutes with them would be a big shakeup. That new finisher was nice too so they are at least doing something new.

Leila Grey vs. Kiera Hogan

It’s the battle of the Baddies. They argue over a pull of the tights to start before missing an elbow each. Hogan knocks her down and hits a springboard legdrop for two. Grey is back up with a knee to the ribs and Baddies themed trash talk. A powerslam gives Grey two more but Hogan is back up with a dropkick into the corner. The running hip attack in the corner gets two but Grey hits a fast spear for the same. Grey loads up her fan, which is quickly taken away. That’s enough for Hogan to hit Face The Music for the pin at 5:35.

Rating: C. I’m not sure how many people were thinking about the Baddies, but other than a few off the cuff mentions, that wasn’t the focus here. Hogan is someone AEW/ROH always seems ready to push but they just won’t go with it. There are worse options though, as Hogan has some tools to become a player in the division. Grey is decent too, but they both need a lot more seasoning.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett thinks Griff Garrison (as brought up by Cole Karter) has potential and tells him to think about it.

Infantry/Willie Mack vs. Davey Bang/August Matthews/Jah-C

Jah and Bravo start things off with the latter taking over on the arm. Dean comes in and stays on said arm before handing it off to Mack to face Matthews. Mack dances a bit and hits a running kick to the chest, meaning Bang gets to come in. The Infantry takes turns beating up Bang and Mack gets two off a Sky High. Everything breaks down and Mack and company hit a triple superkick. Boot Camp finishes Bang at 3:06.

Rating: C. Another squash here but it’s nice to see a team forming in the six man division. That’s more than a lot of teams seem to get and it’s always a good idea to have Mack doing something. The Infantry has gone from nobodies to a team who can do some nice things in the ring, so this is another example of bringing some people up in a good way.

Lee Johnson is ready for Claudio Castagnoli tonight.

Lady Frost vs. Leyla Hirsch

They fight over a lockup to start, even going to the mat a few times. With that not working for either of them, Hirsch kicks Frost’s elbow out during a handspring to take over. Cue Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Cole Karter to watch as Hirsch grabs a Fujiwara armbar. Back up and Frost scores with a kick to the head before a handspring elbow gets two. Hirsch sends her into the corner though and the cross armbreaker makes Frost tap at 4:04.

Rating: C. Hirsch has been the best thing about Maria’s search for an army but even then it’s only so good. Maria has said that these people are there to protect the Kingdom, even though they have yet to actually do anything with the Kingdom. That doesn’t make for the best story, though Hirsch mauling people was fun to see as usual.

Post match Maria comes in for the handshake but Hirsch walks off, saying she’s doing fine on her own.

Eddie Kingston/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Gringo Loco/Blake Christian

Shibata and Christian go with the grappling to start with Shibata getting the better of things (shocking I know). Kingston comes in for the rapid fire chops in the corner and there’s a t-bone suplex for two. It’s off to Loco for the chop off with Kingston before leg lariating Kingston down. Kingston gets taken into the wrong corner but Christian’s frog splash hits raised knees. Shibata comes back in and gets to clean house, including a suplex for two on Christian. There’s the spinning backfist to Loco but Christian sends Kingston outside for a flip dive. Back in and Shibata sleepers Christian into the PK for the pin at 6:12.

Rating: C+. This got a hair more time and it helped a bit, though Shibata still doesn’t exactly feel like the most impressive star at the moment. He had some serious medical issues that slowed him down, but he hasn’t been the most interesting star since his return. I’m sure it was a thrill for Kingston to team with him though and they gave us a good enough match to make it work. Now just get Kingston on to Castagnoli already.

Respect is shown post match.

Mark Sterling and Josh Woods want better competition so the open challenge is on.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Lee Johnson

Non-title Proving Ground match with Wheeler Yuta in Castagnoli’s corner. Castagnoli wastes no time in taking him into the corner (not the one with Yuta) and Johnson is in trouble early. A belly to back suplex gives Castagnoli two but Johnson gets in some kicks to the head. Johnson slips out of a fall away slam and gets two off a DDT. The uppercut gives Castagnoli two and a heck of a lariat gets the same. Castagnoli unloads with the elbows but won’t let the referee stop it. Instead it’s Swiss Death to finish Johnson at 3:35.

Rating: C. Johnson got in some offense here but ultimately there is only so much you can do against a monster like Castagnoli. That being said, Castagnoli could really use some kid of a story. He rarely defends the title and it would be nice to have someone come after it. I’d still assume that’s going to be Eddie Kingston, but there could be something to bridge what has already been a long gap.

Iron Savages vs. Caleb Konley/Ren Jones

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages and handles their introductions. Bronson shoves Konley down to start and grabs a powerslam. Konley has to slip out of Boulder’s slam so Jones comes in and gets slammed. The assisted splash finishes Jones at 1:23. Well that worked.

Athena yells at Billie Starkz for leaving her hanging earlier so Athena says it’s time for minion training.

Best Friends/Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Outrunners/Workhorsemen

The villains jump them from behind to start and it’s a brawl on the floor to get things going. Back in and Henry DDT’s Beretta for two, followed by a powerslam/DDT combination to give Floyd two. A top rope double stomp gets two on Beretta but Floyd steals the tag from Drake. Beretta sends the Outrunners into each other and it’s Martin coming in to pick up the pace. A double DDT drops the Outrunners as everything breaks down. Taylor saves Martin from a double suplex and it’s Soul Food into a half dragon suplex to drop Magnum. Strong Zero finishes Magnum at 4:48.

Rating: C+. At least they finished with a fast paced match that didn’t bother with much in the way of tagging. This was about getting a bunch of people in there for a hot match and that’s what they did well enough. It was all about energy rather than the quality of the match and in some situations, like this one, that is absolutely the best move.

Overall Rating: C. On one hand, I liked that it came off as if some people are getting some new pushes. That has been lacking in ROH for a long time now and it felt a bit different here. At the same time though, my goodness did this show feel long. It was right back to the same problems for ROH, of what felt like a month of shows crammed into one episode. I have no idea why they insist on setting something up and blowing it off literally in the same show, but that has been the case since ROH returned. This show can be good, but the way it is presented gets in its own way far too often, with the problems on full display here.

Results
Athena b. Allysin Kay – O Face
Tony Nese b. Silas Young – Running Nese
Spanish Announce Project b. Adam Priest/Schaff – Leglock to Schaff
Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue b. Renegades – Code Blue to Robyn
Mogul Embassy b. Griff Garrison/Gravity/Metalik – Powerbomb/middle rope splash combination to Metalik
Kiera Hogan b. Leila Grey – Face The Music
The Infantry/Willie Mack b. Jah-C/August Matthews/Davey Bang – Boot Camp to bang
Leyla Hirsch b. Lady Frost – Cross armbreaker
Eddie Kingston/Katsuyori Shibata b. Blake Christian/Gringo Loco – PK to Christian
Claudio Castagnoli b. Lee Johnson – Swiss Death
Iron Savages b. Caleb Konley/Ren Jones – Electric chair splash to Jones
Best Friends/Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Outrunners/Workhorsemen – Strong Zero to Magnum

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

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AND

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Collision
Date: August 19, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

We have less than two weeks to go before All In and that means it is time to boost up what we already have set for the show. That could make for some good television here as what has been (or practically has been) announced is looking rather good. Now just get it home before heading off to London. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting with the big screen on my right about ten rows back in the first section off the floor.

Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, Darby Allin, Bullet Club Gold, Dalton Castle and the Boys and Samoa Joe are ready to go.

Opening sequence.

Samoa Joe vs. Golden Vampire

Non-title and the Vampire jumps him before the bell. Joe gets posted and hit with the running knee in the corner as fans seem to think something is up. The Vampire hits a GTS and yes it is CM Punk. He asks for a mic and says “I accept b****.” So there’s your next All In match.

Video on All In.

Jay White vs. Dalton Castle

The Bullet Club and the Boys are here too. Castle takes him down by the leg without much trouble but White powers Castle into the corner. That means some fanning from the Boys but White sends him outside anyway. The Boys toss Castle right back inside but a missed charge sends Castle crashing to the floor. The Club chases the Boys around and then into the ring, leaving White to drop Castle onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Castle slugging away and throwing the German suplexes for two. They head outside with White chopping away but the Boys have to dive on the rest of the Club. Back in and both finishers are broken up, allowing White to hit the swinging Rock Bottom for two. The sleeper suplex sets up the Bladerunner for the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B-. For a White Castle match, there was very list Of Fear involved and that made it a little disappointing. Other than that, it was a bit too big/long and nowhere near greasy enough to make it a true White Castle showdown, but it left things feeling good enough that I’d like to see it again in a few years.

Post break White grabs the mic and says if Kenny Omega is paying attention in his hospital bed, he might want to think twice about All In. They’ve known the Elite for a long time now and they’ll prove their dominance again. Juice Robinson said they put Omega in the hospital in two minutes so imagine what they’ll do at All In. The Gunns are the best brother tag team ever and they’ll prove it again against the Bucks in a six man tag on Wednesday. For now though, they want a six man tag tonight, so get someone out here!

Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages vs. Bullet Club Gold

Bronson drives Austin into the corner to start and hammers away as well. Austin slips out of a slam though and Bronson is taken into the corner for the stomping from Robinson. Colten comes in for a knee lift into a heck of a lariat before handing it back to Robinson. Bronson is sent outside as White joins commentary and we take a break. Back with Boulder coming in to clean house, including pulling Robinson out of the air. Robinson is slammed onto the Gunns but Jameson comes in and gets sent outside. The left hand into the 3:10 To Yuma hits Boulder though and the layout forward DDT finishes for Robinson at 9:35.

Rating: C+. The Savages and Jameson are good enough for a fun act but having them come out here and lose again isn’t the best way to present them. The Club winning gives them some more momentum towards All In though and they seem to really be clicking as of late. Even the Gunns weren’t bad here and that’s a good sign for their futures.

We recap Billy Gunn retiring and the House Of Black stealing his boots.

The House Of Black have said boots and talk about Billy living as a shadow of himself and throwing the boots away.

Rush calls Jose The Assistant and isn’t happy with what he is seeing from La Faccion Ingobernable. He wants them in Mexico, so we see Dralistico in Mexico and picking up Preston Vance to go to a bar. Then they’re kidnapped, put in a van and taken away as Jose watches.

Ricky Starks is annoyed at being suspended but he’ll use the rest of his suspension to sow chaos, starting tonight. And here’s Big Bill, apparently Starks’ protege.

Big Bill vs. Derek Neal

Ricky Starks, with belt, is in Bill’s corner. Choking, big boot and chokeslam finish Neal at 1:09.

Video on Sting and Darby Allin invading AR Fox’s indy show and laying him out.

Nick Wayne wants revenge on the Mogul Embassy.

Willow Nightingale vs. Diamante

Diamante starts with the choking on the ropes but Nightingale fights up and hits a spinning faceplant. Nightingale knocks her off the apron but here is Mercedes Martinez to watch at ringside. Diamante’s shots to the face don’t do much so she kicks the knee out instead. Some forearms to the head have Nightingale in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Nightingale making a comeback and hitting a splash in the corner. There’s a big boot to put Diamante down again but she sends Nightingale into the corner for the running knees. An Asai DDT gets two on Nightingale but she pounds away in the corner. A middle rope dropkick hits Diamante so Martinez pulls her outside. Cue Kris Statlander to go after Martinez so Nightingale hits the Pounce. Back in and the Babe With The Powerbomb finishes for Nightingale at 11:06.

Rating: C. It’s always nice to see Nightingale win but at the same time, there wasn’t much to see here, with Diamante and Martinez being a rather new evil unit. Nightingale vs. Statlander down the line could go well but for now, it’s just Nightingale getting a win. That’s good to see, though eleven minutes to beat Diamante is a good bit too long.

Video on FTR vs. the Young Bucks. I guess this counts as FTR speaking after Cash Wheeler’s arrest?

Toni Storm is asked about an upcoming tag match on Rampage and complains about the interviewer being VERY rude. The Outcasts are a sisterhood so don’t worry about what they’re doing. A shoe is thrown.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Kevin Ku

Hobbs knocks a crossbody attempt out of the air and hammers away in the corner. A belly to back superplex and a standing clothesline set up the spinebuster to finish for Hobbs at 1:56.

Post match Hobbs puts Ku in Miro’s Game Over. Miro pops up on screen to say he and Hobbs have a lot in common, but now he walks alone. It’s time to destroy Hobbs at All Out. Pretty simple point there.

All In rundown.

Christian Cage vs. Darby Allin

Luchasaurus is here with Cage. They fight over a lockup to start with neither being able to get very far early on. Christian chops away but gets sent outside, where he has to hide from the threat of an Allin dive. Back in and Christian whips him hard into the corner and we take a break.

We come back with Cage working on the arm but Allin pulls him into some rollups for two each. They head back to the floor with Cage staying on the arm and taunting him with Luchasaurus’ TNT Title. Back in and a hammerlock slam sets up a reverse layout DDT but Allin blocks the spear. A Code Red lets Allin pull Christian’s turtleneck onto his head but they ram heads for a double knockdown.

We take another break and come back with Allin hitting a springboard Coffin Drop to a standing Cage. The shotgun dropkick sends Cage into the corner and they go outside again. This time Allin tries a standing Coffin Drop to Luchasaurus but can’t even knock him down. Instead Cage is knocked down again and sat in a chair, where a missile dropkick to the floor leaves them both laying (that could have been worse).

Back in and the Coffin Drop is loaded up but Cage rolls to the apron. That’s fine with Allin, who tries the Coffin Drop but only hits apron for the scary crash. Now the referee ejects Luchasaurus (weird timing), allowing Cage to get in a belt shot for two. Cage takes him up top for a sunset bomb into a spear for two and Cage is livid. A clothesline cuts off Allin’s comeback attempt but he flips over into a rollup for the pin at 20:28.

Rating: B. The match was a good bit longer than it needed to be, but what mattered here was Allin’s charisma. There is something about him that makes you want to watch him overcome the odds and win, which is exactly what he did here. It’s something that not a lot of wrestlers have and he knows how to make more out of his smaller stature than almost anyone else. Heck of a match here, but it could have been trimmed down considerably.

Post match Tony Schiavone gets in the ring to talk to Allin but Luchasaurus comes back for a distraction, allowing Cage to get in another belt shot. The beatdown is on, with Cage forcing Tony to count a three. Tony has to declare Cage STILL the TNT Champion so posing can ensue to end the show (with Swerve Strickland and AR Fox approving in the back).

Overall Rating: C+. Other than Punk vs. Joe being set up in a cool moment and a rather good (and rather long) main event, this show was a bunch of “Hey, that person who was awesome before? They’re still awesome.” Collision needs some fresh hands as they’re already running out of combinations with these people, and college football is looming big for the next few months. Not a bad show, but it’s a very skippable one. That’s not a good sign two and a half months into the series’ run and it could get worse in a hurry.

Results
Jay White b. Dalton Castle – Blade Runner
Bullet Club Gold b. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages – Layout forward DDT to James
Big Bill b. Derek Neal – Chokeslam
Willow Nightingale b. Diamante – Babe With The Powerbomb
Powerhouse Hobbs bl Kevin Ku – Spinebuster
Darby Allin b. Christian Cage – Rollup

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Collision
Date: August 12, 2023
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, Coliseum
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are about two weeks away from All In and the card has mostly started to come together. There are a lot of things that still need to be set up, so this week could be a mixture of new stuff plus building up what is already announced. On top of that, we also have the Trios Titles on the line with CM Punk/FTR challenging the House of Black. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Acclaimed, Christian Cage and Luchasaurus, FTR and CM Punk are all ready.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone brings out Ricky Starks for a chat. Last week, Starks whipped Ricky Steamboat with a belt (which he has with him, because he’s a thief too) and as a result, he has been suspended from wrestling for thirty days. Starks doesn’t care because it had to be done. Steamboat did something wrong and had to be punished, so no it isn’t his fault. Instead, he has a manager’s license for the next thirty days because this is his house. CM Punk got the win last week but he isn’t bulletproof. Next week, the war begins.

Video on FTR vs. the Young Bucks.

Acclaimed vs. Iron Savages

Max does his rap but Bowens doesn’t have a daddy to scissor. The Savages on the other hand have Jacked Jameson with them. Bronson powers out of Bowens’ headlock so Bowens fires off some right hands in the corner. Caster comes in to hammer on Bronson before it’s off to Bounder. For some reason Caster tries a fireman’s carry, which goes rather badly. Bowens comes back in and kicks away but gets picked up, with Caster being pulled out of the air at the same time. The double drop sends us to an early break.

Back with Caster missing the top rope splash so Bowens can come back in to clean house. Boulder launches Bowens up for a faceplant though and a double spinebuster gets two. The electric chair splash is loaded up but Caster makes the save with a missile dropkick. Caster AA’s Boulder and Jameson gets Scissor Me Timbers. Stereo Fameassers finish for the Acclaimed at 8:47.

Rating: C+. The Savages are an intimidating looking power team and they made for some good opponents for the Acclaimed. With Billy Gunn gone, it would be nice to see Acclaimed getting back into the Tag Team Title hunt as it isn’t like they have anything else going on at the moment. Now can they please stop acting like Billy Gunn is dead?

Post match the Acclaimed say they’re back to being a two man team and they’ll be wrestling again on Dynamite. Gunn gets a tribute as well.

Bullet Club Gold says they’re on fire this week and the Gunns are ready to beat up the Young Bucks on Dynamite. Don’t bring superkicks to a gun fight.

Video on Adam Cole and/vs. MJF.

Mercedes Martinez/Diamante vs. Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander

Statlander gets distracted by Martinez to start but manages to kick Diamante in the head anyway. Diamante snaps off a headscissors but it’s Nightingale coming in for a quick splash. The Pounds is blocked though and we get the Paradise Lock, allowing the villains to pose before hitting the double dropkick.

We take a break and come back with Nightingale fighting her way out of trouble. A spinebuster is enough to bring Statlander back in to clean house, including dropkicks all around. Nightingale comes back in but the villains get knocked outside. With Nightingale and Statlander outside, Martinez Razor’s Edge tosses Diamante onto them (and she almost left it short).

Back in and Nightingale Pounces Martinez but gets Sliced Breaded by Diamante. Statlander hits a fisherman’s driver on Diamante but gets decked by Martinez. Nightingale sits down on a sunset flip but Martinez turns her over and gets the pin (with an assist from Diamante) at 8:45.

Rating: C+. I get why it needed to be done but it’s annoying to see Nightingale take another pin. You don’t have Statlander lose in a tag match but hopefully this sets up Martinez as a challenger. She would be someone who can give Statlander a heck of a fight and that’s exactly what she needs.

Toni Storm is glad to have Saraya in the Women’s Title match at All In because they can keep things straight. Now if the interviewer will stop messing with Storm when she’s in a vulnerable state, things will be great. Storm promises to have her escorted out and throws a shoe.

Samoa Joe vs. Andrew Everett

Joe’s ROH TV Title isn’t on the line and he hammers Everett down in the corner. There’s the enziguri but Everett tries to flip around. That doesn’t work for Joe, who chokes him out at 1:17.

Post match Joe calls out CM Punk again, this time referring to him as a coward. Joe even gave Punk the courtesy of telling him what would happen but now it is time to convince him.

All In rundown.

Here are Christian Cage and Luchasaurus for a chat. Cage calls this the biggest family reunion he has ever been a part of, as everyone in North Carolina is related. North Carolina has its fair share of second bests, like Michael Jordan compared to LeBron James and Ric Flair compared to himself. No one respects him, but the one who disrespects him the most is Darby Allin.

Now Allin already says that he is half dead inside, but if he keeps coming after Cage’s TNT Title, he’ll make up the other half. Cue Arn Anderson with his son Brock (Arn: “This is Greensboro, North Carolina, they know us around here.”) and Arn reminds Cage that Luchasaurus is the REAL champion. Cage tells him to come in here right now but Arn says if this was twenty years ago, he’d hit the spinebuster and win the title. For now though, we’ll do this instead.

TNT Title: Luchasaurus vs. Brock Anderson

Luchasaurus is defending and he wastes no time in knocking Brock to the floor. A belly to back drop puts Brock down again and we take a break. Back with Luchasaurus hitting a chokeslam and a clothesline to the back of the head for the pin at 5:22. Not enough shown to rate but it was a squash.

Post match Darby Allin runs in for the save with the skateboard. Allin threatens to do something rather painful with the skateboard and then challenges Christian for a match next week. Cage is in, so Allin promises to beat them both.

Here is Powerhouse Hobbs for a chat. Last week, an opportunity presented itself for All Out. Hobbs has not found any peace for the last few months, so he went back home and found the one thing that means something to him: The Book Of Hobbs (which he has in his hands). The next chapter is called Redemption, so he wants the Redeemer here right now. Cue Miro, but QTV jumps him on the way. Hobbs doesn’t seem to have expected them, but Miro beats them down anyway. That leaves Hobbs to hit the spinebuster on Miro and leave him laying, complete with book (at least he has something to read).

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Jim Ross comes out to call the main event.

Trios Titles: CM Punk/FTR vs. House Of Black

The House, with Julia Hart, is defending. Punk and Matthews start things off and yes the fans are split again. A headlock doesn’t get Punk very far so it’s off to Cash for a headlock takeover. That’s broken up and they get to stare at each other for a bit. Some arm cranking works a bit better so it’s off to Harwood for the snap suplex. A legdrop gets two and it’s off to King for the power.

Harwood chops away at him and adds a basement dropkick. Punk goes up top but dives over King to clothesline Murphy. It’s back to Punk vs. black and they sit down to look at each other but everything breaks down. The three way slugout takes us to a break and we come back with Black knocking Harwood down and grabbing the chinlock. Harwood fights up but it’s back to King to take care of that.

Black misses the big spinning kick to the head and the DDT plants him. Punk gets the hot tag to pick up the pace as JR gives his usual lament about the DDT not finishing anyone. Matthews slips out of the GTS so Punk drops him again, but a Hart distraction lets Black get in the crotching. King hits a heck of a Cannonball to Punk in the corner and we take another break. Back again with Punk still in trouble as Matthews grabs the chinlock. Punk fights up and hits a quick GTS, allowing the tag off to Wheeler to pick up the pace.

Everything breaks down and the House is knocked outside, leaving Wheeler to hit a big dive. Back in and King suplexes FTR down but they manage to superplex King instead. Punk’s top rope elbow gets two and we need a breather. Harwood brainbusters Matthews and black and Punk kick each other in the head to leave everyone down. A top rope headbutt hits King….but here is Samoa Joe to choke Punk out. That and a Hart distraction lets King hit a lariat to retain the titles at 26:55.

Rating: B. They didn’t have much of another option for the finish as they don’t want to change the titles and you don’t want Punk taking a fall. Joe more or less said he was going to mess with Punk and this is as good of a way as you’re going to get to cover both of those things. The action was good as well and it made for the big fight feel, so this worked as a main event.

Overall Rating: B. Rather solid show up and down here, with matches that worked, both long and short. They pushed some things towards All In and All Out and that’s exactly what they needed to do. There was nothing on here that was an instant classic or anything close to it, but this was a very nice way to spend two hours on a Saturday night.

Results
Acclaimed b. Iron Savages – Fameasser to Bronson
Diamante/Mercedes Martinez b. Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander – Assisted sunset flip to Nightingale
Samoa Joe b. Andrew Everett – Koquina Clutch
Luchasaurus b. Brock Anderson – Clothesline to the back of the head
House Of Black b. CM Punk/FTR – Lariat to Harwood

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: August 10, 2023
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re down south for a change and this time around we have another #1 contender to crown. Gravity vs. Shane Taylor is set for a future TV Title shot against Samoa Joe and that should make for a nice showdown. Other than that, Maria Kanellis-Bennett is lurking around various stars. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dalton Castle vs. Slim J

Castle doesn’t have the Boys with him, but rather the Baby Chucks for a change. J gets tossed down rather quickly but he manages an anklescissors into a dropkick. Some right hands send J to the corner, only to have him come back with a middle rope spinning kick to the head. J hammers away but springboards into a failed Bang A Rang attempt. Instead Castle is back with some suplexes into the Bang A Rang for the pin at 4:50.

Rating: C. Castle’s road back to the TV Title continues and that could make for an interesting situation. While Joe has already beaten Castle, there is something about Castle that makes him feel like a viable challenger. I could still go for him being the one to dethrone Joe, though we are still a pretty long way off from that.

Tony Nese and Mark Sterling say there is an obesity epidemic here, so tonight his match against Pat Buck is off. Instead: GROUP TRAINING.

Iron Savages vs. Lucky Ali/Brady Pearce

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages. Bronson powers him into the corner to start but gets caught with a jawbreaker to the back of the head. With that not working, Jameson throws in the Savage Sauce. After a drink, Bronson wrecks Ali and hands it off to Boulder for the house cleaning. A blind tag doesn’t work for Pearce as Boulder slams both of them at once. The electric chair splash finishes Ali at 3:14.

Rating: C. Total squash here and the Savages are the kind of team that can be fun to watch most of the time. There is something about a power team like that and having Jameson as the hype man helps. They go with the over the top stuff and it is something that will work a lot more often than not.

The Infantry vs. Zicky Dice/Movie Myk

Myk (with one of the worst ring names I’ve ever heard) grabs Dean’s arm to start but Dean snaps off some armdrags. Bravo comes in and gets driven into the corner, where Dice misses a charge. The diving tag brings Dean back in to hammer away, setting up Boot Camp (running big boot/Russian legsweep combination) to finish Myk at 3:27.

Rating: C-. Nothing great here but I do like trying something with the Infantry. It’s not that they’re some awesome team, but the tag division can use some fresh blood. The Infantry has been treated as losers for such a long time that they need some wins like this to reestablish themselves. They have a long way to go, but at least they’re starting somewhere.

Leyla Hirsch wants a shot at Athena but here is Maria Kanellis-Bennett to interrupt. She thinks Leyla needs some more confidence. Maria will be watching Leyla’s match tonight.

Lee Moriarty vs. Andrew Everett

Everett does this weird gimmick where he’s an average (or below average) sized guy but thinks he’s a giant, down to wearing The Giant’s style gear. Everett flips away to start and hits a dropkick but Moriarty ties him in the ropes and hammers away. Moriarty stomps on the arm but Everett is right back with a Falcon Arrow for two. A shooting star press misses for Everett though and a spinning faceplant sets up the Border City Stretch for the tap at 4:57.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one as Everett’s giant thing never played a factor and it made for little more than a pretty generic match. Moriarty doesn’t have Big Bill anymore and needs something to do. He has the skill on his own, but that wasn’t on display here. Just kind of a nothing match, though at least they’re trying something with Moriarty.

Pat Buck vs. Tony Nese

Mark Sterling is here with Nese, who does his “you’re fat and stupid so let’s do group training” stuff before the match. Buck takes him down by the leg to start and snaps it around but Nese stops for some pushups. Back up and Sterling offers a distraction, allowing Nese to hit a clothesline for one. The springboard moonsault lands on Buck as he rolls away, so Nese tries it again and this time Buck misses, allowing Buck to get two (nice job on keeping things going off the botch). A Sterling distraction lets Nese knock Buck into the corner though and the Running Nese finishes Buck at 5:51.

Rating: C+. Best match on the show so far, though it’s still just Nese with his rather dull “you’re all fat” stuff. Nese hasn’t meant anything in Ring Of Honor yet and I can’t imagine this stuff he’s been doing for weeks now has much in the way of legs. Maybe they have an upgrade coming for it, but for now, it isn’t quite feeling important.

The Workhorsemen know they’re great but want more. The Gates of Agony come in, with Prince Nana saying if the Workhorsemen beat them, they can have a Six Man Tag Team Title shot.

Athena vs. Rachael Ellering

Non-title Proving Ground match, so if Ellering wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Ellering grabs a sunset flip for two to start before avoiding a charge. A backsplash hits Athena for two but she’s back with some hard forearms. Athena knocks her out to the floor for a ram into the announcers’ table, followed by a cravate back inside. Ellering fights up and hits a Sling Blade, followed by a big swinging Boss Man Slam for two. Athena pulls her off the top though and a Shining Wizard sets up the O Face for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: C+. Ellering was more competitive than most of the women Athena faces in these things but ultimately it was the same thing again. At some point it would be nice if she had someone give her a real sweat or even survived the time limit, but I guess we’re too far away from another pay per view for that. Decent match here, though Athena has done the same thing so many times now that it’s losing its luster.

Workhorsemen vs. Gates Of Agony

Prince Nana is here with the Gates. Kaun runs Henry over to start so Henry hits a dropkick for no avail. Toa comes in for a power off with Drake but can’t get anywhere. It’s back to Henry, who gets run over without much trouble. Some chops don’t do much to Kaun as Henry is knocked outside, where the Workhorsemen get sent into various objects. Back in and Kaun hits an Irish Curse for two on Henry but Toa misses a backsplash.

A missed charge allows the diving tag to Drake so house can be cleaned. Drake hits a neckbreaker into a backsplash on Toa, followed by Kaun being clotheslined to the floor. Drake’s dive in the general direction of the Gates grazes Toa enough that Henry can frog splash Kaun for two. A superkick into a top rope backsplash gets two on Kaun as he gets a foot on the rope. Drake’s moonsault misses though and Open The Gates finishes him off at 10:42.

Rating: B-. Best match on the show so far and the Workhorsemen were working hard here. At the same time though, the Workhorsemen lose again and the Gates win again. Just like Athena, at some point this stuff doesn’t have much of an impact as they do the same stuff week after week.

Cole Karter thinks Maria Kanellis-Bennett liked his match last week. She comes in to say we’ll see how he does this week.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Angelica Risk

Hirsch throws her around to start as Maria Kanellis-Bennett comes out to watch. Risk reverses a suplex into a small package for two but misses a middle rope dropkick. A cross armbreaker makes Risk tap at 2:25.

Athena doesn’t like being asked if she is the face of Ring Of Honor, when there shouldn’t be any question about it. She is all the champions and takes Lexi Nair with her to find more competition.

Cole Karter vs. Rhett Titus

Titus takes him down for an early armbar before hitting a monkey flip for one. The dropkick misses though, allowing Karter to hit a dropkick of his own. Cue Maria Kanellis-Bennett to watch again as Karter grabs a chinlock. Titus is back up with a backbreaker and a hard clothesline, setting up the dropkick for two. Karter pops back up with the backbreaker spun into the DDT for the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C-. This was another not so interesting match as they just kind of did stuff until Karter got the pin. Karter is another generic heel who doesn’t have anything to make him stand out other than Maria looking at him. At the same time you have Titus, who feels like he’s just here for the sake of tying this Ring Of Honor back to the original while losing all the time. In other words, nothing to see here.

Robyn Renegade vs. Billie Starkz

Charlotte is here with Robyn. Starkz starts fast but Charlotte shoves her off the top for a big crash. Robyn hits a running knee in the corner and a snapmare gets one. We hit the fishhook camel clutch but Starkz gets out and punches her way out of the corner. A Gory Bomb gives Starkz two but Robyn faceplants her for two. Starkz sends Robyn outside and hits a dive onto both of them, setting up a Swanton for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: C. They built up the Renegades for a few weeks for the sake of having Robyn lose to Billie Starkz, who is interesting because she’s young. That’s certainly a choice and not the one that I would have made, but for some reason Starkz is supposed to be a big deal. Robyn looked solid as usual, but so much for that at the moment.

Post match the Renegades beat her down until Athena of all people makes the save. Athena actually lets Starkz go. So Starkz over the Renegades. Sure.

Josh Woods wants to be treated as a real fighter, so Mark Sterling gets him a match with Silas Young next week.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament Final: Shane Taylor vs. Gravity

Gravity’s monkey flip is blocked and Taylor powers him down without much effort. A hard lariat gives Taylor two and the neck crank goes on. Taylor hits a slam and mocks the slow Gravity walk, meaning he misses a legdrop. Taylor’s suplex is countered into a small package for two but he release Rock Bottoms Gravity out of the corner. Gravity breaks up a middle rope splash and hits a super Samoan drop. The top rope splash misses though and Taylor hits the Marcus Garvey Driver for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: C. Another decent match here, but what matters here is they went with the right ending instead of setting up Gravity vs. Samoa Joe II. Taylor was a nice surprise and could set up a heck of a hoss fight, which is better than seeing Gravity get squashed again. The match wasn’t much, but what were they supposed to do with five minutes?

Overall Rating: C. This was one of the least interesting wrestling shows I have seen in a long time. The best match was just pretty good and the rest of the show was either a group of squashes or the same people doing the same things that we’ve seen over and over. Ring Of Honor really needs to give me a reason to care about some of these people, or at least do SOMETHING other than “and then this person has a match and then this person has a match”. The wrestling quality is fine, but my goodness do anything to make it more interesting.

Results
Dalton Castle b. Slim J – Bang A Rang
Iron Savages b. Lucky Ali/Brady Pearce – Electric chair splash to Ali
The Infantry b. Movie Myk/Zicky Dice – Boot Camp to Myk
Lee Moriarty b. Andrew Everett – Border City Stretch
Tony Nese b. Pat Buck – Running Nese
Athena b. Rachael Ellering – O Face
Gates of Agony b. Workhorsemen – Open The Gates to Drake
Leyla Hirsch b. Angelica Risk – Cross armbreaker
Cole Karter b. Rhett Titus – Backbreaker spun into a DDT
Billie Starkz b. Robyn Renegade – Swanton
Shane Taylor b. Gravity – Marcus Garvey Driver

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: August 3, 2023
Location: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back after a not so great fallout show from Death Before Dishonor. The show featured a bunch of the same things that we have seen for months, plus the start of another TV Title #1 contenders tournament but minus the new Tag Team Champions. Maybe things can be better here so let’s get to it.

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

Quick rundown of the show.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Christopher Daniels vs. Shane Taylor

Daniels can’t get a drop toehold to start but he can avoid a charge in the corner. The right hands don’t work for Daniels though as Taylor blasts him with a clothesline. Taylor runs him over with a shoulder and then hits a heck of a right hand. The chinlock goes on but Daniels is back up with a quick neckbreaker. The middle rope hurricanrana sends Taylor flying but he’s back with a release Rock Bottom and the slam for two. A middle rope crossbody of all things crushes Daniels again and the Marcus Garvey Driver finishes him off at 6:40.

Rating: C. Daniels couldn’t get much going here as Taylor was that much bigger. The good thing about someone like Taylor is that while he’s big, he can also move around enough to make himself more dangerous. I could go for a bit more of him, though seeing Daniels lose this decisively is a little weird.

The Iron Savages want the Tag Team Titles from Aussie Open.

Tag Team Titles: Aussie Open vs. Iron Savages

The Savages, with Jacked Jameson, are challenging. Fletcher and Bronson start things off and they do a shouting forearm exchange. A slam plants Bronson and it’s off to Davis, who gets the big power showdown with Boulder. An exchange of shoulders doesn’t go anywhere but Boulder’s second attempt manages to knock him down. Bronson is back in with a backsplash as everything breaks down.

The Aussies send them outside and score with dives for a bonus. A running kick into a backsplash gets two on Bronson, followed by a loud chop in the corner. Bronson manages a high crossbody of all things and Boulder gets to come in and clean house. The running powerslam gives Boulder two but Bronson has to break up a double something. There’s a double spinebuster for two on Davis so Boulder puts Bronson on his shoulders. All that does is set up an inadvertent Doomsday Device, followed by some kicks to the head for two. The Coriolis finishes Boulder at 10:28.

Rating: C+. I still like the Savages a good bit but this was more an instance of them being monsters to be slayed by the new champions. The Aussies are already being featured more than the Lucha Bros around here so maybe some things are getting better. This worked for a first title defense and as usual, the Aussies work so well together.

Post match the Aussies go to the back where they run into Tony Khan, who congratulates them. What kind of a nothing cameo was that?

Stokely Hathaway likes the feedback on the tournament so far and they might make another one. Dalton Castle comes in to say he should be in the tournament, with Hathaway hinting that he took Castle out. Cue Samoa Joe to say he’s tired of Castle and makes a tag match between himself/Hathaway and the Boys in two weeks. Hathaway’s reaction is as expected. I can go for Castle chasing Joe, as at least it’s a story.

Pure Rules Title: Josh Woods vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata is defending and Woods has Mark Sterling with him. They go to the mat to start until Shibata takes the leg out. Shibata wrestles him down until cranking on the kneebar. They roll outside with the hold still on to keep up the damage. Back up and they fight around the outside with a lockup before having to come in to beat the count.

The fight over arm control is on back inside with Woods getting the better of it but making the mistake of trying the PK. Shibata fires up and hits a running corner dropkick into a butterfly suplex for two. The sleeper goes on and Woods has to use the first rope break. They forearm it out until stereo kicks put both of them down. Woods actually gets the better of things and kicks away, only to get sleepered into the PK to retain the title at 11:12.

Rating: B-. These matches are hit and miss most of the time but this was one of the better ones. The idea of this division being more about wrestling is fine, but the problem is there isn’t much difference between this and what you see in most matches. Shibata is rather nifty in the ring, though Woods hasn’t been that interesting in a long time. Good enough match, but Shibata’s title rarely feels like it is in jeopardy.

Respect is shown post match, with Sterling not being happy.

Dalton Castle vs. Zack Clayton

The Boys are here with Castle. Clayton starts fast and stomps him down in the corner, setting up some trash talk. Back up and Castle slugs away but the suplex is blocked. Castle isn’t having this and comes back with forearms to the face. The Bang A Rang finishes Clayton at 3:50.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but at least they got to the point here and let Castle look good in his win. Castle seems ready to go after the TV Title (again) sooner than later so hopefully we are on the way to something bigger for him in the coming weeks. Castle has long since been in need of more exposure around here and it would be nice to have this be the start.

Respect is shown post match.

Josh Woods talks about his resume but he is tired of all the losing and something has to change.

The Infantry vs. Nick Comoroto/Jora Johl

Trish Adora is here with the Infantry. Bravo suplexes Johl to start and hammers away in the corner. A few hard shots stagger Bravo though and a suplex puts him down. Back up and Bravo ducks a superkick, which hits Comoroto by mistake. Dean comes in off the hot tag and it’s a Russian legsweep/big boot combination to finish Johl at 4:37.

Rating: C. Much like the Castle match, this wasn’t a squash but it was designed to make someone look good. That worked out well as the Infantry can certainly use a win, though it’s a bit difficult to imaging them rising up the card after being destroyed so often. For now though, a quick win is better than nothing.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Miranda Vionette

The volume gets a lot louder for Hirsch’s entrance for some reason. A gator roll has Miranda in trouble to start but she’s back up with a small package. Cue Maria Kanellis-Bennett to watch from the stage as Hirsch unloads with right hands. A running kick into the Saito suplex sends Miranda into the corner. Miranda’s one move comeback is countered into a cross armbreaker for the tap at 3:19.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t as entertaining or effective of a squash as the previous two matches, but the Maria stuff is a bit more interesting. Hirsch has felt like someone ready to move up and being aligned with Maria is one of the more intriguing options that she could have. Granted it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t go anywhere, but it’s better than nothing.

TV Title #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Tony Nese vs. Gravity

Mark Sterling is with Nese. Gravity interrupts Nese’s group training deal and hits a gorilla press as commentary points out Gravity’s recent loss to Samoa Joe. A Sterling distraction lets Nese knock him outside, where Sterling gets in a cheap shot for a bonus. Gravity fights up, ignores a Sterling distraction, and hits a big dive to the floor to drop Nese. Back in and a splash gives Gravity two but Nese kicks him in the face. Gravity scores with a quick powerbomb though and the top rope splash finishes Nese at 5:34.

Rating: C+. Gravity overcome the odds here and put in a solid performance, though they’re going to have to come up with a pretty special idea to find a way to get me interested in Joe vs. Gravity II. Commentary even pointed it out so it wouldn’t surprise me to see it being some overcoming the odds/redemption story. Other than that, Nese is still an acceptable villain for Gravity to conquer.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Diamante

Diamante is challenging after winning three matches in a row (simple and effective). Athena toys with her to start but gets kicked to the apron and baseball slidden to the floor. That’s fine with Athena, who whips her hard into the barricade to take over. Back in and Athena grabs a surfboard but misses a running boot to the head.

Athena doesn’t seem to mind as she hits a Side Effect onto the apron, followed by a spinning backbreaker for two. The O Face is blocked though and Diamante hits the Chaos Theory for two. Athena knocks her out of the air and grabs a crossface. Diamante slips out, only to get rolled up to retain Athena’s title at 9:19.

Rating: C+. This was another match where it wasn’t quite a squash but it was pretty one sided for a long stretch. Athena is still by far the most dominant champion the women’s division has ever seen but I’m really wondering who is supposed to come after her. Barring someone coming over from AEW (which is likely), she has completely cleaned out the division and there isn’t much of anyone left to come after her.

Post match Athena actually shows some respect.

The Boys vs. Gates Of Agony

Prince Nana is here with the Gates. The fans are rather behind the Boys, even as Kaun stomps Brent down in the corner. Kaun pulls him out of the air and sends him flying so Toa can come in for a splash in the corner. Nana gets in some cheap shots and Kaun adds a backsplash but Brent manages to enziguri his way to freedom. Everything breaks down and Toa hits a Samoan drop, followed by Open The Gates to finish Brandon at 4:17.

Rating: C. I’ve long since lost interest in Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. the Embassy as they are two of the only longstanding six man teams around here. They did a nice job with the layout of the match though as there is little reason to believe that the Boys can have a chance against these two monsters. And hey the Gates are actually winning some regular tag matches!

Diamante isn’t sure what Athena was doing but Athena comes in to say she saw her younger self in Diamante out there. So figure out what’s missing and stay away from her.

Cole Karter vs. LSG

Karter dropkicks him at the bell but LSG is back up with a waistlock. That earns him a throat first shot into the rope and Karter hits another dropkick. A snap suplex drops LSG again as Maria Kanellis-Bennett is here again. LSG makes the comeback but gets kneed out of the air. A Razor’s Edge spun into a DDT finishes LSG at 2:58. Thank goodness we got a Cole Karter feature match.

The Dark Order thanks Stu Bennett after their Death Before Dishonor match.

Robyn Renegade vs. Christina Marie

Charlotte is here with Robyn. Marie actually takes over with a slam for two to start but stops to chase Charlotte, allowing Robyn to get in a cheap shot. Robyn’s basement dropkick gets two so she yells at Marie a lot. One heck of a clothesline gets two on Marie, who is back up with a clothesline of her own. Robyn doesn’t seem to mind as she grabs an abdominal stretch and pulls her down into something like a Koji Clutch for the tap at 3:57.

Rating: C. I still like the Renegades and they can do well on their own, but this is another example of a match that could have been cut to let the show breathe a bit. As usual, there is too much being crammed into this show and while the Renegades are interesting prospects, they could have done this elsewhere. Or maybe against a team, if ROH can scrape one together.

Workhorsemen vs. Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo

Oh you thought you were getting a week without the Workhorsemen didn’t you? Henry grabs Komander’s arm to start but can’t get very far with it. Instead Komander is back up with a dropkick before Drake comes in to shrug off some forearms. Vikingo comes in with a springboard missile dropkick and a frog splash (with Eddie dance) gets two on Drake. A crazy headscissors takes Drake down but since it’s just a headscissors, he’s right back up with the chops.

We settle down to a Russian legsweep/big boot combination getting two on Vikingo but he’s back up with a kick to the head. Komander gets cut off before the tag though and Henry hits a Shining Wizard for two. Vikingo is fine enough to hit a Code Red and now Komander comes back in to pick up the pace. House is cleaned and it’s quickly back to Vikingo, who is pulled out of the air for a swinging butterfly suplex. Vikingo’s step up dropkick connects and the stereo rope walk moonsaults take the Workhorsemen down. Stereo 450 splashes finish Drake at 8:09.

Rating: B-. Good match with the luchadors doing their crazy high flying, but Caprice Coleman summed up the issue. Coleman said he had never seen this before, which made me think “I have, because I saw it on Dynamite”. It’s exciting, but it might be more exciting if it wasn’t something that had happened the day before. I’m not sure why they needed to be on this show to get their win back, but that has long since been a Tony Khan thing.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was better than last week, but it’s still full of the same problems it has always had. I do like the Maria scouting stuff and Athena encouraging Diamante, but those things are in the middle of so many matches that don’t feel like they’re going anywhere. As usual the match quality isn’t the problem, but rather how much of it there is and how long it goes.

Results
Shane Taylor b. Christopher Daniels – Marcus Garvey Driver
Aussie Open b. Iron Savages – Coriolis to Boulder
Katsuyori Shibata b. Josh Woods – Penalty Kick
Dalton Castle b. Zack Clayton – Bang A Rang
The Infantry b. Nick Comoroto/Jora Johl – Russian legsweep/big boot combination to Johl
Leylah Hirsch b. Miranda Vionette – Cross armbreaker
Gravity b. Tony Nese – Top rope splash
Athena b. Diamante – Rollup
Gates Of Agony b. The Boys – Open The Gates to Brandon
Robyn Renegade b. Christina Marie – Abdominal stretch neck crank
Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo b. Workhorsemen – Double 450 to Drake

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Ring Of Honor
Date: July 27, 2023
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with a high quality but mostly skippable pay per view with Death Before Dishonor. The biggest change from the show saw Aussie Open becoming the new Tag Team Champions while everyone else retained. That should lead to something interesting, though there is no word on when the next major show is going to be. Let’s get to it.

Here is Death Before Dishonor if you need a recap.

The show is back up to just shy of two hours, the longest in about a month. I’m sure what’s what was missing from the build towards Death Before Dishonor.

Josh Woods vs. Eli Isom

Pure Rules, with Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata as a guest judge (alone with Jerry Lynn and Jimmy Jacobs). Mark Sterling is here with Woods (along with the rest of the Varsity Athletes), who would rather wrestle in front of real New Yorkers rather than fake ones in Newark. Woods wrestles him into the ropes to start and that’s Isom’s first break. Back up and Isom takes him down into an armbar, only to get kicked hard out of the corner.

Another running shot to the face rocks Isom and Woods sends him shoulder first into the buckle. Isom intentionally uses a rope to escape the beating before using some forearms to stagger Woods. A swinging belly to back suplex gives Isom two but Woods armbars him over to the ropes for the final rope. Woods grabs a sleeper into a PK into the Gorilla lock for the tap at 7:55.

Rating: C. This was more or less a pure rules squash as Woods would seem to be the next challenger for Shibata. That doesn’t make for the most interesting match but that is the case with a lot of the Pure Rules matches. They work well from a technical standpoint, but seeing a lot of the same people having not the most thrilling matches in the world doesn’t do a lot o good.

Post match Sterling challenges Shibata for a title match against Woods.

Trish Adora is ready to get back on track.

Trish Adora vs. Vita Vonstarr

Vita shoves her away to start so Adora grabs a headlock. The Air Raid Crash is loaded up but Adora switches into the kneeling stretch instead (that needs a name). Back up and Vita grabs a Black Widow but Adora isn’t having any of that and runs her over with ax handles for two. Vita’s Michinoku driver gets two, only to have Adora come back with the Lariat Tubman for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C. Vonstarr got in some offense here, which isn’t a surprise as she used to be a regular for Ring Of Honor before everything changed. Adora gets some momentum back and still seems like someone who could be put into a heck of a title feud if given the chance. Granted it might be a bit with Leyla Hirsch back, but at least Adora didn’t lose again here.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Mogul Embassy vs. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson

The Embassy, with Prince Nana, is defending. Commentary points out that Cage has been on 17/22 episodes of ROH thus far, because I guess we just haven’t gotten the point already. Jameson and Boulder take turns being thrown at Cage in the corner but Jameson gets taken into the champs’ corner to start the chops. A fireman’s carry is escaped though and it’s Bronson coming in to clean house.

Kaun wastes no time in cutting him off though and it’s Loa coming in to elbow Braun in the face. A superplex drops Bronson for two but he’s back up with a shot to the face, allowing the tag off to Boulder. Everything breaks down and Boulder powerslams Kaun for two but Toa is back in to wreck things. Bronson chokebombs Cage for two but he’s back up to suplex Jameson. Kaun hits a Pedigree of all things to pin Jameson at 10:10.

Rating: B-. The match was the kind of mostly wild power brawl that made for an entertaining ten minutes. At the same time though, the fact that Cage has been around that often doesn’t exactly keep him feeling interesting. It feels like these titles are being defended almost every week against one thrown together team after another. It’s not like the matches are exactly great, so why put them on over and over?

Leyla Hirsch vs. B3cca

Hirsch runs her over without much trouble to start and then chokes with the boot in the corner. A gutwrench suplex sets up a waistlock on B3cca but she’s back up with a shotgun dropkick. B3cca’s running knee in the corner sets up a missed middle rope dropkick, allowing Leyla to hit a running knee for the pin at 3:37.

Rating: C. This was a rather Ring Of Honor match with Leyla mostly dominating and shrugging off almost whatever B3cca throws at her. Leyla continues to feel like one of the stars ready to break through to the other side but, much like Adora, you have to let her move up a bit. Leyla has been back in the ring for a few weeks now and her feet should be adequately watered. Let her do something other than squash people already.

Athena wants someone to step up already because she’s tired of beating “local jobbers”.

Renegades vs. Tiara James/JC

JC slugs away at Charlotte to start but makes sure to knock Robyn off the apron. Robyn is right back up for a double suplex and the double stomping is on in the corner. That’s broken up and the tag brings in James to clean house, including a bulldog to Charlotte. That doesn’t last long though and it’s a Sling Blade Hart Attack to finish James at 3:57.

Rating: C. I still like the Renegades but like many women’s tag teams, there isn’t much for them to do right now. There is no women’s tag division and while one of them can be fine on their own, it’s a little weird to see one without the other in the ring. Find something for them to do and let the talent play out, but that might be a little trickier than expected.

Athena vs. Christina Marie

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Marie either wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. Marie kicks her in the back to start and adds a Hennig necksnap for one. Athena gets up and blasts Marie with a forearm before hammering away on the mat.

As we hear about Tony Khan only giving title shots to people in the top five or top ten (like Aussie Open and the Best Friends, who hadn’t wrestled here in three months before getting a title shot last week), Athena knocks her outside and then chokes on the ropes. A bunch of forearms to the back set up a kick to the head, followed by the big right hand to finish Marie at 3:21.

Rating: C. Remember how Cage has been around for all but five Ring Of Honors? I’d be surprised if Athena didn’t have him beat. It’s getting really hard to get invested in Athena slaughtering someone else, especially after she beat her best challenger last week. It’s a good example of how leaving her off a show or two would help a lot, but for some reason she, and several others, are on almost every show. Marie’s minute or so looked good but what is she supposed to get out of that?

Post match Athena gives her the usual post match beatdown.

The Kingdom vs. Rhett Titus/Tracy Williams

Maria is here with the Kingdom. Bennett and Williams chop it out to start and it’s quickly off to Taven for a change. A quick middle rope dropkick takes Williams down but Titus comes in to pick up the pace. Titus gets caught in a backbreaker/middle rope elbow combination but he gets the knees up to block a Lionsault.

Williams comes back in and hits a reverse Death Valley Driver to slam Taven’s knees into the mat (that’s a new one). Bennett and Williams grab stereo holds and sit down on them, setting up the slap off. With those broken up, Titus comes in to knock Taven silly but picks him up instead of covering. The delay lets Taven hit Just The Tip, setting up the Proton Pack to finish for the Kingdom at 7:34.

Rating: B-. Another good match here as the Kingdom continues their roll, but why should I believe that this means anything? When you can get a title match at random, these matches lose the interest that they have. I still like the Kingdom a good bit, but for some reason they’re stuck either here or on Rampage while the tag division in both companies isn’t exactly deep.

Stokely Hathaway and Samoa Joe announced a new #1 contenders tournament for the TV Title. Like the one that ended last week?

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Christopher Daniels vs. JD Drake

Daniels flips him over into an armbar to start before hitting a dropkick to put Drake down. Back up and Drake hits a clothesline, setting up the chinlock with a knee in the back to keep Daniels in trouble. A swinging Boss Man Slam gives Drake two before it’s time for a chop off. Daniels kicks the knee out and hits a clothesline to the back of the head, setting up a top rope Downward Spiral for two. Drake crushes him with a cannonball in the corner for two of his own The moonsault misses though and the Best Moonsault Ever finishes for Daniels at 6:06.

Rating: C+. This was about what you would have expected from a match between these two and that means it was decent enough. What mattered here was having Daniels get a win after fighting from underneath a bit, which he can still do rather well. Him winning the whole thing isn’t out of the question and it wouldn’t surprise me at this point.

Big Bill/Lee Moriarty vs. Gabriel Hodder/Adrien Soriano

Moriarty takes over on Soriano to start but gets hit in the face for his efforts. Hodder comes in and is dropped just as quickly so it’s off to Bill for a double clothesline. The chokeslam finishes Hodder at 3:09.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what the deal is going to be for Big Bill, as he is suddenly in two teams, both of whom are treated as a threat to win something. At the moment though, the team with Brian Cage seems to be a bigger deal and that is likely a better place for him to go. The Moriarty team is fine, but there is something about a big power team that works rather well.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Tony Nese vs. Cheeseburger

Before the match, Nese does the same “you people are fat so we’re going to do group training” speech he has been doing for the last few weeks. Nese whips him into the corner to start but Cheeseburger slides away and climbs on top of him for an arm crank. With that broken up, Cheeseburger is tied in the Tree of Woe for some rapid fire kicks to the ribs. Cheeseburger knees his way out of a suplex and grabs one of his own, setting up a bulldog. The Shotei palm strike gets two on Nese, followed by a DDT for two. Mark Sterling offers a distraction though and Nese grabs a pumphandle driver for the pin at 5:53.

Rating: C. Nese will be fine as a second round villain to be vanquished and that should be enough for him in the whole thing. The health nut/mocking others’ looks is a classic way to draw heat, but Nese needs something else to back it up in the ring. For now though, a win over Cheeseburger is a good way to go for him and should set him up for a better second round match.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Anthony Henry vs. Gravity

Gravity takes him down to start and then does the rapid fire nipups to escape a wristlock. Henry is back up with some forearms only to be sent outside for the big dive over the top. Back in and Henry hits a Death Valley Driver, setting up some shots to the back to keep Gravity down.

Gravity is back up with a dropkick before pulling him into kind of a reverse Koji Clutch. That’s broken up and Henry hits a PK for two, followed by a Razor’s Edge spun into a DDT for the same. Gravity shrugs it off and hits a powerslam into a top rope splash for the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C+. Gravity seems to be Tony Khan’s Flavor of the Week now as he is around on quite a few shows as of late. He’s talented enough and it’s nice to see him getting a win here and there, though I could also see him pulling a miracle run here and winning the tournament. This wasn’t exactly a classic, but as a way to give Gravity a win, it worked well enough.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Shane Taylor vs. Serpentico

Serpentico strikes away to start until a forearm knocks him silly. There’s a big toss to send Serpentico flying and then Taylor does it again. A big clothesline gives Taylor two but Serpentico flips him off. Taylor gets staggered by a kick but a release Rock Bottom puts Serpentico down again. The big splash finishes for Taylor at 4:21.

Rating: C-. Another match without any serious doubt for the winner and that isn’t exactly something that gets my interest up this late into a very, very long show. There was nothing to make me believe that Serpentico was going to win here and it felt like waiting around until Taylor beat on him enough before getting the win.

Trustbusters vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys

Ari Daivari is here with the Trustbusters. A double hiptoss takes Kay down to start so Kiss comes in to choke away in the corner. It’s off to Castle to take Kiss in the corner, where castle gets slapped in the face. They both miss clotheslines until Brent comes in and backflips out of a pair of belly to back suplexes, allowing the hot tag back to Castle. The Boys are thrown outside and onto the Trustbusters (that’s always a cool spot) and the Bang A Rang finishes Kay at 5:19.

Rating: C. I could watch Dalton Castle all day and he looked good here, but I’m not exactly going to get invested in the idea of Castle and the Boys going after the Six Man Tag Team Titles again. I can get the idea of sending the fans home happy with these guys though, as they are about as entertaining of a team as you’re going to get.

Overall Rating: D. Before I’m told that “a bunch of B’s and C’s doesn’t make a D”, that’s not the point of this show. The problem here is that this was not an entertaining wrestling show. It was a bunch of stuff that you get almost every week with the first round of a not exactly interesting tournament added in. Commentary even flat out said something to the effect of “yeah Brian Cage is here A LOT”. See also Athena, Tony Nese, the Workhorsemen and more.

This show was long, not interesting, and felt like it could have come from any point in Ring Of Honor’s history with almost no changes. There were probably three shows crammed into one here for no reason, as the pay per view card shows how little this show means for important shows down the road.

Ring Of Honor’s wrestling is usually pretty solid to good, but the structure, the presentation and everything else is about as bad and boring as you can get in wrestling. I could not stand this show and if not for some talented people on the card, it would have been one of the worst shows that I have seen in a long, long time. Dreadful stuff this week.

Results
Josh Woods b. Eli Isom – Gorilla lock
Trish Adora b. Vita Vonstarr – Lariat Tubman
Mogul Embassy b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Pedigree to James
Leyla Hirsch b. B3cca – Running knee
Renegades b. Tiana James/JC – Sling Blade hart Attack to James
Athena b. Christina Marie – Right hand
The Kingdom b. Rhett Titus/Tracy Williams – Proton Pack to Titus
Christopher Daniels b. JD Drake – Best Moonsault Ever
Big Bill/Lee Moriarty b. Gabriel Hodder/Adrien Soriano
Tony Nese b. Cheeseburger – Pumphandle driver
Gravity b. Anthony Henry – Top rope splash
Shane Taylor b. Serpentico – Big splash
Dalton Castle/The Boys b. Trustbusters – Bang A Rang to Kay

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: June 15, 2023
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Nigel McGuinness

We’re about five weeks away from Death Before Dishonor and that means the card needs to start coming together. There is still enough time to burn off another show or two but things need to start heading in that direction. If nothing else, Claudio Castagnoli certainly needs a new challenger for the World Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Matt Sydal is ready to face Samoa Joe for the TV Title.

Samoa Joe is ready to face Matt Sydal for the TV Title. Points for treating this like a big time fight.

Opening sequence.

TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Matt Sydal

Joe is defending and they’re starting fast here. Sydal goes after him and is immediately taken into the corner and forearmed down for his efforts. Back up and Sydal hits a jumping kick to the face to put Joe outside. The Meteora off the apron hits Joe but he runs Sydal over without much trouble back inside. The nerve hold keeps Sydal down and Joe cranks on the arm for a bonus.

Sydal fights up with some chops and a jumping knee, followed by a spinwheel kick, which leaves Sydal on the floor in a weird result. Back in and Joe’s powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana, though Sydal comes up holding his knee. The knee is fine enough for a top rope Meteora and a near fall so Sydal goes up top. That’s fine with Joe, who crotches him down and grabs the MuscleBuster to retain at 6:46.

Rating: C+. That’s it? They built Sydal up as this big challenger for months and he just loses in about seven minutes? Joe has held the title for about fourteen months now and very few have given him a run for his money. I don’t think you can quite add Sydal to the list, but as for now, I’m not sure who else can challenge for the title, save for reheating Mark Briscoe.

Respect is shown post match.

Deimos vs. Nick Comoroto

This is Deimos’, with Teal Piper (Roddy’s daughter), debut. Deimos (rather tall and muscular) pounds Comoroto down to start and counters a slam into one of his own. They fight to the floor with Comoroto sending him into the steps to take over, followed by a running powerslam for two back inside. A Widowmaker gives Comoroto two but Deimos is back with a spinebuster. Deimos’ big boot gets two as Piper is starting to panic. Comoroto gets in a throat snap across the top though and it’s an Alabama Slam for the pin (with feet on the ropes) on Deimos at 5:14.

Rating: C. They were lumbering around a bit but this was a nice enough power match. Comoroto still feels like he could be something as he has the rather unique look and a good offense to back it up. Deimos is a tall guy and looks great, though he didn’t do much here to set him apart. I could go for more from both of them though, as some seasoning and experience could get them somewhere.

Mark Sterling has gotten Tony Nese some time to speak tonight.

Iron Savages vs. Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus

The Savages have their hype man Jacked Jameson with them. Boulder suplexes Williams to start before it’s off to Bronson, who gets sent into the corner. An armbar over the ropes slows Bronson down but the Savages get in stereo gorilla press slams to take over again. Titus comes in and kicks Bronson in the face, followed by a quick belly to belly.

Boulder comes back in for a Boss Man Slam/swinging sidewalk slam (cool) to plant them both. Back up and Williams/Titus manages something like a double AA on Boulder. Bronson comes back in and gets caught with a Hart Attack but Boulder is back in for the save. Bronson fire thunder drivers Titus onto Williams (that’s a new one) and an electric chair splash gives Bronson the pin at 4:56.

Rating: C+. The Savages might not be the most complicated team in the world but it is nice to see someone with that kind of power around here. Being so different makes them stand out ala a team like War Machine back in the day and Jameson is funny enough in short doses. Let these guys run through some more people on a regular basis and I could see them getting a title program down the line.

The Workhorsemen (who seem to be on every week) don’t like FTR, or Mark Briscoe for that matter. Briscoe can take FTR’s beating for them.

Diamante vs. Teal Piper

Deimos is here with Piper, who gets in a quick slam to start. A neckbreaker over the middle rope cuts Piper off though and Diamante hits the running corner dropkick. Diamante slaps her in the face, which is enough to fire Piper up for some kicks in the corner. A sleeper doesn’t work for Piper as it’s something like Cross Rhodes to bring her back down. Diamante ties up the arms in a choke for the stoppage at 4:11.

Rating: C. Piper didn’t get squashed here but she only showed so much. Maybe it would have been better if she hadn’t popped up in the earlier match, but seeing her twice in one night took away some of the special feeling. She has enough skill be have a run on the indies somewhere though and with some more experience, could be something down the line. Diamante is still good for a spot like this and I’m still not sure why she hasn’t gotten a bigger role before.

Respect is not shown post match.

Tony Nese vs. Serpentico

Before the match, Nese and the rest of the Varsity Athletes say they have tried to get the fans’ respect for years but it has never happened because the fans aren’t on the same level. Instead, the wrestling is on hold because it’s time for group exercise! Ari Daivari leads the exercise until Serpentico’s entrance interrupts.

Nese wrestles him down without much effort but Serpentico comes back up with a slap. That’s too far for Nese, who stomps away and nails a hard elbow for a bonus. Serpentico tries to fight up but gets caught with a spinning kick to the face to put him right back down. Nigel goes old school by saying Nese is the winner of this year’s Jesse The Body Award. Hold on though, as Riccaboni says that he won a pose down against Frankie Kazarian.

With that out of the way, Nese grabs a bodyscissors and hammers away, only to miss the springboard moonsault. Serpentico’s jumping Downward Spiral gives him a breather but Nese German suplexes him into the corner. The Running Nese is enough to finish Serpentico at 6:05.

Rating: C. As much as Nese vs. Serpentico is a main event….I’m thinking nowhere in the country, I can go with Nese and company actually having something to annoy the fans. Calling the fans fat and out of shape isn’t much, but it’s something that might get Nese some heat for a change. The match was little more than a squash, but they might be trying something with Nese and I’ll take the effort.

Athena makes fun of Kiera Hogan and gets decked from behind by the real one.

Notorious Mimi vs. Miranda Alize

They trade slaps to start with Alize knocking her into the corner and sweeping the leg out. A butterfly suplex gives Alize one and a hurricanrana driver is twice as good. Alize stops to yell at her and gets faceplanted for two but Alize is right back with a cutter. The Drive By (Shining Wizard) finishes Mimi at 3:11.

Rating: C-. Now this was more of a squash, as Alize ran through Mimi save for about fifteen seconds. I never got the big appeal of Alize in her original Ring Of Honor run and that has only been slightly upgraded here. She could certainly be a midcard villain and I could see a big showdown with someone like Skye Blue, so there does seem to be some value there. Mimi is apparently rather young and like many others on the show, needs a good bit more experience.

Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. The Righteous/Stu Grayson

Brent and Vincent start things off with Vincent running him over with an elbow. A dropkick works better for Brent so it’s Brandon coming in with a springboard high crossbody to Grayson. Everything breaks down and Castle is sent into the post, leaving Brent to get beaten down without much trouble.

Dutch hits a splash and Grayson adds a heck of a clothesline to keep Brent down. An enziguri gets Brent out of trouble though and the hot tag brings in Castle to clean house. A reverse Sling Blade drops Vincent but Dutch blocks a suicide dive. Back in and a triple flipping faceplant finishes Brent at 7:24.

Rating: C+. This was an energetic match with Castle and the Boys being their usual entertaining selves and the villains working well together. Grayson being the unofficial member of the Righteous works for him and they could be a nice team, especially if they’re done with the Dark Order. For now though, I’ll take a nice trios match.

The Dark Order promises to get more violent and ask if they’re Grayson’s family.

Athena vs. Trish Adora

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Adora wins or survives the ten minute time limit, she gets a future title shot. We pause for Athena to yell at the fans to start, with commentary pointing out how stupid that is in a ten minute match. Adora slips out of an early headscissors but a test of strength lets her crank on Athena’s arm.

Athena bails to the floor and the distraction lets her snap the leg across the rope to take over. A leglock with a hair pull has Adora in more trouble, at least until she makes the rope. Some trash talk lets Adora come back with a German suplex and a powerslam gets two. Athena manages a quick whip into the corner though and the O Face finishes Adora at 7:10.

Rating: C+. Adora continues to feel like someone who has a lot of breakout star potential around here and I could go for seeing her featured a good bit more. That being said, Athena gets to take out someone else, likely on her way to another match with Kiera Hogan for whatever reason. That’s the feud that has been decided on, no matter how much Athena dominated the first match.

Post match Athena attacks her again but here is Kiera Hogan with a trashcan lid for the brawl. Athena takes it away and knocks her down but Hogan takes it back and blasts her (Riccaboni: “Bangin on a trashcan!”). Hogan sets up a table….which Athena spears her through, just in case Hogan started to feel like a viable threat. Athena knocks herself silly too though and both of them have to be helped out.

Mark Briscoe vs. Anthony Henry

JD Drake is here with Henry. Mark slugs away to start and sends Henry outside for the dropkick through the ropes. Back in and the rolling Death Valley Driver hits Henry but a Drake distraction lets him get in a dropkick. A DDT into a double armbar has Mark in trouble but Mark gets up and kicks him in the face.

Henry kicks him right back and we hit the crossarm choke. Back up and Briscoe hits a dropkick of his own, followed by a fisherman’s buster for two. The Jay Driller is blocked and Briscoe pulls him into a dragon sleeper. With that broken up via a handy rope, they chop it out until the Jay Driller finishes for Briscoe at 7:17.

Rating: C+. It seems that they’re building towards another Briscoe title shot, which makes the loss at Supercard of Honor all the more confusing. I get the idea of Mark being built up after adversity but I believe he’s already checked that box this year. For now though, it’s another pretty nice Briscoe match, as the Workhorsemen get in their required appearance.

Tony Khan introduces Stokely Hathaway and praises him for his good job so far. Hathaway pitches a Chicago street fight between Athena and Kiera Hogan next week. Sure.

DKC vs. Daniel Garcia

This is from Dynamite in Colorado Springs, it’s under Pure Rules and DKC is a student of Katsuyori Shibata. Garcia takes him to the mat without much trouble as we see Jerry Lynn sitting in as a judge. Not talking despite being one of the bosses of the show, but he’s here. A loud chop seems to wake up DKC, who is right back with a running hurricanrana. DKC goes up top but gets knocked outside, allowing Garcia to pose a bit.

Back in and Garcia gets two off a suplex, setting up the STF. DKC uses his first rope break, which has Garcia applauding himself. Garcia loads up a charge in the corner but stops to dance, which is apparently a shot at Shibata. DKC hits a middle rope jumping kick to put Garcia down and then fires off a series of chops. A neck crank sends Garcia over to the ropes for the break, allowing him to come back with a Boston crab. With that not working, the Dragontamer finishes DKC at 7:34.

Rating: C+. This was a logical step towards Garcia vs. Shibata, even if that might not be the most thrilling feud. The Pure Rules matches are something different, but they are only so interesting in the first place. Garcia vs. Shibata does feel like something of a feud, but it’s something that could be dropped without missing much.

Post match Garcia sits ala Shibata.

The Mogul Embassy knows they have beaten everyone and they’ll do it again against more weak competition.

Viva Van vs. Skye Blue

Van, who apparently holds five titles right now, grabs a wristlock to start but gets taken down just as quickly. A rolling kick to the face gives Van two but Blue gets in a boot to the face. Blue’s hurricanrana into a Shining Wizard gets two, only to have Van grab a wheelbarrow suplex for the same. Back up and Blue superkicks her, setting up Skyfall for the win at 4:01.

Rating: C. This match is the prime example of something that did not need to be on this show and could have been cut to shave off some time. Blue won a #1 contenders match on Rampage and then lost last night on Dynamite. Did she really need a rebound win 24 hours later? She’s been on six of the last eight Ring Of Honors so it’s not like she’s never around. This was there to add another match to a show for the sake of adding another match to the show and that’s where this show gets really tiresome every week.

Respect is shown post match, which makes sense as Van looked solid.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Mogul Embassy vs. Action Andretti/Darius Martin/AR Fox

The Embassy, with Prince Nana, is defending. Fox and Cage get things going with Cage running him over with a shoulder. A slingshot splash is pulled out of the air and Fox is sent flying with a fall away slam. Martin comes in to dropkick Cage into a tag to Khan as the pace picks up.

Toa walks on Martin’s back but he’s right up to his feet for a tornado DDT. Andretti gets the tag and is knocked outside for some whips into the apron. Back in and Andretti is fine enough to hit a Canadian Destroyer on Cage. That’s enough for the tag to Fox as the pace picks up again. A springboard missile dropkick hits Cage and a big dive to the floor does it again. Back in and a Swanton gives Fox two, followed by an assisted middle rope cutter for the same.

Everything breaks down and Toa runs over all three challengers at once. Khan hits a fireman’s carry gutbuster on Martin but Fox is back in with a 450. Fox and Andretti kick away at Cage and Andretti hits his torture rack neckbreaker. Khan gets sent to the floor but Cage is back with a discus lariat to Martin. The Cheeky Nandos kick hits Andretti and Weapon X retains the titles at 10:19.

Rating: B. They went with a simple concept here and had every go nuts for the last few minutes. It was a power vs. speed match and that might be the most basic wrestling formula there is. That is the case for a reason as it works well when it is done right, as was on display here. The champs got rocked before coming away with the dramatic win and that made it the best thing on the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked it better than last week as it felt like there was a bit more purpose to some of the matches, but on the other hand there was (yet again) a lot of stuff that felt like it was there to pad the run time. There’s little need to have a lot of these people on the show every single week, and now Tony Khan is apparently going to be around to make matches while Hathaway plays a suck up villain and Jerry Lynn doesn’t talk. It’s nice to see them trying something, but a two hour show with a bunch of seven minute matches featuring so many of the same people week after week is only going to be so exciting.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Matt Sydal – MuscleBuster
Nick Comoroto b. Deimos – Alabama Slam
Iron Savages b. Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus – Electric chair splash to Williams
Diamante b. Teal Piper via referee stoppage
Tony Nese b. Serpentico – Running Nese
Miranda Alize b. Notorious Mimi – Drive By
The Righteous/Stu Grayson b. Dalton Castle/The Boys – Triple flipping faceplant to Brent
Athena b. Trish Adora – O Face
Mark Briscoe b. Anthony Henry – Jay Driller
Daniel Garcia b. DKC – Dragontamer
Skye Blue b. Viva Van – Skyfall
Mogul Embassy b. Action Andretti/Darius Martin/AR Fox – Weapon X to Andretti

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Ring Of Honor
Date: May 18, 2023
Location: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back at the studio show this week and that means the show is probably going to run long. As was the case last week, there is a heck of a show in here somewhere, but adding in so many other things bogs it down. The main attraction this week is a Fight Without Honor between Action Andretti/Darius Martin and the Kingdom so let’s get to it.

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

Willie Mack and Ninja Mack respect each other and they seem ready to team together.

Opening sequence.

Gringo Loco vs. Rey Fenix

Loco slaps him during the handshake so Fenix fires off the rapid kicks. A multi springboard hurricanrana sends Loco outside and more springboards set up a dive to take him down again. Back in and a gorilla press sitout facebuster gets two on Fenix, meaning it’s time to rip at the mask. A flipping faceplant gives Loco two more but Fenix is right back with a kick to the head.

They trade kicks to the head until both of them are down for a breather. Fenix loads up a rolling cutter but Loco grabs one of his own for two more. Another kick drops Loco again and a super hurricanrana gets two. Loco shoves him away on top and grabs a twisting super Canadian Destroyer for two more. Fenix is right back with a poisonrana though and now the rolling cutter can finish Loco at 8:49.

Rating: B. This was the formula that has worked for years and still does to this day: take two high fliers and let them go nuts with one big spot after another. It made for a fast paced opener and the fans were way into it as well. Fenix can make anything look good and Loco can work very well with him. Heck of an opener here, which shouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever.

Peter Avalon and Ryan Nemeth make fun of the Iron Savages with bear puns.

Willow Nightingale vs. Madi Wrenkowski

Nightingale gyrates a bit to counter a waistlock but gets pulled down by the hair. Back up and a shoulder into a backsplash crushes Madi but she trips Nightingale down. Some slaps get one on Nightingale and we hit the chinlock. A facebuster gives Madi two more but Nightingale Pounces her HARD. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes Madi at 3:46.

Rating: C. Madi got in a lot of offense here and has been around a few times in AEW/ROH before, so the success shouldn’t be that shocking. That being said, there was no reason to have Madi be a real threat here (which she wasn’t), as Nightingale is a much stronger star. I’m not sure what kind of major push she can get, but she does need to beat some bigger names (and eventually get some gold) at some point.

Peter Avalon/Ryan Nemeth vs. Iron Savages

Jacked Jameson is here with the Savages, who seem rather interested in lifting weights these days. Bronson shoves Avalon down to start and then hits a shoulder for a bonus. Nemeth comes in and gets beaten up as well, with Avalon taking a backdrop for trying to interfere. It’s off to Boulder for a running splash in the corner but Nemeth gets in a chop block for a breather. That doesn’t last long as it’s back to Bronson, who gets to run some people over. The middle rope moonsault misses but Avalon can only get a bunch of near falls. Boulder picks Bronson up on his shoulders for an electric chair splash to end Avalon at 5:14.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but the Savages are nice for a big man team who can move well enough. Nemeth and Avalon aren’t exactly a top team but they have been around long enough to get in just a bit of offense here. I could see the Savages going somewhere though, and Ring Of Honor really needs to build up some teams, making this a nice fit.

Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal vs. Cole Karter/Zack Clayton

Daniels and Karter trade wristlocks to start until Daniels hits a leg lariat. Sydal comes in with a standing legdrop and an assisted moonsault for two. Daniels drop toeholds Clayton into a basement dropkick and Sydal fires off some kicks to the shoulders. That doesn’t do much though as a whip into the corner has Sydal upside down and Karter tosses him into Clayton’s powerslam (that looked good). A frog splash gives Karter two but Sydal DDTs his way out of trouble.

The hot tag brings in Daniels to clean house as everything breaks down. Daniels hits a bulldog/clothesline combination but Clayton blasts Sydal with a clothesline. Sydal is right back up with a dive onto Karter on the floor. Daniels plants Clayton and hits the Best Moonsault Ever for the pin at 6:30.

Rating: C+. Perfectly nice match here and it was a fine enough workout for Daniels and Sydal. I’m not sure they’re going to become a major team again or get back near the title picture, but having a veteran team with some previous success is always a good thing. They can also make anyone look good, which was the case here for a pair of guys without much going on. This went as it should have, as Sydal and Daniels needed to get a win after a few weeks away.

Video on the Kingdom vs. Darius Martin/Action Andretti, who have been feuding for a few weeks now, meaning it’s time for a Fight Without Honor.

Lady Frost vs. Miranda Alize

Alize sends her into the corner to start and adds a running elbow to the face. A butterfly suplex gives Alize one but Frost is back with a jumping knee to the face. Alize drops her again with a release suplex, followed by a tiger driver for two more. Back up and Frost cartwheels over into something of an Air Raid Crash, setting up a corkscrew moonsault (and a good looking one at that) to finish Alize at 3:21.

Rating: C. This didn’t get much time but Frost would be a nice addition to the roster. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from her before and she has a rather unique look that would make her stand out. Other than that, Alize still feels like a star who could be someone when she gets the chance, and adding her into the Ring Of Honor women’s division would be a good idea. I could have gone for more of this, but what we got worked well enough.

Angelico/Serpentico vs. Eli Isom/Cheeseburger

Luther is here with Angelico and Serpentico as part of the Spanish Announce Project. Cheeseburger climbs onto Serpentico’s back to crank on the arm to start but it’s quickly off to Angelico. A quick leglock has Cheeseburger in trouble but he slips out and sends them together for a big crash. Isom comes in as everything breaks down, including a suicide dive onto Serpentico on the floor. Back in and Angelico ties up Cheeseburger’s legs again, this time for the tap at 3:40.

Rating: C. It was fast paced, but neither team really had the chance to show off what they can do. Angelico and Serpentico aren’t exactly a top level team and Isom and Cheeseburger have been around for a long time. That doesn’t make or the most thrilling match, but at least they kept it short here.

NJPW TV Title: AR Fox vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre is defending and they trade arm control to start. A cravate doesn’t get Sabre very far as Fox sends him into the corner for a running clothesline. With Sabre on the floor, Fox hits a big dive over the top to take him down again. Back in and Sabre gets serious about the arm cranking but a cross armbreaker attempt sends Fox into the ropes. Fox kicks him in the face and grabs the swinging suplex for two.

Sabre comes right back with a running kick to the chest but Fox snaps off a running hanging DDT for two of his own. Lo Mein Pain gets the same on Sabre as we have five minutes left. Fox sends him outside for the big running flip dive but the 450 misses. Sabre goes right back to cranking on the leg, including something like a stretch muffler on the mat to make Fox tap at 11:19.

Rating: B. It’s amazing how much easier it is to get into a Fox match when he isn’t doing something ridiculous like shrugging off getting dropped on his head four times. Granted it helps being in there with Sabre, who is one of the better in-ring technicians going today. Good match here, with the technical exchanges being rather entertaining.

Post match Sabre says he feels bloody marvelous and knows he is the most active TV champion anywhere. Cue Samoa Joe to say there can be only one champion around here and the challenge is on. Hold on though as here are Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal, with the former saying Sydal is overdue some gold. A tag match is set up and if Sydal can beat either of them, he gets a shot.

Gates Of Agony vs. Dalton Castle/The Boy

Prince Nana is here with the Gates, who seem to have taken out Brent (the other Boy, as opposed to Brandon here). Castle starts with Khan but Brandon asks to come in instead. This actually goes well for a few moments before Khan hands it off to Toa to run Brandon over. Khan’s chinlock keeps Brandon in trouble and Toa adds a running kick to the face. The seated abdominal stretch keeps Brandon in trouble but he finally fights up. An enziguri gets Brandon over for the hot tag to Castle, who twists Toa’s nipple. A series of splashes get one on Toa but a Nana distraction lets him hit Castle with a fireman’s carry gutbuster. Open The Gates finishes Brandon at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This was your usual big monsters squashing a smaller guy until the real star comes in to do something. Castle is still someone who feels like he could break out if he was ever given the chance but for whatever reason, he is stuck teaming with one or more of the Boys. Even though it seems that we have run the main course of that angle, Castle keeps getting stuck there instead of letting him be a star on his own.

Post match Castle says he was the legal man, because the Embassy and Castle/the Boys must feud for all time and eternity in an effort to validate the existence of the Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Workhorsemen/Shane Taylor vs. Schaff/Ricky Gibson/Eddie Pearl

The Workhorsemen take over on Pearl with some stomps and a suplex but he gets over to Schaff. Taylor cuts off that comeback, setting up the package piledriver to finish Schaff at 2:43. They didn’t waste time there.

The Righteous are in the back when Stu Grayson interrupt. He wants to know what is going on but here is Evil Uno to say the Righteous need to leave Grayson alone. Grayson says no one speaks for him though, and tells the Righteous they have one chance. The Righteous seem giddy with gladness.

Ashley D’Amboise vs. Mercedes Martinez

Ashley moves away from him to start but Martinez snaps off some suplexes to take over. Martinez misses a charge in the corner though and a running flip neckbreaker drops her fast. As we get a comparison of Vader/Ron Simmons/Bronco Nagurski to Ashley (because they’re all two sport athletes, with Ashley’s other sport being dance), a reverse AA gets two on Martinez. That’s enough for Martinez, who takes her down for a curb stomp into a surfboard dragon sleeper for the tap at 6:24.

Rating: C+. D’Amboise continues to look pretty good in the ring, but Martinez is still one of the best stars in all of the women’s division. Having Martinez back and active would be a good thing, as she can make anyone look better while also easily being slotted into the title picture. You don’t get too many like her and letting her do something more would be a good thing.

The Kingdom vs. Darius Martin/Action Andretti

Fight Without Honor meaning anything goes and Maria Kanellis is here with the Kingdom. The fight starts on the stage before they get down to ringside. The weapons are brought in rather fast, with a double dropkick sending a chair into Bennett’s face. A trashcan is put over Taven’s head and various weapons crush it around him. It’s time for a ladder, but Maria’s distraction lets Bennett hit a NASTY chair shot to Andretti’s face, knocking him onto the ladder.

Back in and a spinebuster drives Andretti onto a trashcan as Bennett is busted open. Just The Tip onto a ladder onto Martin’s face lets the Kingdom set up a table in the corner. The Doomsday Flight Of The Conqueror doesn’t work for the Kingdom though and Andretti is right there with an Arabian press. Back in and Martin hits a springboard Downward Spiral on Bennett, meaning it’s time to set up some chairs.

Hail Mary onto the open chairs gets two, with Andretti making the save. The Proton Pack is broken up and a springboard 450 hits Bennett on the table, though it doesn’t quite break. Back up and Bennett Death Valley Drivers Andretti through the table in the corner. Purple Thunder onto a chair gets two on Martin, who is knocked outside. Maria holds Martin up for chops from Bennett, who accidentally forearms Maria down. Back in and a low blow hits Taven, before Bennett comes back in to spit at them. A bunch of kicks knock him silly and it’s a powerbomb/clothesline off the ladder combination to finish Bennett at 15:09.

Rating: B. It was your pretty run of the mill yet still good weapons match, even if having a thrown together team taking out former Tag Team Champions is a little weird. The Kingdom has been back for a bit now and for some reason just hasn’t clicked. You would think someone with their credentials and in-ring skills would have more success or at least be more prominently featured in a promotion being built from the ground up, but instead they’re putting people over. It’s a fine use for them, but I’m not sure it’s the most logical.

Respect is shown post match and the winners post on the ladder to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked this one a bit better than last week, even though it was somehow even longer, clocking in at just over two hours (second longest show yet). There is enough good wrestling in here to make it work, but there is also a good deal of stuff that you might want to fast forward through instead. That is the signature of this show and I’m still not sure why a lot of this stuff needs to be included every week.

Results
Rey Fenix b. Gringo Loco – Rolling cutter
Willow Nightingale b. Madi Wrenkowski – The Babe With The Powerbomb
Iron Savages b. Peter Avalon/Ryan Nemeth – Electric chair splash to Avalon
Christopher Daniels/Matt Sydal b. Cole Karter/Zack Clayton – Best Moonsault Ever to Clayton
Lady Frost b. Miranda Alize – Corkscrew moonsault
Angelico/Serpentico b. Eli Isom/Cheeseburger – Leglock to Cheeseburger
Zack Sabre Jr. b. AR Fox – Stretch muffler
Gates of Agony b. Dalton Castle/The Boy – Open The Gates to Brandon
Workhorsemen/Shane Taylor b. Eddie Pearl/Schaff/Ricky Gibson – Package piledriver to Schaff
Mercedes Martinez b. Ashley D’Amboise – Surfboard dragon sleeper
Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. The Kingdom – Powerbomb/clothesline off a ladder combination to Taven

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 20, 2023
Location: University Of Milwaukee-Wisconsin Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

You never know what you can expect out of this show (save for Athena and Tony Nese/Mark Sterling of course) and in a way, that makes it more fun. They keep things simple with the show and it makes things that much better a lot of the time. The show has yet to be bad and if they can keep that up, it’s a nice use of however long it is this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Kingdom vs. Darius Martin/Action Andretti

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is here with the Kingdom. Martin gets suckered into the wrong corner to start and Taven adds a dropkick. A running forearm gives Bennett two and a spinebuster is good for the same. Martin manages to send Bennett outside though and it’s Andretti coming in as everything breaks down. Taven gets sent into the corner but Bennett cuts Andretti off, allowing Taven to kick him in the head. The Hail Mary is broken up though and it’s Martin coming back in to pick up the pace. Martin and Andretti both go up but Maria offers a distraction. That’s enough for Bennett to Proton Pack Martin for the pin at 6:16.

Rating: C+. This was a fun enough match, as the Kingdom beat a makeshift team and hopefully get to move on to something more serious. They could easily be slotted into a title feud and I’m rather surprised they haven’t been closer to the titles. The team already has the resume so why not run with that for a bit?

Athena doesn’t like that she’s not being taken seriously so the open challenge is on. The fact that there was a graphic during the first match showing who she was facing takes away some of the intrigue.

Willow Nightingale vs. Robyn Renegade

Robyn’s sister Charlotte is here too, but Riccaboni steals the show by rapping Nightingale to the ring (and doing rather well). Nightingale shoulders Robyn down to start and strikes a pose, followed by a basement crossbody for two. A bulldog drops Robyn again but she trips Nightingale up on the apron to take over. Back in and Nightingale kicks her in the face, setting up a spinebuster for two. The Pounce sets up…a sister switch, but the referee catches her. Nightingale grabs a cradle for the pin at 4:57.

Rating: C. The ending was a bit of a twist and it was kind of nice to see Nightingale cut off what seemed to be a good plan. Other than that, Nightingale gets another win that keeps her warm, but she is to the point where she needs a big win or a lot of this isn’t going to matter. Nightingale has the tools, but a win is what matters and she doesn’t have a big one yet in either promotion. Fix that or these wins don’t mean much.

Post match the Renegades take Nightingale out.

Colt Cabana is happy to be back and getting a TV Title match tonight against Samoa Joe.

Lance Archer vs. Jah-C

As usual, Archer jumps him during the entrance and is in control as the bell rings. For some reason Jah-C tries a dropkick and gets screamed at for his efforts. Chops have just as little effect and the reverse DDT plants Jah-C. A lariat finishes for Archer at 1:59.

Post match Archer beats him to the back.

Brian Cage vs. Joey Jett

Prince Nana is here with Cage. An overhead belly to belly sends Jett flying and a German suplex makes it worse. Jett’s slingshot cutter is blocked and Cage hits another suplex. Back up and Jett slugs away, setting up a quick Downward Spiral. Jett hits a running kick to the face for two but Cage takes his head off with a discus lariat. The F5 finishes Jett off at 5:07.

Rating: C. Jett was a hometown boy and for a few seconds there, the fans were having quite the bit of fun getting behind him. There was little reason to believe anything else was going to happen though and that’s ok here. Giving Jett even a bit of offense in there was fun and it made what should have been a total squash more entertaining than it would have been otherwise.

Heather Reckless vs. Athena

Non-title Proving Ground match (if Reckless wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, she gets a title shot). Athena kicks her in the face but stops to pose, allowing Reckless to send her outside. The dive doesn’t go well though as Athena pulls her out of the air for some tosses into the barricade. Back in and about five powerbombs in a row set up a Crossface to make Reckless tap at 2:55.

Post match Athena sends her face first into the title belt, as tends to be her custom.

Dark Order vs. Lee Johnson/Cole Karter

John Silver/Alex Reynolds for the Order here. Silver flips over Johnson to start and hits a dropkick but Reynolds gets driven into the wrong corner. Reynolds shoulders his way out of trouble and a clothesline gets two on Karter. Silver gets drawn in though and Johnson get sin a cheap shot on the floor. Johnson takes Reynolds down and tries to cut off a hot tag attempt but a backdrop lets Silver come in anyway. Karter punches Silver from the floor to cut him off again so it’s right back to Reynolds. Everything breaks down and a series of strikes set up the Stunner into the German suplex into the flipping bridge to pin Karter at 6:07.

Rating: C. The action was fine but it’s hard to get into a match that felt like it belonged on Elevation at best. The Dark Order get reactions but they have long since stopped feeling like they matter whatsoever. Johnson and Karter (Remember when he dressed up like Sting that one time and it went nowhere?) never felt like anything in the first place so there just wasn’t much to get behind here.

Penta El Cero Miedo vs. Nick Comoroto

Alex Abrahantes is here with Penta. Comoroto throws a toothpick in Penta’s face to start so we get the glove removal but Comoroto cuts off the throw. Some hard shots put Penta down as the early power dominance begins. Penta fights up with a pair of Sling Blades and gets two off a Backstabber. There’s the arm snap for two but Comoroto is back with a fireman’s carry backbreaker onto the knee for two more. Penta isn’t having this and snaps the arm again for the pin at 5:41.

Rating: C. Comoroto hasn’t crossed my mind in a good while, which is kind of shame as he has enough of a look to have at least a chance. Then again, there is only so much you can do when you are put into a low level group with little reason to care. Hopefully he gets a shot somewhere, but losing to Penta in five minutes isn’t a great step forward.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Lee Moriarty

They trade takedowns to the mat to start, with Takeshita’s headscissors not getting him very far. Back up and an exchange of armdrags sets up a leg lariat to drop Moriarty. Takeshita gets knocked outside though and some running knees send him into the barricade. Moriarty starts in on the arm back inside and bends away, including snapping the fingers.

The shoulder is sent into the buckle a few times but Takeshita is back with a jumping clothesline. There’s a brainbuster to give Takeshita a breather and some running kicks in the corner rock Moriarty. A middle rope backsplash gives Takeshita two but Moriarty catches him on top with a superplex.

They slug it out until Takeshita’s German suplex into the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. The running knee misses though and Moriarty suplexes him into a Border City Stretch. That’s broken up as well and Moriarty’s European Clutch is countered into a legtrap Tombstone for two. Takeshita forearms him down and the running knee finishes at 12:40.

Rating: B. This is a tale of two matches and we’ll start with the good. These two beat the fire out of each other for almost thirteen minutes and it was one heck of a back and forth match, with Takeshita adding another strong match to his long list and Moriarty getting perhaps his best match ever as a result.

On the other hand, it was a little jarring to see Takeshita get his big hero moment by saving the Elite from the Blackpool Combat Club and FINALLY be moved up on Wednesday and then do this on Thursday. I get that it’s just the order they were filmed in, but maybe the person putting this together should have known better than to have that happen on back to back nights.

Gringo Loco vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

Non-title. They flip around to start until Vikingo runs the ropes for a headscissors and then kicks Loco to the floor. Loco takes him right back down though and hits a dive, only to get slammed down back inside. Loco catches him inside for a super Spanish Fly, followed by a spinning faceplant for two.

Vikingo scores with some kicks to the face before doing a triple springboard hurricanrana (thankfully Loco was nice enough to just stand there while Vikingo set it up, including composing himself before starting) to send him outside. A springboard inverted hurricanrana drops Loco on the floor for two back inside, followed by the outside in corkscrew 450 for two more.

Vikingo’s swinging sitout Rock Bottom plants Loco again, setting up a corkscrew rope walk dive to the floor. The 630 misses though and Loco drops him face first onto the top. They both go up top for the super gorilla press slam to plant Vikingo again. A double springboard poisonrana plants Loco and the 630….apparently retains the title at 12:19.

Rating: B+. This was more of the crazy excitement from Vikingo and Loco looked great in his own right. As usual, there was A LOT to ignore in the way of “why is he standing there while the other guy jumps all over the place” but dang those flips and dives are enough to cover it up. Vikingo is the modern highlight reel wrestler and it’s a great to see him. Now maybe hype up his appearance a bit more next time since he’s that big of a deal?

Iron Savages vs. Logan Lynch/Ren Jones

The Savage are formerly known as Bear Country and have Jameson Ryan with them. Jones’ early shots to Boulder just hurt himself and Jones is sent flying into Lynch. Bronson piledrives Lynch onto Jones and Boulder slams both of them. An electric chair into a splash gives Bronson the double pin at 2:18. The Savages looked impressive enough and it’s better than Bear Country.

Gringo Loco lost but Tony Khan has invited him back so it’s a good night.

TV Title: Colt Cabana vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending. Cabana rolls him up to start but Joe elbows him in the face and fires off the rapid jabs in the corner. A snapmare into the chop to the back gets two but the MuscleBuster is cut off. Cabana’s middle rope sunset flip gets two and the Bionic Elbow puts Joe down again. The Flying Apple into the middle rope splash gives Cabana two but a moonsault hits knees. Joe Koquina Clutches him to retain at 5:41.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and after some of the other things on the show, didn’t feel all that important. Joe racks up another win over a name challenger but there wasn’t time to build much drama. Cabana is an ROH legend though and having him around makes all the sense in the world. Put this much earlier in the show and it’s an improvement.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There’s a really good show in here if you trim down a lot, but this week was giving me that same “when is this over” vibe as they just packed in match after match. Cut some of this stuff out and the show will feel a lot better, or at least reorganize it a bit so that Vikingo/Loco was on last, as nothing was topping it. The show still feels like it doesn’t have a ton of direction, as wrestlers do a lot of the same stuff week after week. Building to another show would help, but unless they have something new to add in before Death Before Dishonor, it’s going to be a long few months.

Results
The Kingdom b. Darius Martin/Action Andretti – Proton Pack to Martin
Willow Nightingale b. Robyn Renegade – Rollup
Lance Archer b. Jah-C – Lariat
Brian Cage b. Joey Jett – F5
Athena b. Heather Reckless – Crossface
Dark Order b. Lee Johnson/Cole Karter – Flipping rollup to Karter
Penta El Cero Miedo b. Nick Comoroto – Arm snap
Konosuke Takeshita b. Lee Moriarty – Running knee
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Gringo Loco – 630
Iron Savages b. Logan Lynch/Ren Jones – Double pin
Samoa Joe b. Colt Cabana – Koquina Clutch

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