IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

16^th Anniversary Show
Date: March 9, 2018
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Sunrise Manor, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s time for another Ring of Honor pay per view and that can mean a mixed bag of results. The main event this time around is World Champion Dalton Castle defending against Jay Lethal in what should be a good match. Other than that we have the Briscoes defeating the Motor City Machine Guns for the Tag Team Titles. I would say challenging but it’s about as obvious as you can get. Let’s get to it.

Here’s the go home show if you need a recap.

Pre Show: Women of Honor Title Tournament First Round: Sumie Sakai vs. Hana Kimura

Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary. Kimura is from Stardom in Japan and one half of their Tag Team Champions with her partner Kagetsu, at ringside. Sumie’s offer of a handshake is ignored and Hana pounds her down to start. A whip sends Sakai outside and Kagetsu chokes away like a villain should.

Back in and Hana pounds away, followed by a surfboard with a few presses up and down. A half crab stays on Sakai’s back but she’s still able to counter a suplex into a DDT. Sakai gets two off a bridging belly to back, only to have Kagetsu grab her leg on top. Hana’s brainbuster is good for two but it’s time for some heel miscommunication. The team is sent into each other and Sakai dives onto both of them in a good visual. Back in and Hana hits a Helluva Kick for two but Sakai grabs something like Cross Rhodes for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C. I’m not wild on a match like this as you’re basically expected to watch the YouTube matches and Stardom to know who these people are. Sakai has been around Ring of Honor for a long time now and other than the fact that she’s a wrestler and from Japan, I couldn’t tell you a single thing about her. That’s the case with most of the women’s division and that’s not good. Work on that and the division will get better in short order.

Post match Sakai gets beaten down by both villains.

Pre Show: Women of Honor Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Brandi Rhodes vs. Tenille Dashwood

That would be Emma if you’ve already forgotten and Mandy Leon is on commentary. Tenille easily takes the rookie Brandi down for some early near falls but gets taken down by a shoulder. Brandi points to her head….and gets tripped down with Tenille not even getting off the mat. Point to Dashwood.

Back up and Brandi runs the ropes for a crisscross but Tenille just stops, leaving her to run on her own. Brandi slaps her in the face and that means the beating is on, including a double leg takedown and some right hands. A chase goes a bit better for Brandi and an awkward back elbow to the face staggers Tenille. Brandi goes with a short armscissors followed by a Sling Blade for two.

Rating: D. This really wasn’t good as it was clear Brandi had no business being in the ring with someone like Dashwood. I get why Brandi is getting a push (gorgeous smile, married to Cody, has a ton of potential) but she’s REALLY not there yet and it’s showing badly. They did play up the idea that she was in over her head but that’s not exactly how you want to be presenting a title tournament match.

Post match Brandi won’t shake hands and leaves with Leon.

The opening video is presented like a short documentary with wrestlers talking about their favorite memories over the last sixteen years. It switches up to a standard opening video for a very nice setup.

Bully Ray is in the ring and welcomes us to the show, promising a great night. He’s very good in the role of a hype man.

The announcers run down the card that we’ve already paid to see.

Hiromu Takahashi vs. Flip Gordon

They fight over a wristlock to start, which really needs to stop being the opening to every match in so many promotions. Gordon does his nip ups to avoid everything but Takahashi just dances instead of wasting his time. Smart man there. A shoulder drops Takahashi and there’s a hand walk into a headscissors out to the floor.

Flip hits a non-flipping suicide dive but gets the bad end of a chase with Takahashi dropkicking him off the apron. Back in and Takahashi starts in on the arm but now it’s time to start with his stuffed doll, which is totally a thing in ultra serious Japan. Thankfully that goes nowhere and we hit a figure four necklock to keep Flip in trouble. Back up and Flip hits some forearms, followed by the running shooting star for two. That move is so overused anymore. A low superkick into the Falcon Arrow gets two more and it’s time to head up.

The 450 misses and Takahashi snaps off a Canadian Destroyer, only to get superkicked before Flip goes down. Gordon wins a slugout with another superkick and the Star Spangled Stunner for two. Another 450 misses and Takahashi Death Valley Drives him into the corner, followed by a German suplex for a near fall of his own. A superkick sets up the Time Bomb to end Gordon at 12:22.

Rating: C. Good choice for an opener here as the company clearly sees something in Gordon but can’t put him over a pretty big name like Takahashi. You can tell Gordon is going to be a big deal in the near future and thankfully he has some more things going for him than just high flying offense. He needs more polish, but what he has so far is working well enough.

Quick recap of Punishment Martinez vs. Marty Scurll. Marty wanted to be #1 contender and tried to talk Martinez into giving him a title shot if he won the title. Martinez gave him a chokeslam so tonight we’re having a #1 contenders match.

Marty Scurll vs. Punishment Martinez

Scurll jumps him before the bell and tries the Ghostbuster but Martinez throws it off with ease. The big flip dive to the floor rocks Marty and a curb stomp gets two. It’s too early for the chokeslam so Marty chases the referee to the floor instead. Marty kicks him in the leg and hits a tornado DDT but has to escape a Last Ride attempt. The chickenwing is shrugged off and a full nelson faceplant drops Marty again. They’re burning the mat up so far (at least by their standards) and I’m rather pleasantly surprised.

Back up and Marty breaks up a springboard by kicking the ropes out, banging up Martinez’s knee again in the process. A running knee to the knee (not the smartest idea in the world) allows Marty to go outside and grab a bag, which is quickly taken away. Martinez hits a HUGE dive over the top to take Marty and security down and a curb stomp onto the apron….doesn’t seem to do much damage. Well to be fair it is Ring of Honor.

It’s table time but the springboard flip dive only hits table as Marty is somehow alive after a curb stomp onto the apron. Back in and Marty gets two off a piledriver and it’s more superkicks, followed some hard stomps to the head. Martinez pops up again (to be fair, that’s what a monster should be doing) so Marty loads up the powder, only to settle for a low blow and the rollup pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. That’s more like it and you can pencil in Marty for the title shot at Supercard of Honor. I really could go for him winning the title, if nothing else for the sake of adding another issue tot he Bullet Club as Marty would be the only one holding a major singles title. Martinez is going to be fine as he can pop back up with the monster stuff and chokeslam people in have to recharge.

We recap the TV Title match. Silas Young cheated to steal the title at Final Battle but Kenny King won it back on TV. Tonight is the rubber match in a pretty decent feud.

TV Title: Kenny King vs. Silas Young

King, the hometown boy with his daughter in the front row, is defending while Young has the Beer City Bruiser in his corner. Young slaps away a handshake offer and flips out of a snapmare. A dropkick puts King down and Silas takes a lap despite being in control. Back in and Young shoulders him down again but King grabs a trip into a Last Chancery. As usual it doesn’t last long so King is up with a hiptoss and a slam. Those are kind of a downgrade after a hold like a Last Chancery.

The announcers talk about Bob Holly as Silas gets forearmed in the face but still manages to break up a springboard. A chinlock doesn’t last long so King gets thrown through the ropes and into a cameraman for a different kind of crash. Back in and King reverses a suplex into one that goes over the top, putting both guys on the floor in a heap. Just like their previous match, they’re not exactly following a standard pattern here and I’m not sure how well it’s working.

A spinning kick to the face knocks Young outside again and now the dive hits him instead of the hardworking crew. Back in and a high crossbody gives the champ two but Young gets the same off a spinebuster. Neither guy can hit the finisher so Young settles for the springboard moonsault for two instead. The ref gets bumped and OF COURSE Silas hits Misery a few seconds later, giving him a delayed two. I’m really, really over that trope. As expected, King hits a quick Royal Flush to retain.

Rating: C. I still don’t like these two together but it’s nice to get this done once and for all. King is turning into a nice midcard act and someone who could be moved up the card with a big feud. He has the natural charisma and the athleticism can go along with it. Young needed to hold the title a little longer, but at least he got to win something.

Post match AUSTIN ARIES comes out with his belt collection, saying he’s never won the ROH TV Title. That’s a challenge, and odds are it’s going down in New Orleans.

Long recap of So Cal Uncensored vs. Bullet Club. So Cal Uncensored seems sick of dealing with the Club on top of the promotion (preach it brother) and had the Six Man Tag Team Titles won via cheating, only to have new enforcer Bully Ray restart the match. Tonight it’s a street fight for the titles.

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

The Bucks and Page are defending. The champs dive onto So Cal to start and it’s already time for an assisted dropkick to stagger Daniels. A buckle bomb into stereo kicks to the head have Daniels in more trouble and a chair is brought inside. Page drops Sky onto the chair and scores with a dropsault for good measure. Sky’s misfortune continues with Page toss powerbombing him onto the ramp.

Thankfully Sky is back in with a kendo stick to save Kazarian from a belt whipping but the beating continues, including a shooting star off the apron onto Daniels. Kazarian is busted open as the Bucks pull a table out. Daniels is up to shove Matt through said table though and So Cal pops up to triple team Nick. A slingshot hurricanrana to the floor drops Page and Nick gets crotches with the kendo stick.

Sky sticks Daniels by mistake but Matt gets pulled into a cutter to keep him down. Stereo dragon sleepers have the Bucks in trouble but it’s Page coming in with a trashcan lid for the save. Page’s belt with nails sticking out is whipped onto Kazarian’s back and somehow doesn’t horribly main him. A backbreaker through the chair keeps Matt in trouble and it’s time to set up some pieces of the barricade on the floor. Nick is back up to save his brother and we hit stereo Sharpshooters.

This time it’s Kazarian making the save so Daniels chokeslams Page and hits the BME for two. Daniels gets thrown through the barricade pieces though and everyone is down again. With Kazarian on the table, it’s time for a ladder. Sky makes a save with a cutter onto the apron but here’s Matt with an elbow off the ladder through Kazarian.

Back in and a 450 onto a trashcan onto Sky gives Nick two with Shane Taylor coming in for the save. Nick can’t slam him (thank goodness) but Page can give Shane the Rite of Passage. It’s Daniels up with some zip ties to tie Page to the post though and Sky hits Matt in the bad back. A Boston crab/dragon sleeper combo is enough to end Matt for the titles at 19:03.

Rating: A-. This was a lot of fun as they didn’t bother trying to waste time with the wrestling. The story called for a wild brawl and that’s what we got. If nothing else it’s fun to see the Bucks lose and having them be in tremendous pain makes things even better. So Cal Uncensored winning makes for a more interesting story as they’re trying to stick around after their contracts expire at the end of the year. Obviously we have a bunch of stuff to get through first, but this was a great start. Very solid match.

Post match the Kingdom comes in to beat the Bucks down until Ray makes the save.

We recap the pre-show matches. Any excuse for more Dashwood is a good thing.

We recap Matt Taven vs. Cody. They both want to be in the World Title hunt so Taven stole Cody’s ring (of honor). Cody turned face as a result, which is actually a better fit for him, at least in the short term.

Cody vs. Matt Taven

There’s no Kingdom with Taven but Cody brings out Brandi and the All-In Bear. Taven bails to the floor to start before coming back inside to exchange standing switches. The threat of Cross Rhodes sends Taven outside again but Cody follows, only to rub his nose against the bear’s. Back in and the American Deathlock has Taven in trouble but a rope is grabbed in short order.

Taven hot shots him to take over and stomps away but heads outside and yells at Brandi and the bear. A dive misses and Cody stays in trouble, this time with a reverse chinlock. Cody’s uppercut gives him a breather but Taven is right back with a Boston crab to stay on the back. Taven tries a Lionsault but hits knees, meaning it’s time for a slugout. Cody’s snap powerslam with a lack of snap gets two and an Alabama Slam gets the same. With nothing else working, the Bear tells Brandi to grab a chair but the referee takes it away.

The distraction lets Taven score with a kendo stick shot, followed by Cross Rhodes for a pretty good near fall. Cody’s Beautiful Disaster is kicked out of the air but the second attempt works just fine. Taven is right back up with the Climax (1%er) for two more and there’s the required ref bump, followed by a double knockdown. Cue the Kingdom to help with a low blow but Cody has a cup. Bully chases the Kingdom away and Cross Rhodes ends Taven at 14:08.

Rating: B-. This was a little more overbooked than it needed to be, though at least the right person won. Cody is actually clicking as a heel but the Kenny Omega match is going to be a huge deal for him. He needs that kind of character development and this is a big step for him going forward.

Post match Cody gets the ring back but the Bear knocks him down. It’s Kenny Omega, who knocks Cody out with a V Trigger. Brandi makes the save and kisses Omega, saying to tell Kota Ibushi that he liked it. You think the fans went a little nuts over that one?

We recap the Tag Team Title match. The Briscoes are all serious again and want their titles back. That means crushing the Motor City Machine Guns in by far the biggest layup on the card.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are defending and the fans are very solidly behind the Briscoes. Mark suplexes Sabin for an early two and it’s already time for an early exchange of stomping. Sabin gets over for the tag to Shelley so house can be cleaned in a hurry as everything breaks down. Double superkicks from the apron have Mark in trouble as the announcers go over various former Tag Team Champions.

Mark is right back up with the Blockbuster from the apron but Jay takes a hanging swinging neckbreaker to keep the champs rolling. With Mark busted open, Shelley rakes away at the cut and rubs the blood on the referee’s shirt. Dude at least pay for the laundry. How much do you think these guys make? That’s enough for Jay as he comes back in and kicks the champs in the head.

Shelley is taken outside and manages to dodge a dropkick through the ropes, sending Mark into Jay instead. A hot tag brings in Sabin and the rapid fire double teaming begins. An assisted Sliced Bread #2 sets up the Cradle Shock with Jay making the save. There’s the Dream Sequence but Sabin dropkicks Mark by mistake for a double knockdown. The Froggy Bow gets two on Sabin but the Doomsday Device is countered into a rollup for the same. Jay gets two off the Jay Driller and I’m rather surprised on the kickout. Instead, the Doomsday Device connects to give the Briscoes the titles back.

Rating: B-. This was an obvious ending but at least the Guns were game here. The Briscoes are just on another level right now and there’s no reason to not have the titles back on them. I’m not sure who could take the titles from them anytime soon and if that means more awesome, surly Briscoes, I’m very pleased.

We get the same promo from Castle that we’ve seen twice on TV as of late, with him saying he can feel it in his belly.

Jay Lethal is ready to get his title back and isn’t leaving Las Vegas without it. At least this was something new.

Ring of Honor World Title: Jay Lethal vs. Dalton Castle

Castle is defending and of course we get Big Match Intros. Lethal’s leg trip attempts don’t get him anywhere and Castle is laughing. Castle shoulders him down and an early Bang-a-Rang attempt sends Jay outside. Back in and we hit the peacock pose before Castle forearms him in the corner. Castle blocks some suplex attempts and grabs one of his own to put Lethal in the most trouble yet.

Jay is right back with a trip to take it outside but Castle snaps off a hurricanrana of all things. That might mean a knee injury though and Castle is backpedaling in a hurry. Well as much of a hurry as you can have with a limp. Back in and an enziguri knocks Dalton off the apron for two suicide dives. The third is blocked though and Castle muscles him over for a German suplex on the floor.

Castle can’t follow up so the Boys fan the knee. How can you not chuckle at that? A chop hits the post though and Castle has another injury in short order. A ram into the bell has Castle in even more trouble but he posts Lethal for a breather. Back in and Lethal kicks one Boy off the apron but ring announce Bobby Cruise makes the catch. That earns Bobby a suicide dive so Cabana goes over to check on him.

Castle waistlocks Jay, apparently having recovered while Lethal wasted so much time. The Lethal Combination gives Jay two so it’s off to a torture rack. For a unique change of pace, Lethal flips forward (think a Regal Roll) and gets two more to keep Castle’s ribs banged up. Castle grabs a bridging German suplex for two, making sure to lift his leg to relieve the pressure.

A quick cutter drops the champ and it’s right back to the knee to keep Castle down. Jay’s Figure Four keeps him in control and the Lethal Injection scores….for two on a heck of a kickout. They head to the apron and a kick to the knee takes Castle down again. Lethal can’t hit a cutter on the apron and it’s Castle German suplexing him from the apron to the floor in a SCARY crash. Back in and they slowly slug it out with Castle barely able to stand. Another Lethal Injection is countered and the Bang a Rang retains at 25:57.

Rating: A-. This is the win that Castle needed. It’s long been established that he can hang at this level but beating Lethal, probably the best big match performer Ring of Honor has at this point, is a requirement. This sets him on a roll going forward, likely with Scurll as the next challenge. The match itself was the back and forth fight that ROH does very well, especially without the standard WWE formula. Throw in a clean pin and no shenanigans and this was all you could have wanted.

Post match Lethal shakes his hand but Marty Scurll comes out for the challenge to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Heck of a show here as Ring of Honor continues to know how to knock the big shows out of the park. I’m looking forward to Supercard of Honor and I wouldn’t have bet on that being the case just a few months ago. Right now everything is clicking and it’s become a very easy show to watch. Even the Young Bucks aren’t as annoying lately, which I didn’t think was possible. Very good show here though and worth checking out if you have the time.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 7, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re coming up on the 16^th Anniversary Show and that means it’s time to really hammer the card home. Or in this case, it’s time to have a bunch of other stuff before we actually get to the pay per view because of the weird schedule. The shows have been mostly solid as of late so hopefully the trend continues. Let’s get to it.

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

Briscoe Brothers vs. Best Friends

The Briscoes cost them a title shot a few weeks back to set this up. The violence continues here as the Best Friends are knocked off the apron to start with the beating starting fast. Back in and the Friends hit a string of running clotheslines in the corner but stop for a hug. You don’t give the Briscoes that kind of a break so the Friends are knocked outside as we take a break.

Back with Mark driving Barretta into the corner but getting caught in a tornado DDT. It’s off to Chuckie for a sitout powerbomb as everything breaks down. An Eat Defeat into a suplex rocks Mark, setting up the big flip dive from Barretta. Back in and the reverse Razor’s Edge into a cutter gets a close two on Mark. Barretta’s backslide gets two more but it’s a Jay Driller into a Froggy Bow for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. I’m not big on the Best Friends but amazingly enough, they’re this much better without all the hugging nonsense. Instead it was a straightforward match where they came close to beating the Briscoes, only to come up short in the end as they should have. The Briscoes are going to win the titles without much effort and that’s how it needs to go.

Post match the Motor City Machine Guns come in and lay out the Briscoes in an attempt to make you believe this isn’t going to be the biggest layup of a title change in years.

We recap last week’s TV Title change.

Recap of the Women’s Title tournament so far.

Christopher Daniels vs. Adam Page

Hang on a second though as here’s Bully Ray to eject Scorpio Sky and Kazarian under the threat of a suspension. Page, acting on Ray’s orders, wastes no time in taking it to Daniels by knocking him into the corner and out to the floor. Daniels gets hung over the ropes (by the Hangman of course) but comes back with a shot to the face as we take a break.

Back with Page fighting out of a chinlock and winning the big exchange of forearms. Page powerbombs him down and sends Daniels outside for the shooting star shoulder. Daniels is right back with a rollup but neither can hit their finisher. Best Moonsault Ever misses and the Buckshot Lariat is enough to put Daniels away at 9:17.

Rating: C. I remember watching Page and thinking next to nothing of him. He wasn’t interesting, he wasn’t different and he wasn’t very good. Now though, he’s managed to turn himself into someone who not only puts on good matches but has also figured out how to be the aggressive enforcer of Bullet Club. That’s a role he can play and much more than I ever would have expected from him.

Post match Shane Taylor runs in and beats Page down with Daniels saying it was the best money he ever sent. Ray pops up and isn’t pleased with these events.

Punishment Martinez/Marty Scurll vs. Jay Lethal/Dalton Castle

Before the match, Martinez and Scurll say they’ll be the World Champion, Lethal is ready to take the title and Castle is happy with a bowl of delicious soup. Martinez and Castle start but Punishment wants Lethal. Jay, in full on Macho Man style gear, comes in and gets caught in a hard headlock. The early chokeslam doesn’t work and Jay’s chops just seem to annoy Martinez. Dude his name is Punishment. How smart do you think it is to chop him?

Scurll demands to come in and Castle wants a piece of that (his words). Some jockeying leads to an exchange of wristlocks with Marty actually getting the better of it. Jay comes back in for an elbow to the jaw and the good guys exchange Matrix style poses. Marty uses the distraction to kick Jay in the face though and we take a break. Back with Jay slipping out of a Psycho Driver and handing it off to Castle for the suplexes, including a German suplex for two on Scurll.

Lethal kicks Castle by mistake though (You knew that was coming) and Scurll grabs the Ghostbuster on Jay. The full chickenwing dance is broken up by Punishment tagging himself in. Now the Psycho Driver and a curb stomp connect for a near fall on Jay (that’s not a good sign for two big moves from Martinez).

Scurll tags himself back in this time and everything breaks down. Martinez turns Jay inside out with a clothesline but charges into a dead lift German suplex. The fans are way behind Castle but Punishment beats on the Boys. Lethal is back in with some kicks to Martinez, followed by some errant powder from Scurll. Castle takes Martinez to the floor and the Lethal Injection ends Scurll at 13:20.

Rating: C+. The ending being too overbooked didn’t do this any favors but the rest of the match was all it needed to be. They set up both matches on Friday as well as they could have and aside from a DQ or countout ending, Scurll probably has the least to lose here. Lethal continues to be awesome, but I think he comes up short on Friday.

Cody says there is no throne for the Kingdom.

Matt Taven is ready to make Cody kiss the ring.

The Briscoes can’t be held responsible for what they’ll do to the Machine Guns.

The Guns aren’t letting the Briscoes be around one more year.

So Cal Uncensored is ready for a street fight party.

The Bullet Club promises to win.

Scurll says Martinez is in for a spot of bother.

Martinez says Scurll is just his next victim.

Lethal is getting his title back.

Castle’s belly is full of excitement. We saw most of these promos last week but it’s nice to have them on the go home show too.

Overall Rating: C+. The main goal was accomplished: I care more about this Friday’s pay per view than I did coming in. If nothing else, I got a reminder of the matches on that show, which were getting a little hazy. It’s still not a good looking show, but the main event should be awesome and if there’s one more good match included, things should be fine.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Jay Lethal vs. Flip Gordon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 17, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’ve got a stacked show this week, including something resembling a dream match (I use that term kind of loosely) between Jay Lethal and Will Ospreay. In this case dream means more like “it should be very good”, which is certainly not a bad thing to say about a match. Other than that there’s probably more from new World Champion Dalton Castle so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jay Lethal vs. Will Ospreay

Ospreay’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title isn’t here yet so non-title. They fight over a wristlock to start and it’s Jay being flipped over off a wristlock. Jay pops back up and shows Ospreay how to do a wristlock but the cartwheel into a basement dropkick is cut off. Lethal gets sent outside but is ready for Ospreay’s handspring dive, grabbing his hands to take Will down.

The three straight suicide dives send Ospreay over the barricade and it’s Marty Scurll coming out as we take a break. Back with Marty on commentary, explaining that he won at Final Battle because he brought out the old Lethal. Marty also demands a World Title match and that works very well for me. Ospreay knocks Lethal into the corner and lights up his chest with a chop.

A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets Lethal out of trouble and he scores with an uppercut. Ian: “To the European himself.” Marty found that one HILARIOUS and….eh I love easy jokes but not really. Back up and Ospreay kicks Lethal in the chest, followed by an enziguri in the corner. Will sends him outside and the Flying Space Tiger Drop (cartwheel into a moonsault over the top) crushes Jay as we take a second break.

Back again with the Oscutter being caught in a torture rack (Marty: “THE LETHAL EXPRESS!”). Jay rolls it forward like a reverse Regal Roll (Ian: “HE’LL BE YOUR HERO!”) for two and Marty is losing it on these near falls. Ospreay is right back with a reverse Impaler for two of his own, only to walk into the Lethal Combination. Jay’s Figure Four is countered into a small package but Jay counters the Oscutter into a cutter of his own. The Lethal Injection puts Ospreay away at 16:37.

Rating: B. Yep it was a very good match and again, that’s all you need on something like this. They were trading the big bombs here but they also played up the idea that they knew each other very well, which makes for a nice story. The Oscutter into the cutter was a very cool counter and Marty wanting to face Jay again could set him up for the title shot in New Orleans.

It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit with guest Jonathan Gresham, who is in a much higher chair. Because he’s not that tall you see. Coleman starts in with the short jokes but Gresham talks about being trained by Mr. Hughes in Atlanta. We hear about Gresham’s not great win/loss record and Coleman laughs a bit. Gresham talks about mastering his style and the rules he would like for people like him. Sounds like a return of the Pure Rules format. And that’s it, ending another, ahem, thrilling, Coleman’s Pulpit. This is one of the lamest interview segments in wrestling history and it’s not getting any better. Just drop it already.

Kenny King vs. Brian Milonas

Milonas is the big fat guy who was pretty terrible in the Top Prospect Tournament. Brian throws him into the air but King lands on his feet out of a hiptoss. A kick to the head doesn’t do much to Brian but Kenny low bridges him to the floor with some more success. The corkscrew dive barely connects but let’s stop for a picture with a fan. Back in and King chops away to little avail as the big splash in the corner cuts him off. A twisting sunset flip out of the corner doesn’t work but King avoids the sitdown splash. King kicks him in the head and finally drops the big man. The springboard Blockbuster ends Milonas at 3:54.

Rating: C-. There’s only so much you can do in something like this and Milonas isn’t exactly much besides a tree to be knocked down. King needs to be built back up, especially for what seems to be a rematch for the title in King’s hometown of Las Vegas for the Anniversary Show. Not a terrible match and about as good as it could have been.

Post match King wants to fight Silas Young and gets his wish, only to get jumped from behind by Milonas. Beer City Bruiser gets back in for the beatdown, meaning Milonas is Bruiser’s partner as they go after the Tag Team Titles. I’ve….well I’m sure of a worse sounding team somewhere, though Bruiser has been growing on me.

So Cal Uncensored is in the ring for a chat. Before they can get very far though, ROH COO Joe Koff comes out to say the fans don’t want to see him. They want to see the best wrestlers, but that’s not what So Cal Uncensored is. They’re the most disruptive though and Koff should just fire them right now. Daniels threatens to go to TNA or WWE and tell his new bosses all of Koff’s plans for expansion. Koff isn’t worried because Daniels’ contract expires in a year. Therefore, at Final Battle 2018, the Addiction is done. ENOUGH WITH THE CORPORATE STUFF! It’s annoying in WWE and it’s even worse elsewhere. Cut it out already.

The Briscoes want their titles back.

The Kingdom vs. Dalton Castle/The Boys

O’Ryan and Castle start things off with the champ taking TK down without much effort. Back up and a ducked clothesline allows Dalton to hit the peacock pose, only to get jumped by the now legal Marseglia. Boy #2 (according to Ian, after a debate) tags himself in and it’s #1 springboarding in with a crossbody for two. Taven comes back in and demands to face Castle as we hear about him wanting the title. Egads please don’t do that as I can’t handle the promos.

Castle wrestles him down again but can’t get a German suplex. Taven scores with a running enziguri though, only to be sent outside. Castle loads up a dive but stops for that long striding strut of his. #2 dives in with a stomp onto Marseglia’s arm as we take a break. Back with #1 being sent into the barricade twice in a row to really put him down.

A good looking double flapjack sets up a backsplash/legdrop combo for two as the beating continues. Taven tells O’Ryan to let the Boy go and a missed charge allows #1 to get over to Castle for the hot tag. Dalton gets to clean house until he tries a Tombstone on Taven, leading to seven or eight reversals, capped off by Castle planting Matt. The Bang A Rang drops Taven again and the Julie Newmar (close to a crossface chickenwing) makes Marseglia tap at 11:53.

Rating: C. The match was fine, though my complete lack of interest in all things Kingdom isn’t changing anytime soon. It doesn’t help that O’Ryan and Taven look alike, but it’s just Taven and two goons, which doesn’t help the fact that Taven isn’t very interesting on his own. Castle continues to look like a star though and I’d actually be really interested to see him vs. Scurll down the line. The star power is there and I’m glad they took a chance on him at Final Battle.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty good show here with only the worthless Coleman’s Pulpit holding things down. It’s too early to start worrying about the next pay per view but for now, things are looking fairly solid around here. Castle is an energetic champion, the Briscoes are looking more awesome by the week and King vs. Young could be a nice feud. I’m liking things around here right now and that’s not something I can say around here very often.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence with Castle more prominently featured.

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

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

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

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

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

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

TV Title: Silas Young vs. Simon Grimm

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

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

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

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

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

Clip of the Women of Honor Title tournament being announced.

Briscoes vs. Ryan Nova/Eli Isom

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

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

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

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

Flip Gordon vs. Marty Scurll

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: January 3, 2018
Host: Ian Riccaboni

It’s another Best Of show as we’re STILL waiting on the fallout from Final Battle. In theory this is the last show before we move forward but that doesn’t exactly do much good for the fans who are waiting around. That being said, a highlight show can do a lot of good so hopefully this lives up to expectations. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Ian welcomes us to the show and says tonight is going to be all about the War of the Wolds UK Tour.

From August 18 in London.

TV Title: Titan vs. Kushida

Kushida is defending. Technical sequence to start and it’s an early standoff with the fans being impressed. Then again it’s a Ring of Honor crowd so they would probably cheer if they were bored out of their mind. Titan springboards into an armdrag to the floor, followed by a running hurricanrana on the outside.

Back in and Titan teases a hand walk headscissors but Kushida throws him at the referee for a kick to the ribs. They’re quickly back on the floor with Kushida putting him in a chair for a running dropkick. Kushida starts in on the arm to soften it up for the Hoverboard Lock. A basement dropkick mixes things up a bit but the actual holds sends Titan bailing to the ropes. Back up and something like a Pele cuts Titan down but he’s still able to hurricanrana the champ to the floor. A big old Lionsault puts Kushida down (and sees Titan landing on the barricade) as we take a break.

Back with Titan grabbing something like a Figure Four but a rope is grabbed in pretty short order. Titan gets caught on top but Kushida pulls him down into a cross armbreaker. That’s rolled into the ropes again but Titan handsprings right back into the hold. Titan rolls out of that as well and la majistral gets two.

Another wacky rollup gets the same and that draws the FIGHT FOREVER chant. A springboard hurricanrana takes Kushida down but he’s right back up with the Hoverboard Lock. Titan gets a bit too close to the ropes so Kushida rolls away and tries Back to the Future. That’s countered as well (geez) and Titan kicks him in the head. A Downward Spiral into the buckle sets up Back to the Future to retain the title at 15:49 shown.

Rating: B+. Wow. When this match started, I was expecting just another pretty good TV match that didn’t really offer anything special. What I got was one of the best Ring of Honor matches I’ve seen in a VERY long time as both guys left it all in the ring and came out looking like stars. Kushida is my favorite New Japan guy and this is a great example of why. I’ve always really liked his matches and this is one of the better ones I’ve seen from him. Definitely check this out.

From August 19 in Liverpool.

Jay Lethal vs. Josh Bodom

Bodom’s British Cruiserweight Title isn’t on the line. I’ve seen Bodom’s work before and wasn’t that impressed but maybe a better opponent will help. They exchange wristlock counters to start until Lethal blocks a hiptoss and grabs a swinging neckbreaker. A springboard dropkick puts Bodom on the floor but he comes back in with a hurricanrana. There’s a dropkick to really stagger Lethal, though not enough that he can’t hit his cartwheel into a dropkick of his own.

A missile dropkick misses and Bodom knees him in the head. Bodom grabs a reverse hurricanrana to put him outside, followed by a middle rope moonsault. Back in and a top rope double stomp to the back of Jay’s head, followed by a standing shooting star, gives Josh a near fall. The Lethal Combination gets Jay out of trouble and Hail to the King gets two. We hit the Figure Four but cue Silas Young for a distraction. Not that it matters as the Lethal Injection is good enough to pin Bodom at 9:18.

Rating: C-. Ok so maybe it is Bodom. This did nothing for me, again, and that’s not a positive sign when we’re only on the third match. Lethal shrugged off the distraction and won anyway, making me think that Lethal vs. Young was the right move here. You know, a match between two people with a story and who happen to actually WORK FOR RING OF HONOR. There were some moments here but it didn’t work, again.

Once again from August 18 in London.

Bullet Club vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

Cody/Young Bucks/Hangman Page/Marty Scurll

Tetsuya Naito/Bushi/Evil/Sanada/Hiromu Takahashi

Marty and Takahashi start things off with Hiromu stealing the umbrella. That scoundrel! Does he not know who the villain is around here? The tease of a lick to the umbrella is just too far for Scurll and the fight is on with a technical sequence into the bird pose. A running hurricanrana allows Takahashi to do his own bird pose but he has to flip out of a chickenwing attempt.

Cody and Sanada come in with the fans singing about Cody, including his last name as a copyright infringement. Maybe that earns another Cease and Desist letter? Sanada dropkicks him into the corner and the singing continues. We get the big ten man showdown but there’s no violence. Instead the fans want some superkicks so it’s Page coming in and teasing one. Naito comes in as well and we take a break.

Back with Naito avoiding a lockup and handing it off to Evil. Page is sent outside and it’s Naito spinning into his signature pose to a BIG reaction. Scurll jumps him from behind but Los Ingobernables clear the ring without much effort. A quick spank from Evil keeps Scurll in trouble (Appropriate?) and it’s off to Bushi for a middle rope dropkick. Marty gets in a Backstabber and the hot tag brings in both Bucks (sure why not) for the house cleaning to go with the big reactions from the crowd.

Everything breaks down and the Club does the five man Rise of the Terminators, setting up four straight dives. Marty gives Bushi a reverse Razor’s Edge into something like a One Winged Angel, followed by a top rope splash to give Matt two. Back from another break with Page and Nick missing moonsaults. Matt misses as well so Nick and Cody stomp away. The Club wants Marty to try a moonsault and panic sets in very quickly. He finally gets up (shaking the entire way) and….I think misses? His hands grazed Bushi but he sold it like a miss.

The hot tag brings in Sanada to tie Page up, followed by the running dropkick to the back. Everything breaks down again and Page hits Naito with the rolling lariat. Sanada comes back in with Cross Rhodes for Cody, only to have Scurll break his fingers. The Superkick Party is on and the Bucks grab Takahashi’s stuffed cat Daryl. Takahashi has to save Daryl from the chickenwing but he winds up taking the Meltzer Driver.

The Club poses and Takahashi starts crying. Fans: “SAY YOU’RE SORRY!” Takahashi fights all of them because his partners are out looking for hot dogs and beet juice. A quintuple superkick drops Takahashi but Naito comes back in. Bushi offers some mist and Naito rolls up the very green Page for two. Destino plants Page for the pin at 22:09 shown.

Rating: B. That’s a great way to do a major house show main event and that’s the right idea. The fans need something entertaining to make the shows feel more important and having two big groups like this in one match is the right way to go. They had some good stuff going on here, but some of the screwy comedy stuff wasn’t exactly my taste. I can see why this is considered one of the best things the company had though as it was some good fun, especially for the fans there live.

Ian wraps it up and we get some credits to end the show in a nice touch.

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

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

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

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

Ring of Honor is kind of an oddball promotion. Unlike most wrestling companies, they wait until the end of the year for their biggest show, which actually makes sense. WWE holds their big show in March/April and Impact Wrestling’s is in October/November. Those are kind of strange choices, which is why “Final Battle” being held in December makes some sense. Their biggest show of the year is being held tonight so let’s get to it.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks/Adam Page(c) vs. Titan/Dragon Lee/Flip Gordon

We’ll get this one out of the way early as I’m certainly not a fan of the Bucks. It doesn’t help that I can never even remember these titles exist. They’re hardly ever defended and the teams seem to be thrown together more often than not. That’s what’s happened here as Titan and Lee are CMLL wrestlers who are being brought in for another special appearance, this time getting a title shot.

Therefore, I’ll take the Bucks and Page to retain, as it’s not like they have anything else to do at the moment. It’s rather annoying to have these belts thrown around for no apparent reason other than for the sake of having more titles but having to deal with the Bucks makes it even worse. I’m sure the match will be entertaining and could make for a fun opener but it’s not much more than that.

Matt Taven vs. Will Ospreay

Another special attraction match with Ospreay coming in from New Japan for a guest appearance. Taven is another name that doesn’t do anything for me, along with the rest of the Kingdom. They’re just kind of there more often than not and this feels like a way to make sure Taven is on the card and fill in some time.

As awesome as Ospreay can be at times, I’ll go with Taven winning here. There’s no reason to have the outsider win here, though Ring of Honor has some weird opinions on how to treat the New Japan wrestlers. Taven seems better suited as a tag team wrestler but maybe having do a singles match will be a better fit for him. I mean, it’s not like it can get much less interesting.

Jay Lethal vs. Marty Scurll

Now this is more like it. Lethal has completely won me over and I see him as one of the true stars of Ring of Honor. He has consistently good matches, including pulling off a minor miracle against Beer City Bruiser a few weeks back. Scurll is a heck of a performer too and I’m actually starting to come around on this idea of cheering for someone whose gimmick is being a villain. They’ve even had a good story here with Scurll pointing out that Lethal was more successful on the dark side and trying to tempt him back.

I’ll take Lethal here, but Scurll winning would be a huge moment for him. It’s a case where you can’t go wrong with either pick and that’s a very nice situation to be in. Scurll isn’t quite a full time Ring of Honor guy and Lethal can absorb the loss just fine, though I think he needs the win at this point. I’m looking forward to this match and if it goes as I’m expecting, it could very easily steal the show.

Bully Ray/Tommy Dreamer vs. Briscoe Brothers

The build for this one has been downright impressive. In modern wrestling and especially in a promotion like Ring of Honor, it’s next to impossible to sell an angle. However, Ray sold the heck out of the thing and made it seem like he really was done. You could always feel that he was going to be in the ring at this show, but my goodness they made it work while they were building it up.

This is going to be the emotional rollercoaster of the show and it’s going to end with the Briscoes destroying the ECW legends. I’m not sure why this isn’t Ray vs. Jay Briscoe but the tag match works well enough. The Briscoes have their work cut out for them to get booed in New York but if there’s one team that can help them pull it off, it’s a pair of ECW alumni.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns(c) vs. Best Friends

We’re back to the matches that don’t feel like they have much going for them. The Best Friends showed up a few months back and haven’t exactly done much. That being said, they also haven’t done too little. The same is kind of true for the Guns, who are a semi-legendary team who deserve at least one run with the titles. That’s fine, though not exactly inspiring stuff.

I’ll take the champs to retain here as the Best Friends don’t quite seem ready for the belts. The Guns could lose them at any time (please, not back to the Bucks) but I really don’t think that’s the case here. The match should be well laid out, albeit in that Ring of Honor style that I’m just not a fan of most of the time. It won’t be bad, but I can’t see myself getting too far into this one.

Addiction vs. War Machine

This is more my style. These teams have built up a very nice rivalry over the last few weeks with War Machine wanting the titles back and Addiction using every heelish trick they can come up with to cut them off at every turn. Getting Ray Rowe suspended (likely for a tour or an injury) was a nice move and it gives you a reason to want to see War Machine crush them.

As much as I want to think it’s going to be the Addiction, I can’t get past the idea of seeing War Machine beat those two into the ground. Addiction doesn’t need a win like this and while they’re still good, are probably better suited more as gatekeepers for younger teams with more long term potential. War Machine is one such team, assuming they’re not eventually WWE bound.

TV Title: Kenny King(c) vs. Punishment Martinez vs. Silas Young vs. Shane Taylor

I’m not sure what to think of this but King has really grown on me in recent weeks. Who would have thought that someone who can talk and is a borderline athletic freak was better suited as a face? Again, they’ve built the heck out of this match and I really want to see who comes out as champion.

I’ll go with Young winning, as they’ve teased giving him something for so long now that they have to actually do it at one point or another. Having the match under elimination rules might make that a little more complicated, but he’s probably the best choice of the four. King would be the second best option and Martinez can be a solid monster, though I don’t see Taylor being much of an option no matter what he does. The match should be good, especially if they tell a story with some drama included.

ROH World Title: Cody(c) vs. Dalton Castle

As well as ROH has built Castle up, I just can’t bring myself to take him as a serious contender to the World Title. Having the Boys gone helps (though you can pencil them in for a return here, even if it’s just a run-in) and the wardrobe change is a good move, but Castle just doesn’t seem serious enough to take the title. Of course that being said, Cody hasn’t felt like a real World Champion since he won the thing and I don’t see that changing either.

In a prediction I’m almost sure to get wrong, I’ll go with Cody to retain. The problem is I’m not sure who takes it off of him if he gets by Castle. Lethal maybe? A Japanese import? Their options near the top of the card are a little limited as Castle could face the Bullet Club for months. I just can’t see them going with Castle though and that’s why the main event scene is one of the company’s biggest issues at the moment.

Overall Thoughts

This is one of Ring of Honor’s best built cards in a long time and that’s a nice thing to see. Far too often these shows feel like they’ve been slapped together and it’s cool to see them actually make the top show feel like the top show. There are multiple matches I want to see and I don’t get to that point very often around here. Well done on setting something up but now follow through on it.

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

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

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: December 13, 2017
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the go home show for Final Battle and you never know what that means around this promotion. They might set up something for the pay per view but at the same time it might be any given show. Unfortunately it’s probably going to be two weeks at minimum before we get to any kind of follow up due to the annoying taping schedule. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Kenny King vs. Caprice Coleman. That’s going to be our feature attraction tonight isn’t it? I’m so thrilled.

Opening sequence.

TV Title: Kenny King vs. Caprice Coleman

Silas Young is on commentary. King is defending but Coleman has the enforcer for hire Shane Taylor in his corner. The champ works on a hammerlock to start but it’s way too early for the Royal Flush. Back from a break with Coleman snapping him throat first across the top rope and grabbing a headscissors on the floor.

King gets sent hard into the corner for two and it’s off to something like a camel clutch/crossface chickenwing hybrid. A top rope hurricanrana doesn’t work though as King slips out, leaving Coleman to take a heck of a fall with his legs bouncing off the ropes. King gets two off a tabletop suplex but Coleman grabs his rolling northern lights suplexes for two more.

The Sky Splitter is good for the same but Coleman can’t hit a piledriver. Taylor finally gets involved with a distraction attempt, prompting the announcers to talk about King being on the Bachelor. Coleman’s rollup gets two but King is right back with the Royal Flush to retain at 10:05.

Rating: C-. Total lack of drama aside, this wasn’t too bad. Coleman continues to be a guy who is just there and I’m not sure how many people were begging for a Rebellion blowoff match. King is already set for a major title defense on Friday and they’re not going to mess with that so close to the show. Not bad though, especially that landing off the missed hurricanrana.

Post match Taylor and Punishment Martinez come in to beat King down but Young goes after both of them.

Here’s the Addiction to demand War Machine be fired for accidentally hitting a fan a few months back. Cue Hanson to go after both of them until a chair shot to the back takes him down. Hanson gets taped to the ropes and Daniels clips off a piece of his beard. Security comes in and Hanson gets free to clear things out.

Bullet Club is ready to defend the Six Man Tag Team Titles. I keep forgetting those exist.

Here are the Briscoe Brothers for a chat, though the fans aren’t exactly accepting of the heel turn. They’re here to tell it like it is and that includes saying they want Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer. Jay talks about doing everything they can to get those two in the ring and they don’t know what else they can do.

Cue Bully and Dreamer but security quickly cuts them off. COO Joe Koff comes out to try and calm things down but the Briscoes say the ECW guys are taking orders from a short old man. Koff gets in the ring and yells at them, saying he’s the matchmaker around here. The Briscoes are disrespecting everyone around here so the match is on for Final Battle and it’s going to be hardcore. Bully and Dreamer get in for the brawl but security is on them.

Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal

Marty Scurll is on commentary. They go straight at it and head to the floor in the first few seconds. Lethal shrugs off some chops and throws Taven over the barricade, only to suplex him back to ringside. A top rope ax handle gives Lethal two back inside and there’s the cartwheel into the basement dropkick. Scurll rips on him for the theatrics but Cabana points out that Marty spins around before the chickenwing. Marty: “IT’S MOMENTUM!” Cabana: “FOR A CHICKENWING???”

Jay’s Figure Four is countered into a small package for two but Lethal clotheslines him to the floor. That means a suicide dive but Jay stops at one for a change of pace. Taven gets in a dive of his own though and we take a break. Back with Taven getting two off a flip neckbreaker but hitting knees on a Lionsault attempt.

A slow slugout goes to Lethal and now the Figure Four goes on. The Kingdom helps Taven get to the ropes and Marty freaks out on Cabana for some reason. Hail to the King gets two as Marty goes to ringside. He throws the umbrella in but Lethal’s not sure. The delay allows Taven to grab a rollup for the pin at 10:11.

Rating: C+. They were working out there and Lethal losing via distraction is fine. Taven didn’t do much here but at least he wasn’t talking and that’s always a perk in his case. Not a bad match and it didn’t overstay its welcome. Scurll vs. Lethal should be a lot of fun and Taven….well Scurll vs. Lethal should be a lot of fun.

It’s time for the contract signing between Cody and Dalton Castle. Cody, in a fur coat, and company, including Brandi Rhodes also in a fur coat, are in the ring but Castle gets an entrance. Castle says Cody looks ridiculous but Cody is too busy eating what appears to be meats and cheeses.

Cody and Brandi stop for some champagne until Castle talks about breaking Cody’s heart at Final Battle. He was excited when he heard Cody was coming because Cody loved wrestling as much as Castle does. Then Cody showed up and it was clear he was overdressed, overpaid and overrated. Both guys sign and they stare each other down to end the show. No violence of anything, making this kind of disappointing. How appropriate in Cody’s case.

Overall Rating: C-. Uh….yeah. This didn’t exactly do much in regards to getting me fired up for Final Battle as the matches were ones you would see on any given TV show. I’m looking forward to the pay per view though and that’s a lot more than I thought I’d be saying a few months ago. Hopefully the show is better, but as always I’m cautiously optimistic around here.

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

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

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: November 15, 2017
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We have a pretty rare announced title match as we come into this week with Mark Briscoe getting his TV Title shot against Kenny King. The problem though is Mark’s horribly dislocated elbow, which could very well keep him out of the ring. They’ve announced the match anyway but there’s always the chance that shenanigans may be afoot. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Dalton Castle laying out Cody last week, pretty much officially setting up the main event of Final Battle. Cody offering to get him an NXT deal is still a great heel line.

Opening sequence.

Punishment Martinez vs. Josh Woods

The winner goes on to a four way TV Title match at Final Battle. Woods slugs away at the monster to little avail to start. A suplex takes Martinez down and a clothesline puts him on the floor (on his feet of course). Back in and Josh charges into a boot in the corner, setting up that springboard flip backsplash for two.

We take a break and come back with Josh choking away but having his dragon sleeper reversed into a Falcon Arrow. That’s fine with Josh, who kicks him in the jaw and scores with a top rope forearm. A knee in the corner sets up a Cannonball and Martinez is actually in trouble. That lasts all of a few seconds as Martinez heads up top for a spinwheel kick (more like a spinwheel hip to the face). Woods throws him again, only to get caught in the chokeslam for the pin at 7:43.

Rating: C+. There was an idea here with Woods using all the wrestling and striking abilities but not being able to do much against a monster. Martinez is someone with some serious potential with that look and style but he still needs some experience. Putting him in the TV Title match makes sense, even if he has next to no chance to win.

Mark Briscoe is ready to win the TV Title, injury or no injury. Jay Briscoe comes up and offers to be in Mark’s corner, which is cool with Mark.

Here’s Jay Lethal for a chat. He wants nothing more than to be back on top of this company as ROH World Champion but something or someone keeps getting in his way. Now though, he wants to set his sights on Cody, who he has defeated before. Cue Marty Scurll to one heck of a reception though. Scurll has been hearing Jay talk about goals, which made him come out here.

Marty wants to face the best in the world and Lethal would be on that list. However, it’s not this Lethal that he wants to face. He doesn’t want to face the Lethal who takes his vitamins and kisses the babies. Marty wants to face the Jay who would do whatever it took to win. Maybe a handful of tights or some feet on the ropes. Maybe the Lethal that could be described as…..villainous?

Jay says that’s not him anymore but Marty points out how much more successful that Jay was. If that’s not what Jay wants to do anymore, maybe he should just be Black Machismo again because that would at least be entertaining. You remember all those fans that wore Jay Lethal t-shirts back then? Well now they’re all in VILLAIN CLUB shirts.

Marty has been successful enough this year that he gets to hand pick his opponent and, of course, he picks Lethal. Jay says it’s on but be careful what you wish for. Good stuff here with with Marty sounding like a star and an equal to Lethal, who feels like one of the most important names in the company.

The Bullet Club is ready to take care of Dalton Castle when he faces Adam Page next week. Castle fighting his way through the Club is a good story to get them to Final Battle.

TV Title: Kenny King vs. Mark Briscoe

Mark is challenging with his arm in a big cast and Jay in his corner. And never mind as Jay throws in the towel at 22 seconds for a referee stoppage. That makes as much sense as anything else they could have done given the circumstances.

Post match Martinez runs in through the crowd and kicks Lethal in the head. Shane Taylor comes out for the big brawl with Martinez until Silas Young comes out to join in as well. Cheeseburger comes in as well because where would we be without him. The challengers all brawl to the floor until King hits a big dive.

It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit, which is rapidly becoming the most worthless talk show in years. This week’s guest is Shane Taylor, who has lost a bunch of weight. Coleman asks about him being a hitman as of late, which he’s been doing because he has a family and a daughter to feed. He’s willing to work for anyone for the right price to give his daughter a better life. This was a very different side of Taylor and it worked well.

Best Friends vs. Addiction

The winners get a shot at the Motor City Machine Guns, on commentary here, at Final Battle. Addiction jumps them to start and it’s an early brawl, as is often the case around here. Daniels gets caught in between them though and the beating is on. Kazarian is sent outside so Barretta can hit his slingshot boot to the face.

The big hug is broken up though, which you just don’t do to Barretta. A northern lights fisherman’s suplex gets two on Daniels, followed by a snap powerslam on Kazarian. The Kingdom is watching from the stage as Kazarian hits a dive of his own to take over for the first time. It’s Barretta in trouble this time with Daniels hitting a Lionsault for two as we take a break. Back with Back with Barretta getting whipped hard into the corner but coming back with a clothesline. A double tag brings in Chuckie to clean house with clotheslines and a middle rope dropkick for two.

Daniels comes right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb but Barretta dropkicks him down. Everything breaks down and WE GET THE HUG, which Ian says is just like the Teletubbies. Kazarian is back in with a Backstabber and the slingshot DDT. That’s fine with Barretta who hits his tornado DDT but Daniels grabs a chair. Cue War Machine to deck Daniels though, knocking him into the Awful Waffle for the pin and the title shot at 9:55.

Rating: C. This was a very, very ROH match and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. They were doing all the dives and flips and such, which isn’t always the best formula in the world. I could have gone for more standard tag formula stuff, at least to an extent. Instead they started with a brawl and ended with one though, which happens a bit too often around here. War Machine vs. Addiction sounds good and it’s nice to have the tag division not revolve around the Young Bucks for a change.

The Guns and the Best Friends hug to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The talking segments here were quite good and it’s clear that they’ve turned on the jets to get us to Final Battle. It’s also nice to see them doing some of their best stuff without the New Japan crutch. Let us see what Ring of Honor can do and how good things really can be around here when they’re allowed to show what they’re capable of doing. Good show here and I’m looking forward to the pay per view, which really doesn’t happen around here.

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

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

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: November 1, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

It’s time to start getting ready for Final Battle next month and we really don’t know much about the card as of yet. There’s really no way of telling what is going to be on the card, but last week’s show saw Mark Briscoe become #1 contender to the TV Title. That is of course assuming his horribly dislocated elbow doesn’t prevent him from wrestling. Let’s get to it.

We look back at Christopher Daniels costing Jay Lethal the Honor Rumble a few weeks back.

Addiction is ready to give Lethal and Kushida a beating tonight. Daniels swears a lot and gets censored.

Opening sequence.

Cody comes out to do commentary.

TK O’Ryan vs. Jonathan Gresham

Before the match, O’Ryan promises to teach Gresham a lesson. Cody isn’t cool with TK running around with an ax but lets it go. O’Ryan takes him up against the ropes for some trash talking so Jonathan grabs a hammerlock to take over. That’s reversed into a hammerlock from TK but Jonathan calmly offers him the other arm for free. TK goes for it and is easily switched into another hammerlock for a cool sequence. A distraction with the ax lets TK get in a cheap shot and we take a break.

Back with Cody still going on about the ax, which is a completely fair point. Like seriously, IT’S AN AX. OK SO IT’S MORE LIKE A HATCHET BUT THE POINT STILL STANDS! A slap to the face only annoys Gresham and he BLASTS O’Ryan with a spinning right hand. Gresham gets knocked outside in a heap and comes up holding his knee.

Cue the Kingdom to surround him but the Motor City Machine Guns come out to even the odds. The Guns are ejected but the Kingdom gets to stay (Colt: “What is this? Bill Watts territory?”)….for all of a few seconds before being ejected as well. Gresham grabs a rather twisty rollup as the Kingdom is still at ringside. Vinny Marseglia even pulls the referee out at two and the Kingdom jumps Gresham for the DQ at 10:24.

Rating: C. It’s kind of amazing how much easier the Kingdom is to sit through when they’re not together. I still have next to no reason to care about them because the Six Man division is worthless but at least I only had to watch one of them at a time here. Gresham is a good technical guy, though injecting a personality could do him wonders.

Recap of Bully Ray’s concussion. I still completely believe that we’re heading towards Ray vs. Jay Briscoe at Final Battle but they’ve done an outstanding job of setting this up.

We look at Kenny King becoming TV Champion and Mark Briscoe earning a shot last week.

Cody climbs onto the announcers’ table and says he’s going to start righting some wrongs. A few weeks ago, the Addiction cost a rookie his chance. Therefore, we’ll make that up right now.

ROH World Title: Cody vs. Scorpio Sky

Sky, who is not a rookie by any means, is challenging. Cody makes him kiss the ring so Sky grabs a rollup at the bell. A super hurricanrana sends Cody flying and a big flip dive over the top has the champ in more trouble. Cody snaps his throat across the top though and it’s time to do some pushups.

Sky’s neckbreaker (Is it just me or does EVERYONE use a neckbreaker anymore?) gets two but Cody slaps on a LeBell Lock as the Daniel Bryan teases continue. The fans chant for Dalton Castle and Sky grabs a German suplex into the corner. Cody doesn’t seem to mind though as a poke to the eye sets up the American Deathlock for the tap at 4:39.

Rating: C. Sky isn’t the flashiest guy in the world but Ring of Honor could use a few guys who are less about showmanship. He has a good look and some experience which should be more than enough to keep him around, even in a limited role. Cody defending the title in quick matches like this is an interesting idea and I like the idea of having the champ out there every so often. Not a bad match either.

Kenny King is this week’s guest on Coleman’s Pulpit with Kenny talking about how important it is to get the title back. Coleman gets a quick jab at Jim Cornette (who can’t stand King) by saying he was going to get a tennis racket to hold the title. For some reason this turns into an analogy of Kenny being a one hit wonder record which then turned into a big hit. Coleman talks about King being on the Bachelor and that’s it. I have no idea what this was supposed to accomplish. It was basically “hey he’s the champ now”, which you would already know.

Addiction vs. Kushida/Jay Lethal

Before the match, Kazarian calls everyone here a stupid mark and brings up Daniels winning the ROH World Title in this building. We take a break and come back with Daniels still ripping on the fans (Colt: “It’s still going on.”) until Kushida finally cuts them off. Kushida and Kazarian get things going but let’s take a pause on the floor. Daniels grabs a mic and tells the fans they’re out because these people want to see them take a beating. Kushida isn’t having that and dives onto both guys, who are nice enough to stand there and wait on him.

Back in and some stereo dropkicks have the Addiction in trouble as we take a break. We come back with Daniels in trouble and Kushida dancing at Kazarian in a bit that is funnier than it should be. Daniels gets taken down and Kushida stands on his back for the Curry Man dance. Lethal finally gets driven back into the corner and the double teaming begins. The stomping in the corner has Jay in trouble as the announcers discuss Halloween costumes.

Jay slips out and makes the tag off to Kushida, who grabs a quick Hoverboard Lock on Daniels. Ropes are quickly reached so Kushida stays on the arm before forearming Daniels back a few times. Kazarian offers a trip from the floor though and Kushida is in trouble this time. Back from a second break with Kushida making the hot tag so Lethal can clean house. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker sets up Hail to the King for two on Daniels. Kazarian comes back in for the sitout powerbomb/neckbreaker combination but heel miscommunication takes Daniels down again.

It’s back to Kushida (a bit early) for a running DDT to Kazarian. Back to the Future is broken up and Kazarian grabs a mostly botched electric chair drop (he didn’t get Kushida up at all and it was more of a takedown than anything else). Jay comes back in for the Lethal Injection on Kazarian, only to walk into Angel’s Wings. Not that it matters as the Hoverboard Lock ends Daniels at 13:21.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here as Lethal and Kushida are actually a pretty solid team. The big thing here is the Addiction looking like horrible people and Lethal standing up for the promotion as only a handful of people could actually pull off. I’m not sure where this leaves most of them for Final Battle but there’s still time to set something like that up.

Overall Rating: C+. Nice show this week as I believe we wrap up a taping cycle and move on to the big one for the build towards Final Battle. You can probably guess most of the matches from here but it’s going to be nice to actually start building towards them for a change. If nothing else it would be nice to have Dalton Castle back to do anything with Cody. Good show this week, but it’s time to get to the important stuff.

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

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

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

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