IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: April 17, 2019
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The fallout from Supercard of Honor continues to be delayed as we’re still not quite ready to get to New York yet. As usual, that means we could be going in a variety of ways as you never know what sort of things this company will throw at you. Odds are it won’t be storyline based though, which can get old after awhile. Let’s get to it.

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

The Briscoe Brothers aren’t happy with having to qualify for the Crockett Cup. That’s cool though, as they’ll throw someone a beating tonight to make it in. After tonight though, they’re not responsible for what happens.

Opening sequence.

Shane Taylor vs. Luchasaurus

Shane yells a lot and they take turns shoving each other in the face. Luchasaurus’ kick to the legs gets on Shane’s nerves so he chops the heck out of Luchasaurus’ chest. Some more kicks have Taylor in trouble but a right hand on the apron sets up a hanging Stunner for two.

Back from a break with Shane shrugging off a knee to the face and getting two more off a chokeslam. The Snake Bites (anklescissors faceplant) into the Shining Lizard (yep) gives Luchasaurus two of his own and they trade the big shots to the face. One heck of a clothesline blasts Luchasaurus for two more but something like Black Mass rocks Shane again. A chokeslam sets up a standing moonsault to Shane’s raised knees and Shane blasts him with a knee of his own. Greetings From 216 finish Luchasaurus at 8:11.

Rating: C+. Shane can have some awesome hoss fights and while this one was good, it wasn’t quite up to the levels of his fights with Jeff Cobb. Luchasaurus is a great monster, though having him lose here doesn’t do him a ton of good. I could see Shane being a great monster for someone to slay, though I’m not sure who that someone would be.

We look at Silas Young cheating to beat Jonathan Gresham last week.

Young and Gresham get in an argument in the back but they’re separated pretty quickly. A rematch is teased for later.

Sumie Sakai/Mayu Iwatani vs. Katie Forbes/Mazzerati

Tenille Dashwood is on commentary and announces that she is cleared to get back in the ring (which ring isn’t specified). Forbes is debuting here (she was at the Impact United We Stand show and didn’t exactly stand out). She’s also rather, ahem, hippy and that seems to be the main focus of her existence. Mazzerati slaps Iwatani in the face to start so it’s a fast paced Japanese armdrag to take Mazzerati down.

Since Mazzerati realizes how far in over her head she really is, it’s off to Sumie vs. Forbes for a change. Katie shoves her into the corner so Sakai kicks her in the foot (which seems to take three tries for Forbes to get the hint) and hits the Mongolian chops in the corner. Forbes hips her in the head and follows with a handspring hip attack in the corner. A Stinkface (yeah you get the idea) sends us to a break with the announcers calling this “terrible”.

Back with Mazzerati kicking Sakai in the knee and getting frustrated at the kickout. The legdrop misses so Sakai gets in a running knee but Forbes intercepts Iwatani on the floor. Sumie grabs a fisherman’s neckbreaker to drop Mazzerati again and this time the tag works just fine. Everything breaks down and Iwatani springboard wristdrags both of them at once. Dashwood: “I can do that but I just hold it back.”

Iwatani’s middle rope missile dropkick sets up a missile dropkick to give Sakai two. Forbes fireman’s carries both of them at once and does some squats before hitting the Samoan drop. There’s no cover so Iwatani superkicks Forbes, leaving Mazzerati to take Smash Mouth for the pin at 10:00.

Rating: D+. I would go into a little more on Forbes but I’d be surprised if she’s brought back. Her entire thing was the hips and that got annoying in a hurry because it feels out of place around here. Forbes wasn’t working for me and the act wasn’t great when it started and aged even faster. Mazzerati needs more work but there’s potential there. Just keep her away from Forbes, who was the big problem with the match.

PJ Black is impressed with Bandido and doesn’t like the cheating ways.

Crockett Cup Qualifying Match: Jeff Cobb/Willie Mack vs. Briscoes

This could be good. Mark and Mack chop the heck out of each other to start and you know they’re both cool with that. A crossbody takes Mark down and a knee to the head makes it even worse. Cobb comes in for his very delayed vertical suplex and the Briscoes are in trouble. Jay comes in to face Cobb and we take a fast break.

Back with Cobb charging into Jay’s elbow in the corner and a double elbow dropping him again. Some knees to the head and an elbow of his own put Jay down and they head outside. Mark isn’t that patient though and hits a big dive onto both of them to put Cobb back in trouble. Jay fires off the hard shoulders in the corner and a snap suplex (with some trash talk to Mack) has Cobb in rare trouble.

A dropkick gets Cobb out of trouble, because a 280lb Olympic wrestler can throw a great dropkick, and it’s the hot tag bringing in Mack. The reverse Cannonball gets two on Mark but Jay sends Mack into something close to a Claymore for two. We take another break and come back with Mark headbutting Mack in the corner with some surprising success. The neck crank goes on for a bit but Mack hits a pop up Downward Spiral (that’s a new one). The tag brings in Cobb but Jay comes in without a tag of his own in what seems like a bit of chicanery.

Cobb suplexes both of them in a row and then does it at the same time to show off. A standing moonsault gets two on Mark, who is right back with a Pele of all things. Jay’s crazy hard lariat gets two as Mack is back to life for the latest hot tag. Mack hits a Samoan drop into a standing moonsault for two on Jay and it’s time to head outside. Since Mack and Cobb can never get together, Mark hits a running Blockbuster off the apron to drop Mack again.

Back in and Mack is fine enough for a t-bone suplex for two but walks into the Doomsday Device. Cobb shoves Jay into the cover for the save and breaks up Redneck Boogey for a bonus. The Stunner into a swinging German suplex sets up Mack’s frog splash for two on Mark in a great false finish. Jay grabs Mark to block the Tour of the Islands so it’s Mack and Mark chopping it out again. Mack hits a running big boot but Jay comes back in for a hurricanrana into the Jay Driller. Just in case, Mark drops the Froggy Bow for the pin at 19:44.

Rating: A-. I dug the heck out of this one as they were nailing it throughout with an energy you don’t get around here very often. The best thing I can say about it though was that it felt like an old NWA main event tag. Back in the day you would have a random pairing against a regular team (usually the Horsemen or the Midnight Express) and they would tear the house down with an awesome match. Cut about three minutes out of this and it’s even better, which is quite the accomplishment. Check this one out, and probably the Crockett Cup too.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event is more than enough to carry this one as far as it needed to go, though the rest of the card doesn’t exactly live up to that level. I want to see the Crockett Cup though, which is about all this show needed to do. They need to get to the main stories though because this isn’t going to be the norm for these shows.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

17^th Anniversary Show
Date: March 15, 2019
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, Nick Aldis

I think the title of this show speaks for itself as we have a big pay per view in honor of the company’s founding. The main event is Jay Lethal defending the World Title against Matt Taven, who continues to get a rocket push for reasons that tend to elude me. Other than that, the improbably rise of PCO continues as Villain Enterprises challenge the Briscoes for the Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on Jay Lethal’s records as World Champion but Matt Taven hijacks the video, saying that he’s tired of having his greatness ignored. Now you can start the show.

Kenny King vs. Marty Scurll

They’re both villains and have traded wins of late but Scurll does it with a smile. Kenny even brings out his own Scurll look alike to really rub things in. An uppercut sends King to the floor at the bell and Marty hits the apron superkick just as fast. Back in and they trade chops in the corner before Marty scores with an elbow to the face. Kenny is right back with a neck snap over the top and a springboard Blockbuster for the first two.

A Blue Thunder Bomb gets the second and we’re onto the chinlock. Aldis even analyzes that, as he’s very, very good on commentary so far. Marty fights up and goes up top, earning himself an enziguri to the floor. Of course the being down part doesn’t last long and it’s a tornado DDT off the apron for a knockdown. A snap German suplex into a backbreaker gets two on Kenny and there’s a 619 of all things for the same. King is right back with some kicks to the head and a spinebuster gets two.

With the wrestling not working, Marty starts going after the fingers so King sends him outside for a senton from the apron. Back in and the Royal Flush connects but Scurll rolls outside as King is down too for some reason. Frustration sets in so King grabs a chair, which is taken away in all of a second, allowing Marty to hit him with the umbrella for the pin at 12:45.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable opener here with Marty using the cheating to win as is his custom. You knew Marty would win here but they did the entertaining stuff to get the fans into the show, which is the entire point of an opener like this. King continues to be fine as the midcard heel and losing to someone about to fight for the World Title next month isn’t going to hurt him.

We recap Jeff Cobb vs. Shane Taylor. It’s a battle of the bulls with Taylor being the only person who can hang with Cobb’s size and power. Cobb has been unstoppable since debuting and winning the title so this should be fun.

TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. Jeff Cobb

Cobb is defending and the fight is on at the bell with both of them no selling release suplexes. A dropkick staggers Shane but he Pounces Cobb off his feet. Some very hard chops have Cobb in trouble but he headbutts and uppercuts his way out of trouble. A running big boot sends Taylor outside, where he spears Cobb to take over again.

Back in and a Cannonball misses, meaning Cobb can throw him around with a pumphandle suplex (that’s insane). Taylor goes back to the strikes to the face until Cobb hits a clothesline, though his swing sends him falling to the floor. Back in again and they square up to each other for the slugout with Cobb hitting a running elbow in the corner. Taylor headbutts his way out of a superplex attempt so Cobb throws him down, setting up the standing moonsault for another near fall.

Rating: B. This was FUN. These guys beat the heck out of each other as only two hosses can and that’s what everyone wanted to see them do. Cobb is a special kind of talent and Taylor has gone way beyond just being a big guy. I had a lot of fun with this as it was a pure popcorn match in the vein of an old monster movie.

We recap the Women’s Title match. Mayu Iwatani won the title from Kelly Klein in a big upset and now it’s time for a rematch. Normally there would be more character building and development than that, but not in ROH.

Women’s Title: Kelly Klein vs. Mayu Iwatani

Iwatani is defending while Klein comes out with Camp Kelly, her unnamed goons. They actually shake hands before Klein jumps her at the bell, continuing a trend tonight. The champ gets knocked outside and it’s some knees to the face to keep her in trouble inside. There’s a running elbow to the face to cut off a comeback attempt as Coleman compares this to Razor Ramon vs. the 1-2-3 Kid, except Iwatani is called a star and not a rookie. And she won a long match instead of a fluke. Other than that, totally the same thing.

Iwatani fights back and hits a few kicks to set up a double stomp to the ribs. Klein wins a strike off though and sends Iwatani outside for a rather odd breather. Back in and they trade German suplexes, with Iwatani landing HARD on her neck. Mayu is fine enough to take Kelly down and hit a quick moonsault, but an attempt at a second only hits knees. K Power gives Klein two but her excessive trash talking lets Iwatani slap on a small package for the pin at 8:52.

We recap Lifeblood forming and their efforts to bring Ring of Honor back to normal. This included destroying Matt Taven’s fake World Title, meaning it’s time for Lifeblood vs. the rest of the Kingdom tonight.

It’s not time for the tag match yet though as here’s Taven to say he’s not waiting another second for his title shot so let’s do this RIGHT NOW.

Ring of Honor World Title: Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is defending and they go straight to swinging instead of shaking hands. Some chops have Taven in early trouble until he suplexes the champ down for two. A clothesline gives Lethal the same but Taven is right back with some knees. Lethal is a little more down to earth with a right hand to the face and a suplex so Taven gives him a running forearm to the face.

We hit the chinlock on the champ to slow things down until Lethal is right back up with a dragon screw legwhip (remember that Taven had a major knee injury). The Lethal Injection is broken up and Taven blasts him with a spinning kick to the face. The chinlock goes back on as we get the breaking news of Will Ospreay challenging Jeff Cobb for the New York show. Cool match, though not the best time to announce it here.

Back up with Lethal favoring his shoulder and getting knocked out to the floor. That goes nowhere as Lethal nails a dropkick and starts in on the back with some knees. The reverse chinlock has Taven in trouble here as they seem to be burning through a lot of time. That’s broken up as well and Lethal gets two off a quick powerslam. Lethal goes for an inverted Texas Cloverleaf (with Lethal sitting on the mat and pushing on the legs) but the bad shoulder means it’s only with one arm.

That’s broken up as well so Lethal starts chopping and knocks Taven outside for four straight suicide dives, each on a different side of the ring. As you might expect, Lethal’s shoulder is banged up but his legs are fine enough to stomp on the bad knee. A kneecrusher gets two and the referee checks on Taven, allowing him to pike Lethal in the eye. Taven starts back in on the arm (makes sense) with a DDT on said arm and then just a hard pull. The cross armbreaker doesn’t last long so it’s a Stroke into a crossthroat/face.

With Lethal getting close to the ropes Taven switches into the Rings of Saturn, meaning Lethal needs to use a foot to make the rope. They stare each other down with Lethal headbutting him, earning himself more damage to the shoulder. A sitout gordbuster (not a sitout Falcon Arrow Ian) knocks Lethal silly, though not silly enough that he can’t hit a Lethal Combination. An enziguri has Taven in even more trouble and it’s time for Hail To The King….but the red balloons pop up for a distraction from Vinny Marseglia, allowing TK O’Ryan to hit Lethal with a baseball bat.

Jonathan Gresham runs in for the save and gets his ankle crushed by a chair. They load up a table but Haskins and Williams make a save as Gresham is taken out. Taven hits a low blow into the Climax for a very close two and the shock sets in. The frog splash gets the same so he tries it again, with the second attempt hitting knees. Lethal’s cutter connects for two more and they slug it out one more time.

A torture rack into a reverse Regal Roll gives Lethal another near fall but Hail to the King is countered into a crucifix. Lethal doesn’t even get to his feet as he grabs the leg for the Figure Four. The rope is finally grabbed so it’s time to stomp on the legs some more, much to Aldis’ delight. The knee is strong enough to revers a suplex to send Lethal over the top and through the table at ringside, with the shoulder taking a lot of it.

That’s only good for two as well and a backpack Stunner gets the same. You should be able to tell what’s coming here and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Lethal gets in a Climax of his own, setting up the Lethal Injection for the closest two yet and the fans are shocked. You don’t see that kind of a reaction too often around here and it worked well. Lethal isn’t sure what to do so he drops him face first onto the apron, with Taven not being able to get back inside.

A table is pulled out as Taven pulls himself to the apron. Lethal takes too long again and it’s a DDT to send the shoulder into the apron. Taven bridges a ladder between the apron and the table but Lethal dropkicks him onto the ladder, which can’t end well. Another Hail to the King only hits ladder, which doesn’t break, though Lethal himself may.

Rating: B+. I had a very good time with this one and they told an awesome story, though there was a stretch where things dragged in the second half. What matters the most is there’s a reason to believe that Taven can win because Lethal couldn’t finish him off. The good thing here though is I bought Taven as someone who was a threat to the title, which is quite impressive given how horribly uninteresting his promos and character have been over the last….ever actually. Anyway, great match here, and I get why they went with this in the middle of the show instead of the close.

Post match they’re both done so Marty Scurll comes out to hold up the title. Both guys get helped out.

Silas Young has attacked Gresham backstage.

Here’s a rapper named Mega Ran to perform but Bully Ray interrupts to say rap music sucks. Ray insults Man’s name being ripped off from a video game and then accuses Ran of playing wrestling games as a kid and playing as him. Ran: “Actually I played as D-Von.” Ray goes after both of them but security gets rid of them. That leaves Ray to rant about being the only one here or in New Japan to wrestle at Madison Square Garden. He even main evented and sold the place out. The fans chant for Flip Gordon but Ray cuts them off and issues an open challenge for the Madison Square Garden show. That….could be interesting.

We recap Rush vs. Bandido. Rush arrived and Bandido offered friendship but got turned down, meaning it’s time for a fight over who is the best Mexican import. I think?

Rush vs. Bandido

Dalton Castle is on commentary, with Coleman thanking him for bringing the Boys with him for the fanning. They don’t shake hands so it’s straight to the mat as Castle says both of them are rather handsome with great hair. Rush gets the better of things and it’s time for the flipping around with neither getting anywhere. That means a standoff until Bandido sends him outside, only to have a hurricanrana countered into a powerbomb.

Rush whips him into the barricade a few times and it’s a dropkick to the back of the head back inside. It’s too early to make a serious play for the mask so Rush claps a bit instead. Bandido isn’t much for clapping so he pops back up and kicks Rush to the floor for the big Fosbury Flop. Back in and a snap powerslam gives Bandido two but Rush knocks him into the corner for a breather.

A running kick to the face in the corner lets Rush hit the Tranquilo pose. The running Canadian Destroyer plants Bandido but he pops up for a running headscissors for the double knockdown. Rush knocks him off the top though and hits the apron superplex Bandido is back with a suplex and the springboard 450 with Rush caught in the ropes gives him two of his own.

Back up and Bandido gets dropkicked out of the air, setting up a big flip dive to the floor. An apron piledriver is countered with a hurricanrana off the apron and they’re both down on the floor. They head inside with Rush taking a knee to the head but being fine enough to suplex him into the corner. The running corner dropkick (The Bullhorns) finishes Bandido at 14:52.

Rating: B-. I’m still not sure why they were fighting because we never got a translation or subtitles but the match was your high flying, hard hitting lucha libre style fight and that’s what they were brought in to do. Bandido is a great high flier and Rush is clearly a star in the making (if not already made). ROH needs to enjoy Rush while he can, as he might not be around much longer given how good he could be.

Post match Castle gets in the ring and challenges Rush for Madison Square Garden. That might be a si.

Silas Young has attacked Jonathan Gresham so there’s no match between the two of them. Haskins/Williams vs. Kingdom is off too due to time constraints. This kind of thing happens WAY too often for ROH.

We recap the main event, with the newly debuted Villain Enterprises going after the Tag Team Champion Briscoes in a wild brawl in Texas. Do I need much more of an explanation? It’s the Briscoes vs. PCO/Brody King in a street fight.

Silas Young joins commentary.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Villain Enterprises

The Briscoes are defending in a Las Vegas street fight. They all head to the floor for weapons to start and go straight at it with the chairs to the back. The champs get the better of it as Silas says PCO/King don’t seem so tough now. The huge King is fine enough to hit a spinning high crossbody to take Mark down, leaving Jay to take a Michinoku Driver off the apron through a table.

Back in and PCO has King chop him to fire him up a bit but it’s King using a chair to drive another chair between Jay’s legs for the always painful looking spot. Mark kendo sticks PCO down and the Briscoes get a chance to double team King inside. A table is set up in one corner and a chair is wedged into another but King drives a Briscoe into each of them, with a Death Valley Driver putting Mark through the table.

Jay is busted open from hitting the chair so PCO hits him in the head with a piece of the table. King takes the stick away from Mark and hammers away but Jay drops PCO back first onto the apron as the announcers freak out over the blood on them. Back in and the very bloody Jay has King in trouble as Mark sets up a pair of tables at ringside.

The Blockbuster off the top takes King off the apron through the tables and King gets thrown back inside. The Jay Driller is only good for two (and a rather lame response from the crowd) so the champs beat on King with kendo sticks. PCO comes back and takes a beating of his own, which only fires him up. He breaks both sticks so Jay stabs him in the throat with the jagged stick to cut him off.

Another table is set up but King slams Mark off the apron and through a pile of chairs. The Jay Driller through the table is broken up and King hits a “piledriver” through the table instead. Back in and the moonsault onto the chair onto Jay is enough for the pin and the titles at 19:44.

Rating: A-. Sometimes you need to go all out with the violence and the blood which is what they did here and it was a heck of a ride. PCO and King winning the titles is a great way to end the show and it’s almost impossible to believe that PCO went from basically retired to this comeback. Really that’s one of the best stories you’ll see in wrestling and this worked very well for what might be the apex of his career. Great violent match here and a good chance of pace after everything they’ve had on the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Shortened card aside, this was a heck of a show and the kind of thing that Ring of Honor does well. Their TV might not be the best thing in the world but at least they can nail the big shows. The question now is what they can do on the huge stage, and there’s a chance that they could make something work incredibly well. It’s worth seeing and at less than three and a half hours, it doesn’t even run that long. Check this one out and have a good time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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 6, 2019
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Believe it or not, things have gotten very interesting in a hurry around here with a bunch of different things going on, most of which revolve around Jay Lethal and the World Title. Last week saw Lifeblood pick up a big win over Lethal’s collected team, meaning we’re probably coming up on something between Lifeblood and the unofficially named Plague. Let’s get to it.

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

TV Champion Jeff Cobb is ready to defend against Silas Young. He’ll even give Young a Tour of the Islands.

TV Title: Silas Young vs. Jeff Cobb

Young is challenging and it’s certainly getting straight to the point. Cobb drives him into the corner for an early power display before taking him down amateur style. Young is smart enough to get to the ropes and we take an early break. Back with the two of them shaking hands with Young talking about a handshake. Of course that means a shot to the throat as Cobb is in trouble for the first time.

Cobb shoves him away without much effort and hits a standing moonsault for two. They head outside with Cobb being sent into the barricade, which is about all that seems to work on him. Back in and some shoulders to the ribs keep Cobb in trouble with a missed dropkick making things even worse. Cobb gets low bridged to the apron for a springboard clothesline as it’s all Young at the moment.

We take another break and come back with Cobb fighting out of a chinlock as ROH follows the WWE’s playbook. Young makes the mistake of talking trash though as Cobb comes back with forearms to the head. The backbreaker/clothesline cuts Cobb off for two and the hanging swinging suplex gets the same. That’s enough for Cobb to get fired up with shoulders in the corner and Young is rocked. Cobb’s swinging belly to back suplex drops Young and rolling German suplexes make things even worse. Young is done and the Tour of the Islands retains the title at 17:41.

Rating: B. They’ve got something with Cobb, as he’s kind of the ROH version of Brock Lesnar with a little less aggression and more of a laid back attitude. Young gave Cobb everything he could but got overwhelmed in the end because Cobb is just that good. It was a good story and Cobb looks even better than usual, making this a nice step forward for him and the title reign.

We look at a clip of the Briscoes and Villain Enterprises getting in a fight at a show in Texas, setting up a Tag Team Title match at the 17^th Anniversary Show.

Matt Taven rants about Jay Lethal being a fake World Champion. Tonight, he’s issuing an open challenge for his own World Title.

We look at Shane Taylor attacking Cobb, earning himself a title shot at the Anniversary Show.

We look at Mayu Iwatani winning the Women’s Title from Kelly Klein. Rematch, Anniversary Show.

Vinny Marseglia vs. Rush

Fallout from the Kingdom attacking Rush recently. It’s a brawl to start with Rush kneeing him in the face and flipping over Marseglia for a splash in the corner. Marseglia takes him down and hammers away before taking things outside as we go to a break. Back with Rush being sent into the barricade a few times, followed by the removal of the floor mats. A suplex on the floor doesn’t work so they head inside with the suplex working just fine in there.

Rush is right back up with a kick to the ribs and they go outside again with Marseglia being sent into the barricade this time. A chair is teased but the referee actually does his job for once and breaks it up. Back in and Rush kicks him in the face before hitting the Tranquilo pose. Marseglia is right back with a double underhook backbreaker for two but Rush suplexes him into the corner. That means a hard running dropkick to the face and Marseglia is done at 10:53.

Rating: C+. This was all it needed to be with Rush looking like a star who can beat up an established name. I’m liking him more and more every time I see him either here or elsewhere and that’s a great sign. He comes off as a big deal and if they keep pushing him, they could have something special on their hands.

We look back at Kenny King stealing a pin from Marty Scurll in Miami. They meet at the Anniversary Show.

Here’s Matt Taven with the Kingdom for an open challenge for his title. Before the challenger comes out, Taven goes on a rant about how Lethal is cosplaying as him and bragging about holding the World Title. This is an open challenge to anyone but Jay Lethal.

Fake World Title: Matt Taven vs. Jonathan Gresham

Taven is defending and the Kingdom is ejected. The beatdown is on early on with Gresham in trouble until he crushes Taven’s finger between his feet. A running knee to the elbow sets up an Octopus Hold but here’s the Kingdom for the DQ at 1:31. I mean, they don’t do anything before the bell rings, which is rather prejudiced of the referee.

Post match the beatdown is on until Lethal comes in for the save. The numbers get the better of him as well and it’s table time, only to have Lifeblood run in for the real save. The Kingdom leaves and Mark Haskins finds the fake World Title. Haskins hands it to Lethal and the ax and baseball bat have been forgotten as well. Lethal uses said bat and ax to destroy the title as Taven swears revenge. Good segment, as long as it doesn’t get replaced by the real title.

Overall Rating: B. Another good show here as they’ve been avoiding the less interesting talent and stories. If you do that long enough, those stories go away and the good stuff becomes the norm. They’re on a roll right now and that’s a good time to have with less than a month away from the biggest show in the company’s history. Now keep it up after that, which is the hard part.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: February 27, 2019
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I’m not used to saying this but I’m looking forward to this show. The last few weeks have been awesome around here and that’s the kind of thing that you don’t get to say about Ring of Honor too often. Again I don’t know if it’s the lack of the Elite guys but if that’s the case, so be it as these shows have been very good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose vs. Madison Rayne

Madison and Jenny get taken down to start but Madison sunset flips Sumie for two. Jenny is right back up with a bridging suplex for two on Sumie, who rolls out to the floor so Madison can get two off an enziguri. Sumie is back in with a dropkick to Madison, making her DDT Jenny for two more. We get the triple submission with Jenny in a Boston crab from Sumie, who gets caught in a sleeper from Madison. Back up and Jenny enziguris Madison to send us to a break.

We come back with Sumie’s fisherman’s brainbuster getting two on Jenny but Madison comes back in with the Rayne Check to both of them for two on Sumie. Jenny and Madison head outside for a double dropkick from the apron as this keeps going. Back in and Madison gets rolled up for two more but pops back up for a reverse DDT to finish Sumie at 10:03.

Rating: C-. It wasn’t bad but it felt very Ring of Honorish: people doing moves to each other with no particular desire to win the match. Yeah they were going for covers but it felt like they were doing that because it’s what they were supposed to do instead of having a desire to win the match. It was fine, though it was missing a spark.

We recap the debut of Lifeblood and last week’s challenge to a ten man tag against Jay Lethal and friends.

Lifeblood vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham/Flip Gordon/Dalton Castle/Jeff Cobb

Lifeblood is David Finlay/Tracy Williams/Bandido/Mark Haskins/Juice Robinson with Tenille Dashwood on commentary. Each Lifeblood member gets their own entrance, which doesn’t feel like a way to stretch the show out whatsoever. Robinson and Lethal lock up to start until Robinson shoulders him into the corner. Castle gets on the rope and says he likes what he sees and wants to show Robinson some of his Honor Babies.

The fans want to see Bandido so Castle yells at him, allowing Robinson to grab a rollup for two. They both miss a series of right hands in the corner (with the Boys ducking as well) until Castle hits the Peacock Pose. Robinson does one of his own and it’s time for the snap jabs. It’s off to Williams vs. Gresham and they quickly wrestle to a standoff. A series of headlocks into headscissors counters goes to Gresham until Williams headstands to his feet and offers a handshake.

Back from a break with Finlay and Lethal missing elbows until Finlay scores with a dropkick. It’s off to Haskins and Cobb with Haskins looking more than happy to face the monster. Cobb can’t hit a pop up powerbomb but Haskins makes the mistake of running at him, allowing Cobb to catch him in a German suplex. Haskins flips out so Cobb nips up, which is one of those things that is just going to make you stop in your tracks.

With Haskins a little shaken, he hands it off to Bandido to face Gordon, which the fans certainly seem to appreciate. Everyone else drops to the floor as the flips begin, with both guys countering a hurricanrana and missing a dropkick for a pair of standoffs. We take another break and come back with Castle working on Bandido’s arm before it’s back to Williams to beat up Gordon.

Something like the Rings of Saturn has Gordon in trouble with Gresham coming in to make the save. That’s rather dishonorable. Bandido adds a slingshot hilo but Finlay gets dropped, allowing the hot tag to Lethal. House is cleaned and we take another break. Back with Lethal’s Figure Four being kicked off and Robinson hitting a running corner clotheslines. A full nelson slam drops Jay but Gordon springboards in with a missile dropkick.

The parade of secondary finishers is on until everyone but Gordon and Bandido are down on the floor. Gordon’s springboard flip dive sets up Bandido’s corkscrew moonsault onto everyone for the big crash. Back in and it’s Haskins trading forearms with Castle and countering the Bang a Rang into the really hard Sharpshooter to make Castle tap at 26:25.

Rating: B. This felt like a major house show main event and that’s what it should have been. They did a good job with making Lifeblood out to be a big time threat here and the extended time helped a lot. Lethal is going to have even more people to deal with sooner rather than later and I’m not sure how much longer he’s going to be able to hold the title. Or stay face at this rate.

Post match everyone but Castle (down) shakes hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The opener wasn’t great but this was all about the main event and that’s perfectly fine. Sometimes you just need a show built around a single match like this and it worked out very well here. There’s some interesting stuff going on at the moment and with the right direction, we could be in for some very good television as we move towards some of the bigger shows of the year.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: December 19, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

So Final Battle has come and gone but around here….actually you know what I’m going to say here so I’m not even going to bother. It’s going to be a stand alone match tonight, but there’s a chance that we’re going to be seeing something Christmas related. That kind of show has been hit or miss in wrestling history but hopefully it works well here. Let’s get to it.

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

Tonight, Jay Lethal and Matt Taven will be captains in the Christmas Surprise ten man tag. They’ll both be opening presents to find out who their partners will be. Lethal is happy but Taven only wants the rest of the Kingdom on his team because he hates surprises. I think you know where this is going.

Opening sequence.

Twisted Sisterz vs. Britt Baker/Madison Rayne

That would be Thunder Rosa and Holidead, who jumped Baker and Rayne at Survival of the Fittest to set this up. Baker is a hometown girl and rather over as you might have guessed. Some early forearms send Rosa outside and Madison hits a dive off the apron to take them both down. Back in and Madison gets a few rollups on Holidead, who them catches her in a belly to back faceplant to take over.

It’s off to a reverse chinlock to slow Rayne down before Rosa comes in to tie her in the Tree of Woe. That means a running dropkick to send us to a break. Back with Rayne still in trouble as Holidead gets two off a neckbreaker. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Rayne jawbreaks her way to freedom. It’s off to Baker for a running knee in the corner, followed by the Sling Blade.

Back to back basement lariats keep Rosa in trouble but Holidead breaks up what looked to be a double neckbreaker. An Irish Curse into a Backstabber into a Downward Spiral into Rosa slamming Holidead (mostly) onto Baker gets two with Rayne making the save. Holidead hits a sweet spinebuster on Baker, who comes back with a ripcord forearm into a cutter from Rayne. That earns Rayne a shot to the face and White Noise into a top rope double stomp to the back finishes Baker at 9:57.

Rating: C. I was worried that they were going to go with the upset by having the thrown together team win, which would have been a horrible idea as the Sisterz are a nice monster team who could go somewhere if there was somewhere to go in this division. Still though, it’s better than nothing and I’ll take what I can get.

Lethal and Taven open some of their names. Jay is rather pleased but Matt complains about a series of Melvins. No names are given.

We look back at Jeff Cobb winning the TV Title.

Lethal is annoyed that he didn’t get Cheeseburger in the drawing but Caprice Coleman gives him one last present….which is of course Cheeseburger. So who got thrown off Lethal’s team? He didn’t have any names left so why would he be convinced that there was no Cheeseburger?

Taven gets one extra name in the form of a stocking and seems happy for once.

Ian and Colt ask Caprice how he knew what was in the box. Coleman says it was just the Christmas spirit.

Team Lethal vs. Team Taven

Jay Lethal, Cheeseburger, Rhett Titus, Vinny Marseglia, Jeff Cobb

Matt Taven, Brian Milonas, Jonathan Gresham, Beer City Bruiser, Marty Scurll

Milonas and Bruiser come in from the bar, as they should. As you might guess, there’s quite an argument over who is starting here. There’s also an argument over the Christmas attire the wrestlers are wearing, because this isn’t quite as serious as some matches. Lethal even tries to engineer a trade with Gresham for Marseglia but that’s against the rules, which are strictly followed around here. The fans give us a MERRY CHRISTMAS chant as Lethal and Gresham start things off.

The technical sequence goes to Gresham but it’s Bruiser tagging himself in because Gresham isn’t willing to cheat. It’s off to Bruiser for a headlock but Lethal speeds things up and takes the skin off his chest with some chops. The hiptoss into the basement dropkick keeps Bruiser in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Taven wanting and receiving Cheeseburger, who comes in with some pushups. Taven immediately tags out to bring in Milonas, but Cheeseburgers is willing to fight for himself. A headlock doesn’t get Cheeseburger very far so he tries speeding things up and jumping over Milonas in the corner until Milonas needs oxygen. Titus comes in without a tag and tries a suplex until Cheeseburger, Milonas and Bruiser suplex Cheeseburger and Titus at the same time. Marseglia isn’t going to be outdone because he brings in an ax to scare Marty.

Someone throws Marty the umbrella, but he opts to tag out to Taven instead. No one will tag either of them though and it’s time for the fight that everyone else in the match wants to see. They hit the ropes a few times before heading outside for the huge brawl. Bruiser goes up top for the huge dive to take everyone out and it’s off to a break.

Back with Lethal superkicking Marseglia out of instinct, bringing Taven in to deck Lethal. A bunch of splashes in the corner have Lethal in trouble, with Taven having to kick Gresham and whip him in. That goes badly for Taven as Lethal starts whipping people into Taven in the corner. Stereo basement dropkicks to Taven set up a German suplex from Cobb. The dog pile cover gets two with Gresham diving over for the save.

Bruiser comes in and turns Lethal inside out with a clothesline. Milonas starts cleaning house but Cobb picks him up, only to have Scull shove him over before the Tour of the Islands can hit. Taven beats up Cheeseburger (this guy’s all right) but gets caught in the Lethal Injection. Cobb suplexes Milonas to a big pop and hits a good Tour of the Islands on Bruiser for the pin at 15:34.

Rating: C+. Cobb is a beast and something like this is going to be on his highlight reel for a long time. This was the kind of match that is a fun way to fill in a show that doesn’t mean much. Even the announcers were talking about how this wasn’t as serious and the interaction between the guys were fine. It’s a good idea for a match and the people had a fun time, which was the point.

Overall Rating: C. Much like the main event, this whole show was little more than a way to fill in a week as we move from Final Battle to the start of the new year. The next two weeks or so are going to be Best Of shows so they might as well have some fun here. I liked the main event and the opener was fine so it served its purpose well enough.

Results

Twisted Sisterz b. Britt Baker/Madison Rayne – Top rope double stomp to Baker

Team Lethal b. Team Taven – Tour of the Islands to Bruiser

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: December 5, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Marty Scurll

Final Battle is next week and the card seems to be mostly set. For once, they’re at least doing something with the build towards the show, which is more than you get most of the time around here. Odds are we’ll see a few matches set up here along with the build to those already announced. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event, where the Briscoes and the Young Bucks went to a draw. SCU didn’t seem to mind and made a triple threat ladder match for the Tag Team Titles at Final Battle. Makes the most sense of all their options.

Opening sequence.

Kenny King vs. Christopher Daniels

Marty Scurll, who wants to face Daniels at Final Battle, is on commentary. Before the bell, King says he doesn’t know how long Daniels has left in ROH so he’ll hand Daniels one of his last losses. Then Daniels can go back to SCU: the Senior Citizens Unite at the hospital. Daniels, with tape on the back of his neck, chops away to start and gets two off a standing Lionsault.

Daniels avoids a springboard though and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. An STO sets up a belly to back faceplant for two but King gets the same off a spinebuster. It’s too early for the Royal Flush though and Daniels hits a release Rock Bottom. The referee gets bumped though, allowing King to hit a low blow and the Royal Flush for the pin at 8:48.

Rating: C. Nice action for the most part, though I’m getting sick of the ref bumps and low blows around here. Mix it up a little bit by having King throw his feet on the ropes in a rollup or something, but find something new. Daniels losing should lead to a big comeback win at Final Battle, or his retirement and leaving the company. You could go either way.

Dalton Castle says he was gone for three months and didn’t go through all that treatment to fight Matt Taven. That belt that Taven wears is nothing but a RUSE. The anger inside Castle is certainly real though.

Josh Woods vs. Jeff Cobb

Non-title. Cobb tries to wrestle him to the ground but Woods is a former NCAA wrestling champion so it’s not so easy. Cue Hangman Page to sit on the stage and watch the match as Woods takes him down and works on the arm with Cobb not being able to shake him off. Cobb gets tired of the wrestling thing and sends him flying with a suplex, only to get caught in another armbar. Woods goes after the arm again before trying a spring but Cobb catches him in the Tour of the Islands for the pin at 3:48.

Rating: C. This was a great illustration of Cobb being well rounded. His amateur wrestling was canceled out so he slammed Woods really hard instead because he has the power to go with the mat skills. That’s a very dangerous combination and a good reason why he could be a star for a long time to come.

Post match Page comes in and says he’ll show Cobb how this is done.

Hangman Page vs. Facade

Joined in progress with Page stomping away in the corner as Cobb is watching from the stage this time. Page hits a running dive from the apron and gets two off a tabletop suplex back inside. Facade fights back with some flips and jumps, including a one armed cartwheel. A rope walk dive goes right into Page’s boot though and there’s a super fall away slam. Again Facade tries to slug away, this time connecting with a springboard spinning kick to the face to send Page outside. That means a big flip dive of his own but he walks into the Buckshot Lariat. The Rite of Passage finishes Facade at 5:14.

Rating: C+. Facade was moving out there and Page was his usual entertaining self. It’s interesting that Page had more trouble against a weaker opponent though. That’s not exactly what you would expect from a match designed to make Page look like he’s on Cobb’s level, but the ending sequence looked good and that’s what people will take away from it.

Post match Page and Cobb stare each other down.

We look back at Marty Scurll winning the Survival of the Fittest tournament.

After the match, Scurll congratulated Christoper Daniels (the man he pinned) on a good match. Daniels said Bullet Club cost him the match and arguing ensued. They’ll face off at Final Battle with Scurll’s World Title shot on the line.

Jay Lethal is ready to beat Cody because Cody had to cheat to beat him in the first place. Cody knows he can’t beat Lethal so Jay is ready at Final Battle. Cody cannot win because Jay isn’t letting him start the year on top.

Final Battle rundown. Points to them for having a proper build instead of a one week version.

Matt Taven talks about Dalton Castle cracking under the pressure of being World Champion. When he’s under pressure though, Taven becomes a diamond.

We get that heart rate thing again.

Tag Team Titles: Stuka Jr./Guerrero Maya Jr. vs. SCU

SCU is defending. Sky, dressed up as Apollo Creed, takes Guerrero down to start and works on the arm to keep him in trouble. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gives Guerrero two and it’s off to Stuka vs. Kazarian with Frankie getting two off a dropkick. The champs tie up Stuka’s legs and roll him over (the Rockers used to do that) and we take an early break. Back with Stuka and Guerrero putting Sky in a double surfboard (cool) until Kazarian makes a save.

Another double hold is broken up again and thankfully we get back to the actual tagging with Sky coming in to take over. Kazarian adds the slingshot dropkick (so much for the tagging) in the corner but Stuka moonsaults onto him outside (with Kazarian somehow winding up on top). Guerrero adds a running flip dive through the ropes onto Sky but Kazarian comes back in with his slingshot DDT. The Rock Bottom into the Backstabber finishes Stuka to retain the titles at 8:04.

Rating: C+. The match was entertaining, though it’s not like there was any kind of drama at all. This would have been better served airing before the announcement of the ladder match as there might have been a reason to believe in a fluke title change. The CMLL guys are talented, though I’m still not sure how much it means to have them around. Yeah they’re big names there, but that’s not entirely the case for a lot of the fans who might not be familiar with the company.

Post match Christopher Daniels comes in to say he’s the only one who doesn’t have a contract extension at the moment. He has one match left on his contract and that’s against Marty Scurll at Final Battle. If that’s what he has to do to stick around, he’s willing to do it to stay in the company that he helped build. Marty gets in the ring and asks if Daniels wants to be the man who built his company or the man who is known for a three letter catchphrase. A tense handshake takes us out.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling, while pretty good here, wasn’t the point this week. This show was all about building up Final Battle and for once, they made it work very well. The card is getting some attention and it should be a good one once we get there. You know most of the matches already and most of them have gotten some attention instead of just adding things in for the sake of adding them in. That makes the biggest difference and makes Final Battle feel important after all those shows with a last second build. Well done, for a rare change.

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: November 14, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re still in Philadelphia and on the road to Final Battle, but the big question is how many more ECW names can we get in here. I wonder if Blue Meanie is doing anything tonight. Anyway we still need a card for the pay per view so maybe we can start building things up this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Shane Taylor vs. Jeff Cobb

Non-title. Shane spits on his extended hands and they start ramming into each other. Cobb hits his swinging belly to back suplex but Shane pops up. That earns him a t-bone suplex and Cobb is right back up again. They slug it out until Taylor blasts him with a clothesline. Back from a break with Shane telling Cobb to show him why he’s the chosen one. Cobb is right back up with a running elbow in the corner and a dropkick as Taylor is on the ropes.

Since that’s not impressive enough, a delayed release suplex gives Cobb one. That means the standing moonsault for tow more as Cobb isn’t sure what to do with this guy. Taylor is back up with a running Canadian Destroyer of all things but Cobb is back up with a German suplex. The Tour of the Islands finishes Taylor at 7:05.

Rating: C+. This was EXACTLY as it was advertised with two big guys doing things that people their size shouldn’t be able to do. It was a lot of fun with both guys beating each other up until the other couldn’t stand any longer. Good, fun match that didn’t try to be anything more than it should have. I didn’t expect to like this and they entertained me so well done.

Post match Hangman Page comes in for a staredown with Cobb but they pause to beat up security. Page stares at the title….and one security guard is foolish enough to still be in the ring. Page leaves and Cobb hits a superkick and the Tour of the Islands.

Jay Lethal knows that being World Champion has put a target on his back and Kenny King took a shot at him. He’ll take care of King at Global Wars on November 11 (as in after this show aired) and tonight he’ll show that off in a six man tag.

The Bouncers aren’t sure of their opponents’ names tonight but know they have to win.

Post break, Brian Milonas has lost the Beer City Bruiser. Ok then.

Marty Scurll talks about being stuck in the story of superhero vs. supervillain. Next week, it’s round four. Earlier this month, Scurll won the Survival of the Fittest tournament to earn a World Title shot. There is zero reason for him to be in an extended feud with Shane Helms.

Milonas finds Bruiser drinking because Silas Young won’t talk to him. The talk of hitting people makes Bruiser feel better. Well I’m so glad that problem was started and solved in the span of five minutes.

The Bouncers vs. Cheeseburger/Eli Isom

Cheeseburger and Isom have Ryan Nova in their corner. Isom can’t do much to Bruiser to start so he steps on the big man’s foot. The suplex just isn’t happening though and Bruiser sends him into the corner, only to miss a charge. It’s off to Cheeseburger for a chop, followed by a sleeper to the also tagged in Milonas. He staggers over for a tag to Bruiser for a side slam/dropkick combination and it’s time to bite Cheeseburger. Make your own jokes.

Milonas sits on Cheeseburger in the corner but misses a charge and goes shoulder first into the post. That’s enough for the hot tag to Isom and the pace picks up. A high crossbody gets two on Milonas and everything breaks down. Cheeseburger DDTs Bruiser and Isom manages a suplex for two. The dive is caught though and Cheeseburger gets posted, leaving Isom to take Closing Time for the pin at 6:02.

Here’s So Cal Uncensored for a chat, where they suck up to Philadelphia and insult it, because that’s what Scorpio Sky does. Kazarian calls this place sacred ground and there’s the required ECW chant. He lists off some names in the Hardcore Hall of Fame and gets the fans to chant SCU, who at least work for this company. Daniels (in an SC F’N U shirt) says he wants to be serious for a minute and talk about Joe Koff throwing out Kazarian and himself after this year’s Final Battle.

Some things have changed since then and now Koff should want to keep SCU around here. Maybe the best way to prove their value is to take the Tag Team Titles from the Briscoes. They came up short at Death Before Dishonor, but next week it’s the Briscoes vs. the Addiction and the Young Bucks. Daniels promises to win the titles next week and next year, the best thing about Ring of Honor is going to be SCU. Good fire from Daniels here, which tends to be the case. The trio goes to leave but here are the Briscoes to beat them down, including a Jay Driller to Daniels on the stage. That sounds like an injury angle.

Daniels was helped to the back during the break.

Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham/??? vs. The Kingdom

A kick to the leg sets up a dropkick to send O’Ryan into the corner for the tag off to Marseglia. Vinny wants the peacock though and it’s off to Castle for a big reaction. Castle can’t hit a bulldog but can hit the peacock pose with those wild eyes. Another takedown lets Castle work on the arm for a second, followed by a clothesline to the floor. The teased dive lets Castle bring back the slow motion strut and now Taven is willing to come in. Taven gets in Castle’s face but the rest of the Kingdom pulls Lethal and Gresham down, allowing Matt to take over with a cheap shot.

Everything breaks down and Gresham cleans house, allowing the hot tag to Castle. A running knee in the corner gets two on Taven and Gresham elbows Marseglia down. That means a dive onto O’Ryan but the shooting star hits knees. Lethal hits the Lethal Injection on O’Ryan as Marseglia brings in a chair. That goes badly though as it’s the Bang-a-Rang onto the chair to give Castle the pin at 12:08.

Rating: C+. This was all about Castle’s return and that worked very well. The fans went coconuts for him and he adds another big name to the roster. I’m not sure what they can do with him at this point but having too much talent around isn’t a problem. Gresham continues to look like a star and it’s always nice to see the Kingdom taking a loss.

Castle poses with the winners but points at the title. Lethal isn’t sure about that so Castle extends a handshake, which Lethal accepts. Sounds like a title match is imminent.

Overall Rating: C. This show had the energy back again with some good wrestling and a nice surprise in the end. They’re starting to talk about Final Battle more too and that’s a good sign as we get closer to the biggest show of the year. Just keep up the angles and stories instead of the filler episodes and things will start getting better at the right time.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: October 24, 2018
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The road to Final Battle is on but it’s almost impossible to keep track of everything we have going on at the moment. You know, because there’s so much going on at the moment. In other words, there’s Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal which has yet to be announced as of yet. Also, Jeff Cobb gets a TV Title match tonight against Punishment Martinez. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the TV Title match, as well as Coast to Coast challenging the Briscoe Brothers for the Tag Team Titles.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoe Brothers vs. Coast to Coast

The Briscoes are defending and the announcers seem unsure why this match is taking place now. Coast to Coast comes out to say they’re not waiting on the main event. Mark takes LSG down to start and rubs his face into the mat just to be a jerk. Or a heel. Close enough. LSG isn’t having that and chops him into the corner, only to have Mark deck Ali so Jay can come in for some cheap shots. It’s Ali in trouble in the corner as we take a break. Back with Ali still in trouble as Jay comes in for a headbutt.

Another kick to the face ticks Ali off so Mark pokes him in the eye. We hit the neck crank for a bit until Ali fights up and rolls over for the hot tag to LSG so the comeback can be on. A spinning gutbuster sets up a flip neckbreaker to stagger Mark and Jay misses a hard clothesline. LSG gets sent outside to draw Ali over, allowing Mark to dropkick the heck out of him as the champs are rolling. An elbow off the apron crushes Ali and Jay sends him into the barricade for a bonus.

The champs take over again and hit a neckbreaker on Ali before kicking away. A fisherman’s buster gets two and Redneck Boogie (Razor’s Edge into a neckbreaker) is good for the same with the kickout shocking Mark. LSG comes in for the save and a Stroke/Downward Spiral combination gets two on the illegal Mark, though the referee doesn’t seem to mind.

Coast to Coast hits Coast to Coast but LSG hits a 450 so Ali can get two. Coleman accurately points out that the sequence took WAY too long and they should have covered while Jay was down a few seconds earlier. Jay saves his brother from a double superplex and it’s the Doomsday Device to pin Ali at 17:23.

Rating: B. You know, Coast to Coast has gone from a one more team to some awesome underdogs. I wouldn’t have guessed the two of them could have become an entertaining team but they’ve worked their way to that point. I could see them finally winning the titles at some point, which would be a very nice come from behind moment. This was much better than I thought it would be as the Briscoes continue to be one of the best teams in the world.

Jay Lethal isn’t cool with Matt Taven holding his own worthless title.

Matt Taven holds up his belt and says he’s the real champion.

The Briscoes say they’re the best in the world and invite anyone to come for the titles.

Video on Jeff Cobb wrecking the Top Prospect Tournament and then laying out Punishment Martinez.

TV Title: Jeff Cobb vs. Punishment Martinez

Martinez is defending. They slug it out at the bell and Cobb shoves him around. The stomp out of the corner is easily blocked and Cobb hits the spinning belly to back suplex instead. A knee to the face has no effect and Martinez isn’t sure what to do. Martinez kicks him in the face to put Cobb down on one knee. The Silencer is shrugged off and Cobb clotheslines him down with ease. The Tour of the Islands gives Cobb the pin and the title at 1:28 as Martinez is off to WWE. This was EXACTLY how this should have gone as Martinez has been a monster but now the bigger monster has devoured him. Very smart booking.

Here’s an injured Tenille Dashwood (jumped at Death Before Dishonor by a mystery attacker) for a chat. She talks about how she’s not as good as she’s been saying because she has an autoimmune disease that is fighting her entire body and now she has a bad shoulder on top of it. She’s kept fighting because she’s stubborn but now she’s ticked off because she’s been attacked.

Now there’s nothing she can do about it because she has to have shoulder surgery. Whoever attacked her is probably happy but now she has all the time to think about what happened. She fought at Death Before Dishonor at less than 50%, so imagine what she can do at 100%.

Adam Page is ready for Scorpio Sky next week.

Chris Sabin vs. Marty Scurll

On his way to the ring, Sabin talks about spirit animals and how much more awesome his is than Scurll’s. Right. They fight over wrist control to start with Sabin being a bit more technically sound. Marty’s shoulder doesn’t move Sabin so it’s off to a posedown. They keep trying the same thing, including both of them trying kicks to the ribs. Neither is willing to let it go so the referee has to put both feet down.

Marty is all fired up but it’s right back to the wrist battle. I guess he’s a wrist enthusiast. Sabin takes him down and hits a running kick to the face for the first two. Some running elbows put Sabin on the floor though and that means the apron superkick. Back from a break with Sabin caught in a crossarm choke until he fights up for a kick to Scurll’s chest. The forearm exchange goes to Sabin and a missile dropkick puts Scurll on the floor.

Back in and a hanging swinging neckbreaker gives Sabin two, followed by the pinfall reversal sequence. A running kick to the chest keeps Scurll in trouble but he’s fast enough to catch Sabin with a superplex for two. Sabin pops up for a superkick and that means a double knockdown. Even more kicks put them both down but Marty tries the chickenwing. Sabin flips backwards into a rollup so Scurll lets go and powerbombs him again. Graduation (a spinning butterfly slam) finishes Sabin at 10:39.

Rating: B-. Scurll has figured out his role very well and is having some entertaining matches as of late. Sabin is still the same guy he’s been for years now and that’s not the worst place to be. There’s a pretty strong midcard around here and amazingly enough, Scurll is that much better when you don’t have him trading wins with the Hurricane.

Overall Rating: A-. Easily their best show in a very long time, though the TV Title match should have closed the show. You had two very good matches and one very intelligent match, which makes this one of their best put together shows in years. Ring of Honor has a bad tendency to just put stuff out there to fill in time with no apparent purpose but that wasn’t the case this time around. It’s amazing how much better things are when they’re focused, which they were here.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: September 5, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re past All In and that isn’t likely to mean anything around here as we’re still a few weeks away from catching up to that point. Instead we might get some build towards Death Before Dishonor, which is still a few weeks away as well. In other words, Ring of Honor’s schedule strikes again. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s Six Man Tag Team Title change with the Young Bucks and Cody beating the Kingdom, despite the illegal man being pinned.

Opening sequence.

Women of Honor Title: Madison Rayne vs. Sumie Sakai

Sakai is defending and Mandy Leon is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Madison taking her down into a quick cradle, only to get backslidden for two. A fight over a small package lets them roll all over the ring before Sumie finally gets something, followed by a standoff. Some chops to the neck have almost no effect on Madison, who takes her down with a front face DDT for two more. They seem to botch something up against the ropes before a double clothesline puts them both down as we take a break.

Back with an exchange of forearms going to Sakai and a fisherman’s neckbreaker getting another two. A missile dropkick and tornado DDT give Madison her own near fall. Sakai grabs a fisherman’s buster but Madison rolls into a cutter to drop the champ again. Back up and a quick Smash Mouth retains Sakai’s title at 9:07.

Rating: C-. The same problems as the women’s division always has here, with not much of a story (at least Madison won a match to get the shot), a forgettable match and more of Sakai as champion. There’s no spark or interest here and it’s showing more and more every single week.

They hug post match, because of course they do.

Video on Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods. Taylor knocked him cold with a right hand and Woods thinks it’s loaded.

Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods

Woods goes straight at him to start but the much bigger Shane pushes him away. A single leg is broken up as well so Woods tries to fight from his back, eventually pulling Taylor into a kneebar. That’s broken up as well and Shane takes him outside for a drop onto the barricade. A big apron legdrop crushes Woods again as the announcers recap this longer than you might expect feud.

Back in and a rather large splash gives Taylor two but Woods kicks him in the head for a breather. Woods strikes away even more to send us to a break. We come back with Woods forearming away until a knee to the face cuts him off. A cross armbreaker goes on with Woods getting the glove off. It turns out that it is loaded, which makes Woods let the hold go. Woods knew Taylor couldn’t beat him but he doesn’t want the DQ win. As expected, the distraction lets Taylor hit Greetings From The 216 for the pin at 9:39.

Rating: C+. Better than I was expecting here and they advanced the story with Woods finding the object in the glove. That allows them to have another match and actually that’s not the worst idea in the world. These guys beat each other up and had some chemistry, which is always a nice surprise.

So Cal Uncensored says the war with the Briscoes has just begun. Next week, Kazarian will take care of Mark.

Video on Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham before next week’s Iron Man match.

Top Prospect Tournament First Round: Charles Zanders vs. Marcus Kross

Caprice Coleman is on commentary. Zanders is from Alabama and has the accent to prove it. Kross on the other hand is dressed like Goku. The fans chant about Dragon Ball Z as we wait on the no contest. Feeling out process to start with Zanders hitting a dropkick, only to eat some superkicks. Kross takes him down….and here’s Jeff Cobb to nail Kross for the DQ at 1:25. As it should be.

Cobb wrecks both guys with ease. Eli Isom comes in for some forearms but Cobb gives him a look that says he has to do something about this. A Tour of the Islands (reverse powerslam) plants Isom and Cobb stands tall.

Silas Young/Bully Ray vs. Best Friends

Ray has no music as Cabana calls Ray and Young Get Off My Lawn wrestlers. Before the Friends come out, Ray goes to yell at Cabana, telling him to sit there and do his job. Ray and Trent start things off but Ray tags out without saying anything. Silas throws Trent a shirt, which he smells before tossing it away. An armdrag puts Silas down and now Ray demands that he come back in.

Ray does come in and yells a lot before slamming Trent down. A hurricanrana sends Ray into the corner and Trent hits a running clothesline and it’s off to Chuck for the first time. That doesn’t go well for Chuck, who is taken down for a middle rope splash and it’s already back to Young. Chuck drops him as well and it’s back to Trent for the slingshot boot rake, followed by Chuck’s slow motion hilo to complete Two Dog Night. The big hug is broken up though and Young crotches Trent against the post.

Back from a break with Yong working no Trent’s recently repaired arm. A hair pull from the apron keeps Trent down as the heel beatdown continues. Trent dropkicks Ray in the knee but gets backdropped before anything else can happen. Young hammers away but walks into a tornado DDT, allowing the hot tag to Chuck. Everything breaks down with Soul Food and a Falcon Arrow connecting for two.

Chuck has to bail out of the moonsault but is fine enough to hit a Samoan driver to drop Silas again. Trent tags himself back in and enziguris Silas, setting up the lawn dart cutter. NOW the hug connects and Ray clotheslines them both to upset the fans again. That’s enough for Ray though, who walks away from the tag and leaves. The Dudebuster finishes Young at 11:37.

Rating: C. This was much more storyline and shenanigans than wrestling, but that’s the case with almost every Best Friends match. I’m really not a fan of the team and this didn’t change things that much. I do like the idea of having Ray turn on everyone and be the jerk that only he can be, and the lack of Cheeseburger makes it even better.

Overall Rating: C. Nice show for the most part here with some watchable wrestling and storyline development. The problem though is having the lack of a big show to build towards to pay these stories off. Yeah you have Death Before Dishonor, but that might as well be months away in Ring of Honor time. Pretty nice show, but nothing that you need to see.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #7
Date: June 1, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

With Pentagon out of the way, it’s time for Shane Strickland to find a new challenger to the World Title. I’m not sure who that can be as Tom Lawlor would seem to be one of the best options but he’s busy with Jimmy Havoc at the moment. Other than that, you never can tell what you might see on this show, which can be both good and bad. Let’s get to it.

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

The backstage interviewer is outside Jeff Cobb’s (Lucha Underground’s Matanza) locker room when the Stud Stable comes in with Colonel Parker promising to put Cobb on a stretcher tonight.

Opening sequence.

Jake Hager vs. Jeff Cobb

Hager is better known as Jack Swagger and is part of the Stud Stable. Cobb, who the fans seem to like, is a fellow wrestling machine but is built more like Samoa Joe. Hager wastes no time in taking Cobb into the corner and tossing him across the ring in an impressive power display. A German suplex gets Cobb out of trouble for a few seconds but a clothesline to the back of the head takes him right back down. It’s too early for the ankle lock so the announcers start talking about the rest of the card instead of what’s going on here. Dang it MLW not you too.

Cobb fights out of a chinlock and forearms away in the corner but charges into a pair of boots. The Vader Bomb gets two but Cobb is fine enough to hit an Oklahoma Stampede for two of his own. Cobb can’t hit the Tour of the Islands and misses the standing shooting star press as well. The second Vader Bomb hits boots but Hager reverses into the ankle lock for the tap at 6:40.

Rating: C. Hager is someone who could be a player around here as he has the WWE pedigree and still looks like a killer. The Stud Stable could use a singles name like him too as just being a tag team isn’t going to get them very far. Cobb is a good choice to have around as well but given a loss like this, which was mostly one sided, I’m not sure how big he’s going to be around here.

Cobb is taken out on a stretcher and after a break, goes into an ambulance with a fractured ankle. That’s a great way to get the ankle lock over early on.

Quick look at Strickland retaining last week.

Shane says that was a hard match last week and is glad that the title is still around his waist. He runs into Salina de la Renta, who says it’s not over. Shane isn’t intimidated but she says be careful what you wish for. She has someone in mind for him.

Next week: Fred Yehi vs. Tom Lawlor.

Team Filthy doesn’t think anything of Yehi because he’s a little guy (“About yay high.”).

Sami Callihan and his big bald (and still unnamed) friend say they’re still taking over everything. Thanks for the update on that one.

Maxwell J Friedman is having some champagne at ringside.

The MLW Top Ten:

10. ACH

9. Jake Hager

8. Joey Janela

7. Barrington Hughes

6. Jimmy Havoc

5. MVP

4. Sami Callihan

3. Rey Fenix

2. Pentagon Jr.

1. Tom Lawlor

So Lawlor is #1 contender. I guess that should do it for Havoc’s deal, at least for now.

Rich Swann vs. Kotto Brazil

This is Swann’s MLW debut and he’s dancing, despite not having the fastest music in the world. We get a CAN YOU HANDLE THIS chant to start and the dancing continues, so at least Swann still has some holdover appeal from WWE. They trade headlocks to start before switching to a long pinfall reversal sequence into a standoff. A jumping Stunner from Brazil cranks the pace up a little bit and a springboard forearm makes Swann hold his face.

Brazil grabs a chinlock (needs more grabbing of the chin) to keep things in control as Friedman doesn’t seem impressed. Swann is back up with a dropkick and the pace actually slows a bit. A SHH chop is loaded up in the corner but Swann punches him in the face instead. Something like a torture rack with Swann on one knee and bending Brazil down a bit has him in more trouble as Swann is being very, very cocky here. Like, to the point where he’s almost a heel which….isn’t the worst idea in the world.

A missile dropkick gets two on Brazil and now it’s an abdominal stretch with Swann picking up the leg off the mat. With that going nowhere, Swann goes up and dives into….I think it was supposed to be a dropkick but was kind of a leg to the ribs instead. A Blockbuster (which actually connects) gives Brazil two but Swann comes back with a Lethal Injection. Brazil pulls him down into a reverse Rings of Saturn (Naomi used it for a bit last year) and then a Crossface for good measure. Swann makes a rope and they slug it out with Brazil going down, setting up the Phoenix splash to give Swann the pin at 12:59.

Rating: C-. What in the world was that? Like really, what were they going for here? If you’re bringing in Swann, a former champion in WWE and someone who got a strong reaction, as a heel (which is doable), don’t have him go move for move with someone who has never actually won a match around here. If you’re bringing him in as a face, which seems to be the idea with Friedman not being pleased, don’t have him being so cocky and having so many problems. This should have been about seven minutes shorter and more of a squash, so I’m really not sure what they were going for here.

They shake hands post match to make things even more confusing. Swann leaves but here’s Sami Callihan to hit Brazil with a baseball bat.

Sami Callihan vs. Joey Janela

Sami has two monsters with him, one of whom is the bald guy we’ve seen before but the other is an even bigger guy with messy hair (who appears to be Sawyer Fulton from NXT). If nothing else, Sami has a cool nickname with the Worldwide Desperado. Joey has Aria, who apparently used to be a backstage interviewer around here, in his corner as usual. Friedman is still at ringside so maybe we’re not done yet.

Janela knocks Callihan into the two monsters (with Fulton being seen on the jacket of the guy with hair, meaning we at least have one person confirmed) and the fans are rather pleased. Back in and Callihan clotheslines him down but Joey forearms away with reckless abandon. That just earns him a piledriver on the apron (they use that way too much) and we take a break. We come back with Janela hitting a sunset bomb for a breather and a Death Valley Driver gets three….but there’s a boot on the ropes.

So we keep going with the fans still behind Janela, though they oddly quiet down when he scores with some superkicks. Sami’s piledriver is no sold (erg) and he hits a fifth superkick before going down. A slugout goes to Janela but he misses a moonsault for a big crash. They head outside with Janela being sent into Friedman, who beats the heck out of him for messing up the champagne. Back in and Sami’s double underhook shoulder breaker is good for the pin at 9:03.

Post match Friedman beats up the bloody Janela even more and pours champagne on him to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This was the first real miss of the series with only one debut hitting and two matches being ranging from badly booked to just not being interesting in the first place. Maybe it’s me not liking some of the people on this show but it’s not a good sign when the Stud Stable and Colonel Parker were the best things on the show. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt until next week but I really hope this isn’t the way they’re heading most of the time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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