Ring of Honor
Date: April 21, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Now we have a special event as it’s the 500^th episode. That means we have a major card, as it’s a double main event of Mark Briscoe vs. Jay Briscoe, plus Jay Lethal challenging Jonathan Gresham for the Pure Wrestling Title. In theory there is almost no way this show won’t work. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a pretty cool montage of the history of the TV show. I know it might not have the best history but there have been some huge stars on this show over the years.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and thanking us for being with them for so long. We run down the card, as picked by the fans.

Jay Lethal can’t believe he is here and is happy with the fans choosing his team with Jonathan Gresham face off. Lethal loves facing Gresham but then again, Gresham has almost broken his arm. Tonight, it would be disrespectful to not bring everything he had here. No matter what, the Foundation stays strong.

Gresham praises Lethal for everything he has done so far and knows what the World Title means around here. Well now the Pure Title might mean a bit more, because it means you are the best wrestler in the world. Tonight, it is time to see who really is the best in the world and Gresham is ready.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Jay Lethal

Gresham is defending and the two of them, plus the rest of the Foundation, come out together. Feeling out process to start with Lethal taking him down by the leg. With that broken up, Lethal goes with a test of strength to take Gresham to the mat, only to be kicked away for a standoff. Back up and they go with some grappling with Gresham headlocking him down four or five times in a row. Lethal tries to roll away and has to avoid a running kick to the arm as we take a break.

We come back with Lethal working on the arm, including driving a knee into the arm to soften it up a good bit. Gresham takes him down for a change and kicks at the arm, meaning the hammerlock goes on. Back up and they hit stereo shoulders, meaning they’re both in pain again. Gresham gets in another armbar and cranks back on the hand before switching into a cradle for two. Lethal manages a quick cutter for two more, with a rope break being used to get him out.

We take another break and come back with Lethal grabbing a Boston grab to make Gresham use another rope break. With that broken up, Lethal slaps on a Crossface into the Rings of Saturn so Gresham uses his final break for the escape. Back up and Gresham grabs a headscissors so Lethal tries to kick out….but Gresham cradles him to retain at 16:38.

Rating: B. Yeah this was what you would have expected from these guys and that is the kind of match that you should have seen on this show. I wasn’t sure who was winning until the finish and that is a nice feeling to have. Gresham has turned into an absolute beast and it is going to take something special to take the title from him. Heck of a match here on a special show.

Respect is shown post match and the Foundation is strong.

We look at the main event of the first show.

Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe

They take turns driving each other into the corner to start as commentary talks about the people who helped get us here. The pace picks up a bit with Mark snapping off a hurricanrana and it’s an early standoff. Jay takes him down into a front facelock which lasts all of three seconds. A chop puts Mark on the floor and Jay dives onto him as we take a break.

Back with Mark hitting a running dropkick through the ropes, setting up a Cactus Elbow off the apron. Mark suplexes him on the floor and grabs a Michinoku Driver for two back inside. Jey slugs away but walks into a high collar suplex to put him down again. They head to the apron with Mark knocking him to the floor, setting up a running neckbreaker (Mark: “NIGHT B****!”). They throw a chair in so Jay can hit a Death Valley Driver onto the chair, followed by a neckbreaker for two.

We take another break and come back with Mark hitting his own Death Valley Driver into the Froggy Bow for another near fall. Back up and the Jay Driller gets two so Jay (wisely) hits a second but the mostly done Mark rolls outside. They fight over a table with Mark putting Jay onto it and the elbow drives him through the wood. Mark is the only one to beat the count and win at 15:14.

Rating: B. Another match with two people beating each other up and having a good match as a result. These two know each other as well as anyone and it feels like one of the bigger matches you could get around here. That’s the kind of match that this show needs and the countout keeps Jay from taking another loss, though I could go with seeing Mark beat him for a change.

We get a quick graphic thanking the fans and the people who have been involved for 500 shows. That’s very nice.

Overall Rating: A-. This was really good with a pair of awesome matches and a feeling of celebration for making it this far. I haven’t been around for the show’s entire run but Ring of Honor has turned into a rather nice weekly show with a pretty deep history. It might not be the highest level these days, but when you have everything going so nuts everywhere else, it’s nice to have a much more down to earth show like this one.

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Ring of Honor
Date: April 14, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are on the way to the 500^th episode and that is going to be a heck of a show once we finally get there. Other than that though, you never know what you are going to see around here and that is a good thing, at least most of the time. I’m curious to see how they are going to do with the big one, but I’m also curious to see what they have with another normal one. Let’s get to it.

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

Quinn McKay runs down the card.

Delirious (with necessary subtitles) talks about how much Rocky Romero means to wrestling. This includes giving Delirious a scar above his eye and since that scar is forever, it might make him hurt Romero.

Rocky Romero is back after losing the Pure Title Tournament and is ready to beat someone from his past. They have a history together and Romero is ready to win the Pure Title, which he could defend elsewhere. Since that should make him a heel around here, I’m relatively sure that it won’t.

Delirious vs. Rocky Romero

Pure Rules and we hear about how Romero is representing New Japan. They go technical to start with Romero grabbing a full nelson to take over. That’s broken up but so is the chinlock so the grappling continues. Delirious’ headlock takeover keeps Romero down for a bit but he is right back up to grab Delirious’ rope. The threat of a half crab sends Delirious over to the ropes for his first break so he tries to grab the wrist for a change.

Romero sends him outside so Delirious comes back in with his series of forearms. A running clothesline drops Romero again but they both miss a series of clotheslines. Romero nails one of his own and we take a break. Back with Delirious working a hammerlock as commentary talks about the show being on longer than Nitro. It passed that years ago so wouldn’t “longer than Nitro and Thunder combined” sound better?

Delirious is back with cobra clutch so Romero goes straight for the rope for the fast break. Romero grabs an armbar, sending Delirious to the ropes for the second break. That’s fine with Romero, who hits a missile dropkick while Delirious is still in the ropes for two. Delirious is right back with a fisherman’s buster for a much needed breather.

The Cobra Stretch goes on but Romero slips out in a hurry, only to be clotheslined down for two. Delirious grabs a backbreaker and puts the clutch on again but Romero backflips over for two more and a break. They slug it out with a minute left and Delirious punches him down for two more. Back up and Romero flips him over into a cross armbreaker for the tap at 14:51.

Rating: B-. I’m not a fan of either guy but they did their thing here rather well. They played the time limit angle up by the end and I wasn’t sure who was going to pull it of. Good stuff here, and it felt like a wrestling match, which is exactly what they are shooting for with the Pure Rules stuff.

Respect is shown post match.

We look at Brody King debuting his own stable (Tony Deppen/Homicide/Chris Dickinson) to go after La Faccion Ingobernable.

The Briscoes talk about how they were supposed to fight each other last year at the Anniversary Show but the pandemic happened. Then EC3 got Jay’s attention so Mark got PCO to go after the Tag Team Titles. That was a waste of a title shot though, meaning it’s time for them to fight at the 500^th episode.

Rey Horus has been pulled from the main event but Mexisquad is a trio so Flamita is in instead. That needed a meeting?

Jay Lethal is ticked off and ready for Mexisquad tonight. Jonathan Gresham doesn’t seem to be as fired up, but that is a hard level to reach.

Foundation vs. Mexisquad

Jonathan Gresham/Jay Lethal vs. Flamita/Bandido and that sounds rather interesting. Lethal and Flamita start things off with Flamita armdragging him down. That’s fine with Lethal, who pops back up for the basement dropkick. Gresham comes in for a headlock and then snaps off a heck of an armdrag to put him on the floor. Bandido comes in and sends Gresham outside so Lethal can come in as well.

This time it’s Bandido taking Lethal into the corner so Flamita can come in with a top rope ax handle to the arm. The Squad has some communication issues though, allowing Gresham to grab a German suplex. Gresham cranks on Flamita’s leg and it’s off to Lethal for an armbar. Lethal stays on the hammerlock and it’s back to Gresham for a seated abdominal stretch. The Octopus doesn’t work so Bandido tries an enziguri….which hits Flamita.

It isn’t much of an enziguri though as Flamita is fine enough to kick Jay down and bring Bandido back in to pick up the pace. A dropkick to the back breaks up the Lethal Injection to Bandido but Flamita drops Bandido to mess up a double team. Flamita blames the arm but the fight is on anyway, allowing Gresham to take out Flamita on the floor. A powerbomb sets up the Figure Four, with Flamita taunting Bandido instead of making the save. Bandido has to tap at 13:45.

Rating: B. They told the story of the breakup here and that is exactly what they were going for the whole match. I liked what we got here and that is not surprising given how much talent was in here. The Squad didn’t go flying around as much as they usually do and it worked out well anyway. They’re that good, and the Foundation can have a solid match against anyone, so this shouldn’t be a big shock. Rather good stuff here.

Flamita walks out on the team to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a pretty great TV show and that is a good sign going into the big milestone show next week. They are on a roll and know how to make something like this work. Ring of Honor has sneakily turned into a heck of a weekly show and this was one of their better editions in a little while. Rather good show here with both matches worth checking out.

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

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Ring of Honor
Date: March 3, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for a title week as Rush is defending the World Title against Shane Taylor. That alone should get your attention because this should be a heck of a showdown. I wouldn’t be stunned by a title change either and that’s a pretty nice hook for a show. I’m sure there is more going on, but I can’t imagine it matters by comparison. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the World Title match, which is all that it needs to do.

Opening sequence.

La Faccion Ingobernable is ready to keep the title on Rush but don’t like Kenny King’s suggestion of a fair fight against Shane Taylor.

We look at Shane Taylor Promotions winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles last week, plus La Faccion Ingobernable becoming #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles.

La Faccion Ingobernable is ready to win the Tag Team Titles in a Pure Rules match.

The Foundation can’t wait to see La Faccion Ingobernable try to wrestle the titles from them.

Tag Team Titles: La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Foundation

The Foundation (Jonathan Gresham/Jay Lethal) is defending against Dragon Lee/Kenny King (with Amy Rose) and this is under Pure Rules. Lee poses in front of Gresham to start and hits a quick elbow to the jaw. That’s a bit much for Gresham, who gets caught in a wristlock as Lee keeps up the fast pace to start. They go to the rapid fire pinfall attempt exchange and it’s off to King vs. Lethal.

The feeling out process sees King take to the mat but he slaps Lethal in the face to break up a leglock attempt. Lethal takes him down and gets the Figure Four, sending King to the ropes for a break. Another quick hold makes King use the second break in a hurry and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Back in and Lethal headlocks Lee, who throws a right hand for an official warning.

We take a break and come back with Lethal putting King on top for a dropkick to the knee. A super dragon screw legwhip brings him back down and it’s off to Gresham vs. Lee. They rapid fire exchange standing switches and Lee has to use the final rope break. Everything breaks down and King’s brainbuster sets up a running knee from Lee for two, with Lethal using a rope break. Lethal is back up with a dive but hits Amy Rose by mistake. That leaves Lee to punch Gresham for the pin and the titles at 14:12.

Rating: B-. It’s still strange to see a right hand used as such a big offensive move. I know that it’s the point of the Pure Rules match but they couldn’t use it as a setup for something a bit more devastating? It was more than time to get the titles off of the Foundation here as they had held them for over a year. Good match, and the La Faccion domination continues.

Shane Taylor wants to be World Champion because it is the top title in the world. Someone like him is not supposed to be champion and yes he means an African American male. He also means someone who cares about social justice and someone who ricks the boat. That tells him that people are ready for him to be champion and he will defend it more than once every ten months. Rush is physical but Taylor is more physical and it is time to prove it.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. Shane Taylor

Taylor is challenging and has the Soldiers of Savagery with him. Kenny King is on commentary for a bonus. There is no Code of Honor and Rush takes him to the mat for a clean break to start. Neither can get anywhere off of a lockup so Rush unloads with shots to the ribs and head. That doesn’t work either as Taylor runs him over and takes it to the floor. Taylor hits a whip into the barricade and there’s a hanging DDT off of the apron as we take a break.

Back with Rush sending Taylor into the barricade for a change and then slamming the barricade door on his head. Rush whips out an electrical cord to beat on Taylor and of course choke away. They head back inside with Rush kicking him in the face in the corner so it’s time to chop it out. A heck of a clothesline gives Taylor two and a sitout spinebuster is good for the same.

Rush knees him in the face for two of his own and a legdrop in the ropes gets two more. The middle rope double stomp in the ropes keeps Taylor in trouble and it’s time to slap it out from their knees. The Marcus Garvey Driver plants Rush for two more but he throws Rush into the corner in a heap. Rush stomps away in the corner but takes the referee out by mistake. With the referee down, Rush grabs a chair, which draws Kenny King in to get in the way. King takes the chair and swings at Rush but hits Taylor in the head. It doesn’t seem to bother King, who goes to the floor as the Bull’s Horns retains the title at 18:14.

Rating: B-. That’s a surprising ending and I did not see it coming. The King stuff is fine, but they really are sticking with Rush for as long as they can. It’s nice to have him with a story in La Faccion, but I’m not sure how interesting the whole thing actually is. I can’t imagine him holding the title that much longer, but I’ve been saying that for a good while now.

Post match the big beatdown is on to leave Taylor laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was far from your run of the mill show but it worked out well with two big title matches which both delivered. You can’t do a show like this every week but they did a good thing by having the whole show focusing on championships. They don’t have regular pay per views so having the last two weeks made for one of their best shows in a rather long time.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Ring of Honor
Date: February 17, 2021
Location: UMBC Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

I’m not sure what to expect from this show these days and I’m also not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. The show has been far from terrible but there is something about it that feels inconsistent. Sometimes you get a good show but at times you get a show that leaves me counting the minutes until it’s over. Let’s get to it.

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

The Foundation gives Wheeler Yuta and Fred Yehi a fired up promo about bringing honor back. Tonight they’re going to shake things up a bit by having parts of the Foundation on both sides of a six man. Everyone else leaves and Jay Lethal says he and Tracy Williams will start, which is cool with Williams, who reminds Jay what happened the last time they were in the ring together (Tracy won).

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay runs down the card.

Tony Deppen talks about how important Final Battle was for him because he has a newborn to provide for every day. He beat LSG to get to his TV Title shot against Dragon Lee and now he is going to do it again. They took different paths to get here but Deppen has the momentum here.

LSG talks about his journey starting fifteen years ago and he isn’t letting the flavor of the month take him out of this company. He is here to hang with the best and he knows Deppen can’t beat him again. LSG is Ring of Honor, but what about Deppen?

LSG vs. Tony Deppen

Deppen is getting this match due to fan response (part of Ring of Honor trying to listen to the people more). Going to the mat doesn’t last long to start so they trade some quick rollups for a variety of results. They’re on the floor for the slugout in a hurry before they go back inside, with LSG’s O’Connor roll being kicked out to the apron. Deppen hits a triangle dropkick to the floor but LSG sends him hard into the barricade. Back in and LSG grabs a neck crank as we take a break.

We come back with LSG missing an elbow drop but nailing a knee to the jaw. Something like a Gory Stretch has Deppen in more trouble but he’s right back with some slaps to the face. A basement dropkick sends LSG into the corner and Deppen gets two off some running knees in the corner. They slap it out until LSG hits Rock In Bye Baby (spinning faceplant) into a springboard spinning forearm for two.

A dropkick through the ropes rocks Deppen again but Deppen sweeps the leg from the apron. Back in and a brainbuster into a running knee gets two on LSG but the top rope double stomp misses. Some rollups give Deppen two each but LSG grabs a Gory Stretch….and flips Deppen forward into a sitout powerbomb (cool) for the pin at 11:57. Ian Riccaboni names it the Event Horizon and Caprice likes it.

Rating: C+. The ending was the big deal here, but what mattered more was the fact that I wasn’t sure who was going to win until the end. You don’t get that kind of a feeling very often and I was surprised when LSG won. Granted that might have been because I hadn’t seen the finisher before and it was rather cool looking. Rather hart to believe that Deppen wasn’t helping with the flip, but it looked great.

The Briscoes are staring at each other with Mark being annoyed at Jay for going after EC3 instead of the Tag Team Titles. The whole thing is argued using a boat metaphor and….I think they make up?

Rush and Shane Taylor are ready for their World Title match in two weeks.

Jonathan Gresham/Tracy Williams/Fred Yehi vs. Jay Lethal/Wheeler Yuta/Rhett Titus

After an extended Code of Honor, Lethal and Williams start things off, as planned. The feeling out process begins until Williams takes him down into an armbar. They fight over half crabs with neither being able to get very far so Titus comes in to take Williams down. The mat grappling goes to another standoff so it’s off to Yehi. Titus gets wrestled to the mat and bails over to the ropes, meaning Yuta comes in for some arm battling of their own.

With that broken up, Gresham comes in and is taken to the mat by the leg. Gresham’s headscissors gets us to a standoff and Yuta’s armbar sends Gresham to the rope. It’s off to Lethal to face Gresham and they go straight to the mat as well. They spin around rather fast and that’s good for another standoff with commentary sounding out of breath. Lethal cartwheels out of a headlock and another one sets up a basement dropkick to Gresham.

Titus comes in to work on the arm and hands it back to Lethal. That doesn’t go so well for Titus as Lethal spears him down by mistake, allowing the hot tag to Yehi. A snap brainbuster gets two on Yuta, who has to go to the rope to break up the Koji Clutch. We take a break and come back with the Lethal Combination dropping Williams. Hail To The King gets two but Williams gets in a shot of his own for the double knockdown.

Gresham and Titus come in with Titus nailing a belly to belly for two. Gresham hands it back to Yehi, who is clotheslined into a jackknife rollup for two more. Everything breaks down and Lethal has to save Titus from the Koji Clutch. There’s the Lethal Injection to Gresham, who shoved Yehi out of the way since he isn’t legal. Titus dropkicks Yehi down for the pin at 17:47.

Rating: B. They had an idea here and then executed it, which is all you could want them to do. There was something nice about having a much more technically sound match and that is the kind of thing that could turn into a big feud with someone down the line. Mixing the lineups up a bit here helped too as you can only do the same kind of match so many times. Good storytelling and solid action so I’m rather pleased.

A lot of handshakes end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This would be on the higher end of their shows since the return and that is great to see. Both matches worked and while I still don’t need the minute and a half promos before the matches, they let some things build and had two good matches. Ring of Honor knows how to put together a good show but they need to work on their consistency. What we got here worked well and if they can even do most of this kind of thing again, they’re going to be in a great place.

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

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Final Battle 2020
Date: December 18, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

This is the biggest show of the year and this is one of the more uniquely put together pay per views I’ve seen in a long time. The company has only been back for a short while now and a lot of the top stars have snot been around since the relaunch. The card is still pretty full though and maybe they can pull off a good one. Let’s get to it.

Commentary welcomes us to the pre-show and has some bad news: EC3, Kenny King and Bandido have been Coronavirused off the show so some things have to be changed.

Pre-Show: Tony Deppen vs. LSG vs. Josh Woods vs. Dak Draper

One fall to a finish, lucha rules and the winner gets a TV Title match later tonight. Deppen and LSG are thrown outside before the bell so it’s Woods vs. Draper to start things off. The other two get back on the apron as Woods and Draper go to the grappling to start. An exchange of headlocks doesn’t go anywhere so LSG tags himself in to dropkick Draper.

Deppen comes in as well and it’s time to run the ropes with LSG. A dropkick puts LSG down but he sends Deppen outside for a dropkick through the ropes. That means Woods and Draper can come back in to exchange rollups for two each but Draper knocks Deppen into the corner with a shot to the face. A suplex gives Draper two but the Magnum KO is broken up with some elbows to the jaw.

Deppen gets tossed around and Draper gets in some trash talk to Woods to draw him in. That doesn’t even matter this time as Draper muscles Deppen up for an apron superplex and another near fall. The running knee misses though and Deppen gets out to the floor, allowing LSG to come back in and strike away.

A springboard forearm to the face gets two on Draper but Deppen is back in with a springboard Codebreaker to Woods. Draper and LSG go to the corner, only to have Woods come back in for a Tower of Doom. That means Draper and Woods can slug it out until Draper grabs a Doctor Bomb for two. They’re knocked outside though and it’s Deppen jumping back in to roll LSG up for the pin at 11:43.

Rating: C+. This was all about the action and that’s a good way to get things going on a show like this one. It’s exactly the same idea of the cruiserweights back in WCW and it is always going to work here. Deppen winning is a bit of a surprise, but that’s the kind of thing you can get away with in a four way like this. Nice stuff to get us going.

Pre-Show: Foundation vs. Fred Yehi/Wheeler Yuta

It’s the first ever Pure Rules tag match, you have five seconds to get out of the ring after the tag and a save counts as a rope break. If you make a save when you are out of breaks, it’s a DQ. Tracy Williams and Rhett Titus are here for the Foundation. Yehi and Williams go with the grappling to start with Williams wristlocking him into the corner for the tag off to Titus.

Yehi takes him down into the Koji Clutch but the rope is reached in a hurry for the first break. Yuta comes in and Williams pulls him straight into the Texas Cloverleaf, sending Yuta to the ropes to even things up. We get some miscommunication on a tag so Yehi has the chance to come in and German suplex Williams. Titus comes in and gets caught in a Koji Clutch, with Williams making the save, good for the second rope break.

The rapid fire saves are on and we’re down to just Yehi and Yuta having one left. Titus dropkicks Yuta off the top and out to the floor in a big crash. That means Williams and Yehi come in and strike it out, with Yehi having to counter a piledriver attempt. Yehi Downward Spirals him into the Koji Clutch and the ropes aren’t there for a save. Titus can’t save him either so he sends Yuta into the hold for the break in a smart move.

It’s back to Titus vs. Yuta for an exchange of crucifixes for two each until Yuta snaps off a bridging German suplex for two more. Yehi gets in a shot of his own and Yuta’s top rope splash gets another two. The hot tag brings in Williams for a hard clothesline and a Death Valley Driver. Williams stuffs Yuta with a piledriver and Yehi makes the save for the last break. Yuta gets caught in the Crossface, with Williams using the ropes for extra leverage (perfectly legal) for the tap at 13:51.

Rating: C. The rope breaks were a nice touch but that’s about all there was to this. The Pure Rules are a nice idea but they aren’t exactly the most inspiring alternative to everything else going on. Williams and Yehi continue to be fun to watch every time but the other two were just kind of there, which is kind of a problem when they do it almost every week.

Respect is shown post match.

The opening video talks about how everything stopped this year but some wrestlers are picking up the mantle of honor. Tonight they are willing to do whatever it takes on the biggest night of the year.

Tag Team Titles: Mark Briscoe/PCO vs. Foundation

The Foundation (Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham) are defending and PCO is here because Jay Briscoe was moved into another match due to Coronavirus issues, which wound up being changed anyway. We get the Code of Honor and it’s Lethal vs. Briscoe to start things off, with Lethal saying this is wrestling instead of fighting. Mark isn’t having any of this wristlocking and starts chopping away, sending Lethal out to the floor for a breather.

Back in and it’s PCO coming in to say he wants to break Lethal’s arm (again). That’s enough to make Lethal stay so PCO takes him down into a cross armbreaker. A rope break lets Lethal bail out to the floor as the champs can’t get anything going so far. Gresham comes in and tries to go after PCO’s leg, which goes as well as you would expect. PCO tosses him back to the floor and the challengers start cleaning house, including Briscoe’s running cannonball off the apron to drop Lethal.

The champs are rammed into each other and Mark uses a chair as a launchpad for a flip dive over the corner onto everyone else. PCO’s top rope flip dive completely misses Lethal so it’s Mark suplexing Gresham for two. Lethal comes back in for a dropkick/German suplex combination to drop Briscoe and it’s time to stomp him down into the corner. Briscoe pops back up and brings in PCO to clean house.

What looked like a low blow puts Gresham down again and the champs are in trouble. The Froggy Bow hits Lethal’s raised knees as the PCOsault hits clean, allowing Lethal to make the save. PCO and Lethal slug it out until Gresham launches Lethal over for a cutter to hit PCO for two. The champs manage a Doomsday Device on PCO and Gresham’s shooting star press gets a near fall. PCO monsters up but Lethal offers a distraction, allowing Gresham to roll PCO up and retain at 12:50.

Rating: B-. This was a good choice for an opener as PCO and Briscoe are always fun for a watch and the Foundation do feel like one of the best teams around. The Foundation vs. the Briscoes would have been better but there is only so much you can do when the pandemic is changing everything on such a short notice. Good match here though and the right result given the situation.

Commentary explains some of the card changes due to the Coronavirus.

Rey Horus vs. Dalton Castle

Horus was supposed to defend the Six Man Tag Team Titles but a change had to be made, with Castle, again with the Boys, stepped in. Castle goes with a fast rollup to start but gets kicked away to give us a standoff. Horus avoids a charge in the corner to put Castle on the floor as frustration sets in early. Back in and Castle takes him down for a quick splash, setting up some forearms to the ribs.

They head outside with Horus managing a kick to the chest, followed by a kick to the chest. Now the big flip dive connects and Castle is in even more trouble. Castle gets sent hard over the barricade and it’s a running kick to the face to give Horus two. A tornado DDT gives Horus two more but Castle catches him on top. Something like a reverse Neutralizer gets two on Horus and there’s a release German suplex for the same. Castle goes up but Horus runs the corner for a super victory roll and the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C. Castle’s near downward spiral continues around here as now he’s losing to the lesser known luchadors. The ending certainly took me by surprise, which is a nice thing in this case, as Horus gets a nice rub out of the whole thing. There was some good enough action, but it’s one of those matches that is likely just going to come and go without making much impact.

We recap Matt Taven/Mike Bennett (OGK) vs. the Righteous. Taven and Vincent had been in the Kingdom but Vincent turned on him to strike out on his own. Then Taven went out of action for the better part of a year due to a knee injury. Now they’re both back and it’s time for the two of them to kill each other. Bennett and Bateman are here to make it a tag match.

OGK vs. Righteous

The Righteous has Vita VonStarr in their corner. The brawl is on in a hurry with Bennett saving Taven from a suplex and driving Vincent into the corner. Bateman gets in a cheap shot from behind and we settle down with Bateman driving Taven into the corner. That just earns him an enziguri and it’s a hot tag to Bennett to clean house. Vita tries to come in for a distraction though and Bateman plans Bennett with a Side Effect to take over.

Vincent’s running forearms in the corner have Bennett in more trouble and a spinning Russian legsweep gets two. Bateman comes back in with some shots to the face but it’s too early for Vincent to try Redrum. Instead he slaps on the guillotine choke but Bennett powers out with a suplex. The double tag brings in Taven to clean house on Bateman, including a Russian legsweep into a flipping neckbreaker.

That’s enough of that though as Taven heads outside and unloads on Vincent. A springboard shot to the face puts Bateman down again and Just The Tip connects. The Climax is broken up though and Vincent slingshots in, only to get caught in a backbreaker. Bateman runs Taven over again though and it’s Redrum (Swanton) connecting for two. Bennett makes the save and everyone is down again. Taven and Vincent get into the big brawl that they have been needing to have but they kick each other down.

That’s good for a double tag so Bennett can spear Bateman down. The spike piledriver connects but Taven’s knee gives out again, meaning no cover. Instead Bennett punches Bateman off the top for a crash to the apron. A Death Valley Driver onto the apron drops Bateman again as Taven is back up with a knee to Vincent. The Aurora Borealis (frog splash) hits knees but Taven pulls Vincent into a choke, sending Vincent over to the rope. Bennett is back up though and Vincent is held over the apron for Aurora Borealis to crush him again. Back in and a Backpack Stunner/running boot combination finishes Bateman at 16:20.

Rating: B. This was the first match that felt like something that belonged on the pay per view (save for maybe the opener) as Taven vs. Vincent has become a heck of a feud. Bennett already feels FAR more important here than he ever did in WWE and that’s great for him. Bateman is a good monster enforcer as well and the match worked out rather well. I still can’t get my head around how much better Taven is as a face. It’s nothing I ever would have bet on and this has been working rather well. Good match here, with everyone looking solid.

Post match Vita hits OGK with a double low blow and it’s time to zip tie Taven to the ropes. Vita headscissors Taven to make him watch as Bateman puts a board between Bennett’s feet. A chair shot crushes the ankle in a Misery style destruction.

Danhausen vs. Brian Johnson

If Danhausen (who apparently debuted September 13, 1993 at 12:37am and weighs “at least” 300lbs despite being rather skinny) wins, he gets a contract. They shake hands and Danhausen kicks him in the face for a very early two. A middle rope hurricanrana gets two on Johnson and Danhausen demands his music be played. That’s what he gets as he hits a running kick off the apron, only to get caught with a hanging cutter back inside.

Johnson isn’t pleased but he grabs a mic and says Caprice Coleman sucks at his job. The trash talk and stomping ensues and Johnson wants to know why the Honor Club Girls aren’t cheering for him. A slam into a fist drop gets two on Danhausen but he takes the mat and drives Johnson into the corner for swearing (a big negative in Danhausen’s eyes). Johnson clotheslines him down again though and it’s time to grab the microphone again.

More shouting ensues as Johnson isn’t happy that he finally made it to Final Battle and is being stuck doing this. A clothesline gets two and Johnson can’t believe it. Danhausen makes the comeback with a running shot in the corner and a German suplex into another German suplex gets two….and let’s grab a jar of teeth. The Goodnight Hausen (GTS) gets two as Johnson gets a hand on the rope.

Johnson bails to the floor and gets taken down with a suicide dive but Johnson kicks the rope on the way back in. The jar of teeth (just go with it) is poured into Danhausen’s mouth but he grabs a quick rollup for two anyway. The teeth go into the referee’s eyes though, meaning there is no cover off Johnson’s neckbreaker finisher. Rating: C+. I actually liked this as Danhausen is enough of a screwy guy to make you believe that he’s just kind of out there. They didn’t do anything too far here (the teeth are certainly a thing) and Johnson ran his mouth so much that you wanted to see him lose. This was much more about the angle than the wrestling and that’s fine in a match like this, though I could see people not being pleased.

TV Title: Dragon Lee vs. Tony Deppen

Deppen is challenging after winning a four way on the pre-show but comes in holding his neck. Amy Rose, the manager of Lee’s faction, joins commentary. They go to the mat to start with neither being able to get much of an advantage. Deppen grabs an armdrag but gets sent to the floor for the suicide dive. Back in and Lee chops away in the corner as Rose is speaking about 90% Spanish. Deppen manages a step up kick to the head to put Lee on the floor, setting up a suicide flip dive. A springboard missile dropkick gives Deppen two but Lee pounds him right down in the corner.

We hit the chinlock for a bit, with Deppen fighting up and slapping away to take over. Lee is back with the snap German suplex and a moonsault northern lights suplex (geez) which leaves both of them down. They slug it out from their knees with Lee getting the better of things, only to miss a charge in the corner.

Deppen loads up a superplex but gets knocked down for an Alberto double stomp. Back up and Deppen scores with a running knee to the face and the kickout leaves him shocked. Lee blasts him in the face though and his own running knee gets two. That’s enough for Lee, who hits Incineration (another running knee) to retain at 11:50.

Rating: C+. Lee’s offense is fast paced and exciting enough that it is easy to see why Ring of Honor wants to push the heck out of him. Deppen looked good here as well, as he made the most out of the opportunity he was given. The match wasn’t exactly in doubt but they made something out of very little so well done all things considered.

We look at Jay Briscoe and Shane Taylor arguing backstage because their matches with EC3 and Mexisquad were canceled. This was announced earlier in the night and while that’s not a great way to go, like so many other things on this show, what else are they supposed to do?

Jay Briscoe vs. Shane Taylor

The lockup doesn’t go anywhere as they shove each other around with little avail. Shane sends him into the corner and unloads with rights and lefts but Jay is right back with a headlock. Jay tries to run the ropes and is knocked down hard with a shoulder. More rights and lefts set up a big right hand to knock Jay silly, meaning it’s time to head to the floor.

Jay sends him into the barricade and scores with a good superkick before heading back inside. Shane slugs away again but gets caught with a dropkick. One heck of a right handdrops Jay again though and it’s time for a slugout. Jay’s snap jabs set up an impressive Death Valley Driver and here’s Mark Briscoe for support.

Shane is up first but Jay slaps on a choke to put Shane down. Two arm drops have Shane in real trouble but he makes it over to the rope for the break. Jay’s big clothesline gets two and the neckbreaker is good for the same. Shane is back up and hits him in the face, setting up the package piledriver. Welcome To The Land finishes Jay at 13:41.

Rating: B-. This was about hitting each other really hard but also about building Shane up as a main eventer. They had a good power brawl here and beating Jay still means quite a bit in Ring of Honor. They don’t have many people at that level or even close to it so giving Shane a win on a show like this means a lot for his future around here.

We recap Jonathan Gresham defending the Pure Title against Flip Gordon. Gresham is the first holder of the new version of the title and he says there is more to wrestling than flips. Gordon doesn’t love this company as much as he does and it’s time for both guys to prove themselves.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Flip Gordon

Gordon is challenging. They lock up to start with Ian saying this is like Thunder Road vs. Born To Run. Gresham grabs a hammerlock, which sends Gordon straight to the rope for the first break. With that out of the way, Gresham takes him to the mat to work on the leg, which sends Gordon over to the ropes for a second break in three minutes. Gresham tries a headlock takeover this time before switching to a crucifix.

Back up and Gresham works on the wrist a bit more as Gordon has barely done anything so far. Gresham ties up the arm and twists the foot around at the same time before letting Gordon up. A standing armbar goes on so Gordon drives him into the rope, which counts as the final rope break. Gordon finally scores with a spinning kick to the head to put Gresham down for the first time.

Gresham can’t hit a springboard hurricanrana so Gordon superkicks him down for two, with Gresham using a rope break of his own. Gordon gets knocked away but is fine enough to duck a middle rope crossbody with Gresham banging up his knee on the landing. That gives Gordon a target and the Figure Four goes on, with Gresham breaking it up in a hurry. A dropkick to the leg sets up a half crab but Gresham slips out again. This time Gresham kicks Gordon in the arm and they’re both down for a bit.

Gordon is right back on the leg so Gresham makes the rope for the second time. Another kick to the leg sets up a Falcon Arrow into Submit To Flip (STF) but Gresham elbows his way out. Back up and they slug it out with Gresham kicking him in the arm again. Gordon wins a slugout by going with the closed fist, which is good for his first warning. An enziguri into a German suplex (with Gresham raising the bad leg) gets two on Gordon but he knocks the leg out again and grabs another half crab.

That’s switched into another STF but Gresham crawls to the floor for the break. Back in and Gresham sets him on top for another kick to the arm, setting up a top rope belly to back superplex for another near fall. Gresham hits a running shot to the head for two, followed by a running shot to the head for two. Another one is loaded up but the referee stops it because Gordon can’t defend himself at 24:37.

Rating: B. I’m not wild on Gordon most of the time but he brought it here and they had a heck of a fight. Gresham was losing the technical battle, or at least close to it, and went with the hard shots to the head to win instead. It’s a good story for the match and Gresham didn’t cheat to win after a long match, making this one of the better things the Pure Title has done since it was brought back. Heck of a match here and pay per view worthy.

Post match Gordon declines the handshake and walks away.

We recap Brody King vs. Rush. King has been on a roll since Ring of Honor returned and Rush is finally back after his long hiatus. It isn’t much of a main event, but again you can’t hold that against them here.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. Brody King

King is challenging. They go with the striking to start with Rush’s shoulder putting him on a knee. King is back up with a clothesline to the floor and that means the suicide dive. Rush is whipped hard into the barricade twice in a row, meaning it’s time to grab some chairs. King slams him down onto said chairs, which isn’t a DQ because they weren’t used in an offensive manner. There’s a backsplash onto Rush onto the chairs and it’s time to go back inside.

King stomps away in the corner and hits the Cannonball for two, only to have Rush come back with a running knee to the face. They’re right back to the floor with Rush sending him into the barricade and slamming the door in the barricade on King’s head. Rush whips away with an electrical cord and then uses it to choke away. King is down so Rush asks the camera if it missed being in his house.

Back in and King unloads with chops in the corner, only to get taken down for his efforts. The running taunting kick to the face has King in more trouble and there’s a belly to belly to put King into the corner again. King heads up top but Rush catches him with a top rope superplex for two more.

The swinging Boss Man Slam gives King two and it’s time to chop it out again. Rush knocks him into the corner again and tries the Bull’s Horns, only to get cut off by a spear. The Ganso Bomb is loaded up but here is Dragon Lee (Rush’s brother) for a distraction. Bestia del Rey (Rush/Lee’s father) comes in to chair King down, meaning the Bull’s Horns to retain the title at 16:35.

Rating: B. Pretty good brawl here with both guys hitting each other rather hard. The ending seemed designed to set up something for later, though I’m not sure I can imagine Rush keeping the title that much longer due to the immigration issues. King does have a claim to a rematch due to the cheating but I’m not sure if he’ll be first in line. I know this didn’t quite feel like a Final Battle main event, but as has been the case all night, it’s understandable.

Post break La Faccion celebrates but the Foundation comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. All things considered, this is the about all you could have asked for. I know the show was lacking a lot of the way of storyline development, but there was only so much they could have done. It felt more like a collection of matches than a show if that makes sense, though it’s quite the collection of matches for the most part. Nothing is bad, and I liked what we got here for the most part. Ring of Honor works best when they’re just focusing on the wrestling and that’s what they did here in a show that felt like it belonged on the Final Battle stage.

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Ring of Honor
Date: February 3, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

I’m really not sure what to say around here as we keep going from week to week with not all that much really feeling like it changes. We don’t have a show to build towards and while we are probably going to have some good matches, odds are they’re going to come after the same format this show has used for months now. In other words, it’s going to be pretty good but not exactly inspiring. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Joe Keys talks about how hard it has been to get here and how hard he has worked in the Ring of Honor Dojo. Jonathan Gresham was his trainer, but he isn’t the first trainer he had. That trainer passed away and now Keys wishes he could tell his trainer that he’s getting a Pure Title shot. Now he’s going to get the title to get back at Gresham for what Gresham put him through.

Jonathan Gresham talks about how hard Final Battle was and Joe Keys isn’t ready for that. Keys has earned a title shot by winning a match against other Dojo students but now he is stepping up even higher. Tonight, Keys is going to learn that this isn’t the Dojo because he is up against the Foundation.

Now that we have your required two minute promos out of the way because we must have them before almost every match, we’re ready to go.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Joe Keys

Keys is challenging after winning a Dojo match, thereby making the rankings even less important than your run of the mill wrestling rankings. Gresham takes him to the mat with a headscissors to start and Keys can’t do much to power out. Eventually it means the first rope break and they’re back up. A waistlock has Gresham in trouble and Keys powers him over to the ropes, where Keys has to grab said rope to avoid falling. That’s good for a rope break and we take a break to keep pace with both guys.

Back with Keys winning a slugout so Gresham grabs the armdrags to put Keys in trouble again. A quick backbreaker gives Keys a breather, only to have Gresham crank on the arm again. Keys’ German suplex gets two and there’s another backbreaker to put Gresham down again. The Boston crab sends Gresham to the rope for the break, followed by a headbutt for a third and final rope break. Keys wins another slugout and gets two off a clothesline but misses a top rope headbutt. La Majistral gives Gresham two more and he rolls Keys down into a nasty hammerlock for the tap to retain at 12:41.

Rating: C+. Keys looked fine here and the teacher vs. student idea is always going to work. It helps that Keys got to show off a bit here before the only ending the match could have had. At the same time though, I’m not exactly thrilled with seeing Ring of Honor do their best New Japan impression with the Young Lions/students thing, even if they already had characters and personae before they came here.

Matt Taven comes up to Mike Bennett, who is getting his ankle fixed up. Bennett says he’ll be fine and needs this match tonight. Taven doesn’t seem convinced but goes along with it.

Danhausen…is confused about all the lights and cameras around him. He only cares about being rich and famous and wants to know where his blimp is, as he was promised one in his contract. If he swears, he gets thrown off the air and that means he can’t be rich and famous. Danhausen likes to kick people in the face, like Brian Johnson, who yells at internet people. There is no stopping Danhausen because Danhausen is not evil. This was one of those wacky characters but it was the kind that actually worked, which is not something you get to see very often. Not too bad here.

Brian Johnson talks about how he grew up loving wrestling, even if it meant taking your vitamins or drinking a beer. Now he loves real wrestlers and can’t stand someone who lives on his couch and thinks he’s funny. Danhausen is a joke and it took a bad referee to cost him their match at Ring of Honor. Everyone has overlooked him and that isn’t happening again….whenever this match takes place.

The Bouncers are ready to face the OGK (OG Kingdom) tonight. Things have changed since Mike Bennett left though and tonight, they are the first step on the Bouncers’ path to the Tag Team Titles.

Matt Taven and Mike Bennett are ready to get back to what worked, without having to think of Vincent and the Righteous.

OGK vs. Bouncers

Bennett and Milonas start things off and Bennett finds out that he can’t do things as usual against someone this big. The ankle flares up too, including as Milonas doesn’t move off a shoulder block. Taven comes in and loads up the dive but Bruiser stands in front of him for a good visual. We settle down to Taven getting caught in a side slam/dropkick combination. Taven manages an enziguri and brings Bennett back in, only to have Bruiser run him over.

Some double teaming manages to knock Milonas down though and Taven nails a superkick but Bennett’s ankle goes out again. The Bruiser goes after the ankle with some cranking on the mat, followed by Milonas sitting on him in the corner. We take a break and come back with Bennett getting over for the hot tag to Taven to pick up the pace. The Flight of the Conqueror takes out Milonas on the floor and Aurora Borealis hits Bruiser for two back inside.

Bruiser hits a Samoan drop and we cut to a shot of the video screen for some reason. With that out of the way, Milonas hits a Side Effect on Taven but Bennett is back in with a superkick. Bruiser is back up to run Taven over but the frog splash misses. Bennett catches Bruiser with a spear but falls to the floor. That leaves Taven to grab something like a Crossface to make Bruiser tap at 11:56.

Rating: C. I continue to be astounded at how much better Taven is as a face than the heel he was for years. Bennett still isn’t much more than a guy in trunks but he has already been treated as far more important here than he ever was in WWE. If this is what he wants to do then good for him, because there was little point to him being in WWE as far as career advancement went.

Post match the Bouncers are ready for the toast but here is the Righteous with Vincent saying Bruiser has no direction. Bennett was gone for five years and he’s right back like nothing ever changed. Or Milonas, who has been around for 18 years, and has been given nothing. Taven just bought a house but where is anything for the Bouncers? The Righteous leaves and Bruiser breaks a beer bottle over Taven’s head. A twisting DDT plants Bennett and Milonas is shocked to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The ending helped the show a bit but the same problems continue around here: nothing to build towards and stories that move along at such a slow pace that they might as well not even be there. At the same time you have the same longer form promos, which work on some occasions but then there are people who have nothing to say and it shows pretty badly. The show isn’t terrible by any means but it’s often boring, which is a lot worse most of the time. That was slightly better this week, but they have a lot of things to fix.

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 13, 2021

We’re still in the post Final Battle lull, meaning that it’s time for a Best Of show. That may seem a little strange given how little Ring of Honor has been around this year, but at least they do have some interesting options to choose from. If nothing else, another refresher on what the company can do is not a bad idea. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

From Free Enterprise.

Battle Royal

Beer City Bruiser, Brawler Milonas, Tracy Williams, Cheeseburger, Josh Woods, Brian Johnson, PJ Black, Silas Young, Blue Meanie, Rhett Titus, Maria Manic, Gangrel, Delirious, Eli Isom, Kenny King, Dragon Lee, Crowbar, Dak Draper, Danhausen, Leon St. Giovanni

The winner gets a future World Title shot and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a regular battle royal in ROH. Gangrel blows the liquid in King’s face during entrances and most of the people get in at the bell to start fast. We take a break at the ten second mark and come back, seemingly with nothing having changed, meaning Delirious is running around ringside and King is blindly throwing punches on the floor.

Gangrel suplexes Danhausen and Impales Johnson as I’m trying to wonder if they’re really considering him a big deal. Draper fights off another Impaler and backdrops Gangrel out to a chorus of booing. LSG goes up top to dive at Draper, who throws him out with ease. Draper backdrops out Isom and Crowbar with ease so, say it with me, Cheeseburger eliminates Draper a few seconds later.

With that required annoyance out of the way, the Bouncers start wrecking a lot of people. Meanie tries to get the Bouncers to dance….and they actually do it, only to have Johnson throw Meanie out. As Amy Rose comes out to get King to the back, the Bouncers beat up Johnson and toss him….only to the apron as PJ Black makes a save. As a result, Johnson throws Black out in a good old heel double crossing. Manic grabs Johnson low and gorilla presses him out as we take another break.

Back again with Maria throwing the Bouncers out at the same time but stopping to hug Danhausen. Young and Maria have a staredown with Silas dropping her but not quite being able to eliminate her. Cue Bully Ray to pull Maria out, allowing Young to celebrate. Ray chairs her in the back and adds a powerbomb through a table (apparently giving her a concussion).

Back in and Danhausen gives Delirious some teeth but then throws them at Delirious, setting up the elimination. Danhausen German suplexes Young but gets tossed out anyway, allowing Cheeseburger to hit a springboard crossbody. Young rolls through and they go to the apron but Woods makes the save. A clothesline eliminates Cheeseburger and we’re down to Williams, Lee, Young and Woods. Young puts Williams on the top so Tracy manages a DDT onto the top turnbuckle.

Woods jumps in front of a spinning forearm so Williams blasts him instead, leaving Young to return the save. Williams gets double teamed in the corner with a slingshot elbow, setting up the easy elimination. Young and Woods stomp Lee down in the corner but Lee sends Young to the apron. Woods kicks him out by mistake and gets tossed, only to have Kenny King run in. Lee survives an elimination attempt, unmasks as Flip Gordon, and dumps King for the win at 20:30.

Rating: C. This was an entertaining enough battle royal with a surprise ending. Gordon is a safe bet for a future title shot as he’ll get in a good match and there’s always the chance he might pull off an upset. There were enough stories going on in here and they advanced some stuff, so well done with the whole thing, especially for a battle royal.

Post break, Gordon says he’s coming for the title at Supercard of Honor.

From Gateway To Honor.

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. PCO vs. Mark Haskins

PCO is defending. They start very fast with Rush knocking PCO and Haskins to the floor back to back. PCO comes back in for the power showdown and knocks Rush outside in a hurry. That means the big suicide dive but Haskins’ version is pulled out of the air for a chokeslam onto the apron. PCO’s big flip dive off the top only hits apron as Rush pulls Haskins out of the way.

We take a break and come back with Rush knocking PCO off of the apron and Haskins hitting a suicide dive. A top rope double stomp hits Rush for two and there’s a PK for the same on PCO. Back up and PCO cleans house with no real problem but Rush suplexes him into the corner.

PCO tackles Rush down but Haskins makes the save with another top rope double stomp. There’s a chokeslam from PCO to Haskins and the PCOsault connects….but Rush pulls the referee out. Cue NWA World Champion Nick Aldis to knock PCO silly with the World Title, allowing Rush to knock PCO into the corner. The Bull’s Horns gives Rush the title back at 10:22.

Rating: C+. I can always go for Haskins and Rush has all the star power you could ask for. You throw in PCO as the monster and the match was about as entertaining as it could have been. There is nothing wrong with having PCO get the title at Final Battle for the feel good moment and then lose it back here, though it’s almost frustrating to imagine where the ROH/NWA feud could have gone in the future.

From ROH TV, November 4.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Tracy Williams

For the vacant title. They shake hands to start and Williams towers over him. It’s straight to the grappling early on but neither can get a hiptoss. Instead they head outside for a staredown until Williams gets back in and holds the rope open for Gresham. Back in and Williams starts working on the arm but Gresham slips out and we take a break. We come back with no time having elapsed (sweet) and Gresham starting in on Williams’ arm to take over for the first time. Williams goes to the ropes to get a breather and then chops Gresham right back down.

A cravate of all things gives Williams two and Gresham has to go to the ropes as well. There’s a spear to Williams but he’s right back up with a clothesline in the corner. Gresham hits a suplex with Williams popping up again for another chop. A bridging German suplex gets two on Williams and a collision in the corner puts them both on the floor in a heap.

Back in and Williams gets two off a brainbuster, setting up the Crossface to stay on the neck/shoulder. That means a second rope break from Gresham, who is back with a bridging German suplex of his own. Gresham forearms him down for two more but he can’t get a Kimura in full. Williams is back up with a piledriver for two, with Gresham using the final rope break. They both need a breather and Gresham pulls him into the Octopus for the sudden tap at 14:37.

Rating: B. Well that was sudden. I was expecting this to go closer to half an hour and it didn’t even make it to fifteen minutes. That’s quite the out of nowhere ending but Gresham seemed to be the favorite to win the title from the beginning of the tournament so it’s hardly a bad idea. It was a setup for a match, but the lack of time brought it down from where it could have been.

Post match Jay Lethal comes out to celebrate and respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I can always go for a Best Of show as it almost guarantees some quality stuff. That was the case here as there were some good matches from the better wrestlers around the company. It’s time to get back to normal though and hopefully that is where we go next week, as there are some things that need to be done around here. Good stuff here, but it can only last for so long.

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IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: November 4, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s title night as we finally get to crown a new Pure Champion. Jonathan Gresham meets Tracy Williams in the final, which should be a heck of a technical spectacle. That’s the point of the tournament so they couldn’t have picked a much better final. We also have our first non-tournament return match since the relaunch. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The opening video looks at Williams’ and Gresham’s paths through the tournament to the final.

Quinn McKay previews the show, including the finals, something between Matt Taven and Vincent, and the six man tag.

We preview the six man tag, which is basically a recap of EC3’s limited time in the company.

Shane Taylor/Soldiers of Savagery vs. Briscoes/EC3

EC3, in slacks, powers Khan down twice in a row to start before hammering away with rights and lefts. The chase on the floor lets Khan stomp away back inside but EC3 shrugs it off and hands it off to Mark for a change. Some shots to the face in the corner have Khan in trouble but it’s back to Moses, who drives Khan into Mark in the corner. Mark doesn’t seem to mind and gets over to Jay for the hot tag as everything breaks down.

We take a break and come back with Shane punching Mark out to the floor and kneeing Jay down for two. The stomping ensues and Shane knocks EC3 off the apron, only to have Mark come in off the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Mark hits a corkscrew dive onto the Soldiers. Back in and the Froggy Bow misses Shane, who hits Greetings From 216 for the pin at 11:46.

Rating: C. Kind of a weird match as you would think that EC3 would get a pin to establish himself a bit around here. Other than that you didn’t have much one way or another here, as the Briscoes are great as always and Taylor was his usual self, but it was hardly a match that is going to stick with me. You would think they might use the chance to do something of note but not so much.

Video on Tracy Williams, who has come a long way to get to the tournament final. He’s ready for Gresham in the finals as they are going to build this company on pure wrestling.

Jonathan Gresham talks about getting a phone call from Williams about the Foundation. This company has lost its honor and it’s time to rebuild things. Gresham is ready to bring the title back to the Foundation no matter what.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Tracy Williams

For the vacant title. They shake hands to start and Williams towers over him. It’s straight to the grappling early on but neither can get a hiptoss. Instead they head outside for a staredown until Williams gets back in and holds the rope open for Gresham. Back in and Williams starts working on the arm but Gresham slips out and we take a break. We come back with no time having elapsed (sweet) and Gresham starting in on Williams’ arm to take over for the first time. Williams goes to the ropes to get a breather and then chops Gresham right back down.

A cravate of all things gives Williams two and Gresham has to go to the ropes as well. There’s a spear to Williams but he’s right back up with a clothesline in the corner. Gresham hits a suplex with Williams popping up again for another chop. A bridging German suplex gets two on Williams and a collision in the corner puts them both on the floor in a heap.

Back in and Williams gets two off a brainbuster, setting up the Crossface to stay on the neck/shoulder. That means a second rope break from Gresham, who is back with a bridging German suplex of his own. Gresham forearms him down for two more but he can’t get a Kimura in full. Williams is back up with a piledriver for two, with Gresham using the final rope break. They both need a breather and Gresham pulls him into the Octopus for the sudden tap at 14:37.

Rating: B. Well that was sudden. I was expecting this to go closer to half an hour and it didn’t even make it to fifteen minutes. That’s quite the out of nowhere ending but Gresham seemed to be the favorite to win the title from the beginning of the tournament so it’s hardly a bad idea. It was a setup for a match, but the lack of time brought it down from where it could have been.

Post match Jay Lethal comes out to celebrate and respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a little disappointing but still good. The six man tag was nothing special and the title match was lacking a bit, but overall it’s a rather good show that doesn’t waste time. Ring of Honor is on fire at the moment, but I’m almost worried to see what they are going to do without the tournament or so many of their champions. What we have gotten over the last several weeks has worked though, so it might be a case of enjoy it while it lasts.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-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: October 28, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time to get some finalists for the Pure Title Tournament, which has been rather good so far. The wrestling has been top notch and that is the kind of thing that you can always go with on a show like this. I’m not sure what we are going to be seeing next week but odds are it’s going to have some good wrestling, just like this show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the tournament so far and the final four participants.

Opening sequence.

We look at Tracy Williams advancing to the semifinals by making Fred Yehi submit.

Williams doesn’t like that Jay Lethal doesn’t seem to know his name. Tonight, Williams isn’t just breathing down his neck because he’s going to bite off Lethal’s nose.

We look back at Josh Woods making PJ Black tap out to make it to the semifinals.

Silas Young says no, you shouldn’t be surprised that Woods won. Now where is Woods’ hug?

Video on Woods vs. Gresham, which is part of the same video on Woods and Gresham saying he’ll win.

Pure Title Tournament Semifinals: Jonathan Gresham vs. Josh Woods

This should be awesome. Gresham goes for the leg to start but Woods easily blocks the takedown attempt. That’s enough to send Gresham outside for a breather and he still can’t take the leg on the way back inside. Instead it’s Woods grabbing a gutwrench, sending Gresham to the ropes for the first break of the tournament. Woods takes him to the mat without much trouble and a frustrated Gresham bails to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Woods’ knee to the face being countered and Gresham dragon screwing said leg over the rope. Gresham goes to the top but Woods grabs him by the arm and suplexes him down, meaning Gresham has to use a second rope break when Woods picks the arm again. Woods rolls some gutwrench suplexes but his arm gives out, allowing Gresham to grab something close to an Octopus.

Gresham hammers away at the head ala Daniel Bryan until Woods Samoan drops him down for the break. With Gresham down on the mat, he still manages to twist Woods’ knee to bring him down (that was cool). Gresham grabs a small package but they roll around the ring until Woods finally gets two. Not that it matters as Gresham grabs a sunset flip for the pin at 12:00.

Rating: B-. The technical stuff was here but I was waiting to see them go further and kick it into a higher gear. What we got was good while it lasted but I was wanting more. That’s one thing in a regular match but we only have two matches left in the whole tournament. Still though, what we got here was rather good and Gresham in the finals is one of the best options that they could have had.

Matt Taven comes out for a match but here’s Vincent to jump him from behind and shout that it’s over. Taven is sent head first into the floor and back first into the barricade, allowing Vincent to set up a table. Vincent lays him on the table and whips out a rather big ladder. Some right hands leave Taven on the table and Vincent hits the Swanton off the ladder. Vincent makes sure to ask if Taven gets what he’s saying.

We look back at EC3 debuting last week and a six man tag being set up. EC3 tells Shane to grow up and Shane says he grew up harder than EC3 can ever go. The Briscoes have earned EC3’s respect because there is honor in what he has done. Taylor is ready with the Soldiers of Savagery, which could set up a good tag match.

Jay Lethal is ready to win the title but Tracy Williams is ready to show Lethal who Williams is.

Pure Title Tournament Semifinals: Jay Lethal vs. Tracy Williams

Feeling out process to start until it’s time to trade headlocks. Lethal takes him down by an armbar and can’t shake his way out of it to start. It’s broken up eventually though so Williams takes him down by the leg for a change. Lethal ties him up by the legs and arms at the same time (Coleman: “It’s the Indian Deathboard!”) but Williams is out in a hurry and grabs the leg. That’s enough to send Lethal over for his first rope break.

A rollup gives Williams two and Lethal has to use another rope break, which is quite the fast usage. Williams takes him down by the leg again but Lethal reverses, meaning Williams has to use one for a change. We take a break and come back with Williams grabbing a chinlock with a forearm across the face. That’s broken up as well so Williams knocks him down into the corner for a change. Lethal sends him out to the apron though and that means a triangle dropkick to the floor.

Lethal puts him on top but Williams grabs the super DDT onto the turnbuckle. A piledriver gives Williams two, with Lethal using his last rope break. The Crossface goes on but Lethal cutters his way to freedom. The Lethal Injection connects….for two as Williams uses his last rope break as well. They slowly get back up to slug it out until Lethal cranks his arm down to the mat. Hail To The King connects but the Lethal Injection is countered into a rear naked choke. Lethal gets over to the ropes and kicks off, only to get caught in the Crossface to give Williams the win at 19:29.

Rating: B+. This was the kind of match that you would expect from these guys and what we had here was a heck of a showdown. Williams getting the upset makes for an interesting story and I can go for the idea of someone as good as Williams getting the chance. If nothing else, it was nice to see him pulling Lethal into those submissions. Lethal was trying to mix up the submissions with his usual style and it worked out well, though Williams was just too much. Really good match here though.

Overall Rating: B. Another week and another rather awesome show from the tournament. You can’t go wrong with the matches of course, but it was great to have something thrown in there with the Taven vs. Vincent feud. I’m curious to see where things go once the tournament is over, but I’m going to miss it when it’s gone. Another rather good show here, which is hardly a surprise these days.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-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: October 14, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time to start the quarterfinals and that’s a nice thing to see. The Pure Title tournament is such a pallet cleanser after so many things are so bad around here and I could go for a lot more of it. Thankfully that seems to be what we are going to be getting for a long time to come and I can’t say I’m complaining. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at the tournament, as we should.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the quarterfinal participants.

We look at Tracy Williams advancing last week.

Williams says that was round one and he’s here for the best competition. He thanks Rust Taylor for knocking the rust off and hopes he never has to wrestle someone that tough again. Now he has Fred Yehi, who was part of Catch Point with him. So bring it on, because Yehi was what Catch Point was all about.

PJ Black beat Tony Deppen and knows he can use enough moves to make people burn through his rope breaks. Now he’s ready for round two.

We look at Jay Lethal beating Dalton Castle to advance to the second round. He’s ready for David Finlay.

We look at David Finlay beating Rocky Romero to advance to the second round. He’s ready for Jay Lethal.

Pure Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Jay Lethal vs. David Finlay

The time limits are extended to twenty minutes in the second round. They fight over wristlocks to start with Finlay knocking him to the mat but having to fight out of a cross armbreaker attempt. Lethal takes over on the arm and then drives him down into something close to a Fujiwara armbar. Back up and they fight over a hiptoss with Lethal being sent out to the floor in a crash.

They switch places with Finlay hurting his knee on the landing but still being able to get away before Lethal can dive. Back in and Finlay uses a headscissors to escape a headlock, only to get pulled into another headlock. With the holds not working, Lethal hits the hiptoss into the basement dropkick as we take a break. We come back with Lethal in trouble thanks to a backbreaker (with commentary calmly explaining the main point of what we missed during the break, because this show is treated as an actual sport).

Lethal escapes but can’t get a Figure Four as his knee is banged up, instead settling for the Lethal Combination for a double knockdown. That gets a very delayed two but Lethal takes way too long going up top because of the knee. Finlay pulls him down into something close to an Indian deathlock. Lethal is smart enough to use his first rope break and they fight out to the apron. Finlay is left on the apron and it’s a springboard dropkick to put him on the floor. The bad knee means Lethal can only hit one dive but the Lethal Injection connects for the pin to eliminate Finlay at 14:58.

Rating: B-. Lethal’s knee was banged up throughout the second half but it only held him back so much as he was still hitting almost all of his usual stuff. Finlay was a bit more interesting so far but I completely get why it’s Lethal moving on. He’s the biggest star Ring of Honor has at the moment and there is no reason to have him eliminated early on. Good match, but not quite as good as I was expecting.

We actually get an in-ring promo with Vincent coming to the ring to talk about how everyone is talking about change. He doesn’t need to change though because he is righteous. At one time, he stood there in the shadows and almost needed someone to bring him in. Now though, he’s here as the face of horror and it tastes so good man. He wants us to get closer and dig what he is saying. If you want to be successful you need friends, but if you want to be even more successful, you need to have some enemies.

Cue Matt Taven to take Vincent out and the beatdown is on in a hurry. Taven rips the canvas up and hits a knee to the face, followed by the Climax onto the exposed wood. That’s not enough as Taven whips out a table and drives Vincent through it at ringside before walking away. Face Taven is still a mile better than the heel version and this is a good way to build things up aside from the tournament.

We get a vignette on the importance of freedom. Three lines come up and we see the words YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

We look at Jonathan Gresham moving on by defeating Wheeler Yuta. He’s ready for Matt Sydal.

We look at Matt Sydal moving on by defeating Delirious. He’s ready for Jonathan Gresham.

Pure Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Jonathan Gresham vs. Matt Sydal

The break takes place before the bell for a nice relief. Sydal takes him down by the leg to start and cranks away before switching to an armbar. You know Gresham is fine on the mat and starts pulling on Sydal’s foot but Sydal gets in a kick to the face for the escape. Sydal puts on an ankle lock, only to get taken down into Gresham’s hammerlock. Gresham ties the arm around his leg and pulls back on Sydal’s leg at the same time for a bonus. That’s broken up so they trade some headscissors.

With that going nowhere, Sydal takes him down and starts working on the arm some more. This time they stumble into the ropes for a break, which is somehow not a rope break. We take a break and come back with Sydal striking away but not being able to get the cobra stretch. Sydal takes him down by the leg instead and kicks away at the knee. A big kick to the chest drops Gresham but it’s quickly off to a pinfall reversal sequence. Gresham’s knee is fine enough to pull Sydal into a surfboard but drops Sydal down to horribly bend the ankle and Sydal taps at 13:27.

Rating: B. This was more like it and the kind of thing that made the time worth it. The whole point here was two guys being technical masters with Gresham being just that much better. If nothing else, it’s great to see the two of them trying various methods of destroying the other’s limbs and Gresham’s big finishing hold was awesome. Really good stuff here and that’s what I was hoping to see.

We get another CONTROL YOUR NARRATIVE video and it’s confirmed to be EC3.

Overall Rating: B+. Seriously what else could you want from an hour long show? They had two good to very good matches, a surprise at the end and a story being brought back after several months away. Ring of Honor is doing the most basic stuff right now but they’re doing it well, and I’ll take that every single time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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