IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: October 21, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

We’re getting down to the final four this week and that’s both a good thing and a bad thing. On the one hand, it means we are going to be seeing something new coming in the next few weeks, but at the same time it means that we are going to be losing some of what has made this such a great show as of late. Hopefully they have something to balance it out. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Last week, Jay Lethal defeated David Finlay to advance.

Lethal is looking forward to facing Jonathan Gresham in the finals. Note that he’s only in the semifinals.

Last week, Jonathan Gresham defeated Matt Sydal to advance.

Jonathan Gresham is proud of his win and is ready to face someone in the next round. He talks about the professional wrestling freedom that comes with this tournament, which is kind of a strange metaphor.

We look back at Vincent talking about making enemies and getting jumped by Matt Taven.

We look back (they’re doing that a lot this week) at Fred Yehi beating Silas Young in the first round.

We look back at Tracy Williams defeating Rust Taylor to advance.

Pure Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Fred Yehi vs. Tracy Williams

These two were in Catch Point together in Evolve so there is a history between them. The stats are awesome here again, with a breakdown of Yehi’s strengths (escaped 83% of submissions) and weaknesses (only one takedown and move counter) from the first round. They do the Catch Point handshake to start and Yehi’s headlock takeover doesn’t get him anywhere.

We get a break in the corner before Yehi has to spin out of a hammerlock and go to the corner. Tracy tries to take him down but Yehi winds up on top for a quick two. Yehi uses a rope break to get out of a hammerlock and then uses a second a few moments later, which might not be the brightest move. Williams takes him down by the arm again but gets suplexed down as we take a break.

Back with Williams having to escape a leglock and winning a chop off without much effort. Williams kicks him in the back for two but Yehi is right back with a German suplex. He doesn’t let go but Williams blocks another suplex attempt. Instead Yehi stomps on the foot and kicks the leg out, setting up a quick Koji Clutch. That sends Williams to the rope, apparently for the second time.

They trade hold attempts on the mat with Yehi blocking a few Crossface attempts. A brainbuster rocks Yehi but he reverses a clothesline into the small package for two. That’s switched into the Koji Clutch to have Williams in more trouble and it’s the third rope break to get him out.

Back up and they slug it out until Williams forearms him hard into the corner. Williams still can’t get the Crossface so he settles for two off a piledriver instead, with Yehi using his own final rope break. Now the Crossface goes on but Yehi gets to his feet again. This time Yehi heads to the ropes so Williams slaps on the dragon sleeper in the ropes, but since that’s not a break, Yehi taps at 14:03.

Rating: B+. This is the kind of thing that the tournament was made for and it made for quite the back and forth showdown. Both guys are awesome at this style and the extra history helped them out a lot. I had a blast with this and the ending was creative, which is the kind of thing that you need to do in a tournament with special rules in every match. This was probably the best match of the tournament so far and they both looked awesome. I could go for more Yehi so points on finding a new star.

Here’s EC3 for a chat. He talks about how everyone has control over us throughout our lives, but is there honor in fighting back? EC3 talks about various people who have been here and says there have been honor in them. Is there honor in the people here today though? EC3 wants to find out by bringing total war here, because without pain and sacrifice, you have nothing. He wants to put the name of honor to the test so you have been warned. It’s better than his standard CONTROL YOUR NARRATIVE, which is something that sounds good but loses a lot of its impact when he says it over and over.

Post break, EC3 runs into Shane Taylor, who introduces himself because EC3 didn’t mention him. Taylor calls it his house but the Briscoes come up to get in his face. The Soldiers of Savagery want a six man against the Briscoes and EC3 so I think they’re set for later.

We look at Josh Woods defeating Kenny King and PJ Black defeating Tony Deppen to advance.

Pure Title Tournament Quarterfinals: PJ Black vs. Josh Woods

Silas Young is here with Woods and Brian Johnson is here with Black. They go to the mat to start and that’s not a good idea against Woods. An armbar has Black in trouble but he reverses into an ankle lock. That’s broken up as well and the grappling continues as they fight over arm control. Woods starts getting the better of things by staying over Black on the mat.

They get up with Black shoving him away for a standoff before taking Woods down in a headscissors. Woods keeps frustrating him and they break it up as we take a break. Back with things heading from the floor back inside, where Black has to use the rope to escape a sleeper. A kneebar sends Black into the rope again so he’s down to one break.

Woods grabs a front facelock and cranks on the arm some more until Black uses a Samoan drop to escape. It’s off to a cravate instead until Black rolls out and hits some quick middle rope elbows to the head. Black rolls into a reverse Boston crab while lifting Woods up to make it worse. That’s broken up as well so Black hits a running crossbody in the corner. Woods has had it though and pulls him into a grapevine ankle lock to make Black tap at 13:27.

Rating: B-. The ending was a relief in a way as I was worried that Woods would dominate for the entire match and then slip on a banana peel in the end. Woods is kind of perfect for this kind of tournament and seeing him against Gresham in the next round is kind of the perfect dream match. Good stuff here though, with the right ending.

Here are the updated brackets:

Jay Lethal

Tracy Williams

Jonathan Gresham

Josh Woods

Overall Rating: A-. This really has been the best show on TV in recent weeks and the tournament is starting to wind down. The good thing though is that they are setting up some other stuff for the future, because they are actually thinking. They started with the most basic stuff in the world and now they are slowly expanding, which is how things are supposed to go. Great show here, with the first match being a gem.

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: September 30, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni

It’s week three of the Pure Title Tournament and that means we could be in for another good show. The first two weeks were both pretty solid as it’s a relatively easy concept to grasp. There is something smart about just running bare bones wrestling matches and that’s what they have been doing around here. Just keep doing that for a bit. Let’s get to it.

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

Quick video on the Pure Title.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and we look at the end of David Finlay beating Rocky Romero.

Finlay is proud to win but wants to beat a legend in Jay Lethal.

Matt Sydal beat Delirious and he’s proud to beat his long time wrestling rival. He thanks the wrestling gods and now he’s going for the finish against Jonathan Gresham.

Fred Yehi talks about growing up in a very drug heavy environment but he saw wrestling as a kid and knew it’s what he wanted. He saw that as his way around drugs and crime so he gave it everything he had. Yehi wound up wrestling D1 in college and always admired Bryan Danielson. Now it’s time to make Silas Young tap on his way to the Pure Title.

Silas Young grew up with five older brothers so he knows what it’s like to take a beating. He grew up in this business wrestling against some big guys and now he is one of the few multiple time ROH TV Champions. While he has been away, he has been training in Brazilian ju-jitsu so you can’t prepare for him. Young hasn’t seen much of Yehi but he has seen enough to move on. He was in the most recent Pure Rules match before the tournament and Jonathan Gresham had to cheat to beat him, so Yehi shouldn’t be a problem.

Pure Title Tournament First Round: Fred Yehi vs. Silas Young

I love the stats they throw in, such as Young’s record against everyone in the tournament. They fight over a lockup against the ropes to start and I guess it’s a referee’s decision to not call it a rope break. Yehi elbows him in the face and we have another standoff. Young’s wristlock doesn’t last long so it’s a hammerlock on the mat for a change. Back up and we hit the test of strength until Yehi sweeps the leg for the break.

Young is already frustrated and gets taken down again in another knuckle lock. This time it’s Young pulling on the leg to take over but Yehi reverses into a standing Indian deathlock. Young rolls over for the first rope break and we take a break. Back with Yehi pulling Young off the middle rope as commentary calmly explains what happened while we were away (simple, quick, effective).

Yehi starts stomping on the fingers and it’s a Koji Clutch to keep Young in trouble. Young slips out though and hits a running big boot in the corner. A tornado DDT gives Young two and they both need a breather. Yehi is back up and grabs a German suplex but Young hits a regular suplex of his own. A quick small package has Young in more trouble but he’s right back with the Regal Roll. The springboard moonsault misses though and Yehi gets in another small package for the pin at 13:00.

Rating: C+. That’s quite the relief as they were teasing a time limit judges’ decision or Young winning and Yehi is a lot more interesting at this point. Giving Yehi a win over Young is a nice surprise and something that could mean a little something for him going forward. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Yehi in the past and it’s a good thing to see him getting another chance in the next round.

Josh Woods talks about being the Top Prospect in 2017 and winning all kinds of college and amateur championships. He has Kenny King, who is a little arrogant and doesn’t seem to think much of Woods’ abilities.

Kenny King is ready to win the Pure Title to make another step towards total dominance of ROH. Woods is dangerous but King has been training in MMA to be ready for this match. He doesn’t care about the rules and Woods can call Shredder, Mr. Miyagi or the Ghostbusters but it won’t help.

Pure Title Tournament First Round: Josh Woods vs. Kenny King

They go to the mat to start before fighting over arm control. King wins a battle of the armbars before it’s time for more grappling on the mat. Woods tries a Kimura and then a triangle choke but can’t get either in full as we take a break. Back with grabbing some weird double ankle lock, sending King to the rope for his first break. King doesn’t seem to agree so he pulls Woods to the floor and hammers away, setting up the Tranquilo pose on the apron.

Back in and Woods knees away, only to get dropped with a right hand. That’s good for a warning so the frustrated King grabs the chinlock. Woods breaks it up in a hurry and a running knee in the corner gets two on King. Back up and the Royal Flush connects but Woods uses the rope break for the save.

Woods is sat on top but comes back with a super spinning suplex and they’re both down in a heap. They’re back up again and Woods’ Seismic Toss is countered so he grabs a rollup for two more. We have a minute left and they trade strikes in the corner until Woods misses a running kick, setting up a half crab from King as time expires at 15:00.

Rating: C+. This was a different kind of King and that’s a good thing compared to his usual self. King is good, but his normal style doesn’t really suit a tournament like this. It’s nice to see him switching things up to be more appropriate for something like this as a lot of people might not do so. At the same time, Woods is pretty much a perfect fit for the thing and didn’t need to change a thing. Good match too.

Woods wins via decision with Sumie Sakai and Will Ferrara voting for Woods while Gary Juster voted for King. Cool, as he’s the more interesting of the two.

Overall Rating: B-. We’re done with the third week and I’m liking this more and more every time. They have stripped everything else away and all we have left is a pair of wrestling matches between people who can have entertaining wrestling matches. They have laid out the rules and are seeing who can win under said rules, which means the first time someone cheats, it is going to be a big deal. This is a nearly completely fresh start and it is working out very well. Check these shows out if you are looking for something bare bones but still rather well done.

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: January 29, 2020
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

We’re off to Atlanta again and that could make for some interesting moments. The Final Battle fallout is officially over and we need to move on towards whatever is up next, which will eventually include Supercard of Honor. I’m not sure what to expect from this one but this show is so all over the place these days that you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

We look at PCO defending against Rush, which saw a bunch of people, including NWA World Champion Nick Aldis getting involved for the no contest. That could benefit both sides.

The hosts tell us to watch Free Enterprise.

Clips of Dragon Lee retaining the TV Title over Andrew Everett.

Silas Young and Josh Woods get in an argument in the back and Silas yells at Woods for almost knocking over Quinn McKay.

Video on Vincent turning on Matt Taven and forming his own team.

Vincent/Bateman vs. Sal Rinauro/Michael Stevens

Bateman pulls Stevens inside and kicks him in the face as we ring the bell. The fans chant for Bateman but sound like they’re slipping in some YOWIE WOWIE at the same time. Bateman keeps up the beating with some slow forearms and chops until Stevens hits a quick Eat Defeat.

Rinauro comes in and, after an enziguri from Stevens, gets two off a sunset flip. That’s it for the offense though as Bateman is back with the slow chops to take over again. Rinauro grabs a running Stunner but Bateman plants him with a brainbuster. Vincent gets the tag and cuts a promo….which is censored out, including a graphic saying that the statements are too controversial. Either way he pins Rinauro at 3:25.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here and there’s nothing wrong with that. The thing at the end with Vincent being censored is the coolest thing they could do as it adds some intrigue. Vincent wasn’t interesting in the Kingdom but maybe he can do something else here now that he’s got his own team. The squash was effective enough but they need to do something to make these guys stand out.

Nick Aldis talks about how he’s here to save this place. Now you have Marty Scurll as the new big deal but he had to come to the NWA as a bonus. They are not friends right now and if Scurll wants a turf war with Villain Enterprises against Strictly Business, bring it on. He’s happy to team with Rush against Marty and PCO. Aldis is a great promo.

Here’s Shane Taylor, with the Soldiers of Savagery, to call out Joe Koff. Shane thanks him for the opportunity around here and the best year and a half of his career. If Joe wants him to stick around though, he has some demands: a Six Man Tag Team Title shot, a World Title shot, the biggest contract around and his face on every poster. Koff doesn’t get to answer but that doesn’t seem likely.

Buy merch!

Clips of Jonathan Gresham beating Josh Woods via countout.

Marty Scurll says Flip Gordon is taking PCO’s place in the Six Man Tag Team Title match. The fans are all over Marty here and it’s almost weird to see.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Villain Enterprises vs. Flamita/Bandido/Rey Horus

Marty, Flip and Brody King are defending. Brody and Flamita start things off with the masked one being launched into the corner. A shoulder drops Flamita again and his chop just annoys King. Back up and Flamita manages a running hurricanrana, only to get knocked down again. Marty and Bandido come in with Bandido hitting a running dropkick. A running hurricanrana is blocked and it’s a quick standoff, with the fans being behind the luchadors.

Horus and Flip come in to continue the very formalized series of tags. A running kick to the back of the head gives Horus an early two so Flip is back with a kick to the mask. Flip sends him outside so Marty can get in a running shot and we settle down a bit. King comes in to take over on Horus with a splash giving Marty two. Back from a break with Gordon clotheslining Marty by mistake, allowing the hot tag off to Bandido.

The top rope spinning crossbody takes King down again, followed by a moonsault to the floor from Bandido with the other two hitting running flip dives at the same time (awesome spot). Back in and Flip gets beaten down, including Bandido suplexing Flamita into a moonsault for two. Gordon is right back with a springboard spear and it’s King coming back in to start wrecking people. Everything breaks down again and the sunset flip into a German suplex gets two on Flamita.

King kicks Scurll off the apron by mistake though and Horus is back in with his springboard tornado DDT for two. Bandido’s crucifix bomb plants King again and a Spanish Fly does the same to Flip. Horus DDTs the heck out of King again and everyone is down to a VERY warm reception from the fans. Bandido and Scurll are up for the slugout with the X Knee hitting Scurll.

Back up and Scurll tries to fight off all three challengers at once, earning himself a superkick into a moonsault slam for two. Flip and King are back in for the exchange of chops, followed by the Motor City Machine Guns’ Made In Detroit for two on Bandido. Flip and King dive onto Horus and Flamita so a triple kick to the head can get two on Bandido. Marty takes way too long loading up the chickenwing though (some things never change) and it’s a victory roll to get Bandido the pin and the titles at 16:47.

Rating: B+. As usual, Ring of Honor is at its best when they let it all hang out and go nuts, which is what they did here. Villain Enterprises are awesome in matches like this one and you can’t go wrong with Bandido and company. This was a heck of an entertaining match with everyone getting to show off. It’s also good to keep the World Champion out of this as he shouldn’t be taking a loss, even if someone else gets pinned.

Overall Rating: B-. That main event more than carries the show and it was a heck of a way to use the last third. They did everything you could want them to do out there and I had a good time watching it for the most part. It’s still weird to just do portions of big events as it feels like a highlight show rather than a show that goes week to week. Then again we tried that and it was such a mess that there is no point in going there again. In other words, it comes down to the action itself and this week’s was good.

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

Ring of Honor
Date: December 4, 2019
Location: Express Live!, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

It’s time for the final push towards Final Battle but around here it would be nice to have things actually get going on the build towards the show. I’m still not sure why Ring of Honor isn’t interested in promoting their biggest show of the year with any kind of intensity but that is the case aside from one or two matches. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a look back at Jay Lethal turning heel, setting up the Lethal/Jonathan Gresham vs. Briscoes at Final Battle.

Ian and Quinn hype up the show, including an exclusive match.

Josh Woods tells Silas Young to hang on a second as he’s getting ready. Young doesn’t want to hear it.

Silas Young/Josh Woods vs. Soldiers of Savagery vs. Coast to Coast vs. Bouncers

Woods runs LSG over to start and gets two off a crucifix. LSG headlocks him to little avail so it’s Young coming in to work on the arm. That’s fine with LSG, who brings in Ali for some headlock takeovers. Milonas tags himself in though and sends Ali into the corner for a splash from Bruiser. A spinebuster gets two on Ali as commentary points out the lack of the Soldiers being in so far.

Bruiser is falsely accused of biting to NO reaction and we take a break. Back with the Sons working over the Bruiser in the corner but Moses’ Vader Bomb hits knees. Khan comes back in but misses a charge, allowing the hot tag minus the heat to Milonas. House is cleaned in a hurry using the power of weight moving somewhat fast, including a Samoan drop to Khan. The backwards splash gets two but it’s Coast to Coast coming in for the Complete Shot for two on Bruiser.

Woods’ running knee to the face gets two on LSG and it’s Woods having to fight off the Soldiers on his own. MNM’s old Snapshot hits Woods for two more but it’s Milonas diving off the apron to take out a bunch of people on the floor. LSG is back up and offers a head fake so Ali can flip dive onto the Solders and Milonas. A big dive from LSG takes even more people down but Woods superplexes Bruiser onto everyone else.

Back in and Woods hits Rolling Chaos Theory for two on Khan but Ali comes back in with a lifting Downward Spiral. Bruiser’s swinging DDT hits Moses but LSG is back in with a springboard spinning forearm. The Soldiers plant Bruiser with a double spinebuster but it’s Milonas cleaning house. Back up and Coast to Coast wrecks things, only to have LSG get sent into Woods’ jumping knee for the pin at 15:12.

Rating: C. It was fine but much longer than it needed to be. There were too many people involved here and the spots got no reaction. That’s part of the problem with having the Briscoes as such dominant champions: none of these four are going to be a threat to them, making this nothing more than filler. Woods and Young have a match at Final Battle, even if it wasn’t mentioned here. That being said, they needed to get a third of this show because….well what else were they going to do?

Wrestlers say Happy Thanksgiving.

Shane Taylor is ready to continue being the most dominant champion in Ring of Honor history. He’ll beat Dragon Lee at Final Battle so Lee and his brother Rush aren’t going to be champions at the same time.

Buy merch!

Video on Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry, who are doing better. They have a match at Final Battle, though their opponents (Woods and Young) aren’t important enough to mention.

Video on Rush.

Clips of the Allure beating Jenny Rose/Sumie Sakai in a No DQ match at Unauthorized. Post match Angelina Love bragged about winning (in a Hulk Hogan impression for some reason) when Maria Manic came in to say she was going to end Love at Final Battle.

Kenny King vs. Ultimo Guerrero vs. PJ Black vs. Eli Isom

King goes after Isom’s leg to start and it’s time for a wacky four man submission as we take an early break. Back with Guerrero running Isom over as the other two are down on the floor for a breather. King takes Isom’s place for a chop off and you just don’t do that to an older wrestler.

Isom is back in with a springboard missile dropkick to Isom before joining forces with Black on a double backdrop to Guerrero. Black and Isom hit the stereo suicide dives before they both miss kick to each others’ heads. Stereo crossbodies put them both down so King comes back in to stomp away. A spinning enziguri drops Black and it’s a reverse suplex into a Stunner (cool) to give King two on Isom. Guerrero gets his chance to clean some house before it’s Isom doing the same, including a middle rope moonsault to the floor.

We take a break and come back with King hitting a big dive off the stage and over the barricade to take everyone else down. Back in and Amy Rose breaks up Black’s superplex so he sits up to German superplex King and Isom at the same time. Guerrero runs King over but walks into the Air Raid Crash to give Isom two. Black breaks that up as well and hits a middle rope moonsault into a dropkick to the side of the head (cool) to finish Isom at 11:10.

Rating: C. Remember earlier when we had a four way tag match with a bunch of insanity? Well cut it in half here. Black winning is as good as anyone but King winning, as King is the only one with a match on the pay per view. The others could have been any warm bodies and that isn’t exactly inspiring stuff.

A bunch of Final Battle graphics wrap us up. It’s better than nothing.

Overall Rating: D. Another week and another bit of evidence that this company has no idea what they’re doing these days. Final Battle is being treated about the same as some Honor Club event in July and I don’t think they really care. When your highlight is a PJ Black match, it’s almost all the proof you need of how bad things have gotten around here. The show wasn’t horrible, but it was a big, big waste of 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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: October 30, 2019
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McCay

Yes we are still somehow in Las Vegas for Death Before Dishonor fallout, even though the show was a month ago and we have already had the UK shows. Then again it isn’t like it matters because this company is flailing like few I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure what to expect, but it isn’t likely to be great television. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We look at the Allure cheating so Angelina Love could take the Women of Honor Title.

Jeff Cobb/Kenny King/Brian Johnson/Josh Woods vs. Silas Young/Cheeseburger/Rhett Titus/Joe Hendry

Random draw tag match with King driving Cheeseburger into the corner to start. The announcers make McDonalds jokes as King grabs a wristlock and shrugs off a headlock. Some running of the ropes sets up a shoulder to drop King, with Cabana saying that’s no plant based burger. Titus comes in because ROH thinks we care about an All Night Express feud. Johnson tags himself in to shout at Titus but Woods tags himself in before anything can happen.

Woods takes Titus down with no trouble but Titus survives a series of standing switches and gets over to Young. Silas shouts about being the mentor before trying to take Woods to the mat, which works as well as you would expect. Woods takes over without much trouble and we take a break. Back with Titus slamming Cheeseburger onto Johnson for two and Titus gets the same off a splash.

Not that it matters as Woods gets back up and makes the tag to Cobb so full sized humans, plus Cheeseburger, can get tossed around with ease. Cobb muscles Titus up into a Falcon Arrow and gets two off a standing moonsault. Now King is willing to fight of course and hammers away, even after yelling at Johnson. Speaking of Johnson, he comes in and grabs the cravate, only to have Titus fight up with a clothesline. Johnson refuses to tag though because he doesn’t need anyone, meaning it’s off to Cheeseburger to start the comeback.

Everything breaks down and it’s the parade of secondary finishers to put everyone but Cobb down. Cobb and Hendry stare each other down in a moment that isn’t as special as commentary thinks it is. They both throw two opponents at the same time before a double clothesline gives us another group knockdown. Cobb and Hendry collide on the floor again so Cheeseburger starts cleaning house with the palm strikes. Woods and Young grab a suplex apiece until Woods rolls him up for the pin at 17:52.

Rating: D+. Just a longer tag match here and not all that interesting, mainly due to the talent involved. There aren’t a lot of interesting people in Ring of Honor and Cobb is stuck in the middle of this mess, which got way more time than it needed. It was more boring than bad, and in this case that’s a lot worse.

Shane Taylor says he has always been this good and this confident but everyone gets paid more than him.

Video on the Bouncers vs. the Kingdom in a bar room brawl.

The Bouncers were pleased with their win.

Bouncers vs. Chris Bey/Slice Boogie

Boogie shoves Bruiser and gets chopped against the ropes for his efforts. Milonas comes in for a side slam so it’s off to Bey, who gets punched and non-bitten. A cheap shot lets Bey take over on Bruiser and a standing moonsault gets two. That’s it for the offense as it’s off to Milonas for the splashes in the corner. Closing Time is good for the pin on Boogie at 4:45.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here with the Bouncers continuing to be a surprisingly decent tag team. They’ve found their niche as the crowd favorites with no chance of ever going anywhere of note and that’s a good little spot for them. They can have a one off title shot here and there and maybe even win the titles at some point, but if this is their ceiling, that’s not a bad thing.

Titus tells his partners that the loss wasn’t all bad but mocks Young for getting pinned by Woods. Young blames the rest of them for the loss. Hendry offers autographs but Silas walks away. Cheeseburger: “I’ll take one.”

Jonathan Gresham and Jay Lethal talk about how they’ve nearly injured each other (Lethal: “You nearly broke my arm.”) but what matters is they’ve worked out their differences. Maybe Lethal needs to start accepting his partner’s views. The tag division needs them.

We look at the finals of the Top Prospect Tournament with Dak Draper pinning Austin Gunn to earn a TV Title shot.

Draper won because he worked harder than anyone. He’s smart and strong, because his mind is his general and his body is the army.

Video on Rush.

The hosts run down the upcoming big events, which will be tough on the World Champions.

Brian Zane runs down the five toughest World Champions of all time with Nigel McGuinness on top of the list. Dalton Castle comes in and complains about not being on the list when he defended the title for six months with a broken back. The top five should have been Dalton Castle, Dalton Castle, Dalton Castle, that Dalton Castle fellow and Dalton Castle.

Women of Honor: Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose vs. Angelina Love

Love is defending and has Mandy Leon with her. After the Big Match Intros, it’s Love getting double teamed to start, including a double clothesline to put her on the floor. Rose is smart enough to go straight after Sakai with a side slam getting two. Love pulls Sakai to the floor and runs Rose over back inside. That’s fine with Sumie, who pulls Love to the floor for a forearm to the face.

Back from a break with Rose holding Sakai in a half crab but Love breaks it up with a Koji Clutch. That stays on for a good while until Sakai finally makes the ropes so Love hits a Thesz press off the apron to drop Rose. Sakai is back up with a fisherman’s buster for two on Love as Rose comes back in to send both of them into the corner. Rose’s spear gets two on Sakai and a Rock Bottom gets the same, only to have Love hit the Botox Injection. Sakai makes the save this time so Mandy gets up on the apron for a distraction. Now the Botox Injection can hit Sakai to retain the title at 8:19.

Rating: C-. It’s the same problems as ever: not very interesting wrestlers, action that isn’t great, and another version of the two in/one out triple threat formula that has been done for years. On top of that, the fact that Love lost the title over two weeks before this aired shows you how far behind the company is, which is still a problem even though they handpick the matches they show now.

We don’t even get a sign off to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This show took me a few days to get through as it just wasn’t all that interesting. It was boring, the wrestlers don’t get or keep my attention and there was nothing going on that I care about. What is there to care about here that I should want to see from week to week? Rush is World Champion and has no one of note to challenge him until Ring of Honor and everything else is some combination of dull and not very good, with the shows being weeks, and approaching a month, behind. Really weak show and I don’t see it getting any better.

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 16, 2019
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay

So we should be coming up on something interesting here as at least it should be time for the Death Before Dishonor fallout. It helps that TV isn’t your normal fallout so hopefully we can get something fresh a little faster around here. I’m not sure what to expect otherwise as I still need to get around to the pay per view, but it could make for some more interesting TV. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with the end of Rush winning the World Title from Matt Taven at Death Before Dishonor.

Video on the Six Man Tag Team Title match at Death Before Dishonor Fallout, focusing on Dragon Lee. Kind of at least, as the hosts said it would be but it comes off as just a regular video on the match.

Jay Lethal is worried about facing PJ Black (injury replacement) in the #1 contenders tournament and complains about it to Jonathan Gresham. Didn’t they break up?

Video on Angelina Love cheating to win the Knockouts Title from Kelly Klein.

The announcers talk about the #1 contenders tournament.

Brian Zane from Wrestling With Wregret gives us the Top Five Things From Death Before Dishonor. I like Zane’s show so this is a nice little bonus.

PJ Black is ready to face Jay Lethal in the first round of the tournament. Always bet on Black.

Coast To Coast is coming for the Tag Team Titles.

Tracy Williams is ready for a No DQ match against Flip Gordon.

Coast To Coast vs. Silas Young/Josh Woods

Young and LSG start things off with Silas bouncing out of a wristlock and they roll around the ring with a small package getting several twos each. Woods comes in to kick LSG down so Ali comes in for some grappling, which is just fine with Woods of course. Ali gets taken into the corner for a series of running forearms from Young but he’s fine enough to take Woods into the corner.

Woods suplexes his way out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Young to clean house. The hanging swinging neckbreaker gets two on Ali and everything breaks down. The backbreaker/clothesline combination sets up Rolling Chaos Theory for two on LSG and it’s a toss into a cutter to finish Ali at 8:00.

Rating: C-. I’m actually getting into Woods and Young as a team, but I have no reason to believe that they’re going anywhere. This company has a bad tendency to build people up and then do nothing with them because the tier structure is so strong around here. Hopefully that changes, but until they get somewhere with some fresh talent, it isn’t going to matter.

Matt Taven wasn’t happy after losing the World Title.

We recap the first round of the #1 contenders tournament.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: PJ Black vs. Jay Lethal

Why they showed the result of this match in the previous recap isn’t clear. Jonathan Gresham is out with Lethal. They fight over arm control to start and roll into a standoff as the first gear continues. Black shoulders him down and gets one off a legsweep as the rapid fire takedowns send us into another standoff.

Lethal’s cartwheel into a basement dropkick has Black in trouble for the first time and Lethal stomps away in the corner. The Figure Four makes Black scream but he’s in the ropes in a hurry. Black grabs a reverse suplex into a dragon sleeper, followed by a double arm crank. The Rocking Horse hold keeps Lethal in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Black getting crotched on top, setting up a delayed superplex. They strike it out until Lethal dropkicks him to the floor for back to back suicide dives. The Lethal Combination sets up Hail to the King for two but Black pops up with a middle rope Spanish Fly for his own near fall. They fight on the top until Black knocks him down, only to miss the Placebo Effect (springboard 450). The Lethal Injection is blocked twice in a row so Lethal tries is a third time and connects for the pin at 15:42.

Rating: B-. Lethal is always good for a solid match and Black….dang I’m not sure what it is but there is just a little something off about him that takes away some of the impact he could have. His matches are usually fine if not good but there’s just something about him I can’t get behind. This was a rather nice main event, though the spoiler before the match didn’t help things.

Overall Rating: C. Perfectly acceptable show here, but that’s the problem: it’s just acceptable and not something you need to watch. Ring of Honor TV has become little more than an amped up Main Event, and that’s not a good place to be. What we got wasn’t bad, but it’s just nothing you need to watch. Get an Honor Club subscription if you really like the place, though if you have, there is no need to watch the TV show. That has been the case for a long time now and it’s getting to be annoying.

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: July 31, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

We’re still in Philadelphia and in this case we have a big time main event between a pair of brother tag teams with Rush/Dragon Lee vs. the Briscoes. These four are going to beat the heck out of each other and that’s what you want from a match between them. Other than that, we get to see what else is out there in something like this. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on the tag match, which does seem cool.

Josh Woods vs. Silas Young

Young bails straight to the floor at the bell and grabs the mic. He has something to say: what has Woods done since he’s been in Ring of Honor? Woods is a multi time National Champion and should be winning titles around here. Does Woods just want to come out here and get some golf claps while cute girls hoot at him? It seems to Young that Woods has a lot of learning to do so put up or shut up. The referee takes the mic and it’s a low blow into a small package (I’m not going there) to give Silas the pin at 2:37.

We look back at last week’s street fight, which was quite entertaining. Note that commentary says that we’re doing this because the previous match was shorter than expected. I love little details like that.

Jay Lethal talks about how awesome it was to wrestle in Madison Square Garden. Going there was the coolest train ride in his life but the ride back was the worst because he lost the World Title without getting pinned or tapping out. He wants the title back.

Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. Joe Keys/Dante Caballero/Brian Johnson

Ryan Nova kicks Keys in the head to start and it’s quickly off to Isom to slam Caballero. Cheeseburger slaps Johnson to the floor but gets caught in the corner with Keys uppercutting away. A suplex plants Cheeseburger for two and Caballero sends him into the corner so the beating can continue.

Caballero hits Keys by mistake though (made better as they’re facing off in the Top Prospect Tournament) and it’s off to Isom to clean house. White Noise gets two on Caballero but Keys knocks him down again by mistake. With Keys and Johnson taken out, Isom and Nova hold Caballero up for a top rope double stomp from Cheeseburger for the pin at 5:50.

Rating: D+. I don’t like the Squad but I like the Top Prospect Tournament even less. I’m not sure what the point is for having a tournament of people that we’ve seen multiple times on the show, but it’s one of those traditions that could work well for them later on. The tournament is hit and miss so it could be a lot worse, but it’s hard to care about a jobber tournament. I will however give them points for telling a story here as the Squad beats some competition and the Keys vs. Caballero match is set up. It’s not interesting, but they did it in a nice way.

Post match Caballero and Keys fight some more.

Video on Sumie Sakai, who you will like, respect and care about no matter what you think of her.

Sumie Sakai vs. Karissa Rivera

Kelly Klein is on commentary and this is Rivera’s TV debut. Sumie goes for the arm to start but Rivera is right back up with an armbar of her own. They trade some pinfall attempts and come back from a quick break with Sumie getting a few more near falls of her own. A Boston crab into a leglock has Rivera in more trouble until she makes the rope.

Rivera hiptosses her way out of an abdominal stretch and gets two off a bicycle kick. Smash Mouth gives Sakai two and a missile dropkick is good for the same. They slug it out until Rivera hits a spinebuster for two of her own. Smash Mouth is broken up again and Rivera sits down on a sunset flip attempt for the upset pin at 9:50.

Rating: D-. This was messy, Klein was reaching new levels of boring on commentary and the match felt long, but above all else there is still zero reason to care about these people. Sakai’s claim to fame is that she’s been around here a long time and Rivera’s claim is that she’s done good stuff before. Still no personalities or characters, because they NEVER learn with this division and the problem gets worse and worse every time.

Post match, Sakai shoves the interviewer out of the way and shakes Rivera’s hand. That’s a relief. It was getting close to being interesting.

Silas Young tells Josh Woods that he is doing Woods a favor.

An edgier Coast to Coast won a match on Honor Club.

Briscoes vs. Dragon Lee/Rush

It’s a brawl to start (yes, in a Briscoes match) with Lee sending Mark to the floor off a hurricanrana. Jay and Rush trade flips and corner splashes, followed by Jay getting forearmed down. Lee and Mark trade kicks but Lee’s suicide dive is caught in midair for a double suplex.

We take an early break and come back with a notice that this match has been edited for content. Lee is in trouble as Mark hits a swinging suplex before handing it back to Jay for some shots to the face. A double shoulder puts Lee down again as the fans are WAY into the Briscoes here. Lee sends Mark into the corner and brings Rush in for the running slap and a nice reaction. Everything breaks down with the Briscoes being sent into the barricade a few times each.

Back in and Rush makes Jay scream off a chop, setting up a double basement dropkick. A bloody Mark comes back in and gets caught with a basement dropkick of his own. Rush and Lee hit the Tranquilo pose and we take a second break. Back again with Mark using a chair for a big springboard flip dive onto everyone. The Froggy Bow (with Mark’s face blurred for the blood) gets two on Rush with Lee making the save to a chorus of booing.

The slugout is on with Mark getting the better of it but getting caught with a reverse hurricanrana. Jay gives Lee a Death Valley Driver but Rush is back up with a snap German suplex to put everyone down. It’s Mark up with a Rock Bottom suplex and Jay loads up the Jay Driller on Rush. That’s broken up without much effort and Lee hits a running hurricanrana over the ropes to send Mark from the apron to the floor (sticking the landing, of course). The Bull’s Horns hits Jay for the pin 13:11.

Rating: B. I could go for the full version of this one as these four beat the heck out of each other and saved the show. While I can’t imagine Rush sticking around and not winding up in either WWE or AEW, ROH needs to push him to the freaking moon. He’s the best thing they’ve had in a LONG time and having him run through Taven in about ten seconds would be a great thing to see. The Briscoes have proven themselves time after time and Rush/Lee looked every bit as good. It’s a heck of a fight and the kind of high impact match you only get in the tag division around here, so I’ll take what I can get.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event was just about the only good thing on here and thankfully it’s just about great. ROH still knows how to do some awesome tag stuff but e pluribus gads they’re stuck on everything else. The women’s division has been a disaster since its inception and the Top Prospect Tournament has mixed results at best. Oh and Taven is back next week to make everything, ahem, better. This company needs a lot of changes and I don’t know how long they’re going to be able to put them off. Then again that has been the case for a long time so maybe this is as good as it gets.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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 10, 2019
Location: ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington
Commentator: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Another week and another show that is likely going to be little more than a filler as we wait for the fallout from Best in the World. The best thing I can say about that is we don’t need to see as much of the bad storytelling that takes place around here when they get away from what they do best. Hopefully the good wrestling can carry the week around here so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Kingdom vs. Bouncers

TK O’Ryan and Vinny Marseglia for the Kingdom here and Brian Milonas is now Brawler Milonas. O’Ryan runs away from Brawler to start and gets sent into the buckle over and over for his efforts. A missed charge lets O’Ryan hit a running dropkick in the corner but Brawler falls on him for a clever spot. Bruiser comes in and punches at Marseglia, followed by doing the same to O’Ryan, with the fans being rather pleased. A little fish hooking gets Marseglia out of trouble but Bruiser bites his way to freedom. Well kind of as he has no teeth you see.

Everything breaks down and Bruiser hits a running flip dive to take them both down. The Kingdom gets smart and sends him into the barricade though and we take a break. Back with Bruiser getting the rope kicked into his face as the fans chant for beer. Amazingly enough, Bruiser isn’t going up for a double flapjack so he grabs a double side slam instead. That’s enough for the tag to Milonas but Closing Time is countered with a grab of Milonas’ leg, allowing O’Ryan to fall on top for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C. See, this is how you use the Bouncers. They’ve been built up for a few months now and then lose to a bigger team. The fans like them because they’ve been established as a fun team and their gimmick is going to keep them around forever. It’s not a great match or anything, but it was the result of a few months of perfectly acceptable booking.

Post match the Bouncers bring in some beer (with Bruiser holding one to his injured mouth) and the Kingdom puts them over. They’re a good team, but they’re also fat and worthless like everyone here. The beer is poured out in an act of disrespect.

Matt Taven says beware of the quiet man, who he’s facing tonight in Tracy Williams. At the same time, Williams needs to worry about the World Champion. That’s true, as he might have to watch Taven.

Williams (I didn’t even recognize him, which says a lot about ROH at the moment) says this is the biggest match of his career and Taven better have enjoyed his time as champion.

Brian Johnson vs. Josh Woods

Johnson says Woods hasn’t done anything since winning the Top Prospect Tournament and Woods doesn’t like being called out like that. Woods drives him into the corner with no trouble and grabs a waistlock to mess with Johnson some more. An overhead belly to belly (Johnson: “NO! NO! NO!” Cabana: “I think the answer is yes.”) sends Johnson flying but he avoids a charge to send Woods into the post.

Back from a break with Woods fighting out of a chinlock but getting taken down by his banged up arm. The armbar is broken up with some right hands and a knee to the ribs starts the comeback. Johnson kicks the knee out though and Woods falls face first onto Johnson’s knee for a nice little spot, which they managed to make look natural. Not that it matters as Woods hits a knee to the face and the Seismic Toss for the pin at 8:18.

Rating: C+. I liked this more than I was expecting to and that’s always a nice feeling. Johnson is a good little heel and Woods is the kind of guy you can push as the resident shooter. I could see him going towards a midcard title shot and with some more seasoning and tweaking, even further than that. Nice match here and that’s quite the surprise.

We look back at Williams becoming the #1 contender.

Ring of Honor World Title: Matt Taven vs. Tracy Williams

Taven is defending, Jay Lethal is on commentary and the Kingdom is barred from ringside. Lethal is rather frustrated at Taven’s jabs at him for losing the title as Williams takes Taven down by the arm. Taven wrestles his way up and we take an early break. Back with Williams working on the leg and grabbing an ankle lock to send Taven over to the rope. Something like an Angle Slam plants Williams and Taven charges into a boot in the corner.

They head to the floor with Taven whipping him hard into the steps as the brawling goes badly for Williams in a logical move. Hang on though as Taven grabs the title and goes to leave. You don’t do that to a guy named Hot Sauce (seriously, don’t try it) as Williams goes after him and sends the champ into various things. Williams hits a running ax handle off the apron and it’s back into the ring.

Taven catches him on top and hits kind of a super Russian legsweep onto the apron (FREAKING OW MAN!) for a major crash. Back from another break with Williams missing a top rope double stomp but grabbing a sleeper instead. That’s broken up and an enziguri rocks Williams again but he shoves Taven off the top. A top rope DDT (always like that) gives Williams two and they’re both down. It’s Taven up first with a hard knee to the face for another double knockdown.

One heck of a clothesline from Williams sets up the Crossface and that looked like a tap. Of course it’s not though so Williams switches to an ankle lock. The rope is grabbed and Taven hits another knee. The Climax connects for two in a rather good false finish and Williams’ piledriver, with one arm, gets the same. With nothing else working, Taven sends Williams into the referee and drives the bad arm into a turnbuckle he exposed during the break. Now the Climax can retain at 16:44.

Rating: B. The wrestling was better here but there is only so much you’re going to get out of Taven given how uninteresting he can be. Williams feels like a bit of a low rent Chris Benoit and that’s the kind of wrestler who is always going to have a place on a show like this (or any other for that matter). Just find a slightly more interesting way to cut a promo and they could be somewhere.

Overall Rating: B. I know I say this almost every time but the lack of storytelling is the best thing that this company can do. These stand alone shows are that much better and a lot of that is due to them cutting out what they’re bad at and focusing on the good stuff. It’s worked for them for years but for some reason we only get it occasionally here. In other words, do everything backwards from what they seem interested in doing and it gets a lot better.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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: May 15, 2019
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s not a good sign when I have to look back at my notes to see what is going on with today’s show. Since the MSG show, nothing has really stuck with me, aside from Dalton Castle’s nice heel confirming segment last week. The shows haven’t been terrible, but I need something a little better than not very memorable. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. Coast To Coast vs. Bouncers

That would be Cheeseburger/Ryan Nova for the Squad. Ali headlocks Nova to start but can’t get an O’Connor roll. A rolling neckbreaker takes Ali down and it’s off to Cheeseburger as the match quality seems likely to go down. Everything breaks down and the Bouncers squash both teams in the corner with some running splashes. Bruiser bites various people but insists that he can’t do it because he has no teeth.

With that paradox confounding some people, Coast to Coast kick the Bouncers out to the floor, leaving the Squad to dropkick Ali and LSG into the corner. Ali is right back up with the big flip dive onto the floor onto various people, sending us to a break. Back with Cheeseburger in trouble, including a slingshot hilo into a chinlock from LSG.

Nova gets knocked off the apron so Cheeseburger settles for a tag off to Milonas, who kicks the heck out of Ali to take over. The swinging Boss Man Slam gives Milonas two as everything breaks down. Nova tries some forearms on Milonas and Cheeseburger has to save him from certain doom. Double superkicks stagger Milonas but Bruiser clotheslines Nova. That leaves Cheeseburger to dive onto Coast to Coast and it’s Closing Time to finish Nova at 9:56.

Rating: C-. Heaven help me but I think I’m starting to like the Bouncers. They don’t do anything revolutionary and they’re rather limited in the ring, but they do what they do quite well. It also helps a lot when so many members of the roster are smaller guys and you have these two monsters. That makes them stand out so much more and it helped a lot here. Not a bad triple threat either.

We recap Flip Gordon challenging Matt Taven for the World Title.

We look at the end of last week’s show with Lifeblood calling out Bully ray for revenge over what he did to Tenille Dashwood.

We look back at the Allure attacking Jenny Rose and Kelly Klein.

We look back at Dalton Castle attacking the Boys. Why are we recapping the last two weeks?

We recap (erg) the Honor Rumble from MSG where Great Muta and Jushin Thunder Liger gave us an awesome moment but we needed to push Kenny King because that has worked so well over the years.

Here’s Kenny King….who is now blind because of being misted in the Rumble. King should be happy right now but since he’s blind, all of his happiness is gone. Since he started at #1 though, he should be called Kenny “Shawn Michaels” King. He brags about throwing out Muta and Liger to win but then Muta misted him and took away his vision. What matters most though is that he and Matt Taven are boys, but King is coming for the title. Before that though, he’s coming for Jay Lethal, albeit after he has his eye surgery. Lethal will bent the knee.

Flip Gordon talks about his knee injury and how hard he worked to beat the timetable for his return. Now he’s ready for his World Title shot next week on the 400^th episode.

Flex Simmons vs. Josh Woods

Simmons is a guy with a rather limited physique who poses a lot. Woods spears him, faceplants him and finishes with the Seismic Toss (reverse fireman’s carry slam) at 38 seconds. Are they allergic to wrestling on this show?

Post break Woods says he’s down to fight. His shirt saying “down to fight” implied that.

Shane Taylor vs. Bandido

Bandido tries some early grappling before just superkicking the much bigger Shane in the face. Taylor’s jumping sitdown splash misses and a basement dropkick puts him on the floor. That means the suicide dive, followed by the Fosbury Flop dive to send us to a break. Back with Taylor not liking being hit in the chest, meaning it’s a single chop to bring Bandido to his knees.

Another chop puts Bandido on his back but he’s right back up and trying a fireman’s carry for some reason. That just earns him a heck of a chokeslam, followed by an even harder right hand. Taylor talks trash before tossing Bandido across the ring as the beating slows down. A running corner clothesline crushes Bandido again and a running clothesline in the middle gets two. Elbows to the face and shoulder give Shane two more and he punches a diving Bandido out of the air for a great visual.

Back from another break with Bandido slugging away again and no selling a shot to the face. He sells a chokeslam though, with Shane going down as well from near exhaustion. Bandido tries a discus forearm but gets headbutted away, allowing Shane to hit a swinging Downward Spiral for two. Another right hand breaks up another springboard and a hanging Stunner gives Shane two more. Ok these kickouts are getting ridiculous. Somehow Bandido is back with a springboard crossbody and a GTS of all things. The 21 Plex finishes Taylor at 13:56.

Rating: B. They lost me near the end there as Shane has been knocking people silly for a long time now and Bandido survived all of it before winning in the end. That’s a lot to take and I didn’t buy it near the ending there. Bandido is a star in the making (if not one already) but this was a bit of a stretch. I’m sure Shane is going to be fine, but that was a little too far with the kickouts.

Post match here’s Bully Ray because OF COURSE IT’S BULLY RAY in the big closing. Ray goes after Bandido but Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams run in. The yelling is on but the newly signed Soldiers of Savagery come in and beat down Lifeblood. Bully Ray and Shane Taylor are confused and ask each other who brought in the Soldiers. The Soldiers leave on their own to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The wrestling was better than usual here but egads what was that big stretch of recaps in the middle? It felt like they had to edit something out and that was all they had to fill in time. I’ve said it for the last few weeks but they continue to squander the momentum they had from the biggest show they’ve ever had. That’s rather disappointing but honestly, I’m not really surprised.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Kenny King vs. Christopher Daniels

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

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

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

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

Josh Woods vs. Jeff Cobb

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

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

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

Hangman Page vs. Facade

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

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

Post match Page and Cobb stare each other down.

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

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

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

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

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

We get that heart rate thing again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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