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:

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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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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Women of Honor Title: Madison Rayne vs. Sumie Sakai

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

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

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

They hug post match, because of course they do.

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

Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Silas Young/Bully Ray vs. Best Friends

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Kenny King

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

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

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

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

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

Josh Woods vs. Facade

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matt Taven vs. Ultimo Guerrero

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: June 20, 2018
Location: Odeum Expo Theater, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re less than two weeks away from Best in the World and that means it’s time to start setting up some of the lower matches on the card. Well at least that would be the case most of the time but around here you never know because Ring of Honor doesn’t always announce a lot of its card until the weekend of the show. Let’s get to it.

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

The Bullet Club is ready for Los Ingobernables de Japon because Los Ingobernables couldn’t sell out an arena in thirty minutes like the Club did.

Opening sequence.

Chuck Taylor vs. Kenny King

Chuck offers a handshake but pulls it away because he’s kind of a jerk. They finally do shake hands and King motions a bunch of hugs to the crowd. A headlock slows Chuck down to start and King runs him over with a shoulder, meaning it’s time to dance. Chuck runs him right back over and it’s time for some Kentucky dancing. They share a hug and Chuck teases jumping him to no avail. More dancing sets up another hug but this time Chuck belly to belly suplexes him to take over.

Back from a break with Chuck missing a middle rope moonsault and Kenny slugging away. Chuck gets sent outside for a dive but let’s stop for King to take a picture with a fan. I mean, he’s not ready to take it so we’ll come back to that later. King mostly misses a high crossbody but gets two anyway. That’s enough for Taylor to send him outside for a dive and NOW we’ll take a picture with the same fan. A Falcon Arrow gives Chuck two and a stuff piledriver is good for two more. King is right back up with the Royal Flush for the pin at 11:37.

Rating: C-. I’m not big on this style of match as they were just trading moves on each other until one of them hit their finisher for the win. It wasn’t terrible or anything but it’s nothing that I’m going to remember in about five minutes. Taylor has grown on me though and he’s nowhere near as bad as I used to find him.

We look back at the Briscoes attacking the Young Bucks a few weeks back.

The Briscoes aren’t happy with being asked why they’re going down the dark road. The Bucks are the best in the world at selling shirts and making Youtube videos, but they can’t take the titles.

Video on Shane Taylor.

Here’s Shane in the ring to call out Josh Woods. He had Woods beaten in Florida when King Mo interfered. Now Taylor is going to beat Woods up faster than Derrick Rose pops his ACL.

Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods

Taylor wastes no time in knocking Woods to the floor with the power, followed by a big headbutt on the outside. A big Cannonball crushes Woods against the barricade and a legdrop on the apron sends us to a break. Back with Woods reversing a powerslam into a sleeper but Taylor throws him down. The referee gets in the way and Taylor knocks Woods out with a right hand for the pin at 5:33. Not enough shown to rate but this was pretty much a squash.

Bullet Club vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

Cody, Hangman Page, Young Bucks, Marty Scurll

Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, Evil, Sanada, Bushi

Dalton Castle is on commentary and we’ll look at him for the first few seconds of the match. Cody and Naito start things off with Cody striking his pose and Naito doing his eye opening deal. Naito sends him outside and rolls into the pose, which of course is cheered to high Heaven around here. That’s too far for Cody, who throws a bunch of chairs around. Scurll tags himself in to face Bushi so let’s go back to Castle, who is holding the title upside down.

Ever the evil one (though not Evil), Bushi grabs the beard so Scurll goes for the fingers. That sets up a showdown between the Bucks and Bushi/Evil with the fans not being sure what to do. Ian talks about the teams fought in Osaka, even though Evil and Sanada lost the titles there but came out with them here. Nice try at least. They stare each other down and it’s eventually all ten in the ring for a big staredown. The referee tries to keep order (get that man a raise) but the brawl breaks out anyway with the Bucks taking over (you’re kidding me) by way of dives and dropkicks.

Scurll kicks Sanada in the face so Page can hit a running shooting star to clear the ring. Cody does the Rise of the Terminator pose to annoy the fans but Takahashi cuts him off with a Darryl shot. Everyone else gets Darryled until a double superkick takes him down, followed by a big rope walk flip dive to Evil and Sanada. The Meltzer Driver is broken up and Evil chops a chair into Matt’s face as we take a break.

Back with things having settled down a bit as Matt superkicks Sanada down. The hot tag brings in Scurll to slug it out with Takahashi but he can’t quite get the chickenwing. Instead it’s the Ghostbuster for two but Takahashi kicks the heck out of Scurll, allowing the hot tag to Evil. Sanada comes in for a bonus, meaning Nick can have extra targets to beat up. The Bucks grab the stereo Sharpshooters but get broken up in short order. Cue Punishment Martinez to fight Page into the back though and we take another break.

Back again with Los Ingobernables cleaning house for a change and a quadruple basement dropkick rocking Matt. There’s a Destroyer to Matt and the Magic Killer gives Bushi two with Nick pulling the referee out. Even Bernard the Business Bear offers a distraction so Bushi mists him for good measure. Scurll hits Cody with the umbrella by mistake and Naito adds Destino…..but it doesn’t matter as the Bucks come in with a bunch of superkicks. The Meltzer Driver ends Bushi at 16:37.

Rating: C+. And that’s why the Bucks get on my nerves: the Road Warriors weren’t pushed as this unstoppable. The Bullet Club, who are having problems, haven’t been a team as long, and are down a man due to Page being gone, is in trouble but DON’T WORRY because the Bucks are here for a bunch of superkicks. In other words, absolutely nothing in the first sixteen minutes mattered because the Bucks are going to come in and almost literally beat up the other team by themselves. What’s the point in even watching a match if there’s no reason to think anything else is going to happen? Good match with an annoying ending.

Cody checks on Bernard and pours water on the mask.

A Best in the World rundown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. That ending really rubbed me the wrong way and took me out of a lot of the good things that the show had going for it. While still good, this was really all about the main event and that match was really not working for me because of the last few seconds. They did a better job of setting up some stuff for Best in the World, but so much of the TV still feels like they’re filling in time because they don’t have anything else to do outside of their one big match. That’s been a problem for so long around here and it’s getting tiresome.

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

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: May 2, 2018
Location: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer

We’re FINALLY at the new stuff after Supercard of Honor, which only took place last month. The big stories coming out of there are the Bullet Club’s continuing issues (expect to hear that for a long time) and Dalton Castle retaining the World Title over Marty Scurll. It’s now time to get ready for War of the Worlds….which starts a week from tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

As expected, we open with a long package on Supercard of Honor. It’s about time.

Opening sequence.

Chuckie T. vs. Josh Woods

Chuckie is getting a lot of time lately. He wastes no time in poking the eye and grabbing a Russian legsweep. Something like an Octopus Hold has Woods in trouble and an enziguri to the ribs (which makes no sense as enziguri means head kick) drops him again. An exploder suplex drops Chuckie and we take a break.

Back with another suplex putting Chuckie down again but he nails a middle rope dropkick for no cover. Chuckie gets two off a Falcon Arrow and Soul Food (Eat Defeat)….doesn’t have much effect (as it shouldn’t), with Woods hitting a fireman’s carry into a knee to the jaw. Rolling Chaos Theory gets two on Chuckie but he reverses a cross armbreaker into a rollup for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: C-. What happened to Woods? He was a solid midcard act for a few months there and this is the first time I’ve seen him do anything of note in a long time. Now he’s mostly getting squashed in an opening TV match. They don’t have the room for the roster they have and Woods seems to be one of those victims. I’m sure we’ll get a Cheeseburger match in the near future though right?

Brandi Rhodes says Cody is her favorite wrestler but he goes with Dalton Castle. Dalton is NOT like 1978 Bob Backlund because he’s just that good. Cody beat Jay Lethal so he should get something. Brandi makes the motion of a title around her waist. Cody: “YOU’RE PREGNANT???” Not quite, with Brandi’s reaction being worth a chuckle.

The Kingdom brags about stealing the Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Sumie Sakai vs. Stella Grey

Non-title and Jenny Rose is on commentary. Sakai dropkicks her down and does it again from the top rope for good measure. A spear cuts Sakai in half for two but she easily breaks up a powerbomb out of the corner. Some stomps to the face have Stella in more trouble but she’s right back with a tornado DDT. Sakai gets two off a belly to back suplex and Stella gets the same off a small package. Smashmouse finishes Stella at 3:25.

Rating: C. It’s an entertaining match but 100% the wrong match to have. Sakai isn’t just the new champion but she’s the FIRST champion. Her first match shouldn’t be going back and forth with someone with no resume. This should have been a quick squash but instead, Sakai looks weak right out of the gate. Completely wrong booking here and that’s not a good thing.

Post match Jenny gets in the ring and shows a clip of some miscommunication between the two of them in a tag match earlier this year. Jenny wants a title shot and Sakai reluctantly agrees to fight her friend. Sakai extends her hand but Jenny leaves without shaking it.

So Cal Uncensored is very mad at the Kingdom, who they refer to as children.

We look at Marty Scurll pinning Dalton Castle at the recent Masters of the Craft event.

Scurll wants a title shot at Best in the World. Logical progression and you can pretty much guarantee a multiman title match.

We look at Bully Ray helping Cheeseburger at Supercard of Honor and then turning on him because that’s EXACTLY what Bully’s role was calling for. How long was he even retired for?

Here’s Bully Ray to ask why Cheeseburger can put a legend like him on the spot (by asking Bully to do What’s Up). Cheeseburger is everything that Bully hates about the wrestling business, just like all of these fans. People like Cheeseburger and Flip Gordon are spoiled and entitled, must like people here tonight. A fans throws something and Ray threatens to come over the barricade and hit them in the face. Here come the streamers, with one of them hitting Ray in the head.

Ray calls out company boss Joe Koff, who provides these young guys a platform. They lack respect but Koff signs them to be the nice guy. Ray is still the enforcer around here and holds up the WWE Hall of Fame ring, which makes him better than everyone around here. Again: I wouldn’t go out of my way to bring up other promotions.

So….why am I supposed to disagree with Bully here? Cheeseburger looks like he’s about fifteen years old and is little more than this company’s less talented Spike Dudley. Yeah he sells merchandise, but he can do that without getting as much TV time as he gets. I’ve never been a fan and I’m not going to boo one of the most decorated wrestlers ever for saying something I agree with him on.

Castle talks about looking at his munchkin cat calendar and realized he’s been champion for over 100 days. Still though, people are asking if he’s championship material. Castle lists off some names he’s defeated and absolutely he is championship material.

TV Title: Silas Young vs. Flip Gordon

Gordon is challenging and Shane Taylor is on commentary. They fight over a wristlock to start and Flip nips up off a shoulder block. Young gets sent outside for a big flip dive (Oh….I get it.) but takes Gordon’s head off with a clothesline as we take a break. Back with Silas hitting a spinebuster and backdropping Flip to the apron.

That means an enziguri (to the head this time, as it should be) and a springboard missile dropkick for no cover. A springboard spinning spear drops Young for two more but he’s up to block the 450. Instead Gordon sends him outside for a suicide dive and we take a break….or at least we’re supposed to but Ian says we’re sticking with it. The 450 is downgraded to a 360 as Young rolls away. The standing shooting star gets two and now we take that break.

Back with Flip missing a charge into the corner and no selling a snap German suplex. Young’s backbreaker into the kneeling clothesline rocks Gordon and a hanging swinging neckbreaker gets two. The Star Spangled Stunner is countered but Gordon rolls him up for two more. A superkick into a Falcon Arrow gets a close two on Young and he rolls outside. Back in and the kick the rope low blow gets another near fall on Gordon (they got me on that one). Not that it matters as Misery retains the title at 13:45.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what it is about Young’s matches but something always feels just a bit off with them. There’s not much structure or flow to them and that creates a little bit of an odd feeling. At the same time though, they have good near falls and they’re certainly not boring. I like them more than I don’t like them so well done again.

Overall Rating: C. This was all about throwing everything after Supercard of Honor into one show, which unfortunately came so far after the show that I wasn’t sure what happened on the thing. There’s no reason to wait that long outside of the weird syndication schedule and it’s making it harder and harder to care about the big shows. The show wasn’t bad but it’s like we’re starting all over again with no momentum. Why cut yourselves off when you don’t have to?

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Josh Woods vs. Jonathan Gresham

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

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

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

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

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

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

Punishment Martinez vignette.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

The Dawgs vs. Flip Gordon/Simon Grimm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team Cody vs. Team Castle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Punishment Martinez vs. Josh Woods

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TV Title: Kenny King vs. Mark Briscoe

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

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

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

Best Friends vs. Addiction

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ring of Honor
Date: October 11, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s time for a new taping cycle as we’re finally able to talk about what happened at Death Before Dishonor. That could mean a multitude of options around here but hopefully we get some actual stories instead of just doing a bunch of one off matches. To be fair though, the last few weeks of TV haven’t been that bad so hopefully the trend continues here. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick highlight package from Death Before Dishonor.

Opening sequence.

Here are Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser for an opening chat. Young takes his shirt off to show the welts from his street fight with Jay Lethal. Those marks are the proof that he walks the walk to back up his talk. As for now though, he and Bruiser have a goal of winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles but they need a partner.

That brings them to Death Before Dishonor, where they saw another real man. They have a partner now though and his name is Minoru Suzuki and the challenge is officially made tot he Young Bucks and Hangman Page. Cue the champs to say they’re annoyed at Young for interrupting their autograph session. Matt dubs the team the Hung Bucks (just kill me now) and the match is on for the main event.

TV Title: Josh Woods vs. Kenny King

Woods is challenging in his official shot for winning the Top Prospect Tournament. King is the new champion and the hometown boy after defeating Kushida at Death Before Dishonor. I’m not wild on the outsiders winning titles but at least Kushida held it for a long time. Woods takes him to the ground to start for an early two before working on the arm.

That’s reversed into an armbar from the champ but he gets suplexed into the corner as we take a break. Back with Woods having to grab a rope to escape something like a Last Chancery. King kicks him out to the floor and hits a dive and Woods is in trouble. That lasts all of ten seconds as Woods scores with some knees to the head and a string of suplexes, followed by a triangle choke. King is perfectly fine though and stacks Woods up for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C+. Nice match here as Woods is growing on me. The MMA stuff works fine as he mixes in enough wrestling to make it work. You know what you’re going to get with him but he does it just fine, which is all you can ask for. King is a bit flashier than he needs to be at times but he should be great in this role.

Josh shakes his hand post match and King grabs the mic to praise him a bit. Woods leaves and King says he’s a fighting champion who will defend his title on every show. This brings out Shane Taylor, Chuck Taylor, Punishment Martinez and Mark Briscoe, all of whom King is more than willing to face for the title.

Marty Scurll invites us to a Bullet Club celebration next week.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Hangman Page/Young Bucks vs. Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser/Minoru Suzuki

Page and the Bucks are defending. Suzuki won’t shake his partners’ hands so I don’t see this team lasting long. Bruiser throws Nick into the corner but Matt comes in to throw his brother into a dropkick. Young comes in before too long and it’s a triple basement dropkick to the face so the fans can cheer the Bucks a bit.

Page wants Suzuki for some reason and it’s time for the slugout with the chops making Page cringe. A quick Kimura has Page in more trouble and the Bucks get one each of their own. Everything breaks down and it’s Young and Bruiser putting on Kimuras of their own. The champs all bail to the floor and we take a break. Back with Young slamming Matt down and Suzuki putting on a legbar over the apron.

Some choking in the corner has Matt in more trouble but he finally gets a boot up in the corner. A flipping cutter off the top takes Silas down but Bruiser breaks up the tag attempt. For reasons of general stupidity, Bruiser gets into a chase and lands in a superkick. The hot tag brings in Page to clean house, including a dropsault for two on Young. Everything breaks down and Suzuki’s piledriver is broken up with a double superkick. Bruiser crossbodies the Bucks and Cannonballs onto Page as the fans are WAY into this (with good reason).

Back in and Suzuki’s piledriver sets up the frog splash for two on Page with the Bucks making the save. We take another break and come back with more superkicks dropping Bruiser but Nick gets caught in Suzuki’s sleeper. That gives us a showdown with Page, who actually wins a slugout. Young comes back in for the Regal Roll but the moonsault is broken up by more moonsaults. Page hits a huge moonsault to the floor and it’s a shooting star off the apron into the Indytaker to kill Young dead. Back in and the Rite of Passage ends Bruiser to retain the titles at 14:40.

Rating: B. As usual, when the Bucks don’t do all the superkicks, they’re a lot of fun to watch. Hence why the best part of the match was the stuff between the breaks, where there were only a few of the kicks. Suzuki still doesn’t do much for me but Bruiser and Young are growing on me more and more every time they get in the ring. Good match here that was starting to look great at times.

Post match Bruiser and Young blame Suzuki so the brawl is on until the referees make the save.

Here’s Jay Briscoe to address his turning on Bully Ray at the pay per view. Before he gets very far, here’s Tommy Dreamer to cut him off. Dreamer talks about cutting off Bully Ray’s cast the night before Barely Legal (I always thought the ankle was broken during the show) and a variety of bar fights.

One time Chris Jericho accidentally knocked Bully out during a match (I believe that was TLC III in 2002) and he couldn’t remember that his mom had died a few months earlier. Dreamer knows how dangerous head injuries can be and he spent another night with his friend in a hospital because of what Jay did. Jay doesn’t say anything and Dreamer leaves to end the show. I’m not big on Dreamer but this was effective and opens a few more doors for this story to continue.

Overall Rating: B+. Really good show here with a lot of storyline advancement to go with a pair of solid matches. Maybe it’s just the show being fresh after a long layoff or just a good night but I had a much easier time watching this than on most weeks. It also helps to have some top names around instead of people like Cheeseburger and the other interchangeable small guys who aren’t all that thrilling. Solid show here and a very nice surprise.

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

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

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

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