Ring of Honor
Date: August 21, 2019
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana
Hosts: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McCay

We’re on the way to….I have no idea actually but the new format should let us know what is coming up. I still like this one a lot better and the match quality has been very good so far. Let the show serve as a showcase for the talent, but this time around it’s about the Shinobi Shadow Squad so I’m not too thrilled. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at last week’s eight man tag, which was a heck of a fight.

Kelly Klein says all Karissa Rivera had to do was ask for a title shot, which is exactly what she did.

Clip of Rush beating TK O’Ryan at Manhattan Mayhem. How long can they run stuff from that one weekend?

We get a blink and you’ll miss it look at the Top Prospect Tournament brackets.

Video on Silas Young wanting to bring Josh Woods to the dark side and Woods considering it.

Clip of Young beating PJ Black pretty clean at Mass Hysteria.

Later that night, Woods brought Young some cigarettes, took one, and left. I guess that counts as storytelling around here.

Women’s Title: Kelly Klein vs. Karissa Rivera

Rivera is challenging. They go to the mat to start with Klein getting the better of it as Cabana tries to talk about Rivera’s family history in wrestling. A layout DDT stuns Rivera and a whip into the corner takes us to a break. Back with Klein working on the back even more as Cabana is ripping into Rivera for having no offense. Some hard shots in the corner keep Rivera rocked but the fall away slam is countered into a bicycle kick. Rivera hits a spinebuster, only to walk into K Power to give Klein the pin at 9:31.

Rating: D. How in the world does Ring of Honor think this is as good as they can get? This was a nearly ten minute squash with Klein never breaking a sweat after Rivera beat Sumie Sakai. The women’s division just needs to go far away as the matches are bad, the one angle they have feels like it’s been going on forever and nothing important is happening in the whole thing. Just get the title on the Beautiful People already and be done with it.

Post match Sumie Sakai comes out to help Rivera up. Klein praises Rivera, calls Sakai legendary, and tells Rivera that she can come get another title shot later. Cue the Allure (minus Mandy Leon) to complain about how it should be Angelina Love getting the title. Maybe Matt Taven was right when he talked about a conspiracy, but the conspiracy is against the Allure. Klein calls them b****** and that’s it.

Post break Klein says she, Sakai and Rivera are going to show Allure what Women of Honor is all about.

WHY DO THEY THINK ANYONE CARES??? You can’t even call Women of Honor a colossal failure because it was never big or good enough to be colossal in the first place. It’s a bunch of thrown together matches with the only stories being “everyone wants the title” and “ALLURE IS BAD”. Klein has switched face with no particular reason and while I’m sure there is more of an explanation on their YouTube videos or Honor Club or whatever, the whole thing just kills anything any given show can have. The division is completely uninteresting and while the wrestlers are talented, this needs to die in a hurry.

We look at a Defy Or Deny match from early June, with Matt Taven pinning Flip Gordon to prevent Gordon from ever getting another title shot. They’ll do it again in a few weeks, because you want to see more Matt Taven!

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Villain Enterprises vs. Shinobi Shadow Squad

The Squad is challenging and jump PCO to start, earning themselves a backdrop to the floor. That leaves Isom to face PCO on his own, with the monster turning his back so Isom can have some free shots. Isom gets powerslammed for two with the rest of the Squad making the save as we take a break. Back with PCO being backdropped onto his partners, followed by Isom springboarding onto everyone.

PCO kicks out of all three at once and Cheeseburger’s palm strike has no effect (GOOD! NOW EAT THAT SCRAWNY MAN AND TURN HIS SKIN INTO A TOP HAT AND HIS BONES INTO SPOONS!). The chokeslam plants Cheeseburger, leaving King to crush them in the corner. The sunset flip/release German suplex combination sends Isom flying and Scurll kicks Nova’s leg out. A powerbomb gives Scurll two and King is back in with the swinging sitout Boss Man Slam to drop Isom. The Backstabber/running backsplash combination to Nova retains the title at 9:44.

Rating: C-. It was a much better match than the Women’s Title match but I never once bought the Squad as threats to win the belts. They’ve turned the Villains into some awesome champions and I’m not sure who is going to take the belts from them. That’s going to make the eventual title change more important and that’s some good booking.

Overall Rating: D+. And there goes the streak of good shows. This week really emphasized how lame Ring of Honor can be at times with no one feeling like a top star. Taven is World Champion and doesn’t feel like a big star. That’s the problem right now: no one feels like a big star because no one is a big star. Ring of Honor seems happy with just putting people out there to fill in time every week and if one becomes a bigger deal, good for them. That’s not going to work and it’s a reason why ROH has fallen off a cliff in the last year and a half.

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

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