Ring of Honor
Date: June 16, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are well on the way to Best In The World and that means it is time to start getting a card together. That is in theory at least, as Ring of Honor doesn’t not usually run on the same schedule that most promotions use. We are also on the way towards Survival of the Fittest, meaning it is time for at least one more qualifying match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and recaps the first Survival of the Fittest qualifying matches. We also run down the card, including the Tag Team Titles being defended. That will be under Pure Rules, so we go over the tag version of the rules (as you should).

Eli Isom is ready to beat Dak Draper to advance to the Survival of the Fittest finals. They have met before and went to a time limit draw. Isom knows he could have won in five more minutes, so Draper needs to bring everything he had plus more to win this time.

Dak Draper knows Eli Isom and knew that their paths would intertwine. He isn’t worried about Dalton Castle because it is time to be on to bigger and better things, like winning the tournament and winning the World Title.

Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Dak Draper vs. Eli Isom

Hold on though as the lights go out and here is dancing Dalton Castle with the clapping Boys. Castle says he’s just here to look at Draper so Isom sends Draper outside in a hurry and hits the big flip dive. Back in and Isom strikes away at the head, including a few right hands and a jumping kick to the face. Draper punches him out to the apron and manages a deadlift superplex, which is always the impressive sight.

Castle and the Boys start walking around as Draper drops a knee for two. A hard clothesline puts Isom down again and we take a break. Back with Draper hitting a top rope forearm to the head to send Isom outside. Isom gets thrown hard into the barricade, sending Castle into hysterics.

Back in and a waistlock has Isom in trouble until he rolls over to the rope. Draper is smart enough to put the hold right back on and it’s the Doctor Bomb for two. A monkey flip sends Draper into the corner and a spinning belly to back suplex gives Isom two of his own. Draper is right back with a powerslam and Castle starts the cheers. The Magnum Drop is loaded up but instead Draper takes Isom up top but Castle and the Boys walk away. The distraction lets Isom grab the Promise for the pin at 11:17.

Rating: C. The Castle stuff is interesting but this is a good example of one of Ring of Honor’s bigger issues. Draper and Isom feels like it started months ago and it is still going at such a slow pace. Stories take so long to advance around here so the good stuff that they have at the start is going to fade away by the time they get anywhere. As for the match, either of them could have won here, but Isom winning is a good way to go as he has been pushed pretty heavily as of late.

O’Shay Edwards talks about taking Sledge out and now it is time to beat Chris Dickinson in the Survival of the Fittest. Edwards has impressed me almost every time I’ve seen him so this has me interested.

Chris Dickinson has survived against everyone and he is ready to do it to Edwards again, just to stick it to everyone here.

Tag Team Titles: Dragon Lee/Kenny King vs. Tracy Williams/Rhett Titus

Williams and Titus are defending and this is under Pure Rules. Titus takes King to the mat to start and it’s time for the exchange of holds. King gets the better of things with a hammerlock and a front facelock but gets reversed into Titus’ own hammerlock. Williams comes in for some knees to the ribs and the Cloverleaf goes on, sending King bailing to the ropes. A Fujiwara armbar almost makes King use another break but he rolls out instead and brings Lee in to pick up the pace.

Williams welcomes the chop off until Lee snaps off a running hurricanrana to send him outside. That means a hard whip into the barricade to put Williams in trouble and we take a break. Back with Williams suplexing Lee down for two but King comes in to pound Williams down. King and Lee start taking turns hammering away until Williams gets over for the tag off to Titus. Some rolling neckbreakers have Lee in trouble as everything breaks down. King kicks Williams off the apron as Titus grabs a suplex for two on Lee.

The hot tag brings in Williams for a discus lariat on King, who has to use the final rope break to escape. King pulls Williams into something like an Indian Deathlock, meaning Williams has to use his first break. Lee is back in for a slingshot kick to Titus in the corner, followed by the running dropkick in the corner.

Back up and Titus loads up a superplex on Lee but gets caught in the Tree of Woe for Lee’s top rope double stomp. Titus is back up with the dropkick to put all four down. Lee’s running knee is countered and Williams hits a discus forearm in the corner. The super driver plants Lee and King comes in for the save….but that’s a DQ at 16:09 because King and Lee are out of rope breaks.

Rating: B. Now that is a good way to use the rules as you should. This is the kind of thing that you do not get to see very often and they set it up rather well. At the end of the day, the rules are established and they built the finish up throughout the match. It was all action as well, which is what you would see every time with these teams. Good match here and I really like the ending.

Post match La Faccion Ingobernable runs in for the beatdown but the Foundation makes the save. Violent Unlimited comes out to watch approvingly as the show ends. Why yes, these faction battles are still continuing.

Overall Rating: B-. Another good show here, but they do need to get to the pay per view card so something can actually happen with these stories. You’re only getting so far with the stories not advancing over and over. Now the good thing is the fact that the they have a pay per view in less than a month, but a good amount of stuff needs to happen there. It’s still a good weekly show, but you can only stay in the same place for so long.

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

We’re on the way to the 19^th Anniversary Show and that means things are starting to get interesting. One of the bigger problems this promotions has is the lack of something to build towards but maybe things can get that much better with a goal in sight. Now just make the build work to go with the wrestling. Let’s get to it.

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

Quinn McKay runs down the card.

Jay Lethal is very happy about being the new #1 contender because he can get the World Title back to the Foundation. The Foundation is taking every title back at the Anniversary Show and Lethal is so fired up about the idea that he storms off.

Dak Draper thrives on success and he is chasing it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

Fred Yehi needs to beat Dak Draper because he has lost over and over and needs to secure his spot around here. If Yehi doesn’t win, he doesn’t eat. These were much shorter than the usual pre-match promos and that is a good thing.

Fred Yehi vs. Dak Draper

Pure Rules and Will Ferrara is on commentary. Draper towers over Yehi and they go for the grappling on the mat to start. That goes nowhere so they get back up and that goes just as far, meaning it’s a standoff. Draper slams him down but misses a knee drop, allowing Yehi to small package him for two. They go to the mat with Yehi grabbing a quickly broken waistlock. Back up and Draper tosses him across the ring and, after some cocky posing, throws in a chinlock.

That’s broken up in a hurry as well and Draper takes him into the corner, only to get knocked down for a slingshot dropkick. Draper blocks a rollup and tosses Yehi down as we take a break. Back with Yehi’s cradle working for two and then doing it again for the same. Draper’s powerslam gives him his own two but Yehi sweeps the leg and starts striking away. Draper is right back with a few shots to the face though and the Magnum KO finishes at 11:17.

Rating: C+. I know it’s not everyone’s favorite, but it is nice to see a company that focuses on technical wrestling so much. That is what Ring of Honor offers and it is a rather nice change of pace after what we are getting from Ring of Honor. Draper is quite the heel, though he needs to actually do something other than winning these one off matches. Yehi is a good hand, though I’m not sure if he is going to go anywhere either, which is kind of disappointing as he is pretty good at what he does.

Tony Deppen is ready to face Kenny King and become the new #1 contender to the TV Title. Yes he has to deal with La Faccion Ingobernable but he’ll be ready. That was as generic of an interview as you could get.

Kenny King is ready to go as well but doesn’t seem thrilled with Amy Rose. Quinn McKay doesn’t seem happy with how King spoke to Rose either.

Kenny King vs. Tony Deppen

Most of La Faccion is here with King, who suckers Deppen in for a shot to the face to start fast. Deppen gets stomped down in the corner and then hammered on the mat for two, with King getting annoyed at the kickout. Back up and Deppen gets caught in an over the shoulder gutbuster for two more and we hit the seated abdominal stretch, with King ripping at the face for a bonus.

We take a break and come back with King snapping off a spinebuster for two more and getting a bit cocky (well cockier) as a result. Deppen comes back with a bunch of strikes to the face and leg, followed by some running shots in the corner. A springboard backsplash to King’s back gets two and a jumping knee to the face puts him on the floor. Deppen grabs a tornado DDT on the floor and a top rope double stomp gets two back inside. A springboard doesn’t quite work for Deppen and King grabs a tiger driver for another near fall. King loads up the Royal Flush but Deppen reverses into a small package for the pin at 8:14.

Rating: C. Deppen continues to be a solid hand, though I’m not sure who looks at him (or his previous work) and thinks face. That being said, it has actually worked out well so far and fair enough on that. King losing is a surprise, but this should move Deppen on to a pretty sweet spot at the Anniversary Show.

Post match La Faccion comes in and Deppen gets laid out. Brody King makes the save but gets taken out as well. Kenny drives him through a table and La Faccion poses.

Flip Gordon vs. Flamita

Before the match, Flip says he’s sick of having matches that aren’t for the World Title. He’ll beat Flamita here, but the title shot better be next. Flamita says he’ll win. They have a quick posedown to start before Flamita hurricanranas him out to the floor. Gordon drives him into the barricade but misses a running knee. A superkick connects though and we take a break with Flamita in trouble.

Back with Flamita taking it back to the floor for a superkick of his own, meaning it’s time to talk to the camera. They head back inside where Gordon dropkicks him out of the air for a double knockdown. A slugout goes to Flamita but Gordon catches him with a jumping knee. Flamita plants him again for two, only to get crotched on top.

A superbomb into a spinning kick to the face gives Gordon two but Flamita catches him with a poisonrana. They slug it out from their knees until Flamita hits a superkick for two. Gordon is right back with a springboard Sling Blade for the same but Flamita reverses an F5. Someone slides in a chair and the distraction lets Flamita grab a rollup for the pin at 9:23.

Rating: B-. Take two people who fly around really well and let them do their thing for about ten minutes. This worked out rather well for both guys and Flamita winning is always a nice thing to see. They have something with Mexisquad and it is a good sign to have them win some singles matches at the same time. Then you have Gordon, who is pretty much the same person he has been for years now, which is not exactly surprising.

It’s Mark Briscoe, who runs off as Gordon jumps Flamita and unmasks him. The rest of Mexisquad runs in to take care of Gordon.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show here, as they continue their process of focusing on one or two stories a week while throwing in some rather nice wrestling to go with it. Ring of Honor is the most basic wrestling show going these days and that is probably why it is one of my favorites to watch every week. They know what they are trying to do and then make it work, which was on display this time.

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Foundation

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

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

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

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

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

Ring of Honor World Title: Rush vs. Shane Taylor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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

Ring of Honor
Date: February 24, 2021
Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re getting a big title match this week as the Six Man Tag Team Titles are on the line. Yeah I barely remember that the things are around either but Ring of Honor needs them because….I have no idea most of the time actually. Anyway it’s time for Shane Taylor Promotions to go after the belts in what should be a good match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and recaps Shane Taylor Promotions not getting their title shot at Final Battle due to Coronavirus issues. They turned down the titles to tonight is their shot.

Here’s what’s coming this week and next week.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Briscoes

That would be Kenny King and Dragon Lee, with Amy Rose, for La Faccion and this is a #1 contenders match. Kenny and Mark start things off with King headlocking him to the mat in a hurry. A Japanese armdrag into an armbar has Mark in more trouble until he fights up without much trouble. Jay and Lee come in with the former blasting him with a shoulder. Lee pops back to his feet and snaps off a hurricanrana as Jay isn’t sure what to do with someone so fast.

Mark comes back in for the exchange of chops but gets taken into the wrong corner for some clubberin. That doesn’t matter very much as it’s back to Jay, who slams Kenny on the floor. The Cactus Elbow connects and we take a break. Back with Mark escaping the Royal Flush and a double clothesline giving us a double knockdown. It’s back to Lee, who gets kicked in the face by Jay. Lee is up all over again and takes out Jay’s knee, only to get caught with a Death Valley Driver.

King catches Jay on the top and Lee hits the Alberto double stomp for two more. Kenny’s bridging t-bone suplex sets up a leglock with Mark having to make a save. Back up and it’s a double slugout with Lee hitting a running German suplex into a jumping knee into a reverse hurricanrana to drop Mark. Lee’s hurricanrana is countered though and Jay’s neckbreaker connects. The Froggy Bow is loaded up but here’s Flip Gordon to kick him down, allowing Kenny to get the rollup pin at 11:15.

Rating: B. While it wasn’t quite the Briscoes vs. Flamita/Bandido classic, it was one of the better matches that the company has had since their comeback. Lee is on another planet, King is more than good enough and the Briscoes are the Briscoes. This was a case where it wasn’t would this be good but rather how great would it be and they managed to deliver rather well.

Post match EC3 is back to say that since honor can be bought, honor cannot be real. EC3 respects Jay because he is the kind of man who does everything he is supposed to do. He even envies Jay but after everything he has done, what is next for Jay? EC3 says he is free and now Jay controls his narrative. I think I remember why I didn’t miss EC3 around here.

Mike Bennett vs. Bateman

Bennett’s ankle is still banged up coming in and this is under relaxed rules. Bennett charges straight at him and knocks Bateman out to the floor in a hurry. That’s fine with Bennett, who follows him outside to keep up the shots to the head. Vida Von Starr offers a distraction though and Bennett misses a charge into the barricade. Bateman drops him chest first onto the apron and there’s a catapult to send Bennett throat first into the ring structure.

We take a break and come back with Bennett hitting a ripcord elbow but getting suplexed down hard. A superkick into a discus lariat gives Bennett two and it’s time for the big chop off. An exchange of forearms puts both of them down until Bennett is up first. The superkick is blocked and Bateman hits a discus forearm for two. This Is A Kill is broken up though and Bateman hits a spear into a piledriver for the pin at 10:03.

Rating: C. This didn’t have the same level of charisma as something with Matt Taven and Vincent but for a side feud based off of that, everything worked out well enough here. Bennett is already being treated as a much bigger and better deal around here so at least they are doing something with him for a change. Bateman is fine for a monster, but this just made me want to see Vincent more.

Post match here’s Matt Taven to jump Bateman and it’s time to go for the leg, complete with the block of wood. Taven tells Vincent that this will happen unless he gets the match he wants. Vincent says no so Bateman’s ankle is crushed.

Video on Shane Taylor vs. Rush for the World Title next week.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Mexisquad

Shane Taylor/the Soldiers of Savagery are challenging and Maria Kanellis-Bennett is on commentary. Hands are shaken but the fight is on in a hurry with everyone going to the floor. Back in and Flamita ducks Khan’s running big boot in the corner, allowing Flamita to hit a quick takeover. A dropkick puts Khan down again but he powers Flamita into the corner, allowing the tag off to Moses.

That means a big running charge takes Flamita over (commentary is rather pleased) but he’s right back up with a twisting Stunner. Shane comes in to chase Rey Horus around until a shot to Shane’s face sends us to a break. Back with Bandido getting the hot tag to come in and hammer on Shane. That’s fine with Taylor, who shoves him into the corner for the tag off to Flamita. A walk across Bandido’s shoulders sets up a running hurricanrana with the champs sending all of them outside. That means trio of dives, followed by a trio of flips to take them down again.

Back in and a 450 gets two on Shane as commentary tries to figure out if the champs winning can be an upset. Flamita flips Bandido around to take out Khan’s legs, because that’s just something he can do. One heck of a toss splash gives Flamita two on Moses with Khan making the save. Horus accidentally DDT’s Flamita and Moses nails a double clothesline to the floor. That leaves Shane to Rock Bottom Flamita into a splash for two and Welcome To The Land gives us new champions at 12:32.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t quite the level of awesome that you expect from the Mexisquad but they have been champions for so long and I don’t think that a single loss is going to change anything for them in the long run. What matters here is that we have some fresh champions, which probably needed to happen after the long layoff. Throw in Shane getting a big win before next week’s World Title match and it is a rather well put together title match.

Overall Rating: B-. It was certainly an eventful show and that is something that this company has been needing for the time being. The title change alone, even if it is with the least important title in the promotion, made the show feel more important. That is in addition to a pretty awesome opener and there wasn’t much you could ask for in a slightly bigger than usual show.

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Ring of Honor
Date: January 13, 2021

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

Opening sequence.

From Free Enterprise.

Battle Royal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From Gateway To Honor.

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

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

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

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

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

From ROH TV, November 4.

Pure Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Tracy Williams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: November 18, 2020
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things are starting to get back to normal here and that is the kind of thing that could be a good or bad situation. The stories are starting to slip back into place though and now we get to find out what the creative department has put together in the last few months. I’m as scared as you are. Let’s get to it.

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

Amy Rose narrates a video about La Faccion Ingobernable, who is back soon.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and throws it to the end of Brody King beating Dalton Castle last week.

King says a fire of violence has been lit inside him. His comments were about ten seconds after two minutes of the match.

The Briscoes and the Soldiers of Savagery talk trash to each other and are ready to fight. As luck would have it, that can be arranged.

Soldiers of Savagery vs. Briscoes

EC3 is on commentary and does not look happy to be there. The Briscoes have new music and someone managed to count that they are 199-80 all time in 2-2 tag team matches in Ring of Honor. That kind of stuff is great and I could go for having it around for a lot longer. We actually get the Code of Honor before the match and it’s Jay locking up with Moses to start. Moses grabs a headlock as EC3 asks if these strong men have honor. Mark comes in with a middle rope dropkick to Moses and a kick in the head knocks Khan off the apron.

Moses gets stomped down in the corner and a Russian legsweep makes it worse. Back up and Moses manages to send the Briscoes into each other and the hot tag brings in Khan. EC3 turns it into another rant about controlling your narrative as Moses comes back in for two off a legdrop. Jay gets over to Mark without much trouble and it’s time to clean house all over again.

A running clothesline drops Khan and Jay uppercuts him into the corner. The Briscoes hit a double superplex for two and we take a break. Back with the Soldiers busting out the weapons but the slugout is on instead (EC3: “There is honor in the slugfest.”). Moses hits the crossbody and Khan adds a middle rope headbutt to Mark. A running flip dive off the apron takes Jay down as Moses covers Mark for the near fall. Back in and Jay hits a neckbreaker to drop Moses into the Death Valley Driver. Mark takes out Khan and adds the Froggy Bow to finish Moses at 9:41.

Rating: C+. Good, hard hitting brawl here between two teams who are made to do something like this. The Soldiers are still new around here and there is no shame in losing a match to the Briscoes. I could go for this again down the line, though what in the world are the Briscoes supposed to do next?

Respect is shown again post match. EC3 stands in the aisle as the Briscoes pass him (Mark: “He looks like he’s lost.”)

Video on Vincent vs. Matt Taven, with Bateman talking about how far Taven has fallen. Taven talks about how Vincent only thinks he’s righteous and it’s time for revenge. If Taven has to go through Bateman to get to Vincent, that’s cool with him.

The Briscoes aren’t worried about EC3 because they just won a big tag match. They want their titles back but Jay isn’t happy with EC3 and challenges him for next week.

Shane Taylor talks about growing up in a horrible part of Cleveland and it gave him a different perspective. Wrestling gave him a way out and a new place to go and he’s here because of someone else from Cleveland named Ray Rowe. When Taylor got to Ring of Honor, he formed a team with a guy named Keith Lee called the Pretty Boy Killers because they looked different and were stars anyway.

Then once Lee left, Taylor hooked up with the Rebellion (oh I had forgotten about how awful they were) and Kenny King told him how good he would be. Taylor did not get that until recently and now he is ready to face King, because they know each other better than anyone. Good stuff from Taylor here and a nice get to know you piece.

Kenny King talks about being tired of being screwed over by Ring of Honor and joined La Faccion Ingobernable. He has the lawyer for Los Ingobernables and said lawyer isn’t pleased with how King has been treated. As for Taylor, King repeats a lot of what Taylor said but promises to beat Taylor again because King didn’t teach him everything.

Shane Taylor vs. Kenny King

Taylor won’t shake hands so King hits him in the face to start in a hurry. Shake hands next time dude. King misses an early spinning kick but avoids a running knee, setting off a quick boxing match. It’s King getting the better of things with a quick shot to the face, followed by a kick to the face to stagger Taylor. Back up and Taylor absolutely knocks his block off with a shot to the face and another huge right hand drops King in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Taylor hitting another shot to leave King barely able to stand. King manages to stick the landing on a toss though and nails a few kicks of his own. Some shots to Taylor’s face have him staggered as well but Taylor runs him over with a shoulder for two. We hit the chinlock for a bit with King fighting up, only to get clotheslined again. King gets to the apron and a forearm cuts off his springboard attempt. Back in and King manages a spinwheel kick for a quick knockdown and we take a break.

We come back again with King hitting some running knees in the corner but Taylor BLASTS HIM with a knee to the face. The package piledriver gives Taylor two more and he can’t believe the kickout. King manages a t-bone suplex for two of his own and says he’s always one step ahead. With nothing else working, King goes to the corner but Taylor catches him in Welcome To The Land for the pin at 10:14.

Rating: C. This was more about the history and building up Taylor for the future than the action and that worked out well. There was also a feeling of not knowing who was going to win here, which helped out a lot. King is one of the more established named in the company and while Taylor has had his singles success, this still feels like a big upgrade for him so well done.

Post match they hug and Taylor celebrates on his own.

Overall Rating: C. This felt like a much more traditional Ring of Honor show and for the most part, that was fine. They are starting to build stories from one week to the next and hopefully the shows are going to get a little tighter overall. What we got was good enough though, with the wrestling being watchable and the setup for the return of the big stars making the future seem all the more important.

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: September 9, 2020

Back when the Best Of shows began, I jokingly suggested that we would be getting the Best Of The Bouncers one day if this went on long enough and now that is exactly what we are getting. The team is a fun goofy act, but I’m not sure if we need to see a full show about them. Let’s get to it.

Bouncers video.

The Bouncers join us via Zoom with both guys being rather pleased with being on the big screen for once. They’re excited that Ring of Honor is going to be back but for now, they’re happy with drinking beer and watching their best fights. They’ll start off with a big match for some titles. From ROH TV, October 3, 2018.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Cody/Young Bucks vs. Silas Young/Bouncers

Cody, with Brandi and Bernard, and the Bucks are defending. Matt tries his luck with the massive Milonas to start and gets knocked into the corner without much effort. Bruiser comes in to overpower Nick so everything breaks down with the champs triple dropkicking Milonas to the floor. More kicks and dropkicks clear the ring and of course the fans love it. Back in and things settle down with Nick rolling over for the hot tag to Cody but a cheap shot takes him down as well.

Silas hammers away at Cody before handing it off to an already tired Bruiser. Cody sidesteps a charge and Bruiser knocks Bernard over, allowing Milonas to crossbody Cody down for two. Back from a break with Cody powerslamming his way out of trouble and diving over for the hot tag to Nick (which is what he’s best at). Everything breaks down (well duh) and the Bucks clean house, including breaking up a variety of near finishers.

The splash/standing moonsault hits Bruiser for two and Cody dives onto Milonas and Young. Bruiser dives onto the other five, leaving Cody to take a big Trash Compactor for two back inside. That doesn’t bother the Bucks though as they start firing off superkicks, which is enough to have Young walk out. Cross Rhodes to Milonas retains the titles at 15:37.

Rating: C. Cody and the Bucks can only do so much with guys like Milonas and Bruiser, who just aren’t the most versatile people in the world. Young leaving makes perfect sense, especially given him being a bigger star and having more success than the other two put together. It’s fine for a one off main event, but the Bruiser and Milonas need someone smaller to do a big chunk of the matches.

The Bouncers have a surprise guest with….Vincent, who didn’t seem to be a planned guest. Vincent says they’re welcome for his presence and brings up a fight they had at Death Before Dishonor. That brought something out of them that they never did before and it’s why they have this show. Milonas: “….he’s got a point.” Vincent says he’ll see them soon and we see some quick clips from their brawl.

Back from a break and Cheeseburger is the second guest, which takes us to our next match. From Unauthorized.

Cheeseburger/Bouncers vs. Dalton Castle/Flip Gordon/Kenny King

That would be Cheeseburger/Double Cheeseburger/Triple Cheeseburger vs. Dalton White Castle/Burger Flip Gordon/Kenny Burger King to give you an idea of what we’re doing here. Gordon tags himself in to start with Beer City Bruiser, with the waistlock going as badly as you would expect. A big chop puts Gordon down and it’s time for the snap jabs into the toothless bite. Castle and King get the lack of teeth as well so it’s off to King vs. Cheeseburger (with the hat).

Some armdrags make Cheeseburger lose the hat so King takes bite out of the thing. Back up and Cheeseburger takes King’s leg out and climbs onto his back to bend the arm a bit. We take a break and come back with Cheeseburger in trouble and Castle drawing in Milonas so a lot of stomping can ensue. Gordon does the same thing to Bruiser and Milonas and it’s a triple stomp because the Bouncers aren’t that bright.

Actually the referee catches them and in the argument, Cheeseburger crawls through the legs and makes the tag to Milonas. Eh point for a clever idea. Gordon dives into a swinging sitout Boss Man Slam, setting up Bruiser’s middle rope splash for two. The Bouncers help Cheeseburger on a Canadian Destroyer to Gordon but a rope grab breaks it up. We get the big fight over the superplex until the Bouncers suplex all three of them at once.

King hits an Arabian press onto a bunch of people on the floor and it’s Cheeseburger, Bruiser and Cheeseburger fighting on the stage. Cheeseburger gets thrown onto the pile and Gordon teases a dive, only to flip off the crowd. Bruiser does the dive instead and it’s Cheeseburger hitting a palm strike on Castle, only to get rolled up by Gordon for the pin at 14:05.

Rating: C. Yeah this isn’t something that hasn’t been done better before, but doing this at a show like this is fine. It’s designed to be a comedy match and they weren’t hiding that, which helps a lot. This is something that’s ok to do when you’re in on the joke and that was the case here.

The Bouncers introduce the Briscoes and after an exchange of pleasantries, it’s time to go to Mass Hysteria.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Bouncers

The Bouncers are challenging. It’s a brawl to start (as it should be) with Mark hitting a top rope shoulder to send Milonas outside. Bruiser follows with a running apron cannonball to take Mark down. That just earns him a Blockbuster from the apron and Milonas is sent into the barricade. Back in and a chair is used to set up a running flip dive to take Bruiser down again.

The Froggy Bow gets two on Bruiser but Milonas sends Jay hard into the barricade. Milonas hits a swinging Boss Man Slam on Jay and then sits on his chest in the corner, which is in no way a Stinkface. Bruiser comes in for a fall away slam and it’s back to Milonas for the backwards splash. Back from a break with Mark hitting a running boot to the chest for two on Milonas.

Jay is back in with some superkicks to Bruiser and a big boot knocks him down. Milonas hits a weird spinebuster on Jay and then sits on his chest. Mark is right back with a middle rope dropkick though and all four are down. The slugout is on with the Bouncers getting the better of things but Closing Time is broken up. Milonas is powerbombed out of the corner and the Froggy Bow retains the titles at 9:14.

Rating: C+. I had a good time with this one as they didn’t bother trying to do anything but a power brawl. The Bouncers are pretty limited in the ring and the Briscoes played to their strength rather well. It was no classic or anything close, but the Briscoes are always worth a look and this was nice stuff.

Session Moth Martina, also drunk, joins as well and says she has had feelings for them as well. Then she has a headache and has no memory of what she just said.

Overall Rating: C+. No one is going to pretend that the Bouncers are some great or even very good team. They’re two big guys with a less than serious gimmick and they play those roles well. I’ve had a good time with them over the last year or two and this was no exception. If nothing else it was nice to have a bit more of a unique theme to the show instead of “here I am and here’s a match”. Good little show here, as we should be done with the Best Of’s rather soon.

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: August 19, 2020

The news of fresh television tapings couldn’t come fast enough as we are now at the Best Of Rhett Titus. I get that the guy has been around for a long time but they couldn’t open the vault and do someone from their great catalog? Say the Briscoes Part II or something like that? Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Video on Titus.

Rhett welcomes us from in front of his house, with his son in a push cart. In his backyard, Titus talks about what he has been doing lately, including training and spending a lot of time with his son (who has a lot to say). It’s time for his son to go down for a nap so here’s our first match, from Final Battle 2010.

All Night Express vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Adam Cole

O’Reilly and Cole are young guys I’ve heard a lot about but have never actually seen. The Express recently turned face (in March that is. Still heels here) and have grown up on camera from comedy jobbers to a serious tag team. They’re Rhett Titus and Kenny King (Kenny from the second season of Tough Enough). Titus vs. O’Reilly to start us off. Kyle is a submission guy apparently.

O’Reilly hammers away and moves very quickly to take over and it’s off to Cole. Ok Cole has longer hair. Got it. Back elbow off the middle rope gets two for Cole. Reilly takes over so King pulls Titus to the floor. Kyle dives to the floor to try to take the Express out but they manage to catch him, only for Cole to dive on all three of them and take them down.

Back to the ring and it’s O’Reilly vs. Titus but King is in before I finish that sentence. The Express tags in and out very quickly. Double teaming sets up a spinwheel kick by King to take down Kyle for two. We hit the chinlock and it’s back off to Titus quickly. We get one of those relatively annoying contrived spots as O’Reilly hands King’s foot to Titus and leg drags Titus, making Titus leg drag King.

Hot tag to Cole who gets a DDT to King onto the apron. That always looks awesome. O’Reilly gets rolling butterfly suplexes to Titus although I’d question the amount of pain in them. Missile dropkick by O’Reilly from the apron takes down King on the floor as Cole hits a top rope cross body for two on Titus. King back in and some nice double teaming gets two on Cole. It was a hot shot by Titus to set up a double knee to the back by King so Titus could roll up Cole for two if you were curious.

Terrible kick by Cole but he gets caught in a suplex anyway so it didn’t get him anywhere. The superkicks start flying and everyone is down. Titus gets caught in the tree of woe and it’s a double baseball slide to his face. Cole and O’Reilly are a lot like the Guns but not as crisp. Titus pulls the rope down to send O’Reilly to the floor and a blockbuster/powerbomb combination ends Cole at 10:04.

Rating: B. Nice fast paced tag match to open things up here but the total forgetting about tagging hurt it at the end. It turned into can you top this which is fine for an opener but I have a feeling that’s what it’s going to be in almost every match tonight. Fun match and a good way to open the show, but nothing we haven’t seen in a lot of other matches before.

Titus talks about the All Night Express’ feud with the Briscoes, but it’s a little too violent for TV. Everything is available on Honor Club though, which is a nice plug without beating us over the head with it.

Then the team split up but the Briscoes put out an open challenge at All Star Extravaganza VII.

Briscoes vs. ???/???

The Romantic Touch, a masked wrestler is the first to answer the challenge. Since he has no partner, the Briscoes beat him up and toss him outside (as is his custom)….and here’s the All Night Express (in a surprise as Titus was pretty obviously the Romantic Touch most of the time). The fans are happy with the surprise and the brawl is on in a hurry with the Briscoes being cleared out. We settle down to Mark slugging away at Kenny but walking into an atomic drop into a clothesline. Titus’ splash gives King two and we take a quick break.

Back with Titus hitting a dropkick but Jay comes back in to grab a chinlock. That’s broken up and Titus rolls over but there’s still no tag. Instead the yet to be named Redneck Boogie gets two on Titus. King breaks up the All Night Express though and Titus hits a running flip dive to take Jay down on the floor. Mark grabs the Blockbuster off the apron though and takes Titus back inside. After King takes care of Jay, a powerbomb/springboard Blockbuster combination finishes Mark at 8:33.

Rating: C+. This worked well enough but there was only so much you can get out of a team who was split up and then vanished for three years. It was a good way to bring them back, but I’m not sure how long their legs can last. At least they have a fresh team and it isn’t like the Briscoes taking a loss (or several losses) are going to hurt them.

Titus talks about all of the wrestlers he has faced, but none of them were as technically sound as Jonathan Gresham. From Future of Honor 3.

MCW Title: Rhett Titus vs. Jonathan Gresham

Titus is defending. They shake hands and stare each other down for a good while to start Titus takes him down to start and hits a fireman’s carry into an armbar. Gresham’s leglock is reversed into an armbar but they flip up to their feet for a standoff. Back up and Titus rolls over to the corner and jumps up to the middle rope for an elbow to the face. The cravate goes on and Gresham can’t break it up in a hurry as you might have expected.

That’s fine with Titus, who hits a clothesline with the good arm for his own two. Gresham kicks at the arm again but Titus kicks him to the floor. Back in and the frog splash only hits raised knees to give King another two. Gresham slaps him in the face and Titus gets fired up, only to be sent outside for a suicide dive into the barricade.

They get back in again and Titus has to power out of a Kimura, setting up an elevated DDT for two. The frog splash hits Gresham’s back and the regular version gets another near fall. Back up and they trade kicks to the head until Gresham’s hurricanrana is countered into a sunset flip for two more. Titus snaps off a dropkick to retain at 26:20.

Rating: B-. Good match here, though the sunset flip would have been a better ending than the dropkick. Titus hung with a more established star here and that’s the point of something like this. Gresham can do all kinds of things in the ring and Titus getting a win like this should help him a lot.

Titus talks about how much he liked the match and thanks the fans for waiting on them. They’ll be back soon.

Overall Rating: C+. Titus is a talented guy and someone who seems to work very hard, but at the same time he is pretty low down on the totem pole of Ring of Honor. You can only go so far with things like this and the news that we are going to be seeing something fresh is long overdue. Things need to be fixed up a bit and while this was ok, it could get bad in a hurry otherwise.

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: July 1, 2020

Opening sequence.

Video on King.

King pulls into his garage and talks about what he has been doing since he has been in quarantine. That includes drinking expensive booze, training his dog to attack, and training himself of course. On to the matches!

From Global Wars 2018 Toronto.

Ring of Honor World Title: Kenny King vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is defending and King charges straight at him with the running knees in the corner. Jay is right back up but the Lethal Injection is cut off by a kick to the back. King sends him outside for a big dive as the fire is strong early on. A suplex on the floor gets Lethal out of trouble and King is sent into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Lethal in trouble again but avoiding a charge in the corner.

The cartwheel into the basement dropkick puts King down again and Lethal stomps away. Another basement dropkick to the back of the head keeps King in trouble but he suplexes Lethal into the corner for a big crash. There’s a spinebuster for two and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Lethal’s back. That doesn’t last long and Lethal is up with a powerslam as we take another break.

Back again with Lethal sending him outside but King grabs the title to cut off the threat of the suicide dive. King gets back in and sends Lethal shoulder first into the post to slow him down again. The armbar goes on with some trash talk included, drawing Lethal back to his feet for a slugout. Lethal gets fired up so King grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb to take care of that in a hurry. King takes his time getting up and is superplexed back down as we take a third break.

Back again with Lethal grabbing the Figure Four but King is too close to the ropes. The Lethal Combination gets two but King is right back with a spinning kick to the face. The Royal Flush is blocked so King settles for a Blockbuster instead. Lethal shoves him off the top rope though and hits a Death Valley Driver. King is right back with a kick to the face though and the Royal Flush connects for two.

King’s Hail to the King misses and it’s the Lethal Injection for two more, leaving Lethal stunned for a change. Lethal just unloads with right hands so King flips him off. The ref gets bumped and King grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for three….but the referee sees the feet on the ropes and waves it off. The Lethal Injection connects again to FINALLY retain the title at 22:21.

Rating: B+. I was getting WAY into this one and that’s something I never would have bet on here. They were beating the heck out of each other here and King was making me believe they might have the big upset. You don’t get this kind of King very often and very nice to see him out there for a change.

King complains about the “doctored” footage and brags about winning the Honor Rumble in Madison Square Garden. Then he was blinded by the evil mist but got some emergency eye surgery and won the best of three series against Lethal.

Post break King talks about some of the great feuds in ROH, including the All Night Express vs. the Briscoes. We can’t show you the Ladder War though because it’s too violent so we’ll go with this instead.

From Death Before Dishonor 2017.

TV Title: Kushida vs. Kenny King

Kushida (also the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion) is defending. They fight over the wristlocks to start with King having to bail out to the floor. Back in and some hiptosses send Kushida outside for a change and we take a break. We come back with King hitting a fireman’s carry knee to the face but missing a twisting slingshot dive to the floor. This time Kushida is ready for him and uses a chair as a springboard for a running dropkick.

Back in and Kushida grabs something close to Cattle Mutilation but King manages to power out in a hurry. A regular armbar goes back to the arm, even as the fans are behind King. Kushida hits a kick to the head to slow King down again but he manages his own spinning kick to Kushida’s head.

We come back from another break with Kushida’s running dive off the apron setting up a hurricanrana into the post. Kushida hits a big dive off the top sets up a rolling DDT back inside into the Hoverboard lock. King is straight over to the rope as the fans are right back behind him again. The hold goes on a second time but King manages to suplex his way to freedom.

King takes him to the top but Kushida grabs the Hoverboard lock again and slams King down in a near armbar DDT. They slug it out until King hits the spinebuster for a double knockdown. Kushida tries a handspring but gets caught in an electric chair, with King switching him into the Royal Flush for the pin and the title at 16:25.

Rating: B. I was surprised that they would have a New Japan champion lose clean but it was the right call to put the title on King, certainly in these circumstances. The fans were behind the hometown boy and his daughter was there. What else can you want from someone like this? The fact that they had a heck of a match made it even better, but that is to be expected with Kushida in there.

Post match King’s daughter comes in to celebrate with him in a nice moment.

King told us so to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This one came out of left field as King is only somewhat known for his in-ring abilities. These were two good to very good matches and while King was in there with two awesome opponents, he more than held up his end. It was a great show, which has been the case on almost every one of these Best Of’s. I’m just curious to see how long they can keep it up without firing up the time machine, but it is working well so far.

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