IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: September 4, 2019
Location: Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
Hosts: Quinn McCay, Ian Riccaboni

The slow path through the summer continues with another big match from the Toronto show, which is only about a month old at this point. As much as I prefer the new format, there is no hiding how messy the whole promotion is at the moment. Maybe the wrestling can work, but it’s just meandering through the year with no sense of direction. Hopefully it’s an easy hour of TV this week, which is all you can ask for around here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the ending of Matt Taven successfully defending the World Title against Alex Shelley in Toronto. Post match Taven listed off all the people he’s defeated and knows he’s on the path to being the best World Champion ever. Cue Rush for the staredown, thankfully with commentary bringing up their history in Mexico.

Ian and Quinn welcome us to the show and preview what’s coming.

We look at Rush beating Dalton Castle for the second time, this time in a No DQ match in Toronto. This isn’t quite as interested after it was mentioned that he won in the Taven clip.

Jonathan Gresham says go talk to Jay Lethal about their tag match tonight.

Lethal says he and Gresham have had some issues but now they’re on the same page. They’re after the Tag Team Titles.

Here’s your weekly rapid fire Top Prospect Tournament discussion.

Dante Caballero is ready to take advantage of his tournament spot.

Joe Keys stands in front of a big fan and admires his physique as, ahem, shall we say adult music plays. Isn’t Rhett Titus the resident body guy? He promises to win. Thank goodness most of this tournament hasn’t been televised.

Highlights of Keys vs. Caballero, with the latter winning by submission via the Crossface.

Video on the Kingdom vs. the Bouncers, which is a downgrade for the Kingdom and an upgrade for the Bouncers. The Kingdom beat them down and burned Beer City Bruiser with a lit cigar. Then a fight broke out in Toronto with the Kingdom getting the better of things.

The Bouncers shout about how angry the Kingdom has made them. They’ll get sick with the Kingdom.

Vinny Marseglia says he likes the kind of stuff the Bouncers are doing. He is finally dragging the violence out of the Bouncers because the Bouncers are all about having fun and drinking beer. Now he is happy.

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Clips of a six man CMLL match from Toronto. This looks as crazy entertaining as any of these matches.

Bandido/Mark Haskins vs. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham

Haskins and Gresham start things off with the technical exchange you knew was coming. A standoff lets Gresham pose a bit as the tiny chants seem to be going for Haskins. Another takedown gets Haskins nowhere and we take an early break. Back with the technical off continuing, this time with a series of headlocks being reversed into a series of headscissors. They shake hands with Gresham tagging in Lethal and bailing to the floor.

Bandido comes in to a very well received reaction and it’s another standoff as they’re still not all the way into second gear so far. They trade flips with neither being able to get anywhere, including a pair of no count covers into another standoff. The fans are rather appreciative and a handshake means it’s time to try it again. This time Lethal gets kneed in the ribs and it’s Haskins coming in for a double basement dropkick. Lethal fights back but Haskins blocks a sunset flip and stomps on the arm to take him right back down.

That doesn’t last long though as it’s already back to Gresham, who sends Haskins into the ropes while Lethal dropkicks Bandido off the apron. We take another break and come back with Lethal yelling at Gresham for low bridging Bandido to the floor. Gresham doesn’t have time to argue though as he sends Bandido into the apron and grabs a chair, which is too far for Lethal. That and it would be a DQ as the referee was watching.

Gresham shoves him down and everything breaks down with Haskins hitting a Death Valley Driver to send Gresham into Lethal for two, with the kickout offering a shock. A Samoan driver gives Haskins two more so he does it again, setting up Bandido’s frog splash for two with Gresham diving in for a save. Gresham sends Bandido into the steps, leaving Lethal to Figure Four Haskins.

The hold stays on for a long time until Bandido comes back in to powerbomb Gresham onto Lethal for the save. Gresham and Bandido slug it out with Gresham nailing an enziguri, only to get caught with a pop up cutter. Lethal comes back in and gets caught in a torture rack into a GTS. The 21 Plex sets up Haskins’ Sharpshooter to make Lethal tap at 18:22.

Rating: B+. The ending more than pushed this one over the line as they took their time getting started and then blew it away at the end. The closing segment had me wondering if they would actually give Lifeblood the win before actually doing it and it was really entertaining as a result. This was the idea of “send them out there and let them tear the house down” and it worked very well.

Matt Taven lists off names he’s defeated and he hasn’t forgotten that Rush cost him his hair. That was in Mexico but this is his kingdom and he has been waiting for revenge. Rush’s name is going to the bottom of the list.

Overall Rating: C+. I can appreciate them building somewhere with Taven vs. Rush and the Top Prospect Tournament but somehow, the Kingdom vs. the Bouncers stuff was the only interesting part outside of the main event. They’re just in a dead place with the stories at the moment and it’s showing more and more every week. Getting the title off of Taven will help, but what in the world are they supposed to do after that?

Results

Bandido/Mark Haskins b. Jay Lethal/Jonathan Gresham – Sharpshooter to Lethal

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:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: July 17, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

We’re finally at a new taping cycle which means I should probably finish watching Best In The World at some point. Unfortunately that means more Matt Taven, who hasn’t been the most thrilling World Champion in the world so far. There is a lot to cover around here but odds are we won’t be seeing much of it tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Best In The World. That show that almost a month ago.

Opening sequence.

Rhett Titus vs. Shane Taylor

Non-title and Titus makes sure to get in some workouts on his way into the ring. Shane spits on the offer of a handshake so Titus rubs it into his chest. Uh yeah. A headlock doesn’t get Titus very far but a shoulder gets him knocked down. For some reason Titus tries a fireman’s carry and gets his head clotheslined off instead. We take an early break and come back with Taylor dropping the apron leg.

The big right hands have Titus in more trouble but he comes right back with some running boots in the corner. Now the fireman’s carry works for a Samoan drop but Taylor blasts him with a running knee to the face. Back up and more forearms finally stagger Taylor for more than a second….so he headbutts the heck out of Titus for the pin at 7:46.

Rating: C-. Titus is someone who just does not have much interest and there isn’t much of a way around that. Taylor on the other hand has gone from just a heavy to someone with some actual potential. He’s a good giant for someone to slay and whoever takes the title from him is going to get a nice rub. Not a bad match, but Titus held it down a bit.

Post match Kenny King comes to the ring and says Titus disgusts him. They used to be the Tag Team Champions as the All Night Express and now, Titus is this. Titus has the body of a god and the heart of a b****. King talks about Titus’ wife and son being embarrassed by him but Titus can’t bring himself to hit him. Titus’ wife doesn’t seem happy.

Kelly Klein is happy with the competition around here and wants to defend against them all.

Video on Jay Lethal vs. Matt Taven, who fight for the World Title on July 20. They talked trash to each other until Alex Shelley made his return. His fingerprints are all over wrestling so maybe he should just play his veteran’s card. Shelley wants a shot at the winner.

Angelina Love vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Stella Grey vs. Jenny Rose

#1 contenders match with one fall to a finish and Women’s Champion Kelly Klein is on commentary. Before the match, Velvet Sky says Love is the only one who matters and she doesn’t know who Tasha is. It’s a fight to start with Tasha and Stella trading armdrags inside as the other two brawl on the floor. Love comes back in with some dropkicks to the back so Stella can be thrown outside.

Jenny spears Love for two but Tasha is back in with a hiptoss to Love. The sliding legdrop misses and Love just stares at her. Tasha wins a slugout but Mandy Leon pulls her down to the floor in a smart heel move. That earns Mandy and Velvet an ejection and we take a break. Back with everyone inside and a series of rollups that have no chance of working. Stella and Jenny go outside so Tasha can dive onto both of them, allowing Love to dive onto all three of them.

Hang on though as Love needs to shout at Kelly, who comes down to the ring. The distraction lets Love get powerbombed out of the corner so Tasha can stop to dance. Klein returns to commentary as Stella grabs a Koquina Clutch on Tasha. At the same time, Love puts Rose in a Koji Clutch but Rose is in the rope in a hurry. That lets Love break up the Koquina Clutch, which probably should have finished Tasha earlier. The Botox Injection (Brogue Kick) sends Stella outside but Tasha hits the cutter to finish Love at 10:24.

Rating: D+. Just a match here with four women who aren’t interesting, including Love. The entire Allure deal isn’t working and feels like they’re channeling Impact nostalgia instead of something that could actually work. As usual, the women still have no characters and I have no reason to care about them, and the company seems fine with that.

Post match Maria Manic pops up to stare Tasha down. Security gets beaten up.

Rush wants to face Dalton Castle for attacking his brother.

Bouncers/Jay Lethal vs. The Kingdom

Jay and Marseglia slug it out to start with Lethal hiptossing him into the basement dropkick. Milonas and O’Ryan come in with O’Ryan not being sure about this. Instead Lethal comes back in and gets shouldered down a few times as O’Ryan is more comfortable this time around. It’s already off to Bruiser (who might be a bit slimmer than before) who gets to face Taven.

Hang on again though as Taven wants to face Lethal as the lack of action continues. Lethal comes in and slugs it out with Taven, who takes over off a cheap shot and some choking. Back from a break with Lethal fighting out of trouble and getting over for the tag to Bruiser. The Downward Spiral DDT gets two on O’Ryan and it’s time to not bite Marseglia.

Milonas comes in and starts cleaning house, including dropping back onto Taven. A crossbody gets two on Marseglia and there’s the fall away slam/Samoan drop combination to Taven and O’Ryan. Lethal dives onto all three of them in a row but O’Ryan comes in off a blind tag. That’s fine with Bruiser, who catches him diving in. Closing Time finishes O’Ryan at 9:55.

Rating: C+. More Bouncers fun here and that’s a lot more than I was expecting from them. They even got a nice win here and it’s hardly a stretch as they could conceivably beat the Kingdom, especially with an assist from Lethal. It’s fine for a big time main event, but nothing that you really need to see.

Post match Taven gets in the Climax to Lethal on the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. As usual, these shows aren’t all that interesting because a lot of the people involved aren’t all that interesting. That’s what I got out of this show: the talent involved just is not interesting for the most part. You have three main stories here and they focused on Rhett Titus, the Allure and Matt Taven. How good of a show can that actually be? The wrestling was fine, but I really do not care about these people and it’s getting worse.

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:

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Ring of Honor
Date: June 5, 2019
Location: The Odeum, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Things have been going fairly well for the company as of late and that’s rather nice for a change. The problem is I’m not sure how long that can last, as there are a lot of problems that need to be fixed around here. Hopefully things stay as good as they have been in recent weeks, though this company doesn’t have the best track record. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Allure to talk about how they’ve brought credibility to the Women of Honor. They started a revolution a long time ago and it’s time to believe in then. We hear their resumes and they know how to make an impact. That’s why they debuted at the biggest show of the year in Madison Square Garden. And for all the Twitter trolls hiding in their mom’s basement, Mandy Leon is the foundation of the Women of Honor division.

Cue Jenny Rose and Kelly Klein for the brawl with Velvet Sky bailing to the floor. A hairspray blast blinds Jenny and the Allure gets out. Klein wants to know what the three of them have done lately and the challenge is laid out for anytime and anywhere. This still feels so out of place around here.

Bouncers vs. Kingdom vs. Coast to Coast vs. Young Lions

One fall to a finish. LSG shoves Milonas in the face for some reason and is shoved down with ease. Marseglia comes in instead but the chops don’t do much on the big man. The huge crossbody drops Marseglia so it’s off to Bruiser for some snap jabs. Marseglia gets smart and kicks at the knee before going after Bruiser’s teeth….which don’t exist.

Alex Coughlin takes himself in and gets Clark Conners to help with a double hiptoss on O’Ryan. The Lions start cleaning house and it’s a Cannonball from Bruiser to take out Coast to Coast. Back from a break with Conners taking a double flapjack from the Kingdom and a legdrop/backsplash combination getting two. We settle back down to Ali hitting a slingshot hilo for two on Conners, followed by a double slam for two more.

Conners finally slips out of a suplex attempt and the hot tag brings in Coughlin to clean house. A missed charge in the corner allows Bruiser to tag himself in though and everything breaks down again. Marseglia comes back in to start kicking people in the face but gets sent into a sitout Boss Man Slam.

Coast to Coast hits a Stroke/Downward Spiral combination on Bruiser but the Lions and Kingdom are back in. House of 1000 Horses drops Conners though and Ali gets two, with Bruiser shoving LSG onto the cover for the break. Coughlin tries to clean house but gets crushed in the corner, setting up Closing Time to give Milonas the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C. The Bouncers continue to grow on me as they’re fitting in well for the fun team spot, which isn’t the worst place in the world to be. The Young Lions losing doesn’t hurt them so this was hardly a devastating loss. If nothing else it’s nice to not see the Kingdom win again so this was a nice surprise.

Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams are ready for Bully Ray, even though Lifeblood’s numbers are down. PJ Black comes in to offer his services but they walk away.

We look at Colt Cabana winning the NWA National Title and being challenged by James Storm after the match. The title match is next week in Chicago.

We look back at last week’s show with Silas Young’s exhibition and Kenny King defeating Jay Lethal using Lethal’s own Lethal Injection.

We get a video on Jeff Cobb, who is challenging for the World Title at Best In The World. He was born in Baltimore but moved to Guam, where he managed to make the US Olympic team. He didn’t fare well and now he wants to be the best in the world in Ring of Honor.

Josh Woods vs. Maverick Boone

Woods powerbombs him down and hits the Seismic Toss for the pin at 54 seconds.

Yuji Nagata/Satoshi Kojima vs. Evil/Sanada

The crowd wastes no time in the ALL THESE GUYS chants as Nagata forearms Sanada to start. They go to the mat and it’s an early standoff. They shake hands and Sanada kicks him in the ribs, which you don’t do to an old wrestler. Nagata kicks at the leg and brings in Kojima for some kicks of his own. We pause for some chest bouncing between Sanada and Kojima until Evil trips Kojima to take over.

Sanada ties Kojima up in the Paradise Lock for the running dropkick. Back from a quick break with Kojima kicking and DDTing his way out of trouble. That’s enough for the diving tag off to Nagata so house the hard kicks can continue. The exploder suplex gives Nagata two and it’s time to forearm it out. Nagata’s big kick is countered but he blocks another Paradise Lock attempt. Instead it’s the Nagata Lock but Evil finally comes in for the break. The freed Sanada hits a springboard dropkick to Nagata and hands it off to Evil, who gets dropkicked in the knee.

That’s enough for the tag to Kojima for the rapid fire chops to both of them in the corner. A top rope elbow gets two on Evil but the discus lariat is countered with a rake to the eyes. Evil gets two off a clothesline but Nagata breaks up the Magic Killer. The Koji Cutter gets two on Evil, followed by the brainbuster for the same. Evil and Kojima trade standing switches until Sanada comes back in for a dropkick, setting up the Magic Killer for the pin at 12:16.

Rating: C+. I’ve never been a fan of Nagata’s but this was a fun match with the old guys looking good and Evil/Sanada getting a bit of a statement win over the legends. It was a smart move for a TV main event as these fans are going to cheer this kind of stuff every single time. Sometimes it’s ok to not have a storyline main event and that’s what they did here.

Here’s Dalton Castle to talk about what has been going on with him. He has come to terms with the fact that he lost at Supercard of Honor. It was a spectacular loss though because Rush beat him in sixteen seconds. It’s ok though because Rush is a dirty, filthy cheater. That’s why Castle wants a match with Rush…..’s brother Dragon Lee. Rush is going to pay with his family’s health as Castle breaks every bone in Lee’s body.

Cue the Boys, now in regular gear, to beat Castle down and knock him to the floor. Castle fights back though and sends them into the barricade and various other hard objects. Boy #1 is put on a table and Castle powerbombs #2 onto him but not through the table. Castle yells a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The streak of good shows stumbled here but it’s not quite done yet. This was a show where they threw in some of the less important stuff and I have a feeling that’s going to be the case next week as well. There was nothing bad here though and that’s certainly better than some of the things that happen around here on some occasions. The Castle segment worked well and hopefully they can keep building up the midcard like this.

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:

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: March 13, 2019
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I’m not sure what to expect from this show anymore and that’s a very cool thing to say. The stories have gotten awesome as of late and that makes me want to keep watching. This is the unofficial go home show for the Anniversary Show this Friday, where a lot of things will be set up for the MSG show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Jay Lethal destroying Matt Taven’s fake World Title last week.

Opening sequence.

Kingdom vs. Villain Enterprises

TK O’Ryan/Vinny Marseglia vs. Marty Scurll/PCO here with no one in either corner. The Kingdom jumps them before the bell but a screaming PCO clotheslines them both. He and Scurll clear the ring and pose before settling down to work on O’Ryan’s arm. Marseglia breaks up a sunset flip attempt though and whips Scurll nearly through the barricade to take over. Back in and a double suplex gets two on Marty as we take a break.

We come back with O’Ryan ripping at Marty’s eye like a true villain should. A headbutt misses and it’s off to PCO for the scary power. I don’t mean that he’s overly strong, but he has power while being scary. Scurll backdrops the Kingdom to the floor and then backdrops PCO onto them for a good visual. Back in and a frog splash gives PCO two on Marseglia, who is right back up with a Russian neckbreaker on Scurll. What looked to be a piledriver on the apron is broken up and Marseglia suicide dives onto PCO. That lets O’Ryan bust Scurll’s spine, setting up a Swanton from Marseglia for two.

We take a second break and come back again with another Swanton driving PCO through a table. PCO almost immediately sits up but gets shoved off the top, sending him face first into a chair on the apron. O’Ryan hits a moonsault for two more on Scurll but Marty is right back with a powerslam into a Boston crab. A middle rope legdrop from PCO makes it even worse and Marseglia gets catapulted into the corner. The chickenwing makes Marseglia tap at 16:33.

Rating: B. It was energetic and long, which is the kind of thing that this company does well. I like Villain Enterprises a lot and having a monster like Brody King on the team as well makes them that much better. There’s a good chance that they could go after some titles soon and I could live with that including Scurll being World Champion. At least it’s not Taven.

Rush rants in Spanish and seems to say this is his house. Bandido comes in and speaks more Spanish before offering a handshake. That’s not happening, but they’re meeting at the Anniversary Show so there was indeed a clear point here.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Holidead

Iwataini’s freshly won Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Iwatani kicks her in the ribs to start and ducks a big boot as they start fairly fast. A dropkick puts Holidead on the floor but she makes a quick save on top and tries a superplex. Since that might kill Iwatani, they knock each other to the apron instead, followed by a Stunner over the rope to drop Iwatani. An apron legdrop takes us to a break and we come back with Sumie Sakai cheering for Iwatani.

Holidead rams her back first into a few buckles and shrugs off the kicks to the ribs. A kick to the head works a bit better but Holidead is right back with a belly to back suplex for two. Iwatani is back with a crucifix bomb for two more, only to get blasted with a clothesline for the same. With nothing else working, Iwatani superkicks her into a German suplex, followed by another kick to the head. A good looking moonsault finishes Holidead at 8:23.

Rating: C. Iwatani is already about 184x more interesting than Sakai ever could have been so at least they’re going in the right direction. I just hope we don’t have to see the two of them fight in some teacher vs. student deal, as I don’t think I can handle that much more Sakai. Anyway, entertaining match here, mainly because Iwatani has some good charisma.

Post match Kelly Klein and Team Kelly (A bunch of people in track suits who we’ve never seen before. I know it’s probably something established on Honor Club, but you can’t expect us to watch all that stuff and know who these people are.) appears. Iwatani takes them out like the goons (who only attack one at a time) they are, leaving Kelly to hold up the title, setting up their title match at the Anniversary Show.

We look at the Briscoe Brothers fighting with Villain Enterprises, setting up their title match at the Anniversary Show.

Kenny King vs. Dalton Castle

Castle, with taped ribs, is shaken up after losing the fall in the ten man tag a few weeks ago. King isn’t shaking hands to start so Castle takes him down with a waistlock. The gutwrench is blocked though and we hit that Peacock Pose. King gets knocked to the floor and Castle does the strut. We take a break and come back with King working on the ribs because he’s smarter than he looks.

A short DDT gets Castle out of trouble but it bangs up the ribs even more. They take turns missing a series of clotheslines in the corner so Castle goes with a suplex into the reverse Sling Blade for two. The wrestling isn’t working for King so he heads outside and grabs one of the Boys to throw at Castle. The distraction sets up the Royal Flush to finish Castle at 6:48.

Rating: C-. This was more angle advancement for Castle, who might be heading for a heel turn after all of these losses. The problem with that is Castle being so charismatic and great at what he does that he’s going to get cheered anyway, but maybe they have an idea to make up for that. It’s a risky move, but something that could work.

Post match King promises to beat up Marty Scurll again at the Anniversary Show.

Matt Taven is distraught over his title being destroyed and swears vengeance.

Pay per view rundown, with the quick promos from various people.

The Briscoes say they kill people.

Kelly Klein promises to win her title back.

Marty Scurll says the match may be in Kenny King’s hometown but it’s Villain Country.

Here’s Taven to rant about the title being destroyed. He’s out here by himself and Jay Lethal needs to come out here and face him like a man one on one. Lethal comes out in street clothes but the Kingdom runs in and beats Lethal down. Taven rips off Lethal’s clothes and the comeback is cut off by the numbers game. A table is brought in but here’s Jonathan Gresham to make a failed comeback bid. House of 1000 Corpses plants Gresham and he goes shoulder first into the post. A top rope elbow puts Lethal through the table to end the show. Nice heat segment here, though it’s still Matt Taven.

Overall Rating: B. Did this company change creative recently or something? They’re even getting their go home shows right as this was way more entertaining and focused than most shows before a pay per view. The TV has been a lot better but the next thing they need to do is nail a big show. They’ll have a chance on Friday and they already have a good track record with pay per views, so hopefully history stays on a roll. Another good show in a lengthening series of them.

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

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IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: January 16, 2019
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, Caprice Coleman

The post Final Battle shows continue and this time around one of the biggest draws is the television debut of Zack Sabre Jr. That’s quite the plus to have as he’s one of the most talented wrestlers in the world and someone who can be a star, especially in a limited quantity around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tracy Williams vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

They’re certainly starting fast. Williams is named Hot Sauce, which should tell you everything you need to know about him. I mean it doesn’t, but a nickname is supposed to do that. Sabre goes straight for the heavily taped shoulder but gets taken down into an armbar. That’s quickly broken with a nip up and it’s back to a cravate from Tracy before he stomps on Sabre’s ankles over and over.

Sabre can’t get up and Williams pulls on a leglock of his own. A rollup gives Williams two but Sabre gets hold on his head, which isn’t likely to go well. Sabre takes him down by the leg and spins the foot around, much to the fans’ cringing delight. Williams goes for a cross armbreaker but they get up for a standoff as we take a break. Back with Sabre starting in on the arm but Williams crushes his chest to put Sabre down. Sabre’s kicks to the chest set up another armbar, only to have Williams take him down with a suplex.

Williams scores with some forearms until Sabre takes him down into another leglock that probably has an awesome name. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker on Sabre and then a Texas Cloverleaf. Sabre slips out and gets a small package for two, followed by a heck of a shot to Williams’ face.

A kick to the arm keeps Williams in trouble but he blocks another one and gets two off a discus lariat. Sabre is fine enough to slap on the Octopus Hold and pull on both arms (also known as Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All To Happiness”.) at once for the tap at 12:33.

Rating: B-. It was quite the display of technical submission skills and hard strikes, but one of the reasons Sabre’s best matches work so well is having him face someone who wrestles a different style. Williams is very similar to Sabre and it took away some of the interest. What we got was good, but Sabre can do a lot more.

Post match Sabre says anything Jonathan Gresham can do, he can do better.

Beer City Bruiser finds Silas Young and asks what’s up with the lack of communication. Young says they were never friends but Bruiser doesn’t get it. They fight next week. Good for Young, as the Bruiser is still mostly a waste of time.

Twisted Sisterz vs. Britt Baker/Madison Rayne

Rematch from a few weeks back. Holidead says she wants Madison to start and gets exactly what she wants, easily winning a test of strength early on. Madison tries to speed things up and a wheelbarrow victory roll gets two. Thunder Rosa offers a quick distraction and the now legal Baker gets kicked in the face for two more.

Back from a break with Baker still in trouble until a superkick puts Rosa down. It’s back to Madison to clean some house, including a cutter for two. Everything breaks down and Holidead clotheslines the non-sisters at the same time. A Backstabber gets two on Baker but Rosa dropkicks Holidead by mistake. Baker discus forearms Rosa into an enziguri, setting up a pumphandle overhead slam for the pin at 8:38.

Rating: D+. Well thank goodness they had the cool/unique team get beaten in their second match before they got over as a dominant team. We certainly need to push the former TNA champion and Baker, who has potential but is pretty bland in the ring. Another instance of having something more interesting available but going with the safer option, which has been a big problem for this division since it started.

Quick ad for Honor Club, featuring the Elite’s final match and subsequent beatdown.

Tag Team Titles: So Cal Uncensored vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending but before the bell, Kazarian brings a chair inside to chase them off. All four start throwing chairs and we settle down to the Briscoes tagging twice before doing anything else. Jay sends Sky into the corner and grabs a sleeper, allowing Mark to get in a few shots of his own. Since So Cal are good guys now, Kazarian is fine with standing on the apron as Sky fights off both champs at once. A suplex sets up a kick to the face for two but Sky comes back with a jumping knee, which is finally enough to bring Kazarian in.

That means a much faster pace, including a springboard Codebreaker to Mark. Everything breaks down and Sky hits a big flip dive as we take a break. Back with Mark hitting a high collar suplex on Kazarian to send him into the corner and put him in trouble, all at the same time. Kazarian fights back with a neckbreaker for two of his own and it’s already back to Sky. Everything breaks down again with Kazarian nailing a cutter on Mark and a pop up tornado DDT for two on Jay.

Sky saves Kazarian from a chair shot to the head and it’s the Rock Bottom into the Backstabber for a VERY near fall as Mark had to pull the referee out. The referee gets bumped and that’s enough for the chair shot to Sky’s back. Mark gets in another shot but instead of following up, the go after Kazarian for some reason.

That allows Sky to grab a victory roll for a VERY delayed two from the replacement referee, only to get caught with the Jay Driller. A top rope superplex into the Froggy Bow only gets two on Kazarian, who comes up with slaps to both of them. Redneck Boogey cuts off the disrespect and retains the titles at 12:19.

Rating: B. Good main event here as SCU goes out fighting as hard as they can. With the AEW news breaking there was no way we were getting a title change here but they were trying to do something entertaining in their last match. That was certainly a success too, and the match was a good way for them to go out.

Here’s Marty Scurll for a chat. People have been asking what’s next for him and it’s time to set some things straight. He’s been the top guy around here for a long time now so it’s time for him to win the top prize. Scurll is the #1 contender and wants the World Title….so here’s the Kingdom to interrupt. Matt Taven says he’s the real World Champion and right now, Marty has no backup when he’s surrounded. Marty agrees that his friends have left him, but he can still make new ones.

The lights go out and it’s Brody King and PCO making their debuts by standing next to Marty. The fight is on with King hitting a big piledriver and PCO completely topping it with the moonsault to the floor. Marty dubs the trio Villain Enterprises (makes sense as that’s what his shirt says) to end the show. Cool debut here, and Scurll is certainly the kind of guy who needs some muscle like this. Also, very well done for PCO to manage to get to something like this after everything he’s been through.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling was better here and if you didn’t have such a bad idea with the women’s tag match, it could have been one of the better shows they’ve ever done. What we got here was a really solid wrestling show with a nice angle to wrap it up, which is certainly enough for a positive rating. Fix some of the issues in the middle and it’s great, but for now really good is more than enough.

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:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring of Honor
Date: October 17, 2018
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer, Caprice Coleman

We’re FINALLY after the previous month’s pay per view and that means it’s time to do something fresh. Of course around here that doesn’t mean much as Glory By Honor, as in the next major show, has already taken place. I really can’t even mock them for this anymore as it’s still such a problem. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the ending of Death Before Dishonor, where Jay Lethal successfully defended the World Title against Will Ospreay but the Kingdom came in and beat him down. Matt Taven, now with a haircut, has his own World Title.

Opening sequence.

Here’s the Kingdom to take over the ring. They’re about to do something that should have been done a long time ago. The Kingdom has been silenced for far too long and the referee has to hold the title while the ring announcer reads off Taven’s resume. The last line says Taven is the ROH World Champion, which requires some coercing to be announced. No one comes out, but at least Lethal has a new challenger.

Video on Jeff Cobb showing up and then wrecking TV Champion Punishment Martinez. That could be a heck of a fight.

Chase Owens vs. Kenny King

Owens is Bullet Club and King is the hometown boy. They go to the arm holds to start until neither can kick the other in the face. King goes after the arm again but gets sent to the apron and dropkicked to the floor. Back from a break with Owens hitting a running neckbreaker for a delayed two until King slugs his way back into it.

The spinning leg lariat has Owens on the floor for the spinning corkscrew dive. A high crossbody gives King two and we hit a quickly broken chinlock. Owens loads up a swinging neckbreaker but twists it back into a faceplant for two of his own. The package piledriver is broken up and King bounces off the ropes but his knee buckles. Since Owens is dumb enough to fall for this, King small packages him for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: D+. You would think King would start getting better at putting a match together over time but that’s still not the case. It’s just spot after spot and then the finish with nothing connecting the sections together. The match wasn’t horrible or anything but Owens is just kind of there and King needs someone to help him along.

Coast To Coast is ready to win the Tag Team Titles next week.

Back to Death Before Dishonor, where Colt Cabana joined Bully Ray and Silas Young to beat down Colt Cabana and Flip Gordon.

Flip Gordon vs. Shane Taylor

Hang on though as Flip grabs a mic. Gordon will fight him tonight but first, he needs to call out Bully Ray. At Death Before Dishonor, Ray had to cheat before the tag team tables match but Gordon put him through a table anyway. Ray couldn’t handle that though and had to screw him over. So what does Ray want next? TLC? A Las Vegas street fight?

Here’s Ray to ask if he’s bothering Flip. Ray: “Are you upset that I keep kicking you in the balls?” As Ray talks, Taylor grabs a chair and here’s Silas Young for a low blow. The beatdown is on and no one comes out to help Gordon, despite Ray begging for someone to do so. Ian seems more interested than anyone else.

The Briscoes aren’t worried about Coast to Coast.

Jay Lethal is proud about Ring of Honor selling out Madison Square Garden and he’d love to come in defending the title.

The Kingdom leaves the arena.

We recap the show to fill time.

Next week: Coast to Coast vs. Briscoes, Cobb vs. Martinez for the TV Title and Marty Scurll vs. Chris Sabin.

Addiction vs. Best Friends vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Young Bucks

One fall to a finish and it’s Evil and Sanada for LIJ. Since there’s no bell after the break, I’m not sure if this is joined in progress or everyone just being really rude. It’s a huge brawl to start (I mean….duh) with the Bucks taking over (I repeat my duh) until Chuck sends them together. The lawn dart cutter sends Matt to the floor but LIJ breaks up the big hug. It’s Addiction’s turn to clean house with a clothesline to the back of Evil’s head and a double stomp, followed by a pair of moonsaults to Sanada.

We hit the string of dives with Nick hitting the big springboard version. Barretta loads up one of his own but stops for a hug, followed by the stereo flip dives from the Friends. We head back in…..FOR THE OPENING BELL, three and a half minutes after the fighting started. Ian: “WHAT???” Sanada ties Daniels and Kazarian up to start (for the second time) and it’s a double dropkick for two on Daniels. Evil gets two off a side slam and we hit the chinlock to send us to a break.

Back with Daniels faceplanting Evil but the Friends, now in sunglasses, pull Kazarian off the apron. As Ian points out how dumb that was, Daniels fights back and makes the hot tag to Nick for the house cleaning. The Friends come in as well and get flipped around but it’s too early for More Bang For Your Buck. Kazarian’s slingshot cutter hits Trent but Sanada is ready for him with a hanging swinging neckbreaker.

Trent comes back in with a tornado DDT but Evil uses the referee for a Magic Killer. Angel’s Wings drops Matt and the Awful Waffle gets two so Chuckie actually makes a tag. How nice of him. The Dude Buster hits Matt but Nick Swantons in for the save. Nick superkicks almost everyone until Matt turns it into double superkicks to everyone else. A dive onto a bunch of people sets up the Meltzer Driver for the pin on Trent at 7:50.

Rating: C+. Well what we got was good and being realistic, you might as well add in the pre-match stuff as part of the match itself. This was all about flying all over the place with very little story involved and there’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever. We got a fun match out of the eight guys and there’s nothing wrong with that. Entertaining match with the fans way into it.

Overall Rating: C. It might not be a great show but it’s so nice to have something that ACTUALLY MATTERS. The Taven stuff is going to depend on your opinion of the guy and while I’m still not a fan, he’s definitely better than he was just a few months ago. The main event was entertaining as well and the show was far easier to sit through than some of the dumb stuff they’ve done in recent weeks. Now just end the Bully Ray As The Super Heel story and we’ll be fine.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: October 10, 2018
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer

We have to be getting close to the end of this taping cycle and therefore getting closer to everything that happened at Death Before Dishonor. Ignore the fact that we’re two days away from Glory By Honor, which is a major event in its own right. I’m not sure when things will be back to normal, but anytime soon would be nice. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kingdom vs. Coast To Coast

Vinny Marseglia and TK O’Ryan for the Kingdom here. Marseglia throws LSG to the floor to start where he has to kick O’Ryan in the face. Back in and things speed up until O’Ryan grabs LSG’s foot, allowing Marseglia to take over. Ali comes in for a double suplex as the fans are behind the Kingdom here. Coast to Coast is right back with forearms to the jaw and an uppercut into a neckbreaker for two on Marseglia. A kick to the ribs cuts LSG down though and we take a break.

Back with LSG rolling over for the hot tag off to Ali as the pace picks up. It’s time to unleash the balloons (I guess he was really desperate for a thing.) and Marseglia pops one next to Ali’s head, setting up a powerslam for two. A spinebuster into a middle rope headbutt gets two and a double flapjack (always loved that) is good for the same. The neck crank keeps Ali down until he fights up and rolls over to LSG for the hot tag.

Everything breaks down and a spinning gutbuster into a running neckbreaker drops O’Ryan. Marseglia is right back up with some running forearms in the corner and LSG gets beaten up on the floor. Ali makes the save with a quick dive so Marseglia dives onto everyone at once. LSG flip dives onto everyone as well and it’s LSG rolling O’Ryan up for the pin at 12:34. Apparently neither of them were legal, but that’s never mattered much around here.

Rating: C+. Fun match here, though a bunch of the dives started to get annoying after awhile. The Kingdom being ripped off again isn’t the most thrilling story in the world either as they feel like they’ve been doing the same thing for months now. It was a fine enough match, though as usual a little too messy for my tastes.

Post match the Kingdom yells and beats up referees.

Clip of Marty Scurll beating the Hurricane via cheating six weeks ago.

Scurll is ready to beat up Hurricane again and vanquish him once and for all.

Hurricane Helms vs. Marty Scurll

Have we ever gotten an explanation or even a mention of the title that Hurricane wears? Or why this is happening TWICE in 2018? We don’t get a handshake to start and Marty shrugs off an early chokeslam attempt. A tornado DDT drops Hurricane but he pops back up like Kane. Another chokeslam attempt is countered into a Backstabber for two…and Hurricane Hulks Up. A knee to the face gets two on Marty and it’s time for a People’s Elbow of all things, only to have Marty knock him outside for a suicide dive.

The fans are WAY into Marty as we take a break. Back with Marty hitting a brainbuster for two and Hurricane shrugging off some chops. A Ghostbuster gives Marty two more and he knocks Marty to the floor, only to have his tornado DDT countered into a northern lights suplex. Back in and they slug it out until Hurricane gets two off his reverse Unprettier. A Rainmaker gives Marty two but the Chickenwing attempt is reversed into a whip into the post.

Marty is fine enough for a superplex into a near fall, followed by a superkick to the back of Hurricane’s head. The referee gets distracted so Marty can hit a low blow into the Eye of the Hurricane for two more. Marty’s chokeslam is reversed into the regular version but the Vertebreaker is countered. They go into a rollup exchange with Hurricane stacking him up for the pin at 12:22.

Rating: D. Are you kidding me? Scurll is one of the hottest names on the indy scene at the moment and he loses clean to the HURRICANE??? Seriously, this is the best thing that they can come up with for Scurll at the moment? I know he’s not the most popular guy in the world with some people, but there is no excusing him losing to a glorified comedy guy like Hurricane, who isn’t even a regular anymore. Yeah it’s leading to a blowoff match but that’s the point: this should have been a one off and nothing more.

We recap the two matches so far.

Will Ferrara is ready to finish Cheeseburger and put it behind him.

Video on Cheeseburger vs. Will Ferrara. They were a tag team over a year ago and had some issues, so now it’s a Fight Without Honor. A freaking year later. And now I get to watch Cheeseburger in a main event. I’m so happy.

Cheeseburger doesn’t care about Ferrara anymore and is going to the top, with or without him.

Cheeseburger vs. Will Ferrara

Anything goes and Ferrara tells Rhett Titus to stay in the back for this. They get aggressive to start and Cheeseburger hits a running forearm. It’s too early for the palm strike though and Ferrara bails to the floor, only to get taken down with a dive and more right hands. Back in and Ferrara whips him with a belt, which Whitmer describes as funny. I do tend to get enjoyment out of Cheeseburger being in pain.

Ferrara chokes with the belt so Cheeseburger suplexes his way to freedom. Now it’s time for Ferrara to get whipped and he crawls over to the ropes for a breather. That’s fine with Cheeseburger, who chokes with the belt to keep Ferrara in trouble. Ferrara gets to the floor and Cheeseburger drives the hand into the post to take over. Back from a break with Ferrara missing a chair shot to the hand but connecting with one to the back for two.

Cheeseburger superkicks the chair into Ferrara’s face and unloads on him in the corner, followed by a DDT onto the chair. It’s table time but here’s Titus to run Cheeseburger over from behind. Cheeseburger escapes a powerbomb through the table but here are Eli Isom and Ryan Nova to powerbomb Titus through the table. Ferrara has a chain but punches the chair, allowing Cheeseburger to chair him in the back, setting up the palm strike with a chain for the pin at 10:30.

Rating: D+. Good for them. Now maybe we can move on to a feud where Cheeseburger gets beaten up by someone bigger than him and told that he shouldn’t be in this business. Then someone will feel sorry for Cheeseburger because he just fights oh so hard and then Cheeseburger wins the blowoff match. BECAUSE THAT WOULD NEVER GET OLD AND REPETITIVE AT ANY TIME OVER THE LAST FOUR FREAKING YEARS RIGHT???

Overall Rating: F. Absolutely unacceptable here on almost every level. Aside from the perfectly acceptable first match, you have the freaking HURRICANE winning a match over a top level star (you know, the guy who was main eventing a major pay per view earlier this year for your World Title) and your other match, the main event of your show, is blowing off a Cheeseburger “feud” that was started sixteen months ago and has barely been mentioned since.

Ring of Honor has an hour of television a week and this is what they decide to use it on? With all of the other talent that they have, and they have a lot, this is the best they can do in an hour? You don’t have some other people you could run out there? Or do some promos to set up some matches later? Really? That wasn’t an option?

We’ve been stuck with the stand alone episodes for weeks and this is what you expect to make us want to tune in next week? This was a failure on every level (again, save for the opener) and I haven’t been this dumbfounded by a show in a long, long time. If Ring of Honor wants to be seen as a major promotion, they need to get far, far away from everything like this because it makes them look like they don’t now what they’re doing.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: August 29, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Colt Cabana, Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re getting close to coming up on Death Before Dishonor and that means we might start putting a few things together. Other than that, it’s hard to say what we might be getting this week. That being said, the success rate around here isn’t half bad and there’s always a chance of seeing something great. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Christopher Daniels vs. Jay Briscoe

Mark Briscoe is on commentary to give us the four man booth. Fallout from Best in the World, which is just two months ago to the date of this show’s air date. Or “a couple of weeks” according to Ian. Jay drives him into the corner to start but Daniels shoves him away. A shot to the face knocks Jay to the floor and there’s the Arabian moonsault. Daniels stomps away in the corner and we take a break.

Back with Jay in control and grabbing a chinlock, which feels like a rarity around here. Daniels fights up in short order and gets two off the Blue Thunder Bomb. Angel’s Wings is driven back into the corner but the Jay Driller is broken up as well. That’s enough for Mark, who comes in and blasts Daniels in the back with a chair for the DQ at 7:36.

Rating: C-. Not enough time to go anywhere and I get why you wouldn’t want either of them to take a clean loss here. They were looking equal, which should be the case with two former World Champions. I’m still not sold on So Cal Uncensored as faces and it feels like it could be a big time ruse, which is how things should be going given their history.

Post match the beatdown is on but Scorpio Sky and Kazarian run in for the save.

Video on Jonathan Gresham vs. Jay Lethal in two weeks.

Video on Madison Rayne earning a title shot next week.

Silas Young vs. Flip Gordon

Flip’s ability to moonsault into the ring and take his pants off at the same time is most impressive. Gordon armdrags him a few times but an early suicide dive attempt is blocked right a right hand. A slingshot double stomp hits Flip in the ribs and now Young is ready to take the shirt off (sans moonsault). One heck of a whip into the corner gets two and it’s off to a chinlock (maybe they’re not so uncommon).

Back up and Gordon springboards in with a missile dropkick, drawing a loud FLIP chant. No flipping ensues, but he does hit a running dropkick in the corner. Now it’s the running flip dive to the floor and we take a break with Silas in trouble. Back with Gordon getting two off a high crossbody and a springboard spear is good for the same. Silas catches a charge with the swinging backbreaker into the low clothesline and it’s time for the big slugout.

Gordon gets the better of it with a Falcon Arrow but let’s go back to the slugout. This time Gordon enziguris him down, only to get booted in the face. A Pele drops Silas again but let’s go to the third slugout. With hitting Young in the head not working, Gordon O’Connor rolls him and bridges back for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: C. The slugouts got a little tiring but Gordon needs some more wins over credible names. Young doesn’t seem to be going anywhere now that he’s lost the TV Title but really, it’s not like there is a huge upside to him. He’s been better than I thought when I first saw him, but I think he’s reached his ceiling.

Post match Bully Ray comes in and low blows Gordon. Ray and Young stare at each other, seemingly out of respect.

Marty Scurll congratulates Kenny King on finding his inner villain. Revenge is coming.

King doesn’t have much to say about putting his feet on the ropes to beat Scurll. A year ago he was on a roll and it got him the TV Title. Now things have changed though and he lost to Austin Aries at Best in the World. King had the chance to win but wouldn’t use the Royal Flush on the floor. Ric Flair cheated and won sixteen World Titles so how much does King have to do to win once? King has options now, and that’s good. Nice explanation here, which is more than I was expecting.

Nick Aldis is on commentary for the main event as the fans want Cody.

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

Cody and the Bucks, with Bernard the Business Bear and Brandi Rhodes, are challenging, plus getting very loudly cheered. Well Cody is from Marietta (about twenty miles from Atlanta) so it’s not that shocking. They waste no time in starting the brawl with the Kingdom getting the early advantage.

Cody gets left alone but the Bucks run back in to save him from a double suplex. The threat of a double superkick puts the kingdom on the floor and it’s a wheelbarrow faceplant into a cutter to put Taven down. O’Ryan comes in and gets kicked right back to the floor, followed by the slingshot dropkick to Marseglia as the Club is in full control to start. Cody dives to the floor to take out O’Ryan again and stares Aldis down.

Back in and it’s Marseglia chop blocking Matt to cut off a superkick attempt. Matt gets taken into the corner and the leg work continues, including Marseglia dropping some elbows on the knee. Taven comes in for a leglock of his own and we take a break. Back with Matt hitting a middle rope dropkick but banging up the knee again as Colt points out the lack of superkicks so far. Matt kicks O’Ryan down again and the hot tag brings in Nick for a series of non-super kicks.

Marseglia pops the balloon next to Nick’s head to mess with his balance though and Taven is on him with the right hands to the head. The real hot tag brings in Cody who grabs the Sharpshooter on Taven. O’Ryan and Marseglia get caught n the same hold for three at a time. All three are broken up and the first superkick drops Marseglia but Matt bangs up the bad knee again. Cody cleans house but takes WAY too long posing, allowing Marseglia to grab another balloon.

That gets superkicked next to his ear though and a triple superkick gets two on Taven. Cross Rhodes gets two on Taven with Marseglia making the save. The double dives are broken up and Marseglia dives onto Cody. Nick hits his own flip dive though, followed by Taven’s always great looking no hands dive. Brandi, in a dress, hits a big dive of her own and Taven isn’t sure what just happened.

Bernard gets on the apron so Taven kicks him in the head (it’s kind of an easy target) and there’s the Climax to Cody. Redrum (Swanton) gets two and everyone is down as Aldis wonders when the DQ is coming. Dude….actually it makes sense for the NWA World Champion to be that stuck in the past. Rockstar Supernova to Cody is broken up with stereo superkicks and Cross Rhodes to Marseglia is good for the pin and the titles at 14:33.

Rating: B. Heck of a match here with all of the dives and flips, though it might have needed to cut a minute or two to really make this work. They were flying around at the end, but it helped a lot to do the leg work and build up to that. Maybe it’s the traditionalist in me but I appreciate the work being put in to get to the insanity, and this match had that.

Post match Taven rants that Marseglia wasn’t legal (he wasn’t) and Aldis doesn’t like the ROH officiating to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helps as usual, but there’s often this strange feeling to Ring of Honor’s TV. It feels like they don’t really have a long term goal in mind and just make things up as they go. There were stories to everything here but it doesn’t exactly feel like they know where they’re going. Some of these stories feel like they keep going because it’s not clear how to wrap things up. It’s still a watchable show on its own, but long term it’s not the best stuff in the world.

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:

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

Ring of Honor
Date: August 8, 2018
Location: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I’ve given up trying to figure out what’s coming on this show. One week we got a World Title change and the next week we got a Six Man Tag Team Title squash. The star power is still lacking, but the schedule is all over the place around here and I’m tired of guessing what we might be seeing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Silas Young vs. Chris Sabin

#1 contenders match for the TV Title with the injured Alex Shelley on commentary. A headlock takeover sends Silas into the corner and Sabin gives him a wave. Silas tries the power with a shoulder but no one goes anywhere. Instead Sabin throws him outside and flip dives off the apron as we take a break.

Back with an exchange of fireman’s carrys but neither can hit a finisher. Sabin goes with a kick to the head to put Silas on the floor, setting up a kick from the apron. A wicked springboard tornado DDT gets two on Young but he still manages to block the Cradle Shock. Silas’ backbreaker into a clothesline combination gets two but the springboard moonsault out of the corner misses. Sabin gets some rollups for two and Cradle Shock gives him the clean pin at 9:51.

Rating: C+. The result actually surprised me and they were having a good match out there. I’ve always liked Sabin more than Shelley so it’s cool to see him back in the ring on his own for a change. I would have bet on Silas getting the win here as he had been TV Champion just a few weeks ago but this was a nice swerve and a fun match on top of that. Well done, believe it or not.

Post match TV Champion Punishment Martinez comes out for the staredown.

Marty Scurll vs. Hurricane Helms

Uh, sure. Scurll, who has eye paint this week, won’t shake hands (well duh) and gets armdragged down instead. A cross armbreaker attempt sends Scurll bailing to the ropes so they hit the mat for some technical stuff. Marty handstands out of a headscissors and strikes Hurricane’s pose, only to fall down when Hurricane shows him the real thing.

Some spit in Hurricane’s face means it’s time to slug it out with Scurll getting the better of it by knocking him outside. Marty stomps on the hand and we take a break. Back with Marty hammering away on the outside and grabbing a cross arm choke inside. A Backstabber gets two but Helms pops up for some clotheslines.

The jumping Downward Spiral and Eye of the Hurricane get two each but the Shining Wizard is well scouted. Hint: shouting SHINING WIZARD before trying the move is a bad idea. Marty superkicks the knee and snaps the fingers but misses a charge into the post. A super swinging neckbreaker (a bigger spot than I was expecting) looks to set up the Vertebreaker, which has the announcers intrigued. Marty reverses that as well (again, shouting the name if the move isn’t that bright) and shoves Hurricane into the referee, setting up the low blow and small package for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: C-. Hurricane looked old here but he was still more than able to hang in this one. I’m not sure if they should have had Scurll give up so much to Hurricane but at least it was a good enough match. Scurll is still rather awesome and the ending made perfect sense with the villain cheating to beat the hero. How did someone never do this match before?

Video on Jay Lethal regaining the World Title.

So Cal Uncensored vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Bullet Club

Evil/Sanada/Bushi for Los Ingobernables and the Bucks/Adam Page (hometown boy) for the Club. Page and Kazarian slug it out to start as they always do, with Ian dubbing them a modern Rick Martel and Tito Santana. I appreciate the idea, but they would need to be partners first for that to make sense. Everything breaks down in a hurry and it’s Sanada vs. Daniels for a double clothesline. Nick and Sky tag themselves in and it’s time to flip around without making much contact.

Everybody misses more stuff and So Cal Uncensored and the Club try a six way dropkick to no avail. Los Ingobernables clear most of the ring, leaving Nick to take a triple teaming. Page gets suplexed onto Nick and Evil adds a backsplash. Kazarian gets back up and powerbombs Bushi to the floor, followed by Sky hitting a big flip dive onto Bushi and Evil. Everyone goes over to one side of the ring for the sole purpose of giving Daniels a target for the Arabian moonsault. I know what they’re going for but that looked horribly contrived.

The Club hits a triple superkick followed by a triple dive to stand tall Back in and a triple basement dropkick rocks Kazarian to send us to a break. We come back with Daniels hitting the Space Tornado Ogawa on Sanada and Page coming in to clean house. The Bucks hit a frog splash/standing moonsault combination on Sanada, followed by Page hitting a running shooting star. Sanada eats a superkick from Matt, who gets caught with a slingshot cutter from Sky.

Evil comes back in and takes the slingshot X Factor from Nick but the second attempt lands in a cutter from Kazarian. There’s a Buckshot Lariat from Page to Kazarian, but Daniels is right back up with a Death Valley Driver. The ref gets misted and Celebrity Rehab gets a VERY delayed two with Kazarian grabbing the referee’s hand for the count.

Daniels yells at him for not counting the three anyway but the Club comes back in for a ridiculous number of superkicks. Page’s modified Tombstone gets two and we FINALLY get a breather after a crazy sequence. The spike Rite of Passage kills Sanada for two more as a bunch of people dive in for the save. Ian actually tries to keep track of who is legal as Nick dives onto the big pile.

Bushi breaks up Matt’s dive with a Canadian Destroyer and a suicide dive to Daniels. Since we haven’t had a big spot in all of ten seconds, Page superplexes Kazarian down onto almost everyone else. Back in and Daniels hits Bushi with the Blue Thunder Bomb for no cover because he wants the Angel’s Wings. Cue Mark Briscoe for a distraction so Jay Briscoe can hit Daniels with a chair. Bushi’s middle rope Codebreaker for the pin on Daniels for the pin at 13:47.

Rating: B. Well what else were you expecting here? This is the kind of match that you want when you put three trios together for about fifteen minutes and they delivered. The sequence in the middle with people hitting one more after another was a blast and while a lot of the stuff was contrived, this was as much of a popcorn match as you were going to get.

Overall Rating: B. They went with the wrestling show tonight and that’s best for everyone. There’s nothing to build towards at the moment other than the UK tour, which are pretty much stand alone shows. The wrestling was more than good enough here and I liked what I was seeing. The show is going to need some more structure soon though as you can only do a show like this every now and then.

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:

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

IMG Credit: Ring of Honor

Ring of Honor
Date: August 1, 2018
Location: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

Something finally happened last week as Jay Lethal became the Ring of Honor World Champion for the second time. That means things should certainly stabilize around here, but it doesn’t mean much if everything else doesn’t move forward. Death Before Dishonor is at the end of next month and while it’s not necessary to start building that show up just yet, they can’t wait too much longer. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at Lethal’s path back to the top and the title win last week. Lethal has grown on me so much over the last year or two that I was glad to see him win.

Opening sequence.

Kushida vs. Jonathan Gresham

This could be interesting. Kushida is dressed like Doc Brown from Back to the Future II and Cabana thinks it’s a spacesuit. So much for him being a good commentator. They grapple around to start (well duh) and no one can get anywhere other than to a standoff. A headlock works a bit better for Kushida but Gresham takes him down into one of his own. Kushida bails to the floor for a second, seemingly due to underestimating Gresham.

Back in and Gresham takes him down by the arm for one heck of a crank. The armbar is even turned into a rollup for two as the announcers talk about the talent on the upcoming UK tour. I get that you can’t call a lot of the technical stuff here, but explain some of the psychology, like Gresham trying to take Kushida down piece by piece, utilizing his advantage from Kushida underestimating him.

They go to a test of strength and flip to the mat with it, including a pair of rollups and the always cool looking double bridge. The pinfall reversal sequence gets a few one counts and we take a break. Back with a series of standing switches until Gresham hits a standing Lionsault for two. Gresham goes for the arm but Kushida rolls him up to escape and rolls through a DDT.

Back to the Future is broken up so Kushida settles for a failed Hoverboard Lock attempt. With the wrestling not getting them anywhere, they take turns smacking each other in the face. Kushida tells Gresham to hit him again and the forearm exchange is on. Gresham actually gets the better of it and German suplexes him for two. A legsweep sets up the Hoverboard Lock though and Kushida rolls into Back to the Future for the pin at 11:57.

Rating: B-. Kushida is my favorite New Japan guy so it’s not going to take much to impress me. Gresham is very entertaining for someone without anything to distinguish himself looks wise and you can always have the technical guy on the roster. He might not win anything big but it seems that they’re building to him getting closer and closer to that breakthrough win. Very nice technical display here, but that’s what you have to expect.

Gresham is frustrated by the loss and takes off his wrist tape. He does offer his hand though and Kushida shakes it.

Marty Scurll doesn’t like the idea of Shane Helms trying to come to Ring of Honor to make a name for himself. Helms is playing the part of a superhero but Scurll is the real villain.

Clip of the Briscoes retaining over the Young Bucks at Best in the World and then beating them down after the match. So Cal Uncensored came in for the save and beat up the Briscoes in a very unlikely face turn.

So Cal Uncensored talks about the lack of respect. Daniels says it started last year when he lost at Best in the World and the fans booed him. Now it’s time to start taking that out on everyone, including COO Joe Koff. They have a few months left here because Koff doesn’t respect them and in the twilight of his career, Daniels may have to look for a new home.

Over the next six months, they’re going to earn their spots around here because firing them would be the worst decision they could make. If that means becoming the new Tag Team Champions, the Briscoes are their next target. Kazarian asks what you would do if you knew your death was coming. Would you hold your loved ones tight or burn every bridge behind you?

They have that luxury now and they’re coming for the best tag team in Ring of Honor history. Scorpio Sky has worked his entire life to get here and if the team is out, he’s out too. Really good, intense stuff here as So Cal Uncensored has gotten a lot better in recent months and the next few should be great.

Video on Punishment Martinez.

Kugetsu/Hana Kimura vs. Jenny Rose/Mayu Iwatani

Mandy Leon is on commentary. Kugetsu gets double teamed to start and Iwatani hits a quick standing flip splash for two. Jenny gets sent outside and takes a suicide dive as we go to an early break. Back with Jenny getting crushed in the corner until a double clothesline bails her out. Mayu comes in with some dropkicks and a double springboard wristdrag. A double dropkick against the ropes has the villains (I think?) in trouble and an even harder baseball slide dropkick nails Kimura for two.

The frog splash misses and Hana hits a hard suplex, allowing for the double tag. Rose gets two each off a northern lights suplex and a top rope clothesline but Kugetsu pulls her into a cross armbreaker. A rope is enough for the save so Kugetsu grabs the referee, allowing Hana to hit Jenny with the Oedo Tai sign. Kugetsu kicks her in the head for two and a double big boot is good (I thought that was the finish). Instead of Samoan driver pins Rose at 9:57.

Rating: C+. If you give these people some characters or tell us a few things about them, I could easily get behind matches like this. It’s a very entertaining match and the four worked hard, but this division needs a top star to build around. For reasons that I don’t understand whatsoever, that spot has gone to Sumie Sakai instead of Tenille Dashwood.

We get some clips from after last week’s show with Lethal pouring out emotion over winning the title back. The title doesn’t mean he’s the greatest. It’s his prize for being the greatest. Bring on all the challengers.

Austin Aries joins commentary for the main event.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Kenny King/Chuckie T./Eli Isom vs. Kingdom

The Kingdom is defending and have a good laugh at the idea of facing this thrown together team. The champs jump the challengers to start and stomp away on Isom, which Aries refers to as Isomlating him. Chuckie comes in and has some actual success, including Soul Food on Marseglia. Everything breaks down and with the Kingdom in the corner, the challengers celebrate with a three way hug.

Isom gets caught in the wrong corner again but comes out with an enziguri and tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Marseglia pulls him right back off the ropes into a backbreaker of his own though and we take a break. Back with Isom hitting a jumping knee to the face and making the hot tag to King. A big corkscrew dive takes Marseglia down with Chuckie tagging himself in on the way over the top. O’Ryan gets suplexed into Marseglia in the corner, followed by a Falcon Arrow for two on Taven.

A series of kicks to the head give us a six way knockdown until Isom and Taven can get up. Isom knees him again but makes the mistake of going to Kingdom’s corner, where Marseglia pops a balloon in his face. Rockstar Supernova is broken up and Isom rolls Taven up for two in a near fall no one seems to buy. Marseglia and O’Ryan run back in though and Rockstar Supernova (with the two of them really adding nothing to Taven’s powerbomb) to retain at 7:56.

Rating: C. The challengers were trying here but there’s only so much you can do when three guys are teaming together for the second time, one of them is a jobber, and they’re up against a good team. That near fall had no heat but the match was entertaining and they were working hard, which is all you can hope for here.

Overall Rating: C+. Now that’s a bit more like it, even though this felt still a bit like another filler episode. The wrestling was quite good tonight and they had some promos to advance the stories. Just give us some star power already because the lack of it is making the show seem a lot less important, which is hurting the impact the better wrestling is having.

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:

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